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G4TNU > NEWS 13.12.24 04:54l 292 Lines 14402 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 08 Dec 2024
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 8th of December
The news headlines:
* Take part in the RSGB Construction Competition
* New edition of RadCom Basics has been published
* A busy week with GB24YOTA hosted by many groups for YOTA Month
During November, the RSGB used its Photo Friday feature on social
media to highlight construction and practical skills. Photos included
everything from Construction Clubs for newcomers to ground satellite
repairs at university clubs. If these have left you feeling inspired
and wanting to get creative, why not submit an entry to the Society's
2025 Construction Competition? There are six categories, including a
new Outreach category that gives entrants the opportunity to create a
project that can be reproduced in a school or public environment.
Whether you are a seasoned constructor, used to building your own
projects or a beginner looking to take your first steps in amateur
radio construction, the RSGB would love to hear from you. Visit the
RSGB website at rsgb.org/construction-competition for full details
of the competition and how to enter. For further inspiration, pick up
a copy of the June Edition of RadCom and turn to page 36 to view last
year's entries.
The November 2024 issue of RadCom Basics is now available on the RSGB
website for members to read. The publication is aimed at new
licensees or anyone who enjoys reading about the fundamental
principles behind the many facets of amateur radio. This issue
includes part one of how to get on 40m with a small suburban garden,
as well as articles on home construction and using repeaters. If you
aren't one of the thousands of members who have done so already, you
can subscribe to receive notifications about RadCom Basics via the
RSGB Membership Portal. Log in and choose the "Manage preferences"
tab. To read the latest edition go to rsgb.org/radcom-basics
The RSGB would like to congratulate everyone who operated GB24YOTA
last week. There was some brilliant activity on the air, including
Wick High School Radio Club who had 12 student operators involved and
inspired some to take their Foundation licence. If you missed talking
to the group, you've got another chance to make a QSO with them
today, Sunday the 8th of December. Taking over tomorrow, Monday the
9th of December, is Hilderstone Radio Society, which will be
operating between 9am and 5pm. Cray Valley Radio Society will host
the callsign after 5pm. The RSGB's National Radio Centre station
GB3RS, will be on the air with GB24YOTA for the duration of Tuesday
the 10th of December. NRC volunteers will also host youngsters from
the 6th Bletchley Guides from 6pm on that day, so do listen out and
get on the air to make a QSO with this group. On Wednesday the 11th
of December, Hilderstone Radio Society will be back on the air with
the callsign for a second day. Bromsgrove & District Amateur Radio
Club will operate as GB24YOTA from 6pm on Friday the 13th of
December. To finish the week, the RSGB's National Radio Centre
station GB3RS will once again be on the air as it hosts the callsign
over the weekend of the 14th and 15th of December. There are still
operating spaces left if you'd like to get involved, but don't delay
as GB24YOTA is only operational until the end of this month. Go to
rsgb.org/yota-month to find out more.
The RSGB Contest Club recently announced that it is looking for
volunteers to take part in the second World Wide Award event taking
place in January 2025. To be part of the team you will need to be an
RSGB member and hold a Full Licence. QSOs can be made using SSB, CW
and digital modes. Foundation or Intermediate licensees can join in
under supervision or take part in WWA as award chasers. To be part of
the operating team email contestclub<at>rsgbcc.org to register your
interest. To find out more about the event search ‘RSGB Contest
Club' on the RSGB website and scroll down to the section titled World
Wide Award 2025.
Poldhu Amateur Radio Club is celebrating the 123rd anniversary of the
first radio transmission across the Atlantic in 1901. Visitors are
invited to join members of the Club at The Marconi Centre in Cornwall
between 9am and 4pm on Thursday the 12th of December to learn how the
location played a crucial part in the history of wireless
communication. As part of the celebrations, radio amateurs will be
operating on various radio bands throughout the day. If you would
like to operate as part of the event email secretary<at>gb2gm.org
You can find full details on the anniversary celebrations on the Club
website via gb2gm.org
Please send details of all your news and events to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions is 10am on
Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.
And now for details of rallies and events
The Mid-Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair is taking place
today, Sunday the 8th of December, at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation
Centre. Doors are open from 9am to 1pm. Entry is GBP 3 per person and
there is no charge for partners and under 16s. Free parking and Wi-Fi
is available, as well as hot food and refreshments. The cost for
traders is GBP 5 per 6ft frontage with tables supplied. Booking in
advance is recommended. Mains electricity is also available on
request. Traders are asked to pre-book as soon as possible. Please
contact Phil, G6DLJ via 07990 563147 or email wrg2024<at>hotmail.com
The Sparkford Radio Rally is on Sunday the 29th of December at Davis
Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, near Yeovil. Doors are open to traders
from 7.30am and from 9.30am to the public. Admission is GBP 2.
Refreshments and free parking will be available. For more
information, please contact Luke via 07870 168197 or email
m3vhv<at>hotmail.co.uk
Looking ahead to events coming up next year, the Lincoln Shortwave
Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place on the 26th of January at The
Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. Doors open at 10am, and
admission is GBP 3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking will
be available. The cost for tables is GBP 10. To book please contact
Steve Burke, M5ZZZ via 07777 699069 or email m5zzz<at>outlook.com
Now the Special Event news
Ian Astley, M0IAA will be operating as GB1WH on Wednesday the 11th of
December. The special event station is being run to support and
promote the excellent work done by Wakefield Hospice. To make a
donation to the hospice or to hear more from Ian, visit QRZ.com
The Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club is once again running the
special callsign GB0MC until Thursday the 26th of December. The
‘MC' in the callsign stands for Merry Christmas. The Club would
like to invite everyone to call in and give them a hearty "HoHoHo"
and tell them what radio equipment you would like from Santa this
year. The Club will also be livestreaming on its YouTube Channel.
Special callsign HB50VC is active until the 31st of December to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Swissair Amateur Radio Club,
HB9VC. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World. QSL cards will
not be provided. You can download a certificate for working this
special event station from tinyurl.com/HB50VC-24
Now the DX news
Carl, 2E0HPI, is in London from Monday the 9th of December until
Thursday the 12th of December and will be operating from a number of
Parks on the Air locations each day. He will be active on 10m SSB.
eQSL is preferred or alternatively direct to the address on QRZ.com
The T46W team is active from Cuba until Tuesday the 10th of December.
They will be active on the 160m to 6m bands. Parks on the Air
activity is also expected from references CU0292 and CU0298. QSL via
CO6QK or Logbook of the World.
The TO9W team is active from Saint Martin Island until the 13th of
December. The IOTA reference is NA-105. The members will operate on
the 160m to 10m bands, with a focus on the 40, 80 and 160m bands. QSL
via W9ILY, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS.
Mike, V47NH is active from St Kitts and Nevis [NEEVIS] until the 17th
of December. The IOTA reference is NA-104. He will operate on the 40
to 10m bands and SSB. QSL via KC1NGS or Logbook of the World.
The VP2VMM team is active from Anegada Island in The British Virgin
Islands. They will be QRV in the 2024 ARRL 10m Contest. Outside of
the contest, between Monday the 9th of December and Tuesday the 17th
of December they will be QRV holiday style using VP2V/homecall. QSL
via Logbook of the World, Bureau, OQRS or direct to KU9C. Full
details via QRZ.com
Now the contest news
The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon started at 0000UTC on Sunday
the 1st of December and ends at 2359UTC on Friday the 31st of January
2025. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report
and locator.
The ARRL 160m Contest started on Friday the 6th of December and ends
at 1600UTC today, Sunday the 8th of December. Using CW on the 160m
band, the exchange is signal report for UK stations. US and Canadian
stations will also send their ARRL or RAC section number.
Also taking place today, Sunday the 8th of December, the RSGB 144MHz
AFS Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m
band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday, the 10th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest
runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday, the 10th of December, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity
Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band,
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday, the 11th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity
four-hour contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm
band, the exchange is report and four-character locator.
Also on Wednesday the 11th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity
two-hour contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm
band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations
entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest.
On Thursday, the 12th of December, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest
runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The ARRL 10m Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 14th of
December and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 15th of December. Using CW
and phone on the 10m band, the exchange is signal report and serial
number. US, Canadian and Mexican stations will also send their State
or Province code.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Thursday the 5th of December 2024.
We had another week of high solar activity but limited geomagnetic
disturbances. This meant that the upper HF bands were playing ball
all week.
The Kp index only exceeded four on one occasion, on the 30th of
November when it hit 4.67, but otherwise it has been low.
And with a solar flux index mainly in the 180s this allowed the upper
HF bands to shine. The maximum usable frequency or MUF over a 3,000km
path has been consistently over 35MHz during daylight hours.
The MUF over 100km has also been more than 14MHz around midday,
making 20 metres almost a local band at times thanks to near vertical
incidence skywave signals! If you have worked anyone in the UK on 20
metres let us know.
An approaching active region just off the east limb of the sun was
responsible for an M2.3 solar flare on the 4th of December, so
perhaps increased solar activity is on the horizon.
Next week NOAA predicts the week will start with the solar flux index
starting in the 180s, perhaps then increasing to 200 as the week
progresses.
An increased geomagnetic disturbance is forecast for the period of
the 10th to the 13th of December, when the Kp index could increase to
four.
If this does come to fruition, we can expect MUFs to drop until the
storming has passed. As always keep an eye on Propquest.co.uk for
near-real-time MUF figures and solarham.com for Kp indices.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO.
Meteor scatter is top of the list this coming week, with the big
Geminids shower lasting throughout the month and peaking on Thursday
the 14th of December.
With a peak zenith hourly rate (ZHR) of 150 it's one of the most
active and reliable of the annual showers. Other lesser meteor
streams are also in play, so check the meteor scatter frequencies on
144, 50 and 70MHz where digimodes MSK144 and FSK441 will dominate
activity.
We have another period of primarily unsettled weather for the lead
into this weekend, with deep lows bringing heavy rain, and perhaps
some snow over northern hills.
Watch out for very strong winds with potentially damaging gales in
places. By the time many of you hear this on Sunday the 8th of
December, we will be mid-way through the main event but hopefully
your antennas have survived.
The better news is that the first half of the week is dominated by
high pressure, so this brings a chance to repair antennas and get
some Tropo time before a slow drift back to unsettled conditions in
the second half of the week.
For other modes, GigaHertz band rain and snow scatter will be worth
considering especially over the weekend and again later in the week.
Last Friday afternoon saw another big 50MHz F2 opening to North
America, so continue to be vigilant if you're in the shack after
lunch and the Kp index is below two.
The solar conditions mean that there is still a chance of Aurora,
although the Sun has been a bit quieter recently. Some days the f0Es
trace on Propquest shows that weak Sporadic-E is still occurring.
The Moon's declination is rising again and going positive on Monday.
With falling path losses as we approach perigee on Thursday it's a
good week for EME. 144MHz sky noise is low all 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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