RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for December 25th 2022

GB2RS News

Sunday the 25^th of December 2022

 

The news headlines:

• Coronation of King Charles III
• RSGB Elections
• New edition of RadCom Plus released

 

Season’s greetings to all our listeners! Today’s GB2RS news script will the final one of 2022. Today’s news reading is optional, as the RSGB appreciates that not all newsreaders will be available as normal, but the script will be on the RGSB website so all can see it. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the newsreaders, who read the news on a variety of platforms, for their service to their fellow amateurs throughout the year. We’d also like to remind amateurs that there is a long-standing convention to listen for news broadcasts on Sundays before transmitting to allow news reading to go ahead without interference. Thank you to all those who listen on Sunday mornings, and the other times that the news is read, to those who call in afterwards to speak to the newsreaders, and to everyone who listens via various platforms. Please note, there will be no script prepared for broadcast on Sunday the 1^st of January 2023 due to RSGB HQ being closed from 12.30pm on Friday the 23^rd of December until 8.30am on Tuesday the 3^rd of January 2023. Newsreaders may, of course, choose to run a net at their normal transmission time, but under their own callsign only.

The RSGB is making plans to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort in May 2023. The Coronation theme is looking towards the future while being rooted in our traditions, which the Society would like to incorporate in its celebrations. The UK has an ancient chain of fire-based beacons and the RSGB is considering ways that these might be used in the plans. As well as organising events for radio amateurs, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate amateur radio to the public and to gain publicity in the media. If you have any thoughts about how to use the fire beacon chain, or if you have ideas for activities on the Coronation theme that could be used as outreach to the public, please contact the RSGB Coronation Lead, Alan Messenger, G0TLK on special.projects@rsgb.org.uk

Are you keen to see amateur radio thrive? Do you have the time and enthusiasm to support other radio amateurs and to help shape the RSGB of the future? If so, you still have the opportunity to be nominated in the RSGB elections. This year there are nine roles to be filled and the results will be announced at the Society’s AGM in April 2023. An explanation of how to apply for the Nominated Board Director process, as well as the candidate packs and forms for President, Elected Board Director and Regional Representative, are all on the Society’s website. The deadline for the Nominated Board Director role is the 3^rd of January 2023 whilst the closing date for other roles is the 31^st of January 2023. Find out more at rsgb.org/election

The RSGB is pleased to announce that a new edition of RadCom Plus, Volume 7, Issue 1, is out now. RadCom Plus is the RSGB’s digital technical supplement and RSGB Members can read it in HTML5 flipbook, PDF and ePub formats. This issue contains almost forty pages, including an article on an active dipole antenna and another on the construction of a portable dish for operating on the 23 and 13cm bands. RadCom Plus can be accessed via www.rsgb.org/radcom-plus

The RSGB is releasing three more 2022 Convention videos between Christmas and New Year to give radio amateurs some great content to watch during the festive season. Dr Colin Forsyth from UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory gives a fascinating presentation about Space Weather, whilst Prof Norman Billingham, M0EBI talks about plastics for the radio amateur. Jim Bacon, G3YLA reviews what the 2020s have told us about Sporadic-E. The presentations will be published on three separate days so if you subscribe to the RSGB YouTube channel you will know when they’re available. Go to youtube.com/theRSGB

 

And now for details of rallies and events

The Yeovil Amateur Radio Club Rally will be held on Thursday the 29^th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7QX. Doors will be open from 9.30am to 1pm and admission is £3. Free parking is available. The event will include bring and buy as well as 20 tables for traders. For more information contact Bob on 01963 440 167.

The Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally will be held on Sunday the 29^th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. Doors open at 9.30am and entry is £2. Refreshments are available on site and talk-in is available on 145.375MHz. For more information email Graham via contact@m1dhv.co.uk

The Canvey Rally will be held on the 5^th of February at Cornelius Vermuyden School, Dinant Avenue, Canvey, Essex, SS8 9QS. The Rally is expected to be the usual hive of activity with plenty of traders and an indoor boot sale. Hot food and drinks will be available. Contact sears.enquiries@gmail.com for further information.

 Now the Special Event News

To celebrate the festive season, the Market Reef DX Association in Finland will be using special callsign OG1XMAS. The team will be active on all bands and modes until Monday the 26^th of December. QSL via Logbook of the World, Club Log or directly to OH1NOA.

Special callsign PD22SANTA will be active from The Netherlands until the 31^st of December in celebration of the holiday season. QSL cards will not be issued but a certificate will be available for download.

Celebrating the 15^th anniversary of Summits On The Air France, special callsign TM15SOTA will be active until the 30^th of December. QSL via eQSL.

Throughout 2022, the BBC Amateur Radio Group has been celebrating the centenary of British broadcasting using the callsign GB100BBC. There is still time to catch the station on air, with the final day of operation being New Year’s Eve. Between Christmas and the new year, operation will take place from the club headquarters shack located on the top floor of BBC Broadcasting House in central London. The team hope to work as many stations as possible to wrap up the year of special activity.

Throughout the month of January 2023, Weston super Mare Radio Society will be operating GB4WSM in celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of the Society’s formation on the 3^rd of January 1923.

 Now the DX news

Lester, W8YCM will be active as W8YCM/6Y from Jamaica, NA-097, until January 2023. QSL directly via his home callsign.

Andre, ON7YK will be active in Bijilo, Gambia until the 24^th of February 2023. He is available as C5YK on the 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via eQSL, Logbook of the World or directly to his home callsign.

Gerard, F2JD will be active as HR5/F2JD from Copan, Honduras until the 13^th of March 2023. He will be operating using CW, SSB and digital modes on the HF bands. QSL via F6AJA, directly or via the Bureau.

 Now the contest news

The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon began on Thursday the 1^st of December. The contest will run until the 31^st of January 2023. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator.

On Monday the 26^th of December, the Deutsche Amateur Radio Club Christmas Contest runs from 0830 to 1100UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 80 and 40m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. German stations also send their district or non-member code.

Also on Monday the 26^th of December, the 50MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1400 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

It’s not a contest but the Worked All Britain Christmas Party runs from Monday the 26^th of December to Friday the 6^th of January. Using all bands and modes, the exchange is your Worked All Britain Book number.

On Tuesday the 27^th of December, the 70MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1400 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 28^th of December, the 144MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1400 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Thursday the 29^th of December, the 432MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1400 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

 Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 22^nd of December 2022

The solar flux index stayed around 150 over the last week, bringing some choice DX to the higher HF bands. However, solar flares continue to plague us, bringing short-lived band fade-outs at times. These have all been moderate C- and M-class flares. It is uncertain as to whether or not there will be an X-class flare soon.

Meanwhile, try and work some Arctic Circle DX. Santa’s broadcasting arm, Santa Radio, OF9X, will be active again, on all amateur radio bands, using CW, SSB and digital modes until the end of the year.

On any band, from 10MHz and up, it should be fine to make contact with OF9X during the day, with 80m and 40m being ideal for night-time contact. The DX cluster is probably the best way to find where they are operating.

NOAA predicts that the solar flux may decline slightly over the next week, perhaps going down to 125. But then it should rebound, maybe making it to 160 by the first week of January.

Unfortunately, solarham.com is currently offline. Kevin, VE3EN, who produces the site, says that hopefully this downtime will be short-lived. Keep an eye on the URL as it remains one of the most useful sites for radio amateurs.

And now the VHF and up propagation news

There will be a very unsettled flavour to the Christmas propagation weather with many lows tracking across the country into the New Year. There will be spells of strong winds to provide a few nail-biting moments for antennas, but the main theme is for bands of rain and heavy showers. These will be capable of producing some rain scatter on the GHz bands on most days in one part of the country or another. Cold air will be present at times to give some snow scatter in places, although primarily over northern Britain.

The chances of traditional high-pressure systems bringing some festive tropo are very low indeed with the nearest high displaced well away over southeast Europe. The solar conditions will doubtless be worth considering as a possible indicator of auroral propagation if the Kp index rises above about five or six.

Mid-winter Sporadic-E, can surprise us over the period from now to roughly mid-January. A good example was shown on the Dourbes ionosonde on Monday the 19^th of December when the Sporadic-E critical frequency reached 5.45MHz at 2300UTC and coincided with a jet stream nearby.

There will be plenty of jet stream activity, so it is well worth checking the clusters. Don’t be too fixed upon the usual times for Sporadic-E since these events tend to be driven by the timing of significant weather features.

For meteor scatter enthusiasts, the Leonis Minorids are still active but past their maximum, so we await the Quadrantids to peak with a zenithal hourly rate of around 120 between the 3^rd and 4^th of January.

Unlike other meteor showers that tend to stay at their peak for about two days, the peak period of the Quadrantids lasts only a few hours.

Moon declination is rising, so Moon windows will continue to lengthen, and zenith angles increase, while EME path losses increase after Christmas Eve’s perigee. 144MHz sky noise is low all week.

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