RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for January 15th 2023

GB2RS News

Sunday the 15^th of January 2023

The news headlines:

• M0RWX activates all G summits in one year
• Direct to Full exams
• New display at the RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park

 

Robert, M0RWX from Malmesbury, Wiltshire activated every single SOTA summit in England, within the calendar year of 2022. This is an unprecedented achievement, but it doesn't end there.  Robert also activated extensively in France, Scotland and Wales and a little in Benelux, during 2022, recording a total of 326 activations, and a mammoth 1476 activator points in the year – almost 1.5 Mountain Goats. Robert is now targeting an activator completion of Wales during 2023 and, thereafter, spending longer on each summit, experimenting with more bands and modes. For more information about Summits on the Air please visit sota.org.uk

Bookings for the Direct to Full exam are now open. The exam can only be taken online but can be booked by individuals or clubs. Go to the RSGB’s exam booking page and follow the process for an individual or club booking. The Society has also published a mock paper for the Direct to Full exam which can be found at rsgb.org/mock-exams

After several months of restoration and development, a Wheatstone Tape Perforator and Wheatstone High-Speed Morse Transmitter have gone on display in the RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park. Used extensively from the 1940s until at least the late 1960s such systems enabled the transmission of Morse signals either via telegraph or by wireless at consistently high speeds, without errors, such that might have been introduced by hand-sent Morse. The display is connected to an audio oscillator so, with a push button on the outside of the display case, visitors are able to start the transmitter, see the paper tape being read, and hear Morse characters being sent.

The RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is looking to create a new wall display, illustrating some simple radio set-ups, to inspire newcomers to get started in amateur radio. If you would like to have a photo of your radio shack on display, please send in a good-quality image, showing you operating your radio, or your radio bench. The radio shack could be located anywhere from your loft, to your back bedroom, garden shed, car or on a mountaintop. Remember, the point of this project is to inspire people to get started in the hobby, so the photos need to show a diverse mix of operators and the radio set-up shouldn’t be overly complex. The most suitable photos will be selected and a montage display created, with the title: Take a look at my radio station. If you would like to enter, send your photos to: nrc.support@rsgb.org.uk

The Online Amateur Radio Community provides amateur radio licence training via Zoom. The next Intermediate course is due to commence during the first week of February. The course, which costs £5 to join, will run for eight weeks. The next Full licence training course will start on Wednesday the 17^th of April and run for nine weeks. The fee for the Full course is also £5. For further information please visit www.oarc.uk

The GB2RS news service would like to increase the coverage of VHF FM and SSB broadcasts in Northern Ireland. Applicants must be an RSGB member holding a Full or Intermediate licence. If you would like to find out more, without obligation, please get in touch with the GB2RS News Manager, Steve G4HPE, via gb2rs.manager@rsgb.org.uk More information about the RSGB’s news service can be found at rsgb.org/gb2rsschedule

Following the recent items in The Times and on the BBC Radio 4 PM programme about a rise in the use of Morse Code in America, the RSGB contacted BBC Three Counties Radio and arranged an interview for Mervyn Foster, G4KLE. Mervyn is a volunteer at the RSGB National Radio Centre, an RSGB District Representative and a lifelong devotee of Morse Code. He spoke to Andy Collins on the breakfast show on Friday the 13^th of January. You can listen to the interview on BBC Sounds which starts one hour and fifty-three minutes into the programme.

 

And now for details of rallies and events

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 9.30 am 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.

The Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society Radioactive Fair will be held on Sunday the 12^th of February. The venue will be Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, CW5 5DG. Doors open at 10 am and admission is £5. A wide variety of trader stalls, a bring-and-buy platform and refreshments and snacks will be available. Parking is immediately adjacent to the hall. For more information visit radioactivefair.co.uk

 

Now the Special Event News

Today, the 15^th is the last chance to work special callsign PD23HNY. The station is active from The Netherlands in celebration of the New Year. QSL cards will not be issued but a certificate will be available for download.

Today is also the last chance to log special callsigns SP90ENIGMA and SP90ENG. Both stations are operating to mark the 90^th anniversary of Polish cryptologists’ first successes in breaking the Enigma code. 

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

Special event station GB2KW will be active until the 28^th of January. The station, located near Inverness in Scotland, will be using vintage equipment manufactured by KW Electronics Limited during the 1960s and 70s. QSL via Logbook of the World.

 

Now the DX news

Earl, WA3DX will be active from Senegal until the 20^th of January. He will operate FT8 and some SSB on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to his home call.

Harald, DF2WO will be active as D44TWO from Sao Tiago, AF-005, Cape Verde until the 21^st of January. He will operate FT8, some SSB and some CW on the 160 to 6m bands, and via the QO-100 satellite. QSL via M0OXO’s OQRS account.

John, N9EAJ plans to be active as HC1FIT from a mountaintop location near the city of Otavalo in the Imbabura Province of Ecuador until the 22^nd of January. He will be operating SSB and some CW on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL directly to N9EAJ.

 

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.

Today, the 15^th, the RSGB Affiliated Societies 80 and 40m Data modes Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Tuesday the 17^th of January, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Thursday the 19^th of January, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Saturday the 21^st of January, the RSGB Affiliated Societies 80m and 40m SSB Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using SSB only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

 

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 13^th of January 2023

It seems X-class solar flares appear like buses; you wait for ages and then three turn up at once! Over the last week, we have had X-class flares on the 7^th, 9^th and 10^th.

The latest, at the time of writing, saw sunspot region 3186 rotate into view off the Sun’s northeast limb and produce an X1.0 solar flare at 2247UTC on the 10^th. It may have thrown some plasma into space in the form of a coronal mass ejection but, as it is not yet directly facing Earth, any associated coronal mass ejection was likely directed away from us.

Over the coming days, it will become Earth-facing and more activity is expected, with sudden ionospheric disturbances and coronal mass ejections becoming the norm. If this does occur, expect the MUF to take a dive, perhaps only for 20 minutes to an hour, if X-ray radiation from a flare impacts us, and for a day or so if a coronal mass ejection hits us.

So, although we currently have an SFI in the 190s, it will be hit-and-miss as to whether HF propagation will be good or bad. The best advice is to monitor the bands and don’t be surprised if we have some fallow days if the Kp index rises.

Excitement is building as the 3Y0J Bouvet DXpedition team is on its way. At the time of writing, they had reached Cape Verde en route to the Falkland Islands. Then they have a long boat trip with departure estimated for the 14^th of January. Depending on the weather, expect them to be operating from late January for 22 days. We’ll take a close look at HF propagation to Bouvet in a later GB2RS report.

Meanwhile, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index is unlikely to remain as high as it is. It says it may drop into the 150s, although its predictions haven’t been too accurate recently. Nevertheless, 150 is still admirable. Let’s hope that the Kp index stays low to give the best hope of DX on the upper HF bands.

 

And now the VHF and up propagation news

The unsettled weather pattern remains in place for the coming week and the main changes concern a deeper low in the sequence being strong enough to bring a temporary burst of colder northerlies.

This seems possible later this weekend and early next week. In terms of propagation, it’s looking like rain- or snow-scatter for the GHz bands will be the more likely mode. There is a possibility of some high pressure to the south after mid-week, over France and Biscay, but only reachable from the southern fringes of the British Isles with very limited tropo options.

There has been some strong Sporadic-E showing on the Dourbes graphs on propquest.co.uk on occasion, but we are coming towards the end of the mid-winter Es window this week.

Random meteor scatter and aurora are both options this week. The minor Gamma-Ursae-Minorids meteor shower reaches a low maximum on the 18^th. As usual, look to benefit from the pre-dawn peak of random meteors.

The Sun is very disturbed, so you’ll need to track the daily behaviour of the Kp index for aurora prospects. Ideally, it should be five or preferably higher for aurora.

The Moon reaches maximum negative declination this coming Thursday, and at perigee on Saturday, so EME path losses are low and Moon availability windows are short. 144MHz sky noise increases all week, peaking at over 2000 Kelvin on Thursday.

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