RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for 9th March 2025

GB2RS News

Sunday the 9^th of March 2025

The news headlines:

• RSGB members celebrate IARU Centenary with a special callsign
• British Science Week events you can be part of
• RSGB Propagation Studies Committee members give talks at HamSCI event

As part of the celebrations of the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union, the RSGB will be activating the callsign GB0IARU in April 2025. If you would like to be an activator, you need to be an RSGB member with a Full licence, as UK licence conditions only allow Full licensees to operate club callsigns. If you would like to take part, please send an email to contestclub@rsgbcc.org  You will be invited to join a discussion group which will be used to provide you with all the information that you will need. You will have to join the RSGB Contest Club to use the callsign, as GB0IARU is linked to the Contest Club’s callsign G6XX. Foundation and Intermediate licensees will be able to take part under supervision. You can find detailed instructions about operating with GB0IARU on the RSGB website at tinyurl.com/GB0IARU  For QSL information please see the QRZ.com page for GB0IARU.

British Science Week began on Friday the 7^th of March and will continue until Sunday the 16^th of March. The annual celebration presents radio amateurs with the opportunity to showcase their hobby to new audiences. Crowthorne and Wokingham Men’s Shed will be operating as G8EYM during the forthcoming week. Organisers who would like to set up skeds with other groups, particularly other Men’s Sheds groups, should get in touch via info@nmishedww.co.uk  if you’d like to be involved. Some events are also open to the public. South Derbyshire and Ashby Woulds Amateur Radio Group will be hosting a family-friendly open weekend on the 15^th and 16^th of March. The event will include opportunities for kit building, details of training, as well as an opportunity to operate under supervision. Norfolk Amateur Radio Club intends to support the City of Norwich School with its Super Science Saturday on the 15^th of March. To get involved with these events, plus more, go to rsgb.org/bsw  and choose the “Events happening near you” tab on the righthand menu. The Society has also shared several fun ideas that you can take part in, from giving your friends and family a tour of your shack to observing the Sun’s cycles and understanding the aurora. And of course, don't forget to get involved with the official RSGB British Science Week activity, which is featured in the Community Activity Pack. This can be done at home on DMR or any other radio. Whatever inspires you, be part of this fantastic celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and show the very best that amateur radio has to offer.

Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, also known as HamSCI, is holding its 8^th annual workshop in New Jersey on the 14^th and 15^th of March. This year’s workshop features nearly 50 presentations, four tutorials, as well as a keynote address by the ARRL's Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. RSGB Propagation Studies Committee associate member Professor Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL will be delivering several sessions at the two-day event, including one on post-sunset Sporadic-F propagation. The RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Secretary Doctor Chris Deacon, G4IFX, is also attending and will be delivering a session on The Physical Nature of Sporadic-E. You’ll be able to watch these sessions, plus more from the workshop agenda online. Details of how to access the event virtually, as well as more information about the event can be found at hamsci.org/hamsci2025

The RSGB remote invigilation team will be taking a break over the Easter weekend. You will be able to book to take an exam on Friday the 18^th of April or Saturday the 19^th of April, but no exam slots will be available on Sunday the 20^th of April, or Monday the 21^st of April. Exam bookings will resume as normal after that.

Amateur Radio Clubs On The Air is getting ready for a second weekend of operating on the 22^nd and 23^rd of March. It is a chance for amateurs to promote their club, have some fun and collect points for an award. All bands may be used, using any mode including SSB, CW, FM, RTTY, FT8, FT4 and other digital modes. This is an ongoing award, and contacts may be claimed from the 23^rd of March 2025 onwards. You can find full details on the Leicester Radio Society website at g3lrs.org.uk, via the G3LRS page at QRZ.com  or by emailing arcota@g3lrs.org.uk

Cray Valley Radio Society is running a two-day, face-to-face Foundation licence course on the 5^th and the 12^th of April, near Greenwich in southeast London. The Foundation training package costs £65 and this includes the online exam at the end of the course. Please apply or contact Cray Valley Radio Society via its temporary website at cvrs.uk 

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

On Sunday the 16^th of March, the Ripon and District Amateur Radio Society Rally will take place at Great Ouseburn Village Hall, Lightmire Lane, Great Ouseburn, York YO26 9RL. Doors open for traders at 7.30 am and then to the public at 10 am for an admission price of £3. Free parking, refreshments and bacon butties will be available. The tables cost £10 each. For enquiries, or to book one or more tables, email radars.rally@gmail.com

The Biggleswade Swapmeet, organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society, is taking place on Sunday the 23^rd of March at The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH. Doors open to stallholders from 9 am, with general entry from 9.30 am. Admission is £8. Hot and cold refreshments are available all day. There will be vintage technology of varying sorts including radio, TV, communications, audio, vinyl, computing, telephones and components. There will also be a bring-and-buy stall run by the British Wireless and Television Museum. For enquiries, including stall bookings, please email Jeremy Owen, G8MLK via secretary@bvws.org.uk  More details can also be found via BVWS.org.uk

The Callington Radio and Electronics Rally will be held in the Town Hall, New Road, Callington, Cornwall, PL17 7BD on Sunday the 23^rd of March. Public access to the event is from 10 am until 1 pm. Entry is £2 each with no charge for those under the age of 16. A comprehensive selection of traders, clubs and societies from the south-west will be present along with a bring-and-buy stall and the usual excellent catering service. As an improvement from last year, the bring-and-buy stall now accepts payment by all major debit and credit cards using contactless, chip and pin or by phone. The venue has disabled access and toilet facilities with ample parking in a nearby car park. Although the main hall is now fully booked, tables are still available in an adjacent room at £5 for the large size and £3 for the smaller one. Pre-booking is essential, so please contact Alastair, M0KRR at alastair.kerr1@btinternet.com or by phone at 01503 262 755 with your requirements as soon as possible.

Also on Sunday the 23^rd of March is The Dover Amateur Radio Club 2025 Rally which is taking place at the St Radigunds Community Centre, Poulton Close, Dover, CT17 0HL. The doors are open between 10 am and 2 pm and entry is £3. Tea, coffee and bacon rolls will be available on site. Tables are available at £15 each, with a maximum of two tables per vendor. For table bookings and the latest news go to darc.online/rally

Now the Special Event news

The British Railways Amateur Radio Society is running special event stations GB0LMR and GB2SDR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel since 1825. Starting from April, it will also be running GB2TT to celebrate the same anniversary. QSL will be via the Bureau. More information is available at QRZ.com  and via webrars.info

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

The VK9CU team will be active between the 4^th and the 11^th of March from Cocos Keeling Islands, IOTA reference OC-003. They will operate on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT4 and FT8. QSL via DL2AWG, ClubLog and Logbook of the World.

Elvira, IV3FSG is active as D68Z from Moroni in the Comoro Islands until the 18^th of March. IOTA reference AF-007. She will operate on HF bands using CW, SSB and digital modes.

Looking ahead, DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10^th to the 27^th of April.

Now the contest news

The Commonwealth Contest started at 1000UTC on Saturday the 8^th of March and ends at 1000UTC today, Sunday the 9^th of March. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. HQ stations also send ‘HQ’.

On Tuesday the 11^th of March, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs between 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on Tuesday the 11^th of March, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 12^th of March, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 12^th of March, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest.

On Wednesday the 12^th of March, the 80m Club Championship Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Thursday the 13^th of March, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group HF RTTY Contest starts at 0200UTC on Saturday the 15^th of March and ends at 0200UTC on Monday the 17^th of March. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and time.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 6^th of March 2025

We started last week with geomagnetic disturbances that saw the Kp index rise to a maximum of 5.67 on the 28^th of February and then hover around the 4.5 mark for the next couple of days.

As predicted, the rest of the week went quite well, with the Kp index in the range of one to four.

The solar flux index fell from a maximum of 210 on the 23^rd of February to a low of 140 on the 2^nd of March. It then climbed back to 160 on the 4^th. Over the past week, we have had no X-class and only one M-class solar flare which was on the 5^th.

As we head into next week, it looks like all the sunspots in the Sun’s northern hemisphere have now departed. Nevertheless, the southern hemisphere is still supplying lots of spots so don’t panic just yet!

HF conditions have been quite good. VK6IF and VK6IA in Western Australia were booming in on 28MHz USB on the morning of Thursday the 6^th, as was VK9CU on the Cocos-Keeling Islands.

Nigel, VP8TXF and Ian, VP8CIW have been operating from the Falkland Islands ahead of this weekend’s Commonwealth Contest and have been worked from the UK on 20m-10m. They are there until the 10^th, so get in quick.

Other DX to be worked this week includes VU4AX Andaman Islands, 6Y7EI Jamaica, PJ7AA Sint Maarten Island, 4S7KKG Sri Lanka, TY5C Benin, 6W7/ON4AVT Warang Senegal, RI1ANE Antarctica and H44MS Solomon Islands.

Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will start off around 150 and may then climb to 185 by the 16^th. A large coronal hole became Earth-facing on the 6^th, which may result in unsettled geomagnetic conditions this weekend, the 8^th and the 9^th.

It looks like we can expect unsettled geomagnetic conditions around the 10^th to the 16^th, with a maximum predicted Kp index of five.

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

The weather divides into two segments; the first, from the middle of last week through to the middle of next week, is rather changeable with low pressure nearby bringing rain or showers and potential for rain scatter on the GHz bands.

Eventually, the unsettled weather ends with a cold northerly on Tuesday the 11^th and this leads to a new high building from Wednesday into the weekend of the 15^th and 16^th March. 

This is good news for Tropo and could possibly be of benefit to those in the UK 70cm Activity Contest on Tuesday the 11^th in the western UK, but more generally for the FT8 70cm Activity Contest on Wednesday and the 50MHz UK Activity Contest on Thursday evening.

We are still between major meteor showers and therefore must rely upon random activity for now. The next shower of note is the Lyrids on the 21^st and the 22^nd of April, so we have a while to go yet.

The solar activity has continued to produce a regular supply of auroral alerts and fluttery signals on the LF bands, but with a lot of clouds in northwestern areas and southern parts just marginally out of reach for any naked-eye auroras. A few digital camera pictures did surface on the web. 

Keep an eye open just in case though. Remember Kp equalling five or greater is where we need to be.

Lastly, the Sporadic-E prospects are still relatively low with only the odd minor blip up to around a Sporadic-E critical frequency of 5 to 7MHz, often around the middle of the day. This contrasts with the morning and evening windows in the main season. It is enough to promote interest in the 10 or 6m bands, but almost certainly a fleeting moment.

EME path losses rise all this coming week and moon declination falls with associated shortening Moon windows and reducing peak Moon elevation. The best results will therefore be early in the week. 144MHz sky noise is moderate this weekend, falling to low in the week commencing the 10^th.

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