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G4TNU > NEWS 21.01.24 05:30l 264 Lines 13037 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 21 Jan 2024
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 21st of January 2024
The news headlines:
* British Science Week is approaching
* Updates on the RSGB's Strategic Priorities
* RSGB election deadline reminder
This year's British Science Week runs from the 8th to the 17th of
March with the theme of Time. This event is a fantastic opportunity
to raise awareness of amateur radio in your local area. The RSGB has
some great activity ideas you could try at your local school, Scout
or Guiding group or local youth club. Go to the web page at
rsgb.org/bsw and click on the activity titles to find everything you
need to know to be able to run that activity. Several radio clubs
from across the UK have already planned outreach activities for
British Science Week and the RSGB hopes its resources will inspire
you to get involved too! RSGB volunteer John Hislop, G7OHO has
provided these ideas but the Society would love to add other
activities to enthuse young people about wireless communication. If
you have an amateur radio activity on the theme of Time that you'd
like to share, or if you'd like to get involved but aren't sure how
to start, please direct enquiries to the RSGB British Science Week
contact, Ian Neal, M0KEO. Ian's contact details will soon be
available at rsgb.org/bsw
At the Discussion with the Board session at the RSGB 2023 Convention,
the RSGB President, John McCullagh, GI4BWM confirmed that the Board
would keep members updated regularly on progress with the new
strategic priorities. Two updates have now appeared in the January
and February issues of RadCom and they are also available to read on
the RSGB website. These updates highlight some important activities
and achievements as well as new plans, so the Society encourages
every member to take the time to read them. Go to rsgb.org/strategy
and choose the ‘Strategy priorities updates' option from the
righthand list. Further updates are being prepared so do check back
regularly or look out for them in each RadCom. You can also watch the
Discussion with the Board Convention session on the RSGB's YouTube
channel at youtube.com/theRSGB
The deadline for applications for the one elected RSGB Board Director
position and eight Regional Representative roles is Wednesday the
31st of January. Amateur radio needs a strong and active national
society so don't leave it to everyone else, step forward for one of
these roles and play your part in the future of the RSGB. You'll find
guidance and candidate forms on the RSGB elections web page at
rsgb.org/election as well as contact details if you want an informal
chat before standing for election.
A reminder that the RSGB is looking for four licensed radio amateurs
to help raise the profile of wireless communication amongst young
people across the UK. We have had a good response, but we'd still
like to hear from prospective volunteers in Northern Ireland and
Wales. These volunteer Youth Country Representatives will represent
the RSGB at externally organised events and will plan and deliver
outreach activities. If you have plenty of ideas, a passion for
getting young people involved in amateur radio and experience of
running small-scale events, we would be very keen to hear from you.
The deadline is Friday the 16th of February. For full details, see
rsgb.org/volunteers and for an informal discussion, please email RSGB
Board Director, Ben Lloyd, GW4BML at gw4bml<at>rsgb.org.uk
GB2RS began broadcasting via the Es'hail-2 amateur satellite in May
2021. Every Sunday at 0800UTC you can hear the latest RSGB news on
the dedicated narrow-band QO-100 transponder frequency of
10489.855MHz. This has proved so popular that, by kind permission of
AMSAT-DL, from 4th of February 2024 we're introducing a second
reading at 2100UTC. This will suit our international audience in the
western lobe of the footprint. The existing team of three Newsreaders
is looking for another volunteer to join them. If you are an RSGB
member with a good QO-100 facility, and would be interested in
broadcasting the news, please contact the GB2RS Manager, Steve, G4HPE
at gb2rs.manager<at>rsgb.org.uk for further details.
During February, the RSGB's Photo Friday focus on social media is all
about clubs. If you'd like your club to be included, let the RSGB
comms team know what you've been up to, who's been involved and share
all the brilliant things you've been doing. Email
comms<at>rsgb.org.uk by the 31st of January with a brief summary of
the activity and some photos, and please make sure that everyone in
the photo is happy to have their face on social media!
Chris Deacon, G4IFX has been awarded a PhD from the University of
Bath after completing research on propagation. His thesis was
entitled: "Radio propagation through ionospheric Sporadic-E". This
part-time work over many years involved looking at Sporadic-E on the
6m band, including making novel measurements of signal amplitude,
phase, derived doppler, polarisation and potentially time delay to
discover the nature of sporadic-E propagation at VHF frequencies. The
RSGB Propagation Studies Committee congratulates Chris on this
fantastic achievement. You can find out more by searching for Chris'
name on the University of Bath research portal at
researchportal.bath.ac.uk Chris has done a number of presentations
about propagation at RSGB Conventions over the years, which you can
see on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB
And now for details of rallies and events
The Lincoln Short Wave Club Winter Radio Rally will take place on
Sunday the 28th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market
Rasen, LN8 3HT. The doors will be open from 9am and admission is
GBP 2. Ample free car parking and hot refreshments will be available.
Tables cost GBP 10 each. At 2pm, after the Rally, there will be a
used equipment auction. Items for the auction will be booked in from
1pm. Contact Steve, M5ZZZ for tables and details via
m5zzz<at>outlook.com or 07777 699 069.
The Canvey Rally will be held on Sunday the 4th of February at
Cornelius Vermuyden [VER-MOW-DEN] School, Dinant Avenue, Canvey,
Essex, SS8 9QS. The Rally is expected to be the usual hive of
activity with plenty of traders on site. For more information contact
Richard Stanley on 07725 551 263 or email g7oed<at>icloud.com
The MIDCARS Radioactive Rally will be held on Sunday the 11th of
February at Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, CW5 5DG.
The doors open at 10am and admission is GBP 5. There will be a wide
variety of trader stalls covering every aspect of amateur radio.
Raffles will be held throughout the Rally. Refreshments and snacks
will be available in the hall and parking is immediately adjacent to
the venue.
Now the Special Event News
A team of German amateurs is operating special event callsign DM24EHF
until the 28th of January. The EHF suffix stands for European
Handball Federation. The 16th edition of the European Men's Handball
Championship is being hosted in Germany from the 10th to the 28th of
January. QSL via the bureau, or directly to DL2VFR.
The Straight Key Century Club's Straight Key Month is currently
underway. The annual on-air event commemorates the Club's founding in
2006 and celebrates the original instruments of early radiotelegraphy
including straight keys, bugs and ‘cootie' keys. Listen out for the
K3Y callsign which is being aired from the ten US call areas.
Information on the event and QSL instructions can be found at
skccgroup.com/k3y
"Discovering Marconi" is an international amateur radio diploma
organised by the ARI Radio Club of Fidenza in Italy. Commemorating
the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Italian scientist in
1874, this award aims to delve deeper into the thought, vision,
capacity and character of Guglielmo Marconi. More details of special
callsigns and award rules can be found at arifidenza.it
Now the DX news
Chris, WA7RAR will be active as 8P9CB from Barbados, NA-021, until
the 25th of January. Most of his operations will be portable at
various locations, especially Parks on the Air sites. He will be QRV
on the 20 to 10m bands using CW and SSB. QSL via Logbook of the
World, or directly to WA7RAR.
Listen out for Bob, V4/N4RF who is active from Saint Kitts, NA-104,
until the 25th of January. He will operate mainly CW, with some FT8
and SSB. QSL via Logbook of the World is preferred but is also
available directly via his home call.
Now the contest news
On Tuesday the 23rd, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to
2230UTC. Using all modes on the 13cm band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The CQ 160m DX Contest starts at 2200UTC on Friday the 26th and ends
at 2200UTC on Sunday the 28th. Using CW on the 160m band, the
exchange is signal report and CQ zone. American stations send their
state and Canadian stations send their province.
The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group RTTY Sprint starts at
1200UTC on Saturday the 27th and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 28th.
Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the
exchange is serial number.
The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon began on Friday the 1st of
December 2023. The contest will run until the 31st of January 2024.
Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and
locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Thursday the 18th of January 2024
We had yet another week with good solar conditions which, at this
point in the cycle, is good news. The solar flux index remained in
the 170s to 180s range and the Sun is currently peppered with spots.
The Kp index never got above 3.33 and that was only for one
three-hour period on January the 16th.
We were also lucky with solar flares in that we only had minor
C-class flares to contend with. An eruption was observed beyond the
west limb on January the 14th. The event generated a fast-moving
coronal mass ejection, or CME, but it was directed away from our
planet.
Daytime MUFs over 3,000km remain high at more than 28MHz. At night
this reduces to around 6.9 to 9.5MHz, meaning only the 40m band is
mainly open to DX, if at all.
HF-wise, this is the best time for low-band DXing, such as 40m band
contacts with New Zealand around sunrise, and overnight QSOs on the
80m band with the USA.
Other DX being worked by members of CDXC includes XU7AKU in Cambodia
on 40m CW in the early evening; V31XX in Belize, and VP9KF in
Bermuda, on 30m CW around 1000UTC; and E20AX in Thailand on 40m CW
around 0930UTC.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may remain in the
160 to 170 range with a maximum Kp index of 2. As always, take that
Kp prediction with a pinch of salt as a single Earth-facing coronal
mass ejection could send it sky-high with an accompanying lowering of
the MUF and generally poor conditions.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The main theme of the VHF and up propagation options is that we have
three distinct phases coming up.
The first phase is set to end today, the 21st. This will be the final
blast of the cold northerly wind, which may produce some rain scatter
near coasts from snow showers. It is probably not especially useful
for Tropo, even inland, except perhaps for local overnight temporary
short-distance enhancements due to surface cooling and night frosts.
Phase two is the transition to very unsettled, wet and windy weather,
which starts to arrive during this weekend, ending the 21st, and
generally sets the pattern for much of the coming week. Maybe it will
be a rain scatter option for the GHz bands, but the main radio
consideration will be wind potentially damaging antennas,
particularly in the south.
Phase three will be the introduction of a weak ridge of high pressure
over southern Britain in the second half of the coming week and the
following weekend. This could bring some more productive Tropo to
southern parts of the UK, especially into the last weekend of the
month.
Other propagation modes are available, but don't seem to be elevated
beyond chance occurrences for meteor scatter or aurora. There is a
vanishingly small chance of Sporadic-E, as we are in the minimum
period for this sort of propagation until after Easter.
For EME operators, Moon declination is positive and rising, reaching
maximum on the 23rd. Path losses increase all week until apogee on
Monday the 29th. 144MHz sky noise is low to moderate this coming
week.
And that's all from the propagation team this week.
And that's the end of the main news for this week prepared by the
Radio Society of Great Britain. Items for inclusion in subsequent
bulletins can be emailed to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
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