RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for 23rd February 2025

GB2RS News

Sunday the 23^rd of February 2025

The news headlines:

• The RSGB announces the unopposed candidates in its elections
• The RSGB releases 2025 Band Plans
• A year in numbers 2024 – some great things to celebrate!

Nominations in the RSGB elections have closed. For some roles, a single nomination was received, and the candidate is therefore elected unopposed. They will take up their role at the end of the RSGB AGM in April. These unopposed candidates include the roles of President and also Regional Representatives in Regions 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12. In Region 9, no valid nomination was received. For more information about each of these unopposed candidates, see the March issue of RadCom or the RSGB website at rsgb.org/election

The RSGB Band Plans for 2025 were published in the March 2025 issue of RadCom. They are also available on the RSGB website via rsgb.org/bandplans. This year’s plans incorporate further VHF and UHF changes in response to the increased demand that has been prompted by the new Ofcom amateur licence. There are also a few changes from the 2023 IARU Region-1 General Conference. All amateurs are reminded to consult the Band Plans before operating.

Despite continuing challenges nationally and across the world during 2024, the amateur radio community stayed strong and the RSGB supported it. The RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB wrote his annual feature called ‘A year in numbers’ for the March RadCom and shared some great things to celebrate, in which RSGB HQ staff often led the way. You can also see the highlights in a brief video on the RSGB YouTube channel. The April RadCom will show in detail the work of the committees and other specialist volunteers.

Girlguiding groups will be celebrating World Thinking Day on the Air this weekend so listen out for them and encourage the young operators. To highlight the opportunities for young people to get involved in amateur radio activities, this week the RSGB has published two new videos that celebrate the fantastic ISS contact and STEM day held in the autumn and attended by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh. You can watch both the videos on the RSGB YouTube channel.

Between January and March 2024 Bob Bower, GM4DLG took on a one-man antipodean adventure. The DXpedition is currently being serialised in RadCom, and on Monday the 3^rd of March, he will be delivering a Tonight@8 presentation to complement these features. The trip was eight weeks long and covered 27 activations from 11 sites on six islands. Bob operated on 20, 40 and 80m with 100W SSB into vertical arrays of his design, with his holy grail being a valid 80m greyline QSO with Great Britain. Visit rsgb.org/webinars to find out more. Join the presentation live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel and ask questions via the live chat.

Don’t forget to submit your entry to the RSGB Construction Competition by Saturday the 1^st of March. You’ll need to email a short description of your entry and up to four photographs. It is also recommended to send a link to a video that demonstrates your entry working. More details on submitting your application can be found via rsgb.org/construction-competition  The results of the competition will be announced during the 2025 RSGB Annual General Meeting in April.

Exercise Blue Ham will take place on the 29^th and 30^th of March on the 60m band. Stations will be active between 9 am and 6 pm. Blue Ham exercises provide a platform to further develop Cadet radio operator skills and confidence by engaging with the amateur radio community via the MOD 5MHz shared band. Cadet radio operators, under supervision, will exchange radio messages with amateur radio operators in the UK and Europe. The Cadets hope to speak to many radio amateurs on the air. For more information visit alphacharlie.org.uk/exercise-blue-ham

The 26th European Hamradio School Stations Day will take place on Monday the 5^th of May from 0700 to 1700UTC. This is an activity day, not a contest, so the focus is on personal radio contacts and QSO partners should take time for a short exchange. The organisers look forward to seeing many schools, universities and training centres on the air again. To find out more, go to tinyurl.com/european-schools

Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.

And now for details of rallies and events

The Red Rose Winter Rally is taking place today from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk

The Lagan Valley Amateur Radio Society Annual Rally will take place on Saturday the 1^st of March at Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, BT26 6AR. The doors open at 10.30am. For more details visit lvars.uk

On Sunday the 2^nd of March the Exeter Radio Rally is taking place at a new venue. The event will be held at The Kenn Centre, EX6 7UE, from 10 am. Traders and catering will be available on-site. For more information phone Pete, G3ZVI on 07714 198 374 or email g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk

 Now the Special Event news

On 26 February 2025, the 90th anniversary of the Daventry Experiment will be commemorated, marking a pivotal moment in the development of British radar technology. The Daventry Experiment had a lasting impact on both military strategy and civilian applications. To honour this milestone, several special event stations will be active. The Bawdsey Radar Museum will be hosting GB2BRS, with BRS representing Bawdsey Radar Station, whilst Coventry ARS from near Daventry will operate GB9ORE, with RE representing Radar Experiment.  Chelmsford ARS from Great Baddow in Essex will activate GB9OCH with CH representing Chain Home since Chelmsford is where one of the original Chain Home radar masts still stands. 

Special callsign S5701DX is running during February in memory of Slavko, S57DX who became a Silent Key last February. The station has been heard recently using CW and SSB on the HF bands. For more information visit QRZ.com

From the 1^st to the 28^th of March George, MM0JNL will once again be activating special event station GB0GTS. This year the station is active in support of the Great Tommy Sleepout. This national challenge aims to raise funds and awareness for all former UK service personnel who are living homeless. More details are available at QRZ.com and rbli.co.uk

Now the DX news

Datta, VU2DSI is operating from Lonar Lake in India until tomorrow, the 24^th of February. This unique location was formed by the impact of a meteor around 550,000 years ago. The station will be active on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands using SSB. More information can be found at QRZ.com

Now the contest news

The CQ 160m DX Contest started at 2200UTC on Friday the 21^st and ends at 2200UTC today, Sunday the 23^rd of February. Using SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and CQ zone. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province.

The REF Contest started at 0600UTC on Saturday the 22^nd and ends at 1800UTC today, Sunday the 23^rd of February. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

The UBA DX CW contest started at 1000UTC on Saturday the 22^nd of February and ends at 1300UTC today, Sunday the 23^rd of February.  Using CW on the 80 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Belgian stations will also give their section code.

 Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 20^th of February 2025

It seems we were a little over-ambitious in suggesting that last week would be better for HF propagation. It looked like we would avoid coronal mass ejections and see the Kp index fall to lower levels.

Unfortunately, the Sun had other ideas and a fast-moving solar stream, often moving faster than 500 km/s, had a south-pointing Bz, which coupled more easily with Earth and sent the Kp index up to four or more.

So even by Wednesday the 19th, the Kp index was hitting five.

However it seems that the geomagnetic disturbance merely lowered the MUF from around 40-45MHz to 31-32MHz, so it barely affected HF propagation.

At the time of writing, there had only been one M-class solar flare in the past five days, but more than 50 minor C-class events. There were no Earth-directed CMEs.

Nevertheless, there was DX to be had with the standout stations being the V73WW DXpedition to Majuro Atoll on the Marshall Islands, TI1RRC Costa Rica, and 5N9DTG in Nigeria. Upcoming DX next week includes OX3LX (Greenland), Dave G4BUO as 5W0UO (Samoa), TO3Z (Guadeloupe), 4S7SPG (Sri Lanka) and FS/VA3QSL (St Martin).

Next week, NOAA predicts that the week commencing the 23^rd of February could see the solar flux index starting at 170, but then rising to 195-200 as the week progresses. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to start quietly, with a Kp index of two, but then become unsettled by the 27^th to the 29^th, with a maximum predicted Kp index of five.

If this scenario does pan out then we may expect the best HF conditions to occur at the beginning of next week, from the 23^rd to the 26^th.

As always, keep an eye on solarham.com for day-to-day solar news, and perhaps monitor PSKreporter, the Reverse Beacon Network and DX Clusters for digital, CW and SSB HF propagation updates.

And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO

The current spell of unsettled weather seems likely to continue through to the end of next week. There will also be significant windy weather at times. It is therefore not a particularly good period for Tropo, or big antennas for that matter.

This leaves us with rain scatter on the GHz bands and some of these scattering regions will be large areas affecting the whole of the country as weather fronts pass by, rather than more isolated and harder-to-follow showers which often provide our rain scatter.

Meteor scatter is still within its quieter period with no major showers and better chances coming from random meteor activity, which tends to peak in the hours before dawn.

Recent solar activity has provided some weak auroral conditions on many days.  As usual, check for high values of the Kp index as a good indicator, or even listen for a watery tone on the LF bands. Ultimately you will need to see the Kp index going to at least five to make it worth checking for auroral signals on VHF.

We are still in the dormant period for Sporadic-E propagation, which is a shame given the powerful jet streams likely during this stormy weather. These would produce good Es prospects in the main summer season, but weaker Es at low VHF are still a possibility despite being out of season.

Moon declination is at minimum today, Sunday the 23^rd of February, and path losses are decreasing as the Moon moves closer to Earth as it heads to perigee on Saturday the 1^st of March. 144MHz sky noise goes high this weekend, beginning Saturday the 22^nd.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.