RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for May 11th 2025

GB2RS News

Sunday, the 11^th of May 2025

 

The news headlines:

• The RSGB EMC Committee has updated leaflets on mains wiring and earthing requirements
• Last chance to apply and be part of the RSGB team at YOTA in Paris
• Help the RSGB celebrate International Women in Engineering Day

The RSGB EMC leaflets on mains wiring and earthing requirements have been updated by the EMC Committee to reflect the latest version of “Part P” of the Building Regulations for England and Wales. Part P deals with electrical safety in domestic homes. There are two leaflets, a basic version and an advanced version, and both are available to download from the RSGB website. Go to rsgb.org/emc and select ‘EMC Leaflets’ from the menu located on the right-hand side. Choose the “EMC Leaflet 7: Earthing and the radio amateur” links. You will also find many other resources on the same web page that will help you deal with a wide range of EMC problems.

Time is running out to apply and be part of the RSGB team going to France for this year’s Youngsters On The Air Summer Camp. The camp takes place between the 18^th and 25^th of August near Paris and is a chance of a lifetime for young RSGB members to represent their country and their national society. If you are aged between 16 and 25 and are passionate about amateur radio, then the RSGB would love to hear from you. The deadline to apply is Friday, the 16^th of May. Don’t delay, apply now by going to rsgb.org/yota-camp

The RSGB is celebrating International Women in Engineering Day on the 23^rd of June. The day celebrates the amazing work of women engineers across the globe. We know that amateur radio is a great foundation for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. This year, the Society would love to share stories of how amateur radio has helped female engineers in their careers, as well as being an enjoyable part of their lives. If you are a woman working in any engineering sector, or know someone who is, the RSGB would like your help to inspire future generations of girls and young women. It doesn’t matter whether you are established in your career, just starting out or even still studying. Stories, along with a photo, should be sent to comms@rsgb.org.uk  by the 26^th of May. This event contributes to the RSGB’s Growth strategic priority by helping to reach new audiences.

Members of the RSGB HQ Team and RSGB volunteers will be attending the Dayton Hamvention between the 16^th and 18^th of May. Held at the Greene County Fairground in Xenia, Ohio, USA, the event is one of the world’s largest amateur radio gatherings and attracts radio amateurs from around the world. If you are attending, make sure you pop along to stand numbers 2305 and 2405 to say hello and ask the RSGB about digital membership. Find out more about the Dayton Hamvention by going to hamvention.org

Don’t forget that the next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar is tomorrow, Monday, the 12^th of May. Dr Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF and RSGB Propagation Studies Committee membe,r Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL, will present “Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation: Space Weather We Can Do Together”. The talk will cover some of the key findings of recent HamSCI research, what’s next for the organisation, as well as how you can take part. The webinar will be livestreamed on the Society’s YouTube channel and special BATC channel, allowing you to watch and ask questions live. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/webinars

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 Barry Amateur Radio Society Rally is on Saturday, the 17^th of May at Sully Sports and Social Club, South Road, Sully CF64 5SP. There is a large free car park on site. Admission is £3. Doors open to traders at 8 am and to the public from 9.30 am. Traders and exhibitors can call Nigel, GW1CUQ via 02920 892580 for further information. For general enquirie,s please ring Steve, GW5VOG, on 07900 560080 or email s.cawsey@sky.com

The Dunstable Downs Radio Club will be holding its Annual National Amateur Radio Car Boot Sale at the usual venue, Stockwood Park in Luton, on Sunday, the 18^th of May.  Excluding a break for Covid-19, this is the 40^th consecutive year that the event has been run. For further information, go to ddrcbootsale.org

The West of Scotland Braehead Radio Rally is on Sunday, the 18^th of May at Braehead Arena, 150 Kings Inch Road, G51 4BN. The venue is just off the M8 and has free parking all day. It also has great bus links with Glasgow, Paisley and Inverclyde. Entry is £4. Doors are open between 10 am and 4 pm. There will be hot food and drinks available, and a licensed bar. There will be over 50 tables of traders and club stands as well as a Bring-and-Buy and an RSGB Book stand. For further information, go to braeheadradiorally.com 

The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club's 41^st Annual Radio Rally is taking place on Sunday, the 18^th of May at Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea, Enniskillen, BT92 0JZ. There will be the usual facilities, food and drink, and a Bring-and-Buy. Doors open at 9 am to traders and 11 am to the general public. Entry is £5 and includes a draw ticket. To arrange a table, please contact Alan via argault91@gmail.com

Now the Special Event news

Special event station GB0SAR is active until the 30^th of May to support SOS Radio Week. The station will mostly be working using FT4 on the 20m band, but you might also catch it on the other HF bands using phone. For more information, visit Qrz.com

Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club will be operating special callsign GB0MMH to raise awareness of men’s mental health. Other special call signs will also be active. The station will be active throughout the weekend of the 17^th and 18^th of May, and also of the 21^st and 22^nd of June. Please listen out for the operators and give them a call. Your support will help raise awareness of the important issue of men’s mental health. If you would like further information, please contact secretary@hfdcarc.com

Now the DX news

Roberto, IW7DEC will be active as PJ2/IW7DEC from Curacao, IOTA reference SA-099, until Wednesday, the 14^th of May. He’ll be active on 40m to 20m, FT8 and SSB. QSL available via his home call and Logbook of the World.

Yuris, YL2GM continues to be active as ZS8W from Prince Edward and Marion Island, IOTA reference AF-021, until Friday, the 16^th of May. Yuris will be on Marion Island as a radio engineer and member of the SANAP station communication equipment maintenance team, and he hopes to find good periods of time to be operational. 

A team of five Italian operators is active in the Republic of Kosovo until Saturday, the 17^th of May. The operators will be active as Z68TT on CW, SSB and RTTY, and as Z68ZZ on FT8. QSL is available via OQRS and Logbook of the World.

Now the contest news

Today, Sunday, the 11^th of May, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre-wave Contest runs from 0900 to 1700 UTC. Using all modes on 24, 47 and 76 GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on Sunday, the 11^th of May, the 70MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200 UTC. Using CW on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode.

Tomorrow, Monday the 12^th of May, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Tuesday, the 13^th of May, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855 UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on Tuesday, the 13^th of May, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday, the 14^th of May, the 432MHz FT8 Activity Four-Hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 14^th of May, the 432MHz FT8 Activity Two-Hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest.

On Thursday, the 15^th of May, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 8^th of May 2025

Active region 4079 turned out to be not quite so bad as we had predicted. The sunspot was large, about ten times the width of our Earth, so we expected it to be more active. It was regions 4081 and 4082 that produced most of the flare activity last week.

Two filament eruptions also occurred within two hours of each other. The first event began at 16:20 UTC on the 6^th of May in the southern hemisphere and was responsible for a plasma wave across the surface of the Sun.

The second filament eruption began in the northern hemisphere around 17:50 UTC to the northeast of AR 4079. A large amount of plasma was flung to the north. The filament eruptions on Tuesday, the 6^th of May, did produce coronal mass ejections, but an Earth-directed component was not apparent. So we dodged a bullet!

The solar wind speed remained high for most of last week which didn’t help propagation. It did help to push the Kp index to five across the weekend of the 3^rd and 4^th of May. Things were more settled later in the week. On Thursday, the 8^th of May, the solar wind speed was down to around 500 kilometres per second, the Kp index was three, but MUFs over a 3,000km path were still down at about 20 MHz.

An Earth-facing coronal hole may add to the solar wind this weekend, the 10^th and 11^th of May. It looks like summer HF propagation is kicking in, with lower MUFs during the day but higher ones at night.

Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI will be in the range 155 to 165. Settled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the beginning of this coming week, but unsettled geomagnetic conditions are expected for the 16^th to the 19^th of May. At that point, we could see the Kp index rise to five again, coupled with poorer propagation and reduced MUFs.

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

Tropo has been a key propagation mode during the previous couple of weeks, but there have been variations in the location and timings of these conditions.

Sometimes this will be due to increased moisture below the temperature inversion, so although the cloudier areas have been cool, they have probably done better for Tropo.

This is due to the improved quality of the inversion, which performs better when there is a big moisture contrast across it, as you find with these layers of cloud. 

Otherwise, we find that the better conditions are driven by night-time cooling, forming a low inversion near the ground which tends to disperse during the morning as the Sun warms it away. This should still be beneficial for the 70cm UK Activity Contest on Tuesday, the 13^th of May, over eastern areas, but perhaps less so farther west.

Good conditions will last into next week, but not everywhere. The main change will see an area of showery rain, possibly thundery, moving north into western Britain this weekend and perhaps some central areas early next week. This raises the prospect of some GHz band rain scatter in the west.

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower peaked last week. In the decaying tail of activity, together with other lesser showers, this should keep an enhanced meteor input for the coming week.

The Sporadic-E season typically runs from May to mid-September and the daily jet stream blogs have started on www.propquest.co.uk. 

As usual, the main season offers two periods of activity, one in the morning and the second from late afternoon to the evening. Remember, Es is not guaranteed since it depends upon many factors, but jet streams help, and these are shown on the website maps. Use the map clusters to find out where any activity is starting on 10m and then follow it up in frequency through the lower VHF bands.

EME path losses are at their maximum but falling after apogee on Friday, the 9^th of May. Moon declination is negative, reaching a minimum this coming Thursday, so we’ll have very short Moon windows and low peak elevation. 144MHz sky noise is moderate, increasing to high by next Friday.

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