Sunday the 30th of January 2022
Become an RSGB Director
Amateur radio in Tonga emergency
National Radio centre re-opens on Monday
There is still time to submit an application for election as an RSGB Board Director or Regional Representative. The RSGB Board Chair and the RSGB President would like to encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to be part of the leadership of the Society over the next three years, building on the exciting growth in amateur radio participation that the Society has enabled during the Pandemic. You can read their message on the RSGB AGM web page. Completed papers, with their supporting nominations, must be received by 23:59 on the 31st of January 2022. Details of the requirements and the application process are on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/agm.
Many radio amateurs have expressed concern over the situation in the Kingdom of Tonga after the eruption of the volcano. The IARU Region 3 representative says that amateur radio in Tonga is difficult as there are currently no HF operators and few transceivers in storage. An emergency communication network may be set up in the amateur radio service in the future. Operators have been asked to keep the IARU Region 3 emergency frequencies clear. They are 3.600MHz, 7.110MHz, 14.300MHz, 18.160MHz and 21.360MHz. Amateurs may maintain a watch on those frequencies, at least when propagation is open to that region.
Don’t forget, the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will reopen to visitors on Monday the 31st of January. The RSGB would like to thank the volunteers who will be on duty enabling the NRC to open seven days a week. RSGB Members will be able to download the free entry voucher from the RSGB website from today, the 30th.
There are a number of vacancies for volunteer roles within the RSGB. Currently, Region 3, the North West, is looking for District Representatives for the Greater Manchester, Merseyside or Cumbria areas. District 11, the South West, is looking for District Representatives for Dorset, East Devon and West Somerset as well as South Devon. The work is varied and interesting and mainly involves liaising with RSGB members and clubs in the area and representing the RSGB at local and regional rallies. For further details on the Region 3 vacancies, please contact Derek, G7LFC via email to [email protected]. For the Region 11 vacancies, please contact Mark, 2E0SBM via [email protected].
Sad news now. Former Radio Amateurs of Canada President, Bob Cooke, VE3BDB, became a Silent Key in October 2021. He pursued his interest in radio as a Communications Operator in the Royal Canadian Air Force and later with the Canadian government. In his professional life, he served as a member of the Ontario Provincial Police for 30 years. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
The date of this year’s Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Blackpool Rally has changed. The rally will now take place on Sunday the 24th of April at the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool, FY2 9AA. For further details please contact Dave, M0OBW, on 0772 065 6542 or via email to [email protected]. Details are online at narsa.org.uk.
Chris, G1PUV tells us that Pubs and Clubs on the Air will be going ahead from the 13th to the 15th of May 2022. Send details of any special event stations you or your club will be putting on the air to [email protected] and enter them on the G6TW website at g6tw.org.uk/pacota.
Nobby, G0VJG will be part of a team going to the island of Rockall, EU189, a tiny islet in the North Atlantic. They plan to be there for a week. This is a very challenging and dangerous expedition as well as extremely rewarding. They are due to sail on the 6th of June. He plans to operate on the HF bands for a couple of days and try to give this very rare IOTA to as many amateurs as possible. This is a charity event to raise money for three charities. Find out more at rockall2022.org.
And now for details of rallies and events
The Lincoln Short Wave Club Rally, due to take place today, the 30th, has been cancelled. It is hoped the event can take place in March or April. The Red Rose Rally, originally planned for the 6th of February, has unfortunately also had to be cancelled. The Canvey Rally, traditionally held in February, is also postponed for this year.
Please let us know your rally and event news as soon as possible. Email details to [email protected] and we’ll publicise your event for free in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.
Now the DX news
Paul, 3B8HE will be operational from Pereybere on the North coast of Mauritius island until early April. He will be principally on SSB using the 7 and 14MHz bands, plus 28MHz and 50MHz when propagation permits. Running 500W, the operation will be mostly daytime as propagation dictates and occasional evenings. QSL details are on QRZ.com
H94IE will be active on various bands and modes from Isla Escudo de Veraguas, NA-088, from the 4th to the 6th of February. QSL via operators’ instructions.
Axel, DL6KVA will be active as PZ5KV from Suriname between the 1st and the 10th of February. He will operate CW only and will participate in the FOC Marathon when he will contact other FOC members. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS.
Now the Special Event news
The Danish national Society, EDR, is celebrating Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Mary of Denmark’s 50th birthday. OZ50HRH and OX50HRH will be active all day on the 5th of February. More information can be found on QRZ.com under OZ50HRH.
Now the contest news
When operating in any contests, please keep yourself and fellow amateurs safe by following all relevant pandemic-related government rules.
The REF CW contest ends its 36-hour run at 1800UTC today, the 30th. Using CW only on the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
Running for 24 hours until 1300UTC today, the 30th is the UBA SSB DX contest. Using SSB on the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144Hz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for both is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest runs from 1900-2100UTC. The exchange is your report as appropriate for FT8 and 4-character Locator. A serial number is not required.
On Wednesday, the UK EI Contest Club 80m contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB only the exchange is your 6-character locator.
Next Sunday, the 6th, the 432MHz AFS contest runs from 0900-1300UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and your 6 character locator.
Now the radio propagation report compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday 28th January 2022.
It’s good news this week as it looks like we might get some more sunspot activity. Last week was characterised by relatively low sunspot numbers and a solar flux generally in the high 90s. We had quite a bit of solar flare activity, but luckily any associated coronal mass ejections tended to be away from Earth. Nevertheless, the solar wind remained strong, with speeds over 450 kilometres per second being commonplace. The solar wind density remained low though, and the Bz was mostly positive, which probably explains why the Kp index never really got above three.
Critical frequencies often got above 7MHz during the day bringing short-skip contacts around the UK on 40m at times. Maximum Useable Frequencies over a 3,000km path often touched 28MHz, especially around lunchtime.
NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may increase this week and may enter the range 100-110. While this is not as high as we would like, it is a step in the right direction! Geomagnetic conditions will remain mainly calm, until the 4th of February when the Kp index is forecast to hit five. Two active regions can be seen in the STEREO Ahead spacecraft imagery and are due to become visible from Earth in the next day or so. Let’s hope they develop into decent sunspots.
And a reminder that we are now entering turbulent times. More sunspots mean more chance of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are both detrimental to HF propagation on the whole.
And finally, some good news. The data feed to the Propquest website is now fixed so you can see near-real-time readings of the critical frequency and predicted MUFs over varying path lengths again.
And now the VHF and up propagation news.
It’s a case of “Negative Waves” for propagation this coming week, with a change to more unsettled weather. With pressure falling rapidly as this report was prepared on Wednesday evening, the high has been taking quite a knock recently and it’s now displaced to the south and west. This allows a series of lows and frontal systems to move southeast across the UK, affecting the eastern side more than the west.
Whatever else it means in terms of rain or snow and stronger winds, it has already dismantled the UK-wide Tropo conditions and it’s going to be hard to find much cheer in that department, except perhaps from southwest England to France and northern Spain.
Unsettled conditions like these may offer some rain scatter, but not a strong chance in the winter months.
That leaves us with occasional auroral moments and any random meteors that happen to pass by. But as we pointed out last week, we are in the annual low period of meteor activity, and random meteor scatter will be hard going unless you stick to the pre-dawn period.
Moon declination is at its minimum this weekend, so Moon windows are at their shortest. We are at perigee, meaning path losses are at their lowest; good for GHz bands EME, but Moon time will be very limited and all at peak elevations below 30 degrees until Friday.
For VHF EMEers, 144MHz sky noise is low throughout the week, but of course, the low elevation means high horizon noise.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.
