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G4TNU > NEWS 09.08.26 01:44l 277 Lines 13298 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 09 Aug 2026
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 9th of August 2026
The news headlines:
* RSGB announces updated Contest Entry Policy
* Take part in solar eclipse experiments with the RSGB
Propagation Studies Committee
* Improved RSGB Course and Exam finder is now available
The RSGB Board has approved an updated Contest Entry Policy following
a review, consultation and careful consideration. From the 1st of
January 2027, eligibility to participate in RSGB contests will be
open to all appropriately licensed radio amateurs, regardless of
nationality or location. Entry will be subject only to the legal and
regulatory obligations applicable to both the Society and the
entrant, together with the relevant contest rules and any applicable
RSGB membership requirements. The implementation date has been chosen
to allow the Society's HF and VHF Contest Committees sufficient time
to prepare contest administration and adjudication systems ahead of
the 2027 contest season. The Board considers that this approach
reflects the long-established principles of amateur radio, including
friendship, cooperation and goodwill between individual operators
across national boundaries. It is also consistent with the principles
promoted by the International Amateur Radio Union, encouraging
international understanding and cooperation through amateur radio.
The policy also ensures that all RSGB activities continue to comply
with applicable legal and regulatory obligations. The Board is
grateful to the Board subgroup, the members of the HF and VHF Contest
Committees, and everyone who contributed to the review of this
policy, including the many members who took the time to submit their
comments and observations. Full details of the updated Contest Entry
Policy are available on the RSGB website.
There will be a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday the 12th of August
and the RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee would like your help
with some radio experiments. There are three ways that RSGB members
can get involved and support the Committee in investigating how the
Sun's ultraviolet and X-ray output affects our ionosphere and how
radio waves are propagated. If you are active on the lower bands,
including medium wave, 80m and perhaps even 40m, you can report back
on your findings on how transmissions are impacted during the
eclipse. Alternatively, you could run WSPR on 160, 80 and 40m during
the main eclipse period and then repeat the exercise, either the day
before or the day after so comparisons can be drawn. Or you could
take part in two specially organised RSGB contests on 80m CW and 40m
FT8. These are open to non-RSGB members as well. For more details go
to rsgb.org/psc and select ‘Projects' from the right-hand menu.
The Course and Exam finder page on the RSGB website is now back
online at rsgb.org/examfinder The application has been completely
redeveloped, following major works on the Society's website this
summer. It now features a fully responsive layout for mobile devices,
plus a clearer and more accessible user interface. You'll find
colour-coded banners for the exam levels offered by each club, plus
useful and easy to read accessibility information for each venue.
Training providers and exam centres are reminded that any updates
need to be submitted to the RSGB Examinations Team via
exams<at>rsgb.org.uk by 3.30pm each Friday, for them to appear the
following week.
You have one week left to secure your RSGB Convention ticket at early
bird prices. Weekend tickets currently stand at GBP 49 and are
available until Sunday the 16th of August. Your weekend ticket gives
you access to two days' worth of engaging and informative content
from over 40 speakers, including the AMSAT-UK colloquium. Buy your
ticket at rsgb.org/convention Find out what else is going on during
the weekend by selecting ‘What else is happening at the RSGB 2026
Convention?' from the right-hand menu of the Convention web pages.
Ofcom and the RSGB have formally signed the Memorandum of
Understanding under which the RSGB provides the amateur radio licence
examinations currently and in the future. The main changes from the
original relate to the confidentiality of examination questions and
the replacement of the Examinations Audit Committee with
'independent' voting members of the ESC. You can read the latest
document by going to rsgb.org/esc
The first of this year's International Lighthouse and Lightship
Weekends will run from 0001UTC on Saturday the 15th to 2400UTC on
Sunday the 16th of August. The event usually attracts more than 500
lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. To register for the
event, and view a list of participating stations, visit illw.net
And now for details of rallies and events
Today, the 9th, Flight Refuelling Amateur Radio Society Hamfest is
taking place at Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, near
Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3DA. The doors are open from 9am to 3pm.
Car-boot and field traders are welcome from 7am. Admission costs
GBP 5 and includes parking. Talk-in is on 145.550MHz. For more
information visit frars.co.uk
On Saturday the 15th of August, DX Commander Fest will be taking
place at Holly Farm Business Park, Honiley, Warwickshire, CV8 1NP.
More information is available at dxcommander.com
On Sunday the 16th of August, the North Wales Amateur Radio Group
Rally and Tabletop Sale will take place at the Bryn Cadno Community
Centre. The doors open at 10am and the entry fee is GBP 3. Light
refreshments will be available. To book a table email
secretary<at>nwarg.org
Rugby Amateur Transmitting Society Radio Rally will be taking place
on Sunday the 16th of August at Princethorpe College, Princethorpe,
Rugby, CV23 9PY. The doors will be open to the public from 10am. More
details are available at rugbyats.co.uk
Also on Sunday the 16th of August, West Manchester Radio Club Red
Rose Summer Rally will take place at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh
WN7 2PJ. The doors open at 10am. For more information and bookings,
contact rally<at>wmrc.co.uk
Now the Special Event news
Special callsign YR100RC is on the air until the 30th of September to
celebrate 100 years of amateur radio in Romania. Look for activity on
the HF bands using a variety of modes. For details of a certificate
that is available for working the station, visit
tinyurl.com/romania1786
Marking the 70th anniversary of the DARC's weekly news broadcast,
special callsign DB70DLRS will be on the air until the 31st of
December. Look for activity on all bands and modes. QSL via DK5ON,
Logbook of the World and the DARC Community Logbook. More information
is available at QRZ.com
Now the DX news
Darek, SP9DLM and his 13-year-old son Greg, SN9GM are active as
UK/SP9DLM and UK/SN9GM from Uzbekistan until Saturday the 15th of
August. The stations have been worked recently on the HF bands using
SSB. QSL via OQRS.
Sands, VK4WXW has returned to Willis Island, OC-007, and will be
stationed at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's weather
monitoring facility until late October or early November. He expects
to become increasingly active as VK9WX in the coming weeks. He
operates using FT8 and SSB on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL via
OQRS.
Now the contest news
Today, Sunday the 9th, the UK Microwave Group 25GHz Trophy contest
runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 1.2cm band, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
The RSGB Machine Generated Mode Contest started at 1400UTC on
Saturday the 8th and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 9th of August.
Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is
report and your four-character locator.
The Worked All Europe DX CW Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday
the 8th and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 9th of August. Using CW
on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is
signal report and serial number.
On Tuesday the 11th of August the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest
runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday the 11th, the RSGB UK Activity Contest runs from 1900
to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 12th of August the RSGB Eclipse CW Contest runs from
1630 to 1930UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is report and
serial number.
Also on Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB Eclipse FT8 Contest runs from
1630 to 1930UTC. Using FT8 on the 40m band, the exchange is your
report.
On Wednesday the 12th, 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 12th, 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 13th of August, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest
runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Thursday the 6th of August 2026.
The Sun was mostly settled last week with very little to report.
The solar flux index declined to 108 by Thursday the 6th of August,
with most of the sunspot activity being on one half of the solar
surface. Geomagnetic conditions have also been settled with a Kp
index mostly below 3 for the past few days.
A coronal mass ejection impacted the Earth and pushed the Kp index to
5.67 on Sunday the 2nd of August, but conditions recovered within 24
hours.
We've even been almost solar flare free with, at the time of writing,
only seven minor C-class events over the past three days.
So, this all bodes well for HF propagation.
24 and 28MHz are mostly only open to Sporadic-E. Some multi-hop paths
are still opening up to the Far East especially, so don't write off
10m, even if you have to listen to noise for a lot of the day!
F2-layer propagation still favours North-South paths on the 10m band.
Next week, DX to be worked includes E51KEE from the Cook Islands;
YS/WE9G in El Salvador; UK/SP9DLM from Uzbekistan; and OX3LX
operating from Greenland. Later in the week look for A50QO in Bhutan;
J68TT from St Lucia and OJ0JR and OJ0YL working from Market Reef.
NOAA predicts that next week the Sun will remain pretty calm and be
in the 105 to 110 range. The Kp index is forecast to be mostly around
2 to 3. So, conditions should remain fair but not disrupted.
And don't forget the solar eclipse on Wednesday the 12th of August.
The RSGB has lots of activities planned including two HF contests,
WSPR activity and medium- and long-wave monitoring. See the August
issue of RadCom for details.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The main theme of the weather during the coming week is one of some
settled high-pressure with tropo options, especially early in the
coming week.
This is likely to be interrupted by occasional periods of low
pressure with rain for north westerly areas. The summer weather
patterns typically produce a more showery type of rain, even from
fronts, giving a reasonable chance of rain scatter. However, activity
may be low in the south and east. Of the two modes mentioned above,
next week will probably be more biased towards tropo than rain
scatter.
The Kp index made a brief excursion to 5 last week but seems a bit
quieter now. However, it's useful to check now and again in case we
find some radio aurora.
The meteor scatter options feature strongly this week as the Perseids
meteor shower peaks around Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th
of August. It's quite interesting to simply leave a receiver on a
meteor scatter calling channel to hear the transient signals.
The Sporadic-E season continues and, since meteor debris plays a role
in providing the ionisation required, the Perseids week is always
worth checking for a surprise opening. In terms of jet stream weather
patterns, the stronger hints come from looking east towards the
Baltic. However, other directions are not to be ignored since even
quite small features, such as a slow-moving severe thunderstorm, can
have an influence.
For EME operators, Moon declination reaches maximum today, Sunday the
9th, when Moon window length and Moon elevation will be at their
peak. Path losses are at their lowest at perigee tomorrow, Monday the
10th of August. 144MHz sky noise is low to moderate until Wednesday
the 12th, when the Sun is close to the Moon in the sky due to the
partial eclipse that day.
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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