GB2RS

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for August 21st 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 21st of August 2022
The news headlines:
Sponsoring young contesters
8-year-old speaks to the ISS
British Inland Waterways on the Air
The CDXC and the RSGB are pleased to announce their joint sponsorship of one of the Youth Teams at the World Radiosport Team Championship. The Championship is due to take place in Bologna, Italy in July 2023. In order to promote contest activity by young radio amateurs, the organising committee reserved six sites for young contesters. Jamie Williams, M0SDV and Philipp Springer, DK6SP will form Youth Team 2 and will be the team jointly sponsored by CDXC and RSGB.
On Tuesday, the 16th of August, BBC TV spoke to 8-year-old Isabella about her contact with a NASA astronaut on the International Space Station. On the 2nd, Isabella used her dad's callsign M0LMK to make supervised contact with the ISS amateur station. Isabella, a member of the Hilderstone Radio Society, has been involved in several amateur radio events and is working towards her own amateur radio licence. BBC South East Today for the 16th of August is available on the iPlayer and this interview is about 15 minutes into the show.
British Inland Waterways on the Air takes place between the 27th and 29th of August. It is open to all amateurs who are boaters, cyclists, walkers and other users of the canals, rivers, towpaths and riverbanks for work or recreation. Even lakes and reservoirs that are used for recreation classify as an inland waterway, so there are many places for activating. Many clubs and individual amateurs on or near the UK inland waterways obtain a Special Event Station callsign. Others operate mobile or portable using their own call signs. The primary bands will be 40m and 2m. If you would like to register or obtain more details about the event please visit, nharg.org.uk/biwota.
Another popular event, Churches and Chapels On The Air, will take place on Saturday the 10th of September between 10 am and 4 pm. Stations will be operating mainly on the 20, 40 and 80m bands usually using SSB. If you would like to register your special event station, please email John, G3XYF at jhwresdell@gmail.com. The latest list of stations taking part can be found at wacral.org.
There is still time to get involved with the Oscar 100 Award. It aims to promote and foster experimental activities and radio contacts by means of the geosynchronous satellite QO-100. Participants need to contact as many stations and DXCC countries as possible via QO-100 between 0001UTC on the 1st of June to 2359UTC on the 31st of December. The award is open to all radio amateurs operating from geographical locations under the coverage of the satellite. Further details and award rules are available at arifidenza.it.
Advance notice now. The 6th Essex CW Boot Camp will take place on the 22nd of October. CW enthusiasts from around the country meet for a fun day of CW activities that include gaining confidence on the Morse key to improving your receiving skills. Early booking is essential as space is limited, so please email g0ibn1@yahoo.com.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 21st of August, the Rugby ATS Radio Rally will take place at Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby CV23 9PY. Doors open at 10 am and there will be a car boot sale area. More at rugbyats.co.uk.
Also today, the 21st, the Red Rose Rally will be held at St Joseph’s Hall, Leigh WN7 2PJ. Organised by West Manchester Radio Club, there will be free parking, a café as well as trade, individual and club stands. There will also be a Bring & Buy. More information at wmrc.co.uk.
Next Sunday, the 28th, the Milton Keynes ARS Rally will be held at The Irish Centre, Manor Fields, Watling Street, Bletchley, MK2 2HX. There is free onsite parking, catering and disabled facilities. Entry is £3 and the doors open at 9 am. See mkars.org.uk for more information.
The Torbay Annual Communications Fair takes place next Sunday, the 28th, at Newton Abbot Racecourse, Devon TQ12 3AF. Doors open at 10 am with disabled visitors gaining access at 9.30 am. It is an indoor event with plenty of free parking on site. There will be a Bring & Buy as well as an RSGB bookstall. Catering will be also available on-site.
On bank holiday Monday, the 29th, the HARS Annual Rally will be held at Ernulf Academy, St Neots PE19 2SH. Gates open at 9 am. There is free car parking, a Bring & Buy as well as indoor and outdoor stalls. Catering is available on-site. Talk-in will be on 145.550MHz using GX0HSR. More at hunts-hams.co.uk.
Now the Special Event news
Cwmbran & District Amateur Radio Society will be operating GB0FL at the Fourteen Locks Canal Centre in Newport on the 27th and 28th of August. It is part of the British Inland Waterways on the Air event. Visitors are welcome between 10 am and 4 pm.
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago's independence, 9Y60TT will be on the air from the 26th of August to the 2nd of September. The event will be multi-mode, multi-band and multi-operator. QSL via Logbook of The World.
TM3GGR will be active until the 4th of September for the Golden Globe Race, the single-handed, round-the-world sailing race that will start in France on the 4th of September. QSL via the bureau to F6KUF or direct to F5OEV.
Now the DX news
Masa, JA0RQV expects to be active again as A35JP from Tonga, OC-049, until the 24th of September. In his spare time, he will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on the 6 to 80m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, Club Log's OQRS, or via the bureau to JA0RQV.
Ed, ES2TT will be active as ES2TT/1 from Aegna Island, EU-149 on the 27th of August, and as ES2TT/0 from Hiiumaa Island, EU-034 on the 3rd and 4th of September. He will operate CW and SSB on the 40, 30 and 20m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or via his home callsign either direct or via the bureau.
Marek will be active as FH4VVK in his spare time while stationed on Petite-Terre, Mayotte, AF-027, until the 1st of April 2024. QSL via eQSL or direct. See qrz.com for further information.
Now the contest news
On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest takes place between 1830 and 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Next weekend, the CQ RTTYops WW RTTY Contest has two sessions between the 26th and 28th of August. The first session is from 2200UTC on the 26th to 1200UTC on the 27th. The second session is from 1200 to 2359UTC on Sunday the 28th. Using RTTY only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is a signal report and the 4-digit year of your first licence.
The World Wide Digi DX contest runs from 1200UTC on the 27th to 1200UTC on the 28th of August. Using FT4 and FT8 on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is your 4-character locator.
Next Sunday, the 28th, the UK Microwave group 5.7 and 10GHz contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 19th of August 2022.
It looks like the Sun continued to be unsettled with an enhanced solar wind from coronal holes making itself felt here on Earth. A geomagnetic storm pushed the Kp index to six for two consecutive six-hour slots on the evening of the 17th, although it was fairly quick to recover. However, it wasn’t long before the Kp index was up to five again on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the solar flux index climbed, peaking at 131, but then declining to 123 by Thursday.
The first geomagnetic storm affected the ionosphere with critical frequencies dropping to just over 5MHz. This meant that DX was mainly closed to frequencies above 14MHz. The storm on Thursday the 18th saw an initial enhancement with MUFs over a 3,000km path hitting 21MHz.
We have had a run of geomagnetic storms, which is par for the course as we ramp up with solar cycle 25. The bad news is that this is likely to continue. It does however mean that aurora watchers and auroral radio operators will get more opportunities as the year moves on.
NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will decline to the high 90s after starting the week at around 100. It does predict relatively settled geomagnetic conditions, but as we have said before this is likely to change at short notice thanks to solar flares, and their associated coronal mass ejections, plus the effects of coronal holes.
We may have seen the best of Sporadic-E this season, although there may be weak openings on 10 metres that are best captured via FT8 and other JT digital modes.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
It's a change-over to rather unsettled weather with Atlantic systems bringing some occasional bands of rain or showers across the country and the possibility of some rain scatter on the GHz bands.
Later in the coming week, there are hints that a new high will build in from the Atlantic to bring a return of some Tropo conditions. This may leave conditions a bit flat on VHF until after midweek or a bit beyond, so it could be worth seeking out any late-season Sporadic-E activity in the meantime.
Although Es have been rare lately, you might still find some glimmers of hope into the first week of September. In such fleeting events, you will often find the digital modes can flag up a potential direction to explore, starting on 10m and then migrating up to 6m as an event develops.
The solar activity has recently brought some auroral conditions, so remember to keep an eye on the Kp index in case further auroras materialise. As well as using the traditional 10m or 6m and occasionally 2m bands for this, you will often get a strong indication from even 80m signals sounding ‘hollow and watery’ and that is a cue to check for VHF aurora.
Meteor scatter is always a go-to mode if all else fails especially in the early mornings when random meteors are at a peak.
With high Moon declination this week we have long Moon windows, but with apogee on Tuesday, path losses are at their highest for the lunar month. 144MHz sky noise is moderate and falling but be aware that the Sun and Moon are close to eclipsing next Saturday morning meaning high Sun noise for a while.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for August 14th 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 14th of August 2022
The news headlines:
New RadCom team announced
Jamaican amateurs mark 60 years of independence
Jacques, ON4AVJ, Silent Key
Earlier in the year, the RSGB announced that RadCom Managing Editor, Elaine Richards, G4LFM, was planning to retire after leading the RadCom team for 14 years. Very soon after that announcement, we had to come to terms with the sad and sudden news that RadCom Technical Editor, Giles Read, G1MFG, had passed away. RSGB General Manager, Steve Thomas, M1ACB has now announced the appointment of the new RadCom team that will continue to deliver and develop a RadCom suite of publications that supports the future of amateur radio. Ed O’Neill, M0TZX will take on the role of Managing Editor and Matt Smith, M0VWS has joined the team as Technical Editor. Ed and Matt are working very closely with Elaine and the rest of the team to ensure a smooth handover in the coming months. You can read the full press release on the main page at rsgb.org.
Amateur radio stations from Jamaica may use the 6Y60 prefix to mark the 60th anniversary since the Colony of Jamaica gained independence from the UK. For example, 6Y5WE will be using 6Y60WE.
Sad news next. The IARU has announced that Jacques, ON4AVJ, has become a Silent Key. He held many roles within the Belgian national society, UBA, and was part of the IARU Region 1 VHF Committee. He received honours from both the UBA and IARU for his work on VHF and higher frequencies. Our thoughts are with his family and friends within the wider amateur radio community at this difficult time.
This year is the 25th anniversary of the international Lighthouse and Lightship weekend that will take place next weekend, the 20th and 21st of August. The event runs for 48 hours and, as this news script was prepared, there are 325 stations registered for this year from Argentina to Malta and The Netherlands to Wales. Some are stations that have operated many times before, others like TM59LH are taking part for the first time. This station will operate from the Sandettie Light Vessel in Dunkirk Harbour.
Earlier this year, the IARU Region 1 invited amateurs to come up with an idea that could lead to more licensed radio amateurs. They have now announced the results. Joint first place was awarded to Nestor, 5B4AHZ and Christian, HB9FEU. Nestor’s idea is the Ham Radio Escape Room which is a radio-based escape room with amateur radio themes and played with teams communicating via radio. Christian’s idea was a public database of fun projects for innovation where those with little or no experience and equipment could still take part. Read the full story at iaru-r1.org where you can find out more about these projects and the other prize winners.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 14th, the Flight Refuelling ARS Hamfest takes place at Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, near Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3DA. Talk-in will be on 145.550MHz. Gates open between 10 am and 6 pm with entry costing £4. There will be trade stands as well as indoor and field pitches. Lectures will take place during the event. No dogs except Guide dogs are allowed as this is the landowner’s condition. More from Tony, G3PFM on 0774 347 5018.
Next Sunday, the 21st of August, the Rugby ATS Radio Rally will take place at Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby CV23 9PY. Doors open at 10 am and there will be a car boot sale area. More at rugbyats.co.uk.
Also next Sunday, the 21st, the Red Rose Rally will be held at St Joseph’s Hall, Leigh WN7 2PJ. Organised by West Manchester Radio Club, there will be free parking, a café as well as trade, individual and club stands. There will also be a Bring & Buy. More information at wmrc.co.uk.
Now the Special Event news
AP75PAK is the special callsign for the Pakistan ARS to celebrate the 75th anniversary since Pakistan achieved independence. Additionally, individual Pakistani amateur radio operators can use the AP75 prefix throughout August.
TM3GGR will be operating between the 20th of August and the 4th of September. It is to mark the start of the 3rd Golden Globe Race, which is a non-stop round-the-world sailing trip, without assistance and without a modern navigation system. Activity will be on all bands and all modes. QSL via F6KUF, via the Bureau or direct to F5OEV.
Dale, EI7HDB will be setting up a station at The Point of Ayre lighthouse at the north-eastern end of the Isle of Man from the 14th of August. He will be active on most bands as MD/EI7HDB between the 14th and 19th of August operating holiday style. The Isle of Man ARS will be involved in the operation of GT3FLH next weekend for the International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend.
Now the DX news
Giovanni, IZ2DPX will be active holiday style as 8Q7AG from the Maldives, AS-013, until the 20th of August. He will operate SSB and digital modes on the HF bands and 6 metres. QSL direct to IK2DUW.
Esteban, EA5Q will also be active from the Maldives as 8Q7QE from the 14th to the 24th of August. He will operate almost exclusively CW. QSL via Logbook of The World or via his home callsign either direct or via the bureau.
A German team will be active as TM0BSM from the lighthouse at Berck-sur-Mer in France between the 17th and 22nd of August. They will operate CW, SSB and digital modes on the 10 to 80m bands, plus the QO-100 satellite. QSL via DK5OPA.
Masa, JA0RQV expects to be active again as A35JP from Tonga, OC-049, from the 20th of August to the 24th of September. In his spare time, he will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on the 6 to 80m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, Club Log's OQRS, or via the bureau to JA0RQV.
Now the contest news
The WAE DX CW Contest runs for 48 hours this weekend, ending at 2359 UTC today, the 14th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Please note that EU stations work non-EU stations only.
Today, Sunday the 14th, the fifth 70MHz Cumulative contest runs from 1400 to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Thursday it is the 70MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 12th of August 2022.
The geomagnetic disturbance we predicted last week, due to an Earth-facing coronal hole and its associated high-speed solar wind, occurred in the early hours of Monday the 8th. This pushed the Kp index to six and sparked a visible aurora that was visible from parts of the UK. It also impacted the Maximum Useable Frequency on Monday, according to the Fairford ionosonde, with it struggling to get much above 18MHz over a 3,000km path until the early evening. The Kp index remained mainly at four on Tuesday before tailing off gradually to reach two on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the solar flux index has been slowly declining, from 116 on Sunday to 108 on Thursday.
Sporadic-E has been bringing short skip to 14MHz, with paths such as the UK to Ireland and Scotland being workable at times.
The best DX has probably been on 21MHz where the Far East has been putting in an appearance, mainly on FT8. 28MHz Sporadic-E has been just that, sporadic, with some days providing great short skip to parts of Europe and others just the sound of noise on 10 metres.
Next week NOAA predicts similar conditions with the SFI in the range 104-108. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the 17th, 18th and 19th when the Kp index could rise to five.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The weather will show a more unsettled side from this weekend. The exceptionally widespread Tropo conditions of last week are likely to decay as pressure falls and by the start of the coming week, it's a slack region of low pressure over us.
This will introduce some mainly showery outbreaks of rain, but in true summer style, they could be heavy and perhaps thundery in places. This raises the prospects for rain scatter on the GHz bands and, as usual, you will need to access one of the many online radar displays to track their movement.
Recent solar conditions have varied, but some occasional aurora alerts have maintained an interest in auroral propagation. Keep a check on the Kp index to see if it goes above five or six and then look at the clusters and chatrooms for activity pointers.
Sporadic-E is still about on some days and well worth your attention for tracking down those missing grid squares. Although we are nearer the end than the start of the Es season, it can occur until about the end of the first week in September, so plenty of time left.
In the coming week, the location of the jet stream activity (often a good guide) suggests that paths may move away from Scandinavia and eastern Europe and favour Spain and the central Mediterranean.
As we slide gently away from the broad peak of the Perseid meteor shower, it's still worth checking meteor scatter propagation during the coming week.
Moon declination goes positive again on Monday, producing lengthening Moon windows. EME is for early birds this week with Moon zenith in the early hours. Path losses will fall all week, and 144 MHz sky noise is low, not reaching 500 Kelvin until next Sunday.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for August 7th 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 7th of August 2022
The news headlines:
GB22HQ moving location
Welsh operators wanted for GB22GW
New Special Interest Group Manager appointed
For operational reasons, it is no longer possible to operate GB22HQ, the special event station for the Commonwealth Games, from the Smithfield site in Birmingham. The move to the Smithfield site had been a last-minute decision due to other calls on our original site by the Commonwealth Games organisers. It has been problematic due to lack of public access, high RF noise levels and ingress of water and dust on site. We’re pleased to say that GB22HQ will continue on the air for the remainder of the games thanks to members of the Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society and the Central Radio Amateur Circle.
GB22GW is the Commonwealth Games callsign for Wales. Cath, GW4CVT is looking for volunteers in Wales to use the callsign either by CW, SSB or data modes until the 21st of August. To book a slot, visit qrz.com and search for GB22GW. There you will find Cath’s email address and the slots that are available.
The RSGB is pleased to announce that Philip Hosey, MI0MSO has been appointed as the Special Interest Group Manager. The primary role of the Honorary Officer for Affiliated National Societies and Special Interest Groups is to champion their interests and to develop a closer relationship between them and the RSGB, and the amateurs they represent.
Sad news now. Long-time GB2RS newsreader Dr David Sadler-Lockwood, G4CLI became a Silent Key recently. He was a keen member of both the Wakefield and District Amateur Radio Society and the Denby Dale Amateur Radio Society. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
There is a new award available during August to celebrate the 200th anniversary of a Polish lighthouse. Until 31st August there will be nine special event stations on the air with SN200 or SP200 plus one letter callsigns, for example, SN200Z. Two other stations, 3Z200LHR and 3Z25ILLW, will operate only during the international lighthouse and lightship weekend, the 20th and 21st. For details on this award, go to qrz.com and look up one of the special stations involved.
Canadian radio amateurs have gained access to two new bands recently. They now have access to 472 to 479kHz with a maximum of five watts EIRP, and 5.3515 to 5.3665MHz with a maximum of 100 watts EIRP. Canadian amateur radio is a Secondary radio service on these bands.
The YOTA Team Croatia has created an award available for working youngsters at the YOTA Summer Camp. Each QSO with a 9A YOTA station in a different band or mode combination earns you one point. Duplicates do not count. Valid QSOs will be made from 0000UTC on the 6th to 2359UTC on the 13th of August. You may even get to contact one of the four young people the RSGB has sent to the Summer Camp. Go to iaru-r1.org and click on the YOTA Summer Camp news item for details on the award.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 7th of August, the 2022 BATC Convention for Amateur TV will take place at Midland Air Museum, Rowley Road, Coventry CV3 4FR. It will be a meet-up, show and tell, test and fix-it, and Bring & Buy event from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be full test facilities available for equipment.
Also today, the 7th, King’s Lynn ARC 32nd Great Eastern Radio Rally will be held at Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4EL. Doors open at 9 am and admission is £2.50. Car parking is free. There will be trade stands and a Bring & Buy. More information at klarc.org.uk.
On Friday, it is the 27th Cockenzie and Port Seton Mini-Rally Night. It will take place at the Community Centre, Main Hall, Port Seton. Doors open at 6 pm and admission is £2. Tables are on a first come first served basis.
Next Sunday, the 14th, the Flight Refuelling ARS Hamfest takes place at Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, near Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3DA. Talk in will be on S22. Gates open between 10 am and 6 pm with entry costing £4. There will be trade stands as well as indoor and field pitches. Lectures will take place during the event. No dogs except Guide dogs are allowed as this is the landowner’s condition. More from Tony, G3PFM on 0774 347 5018.
Now the Special Event news
GB5VAS is the callsign for the special event station that Guernsey Amateur Radio Society will be operating from the ground of the Vintage Agricultural Show this weekend, the 6th and 7th of August. QSL via GU3HFN.
TM78DP is a special callsign to be aired until the 20th of August for the 78th anniversary of the beach landings in Provence during World War Two. It will operate on the 6 to 80m bands using CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL via F4GPB.
Now the DX news
Jonathan, 2E0KZN is now stationed at the RAF Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falkland Islands, SA-002, until early November. Whilst there he will operate as VP8TAA with a focus on SOTA activations as VP8TAA/P. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS.
The DX0NE Team is operating from Spratly Islands, IOTA AS-051 until the 31st of December. They will operate on the 6 to 160m bands using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via 4F2KWT, Logbook of The World or Club Log OQRS.
DK1DKE is active as 4K7DK from Baku in Azerbaijan until the 13th of August. Activity is on the 10 to 80m bands using SSB and FT8. QSL to his home callsign.
Mike, W6QT is operating as DU3/W6QT from Olongapo City on Luzon Island, OC-042, in the Philippines. He will be there until the 15th of September. QSL to his home callsign.
Now the contest news
Today, Sunday the 7th of August, the 432MHz Low Power Contest runs from 0800 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and the first two letters of your postcode.
On Tuesday, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed from 1900 to 2130UTC by the all-mode 432MHz UK Activity Contest. The exchange for both is a signal report, serial number and locator.
Wednesday sees the 432MHz FT8 Activity Contest from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator.
The 50MHz UK Activity Contest is on Thursday the 11th of August from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Next weekend is the WAE DX CW Contest from 0000UTC on the 13th to 2359UTC on the 14th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Please note that EU stations work non-EU stations only.
Next Sunday, the 14th, the fifth 70MHz Cumulative contest runs from 1400 to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 5th of August 2022.
Last week was characterised by a solar flux index of around 100 but reasonably settled geomagnetic conditions. The SFI had a low of 94 on Sunday and a high of 100 on Thursday. The Kp index has been in the range of one to four, with more settled conditions being experienced in the second half of the week.
Daytime critical frequencies have ranged from lows of 5MHz and highs of up to 7MHz. As a result, skip distances on 40m have varied dramatically, and often very quickly. This has caught out some amateurs who have found solid inter-G conditions one minute, but fast fading as the critical frequency has dropped leaving only European stations workable.
As a guide, keep one eye on propquest.co.uk for the current critical frequency and extrapolated maximum usable frequencies over different path lengths. Only then can you make sense of daytime 40m propagation.
Sporadic-E is still putting in an appearance but is far less prevalent as we head into August. It may still be usable for weak signal modes like FT8, but loud SSB signals from Europe may be less prevalent.
Next week, NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Centre predicts that the SFI will be in the range of 98-100 again. That is, it doesn't think we will get any rapid increases in sunspot numbers over the next week. The Kp index is forecast to be in the range 2-3, which means moderately settled geomagnetic conditions. However, a coronal hole on the Sun's equator may cause some problems just after the weekend.
So daytime F2-layer MUFs over 3,000km paths may be up to 18-21MHz. Any short-skip 10m openings are therefore likely to be Sporadic-E.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The basic pattern continues unchanged with high pressure favouring southern and eastern areas and lows with their fronts affecting the northwest. Occasionally weakening cold fronts drift southeast. This will provide further tropo opportunities, particularly during the hot and humid periods and in this case, a good cloud cover near the surface is a good indicator.
The preferred paths would most likely be across the North Sea to Denmark, Germany and Netherlands and across the Channel to the continent. A more extensive option could be to the south across Biscay to Spain and beyond to the Canaries and mid-Atlantic. Rain scatter is unlikely for most areas except for very isolated showery developments on the weak cold fronts over central parts of the country.
The Sporadic-E season continues to trickle charge log books with occasional openings. Although the jet stream activity is relatively weak over central and southern Europe, it has been shown that it is sometimes more important that the pattern is moving, however weak.
The stronger flow appears to favour paths across the north of the UK to Iceland and Greenland and towards Scandinavia and the Baltic states. Check the daily blogs on Propquest.co.uk, which continue through August, for the latest thoughts on the daily jet stream charts.
Next week sees the peak of the Perseids around the 12th of August and even if you don't have the gear for meteor scatter it's hard to beat watching meteors on a warm summer evening. The Sun has continued to exhibit some marked coronal holes, a potential source of the solar wind surges that produce the aurora, so be aware of this.
The Moon passes a milestone this month with perigee and minimum declination coinciding. From then onwards, perigee and maximum declination start to drift closer again, but it’s not until September 2026 that they coincide. All week the Moon's elevation is low at its zenith and the Moon is only visible for a few hours out of the 24. 144MHz sky noise is high, reaching 3000 Kelvin on Monday.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 31st 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 31st of July 2022
The news headlines:
Commonwealth Games station on the air
Listen out for YOTA Summer Camp stations
RadCom Basics available to RSGB Members
 
The RSGB is excited to be supporting the Commonwealth Games with special event station GB22HQ. This is being activated from the Birmingham Smithfield site where the Beach Volleyball, 3x3 Basketball and Wheelchair Basketball will take place. It is also the starting point for the Marathon. GB22HQ will run for the duration of the Games until the 8th of August. There are two stations using wire aerials for 40m and 30m, plus a Yagi for the five bands from 20m to 10m. During the first day of operation, the station was on the 10 to 40m bands and pile-ups were evident. The operators say 40m SSB during the daytime is probably the best place to look for them. See more at rsgb.org/cwg.
As part of the Youngsters On The Air 2022 summer camp from the 6th to the 13th of August, seven call signs will be heard. 9A22YOTA will operate from the camp in Croatia for the full duration. 9A1YOTA will join remotely on the 8th alongside 9A2YOTA on EU-136. 9A3YOTA will be on the air on the 10th, together with 9A4YOTA. 9A5YOTA will be on the air on the 12th. 9A100QO will work the QO100 satellite from all locations.
The latest edition of RadCom Basics for July 2022 is now available. There are more topics to help newcomers and those looking to brush-up. You can read articles on setting up a station on a tight budget, and understanding the propagation predictions in RadCom and Inter-G working amongst other topics. To help find topics covered in previous editions, the index of RadCom Basics articles has been updated. To read this edition, go to rsgb.org/radcom-basics and login with your RSGB Membership Services details.
The RSGB is pleased to announce the co-option of Karl Bridge M0KHB as Regional Representative for Region 3, the North West, until the 2023 AGM. Also, vacancies currently exist for two District Representatives within the Region 3 team. One to cover the Greater Manchester District and another to represent the Merseyside District. These are worthwhile and rewarding opportunities to assist the RSGB in spearheading the hobby of amateur radio in Region 3. Please contact Karl Bridge, M0KHB for further information by email to rr3@rsgb.org.uk.
A date for your diary now. Churches and Chapels On The Air will take place this year on Saturday the 10th of September from 10 am to 4 pm. If you plan to put a station on the air from your local church or chapel, please inform John, G3XYF by email to jhwresdell@gmail.com. He will then add your station to the list on the WACRAL website.
The Genesis Radio Group currently operates around North Manchester and the North West. Founded in May 2022, the group wanted a more relaxed approach to talk about, and operate radios without the constraints of the traditional club. They meet on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 pm on the air. The last Wednesday of the month is put aside for a cafe/pub meet, the location of which rotates in order that as many members as possible can have a chance to turn up. For further information please visit genesisradiogroup.org.uk.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 31st of July, the Wiltshire Radio & Car Boot Sale will be at Kington Langley Village Hall and Playing Field, Kington Langley, Wiltshire SN15 5NJ. Doors open at 9 am and admission is free. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on site.
Next Sunday, the 7th of August, the 2022 BATC Convention for Amateur TV will take place at Midland Air Museum, Rowley Road, Coventry CV3 4FR. It will be a meet-up, show and tell, test and fix-it, and Bring & Buy event from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be full test facilities available for equipment.
Also next Sunday, the 7th, King’s Lynn ARC 32nd Great Eastern Radio Rally will be held at Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4EL. Doors open at 9 am and admission is £2.50. Car parking is free. There will be trade stands and a Bring & Buy. More information at klarc.org.uk.
Now the Special Event news
The 1st of August is Yorkshire Day. Members of Denby Dale ARS will be on the air with special event call signs containing the letter YD to celebrate.
It is the 78th anniversary of Operation Buick when special forces parachuted into France. TM44PARA will be on the air today and Monday the 1st mainly using the 7MHz band. See qrz.com for more information.
Saturday the 6th of August will mark the fourth anniversary of the founding of the Pennsylvania Society of Latin American Amateur Radio Operators. To celebrate this occasion, a special event station will be on the air. More at pasola.org.
Now the DX news
Elvira, IV3FSG will be active as 5R8LH from Madagascar from the 1st of August to the 9th of September. Usually, she operates SSB and digital modes in her spare time. QSL direct to IK2DUW.
Frans, DJ0TP will be active again as TK/DJ0TP from the main island of Corsica, EU-014, until the 3rd of September. QSL via Logbook of The World, or via his home callsign.
John, W5JON will be active as V47JA from St. Kitts, NA-104, until the 7th of August. He will operate SSB and FT8 on the HF bands and 6 metres. QSL via Logbook of The World, or direct only to W5JON.
Now the contest news
This weekend is the RSGB IOTA or Islands On The Air contest. It runs for 24 hours until 1200UTC today, the 31st. Using CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and IOTA reference.
Today, the 31st of July, the UK Microwave Group’s 5.7 and 10GHz contests runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same, signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday it is the 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest that runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator.
On Saturday it is the 144MHz Low Power Contest that runs from 1400 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your 2-letter postcode.
The EU HF Championships also take place on Saturday the 6th of August. It runs for 24 hours and uses CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted. The exchange is signal report and the last 2 digits of the year you were first licenced.
Next Sunday, the 7th, the 432MHz Low Power Contest runs from 0800 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your 2-letter postcode.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 29th of July 2022.
We’ve had a week of lower solar flux indices, despite a smoothed sunspot number in the 50s. The sunspots we have had have been relatively small and pretty inconsequential.
The week started off with an SFI of 107, but then declined to 98 by Thursday. The good news is that we have had relatively settled geomagnetic conditions after a wobble at the weekend due to a high-speed solar wind stream.
Other than Sporadic-E events, the maximum usable frequency over 3,000km has struggled to get up above 18 or sometimes 21MHz during daytime. But, as we have said before, night-time MUFs have remained seasonally high, topping 14MHz over a 3,000km path most nights.
Next week, and as we enter August, we can expect more of the same. The solar flux index is predicted to rise slightly to perhaps 115 by next weekend.
But the prediction is also for more unsettled geomagnetic conditions with a maximum Kp index of four this weekend and again later in the week. This is most likely due to high-speed solar wind from coronal holes once again.
So best of luck with the IOTA contest this weekend, which will probably be dominated by operators on 20 metres with occasional Es openings on the higher bands.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
There have been some fleeting signs of the continuing Sporadic-E season, but events are not so commonplace in this second half of the summer. This means being alert to the typical operating windows, which traditionally are early or mid-morning and again late afternoon/early evening. At the heart of these events will usually be a weather feature, such as a jet stream, whose turbulence creates a wave motion in the atmosphere that can cause varying wind flows in the E region some 100km above the weather, and are a big contributor to the formation of Es.
In this coming week, the jet streams are very limited so it's not looking too favourable for major Es events.
The weather pattern shows lows near the northwest of Britain driving fronts across the north, and at the same time precluding the development of Tropo, since it does not allow the development of high-pressure systems.
However, conditions in the south are a bit more supportive, so there could be occasional Tropo, especially over sea paths around the UK. There is a hint that the second half of the week will see the development of a large high more generally over the UK, so that's the time for Tropo to shine.
The other modes such as rain scatter are not looking too strong since the frontal cloud bands tend not to be as effective as heavy thundery showers, but it's always worth checking for aurora and meteor scatter as we move into August and within reach of the broad peak of the Perseids meteor shower.
It’s a good week for EME with positive Moon declination until Tuesday and falling path losses, but we are still more than a week from perigee. 144MHz sky noise is low but slowly increasing all week.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 24th 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 24th of July 2022
The news headlines:
Operate a Commonwealth Games station
GB2RS news readers sought
Poldhu ARC Open Day
For the Commonwealth Games, GB22HQ will be operating from the Birmingham NEC. There are also seven ‘Special’ Special Event callsigns, one each from the four UK Home Nations and three Crown Dependencies. From the 25th of July until the 21st of August, the special callsigns will be available for activation by RSGB affiliated clubs or individual RSGB Members. To take part you must please first check the relevant Activation Schedule on QRZ.com for a slot to suit your availability. Then contact the callsign coordinator, who will be keen to help. They will book you in and update the schedule. Depending upon your location, the callsigns to look for are GB22GE, GB22GM, GB22GW, GB22GI, GB22GJ, GB22GU and GB22GD. More details at rsgb.org under the ‘on the air’ tab.
The RSGB is seeking one or more readers to join the team that broadcasts GB2RS on 2m FM voice at 9 am UK clock time each Sunday from south Essex. You would transmit the news occasionally as part of a schedule devised by the existing team. Your station should provide good coverage of South-East Hertfordshire, South Essex, Greater London, North-East Surrey and North-West Kent. If you would like to find out more, please contact the GB2RS Manager Steve Richards, G4HPE at gb2rs.manager@rsgb.org.uk.
Poldhu Amateur Radio Club is holding an Open Day on Saturday the 6th of August from 10 am. They welcome anyone who has an interest in amateur radio, or those that are already licensed, to join them for the day. There will be an opportunity to operate the club station, have a chat and learn more. The club has a superb site on the cliffs overlooking Poldhu Cove and Mounts Bay, with a triband HF beam and multiple dipoles. The location is close to Poldhu Cove beach with its café, an ideal location for the family while you indulge your radio passion. Go to Poldhu Cove and follow the signs to the Marconi Centre, where there is a large free car park. For more information, please call Terry, G4CDY on 0776 468 1843.
The RSGB is pleased to announce the publication of the new Direct to Full examination syllabus. Enrolments for the Direct to Full examinations will open in January 2023, six months after the publication of the new syllabus. More information about the changes and the full syllabus can be found at rsgb.org/direct-to-full.
The biographical film about Sir Ran Fiennes’ life, Explorer, has a fair number of clips of HF radio operations with his late wife, Ginny, and Laurence, GM4DMA now KL7L included. HF communications were a mainstay of many of their expeditions from the early 70s to the 2000s. The trailer for the film has a short CW message to be decoded. The film is shown at selected cinemas in the UK.
The RSGB is pleased to announce the team of young RSGB Members who will be representing the UK at next month’s YOTA camp in Croatia. Hosted by the Croatian Amateur Radio Association, the event will be held between the 6th and 13th of August. Dan, M0WUT is the Team leader with Peter, M0SWN; Hamzah, 2E0HXS and Povilas, MW7DKV.
The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is looking to recruit volunteers, particularly for duties on Mondays, Thursdays and at the weekend. If you think this volunteer role is for you, or if you want more information, please contact the NRC co-ordinator, Martyn, G0GMB at nrc.support@rsgb.org.uk.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, Sunday the 24th of July, the Finningley ARS Rally is due to take place near Doncaster, junction 2 of the M180. It will be a car-boot-style rally. Refreshments will be available on site. Entry is £3. You can find out more via the club’s Facebook page.
The Radio Operators Cornwall radio weekend takes place from the 28th of July to the 1st of August overlooking Mount’s Bay, Cornwall. It is a weekend of camping and radio either with the club station, GX8ROC or with your own set-up. Overnight stays are restricted to ROC members, but day visitors are welcome between 10 am and 6 pm each day. New members are also welcome, please email info@g8roc.org.uk.
Next Sunday, the 31st of July, the Wiltshire Radio & Car Boot Sale will be at Kington Langley Village Hall and Playing Field, Kington Langley, Wiltshire SN15 5NJ. Doors open at 9 am and admission is free. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on site.
Now the DX news
Ian, G3WVG will participate in the IOTA Contest as MN5A from Rathlin Island, EU-122 on the 30th and 31st of July. QSL via Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of The World.
Henning, OZ2I will operate CW as EJ7EE from Bere Island, EU-121, between the 29th and 31st of July. On the 1st and 2nd of August, he will operate as EI7EE from the main island of Ireland, EU-115. QSLs via Logbook of The World, Club Log's OQRS, or via OZ2I.
A team will be active as TM65M from Molene Island, EU-065, from the 29th of July to the 3rd of August. They will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 6 to 80m bands, with the main activity planned during the IOTA Contest. QSL via F5RAB.
A large team of Bulgarian and Greek operators will be active as LZ0KP from Sveti Ivan Island, EU-181 from the 28th of July to the 1st of August. The main activity will be during the IOTA Contest. QSL direct to SV2CLJ.
Now the contest news
On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Thursday sees the data leg of the 80m Club Championships run from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
On Saturday, the fourth of the 144MHz Backpackers Contest series runs from 1400 to 1800UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and the first two letters of your postcode.
The Worked All Britain 144MHz Low Power contest takes place on Saturday the 30th of July from 1400 to 1800UTC. Note that the input power for all contestants is limited to 10 watts PEP. Using AM, FM and SSB, the exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square if applicable. For the full rules please see the WAB website. Entries must be with the contest manager by the 29th of August.
Next weekend is the RSGB IOTA or Islands On The Air contest. It runs from 1200UTC on the 30th to 1200UTC on the 31st. Using CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and IOTA reference.
Next Sunday, the 31st of July, the UK Microwave Group’s 5.7 and 10GHz contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 22nd of July 2022.
Last week was almost a repeat performance of the previous week. We had very disturbed geomagnetic conditions on Tuesday, with the Kp index hitting five. But then other days, like Wednesday, when conditions were much more settled. The solar flux index declined from its high of 176 last Saturday to 133 on Thursday. The Sun’s surface is still peppered with spots, but they are all fairly small and innocuous.
Nevertheless, there have been numerous C-class flares happening on a daily basis and two M-class flares last Saturday.
The popular press has been running their usual horror stories about CMEs hitting the Earth, threatening all sorts of doom and gloom. But to be honest, for radio amateurs, it’s business as usual.
Sporadic-E had been most prolific earlier in the week with some relatively short-skip signals being stable over long periods. The ED4YAK beacon in Spain on 28.251MHz has often been audible for hours.
Next week NOAA predicts that the SFI will remain in the mid-130s, but predicts that geomagnetic conditions may be unstable over the weekend, before settling on Tuesday. If this is the case we can expect reduced MUFs over the weekend and a general lacklustre feel to HF, until the Kp index reduces again.
Make the most of the Es season while it lasts, as we may have seen the best of it, and we can’t expect an upturn in F2-layer propagation until mid to late September.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
It looks like a bit of a propagation mode mixture this coming week with something for everyone. It begins with a continuation of the typical summer warmth rather than the extreme conditions last week. Over northern areas, where low pressure remains close-by, we’ll see a few showers that might bring GHz band rain scatter opportunities. There will be a few showers in the south too, but also with a period of the Azores high building a ridge across southern Britain. This could bring some occasional Tropo throughout the week to southern areas, interspersed with isolated rain scatter opportunities in any showery interludes.
The Sporadic-E season continues apace with a bit of an uptick again last week, bringing some strong signals from south-eastern Europe. Summer jet streams are often rather scarce in more southern latitudes, but can occur fairly frequently over the UK and northern Europe. That will probably be the case in the coming week and suggests that paths towards Scandinavia, the Baltic states and eastern Europe will do best.
With four minor showers peaking around the 28th to the 30th, meteor scatter is worth trying, particularly around dawn, as will aurora propagation modes in view of the current unsettled solar activity.
The Moon is at maximum positive declination on Tuesday and also at apogee, its furthest point from Earth, so Moon windows are long and path losses are at their highest. 144MHz sky noise is low to moderate all week, but Thursday sees the Sun and Moon close in the sky, making EME very difficult due to sun noise in the antenna beam width.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 17th 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 17th of July 2022
The news headlines:
National Radio Centre seeks volunteers
Antarctic Stations due to be active
Unknown interference appearing on 15m band
The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is looking to recruit volunteers, particularly for duties on Mondays, Thursdays and at the weekend. If you think this volunteer role is for you, or if you want more information, please contact the NRC coordinator, Martyn G0GMB at nrcsupport@rsgb.org.uk.
The Argentine Antarctic Stations at San Martin, AN-016, Belgrano II, AN-016, and Marambio, AN-013, are expected to be active on 14.190MHz every Saturday in July between 1300 and 1800UTC. Look for the callsigns LU1ZD, LU1ZG and LU4ZS respectively. QSL all three stations via LU4DXU.
The IARU Region 1 Monitoring Service Newsletter for June 2022 is now available. You can read about a new unknown signal on the 15m band. It was present on 21.0035MHz for several days with long-lasting transmissions. It was also received several times in the vicinity of 21.122MHz. There were also several unknown signals on the 40 and 20m bands. You can read the whole newsletter at iaru-r1.org.
The two-part Scandinavian Activity Contest was due to take place on the 17th and 18th of September for the CW leg and the 8th and 9th of October for the SSB leg. The SAC Contest Committee has unanimously decided to cancel this year’s two sections of the Contest. The decision has been made due to the ongoing war in the region and in consideration of the IARU declaration about the friendship between people.
The RSGB has appointed two new District Representatives and they are welcomed into their new roles. Craig Langman, M7LAN has taken on District 51, Warwickshire. Martyn Bell, M0TEB has taken on District 31, Cumbria. There are other District Representative vacancies around the country. Check out your Region on the RSGB website.
ARRL has advised that IARU HF Championship logs submitted between 0000UTC and 2000UTC on Sunday the 10th of July have not been received correctly. The ARRL reports that if your log is not in the list of logs received on the contest section of the website, please resubmit the log via contest-log-submission.arrl.org.
The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend is due to take place from 0000UTC on the 20th of August to 2359UTC on the 21st. Around 250 entries have registered so far from all around the world. You can find out more at illw.net.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 17th of July, the McMichael Amateur Radio Rally & Car Boot Sale will take place at Reading Rugby Club, Sonning Lane, Reading RG4 6ST. Doors open at 9.30 am. There will be a large car boot area and plenty of free parking for sellers and buyers. Refreshments will be available on site. Admission is £3 per person. Sorry but no dogs are allowed, except for assistance dogs, which is a site rule.
Next Sunday, the 24th of July, the Finningley ARS Rally is due to take place near Doncaster, junction 2 of the M180. It will be a car boot-style rally. Refreshments will be available on site. Entry is £3. You can find out more via the club’s Facebook page.
Please note that the Angel of the North Radio Club Radio Rally, due to take place on the 17th of September, has had to be cancelled.
Now the DX news
Pete, ZL4TE will be active as E51RMP from Aitutaki, OC-083 on the 18th and 19th of July. He will also be active from Rarotonga, OC-013, on the 20th and 21st of July. Both locations count as the South Cook Islands for DXCC purposes. He is planning some HF QRP activities. QSL via his home callsign.
Paul, W7NZJ will be active as FS/W7NZJ from St. Martin, NA-105, until the 20th of July. He will operate digital modes on the 10 to 20m bands. QSL via eQSL.
Mike, KI1U will be active as VE9IU from Grand Manan Island, NA-014, until the 23rd of July. He will operate CW and FT8 on the 6 to 40m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, or via KI1U.
Now the Special Event news
On Wednesday, GB1900HA will be operating at Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields. It is part of the Hadrian's Wall 1900 Festival. It is 1900 years since the building of Hadrian’s Wall and there is a year-long festival taking place.
OE60STMK is on the air until the 31st of August for the 60th anniversary of the Styrian regional association within Austria's IARU society. QSL via the bureau to OE6WIG.
Now the contest news
Today, the 17th of July, the International Low Power Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. It is CW only on the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands. The exchange is the signal report, serial number and transmission power.
On Monday, the RSGB FT4 Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC on the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator.
Tuesday sees the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest take place between 1900 and 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Thursday it is the 70MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 15th of July 2022.
We had another rocky journey last week in terms of HF propagation. The solar flux index climbed from 137 last Saturday to 165 by Thursday, which should have brought better conditions. But the Earth was plagued again by unsettled geomagnetic conditions, with the Kp index hitting four on Monday the 11th and five on Tuesday the 12th. This was due to an enhanced solar wind, which hit a velocity of 564km per second and had a strongly south-pointing Bz magnetic field. This allowed it to more efficiently couple with the Earth’s magnetic field allowing plasma to pour into the polar areas.
HF conditions were typical for this time of year, with lower maximum frequencies during the day, compared with winter, but higher MUFs at night.
Daytime F2-layer MUFs over a 3,000km path has generally been between 18 and 21MHz during the day, falling to 10 to 14MHz at night. But the early hours of the 11th were particularly good with the MUF staying above 15-16MHz.
The moral of the story is if you should wake up in the middle of the night, check out your HF radio, you might get a pleasant surprise.
Sporadic-E remains the dominant mode for 10-metre propagation, bringing strong short-skip contacts around Europe and the potential for multi-hop DX.
Next week NOAA predicts that the SFI will decline to the 130s, although their predictions have not been too accurate recently. We can likely expect reasonably unsettled geomagnetic conditions with a minimum Kp index of three.
With the current sunspot activity, the solar wind is unlikely to remain calm for long and more solar flares are very likely.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The current very hot and humid weather means that Tropo is fairly widespread. This can be a significant feature over surrounding seas as hot dry air from the land drifts out across a cooler moist layer of air near the sea surface giving an almost continuous strong Tropo.
This affects paths across the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea as well as farther afield across Biscay and south past Portugal. The Mediterranean is a hot spot of Tropo during the summer, and long east-west paths are possible if you take a rig on holiday.
Closer to home, these favourable Tropo conditions come to an end by midweek as low pressure moves into place over the UK and brings a chance of heavy thundery showers, with associated GHz band rain-scatter chances.
Sporadic-E is still prevalent in mid-July and the jet stream pattern probably favours paths to the Baltic and Scandinavia. A high Kp index tends to suppress Es chances and this has been rather volatile lately. It’s worth checking this periodically, and the silver lining of a higher Kp index is a chance of auroral propagation.
As we move towards the end of the month, all four relatively-small July meteor showers are still active. The largest of these is the Southern delta-Aquariids, peaking on the 30th of July with a medium Zenithal Hourly Rate of 25. Remember that random meteor activity is always there and is best around dawn.
Moon declination goes positive on Monday and we passed perigee last Wednesday, so Moon visibility time and path losses will increase this week. 144MHz sky noise is low all week.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 10th 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 10th of July 2022
The news headlines:
ICQ Podcast talks to RSGB
Special Australian station for Fleet Air Arm anniversary
QSL Gallery online
Recently, the ICQ Podcast team spoke with Steve Thomas, M1ACB, the RSGB General Manager and Murray Niman, G6JYB, the RSGB Spectrum Forum Chair. Steve discussed some of the behind-the-scenes work carried out by the RSGB whilst at Ham radio in Germany. This included participating in IARU meetings, covering spectrum defence and EMC. Listen from the 1-hour and 46-minute point for this news. Then Murray talked about the protection of the 23cm band. You can find the ICQ Podcast at icqpodcast.com and look for episode 380.
VK75FAA is a special callsign celebrating the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Australian Navy's aviation branch. Activity will continue until the end of October. The callsign will be used by amateurs around Australia on a rota basis.
The large collection of QSL cards on Les Nouvelles DX's website has been updated. Amongst the sixteen different galleries, there are cards for the ten ‘Most Wanted’ DXCC Entities between 2012 and 2021, the 62 deleted DXCC Entities and special stations commemorating the ITU and IARU. You can view these galleries and many more at lesnouvellesdx.fr, just click on the QSL Gallery tab.
Chard Auctions got in touch regarding an auction taking place on the 16th of July. Lots include a large collection of vintage radios and related equipment. The radio and test equipment items are on pages 7 to 12 of the catalogue. You can view the catalogue and other details at chardauctions.co.uk.
The CQ WW VHF contest takes place between 1800UTC on Saturday the 16th of July and 2100UTC on the 17th. It uses the 50MHz and 144MHz bands as permitted by the regulator in the country of operation. The G1E team will be operating from IO90BT, using SSB, CW and FM on both bands. The exchange is callsign and your 4-character locator. There’s no need to exchange a signal report.
The Israel Amateur Radio Club is running two special event stations for the Maccabiah Games between the 12th and the 26th of July. The two callsigns to look out for are 4X21MG and 4Z21MG. An award is available for amateurs contacting both special event stations on at least two bands and modes and on separate days. The stations will both use CW, SSB and FT8 and operate via satellite. Qrz.com has contact details for the two stations.
A date for your diary now. British Inland Waterways on the Air will take place between the 27th and the 29th of August. It is open to all amateurs who are boaters, cyclists, walkers and other users of the canals, rivers, towpaths, and riverbanks for work or recreation. Even lakes and reservoirs that are used for recreation uses are classified as an inland waterway, so there are many places for activating. Many clubs and individual amateurs on or near the UK inland waterways obtain Special Event Station callsigns. The organisers have a Facebook page with more details.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Next Sunday, the 17th of July, the McMichael Amateur Radio Rally & Car Boot Sale will take place at Reading Rugby Club, Sonning Lane, Reading RG4 6ST. Doors open at 9.30 am. There will be a large car boot area and plenty of free parking for sellers and buyers. Refreshments will be available on site. Admission is £3 per person. Sorry but no dogs are allowed, except for assistance dogs, which is a site rule.
Now the DX news
A large group of operators will be active as T41DX from Playa Boca de Galafre on the main island of Cuba, NA-015, between the 14th and 17th of July. Activity will be on the 10 to 80m bands using SSB, CW, FT8, FT4, RTTY and SSTV. QSL via Logbook of The World or direct to RW6HS.
Ed, ES2TT plans to be active from the islands of Wolin, EU-132, and Usedom, EU-129, between the 15th and the 18th of July. He will operate CW and SSB on the 40, 30 and 20m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS or via his home call. Bureau cards can be requested by email.
Volker, DJ8VW has been active as 5P8VW from Romo Island, EU-125, since the 26th of June and will remain there until the 16th of July. He operates using SSB, CW, FT8 and FT4 on the 4 to 160m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, eQSL, Club Log's OQRS or via his home call.
Now the Special Event news
Today, Sunday the 10th of July, Bishop Auckland RAC and Wearside Electronics and Amateur Radio Society are activating GB4BM from Beamish Museum at Beamish, Chester-le Street, Durham. Operations start at 10 am. If you wish to attend and assist in the event contact Ian, G7MFN at g7mfn@hotmail.co.uk. All are welcome.
OE60STMK is on the air until the 31st of August for the 60th anniversary of the Styrian regional association within Austria's IARU society. QSL via the bureau to OE6WIG.
Now the contest news
Today, Sunday the 10th of July, the IARU HF Championship ends its 24-hour run at 1200UTC. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and your ITU Zone. For the UK this is 27. In particular, listen out for the RSGB HQ station operating as GR2HQ from ten different locations using CW and SSB. The team has a total of 35 operators and the stations will be on the air simultaneously on all the available contest bands.
Today, the 10th of July, the UK Microwave Group 24, 47 and 76GHz contest takes place between 0900 and 1700UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday the 12th, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 432MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same for both events, signal report, serial number and locator.
Wednesday sees the SSB leg of the 80m Clubs Contest take place between 1900 and 2030UTC. The exchange is a signal report and serial number.
Also on Wednesday is the 432MHz FT8 Activity Contest running from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator.
Thursday the 14th is the all-mode 50MHz UK Activity Contest between 1900 and 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Saturday, the 70MHz Trophy Contest runs between 1400 and 2000UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and the first two letters of your postcode.
Also starting on Saturday the 16th is the CQ World Wide VHF contest. More details are in the main news.
Next Sunday, the 17th of July, the International Low Power Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. It is CW only on the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands. The exchange is the signal report, serial number and your transmit power.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 8th of July 2022.
It was a mixed bag of HF propagation last week. The solar flux index was adequate rather than outstanding and a large elongated coronal hole contributed to the Kp index hitting five on the 4th of July. However, things became more settled geomagnetically later in the week with the Kp index back down in the ones and twos. The SFI slowly climbed up to 115 by Thursday, thanks to some new spots appearing over the Sun's limb.
There was some minor solar flare activity, but no coronal mass ejections were logged. The net result was quite good conditions with the MUF over a 3,000km path reaching up to 24MHz at times. This changed on Thursday, however, when the Kp index rose to five due to the incoming enhanced solar wind.
Earlier in the week, there were some reports of trans-Atlantic contacts on 10 metres as well as extensive Es openings into Europe. If the Kp index can once again go low it does rather bode well for the IARU worldwide contest this weekend.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI will remain around 115 for a time, but may then drop back to around 108 as the week progresses.
Barring any CMEs, NOAA predicts that the Kp index may remain low, at least until the 15th and 16th of July when it could rise to four again. However, a coronal hole on the Sun's equator will become Earth-facing on Saturday, so we might expect the Kp index to climb around Monday. As always, this is hard to predict.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The coming week is likely to see high pressure over southern Britain with occasional lows crossing north of Scotland with rain and stronger winds. This raises the prospect of GHz band rain scatter as the fronts move south and break up into showers over northern England and North Wales.
The main feature of the next week is the high pressure and the prospects of fairly widespread Tropo. This could extend south and east into the continent and south across Biscay to Spain and beyond. Contacts with the Canaries or perhaps even farther to Cape Verde for the big stations in the southwest of the UK and Southern Ireland are possible.
The high summer Sporadic-E season is in full swing although somewhat reticent compared to other years. The jet stream activity is not as widespread as earlier in the season now that summer conditions with lighter upper winds are becoming established, but there should be a preference for paths to Scandinavia and southeast Europe.
The other remaining modes of aurora and meteor scatter are of course available given the right conditions. The minor Alpha-Capricornids meteor shower should be active but with a low ZHR of around five. Solar output has been affecting the Kp index recently, so check the various space weather websites for details of further events.
The Moon is at minimum declination on Tuesday and perigee on Wednesday so short Moon visibility windows and low path losses are the stories for EME this week. 144MHz sky noise is high for most of the week.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 3rd 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 3rd of July 2022
The news headlines:
RSGB Regional vacancies
Tribute to Zorro, JH1AJT
Tonight@8 on Radio waves and antennas
The RSGB has vacancies for someone to be co-opted as the Regional Representative for Region 11 until the AGM in 2023. Region 11 covers Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the Channel Islands. There are 13 RSGB Regional Representatives covering the whole of the UK and they must reside in the region they represent. There are also vacances for District Representatives for Dorset, North-East England and Lancashire. Details of the Regional Team can be found on the RSGB website rsgb.org.uk. If you are interested in becoming part of the Regional Team please contact David, M0MBD on 01234 481 412 or rr12@rsgb.org.uk.
3D2AJT is the special callsign that Dom, 3D2USU will be using for one month from Nadi in the Fiji Islands in memory of the late Yasuo ‘Zorro’ Miyazawa, JH1AJT. Activity will end on 27 July, which would have marked Zorro's 73rd birthday. Zorro was also known for his DXpeditions and charitable work on behalf of children in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Japan and elsewhere. The special event operators will be on the air using CW, SSB, FT4 and FT8. QSL via Club Log's OQRS. You can read more on qrz.com.
Tonight @8 will take place on Monday, the 4th of July. This is the final lecture before the summer break. Peter Duffett-Smith, G3XJE will be looking at Radio waves and antennas…and all that. His presentation covers a range of antenna-related information so there should be something for everyone. Tonight@8 webinars are live-streamed on the RSGB’s YouTube channel, YouTube.com/thersgb.
During the recent HamRadio show in Germany, the IARU Region 1 Spectrum Regulation and Liaison Committee chair took part in a joint session with the R1 Political Relations Committee. The session highlighted the connections the SRLC maintains with Region 1 regulatory bodies and the work carried out since early 2021. This included engagement in the WRC23 preparatory activities in a number of regional bodies and the detailed study work both with the ITU and CEPT. Topics affecting amateur spectrum bands were summarised with particular attention being paid to the 23cm band topic on the agenda of WRC23. The SRLC slide set can be found at iaru-r1.org.
The TX5N DXpedition that took place in April from the Austral Islands, OC-114, has updated the information on QSL cards. All TX5N QSL cards were taken to the post office on the 30th of June so please allow sufficient time for the card to reach you. Bureau cards will be shipped to the individual IARU bureaux in the next bureau mailing that is scheduled for Summer 2022. QSL via M0URX.
Dennis, G7AGZ has been fundraising for Cornwall Hospice Care since 1991. This year, he will be attempting a six peak Summits On The Air challenge. He will be climbing some of the most popular summits in the UK and hopes to activate an amateur radio station at the top of each summit, subject to the weather. The six peaks will be Snowdon, Scafell Pike, Old Man of Coniston, Helvellyn, Skiddaw and Ben Nevis. Keep an eye on qrz.com under the special event callsign GB0CHC.
The DXCC Most Wanted 2022 list has been updated on the 28th of June. The DXCC most wanted countries are North Korea in 1st place, Bouvet Island in second place and Crozet Island in 3rd place. See clublog.org for more information.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 3rd, the Cornish RAC Rally will take place at Penair School, St Clement, Truro, Cornwall TR1 1TN. Doors open at 10am with a £2 admission. There will be a Bring & Buy, traders and local club stands. Refreshments are available on site. Find out more at gx4crc.com.
Sunday the 3rd of July is also the date for the traditional Barford Norfolk Radio Rally at Barford Village Hall. Doors open at 9am. Most of the stands are outside but inside the village hall there is a Bring & Buy, RSGB bookstand, Morse display and refreshments. A Norfolk ARC club stand is outside the hall with a radio raffle in aid of the clubs 2022 nominated charity, Cancer Research UK. Admission is £2 per person with under 16s free. Outside selling pitches are £8 and there is no need to prebook.
On Saturday, the 9th of July, the Houghton Radio Club Free Radio Rally will be held in the Dubmire Royal British Legion Club, Britannia Terrace, Fencehouses DH4 6LJ. The doors will be open between 10am and 3pm. The rally is open to trade, clubs and private sellers and exhibitors. Table space is limited. There is no charge for tables and entry is free. Donations are welcome to the Royal British Legion Club. Tea and coffees will be available and a licenced bar from 11am. Anyone wishing to book tables please contact Amanda, M6LXK at westona84@gmail.com.
Now the DX news
Henri, OH3JR and Pertti, OG2M will be operating as OJ0JR and OJ0MR respectively from Market Reef until the 6th of July. They are there on work assignment. Activity will be in their spare time on the HF bands using CW, some SSB, and FT8. QSL OJ0MR direct to OG2M and OJ0JR via OH3JR.
Bo, OZ1DJJ will be active as OX3LX from Upernarvik Island, Greenland, NA-134, until the 11th of July. Activity will be on the HF bands with a focus on 6 metres and 4 metres. QSL via OZ0J.
Paul, F6EXV and Florian, PB8DX will be active from Monaco between the 6th and 14th of July. They will be using 3A6M on 6 metres, as well as 3A/F6EXV and 3A/PB8DX on the HF bands. QSLs for all callsigns via Club Log's OQRS both direct and via the bureau, and Logbook of The World after six months.
Franco, IZ5IUY will be active as IL7/IZ5IUY from San Domino Island, EU-050, until the 21st of July. He will operate SSB, FT8 and FT4 on the HF bands. QSL via his home callsign, the bureau is preferred.
Rafael, NN3RP will be active holiday style as YN2RP from Nicaragua between the 5th of July and the 2nd of August. He will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on various bands, and will also be active on FM satellites. QSL via Logbook of The World, eQSL or direct to NN3RP.
Now the Special Event news
Durham and District ARS is participating as one of the bonus stations in the 13 Colonies Special Event. GB13COL has been issued for this event and will run from the club station until 0400UTC on Friday, the 8th of July. The primary focus of the event will be the HF bands, including VHF, UHF & Satellite for QSOs using SSB, CW, FM, and various digital modes. More information at 13colonies.us.
On Saturday and Sunday the 9th and 10th of July, Bishop Auckland RAC and Wearside Electronics and Amateur Radio Society are activating GB4BM from Beamish Museum at Beamish, Chester-le Street, Durham. Operations start at 10am. If you wish to attend and assist in the event contact Ian, G7MFN at g7mfn@hotmail.co.uk. All are welcome.
Now the contest news
This weekend is the RSGB VHF National Field Day ending its 24-hour run at 1400UTC today, the 3rd. The contest uses the 50, 70, 144 and 432MHz bands as well as 1.3GHz. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Today, Sunday the 3rd of July, the third 144MHz Backpackers contest runs from 1000 to 1500UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Monday the 4th, the CW leg of the 80m Club Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.
Tuesday sees the 144MHz FM Activity Contest run between 1800 and 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same, signal report, serial number and locator.
The 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest takes place on Wednesday the 6th between 1900 and 2100UTC. The exchange is report and your 4-character locator.
Next weekend, the 9th and 10th of July, is the IARU HF Championship. It runs for 24 hours from 1200UTC on the 9th and uses the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted. The exchange is signal report and your ITU Zone. For the UK this is 27.
Next Sunday, the 10th of July, the UK Microwave Group 24, 47 and 76GHz contest takes place between 0900 and 1700. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The UK Six Metre Group’s Summer Marathon is still taking place, ending on the 2nd of August. Using all modes, stations exchange their 4-character locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 1st of July 2022.
Last week was not a good one for HF propagation in general. There were many complaints from amateurs about poor conditions that can be explained by a combination of low solar flux levels and unsettled geomagnetic conditions.
The SFI started the week last Sunday at 102 but then dropped to 98 the following day. It subsequently continued to drop, reaching 92 by Thursday. At the same time, the Kp index reached five and it continued to be unsettled into Monday.
The effects on the ionosphere were not good, with maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path struggling to reach 18MHz. Conditions improved as the week went on with F2-layer MUFs back into the 21MHz region by Thursday.
This is fairly typical of Summer ionospheric conditions, leaving Sporadic-E as the likely main propagation mode on 10 metres until the Autumn.
Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will start to climb again, perhaps peaking at 140 by the 11th of July. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be stable with an average Kp index of two, until the 10th when it could reach four.
As long as we don’t have any coronal mass ejections during this time this could mean slightly better F2-layer conditions next week. As always, Sporadic-E may provide loud short-skip signals on the upper bands. Watch out for multi-hop Es paths which are harder to predict.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
With VHF National Field Day, this weekend we would all like conditions at their best, and with the Sporadic-E season still in full swing, that's a possibility.
The position of the jet stream is often instrumental in defining the directions that perform for Es and this weekend it looks to be a close-by jet stream over the near continent. This means paths towards central and southeast Europe plus the Baltic and Scandinavia. You might be able to get some notion of how it's developing by Googling and looking at the ionosonde from Dourbes in Belgium for spikes in the foEs trace.
With low pressure close to Scotland over the weekend, it's only southern UK under a weak ridge that will see any Tropo. This will typically be better overnight and around the coasts for paths into the continent across the North Sea or the English Channel.
So unless you are on the coast, your tropo options will diminish early this Sunday morning once the solar heating starts to break down the overnight temperature inversion.
The UKAC 144MHz contest on Tuesday evening looks a better prospect with high pressure nudging towards western Britain and a chance that conditions may be slightly up, even for more northern stations.
With some showery episodes likely, rain scatter is always a possibility, but decaying as the high moves in later. The clusters should tell you if aurora or random meteor scatter are viable options.
Just one meteor shower this week, the July Pegasids active from the 4th of July to the 14th, but its Zenithal Hourly Rate is low at around five. Meteor showers in July are at their best around the end of the month, particularly the Southern delta-Aquariids, peaking on the 30th of July. The maximum ZHR of this shower is around 25 over two days. The radiant of this shower is above the horizon in the UK during the night and early morning.
Moon declination goes negative this coming Wednesday so expect lower peak elevation and shortening Moon visibility windows for EME. Path losses are dropping as we head towards perigee a week on Wednesday. 144MHz sky noise is low all week.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for June 26th 2022

GB2RS News
Sunday the 26th of June 2022
The news headlines:
RSGB joins IARU Region 1 meeting
GB70D on air from the Isle of Man
Tonight@8 on Monday
RSGB volunteers and staff contributed to the IARU Region 1 Interim meeting at Friedrichshafen on Thursday the 23rd of June. The meeting covered topics across HF, VHF and UHF as well as Microwave and EMC matters. This included the latest state of preparations for WRC-23 where agenda item 9.1B on the protection of satellite navigation systems, such as Galileo in the 23cm band, was of prime interest. Slides showing the current state and this potentially significant threat to the radio amateur and amateur satellite services have been published on the RSGB special focus page at rsgb.org/wrc-23. The IARU, supported by the RSGB, continues to work hard to reduce any impact.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee station GB70D is based on the Isle of Man. On Tuesday the 28th, it will be based in the grounds of Government House. It is hoped that the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man and Lady Philippa will participate for several periods during the day. The station plans to operate on 2m, as well as SSB and CW on most bands from 40m up. Operations start around 9.30am.
Tonight @8 will take place on Monday, the 4th of July. This is the final lecture before the summer break. Peter Duffett-Smith, G3XJE will be looking at Radio waves and antennas…and all that. His presentation covers a range of antenna-related information so there should be something for everyone. Tonight@8 webinars are live-streamed on the RSGB’s YouTube channel, YouTube.com/thersgb.
The 98-year-old 200kW Alexanderson alternator, callsign SAQ, will not be able to air on Alexanderson Day, Sunday the 3rd of July. This is due to difficulties in obtaining components in the ongoing maintenance work. The Alexander Association welcomes visitors to the museum on the 3rd from 10am to 4pm. Together with the World Heritage Grimeton Radio Station they will offer many activities for the whole family during the day. There will be two transmitter startups with SAQ, but without any transmission over the antenna.
National society in Iceland, IRA, reports on the renewal of special authorisation to use 50MHz. Icelandic licensees have been granted increased power licenses in the 50-50.5MHz frequency range until the 31st of September. Full licensees are allowed to use up to 1kW and Novice licensees up to 100W.
The 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as part of the RSGB Convention on the 8th and 9th of October at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. The weekend event attracts an international audience that ranges from those involved in building and operating amateur radio satellites to beginners who wish to find out more about this fascinating branch of the hobby. Find out more at amsat-uk.org or rsgb.org/convention.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, the 26th of June, the Newbury Radio Rally will be held at the Newbury Showground, next to junction 13 of the M4 motorway in Berkshire. Over a hundred sellers, national societies and a demonstration marquee will be there. It is open to the public from 9am with admission £2.50. There is free parking on site.
On Saturday, the 2nd of July, the Laugharne Radio Rally will be held in the Millennium Memorial Hall, Laugharne near Carmarthen SA33 4QG. Doors open 10am until 12 noon. Details from Matthew on 0739 882 5024.
Next Sunday, the 3rd, The Cornish RAC Rally will take place in Penair School, St Clement, Truro, Cornwall TR1 1TN. Doors open at 10am with a £2 admission. There will be a Bring & Buy, traders and local club stands. Refreshments are available on site. Find out more at gx4crc.com.
Next Sunday is also the Barford Norfolk Radio Rally at Barford Village Hall. Doors open at 9am. Visit norfolkamateurradio.org for more information.
Now the DX news
Eric, KV1J will be active as FP/KV1J from Miquelon Island, NA-032, from the 28th of June to the 12th of July. Plans are to operate SSB, RTTY and FT8, plus some FT4 and CW on the 6 to 80m bands. QSL via his home call either direct or via the bureau, Logbook of The World and eQSL.
Joe, OZ0J will be active as HB0/OZ0J from Liechtenstein from the 28th of June to the 5th of July. He plans to operate SSB, CW and FT8 on the 6 to 40m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, Club Log's OQRS, eQSL, or via his home call.
David, DL7ZM is active as 7O/DL7ZM from Socotra Island, AF-028, in Yemen until the 3rd of July. Activity is on 10 meters using CW and FT8, and on 6 meters as well. QSL details on QRZ.com
Now the Special Event news
Members of The Angel of the North ARC will be running GB0UUR to celebrate the life of their late Club Secretary and RSGB ex Deputy Regional Manager, Nancy Bone, G7UUR. This event will take place during the afternoon of Saturday the 2nd of July.
Durham and District ARS is participating as one of the bonus stations in the 13 Colonies Special Event. GB13COL has been issued for this event and will run from the club station from 1300UTC on the 1st of July until 0400UTC on the 8th. The primary focus of the event will be the HF bands, including VHF, UHF & Satellite for QSOs using SSB, CW, FM, and various digital modes. More information at 13colonies.us.
Now the contest news
Today, Sunday the 26th of June, there are three contests taking place. The CW leg of the 50MHz Contest runs between 0900 and 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The second contest today, the 26th, is the fourth 70MHz Cumulatives contest runs between 1400 and 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Finally for today, the 26th, the UK Microwave Group 5.7 and 10GHz contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Monday, the RSGB FT4 Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report and 4-character locator.
Tuesday sees the SHF UK Activity Contest taking place between 1830 and 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Next weekend, the 2nd and 3rd of July, is the RSGB VHF National Field Day. Running for 24-hours from 1400UTC on the 2nd, the contest uses the 50, 70, 144 and 432MHz bands as well as 1.3GHz. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Next Sunday, the 3rd of July, the 3rd 144MHz Backpackers contest runs from 1000 to 1500UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 24th of June 2022.
As predicted, the solar flux index fell back this week, but it didn’t fall as low as experts predicted. On Thursday, it stood at 129, but with three sunspot groups about to rotate off the visible surface, it looks like it may now fall lower.
We are now well and truly into the summer season for HF propagation, which can be characterised as providing lower maximum usable frequencies during the day, but higher MUFs at night. Sporadic-E remains the most common mode of propagation on the higher bands, with F2-layer MUFs over 3,000 kilometres generally not exceeding 21MHz for most of the day. But more on Sporadic E in the VHF segment of this report.
The good news is that 20 metres stays open later, often providing paths over 3,000km up until midnight. The higher bands, that is 17 metres, 15 metres and perhaps 12 metres, may generally provide good paths to South America in the evenings, with 20-metre paths being the last to close.
But we’re afraid we may have to wait until September to see good reliable paths into North America on HF once again.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI will remain around the 100 mark, so we may expect lower MUFs again, apart from Es openings. Geomagnetic conditions should generally be quiet with a maximum Kp index of two once we get over any disturbance this weekend due to a high-speed solar wind stream.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
The recent very warm and humid weather has produced some occasional Tropo with the British Isles being on the edge of high pressure, mainly over the near continent. This may still happen occasionally in the coming week, but the fundamental characteristic for next week is low pressure and unsettled weather over the UK. This will produce some rain, with thunderstorms a possibility, and rain scatter will crop up as a useful mode on the upper GHz bands at times.
The many online weather radar displays will allow you to keep a track of storms as they develop. When low pressure is centred over the country the showers may be longer-lasting and not decay overnight, so this period looks more promising than the usual mainly daytime shower distribution.
The Sporadic-E season is in full swing, but in a rather restrained way since openings have been fairly limited and often fleeting. The presence of jet streams on the weather charts is a good indicator of regions where Es is more likely and the coming week offers a good variety of options, so if Sporadic-E is hard to find then perhaps other parameters may not be optimal; for example, the meteor input is a crucial component in the development of Es. Check the daily conditions for jet streams on the Propquest.co.uk EPI maps and Es blog.
The June meteor showers, mentioned last week, continue into early July so keep checking meteor scatter conditions between the Es.
With the Moon at maximum declination on Wednesday, Moon windows are long this week. Today, Sunday the 26th of June, the Moon is at apogee, or its furthest point from Earth, so path losses are at their highest, and for around four hours after UK Moonrise on Wednesday the Sun is close to the Moon so noise will be high at that time.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.
 
 

RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for June 19th 2022.

GB2RS News
Sunday the 19th of June 2022
The news headlines:
Region 1 Monitoring Service newsletter
IARU VHF and up matters
GI-QRP Convention
The latest IARU Region 1 Monitoring Service newsletter detailing intruders in the amateur bands is available at iaru-r1.org. Radars continue to be the most numerous and harmful intrusions in our bands. For the last couple of months monitoring have been receiving signals whose function they have not yet been able to identify. The most common one has a bandwidth of about 8kHz, seems to consist of a central carrier and is most frequently found in the 20 and 40m bands.
For those with a particular interest in VHF matters, the IARU Region 1 VHF+ Newsletter number 89 is available from the same website, iaru-r1.org. It contains details of the interim hybrid meeting due to be held during the radio show in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Subjects for discussion include preparation for the ITU World Radio Conference, WRC23, particularly regarding the 23cm band. It also has details of IARU VHF and up contests and trophies.
Throughout June, many UK radio amateurs may use the letter Q in place of the Regional Secondary Locator. If you would like to join them, the free-of-charge Notice of Variation to your licence that is needed is available via the RSGB website, see rsgb.org/jubilee. If you would rather, you may use the suffix /70 to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. An NoV is not necessary for the /70 addition to your callsign. There are two awards available for logging or working stations using both the Q RSL or /70 suffix, see rsgb.org/jubilee and look at Award 70.
The GI-QRP Convention will take place on Saturday the 25th of June at the Tandragee Golf Club. This event is supported by the G-QRP Club. There will be trade stands, talks and presentations relating to QRP construction and operating. The talks will be streamed live online for those unable to attend. A Buildathon will also take place, where participants, under supervision, will construct a Morse tutor. Advance booking for the Buildathon is advised. There are concessionary prices for junior constructors. Doors open at 9.30am and the event closes at 5pm. Details are at gqrp.com, just click on the GQRP Convention tab on the left-hand side.
A date for your diary now. The next Tonight @8 lecture will take place on the 4th of July. This is the final lecture before the summer break. On the 4th, Peter Duffett-Smith, G3XJE will be looking at Radio waves and antennas…and all that. His presentation covers a range of antenna-related information so there should be something for everyone. Tonight@8 webinars are live-streamed on the RSGB’s YouTube channel, YouTube.com/thersgb.
James Bertram, GM0GMN has been involved in amateur radio since he was a teenager when he first joined the RSGB. He is very active on HF, VHF and UHF with a particular interest in HF DX and DMR. James is also the Secretary of The International Police Association Radio Club, which has more than 100 members. He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
The radio station VP8GGM at the Goose Green Military Museum in the Falkland Islands will be on air during the International Museum Weekends. You can listen for them today, this weekend the 18th and 19th and next weekend, the 25th and 26th. QSL direct to VP8ADR.
The KL7RRC IOTA DXpedition to Kiska Island, NA-070, has been rescheduled and is now expected to take place between the 23rd and the 28th July. The team includes KL5CX, N3QQ, N7QT, NL8F and W8HC. They will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on the 6 to 40m bands with three stations. QSL via N7RO. See na-234.com for more information.
And now for details of rallies and events
Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Today, Sunday the 19th of June, the East Suffolk Wireless Revival will take place at Kirton Recreation Ground, Back Road, Kirton IP10 0PW. The venue is just off the A14. There is free car parking, and doors open at 9.30am. Admission is £2. There will be trade stands, a car boot sale, Bring & Buy, special interest groups, GB4SWR HF station and an RSGB bookstall. More from Kevin, G8MXV on 0771 004 6846.
Between the 24th and 26th of June, the HamRadio show in Friedrichshafen, Germany will have exhibitors and visitors from 52 countries. There is also a large flea market with around 300 stalls, talks, meetings, socialising and much more. There will be an RSGB stand and staff and volunteers look forward to meeting the many amateurs from around the world. The RSGB President, Spectrum Forum Manager and General Manager will be attending a variety of IARU meetings, representing the interests of all UK amateurs.
Next Saturday, the 25th June, the GI-QRP Convention will be held at the Tandragee Golf Club in Craigavon. Doors open at 9am and presentations start at 10am. Contact Philip, MI0MSO, 0784 902 5760, r8.giqrp@gmail.com.
Now the DX news
Alex, SQ9UM is on the air as SV2/SQ9UM from Poliouri in Greece until the 24th of June. In addition, Chris, OE5CFH is operating as SV8/OE5CFH from Corfu Island, EU-052, until the 21st of June. QSL to home calls.
Ali, EP3CQ is operating as 6O1OO [six Oscar one Oscar Oscar] from Mogadishu and is there for about one month while working for the UN Department of Safety and Security. Activity is in his spare time on the 15 to 80m bands using some CW, with FT8 and FT4. QSL direct to home call.
Now the Special Event news
GB100MW will be operated on Saturday the 25th of June by Medway Amateur Receiving Transmitting Society. They will be located at the Medway Armed Forces Day regional event at the Heritage Park on the Lines, Gillingham, Kent. Further details of this event can be found on QRZ under GB100MW.
The G-QRP Club Callsign will be active as GI5LOW for the first time in the lead up to, and during, the Convention.
Kevin, ZB2GI is operating with special event callsign ZQ2GI until the 30th of June to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. QSL to his home callsign.
Members of The Angel of the North ARC will be running GB0UUR to celebrate the life of their late Club Secretary and RSGB ex Deputy Regional Manager, Nancy Bone, G7UUR. This event will take place during the afternoon of Saturday the 2nd of July.
Now the contest news
The 50MHz Trophy Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1400UTC on the 19th. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The All-Asian DX contest runs for 48 hours and ends at 2359UTC on the 19th. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and age.
The Worked all Britain 50MHz contest takes place today, Sunday the 19th of June, from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using AM, FM and SSB, the exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square if applicable. For the full rules please see the WAB website. Entries should be with the contest manager by the 29th of June.
The UK Six Metre Group’s Summer Marathon runs until the 2nd of August, with contacts on the 50MHz band exchanging your 4-character locator.
On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Thursday, the SSB leg of the 80m Club Championships runs between 1900 and 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.
Next weekend, on Sunday the 26th of June there are three contests taking place. The CW leg of the 50MHz Contest runs between 0900 and 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The fourth 70MHz Cumulatives contest runs between 1400 and 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The UK Microwave Group 5.7 and 10GHz contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 17th of June 2022.
We said that last week’s relatively low solar flux index wouldn’t last very long and it looks like we were right. This week we have had an SFI that started at 121 and just kept climbing, peaking at 149 on the 15th. Unfortunately, we have also had some plasma to contend with thanks to the combined effects of a coronal hole high-speed stream, along with a bright coronal mass ejection observed on Monday. These pushed the Kp index to five on Wednesday the 15th.
Luckily a long-duration eruption, LDE, measuring M3.4 detected around active region 3030 on Monday was directed away from Earth and missed us completely. But it does show that we can expect more in the way of CMEs as we head towards the peak of solar cycle 25.
F2-layer MUFs over a 3,000km path have regularly exceeded 21MHz and often 24MHz. There have also been some occasional 10m F2-layer openings, with Sporadic-E and multi-hop Es events as other likely modes of propagation. As a result, there have been many reports of DX being worked, including Vasco, 7Q7CT in Malawi and Harald, 9X2AW in Rwanda on 10-metre FT8.
The USAF predicts that the SFI will be around 136 this Sunday, falling back to 100 as the week wears on.
Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be unsettled around the 24th, although we could be in for a rough ride overall next week due to any unexpected CME from one of the numerous sunspots that have been flaring recently.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
We ended last week with high pressure nearby for southern Britain with a low-pressure north of Scotland pushing a cold front south. So Tropo in southern areas is getting displaced as the pattern becomes more unsettled and after some very high temperatures.
The bulk of the coming week sees high pressure off to the west and a cooler north-westerly flow over the country with some showery periods too. This presents the prospect of rain scatter, but somewhat limited Tropo conditions, chiefly for western-most parts and Ireland down to Biscay and Spain.
The Sporadic-E season is in full swing, although in the last week conditions have not been quite so exciting, apart from the magnificent opening to the States last Sunday evening. Widespread activity as far as Mexico and Texas doesn’t happen often and plots of the weather patterns showed that there were multiple jet stream areas of activity to make up the required sequence of four or five hops of Es.
Since the weather pattern driving this was not exceptional, it suggests that it could happen again, so perhaps keep the notion of checking 6m as late as mid-evening 2000-2200UTC in your back pocket during the rest of the month.
There are still plenty of meteor showers to fill in between the Sporadic-E in June. The Aretids, Zeta-Perseids, Beta-Taurids and June Bootids are all active this week. The latter is generally low activity, but it produced unexpected activity in 1998 with a ZHR up to 100 for more than half a day and in 2004 with a ZHR up to 50 over a similar period.
Moon declination goes positive again on Wednesday, and we are past this month’s perigee, so increasing Moon availability and increasing path losses is the story for EME enthusiasts this week. 144MHz sky noise is low, not exceeding 300 Kelvin until Thursday.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.