RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for April 9th 2023

GB2RS News

Sunday the 9^th of April 2023

The news headlines:

• The RSGB’s Annual General Meeting
• RSGB Convention Presentations
• Ofcom Plan of Work for the 2023-24 year

The RSGB’s Annual General Meeting will be held online on Saturday the 15^th of April. As well as the formal business of the meeting, there will be an announcement of the results of the Board Director elections. The President will give a video review of 2022 and the Society will announce the recipients of its annual awards and trophies, as well as the winners of its construction competition. At the end of the meeting, there will be a live presentation by RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Chair Steve Nichols, G0KYA who will look at the methods used to create the propagation report for GB2RS, including HF, VHF and Moon bounce. This year you will be able to ask questions at the AGM via the live chat on YouTube but if you have a question about the formal business, you must submit this in advance. If you are an RSGB member, don’t forget to vote for the two candidates that you would like to see as Board Directors for the next two years. You can find out more about each of them on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/candidates and then there is a link at the top and the bottom of the page to cast your vote. Read their personal statements, watch the videos and see if their background, skills and aspirations match your view of what the Society needs. The decision concerning who to vote for is entirely yours, but please do vote – it only takes a few minutes and will help to ensure that the RSGB Board reflects your views. You can find full details about the AGM on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/agm

Over the Easter weekend, the RSGB will release two more presentations from its 2022 Convention. David Stansfield, G0EVV talks about the challenge and thrill of operating portable from mountain summits, whilst Olof Lundberg, G0CKV shares experiences from his DXpeditions to 3B8. Subscribe to the RSGB YouTube channel so you will be alerted when each presentation is available – go to youtube.com/theRSGB and subscribe!

Ofcom has published a Statement on its proposed Plan of Work for the 2023 to 2024 year. The Statement describes plans for a review of amateur licensing arrangements. According to the document, consultation on the work is planned for the first quarter of the year. A subsequent statement is scheduled for the fourth quarter of the year. Once more details are available, the RSGB will review the consultation and provide guidance to UK amateurs on how to respond to Ofcom. To read the Statement in full visit www.ofcom.org.uk and choose the ‘Latest news’ option from the ‘News centre’ tab at the top of the page.

The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed on Monday the 17^th of April for an essential upgrade to the radio equipment. We apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment this may cause.

And now for details of rallies and events

Yeovil Amateur Radio Club’s 37^th QRP Convention will take place on Saturday the 15^th of April at The Digby Hall, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3AA. Doors open from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm and admission is £3. The Convention will feature talks, traders, bring and buy, club stalls and a café. For more information visit yeovil-arc.com or contact qrp@yeovil-arc.com

The Cambridgeshire Repeater Group Rally will take place on Sunday the 16^th of April. The venue will be Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN. Doors open at 7.30 am for traders and 9.30 am for visitors. Admission is £3. The rally will feature talk-in, trade stands, bring and buy, an RSGB Bookstall and free car parking. For more information contact Lawrence, M0LCM on 07941 972 724, email rally2023@cambridgerepeaters.net and see the cambridgerepeaters.net website.

The Holsworthy Spring Rally and Boot Sale will also take place on Sunday the 16^th of April. The venue will be Holsworthy Livestock Market, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 7FA. There will be plenty of parking, wheelchair access and full catering available. The doors open to the public from 10 am. For more details contact the club secretary Ken, G7VJA via email at m0omc@m0omc.co.uk and visit the m0omc.co.uk website.

The Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Rally, also known as both the ‘NARSA Rally’ and the ‘Blackpool Rally’, will take place on Sunday the 23^rd of April. The venue will be Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA. For more details contact Dave, M0OBW on 01270 761 608, email dwilson@btinternet.com or visit www.narsa.org.uk

 Now the Special Event News

Celebrating World Amateur Radio Day, DARC special event callsign DA23WARD will be active until the 18^th of April. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the bureau. Direct cards will be managed via DL2VFR.

Celebrating 100 years of broadcasting in Germany, special callsign DB100RDF will be in use until the 31^st of December. QSL via the bureau, or direct to DO2PZ.

LA100K is the special callsign for the Akademisk Radio Club, LA1K to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of its foundation. Based in Trondheim, it is the oldest amateur radio club in Norway. The special callsign will be in use until the 31^st of December. QSL via the bureau, or direct.

VI10VKFF is the special callsign celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the World Wide Flora and Fauna programme in Australia. It will be used from Australian parks until the end of 2023. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL or via VK5PAS.

 Now the DX news

James, KI7MGY will be in Djibouti until June and plans to operate as J28HJ on the 80, 40, 20, 17, 15 and 10m bands using SSB and FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World.

Sunny, VU2CUW is a member of the 42^nd Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. He will be based at Maitri Station, Antarctica, AN-016, until November. In his spare time, he will be active as AT42I. QSL via VU2CRS.

Diya, YI1DZ has been in Juba, South Sudan since the 13^th of March and expects to remain there until the 22^nd of April. He operates SSB and FT8 as Z81D in his spare time. QSL via Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of the World, or via OM3JW.

Now the contest news

Today, the 9^th of April, the Worked All Britain Data Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC and from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using data modes on the 80 to 20m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square.

On Monday the 10^th of April, the Irish Radio Transmitters Society 70cm Counties Contest runs from 1300 to 1330UTC. Using FM and SSB on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their County code.

Also on Monday the 10^th of April, the Irish Radio Transmitters Society 2m Counties Contest runs from 1330 to 1500UTC. Using FM and SSB on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their County code.

On Tuesday the 11^th of April, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on Tuesday the 11^th of April, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 12^th of April, 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 April, 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 Thursday the 13^th of April, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

 Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 6^th of April 2023

Solar activity declined this past week with the Sun looking distinctly spotless, other than active region 3270.

In fact, this has even prompted some amateurs to question whether we are now past solar maximum for this cycle. Rest assured, we shouldn’t be, as it is pretty common for cycles to ebb and flow as they develop.

Having said that, half of the Sun’s face is currently spotless, and NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will be in the range of 110 to 130 next week.

Geomagnetically, things have been reasonably settled with the Kp index reaching a maximum of 4.67 over the past seven days. NOAA predicts that it could rise to four on the 10^th and 11^th of April but will otherwise stay pretty much as it is in the range of two to three. This may be due to a coronal hole that is currently making its way across the Sun’s face in a near-equatorial position.

However, we may not have seen the last of the activity from active region 3270, which has increased in both size and magnetic complexity during the past 48 hours and could soon produce a moderate M-Flare. But, if you are reading or hearing this on Sunday, the region will be moving out of sight and is therefore no longer a threat.

Daytime F2 critical frequencies at midday remain around 9 to 10MHz giving a maximum useable frequency, over a 3,000km path, of just over 28MHz.

If 10m isn’t doing it for you we suggest moving down to 12 or 15m. Night-time F-layer critical frequencies are around 3 to 5MHz meaning MUFs over 3,000km are below 14MHz, leaving 3.5, 7 and 10MHz as the best bets for nocturnal DX.

And now the VHF and up propagation news

The current spell of high-pressure weather with enhanced Tropo, which turned up in time for the 2m UK Activity Contest on the 4^th of April, is looking a bit vulnerable as active weather fronts come in from the Atlantic. 

We are likely to have a brief change to unsettled conditions weather-wise before the start of the Easter weekend and again see some rain scatter opportunities on the GHz bands.

Scandinavian highs are often long-lasting at this time of the year and this high will regain control by Good Friday and should dominate over the UK during the Easter weekend to give some useful tropo possibilities again.

However, quite early next week a new powerful Atlantic jet stream pushes into northern France and will bring a return of unsettled weather and perhaps more rain scatter.

The Sporadic-E season is approaching and the higher HF bands like 10m can show good examples of Es, even during the second half of April, so a good chance to get into the habit of checking your ‘go to’ list of 10m beacons as recently updated by Steve, G0KYA, on the propagation section of the RSGB website.

The other defaults of auroral propagation have had a good run recently and random meteor scatter could also prove fruitful as we are soon ending the early year ‘drought’ of meteor showers with the arrival of the Lyrids later this month.

For EME operators, Moon declination is negative and falling, reaching its minimum next Wednesday. Moon time will be limited to low-elevation passes, but with low path losses as we approach perigee on the 16^th.

144MHz sky noise is increasing to a high of more than 2,000 Kelvin next Wednesday before falling back to the mid-200s the following Sunday.

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