GB2RS

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 12th of April 2020

 

The news headlines:

IARU turns 95

EMC help is on hand

Commonwealth War Graves Commission at NRC

Saturday the 18th of April is World Amateur Radio Day, this year marking the 95th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union. Around the world, amateur radio special event stations will mark the event on the air, starting on the 18th at 0000UTC and continuing until the 19th at 2359. The theme this year is Celebrating Amateur Radio’s Contribution to Society and the COVID-19 pandemic casts the event in a different light than in years past. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA, says “A few short weeks ago, many of us could not imagine the levels of isolation that we are now dealing with and the sacrifices of many on the front lines of the pandemic. As we have done in past challenges to our society, amateur radio will play a key part in keeping people connected and assisting those who need support.”

Looking for help with an EMC problem? The RSGB’s EMC web page has a range of resources that will help including guidance on several EMC issues and helpful leaflets to download from www.rsgb.org/emc. The RSGB’s YouTube channel also has the RFI Clinic 2019 Convention lecture by the EMC Committee’s John Rogers, M0JAV and David Lauder, G0SNO. Take a look at the 2019 Convention playlist on www.youtube.com/theRSGB.

A few weeks ago, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission visited the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park to make a film about the B2 Mk III Spy set on display in the foyer. The video features RSGB member John Ellerton, G3NCN and can be viewed on YouTube. Go to https://youtu.be/U3ZZUJmItSU

From the 13th of April, Matt, M0PTO will be uploading videos to YouTube for a new course called Lockdown Morse. The YouTube channel is at https://youtu.be/RWDqg8bCSqM. He has also created a Facebook page for the course at www.facebook.com/lockdownmorse.

The RSGB has released onto its YouTube Channel a video by the Society’s Propagation Studies Committee entitled Understanding HF Propagation. It looks at sunspots, ionospheric layers, critical frequencies, solar flares and much more. You can see it at www.youtube.com/theRSGB

Nordics on the Air was scheduled to be held this weekend. It has postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the youth NOTA camp, there would have been two HF stations with the callsign LA1YOTA spreading the voice of youth all around the world. Even though the camp is not going to happen there will be NOTA activation skeds from the 10th onwards. Look out for SK8YOTA on the 12th and TF3YOTA on the 13th.

The RSGB HF Contest Committee has just completed a survey, which was open to all, to help determine its strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions focused on two issues. Firstly, how best to proceed with its flagship IOTA Contest in 2020. Secondly, whether or not there was a mandate for introducing a temporary HF contest series to provide some entertainment and support to RSGB Members and others who are currently staying at home. The committee had 656 survey respondents, of whom just less than half are regular RSGB HF contest participants. You can read the results at https://tinyurl.com/HFCC-survey-results.

The RSGB has decided to postpone all Train the Trainers courses for this year. They had been planned to run up until July, so the team will start rescheduling them when the pandemic situation improves and full travel is restored.

Icom has announced that delivery of the new IC-705 HF to 430MHz all-mode 10W transceiver, which was scheduled to be released in March, has been pushed back to later this year because the coronavirus pandemic has delayed the delivery of some components. More information will be posted on their website and via social media in due course.

A long-silent repeater in Birmingham has successfully reactivated. GB3BM is on 145.7125MHz with 67Hz CTCSS tone. In the current situation of everyone being at home a great deal more than usual, this will no doubt be welcome news to amateurs in the area.

Don’t forget that voting for the RSGB elections is still open. If you’ve struggled to find your Membership number, the Society has made it easier for you by adding it to the righthand sidebar of your Members’ page when you log into the website. This is your opportunity to choose who you want to be part of the RSGB Board and help lead the Society over the next few years. The special web pages at www.rsgb.org/agm have details of the Calling Notice, Resolutions, candidate statements and information about how to vote. Internet voting closes at 9am on Thursday the 23rd of April.

The RSGB has a Coronavirus Updates page that brings together some great ideas as well as its important announcements. Take a look at www.rsgb.org/coronavirus-updates.

Now the contest news

Due to social distancing and movement precautions around the world, most contest organisers are not accepting entries from multi-operator groups or from portable stations. Check the rules before taking part.

Today, the 12th, the First 50MHz contest takes place from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode.

The Worked All Britain Data contest takes place from 1000 to 1400 and 1700 to 2100UTC today, the 12th of April. All data modes except machine-generated CW may be used, but it is expected that most contacts will be by RTTY, PSK or FT8. The exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the 22nd of April. See www.worked-all-britain.org.uk.

On Monday the Irish 70cm Counties Contest will run from 1300 to 1330UTC using FM and SSB. It is immediately followed by the 2m Counties Contest from 1330 to 1500UTC. This is SSB only. The exchange for both contests is signal report and serial number with EI and GI stations also exchanging their county.

On Tuesday 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 for both is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday, the 80m Club Championships runs from 1900 to 2030UTC using SSB only. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Thursday it is the 70MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC, using SSB only. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

Next weekend, the First Machine Generated Modes contest runs from 1400UTC on the 18th to 1400UTC on the 19th using the 50 and 144MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and your four-character locator.

The YU DX contest runs from 0700UTC on the 18th to 0659UTC on the 19th. More information can be found at http://yudx.yu1srs.org.rs/2020.

And finally, don’t forget the RSGB Hope QSO Party on weekdays, see www.rsgbcc.org/hf for further details.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 9th of April.

Sunspot group 2759, as reported last week, never really amounted to much and vanished before it got to the solar disk’s edge. The matter from a solar coronal hole did hit the Earth last weekend as we predicted, sending the Kp index to four in the early hours of Saturday morning. Even though we don’t have any sunspots, we are now benefiting from seasonal changes in the ionosphere and longer days.

Monday’s 80m CW Club Championship contest saw the critical frequency stay comfortably above 4MHz, which guaranteed a lively event with high scores all round. Stations in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sweden and France joined in, which made for some head-scratching for amateurs expecting to hear mostly UK-based callsigns.

But daytime on HF is still a little lacklustre as we continue towards sunspot minimum. Next week, NOAA predicts more of the same with the solar flux index pegged at 68 and zero sunspots. The Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft showed a large coronal hole was Earth facing on Thursday, which suggests we might get disrupted conditions over the weekend.

Although we don’t know the solar matter’s expected Bz signature, if its locked-in magnetic field shows a strong south-facing Bz component we can expect it to couple strongly to the Earth’s magnetic field, resulting in a raised Kp index. So lookout for the possibility of a pre-auroral enhancement at first and then auroral conditions on 10m as it progresses.

Meanwhile, there are signs that this year’s Sporadic-E season could soon warm up. Some Spanish low-power beacons have been spotted on 10 metres, but they are currently quite weak. We expect Es conditions to improve towards the end of April/early May with daily short-skip openings out to around 1,500 miles. So it is a good time to make sure your 10m antennas are working properly before the Es season starts.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

In a general sense, this period of weather is essentially high-pressure driven except for a couple of brief incursions from low-pressure systems. Easter weekend sees the first visit by a low drifting from the north with April showers and some rain scatter potential. This is followed by a high moving from northwest Scotland southeast into Germany and again producing some good Tropo potential, which may well coincide with the 70cm UKAC on Tuesday evening, so a good result.

The second half of the week models show a low moving from the south and affecting the southern half of the UK bringing some showery rain, perhaps thundery, so again some more rain scatter on the microwave frequencies.

Lastly, the following weekend sees high pressure returning to Scotland and later the North Sea with further Tropo options.

As we are pushing well into April we can expect to see the new Sporadic-E season developing in the next couple of weeks and the Easter Sunday 50MHz contest could well flush out any early stirrings!

While we are still close to Lunar perigee, losses are low, but Moon declination is minimum on Tuesday. Moon visibility windows are just a few hours at low elevation, making EME difficult due to ground noise. Added to this is high 144MHz sky noise in the first part of the week, making it a poor week for EME.

This Thursday sees the start of the Lyrids meteor shower, so we are coming out of the period of low meteor activity. Keep checking around dawn for the best random meteor contacts.

Overall it’s a good week for activity on the VHF/UHF bands.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 5th of April 2020

 

The news headlines:

G2HCG becomes centenarian this week

Remember to vote in RSGB elections

Foundation exams online during the pandemic

A good news story to start this week’s news. The RSGB would like to wish Bill Sykes, G2HCG a happy 100th birthday for Wednesday, the 8th of April. Bill is well-known for his involvement with JBeam aerials and for his in-depth knowledge of aerials in general. He is still active, mostly on 80m slow-scan television.

Don’t forget that voting for the RSGB elections is still open. If you’ve struggled to find your Membership number, the Society has made it easier for you by adding it to the righthand sidebar of your Members’ page when you log into the website. This is your opportunity to choose who you want to be part of the RSGB Board and help lead the Society over the next few years. The special web pages at www.rsgb.org/agm have details of the Calling Notice, Resolutions, candidate statements and information about how to vote. Internet voting closes at 9am on Thursday the 23rd of April.

On the 20th of March, the RSGB stopped accepting new exam bookings as part of its response to the government’s guidance concerning Coronavirus. Since then, it has been exploring ways in which it can use the online exams platform to enable new people to access amateur radio and obtain their licence. Following rigorous tests, the RSGB is now able to offer remote invigilation for online Foundation examinations. The Exams Department will be ready to receive online bookings from Monday the 6th of April. Further information, including an update on practical assessments, is at www.rsgb.org/syllabus-updates. The RSGB has also published a FAQ about the new process for candidates and tutors, which is at www.rsgb.org/exam-faq.

To help and support radio amateurs who are isolated at home and would appreciate contact with other people, the RSGB Contest Committees are launching a new six-week initiative: the Hope QSO Party. Starting on the 6th of April and open to every radio amateur, not just RSGB Members, this contest will also welcome international participation. Scoring is on an Anyone works Anyone basis. The format is a series of 90-minute weekday events for single operators. It commences on Mondays at 0830UTC, starting 90 minutes later each day to begin on Fridays at 1430UTC. A single-mode will be used each day, repeating over a 6-day cycle. The series will use defined frequency ranges; QSOs are encouraged before and after the contest periods. The series rules are at tinyurl.com/rsgb-hope.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, with European national societies working remotely, several have said that their outgoing and in-coming QSL bureau can no longer provide services. Amongst those countries that have requested no QSLs be sent are Italy, Spain and Greece.

The RSGB has released to its YouTube channel three more presentations from its 2019 Annual Convention. Board Director Kamal Singh, M0IOV explores The future and growth of Amateur Radio; Derek Kozel, MW0LNA talks about Digital Homebrewing and the Schematics of SDR; whilst Roger Balister, G3KMA and Igor, UA9KDF report on the Arctic Legends expedition by RI0B to the Russian Polar Arctic. Each of these presentations are not only interesting to watch on your own but could also form the basis for lively on-air club night chats during this time of virtual club meetings.

The RSGB has a Coronavirus Updates page that brings together some great ideas as well as its important announcements. Take a look at www.rsgb.org/coronavirus-updates.

Now the contest news

Due to social distancing and movement precautions around the world, most contest organisers are not accepting entries from multi-operator groups or from portable stations. Check the rules before taking part.

The First 70MHz contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC today, the 5th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The UK Microwave Group second contest runs today, the 5th, from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also today, the 5th, the first RoLo, Rolling Locator, contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB, the exchange is signal report and the locator received.

The SP DX contest ends its 24-hour run at 1500UTC today, the 5th. Using CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number, with SP stations sending their Province code.

On Monday the 80m Club Championship CW contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

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 for both, comprising signal report, serial number and locator.

Thursday sees the 50MHz UK Activity Contest running from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Next Sunday, the 12th, the First 50MHz contest takes place from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode.

The Worked All Britain Data contest takes place from 1000 to 1400 and 1700 to 2100UTC on Sunday the 12th of April. All data modes except machine-generated CW may be used, but it is expected that most contacts will be by RTTY, PSK or FT8. The exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the 22nd of April. See www.worked-all-britain.org.uk.

And finally, don’t forget the RSGB Hope QSO Party on weekdays, as mentioned earlier in this bulletin.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 3rd of March.

The high-speed stream of solar particles from a coronal hole on the Sun last week wasn’t moving as fast as we initially thought. As a result, its impact on Earth, and the subsequent rise in the Kp index to four, happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning and not the weekend as we predicted. The impact though was relatively short-lived and by late Tuesday the Kp index was back down to two.

The bands were affected though, with the critical frequency as measured at Chilton struggling to reach 5MHz until midday Tuesday. The predicted MUF over a 3,000km path, according to Propquest.co.uk, looked like a roller coaster ride, often exceeding 18MHz, but then crashing down to below 14MHz. A smaller coronal hole is now facing Earth, which could mean a higher Kp index over the weekend, although NOAA isn’t indicating this.

There is some good news though. A small sunspot group numbered 2759, appeared on the Sun’s surface, pushing the sunspot number to 12. This represents two sunspots, which accounts for the 2, in one group, which accounts for the 10. The spot’s high latitude suggests it is from the upcoming Solar Cycle 25. But on Thursday the SFI was still at a modest 69.

NOAA predicts that next week the solar flux index will remain at about 68-70 and geomagnetically the Kp index will remain at about two. The good news is there are signs that the higher HF bands are remaining open longer. As the season progresses this should improve, with 30m and even 20m eventually remaining open until very late. We are also heading towards the 2020 Sporadic-E season, which should bring strong short-skip signals on 10m, but more of that in the VHF section.

And now the VHF propagation news.

The weather produced some half-hearted attempts at Tropo in the past week and even some weak Sporadic-E opportunities appeared on 10m and 6m.

This week looks to be rather mixed in a weather sense. The high will weaken and drift east allowing low pressure to move towards northwest Britain from the Atlantic with a series of fronts crossing the country next week. This will offer the chance of April shower rain scatter at times and then, by next weekend, there may be a rebuilding of high pressure to the east with a hint of Tropo and warmth to end the week.

The month of April is traditionally the start of early Sporadic-E on 10m and 6m via traditional modes like CW and SSB. For example, a weak jet stream over the Pyrenees mid-week could favour paths to IS0, EA6, EA5 etc. Remember that springtime is also a good chance to get some auroral activity, so check those Kp values: anything above four or five is interesting.

Moon declination is positive until Tuesday, as is the perigee, so losses will be at their lowest. Moon windows will shorten as the week goes on. 144MHz sky noise is low, so in all, it’s a good week for EME. We are still in the annual low activity period for shower meteors until the Lyrids, which should start on the 16th of this month. Keep checking around dawn for the best random meteor contacts.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 29th of March 2020

 

The news headlines:

RSGB responds to Covid-19

Farewell GMT, hello BST

Contest updates

 

Dave Wilson, M0OBW, RSGB President, and Ian Shepherd, G4EVK, RSGB Board Chair have a message to radio amateurs. “We hope that you all understand the very serious nature of the current health crisis. As you are now aware, the situation has dramatically worsened and we have all been ordered to stay at home unless travelling for a specific and unavoidable reason. As radio amateurs, we are in the fortunate position of being able to talk to other amateurs and chat to those who are finding it tough going. Ian and I are asking you, as radio amateurs, to please do one thing for us: search out local amateurs and arrange a sked, not necessarily on air: there are many alternatives we can all use such as video calls, or even a simple phone call. Pay particular attention to those who you know or learn to be alone or who are vulnerable for whatever reason. We are all in this together! Keep safe.”

As the UK the clocks went forward 1 hour at 1 am this morning, the 29th of March, this means we will be on British Summer Time. Please note that many contests and other events often state the timings in UTC or GMT, which is one hour behind the local clock time here in the UK.

As a result of the Government’s updated position on people’s movements, the VHF and HF Contest Committees has taken the decision that, until further notice, they can no longer allow any entries from stations operating from portable or alternative addresses or from multi-operator stations. Single operator entries from shared stations will also not be accepted unless the station is being shared by family members living at the same postal address.

We have reached a point with Covid-19 that it is inappropriate for the RSGB to run the IOTA Contest in July 2020 in its usual format. We cannot encourage our participants to operate in multi-operator groups nor to travel to island locations where visitors are not currently welcome. We would like your opinion on whether we should cancel outright or should retain a contest this year for single operator, home stations only. We are also conscious that a large number of our Members are going to be spending more time at home than normal. Unable to enjoy many of our favourite outdoor contests we are proposing a series of home-based day-time contests to entertain and support one another. Both of these issues are detailed in a survey which we invite you to complete. This is at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RSGB_HFCC_2020. The survey is open until Friday the 3rd of April, after which the outcomes will be made public.

Whilst the National Radio Centre itself is currently closed, as is the Bletchley Park museum, the NRC volunteer team have taken the opportunity to run some nets to keep in touch with each other. We are acutely aware that whilst in self-isolation, it is more important than ever to stay in communication, so what better way than using amateur radio? The NRC volunteers are running an 80m net on 3.730MHz most mornings at 10.30 am and a 2m net on 144.330MHz most afternoons at 2.30 pm. The NRC team have been enjoying an increasing number of stations calling in – and not just volunteers who work at the National Radio Centre. They have been joined by amateurs who had previously enjoyed a visit to the NRC or had planned to do so, all are welcome. Even if you can’t join the 80m net, remember that the Hack Green webSDR site provides an excellent monitoring resource. They look forward to greeting more amateurs and listeners in the weeks to come.

Planning continues for the 2020 RSGB Convention, which is being held at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre from Friday the 9th until Sunday the 11th of October. As in previous years, our convention is being held in conjunction with the AMSAT UK Colloquium. The lectures are split into HF, VHF, Technical and General streams and there is, of course, the separate AMSAT stream which all of those at the convention are welcome to attend. It’s not too late to request a talk on a particular subject or to volunteer to give a talk yourself on a subject that you feel would be of interest. Please send an email to [email protected] with your suggestions or comments. Bookings will be opening shortly via the RSGB website. As details of the lectures and other activities become available you will find them at www.rsgb.org/convention

Radio amateurs will share the concerns of everyone about the seriousness of the Covid-19 outbreak. Governments all over the world are advising ‘social distancing’ to slow the spread of the virus and to give health services the chance to cope. Field days bring radio amateurs together and therefore represent an environment where social distancing is difficult to achieve. The IARU will not sponsor the Region 1 HF-CW Field Day in June. Single operator contests, however, remain a great way for those forced to stay at home to enjoy the magic of amateur radio.

The DATV beacon on the QO-100 satellite has changed frequency and symbol rate to allow more space on the transponder for other users. The new transmission is on 10491.5MHz with a symbol rate of 1500kS, DVB-S2, FEC 4/5. A new band plan is being developed and will be published on the Wideband Spectrum Monitor https://eshail.batc.org.uk/wb/ as soon as it is finalised.

The RSGB has just launched a new award designed for those aged under 26. The Youth Award encourages young people to build their on-air experience through a range of activities from listening on SDR, talking in contests to building antennas for specific bands or modes such as satellites. The award has four levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) and each level requires a minimum number of modes to make a minimum number of contacts. For further information see the Society’s website, www.rsgb.org/youth-award.

The Cornish Radio Amateur Club organise International Marconi Day every year. This year it was due to be held on the 25th of April, Marconi’s actual birthday. Regrettably, due to Covid-19, this worldwide event has now been cancelled. So far 57 stations worldwide had registered and if you have any queries please contact [email protected].

Denby Dale and District ARS has announced the Mills on the Air special event has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They are starting planning for 2021 now and hope to have a bumper event next year. The organisers say thank you to all who intended to join in this year, stay in and keep well.

Pubs & Clubs on the Air 2020 will not go ahead on the 15th and 17th of May. The organisers suggest that amateurs could still get on the air from home that weekend; you may make some new local friends.

The RSGB has a Coronavirus Updates page that brings together some of these great ideas as well as its important announcements. Take a look at www.rsgb.org/coronavirus-updates

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Due to the Covid-19 virus, all events in the forthcoming weeks are cancelled or postponed in line with Government advice. We will keep the Rallies page on the RSGB website as up to date as we can. Please send updates of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

Now the contest news

Please note that most contest organisers are not accepting entries from multi-operator groups or from portable entries. Check the rules before taking part.

This weekend the CQ World Wide WPX SSB contest ends its 48 hour run at 2359UTC today, the 29th. It’s SSB only on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands, with the exchange of signal report and serial number.

On Tuesday, the 50MHz MGM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on Tuesday, the 144MHz MGM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m contest runs from 1900 to 2000UTC. Using SSB only, the exchange is your 4-character locator.

On Sunday the first RoLo, Rolling Locator, contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB, the exchange is signal report and the locator received.

Also on Sunday, the First 70MHz contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The UK Microwave Group second contest runs on Sunday from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Next weekend, the SP DX contest runs from 1500UTC on the 4th to 1500UTC on the 5th. Using CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number, with SP stations sending their Province code.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 27th of March.

With the solar flux index remaining at 70-71 all week, conditions were pretty predictable. The Kp index rose to two or three at times, but on the whole geomagnetic conditions were stable. There was a large coronal mass ejection off the Sun on March 20, but it wasn’t Earth directed and didn’t affect us.

It is at times like this when the slightest HF enhancement stands out. At 1030UTC on Wednesday the 25th the critical frequency as measured by the Chilton Digisonde rose to 5.675MHz, which meant a maximum usable frequency of more than 21MHz over a 3,000km path. But why did it rise?

NOAA issued a warning that the greater than 2 MeV electron flux reached high levels on Wednesday, with a peak flux value of 1,398 particle flux units. At about this time the GOES-16 satellite showed a fall in the X-ray flux coming off the Sun. Solar X-rays from the Sun penetrate to the bottom of the ionosphere to around 80km and create an enhancement of the D layer. So, it could be that the lower X-ray flux meant less D-layer absorption and, coupled with the increased electron flux, HF signals were able to more easily reach the now-enhanced F2 layer.

The moral of this story is that HF propagation isn’t all about sunspots! If anyone did work any interesting DX on the higher bands around 1030UTC on Wednesday, please email the details to [email protected].

Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain at around 70. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be settled with a Kp index around two. This weekend may have unsettled HF conditions due to a large solar coronal hole, which became Earth facing on Thursday the 26th. Things should be more settled by Monday.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

The recent high pressure has certainly looked promising on the weather maps, but as hinted last week, the air near the surface is very dry and since good Tropo needs moist air near the surface, overlain by warmer dry air above, we have not seen the bands live up to expectations based on the ‘hall barometer' alone.

This high is being nudged west over the Atlantic, which will allow a cold northerly flow down across the country with a few wintry showers in the east at first, but maintain dry, high-pressure weather for most of the week. This means that there is a continuing chance of Tropo, but don’t expect too much of it!

There has been some Sporadic-E on 10m and 6m. The primary driver of this appears to be related to an east-north easterly jet stream over the continent at just the right distance from the UK to support paths to SE Europe and round to Italy and Spain. This favourable jet stream will decline by this weekend, but next week a further northerly jet stream may offer some chances, this time towards Scandinavia and eastern Europe.

The spring aurora period is upon us, so it is always worth checking for activity if the Kp index shows a disturbed magnetic field. The Moon reaches maximum declination on Wednesday and with just over a week to go to perigee, path losses will fall all week. 144MHz sky noise is at its lowest next weekend.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 22nd of March 2020

 

The news headlines:

Coronavirus affects amateur radio events worldwide

RSGB Board changes AGM arrangements

BATC offers free streaming & chat service

 

There is no doubt that these are challenging times. However, licensed radio amateurs have a great way of keeping in touch with one another across the world. Clubs and groups are launching virtual meetings to make sure no-one feels isolated in the coming weeks. We have also seen radio amateurs step up with extra nets and repeater check-ins to provide welfare checks on all local amateurs. The RSGB has launched a new Coronavirus Updates page that brings together some of these great ideas as well as its important announcements. Take a look at www.rsgb.org/coronavirus-updates. RSGB General Manager, Steve Thomas, M1ACB explains more about how the RSGB is adapting to the fast-moving situation: “We took the decision to close the RSGB National Radio Centre earlier this week to help protect our staff, volunteers and visitors. You will also have seen announcements about changes to our AGM, exams and contests over recent days. During this difficult time, we have also been focused on protecting the welfare of our volunteer teams and the staff at RSGB HQ in Bedford. The majority of the sixteen RSGB staff are now working remotely but we will maintain a skeleton staff at the office, to receive deliveries, for as long as we can. Our staff have a very positive team spirit as they adjust to new working environments while we strive to maintain the usual services. We are still supporting Members and volunteers through the usual telephone and online services, so do continue to contact RSGB HQ in the usual way. Thank you for your support as we face these challenges together.”

In response to the government’s latest Covid-19 recommendations, the RSGB Board has changed the arrangements for the Society’s AGM due to take place on the 25th of April. The physical meeting in Birmingham will not take place, and the information that would have been made available at the AGM will now be made available online. The Resolutions to be voted on are on our website at www.rsgb.org/agm2020 where you will also find links to the Board candidate statements and to cast your vote. You should continue to vote online as normal. The accounts will be published on the 1st of April on the AGM web page. As you will not be able to vote in person at the AGM, please remember to vote online by 9 am on Thursday the 23rd of April. If you do not have the facility to vote online, you can request a postal vote by contacting RSGB HQ. Postal votes must be returned to Civica Election Services, in the envelope provided, to arrive there no later than 9 am on Thursday the 23rd of April. Please bear in mind that postal services may well be delayed so leave plenty of time if you need to vote in this way. Results of the voting will be published on the RSGB website and social media channels on Saturday the 25th of April. Trophy winners will be announced on the RSGB website and social media channels on Saturday the 25th of April. Arrangements to present the trophies in person will be made later. We appreciate that the AGM is an important date in the RSGB calendar and some Members have attended it regularly for many years. But the Board cannot ignore the current health climate and put Members, staff and volunteers at risk by continuing with the AGM as intended. Every effort will be made to hold the AGM as usual in 2021.

In order to support the worldwide amateur radio community during the Covid-19 virus pandemic, BATC is offering free use of the BATC Video Streaming Service and chat facility to any radio club or group of radio amateurs. This will enable clubs to hold virtual meetings with HD video and audio streaming and a chat window for real-time feedback and discussion. To enable this, the BATC is offering free one-year cyber membership to any radio club or group of radio amateurs. For details of how to apply, please go to the BATC website, https://batc.org.uk.

Following on from the exam announcement earlier this week, it has been decided that with immediate effect and until further notice, the RSGB Exam Department will not be accepting or processing any new exam bookings. If you have already carried out a practical assessment for a Foundation or Intermediate exam and it is still valid, the period of validity – normally one year – will be automatically extended by the length of time that we are not offering exams. Exams already booked can, of course, go ahead at the discretion of the club, or can be postponed until a future date. The RSGB recommends that all clubs carrying out exams, training and practical assessments should carry out a risk assessment to ensure they are not putting themselves or candidates at risk.

It is with regret that the HF and VHF Contest Committees have decided that, with immediate effect and until the end of June 2020, they will no longer accept multi-operator contest entries for any RSGB Contest. Single operator entries from shared stations will also not be accepted unless the station is being shared by family members living at the same postal address. The RSGB HF CW NFD Contest scheduled in June is cancelled for this year. They have decided not to ban portable operation by single operators because of the potential mental health benefits associated with engaging in hobbies as well as the lack of person-to-person contact in normal single operator contesting. However, they encourage everyone to follow the government guidelines regarding social distancing and unnecessary travel. They will review these rule changes regularly in line with the most recent government advice to determine if they need to extend or modify the restrictions. In early June they will decide if the VHF NFD, the IOTA Contest and SSB NFD can go ahead as planned.

The RSGB band plans are now available in a number of formats online at www.rsgb.org/bandplans. The page also includes a background article that was published in RadCom earlier this year. If you have any questions, please follow the web links to the RSGB Spectrum Managers, who can help.

Some advice from the Intruder Watch Co-ordinator next as the bands get busier. If you hear an HF intruder, please just note the date, time and exact frequency and report it to Intruder Watch, via email to [email protected]. Amateurs should never transmit over intruding signals in an attempt to disrupt them, no matter how frustrating their presence may be. This can hamper regulators throughout Region 1, not just Ofcom, in gaining concise and accurate evidence.

Finally, don’t forget, in the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on the 29th of March, next Sunday. This means we will be on British Summer Time.

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Due to concerns raised over the Covoid-19 virus, many events in the forthcoming weeks are being cancelled or postponed. We will, of course, keep you posted as we learn of any updates during this rapidly-changing situation, and we will keep the Rallies page on the RSGB website as up to date as we can. Please check carefully before travelling to any event. So far we have heard that the following rallies have definitely been cancelled or postponed.

March and April events that are cancelled include the Callington Radio Rally, the Yeovil QRP Convention, the MFARS Surplus Sale and Radio Meet and the Andover Radio Club Spring Boot Sale.

March and April events that have been postponed are the CW Boot Camp at Stirling, the 23rd annual GMDX Convention, the Dover ARC Hamzilla Radio Fest and Electronics Fair and the Kempton Rally.

Rearranged dates can be found on the RSGB website, at least for those that we get told about. Please send updates of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

And now the DX news

Due to travel restrictions around the world-changing daily, we have decided not to include any DXpedition and similar news until the situation changes.

Now the special event news

Covid–19 is affecting special event stations too. GB1SCW was due to take place on the 7th of June from the National Coastwatch Institution facilities at Shoreham. However, the NCI has closed their watch stations until further notice. When there is more information, any updates will be shown closer to the event on QRZ.com.

Now the contest news

Running for 48 hours until 0200UTC on the 23rd, the BARTG HF RTTY contest takes place using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands. The exchange is signal report, serial number and time.

Running for 24 hours until 1200UTC today, the 22nd, the Russian DX Contest uses CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands. The exchange is signal report and serial number, with Russian stations also sending their Oblast code.

On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Also on Tuesday, the IRTS 80m Evening Counties contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW and SSB, the exchange is signal report, serial number and County code.

On Wednesday the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is your four-character locator.

Next weekend the CQ World Wide SSB contest runs from 0000UTC on the 28th to 2359UTC on the 29th. It’s SSB only on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands, with the exchange of signal report and serial number.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 20th of March.

Last week saw a continuation of the zero sunspot regime we’ve been seeing for the past few months. The solar flux index remained in the range 70-72, with settled geomagnetic conditions and with the Kp index remaining in the range of one to two. Thursday the 19th was the exception when the Kp index rose to four between midnight and 0300. This was undoubtedly due to a high-speed stream from a returning solar coronal hole, but it was relatively short-lived. The critical frequency graphs at Propquest.co.uk show that this had minimal adverse effects.

This weekend marks the spring equinox, which is normally a good time for HF conditions. With equal illumination on both hemispheres, it is a good time for north-south paths such as the UK to South Africa, and the UK to South America. Predtest.uk shows that you probably have a 30-40% chance of making an FT8 contact with South Africa on 14MHz, perhaps even 18MHz, around 1600UTC this month. The path to Buenos Aires on 14MHz is similar, being optimum around 1900- 2000UTC.

Next week NOAA predicts more of the same, with the solar flux index remaining around 70. Geomagnetic conditions should remain settled, other than on Friday the 27th when the Kp index is predicted to rise to four.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

The coming week appears to be dominated by high pressure, so this will bring a chance of Tropo to many parts of the country, although it's not a very favourable-looking feature in a Tropo sense. There are three phases to this period. First, this weekend we are in the easterly flow, probably fairly dry air so not necessarily a good Tropo spell, especially with the brisk southeasterly winds.

Secondly, into next week a cold front moves into northwest Britain and drifts southeast, disrupting the high pressure and any potential Tropo.

The third phase, from midweek, sees the cold front weaken and high-pressure build again as a weak ridge across the country, which remains into next weekend. This may be a better prospect for Tropo, but still not a strong steer.

As for the other exotic modes, Sporadic-E seems a relatively low probability and rain scatter in high pressure also tends to be rare. That just leaves the spring preference for aurora to keep us hopeful.

We have a daytime Moon all week, with declination going positive again on Tuesday. Peak Moon elevations will continue to increase, but with apogee also on Tuesday, path losses are at their highest for the Lunar Month. 144MHz sky noise is low all week.

With no major meteor showers due until the Lyrids at the end of April now, just keep looking for random meteor scatter QSOs around dawn.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 15th of March 2020

The news headlines:

Voting for the RSGB elections is now open

NASA Mars rover has a name

Coronavirus affects amateur radio events around the world

Voting for the RSGB elections is now open. The special web pages at www.rsgb.org/agm have details of the Calling Notice, Resolutions, candidate statements and information about how to vote. Internet voting ends at 9am on Thursday the 23rd of April. RSGB Members can find their Membership number on the wrapper of the latest RadCom so use it to vote before you compost the wrapper.

The NASA Mars 2020 rover has a new name that captures the spirit of exploration, Perseverance submitted by a 13-year-old student from Virginia. Targeted for launch this July, this rover will search for signs of past microbial life on Mars. After landing in February 2021, it also will collect samples of Martian rocks and dust for a future Mars Sample Return mission to Earth.

The RSGB is, like all responsible organisations, following government advice about the Covid-19 virus. The Society is still planning to hold its AGM in Birmingham but is ready to change these plans as necessary if advice about public meetings is upgraded. We will, of course, keep Members informed so please do check our website and social media channels for updates.The RSGB’s National Radio Centre welcomes individuals and large groups of people from across the world every week. With the increase in cases of coronavirus in the UK and other countries, the RSGB has taken the difficult decision to close the NRC temporarily from Wednesday 18 March. It will open as normal this weekend to run the ‘Build a radio’ events which are sold out, and the NRC will be open but without public access to the Radio Room on Monday and Tuesday. Whilst there aren’t any known cases of the virus at Bletchley Park or amongst the NRC staff and volunteers at this time, even with extra precautions it is no longer possible to guarantee the safety of NRC volunteers and visitors. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause those who have planned visits but we hope people will understand the decision in the current fast-moving situation.Concerns over coronavirus and various advisories regarding travel and large group gatherings has prompted the cancellation of a popular international amateur meeting. The Visalia International DX Convention in California due to take place over the 12th to the 14th of April will no longer take place, see http://www.dxconvention.org/ for the latest news.

Planning is underway for this year’s RSGB Convention that will take place from Friday the 9th to Sunday the 11th of October at Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. The organising committee would like to receive your suggestions for this year’s lectures and workshops. Please feel free to email [email protected] with your thoughts and ideas. If you are able to suggest a presenter, or a subject, for a lecture or workshop then so much the better. The RSGB Convention is generously sponsored by Martin Lynch & Sons.

Dayton Hamvention has named the recipients of its 2020 awards. Steve Franke, K9AN, Bill Somerville, G4WJS and Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT have been awarded the Technical Achievement Award.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station is celebrating the successful launch and docking of the SpaceX-20 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. One payload on the flight is the ARISS Interoperable Radio System, which ARISS calls “the foundational element of the ARISS next-generation radio system” on the space station.

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Due to concerns raised over the Covoid-19 virus, many events in the forthcoming weeks are being cancelled or postponed. Please check before travelling to any event. We will keep you up to date with news on events as and when we receive details.

The committee of Wythall Radio Club have decided to cancel this year’s Wythall Hamfest, originally planned for today, the 15th of March.

The Dover ARC Hamzilla Radio Fest and Electronics Fair due to take place on the 29th of March has been postponed.

The CW Boot Camp at GM6NX Stirling due to take place on the 22nd of March and the 23rd annual GMDX Convention due to take place on the 4th of April have been postponed. New dates later in 2020 will be announced as the situation becomes clearer.

The Kempton Rally due to take place on the 19th of April is postponed until the 15th of November.

Please send details of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected] – we give you valuable publicity online, in RadCom and on GB2RS, all for free.

And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources

Nigel, G3TXF will be in Mauritius until the 27th of March using the callsign 3B8XF. He will take part in the Commonwealth Contest this weekend and will concentrate on 80 and 160m during the remainder of his visit. QSLs go via Club Log OQRS and logs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World.

Mike, VE7ACN will be active as CE0Y/VE7ACN from Easter Island, SA-001) between the 19th and the 30th of March. He will operate mainly CW on the 80 to 10m bands, plus 160 metres if local conditions allow. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of The World or via VE7ACN.

A large team will be active on all bands and modes as DA0HEL from Helgoland Island, EU-127 between the 19th and 29th of March. In addition, they will also operate as DL0IH from nearby Helgoland Duene, where access is possible only between 0800 and 1500UTC. QSLs via DF6QC, direct or bureau.

Taka, JA8COE will be active as JA8COE/0 from Sado Island, AS-206 between the 19th and 23rd of March. He will operate mainly FT8 and CW. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or via JA8COE either direct or bureau.

Andy, DK5ON will be active again as PJ2/DK5ON from Curacao, SA-099, from the 15th to the 31st of March. He will operate CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8/FT4 on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, Club Log's OQRS, or via home call either direct or bureau.

Now the special event news

GB0SPD, GB2SPD and GB4SPD are three special callsigns that will celebrate St Patrick's Day. The St Patrick's Day On The Air event will run from 1200UTC on the 16th of March until 1200UTC on the 18th of March. See http://stpatrickaward.webs.com/ for details.

It is 700 years since the first written mention of Dobruška, so the radio club in Dobruska plans to activate three occasional callsigns OL700DKA, OL700CO and OL700LTV to celebrate this event from March to December. There will be an award scheme in association with this event. More information at www.ok1kqi.com. Please use ClubLog OQRS to get QSL for connection with OL700xxx stations.

The Maine Bicentennial Special Event celebrates the 200th anniversary of Maine statehood between the 16th and the 22nd of March. Twelve special event callsigns will be active, plus three special locations that have historical significance. There will be an award scheme in association with this event see https://maine200specialevent.com/ for more information.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

The longest running RSGB contest of them all is the Commonwealth Contest, formerly known as BERU. It ends its 24 hours run at 1000UTC today, the 15th. It’s CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands and the exchange is signal report and serial number.

Today, the 15th, the 2nd 70MHz Cumulative contest runs from 1000 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Monday the second FT4 series contest will run from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using just the 3.5MHz band the exchange is your 4-character locator.

On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the band the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Thursday the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the band the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Next weekend from 0200UTC on the 21st to 0200UTC on the 23rd, the BARTG HF RTTY contest takes place using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report, serial number and time.

From 1200UTC on the 21st to 1200UTC on the 22nd, the Russian DX contest uses CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and serial number with Russian stations sending their Oblast code too.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 13th of March.

A new sunspot group, numbered AR 2758 and from upcoming Solar Cycle 25, appeared this week. The region was located in the Sun’s southeast quadrant, but had faded away by Thursday the 12th. This was the first numbered sunspot region to appear in over a month as solar activity continues on at very low levels.

Overall, the solar flux index remained at 70-71 with the geomagnetic Kp index being in the range zero to two, reflecting calm conditions.

Wednesday’s RSGB 80m CW Club Championship contest proved just how inactive the Sun is at the moment. The contest started quite well, but soon everyone was struggling to make contacts as the critical frequency dropped below 3MHz as measured by the Chilton ionosonde.

As a result, many contesters had to make do with QSOs with the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany as their higher-angle skip for local contacts failed to return to Earth.

Daytime critical frequencies have often struggled to exceed 5MHz in the morning and 5.5MHz in the afternoon, meaning 40m remains unsuitable for NVIS-type communications.

On DX, maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path have occasionally exceeded 21MHz in the daytime, but 18MHz has been more reliable.

Next week, NOAA has the solar flux index pegged at 70-72 with quiet geomagnetic conditions, apart from March 19 when the Kp index is forecast to rise to four, possibly due to a high-speed solar wind stream from a returning coronal hole.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

At last there is a signal in the forecast models for the return of some high pressure weather. After a prolonged period of windy and unsettled conditions, the first signs of a building high will come after this weekend as a ridge builds towards the southern UK from the Azores region.

Eventually a new high, building in colder air over northern Britain, will probably take over in the second half of the week. Either way, it's time to consider the chance of some Tropo conditions later in the week, which will make a welcome change.

It’s worth noting that the spring equinox is prime time for the possibility of aurora, so keep an eye out for high K indices as a ‘heads up’ for possible DX on the VHF bands.

The Moon’s declination is at its most negative on Tuesday, so the Moon only reaches 13 degrees above the horizon. This means that ground noise is in the antenna lobes for much of the Moon window.

Path losses are increasing throughout the week and 144MHz sky noise is very high for the next few days, so a poor week for EME.

With no major meteor showers due until the Lyrids at the end of April now, just keep looking for random meteor scatter QSOs around dawn.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 8th of March 2020

The news headlines:

RAYNET helps in flooding emergency

Blue Ham this weekend

6,873 February visitors to NRC

 

North Humber RAYNET were recently activated during the widespread flooding that occurred on the 27th of February in Snaith, East Yorkshire. A temporary control station was first established at the ‘washlands’ near the village of the East Cowick during the afternoon of the 26th, with thirteen members attending the developing situation over three days. Members were positioned at Vehicle Check Points, flooded roads and worked alongside Yorkshire 4x4 Response vehicles as well as being co-located in the local Town Council emergency control centre and Bronze Command. Most of the radio traffic was carried over 144MHz, with some on 70MHz. A VHF/UHF talk-through was located in a vehicle outside Snaith Fire Station to provide local access and an increased range as the 4G mobile phone coverage was patchy in some areas and there were issues with access at times. The group were finally stood down late in the evening of Saturday the 29th of February as the flooding and the situation stabilised.

The RAFAC tell us that the next Blue Ham Radio Communications Exercise will be this weekend, the 7th and 8th of March, using the 5MHz band. Details of the exchange of information to count as a QSO is at https://alphacharlie.org.uk/exercise-blue-ham. A Blue Ham Certificate is available if you contact 10 or more special MRE callsigns during the exercise with the Cadets.

No fewer than 6,873 visitors were welcomed to the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park during February. As part of the on-going recruitment campaign, two new volunteers joined the NRC team: Mike, G0RBB and Nick, M0NPH. The RSGB would like to thank them and the other NRC volunteers for their time.

Yves F5PRU / 6W1TA in Senegal has been informed by the Senegalese Telecom Regulatory Authority that the new WRC-15 Amateur Secondary Allocation 5351.5 – 5366.5kHz is now allowed in the country. The IARU Region 1 band plan should be used with a maximum power limit available of 15W EIRP. Yves has been living in Senegal for 18 months. He is mainly on the air around 5354kHz on CW and sometimes on 5357kHz FT8.

Venues and dates for the 2020 series of Train the Trainers courses can be found on the RSGB website at www.rsgb.org/train-the-trainers. In order for the organisers to ensure that courses are run as cost-effectively as possible, between 20 and 25 candidates are required for each venue. To reserve a place on any course please email [email protected] with your name and telephone number. The first course to run will be held in Telford on the 21st of March; it now only has two places available. Following Telford will be Cardiff on the 18th of April. This course needs more candidates, so if you want to attend this event please book as soon as possible. Details of other courses available are on the website.

The RSGB is delighted to announce that Tony Jones, G7ETW has been appointed as Amateur Radio Development Chair and Chris Colclough, G1VDP has been appointed to the role of Beyond Exams Coordinator. Both were licensed in the 1980s, have been active in a range of amateur radio activities and are looking forward to being part of these initiatives.

The first lecture as part of the Marconi Centenary 2020 has been announced by the Chelmsford Civic Society. Professor Danielle George has kindly agreed to speak at Anglia Ruskin University, Bishop Hall Lane, Chelmsford, CM1 1SQ on Tuesday the 31st of March at 2 pm. The lecture is free to everyone but must be pre-booked. Go to https://tinyurl.com/eventbrite-marconi.

The RSGB has created a new policies page where you will find all the Society’s main policies in one place: www.rsgb.org/policies. Where relevant you can also still find them on the appropriate sections of its website. The policy documents have been updated into the RSGB’s current branding so please make sure you refer to the most recent versions.

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

The Pencoed ARC Table-Top Sale scheduled to take place on the 8th of March has been cancelled.

Due to concerns raised over the Covoid-19 virus, the committee of Wythall Radio Club have decided to cancel this year’s Wythall Hamfest, originally planned for next Sunday the 15th of March. They would like to thank the traders for their support for this year’s event and hope to see everyone next year.

On the 22nd of March, Stirling & District ARS is holding a CW Boot Camp in conjunction with GMDX. Further information is at www.gmdx.org.uk/cwbootcamp

Please send details of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected] – we give you valuable publicity online, in RadCom and on GB2RS, all for free.

And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources

David, F8AAN will be active holiday style as 3B9AN from Rodrigues Island, IOTA reference AF-017, between the 10th and 19th of March. He will operate CW on the 80 to 17m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or direct to his home call.

Richard, G3RWL will be active as 8P6DR from Barbados, NA-021, from the 8th of March to the 9th of April. He will operate CW and possibly some RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of The World or via his home call, either direct or via the bureau.

Noel, F6BGC will be active as 8Q7NC from the Maldives, AS-013, between the 12th and the 21st of March. He will be operating holiday-style on the 80 to10m bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via Logbook of The World, or direct to his home call.

9K2HQ and other members of the Kuwait ARS will be active as 9K2F from Faylakah Island, AS-118, between the 11th and the 15th of March. They will operate SSB, CW and FT8 on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via 9K2RA and Logbook of The World.

Thierry, F6CUK will be active as TM8C from the lighthouse on Cordouan Island, EU-159, between the 13th and the 15th of March. He will operate CW and SSB on the 40 and 20m bands. QSL via his home call.

Now the special event news

On the weekend of the 14th and 15th of March, the Shepparton & District ARC will connect amateur transceivers to the curtain array and rhombic antennas at the Broadcast Australia site in Shepparton, which is located in North Central Victoria, Australia. This site was previously a short wave Radio Australia location. VI3RA will be on the air from 2300UTC on Saturday the 14th of March until 2300UTC on the 16th using the 7, 10, 14, 18 and 21MHz bands.

The Maine Bicentennial Special Event celebrates the 200th anniversary of Maine statehood between the 16th and the 22nd of March. Twelve special event callsigns will be active, each representing one of Maine’s nine original counties, plus three special locations that have historical significance, including K1B, K1J, K1P, W1C, W1H and W1Y amongst others. Certificates will be awarded to those who contact special event stations, with endorsements available for bands, modes, and a clean sweep for contacts with each of the Maine 200 Special Event call signs. See https://maine200specialevent.com/ for more information.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

The ARRL International DX contest ends its 48 hour run at 2359UTC today, the 8th. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and transmitter power. US stations also send their State and Canadians their Province.

The 144/432MHz contest ends its 24 hour run at 1400UTC today, the 8th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The UK Microwave Group’s Low Band Contest takes place today, the 8th, from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The Worked All Britain 3.5MHz contest also takes place today, the 8th of March, from 1800 to 2200UTC. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the 18th of March. The exchange will be RS plus serial number plus WAB square. Full details of the rules and methods of entry may be obtained from the WAB website, www.worked-all-britain.org.uk.

On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC, using FM only. It is immediately followed by the all-mode 432MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for both contests is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 80m Club Championships CW leg runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Thursday the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The longest-running RSGB contest of them all is the Commonwealth Contest, formerly known as BERU. It runs for 24 hours over the weekend of the 14th and 15th. There are always some travellers who fly off to activate Commonwealth countries that are not heard every day and they will all be pleased to work anyone in the UK, contester or not. The contest runs from 1000 to 1000UTC, it’s CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bans and the exchange is signal report and serial number.

Next Sunday, the 15th, the 2nd 70MHz Cumulative contest runs from 1000 to 1200UTC. 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 6th of March.

The VP8PJ DXpedition to the South Orkney Islands has now finished, with the last active day on the 5th of March. The DXpedition resulted in many UK stations putting South Orkney into their log, on all bands and modes from 160 to 15 metres, with a few reports even of 10m contacts.

This was a good example of how ionospheric propagation can be hard to predict as some of the paths looked very difficult if not impossible. But over a week-long period, there were times when signals were able to get through, if only for short periods. It also showed how localised HF propagation can be, with some stations in the UK hearing them, while 100 miles away there was nothing.

Solar figures wise, the week ended pretty much as it started with zero sunspots and a solar flux index of 69 to 70.

The week was mainly settled geomagnetically, apart from the night of Saturday, February the 29th and Sunday the 1st of March when the Kp index rose to four. This was due to a solar wind stream from a coronal hole on the Sun, which we predicted last week. Luckily, this was pretty short-lived and after it struck the Kp index fell back again to one or two representing more settled geomagnetic conditions.

NOAA predicts that next week will be pretty similar to last with zero sunspots and a solar flux index around 70 to 71. The US Air Force predicts fairly quiet geomagnetic conditions with a Kp index around one or two.

At the time of writing a small coronal hole has appeared on the Sun’s equator, which should become geoeffective this weekend. Another polar coronal hole is also growing towards the solar equator. This means that any solar matter from these holes could impact the Earth sometime over the weekend or early next week. If it does, expect a possible short-lived pre-auroral enhancement followed by a general reduction in the MUF as the Kp index rises.

Don’t forget that next weekend is the Commonwealth Contest with CW HF stations on from Australia, New Zealand and Canada, as well as exotic locations such as Mauritius, the Cayman Islands, Belize and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

March is usually a month of typical spring gales and storms with the main Atlantic jet stream across the British Isles. Next week’s forecast is therefore not unexpected, and the main theme is a very changeable one with quite strong winds at times and periods of rain. No surprise then, that there is little prospect of high pressure and Tropo for the VHF/UHF bands.

What's left is a challenge for microwave operators to seek out some rain scatter from fast-moving scatter points in this train of lows and fronts crossing the country.

Also, if you have heavy local rain between you and the QO-100 satellite, look out for a reduction in signal strength from the transponders. This is due to the scattering effect of the water droplets causing a blockage at the GHz band downlink frequency.

The strong jet stream will also produce some small opportunity for out-of-season Sporadic-E, probably towards the south into Spain or Italy.

Moon declination goes negative on Wednesday so the best peak Moon elevation will be in the early half of the week. Tuesday is perigee so, with path losses at their lowest, it’s still a good week for EME. 144MHz sky noise is low for the early part of the week but climbs slowly, reaching 750K a week today.

The small Gamma-Normids meteor shower peaks next Saturday, but with a zenithal hourly rate of just six, it’s nothing to get excited about, so keep looking for random meteor scatter QSOs around dawn.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 1st of March 2020

The news headlines:

Guidance for limiting exposure to EMF

US amateurs respond to 3.4GHz threat

Ofcom’s policy on two-letter callsigns

Following last week’s launch of an Ofcom Consultation on EM Field exposure, the RSGB has released a briefing paper for all UK amateurs. This gives more details as the proposals involve a change to licence conditions for any station operating with greater than 10W EIRP. The Society has formed a team to prepare a considered response to Ofcom’s Consultation and will be offering further guidance ahead of the 15th of May deadline. The briefing paper is available at www.rsgb.org/emc-papers.

A proposal by the FCC in the USA to remove the entire amateur 3.4GHz allocation without compensation has seen strong opposition as ARRL, AMSAT and hundreds of individual amateurs have filed comments in response to a current consultation. The ARRL highlighted decades of active usage and experimentation including mesh networks, amateur television, weak signal long-distance communication, Earth-Moon-Earth or moonbounce communication, propagation research and emerging amateur satellite developments. In its comments, ARRL argued that it would therefore be premature to remove the current secondary amateur radio allocation. The FCC is also inviting comments on changes to the 5.9GHz band that has an amateur allocation in the USA.

Ofcom has recently updated its website to clarify its policy relating to the issuing of callsigns with two-letter suffixes. The notes can be found at tinyurl.com/gb2rs-ofcomcall and selecting Amateur Radio Callsign Allocation.

The first lecture as part of the Marconi Centenary 2020 has been announced by the Chelmsford Civic Society. Professor Danielle George has kindly agreed to speak at Anglia Ruskin University, Bishop Hall Lane, Chelmsford, CM1 1SQ on Tuesday the 31st of March at 2pm. The lecture is free to everyone but must be pre-booked. Go to https://tinyurl.com/eventbrite-marconi.

The coronavirus has impacted a couple of DXpeditions due to a requirement to spend 14 days in quarantine in Hawaii or Guam before entering some of the smaller Pacific island nations. Swains Island, OC-200, and T30ET from Tarawa Atoll, OC-017, are postponed until the autumn, and planning for Pulap, OC-155, and Satawal, OC-299, both new Islands in Micronesia is on hold.

The next section in the 2020 SOTA Challenge is the Digital Voice and will take place in the first week of March. All SOTA QSOs completed on DMR, C4FM, D-Star or FreeDV will automatically attract scoring credit in the Challenge. As repeaters and gateways are not valid for SOTA contacts, all QSOs will need to be simplex. There is substantial C4FM activity planned in the Shropshire Hills today, the 1st of March, and in the Clywydian Hills on Saturday the 7th of March. On the evening of Monday the 2nd of March, there is a SOTA DV activity night. Several activators will be out on the summits with DV modes and will be supported by Stockport RS and Macclesfield & District RS, chiefly on C4FM mode on the 2m band. On the evening of the 4th of March, another SOTA DV activity night takes place, this time supported by the Lancashire-based North West Fusion Group. This will be mainly on 70cm C4FM. For more information about Summits on the Air please visit www.sota.org.uk.

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Today, the 1st of March, the Exeter Radio & Electronics Rally will be held in America Hall, De la Rue Way, Pinhoe, Exeter EX4 8PW. Doors open at 10.30am, 10.15am for disabled visitors, and admission £2 with under 16s free. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy and catering is available on site. Details from Pete, G3ZVI on 0771 419 8374 or by email to [email protected].

The Pencoed ARC Table-Top Sale scheduled to take place on the 8th of March has been cancelled.

The next rally in the diary is the 35th Wythall Radio Club Hamfest on the 15th of March.

Please send details of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected] – we give you valuable publicity online, in RadCom and on GB2RS, all for free.

And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources

Rudi, DK7PE will be active as CP6/DK7PE from Santa Cruz, Bolivia until the 6th of March. He will operate CW with a focus on the low bands. QSL via his home call, direct or via the bureau.

Yuri, R2DY, Pavel, R2DX and Eugene, RW3FB will be active as EX0QR from the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan between the 6th and 17th of March. They will operate CW, SSB and digital modes on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or via R2DX either direct or via the bureau.

Hans, DK8RE, Wolf, DL1CC and Wies, SP1EG will be active as MH0ESP from Jersey, EU-013, between the 7th and 16th of March. QSL via SP1EG.

HP1DAV, HP3AK, G4BVY, G4CLA and GD4XUM will be active as H33K from Volcan in Panama between the 2nd and the 13th of March. They will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on various HF bands. QSL direct to HP1DAV; the log will be uploaded to Logbook of The World and Club Log.

Phil, N2HX will be active holiday style as PJ4/N2HX from Bonaire, SA-006, between the 1st and the 15th of March. He will operate SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via his home call.

Now the special event news

We have received no details of special event stations operating this week.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

On Monday, the 80 Club Championships take place between 2000 and 2130UTC using datamodes only. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC, using FM only. It is immediately followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for both contests is signal report, serial number and locator.

The UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. This is the SSB leg and the exchange is your 4-character locator.

Next weekend the ARRL International DX contest runs for 48 Hours from 0000UTC on the 7th to 2359UTC on the 8th. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report and transmitter power. US stations also send their State and Canadians their Province.

The 144/432MHz contest takes place between 1400UTC on the 7th and 1400UTC on the 8th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The UK Microwave Group’s Low Band Contest takes place next Sunday, the 8th, from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

The Worked All Britain 3.5MHz contest takes place next Sunday, the 8th of March, from 1800 to 2200UTC. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the 18th of March. The exchange will be RS plus serial number plus WAB square. Full details of the rules and methods of entry may be obtained from the WAB website www.worked-all-britain.org.uk.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 28th of February.

Interest in the VP8PJ DXpedition to the South Orkney Islands remains high. The team has now been on the island for one week and many UK amateurs have worked them. At the moment, it looks like beams and linears are the norm for a reliable contact, although they have been heard in the UK on 17 and 20 metres FT8 at -10dB SNR in the afternoon using just loft-mounted dipoles. As they work their way through the pile ups more opportunities to work them may become available. They are currently due to remain on the island until the 5th of March.

As always, the point-to-point facility at rsgb.org/predtest will give you an indication of the best times to work VP8PJ from the UK.

Conditions have been quite settled with the Kp index moving between one and zero. The Sun continues to remain spotless with a solar flux index of 71. As this report is being prepared there are two small coronal holes on the Sun that are rotating into an Earth-facing position. If these develop, they could cause the Kp index to rise this weekend due to their associated high-speed solar wind streams. This may result in a pre-auroral HF enhancement.

Otherwise, NOAA predicts the Kp index may rise again to four on March the 4th and 5th, presumably due to a returning coronal hole.

We are now heading towards the Spring equinox, which is a good time for north-south HF contacts.

With the Commonwealth Contest on Saturday the 14th of March this may be a good time to try as you won’t have any competition from continental contesters.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

It feels like 'groundhog day' for the VHF/UHF propagation prospects with another week of unsettled weather on the way. There are likely to be several occasions when low pressure systems pass by northern Britain, thus bringing strong winds to Scotland again, but with some windier spells in the south too, though mostly not as strong.

The principal outcome of this weather pattern is that it leaves no room for high pressure to develop over the UK and therefore no chance of Tropo for yet another week.

As before, that means that potential exists for some rain scatter activity on the GHz bands using the heavy rain, hail and snow as good scatter points. Sometimes individually from fast-moving small shower clouds, but also from larger areas like active weather fronts making it easier to latch onto the scattering area.

The upper air patterns continue to show strong ‘winter’ jet streams nearby or over the country, so this leads to the slim chance of ‘out-of-season’ sporadic E on 10m and 6m, especially if using the digital modes and, if forced to pick a favoured direction, it would probably be south towards EA and CT.

Moon declination reaches maximum mid-week and path losses are falling with perigee a week on Tuesday, so a good week for EME. 144 MHz sky noise reaches 500K on Tuesday but is generally low for most of the rest of the week.

There are no meteor showers peaking in the coming week, so keep looking for random meteor scatter QSOs around dawn.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 23rd of February 2020

The news headlines:

New distance record on the 122GHz band

Repeater, Gateway and Beacon NoV renewals

Ofcom consults on EMF exposure

Using low power silicon chips with barely a milliwatt, an astonishing new world record of 139km has been achieved on the 122GHz millimetre wave amateur band. The distance record set in the California mountains is particularly notable as this frequency suffers from severe atmospheric losses due to an oxygen molecular resonance that add to significant conventional free-space path losses. More info and video at tinyurl.com/gb2rs-122ghz

The RSGB would like to remind all holders of Notices of Variation for Repeaters, Gateways and Beacons to ensure their contact details are up to date. The three-year renewal season is under way and there are a number of Keepers who have changed their email address etc and are not getting the reminders. It is illegal to operate any such service without a currently valid NoV and they should be closed down if it expires. You can apply for an access code to change your details via tinyurl.com/rsgb-etcc-nov Please note that renewals also require sight of your personal licence document, renewed within the last five years, to demonstrate you are still eligible to hold an NoV. You must renew with Ofcom at least every five years and ETCC need proof that you have done so. Currently, the Ofcom system will only change the issue date on the licence if you amend some detail. A simple solution to this is to add a space at the end of the first line of your address. This will generate a licence with a new issue date.

Ofcom has published a consultation document called “Proposed measures to require compliance with international guidelines for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields” which can be read at tinyurl.com/gb2rs-ofcomemf The RSGB is reviewing the document and will respond to the consultation in due course.

This weekend members of Girlguiding will have been participating in Thinking Day on the Air. This event is an opportunity for the youngest Rainbow to the oldest Trefoil Guild member to talk to other members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world via amateur radio. A list of known stations due to be on the air can be seen on the Station List on the event website: www.guides-on-the-air.co.uk

Some advance news now. The RAFAC are pleased to announce that due to popular demand for the Blue Ham Radio Communications Exercises they have been able to programme in three exercises for 2020. The first exercise will be during the weekend of the 7th and 8th of March. The organisers hope that many radio amateurs will join in. Details of the exchange of information to count as a QSO will be published on the Exercise Blue Ham website at alphacharlie.org.uk/exercise-blue-ham Participants can claim a Blue Ham certificate if they contact 10 or more special MRE callsigns during the exercise, details on the website.

Venues and dates for the 2020 series of RSGB Train the Trainers courses can be found on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/train-the-trainers In order for the organisers to ensure that courses are run as cost-effectively as possible they require between twenty and twenty-five candidates to attend each venue. To reserve a place on any of the courses please email [email protected] with your name and telephone number. The first course to run will be held in Telford on the 21st March; it currently has only two places left. Following Telford will be Cardiff on the 18th of April. This course currently only has five candidates registered, so if you want to attend this event please book as soon as possible. Details of other courses available are on the website.

The MV Braveheart is at sea again, this time transporting the VP8PJ South Orkney DXpedition team to Signy Island. You can follow the vessel’s progress on the VP8PJ website sorkney.com Team members have been operating as ZL1NA/MM during their voyage, generating heavy pileups. VP8PJ is expected to commence operation on the 21st of February and continue until the 5th of March. Operation will be on CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8 fox/hound mode except on 60m.

The 5MHz beacon, GB3WES, in Westmorland, IO84QN, on 5.290MHz will close down on the 11th of March when its NoV expires. The beacon began service on the 30th of October 2004. At the time, it was one of a chain of three UK 5MHz propagation research beacons; the others were GB3RAL in Oxfordshire, already shut down, and GB3ORK in Orkney, which will be the sole remaining beacon after GB3WES shuts down.

AMSAT reports that the pioneering AMSAT-OSCAR 85 CubeSat, also known as Fox-1A, has gone silent. Having not been heard throughout the most recent period of full illumination, it is reasonable to believe the batteries have deteriorated to the point of no longer being able to power the transmitter. AO-85 was conceived as the first AMSAT CubeSat and was launched on the 8th of October 2015.

Provisional results of the IARU R1 UHF/microwave Contest and the Marconi Memorial VHF CW Contest are available on the IARU Region 1 website at www.iaru-r1.org. Congratulations to G3CKR/P in IO93AD, M2A in JO02ST, G4RGK in IO91ON, G5RS/A in IO91RH, G3XDY in JO02OB, G3TCU in IO91QE and GM4DIJ/P in IO74MU who were the highest placed UK stations in these contests.

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Today, the 23rd, the Rainham Radio Rally takes place at The Victory Academy, Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 5JB. Doors open from 10am to 4pm and admission is £3 with children attending free of charge. Talk in will be on 145.550MHz using GB4RRR. Local and national traders will be in attendance. The BRATS Interactive Zone for Kids will be available as will the BRATS Junk stand. Refreshments from the BRATS Kitchen. Contact 0782 583 8877 if you need more information.

Also today, the 23rd, is the Red Rose Winter Rally at St Joseph’s Hall, Chapel Street, Leigh WN7 2PQ. Doors open at 11am. There will be trade, individual and Club stands as well as a Bring & Buy. Details at www.wmrc.co.uk

Next Sunday, the 1st of March, the Exeter Radio & Electronics Rally will be held in America Hall, De la Rue Way, Pinhoe, Exeter EX4 8PW. Doors open at 10.30am, 10.15am for disabled visitors, and admission £2 with under 16s free. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy and catering is available on site. Details from Pete, G3ZVI on 0771 419 8374 or by email to [email protected]

Please send details of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected] – we give you valuable publicity online, in RadCom and on GB2RS, all for free.

And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources

The W8S DXpedition to Swains Island in the Pacific, set to take place in mid-March, has been postponed until the Autumn as a result of travel restrictions imposed on individuals entering American Samoa, stemming from the recent coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Health allows non-residents to enter American Samoa only via Hawaii after a 14-day mandatory quarantine in Hawaii, and the DXpedition was unable to accommodate that requirement.

Charles, NK8O and Fred, N8AX will be in Tanzania from the 24th of February until the 21st of March using the callsigns 5H3DX and 5H3AX. They will be mainly on CW with possibly some FT8 and PSK-31 on the 160 to 10m bands. QSLs go via NK8O.

Tom, AA9A will be active as PJ7AA from Sint Maarten, NA-105, from the 29t of February to the 28th of March. He will operate CW, FT8 and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of The World or direct to AA9A.

W1JXN/4 will be active holiday style from Gasparilla Island, NA-069, from the 25th of February to the 4th of March. He will operate mainly CW on the 40, 30 and 20m bands.

YB8RW, YE8XBN, YE8XW and YF8XAT will be active as 7I8X from the Widi Islands, OC-145, and Mayu Island, OC-145 between the 21st and 29th of February. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or direct to YB8RW.

Gildas, FG/F6HMQ and Michel, FG/F6GWV will be active as TO3Z from Guadeloupe, NA-102, until the 8th of March. QSL via F6HMQ.

Now the special event news

Many Greenland and Denmark radio amateur stations will be celebrating the 80th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark in these two DXCC entities. Look for special event stations OX80HM and OZ80HM to be active on all bands until the 16th of April. QSL via OZ1ACB OQRS. A special royal award will be available, see qrz.com for more information.

IO3RT and IO3AF are two special callsigns for ARI Thiene to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Arturo Ferrarin's epic flight from Rome to Tokyo. Look for activity on the 80 to 6m bands using SSB, CW and digital modes until the 31st of May. QSL via IQ3BM

4UNR is the special callsign for the VIC Amateur Radio Contest DX Club to celebrate World Radio Day until the 29th of February. This activity counts as Austria for DXCC, and for the Vienna International Centre for the CQ DX Marathon. QSL via UA3DX, direct or via the bureau.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

The CQ 160m DX contest ends its 48-hour run at 2200UTC today, the 23rd. Using SSB only the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone with American stations also sending their State and Canadians their Province.

The REF Contest is SSB only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands and ends its 36 hour run at 1800UTC today, the 23rd. The exchange is signal report and serial number with French stations sending their Department number or overseas prefix.

Ending its 24-hours run at 1200UTC today, the 23rd, the UK EI Contest Club DX contest is CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and District Code.

On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using the 2.3 to 10GHz bands the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the UK EI Contest Club 80m contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is your 4-character locator.

On Thursday the 80m Club Championships runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 21st of February.

The week got off to a good start with the ARRL International DX CW contest. Contacts into the western US States from the UK, including California, Washington and Colorado, were all possible on 20 metres.

On Tuesday the Earth was hit by a high-speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole, which sent the Kp index to four. The unsettled conditions continued before the Kp index hit a hefty five in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

There were reports of auroral contacts on the higher bands. Luckily, the disturbance tailed off on Thursday with the Kp index finally returning to settled levels.

The solar flux index remained at 71 during this time, reflecting a lack of sunspots.

Next week NOAA predicts the Sun will continue with a solar flux index of 71 with zero sunspots, although new regions can occur at any time. The Kp index is predicted to remain around two to three, but with a rise to four around the 26th and 27th due to a returning coronal hole.

Interest in the VP8PJ DXpedition to South Orkney is beginning to rise. At the time of writing the “Braveheart” ship had just arrived and the station may be on the air some time this weekend.

This may be a difficult path, but rsgb.org/predtest suggests that the best time for a short-path contact may be through the night on 40m, with a peak around 6am. There may also be a long-path opening around 8am-noon on 20 or 30 metres.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

I’m sure there were wires and beam elements flapping about in the winds last week, so now that we’re all used to this, you should be able to cope with the coming week too!

It's looking very much like the unsettled weather continues with low-pressure systems tracking across the far north of Britain producing generally windy weather throughout, and at times very windy weather with gales again likely over the north.

The upshot of all this leaves no sign of high pressure Tropo propagation to speak of. It is again a case of rain scatter for the GHz bands as the active rain-bearing weather fronts or squally showers pass by, with little else to offer as a variation.

The Sun and the Moon are close to eclipse today, so sky noise will be very high. Once today’s event is over, it’s quite low for the rest of the week. Moon declination is rising and goes positive again on Wednesday, meaning lengthening Moon windows with the Moon up during the day. This coincides with apogee so path losses will be at their highest.

Aside from EME and satellite operation, keep looking for random meteor scatter QSOs around dawn, when the Earth is rotating towards the main meteor flux, to keep the VHF DX coming.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 16th of February 2020

 

The news headlines:

Storm Ciara prevents 40m GB2RS news reading

Get involved in British Science Week

Second mock Full licence exam available

 

Due to the awful weather conditions last weekend during Strom Ciara, Gunter, DJ2XB and Colin DJ0OK were unable to read the GB2RS news on 40m. Both readers had to take their antennas down for safety. They hope to resume a normal service today, the 16th, weather permitting.

If you or your radio club want to get involved in British Science Week, which takes place between the 6th and the 15th of March, activity packs are now available to download from https://tinyurl.com/qvyqnr8  The pack contains tips on how to run British Science Week in school or at home, easy-to-run activities, and details of the annual poster competition. Whilst there’s no details of radio activities, there's a lot to get you started on this excellent initiative and can be adapted for amateur radio use.

The RSGB has published a second mock exam paper for the Full licence this week so there are now two for each licence level. You can see all the mock exam papers on the Society’s website at www.rsgb.org/mock-exams

Amateurs in all French territories now have access to the 60m 5351.5 to 5366.5kHz WRC allocation at a maximum power of 15WERP following the publication in the French official journal. The French national society, REF, advocates the use of the IARU 60m band plan.

Mitsuo, JA1WQF successfully decoded a 47GHz signal bounced off the moon from Al, W5LUA on the 10th of February. Al posted news of the achievement on the Moon-Net email reflector saying these were only one-way tests that started out with sending single tones that were copied well. Then Al sent several sequences of calls and grid that Mitsuo was able to decode at 1146 and 1234UTC. Signal levels were -23 and -25dB. More tests are planned.

The Leicester Mercury has a story on the top-secret wartime listening station Beaumanor Hall’s crucial role in the Second World War. It was a Y station and you can read the full story at https://tinyurl.com/rhtb8tl

The IARU Monitoring System Region 1 Newsletter January 2020 is now available at www.iaru-r1.org. Richard, G4DYA is the Intruder Watch Coordinator runs the RSGB Monitoring System, part of the IARU Monitoring System. His report contains several instances of the Container over-the-horizon radar.

The RSGB Build a Radio workshop at the National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park on the 14th of March is now sold out. Details of the next event will be in a forthcoming GB2RS.

 

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Today, the 16th, the RadioActive Rally will be held at Nantwich Civic Hall, Cheshire, CW5 5DG. There is free car parking and doors open at 10.30am. There will be a Bring & Buy, as well as traders and an RSGB book stall. A single raffle ticket is included with the entrance programme; additional tickets available. Catering is provided on site. Contact Stuart Jackson on 0788 073 2534.

Also today, the 16th, the Lomond Radio Club Bring & Buy event takes place at John Connolly Centre, Main Street, Renton G82 4LY. Doors open at 10am. There will be a Bring & Buy, traders and refreshments will be available. Contact Bill at [email protected]

Next Sunday, the 23rd, the Rainham Radio Rally takes place at The Victory Academy, Magpie Hall Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 5JB. Doors open from 10am to 4pm and admission is £3 with children attending free of charge. Talk in will be on 145.550MHz using GB4RRR. Local and national traders will be in attendance. The BRATS Interactive Zone for Kids will be available as will the BRATS Junk stand. Refreshments from the BRATS Kitchen. Contact 0782 583 8877 if you need more information.

Also next Sunday, the 23rd, is the Red Rose Winter Rally at St Joseph’s Hall, Chapel Street, Leigh WN7 2PQ. Doors open at 11am. There will be trade, individual and Club stands as well as a Bring & Buy. Details at www.wmrc.co.uk

Please send details of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected] – we give you valuable publicity online, in RadCom and on GB2RS, all for free.

 

And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources

Chas, NK8O will be active as 5H3DX from Zinga in Tanzania between the 16th of February and 16th of March. In his spare time, he will operate CW, PSK31, FT8 and possibly SSB on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via NK8O direct only, see qrz.com for instructions, Logbook of The World and eQSL.

Hiro, JG1SXP will be active as 8Q7HK from the Maldives, AS-013, between the 19th and 24th of February. He will operate FT8, CW and some SSB on the 80 to15m bands, possibly also on 160m depending on local conditions. QSL via Logbook of The World, Club Log's OQRS, or direct to home call.

Brian, ND3F will be active as KP2/ND3F from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, NA-106, until the18th of February. QSL via EA5GL.

Mike, TI5/W1USN and Bob, TI5/AA1M will be active from Costa Rica from the 20th of February to the 4th of March. They will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on the 160 to 10m bands. QSLs via Logbook of The World, or via their home calls either direct or via the bureau.

Rick, N1DC is active holiday style as N1DC/4 from Hutchinson Island, NA-141, until the 25th of February. He operates CW, FT8 and SSB on the 40, 30 and 20m bands. QSL direct to his home call and Logbook of The World.

Wolfgang, DL5MAE will be paying another visit to Laos until the 20th of February. In his spare time, he will reactivate his 3W2MAE callsign. He suffers from heavy local QRM and requests that callers bear this in mind when trying to contact him. His preferred QSL route is via the German QSL bureau.

 

Now the special event news

Members of the Bruneck section of the ARI, the Italian national society, will be using II3BIA until the 23rd of February to celebrate the Biathlon World Championships in Italy. Operations will be on all bands between 160 and 10m as well as 2m and 70cm using CW, SSB, digital modes and QO-100 satellite. QSL via IN3ZWF, by the Bureau, direct, eQSL or OQRS.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

 

Now the contest news

This weekend the ARRL International DX Contest ends its 48-hour run at 2359UTC today, the 16th. Using CW only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report and transmit power, with US stations also sending their State and Canadians their Province.

On Monday the first FT4 contest runs from 2000 to 230UTC on the 80m band. The exchange is your 4-character locator.

On Tuesday, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Thursday the 70MHz UK Activity Contest also runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Next Sunday, the 23rd, is the first 70MHz Cumulative Contest. Running from 1000 to 1200UTC and using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

For 48 hours next weekend the CQ 160m DX contest take place. Starting at 2200UTC on the 21st, it ends at the same time on the 23rd. Using SSB only the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone with American stations also sending their State and Canadians their Province.

From 0600UTC on the 22nd to 1800UTC on the 23rd, the REF Contest is SSB only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and serial number with French stations sending their Department number or overseas prefix.

For 24 hours from 1200UTC on the 22nd, the UK EI Contest Club DX contest is CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and District Code.

 

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 14th of February.

Last week saw reasonably-settled HF conditions after the effects of a geomagnetic disturbance passed. But the Sun remained spotless again with a solar flux index of about 70-72 all week.

Wednesday’s 80m Club Championship contest left many amateurs feeling disappointed and with fairly empty logs after the critical frequency let them down.

At the start of the contest the f0F2 as measured at RAL in Chilton was 3.5MHz, but it then declined before finishing at 3.45MHz at 21:30hrs. As a result, long skip was the order of the day with the highest scorers being in Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden.

With a few exceptions, there were few inter-G contacts as the high-angle signals were just not being returned by the ionosphere. Hopefully, this will improve over the next few months as the series continues and the evening critical frequency or f0F2 rises.

Barring any dramatic changes, NOAA has the solar flux index at 71 this coming week. A large coronal hole should become Earth-facing on Friday the 14th, which means we may see its associated high speed solar wind impact the Earth around Sunday or Monday the 16th/17th. This could see the Kp index rise to four with characteristic disturbed conditions after a potential initial positive phase.

There are some DX nuggets to be had this week. Mike TI7/G3WPH and John TI7/G4IRN are both active in Costa Rica until 17th February. They have already been spotted on 160m and 40m, and should be taking part in this weekend’s ARRL International DX Contest. See www.rsgb.org/predtest for prediction details to Costa Rica

 

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

 

Next week’s weather is likely to continue the unsettled theme, so more strong winds at times and little real chance of significant Tropo paying a visit. There may just be a brief weak ridge close to southern England midweek, but not looking too useful for developing the inversions needed for Tropo.

In propagation terms, that leaves us with some potential for rain scatter as active fronts and showers bring useful scatter points regions for the GHz fraternity.

The shower examples may be quite a challenge since the rate of movement can be quite high in such windy weather; imagine trying to follow a target moving at 40mph! Radar displays are your friend here and can make a big difference to the outcomes.

Moon declination reaches its minimum for the lunar month on Wednesday, with the Moon appearing above the horizon for seven hours and reaching just 13 degrees elevation. Path losses are rising all week and 144 MHz sky noise is very high, peaking at around 3000 Kelvin on Tuesday.

Keep looking for random meteor scatter QSOs around dawn when the Earth is rotating towards the main meteor flux to keep the VHF DX coming.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday the 9th of February 2020

 

The news headlines:

Build a radio at Bletchley Park

Voting for RSGB AGM opens in around 4 weeks

GB3GV ATV repeater back to full power

 

The RSGB invites young people, and an accompanying adult if the child is under 16 years, to join them at the National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park for a fun and hands-on workshop where they can learn more about radio and electronics on the 14th of March. The workshop offers a short introduction to wireless communications, radio propagation and electronic construction, before moving on to the construction of a medium wave radio receiver provided free of charge for each registered student by the Radio Communications Foundation. Attendees will also be able to visit Bletchley Park, including the National Radio Centre. Places are limited to eight young persons, tickets cost £7 and accompanying adults if child is under 16 £8. The ticket includes access to Bletchley Park for the purposes of this workshop on the specified date only. Bookings are available via the Bletchley Park website at www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ under the what’s on tab.

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered for the RSGB Board Director and Regional Representative roles as part of the forthcoming elections. The nomination period has now ended. Voting will begin on the 11th of March and will end on the 23rd of April. All the information on candidates and how to vote will appear in the April edition of RadCom.

GB3GV, the Leicestershire Repeater Group 23cm ATV repeater, has now been restored to full ERP following a site visit on the 1st of February. Further info from www.leicestershirerepeatergroup.org.uk.

Venues and dates for the 2020 series of Train the Trainers courses can be found on the RSGB website at www.rsgb.org/train-the-trainers. In order to ensure that courses are run as cost-effectively as possible between twenty and twenty-five candidates are needed for each course. To reserve a place on any of the courses please email [email protected] with your name and telephone number. The first course to run will be held in Telford on the 21st of March; it currently has eight places available. Following Telford will be Cardiff on the 18th of April. This course currently still has space so please book as soon as possible. Details of other courses available are on the website.

The RSGB’s Examinations and Syllabus Review Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Greg Fenton, M0ODZ to the group. Greg has had a life-long interest in amateur radio and in more recent years he also became involved with Makerspace in Newcastle. After gaining his Full licence he started to take part in amateur radio teaching, including to his youngest daughter who is now also a licensed radio amateur. Like Tony, G7ETW who also joined the group recently, Greg has already brought fresh enthusiasm and ideas to the group and the RSGB looks forward to his continued participation.

Due to essential maintenance, the Radio Room at the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed to visitors on Tuesday the 11th of February. Whilst the NRC itself will remain open to visitors, it means that the station GB3RS will be ‘off-air’ and hence will be unavailable for any visiting radio amateurs to operate. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. The work should be completed by mid-afternoon and hence GB3RS may be on-air later in the day but, by closing for the day, we are allowing for any over-run needed to complete the work.

Provisional results for the last IARU R1 VHF Contest are available on IARU Region 1 website www.iaru-r1.org. Congratulations to GM4ZUK/P who was the highest placed UK station in the single operation 145MHz section and G8P who were the highest placed team in the multi operatior 145MHz section. G3XDY was the highest placed UK station in the 6 hour 145MHz section

 

And now for the details of rallies and events for the coming week

Today, the 9th of February the Harwell Radio and Electronics Rally will be held at Didcot Leisure Centre, Mereland Road, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 8AY, that’s about 3 miles from the A34 Milton Interchange. Doors open 10am to 3pm and admittance is £3 with under 12s free. Talk in will be on 145.550MHz, using G3PIA and there is free car parking. Local and national traders as well as Special Interest Groups and an RSGB Bookstand will be in attendance. Home-made refreshments are available all day. Details from [email protected] or 01235 816379.

Next Saturday, the 15th the Ballymena ARC Rally will be held in Ahoghill Community Centre, 80 Cullybackey Road, Ahoghill BT42 1LA. Doors open at 10.30am and admission is £3. There is free parking on site. There will be traders, a Bring & Buy and a prize draw will operate. Light refreshments will be available. Tables are free but must be pre-booked by email to [email protected]. More details from Hugh, GI0JEV on 0282 587 1481.

Next Sunday, the 16th, the RadioActive Rally will be held at Nantwich Civic Hall, Cheshire, CW5 5DG. There is free car parking and doors open at 10.30am. There will be a Bring & Buy, as well as traders and an RSGB book stall. A single raffle ticket is included with the entrance programme; additional tickets available. Catering is provided on site. Contact Stuart Jackson on 0788 073 2534.

Also, next Sunday, the 16th, the Lomond Radio Club Bring & Buy event takes place at John Connolly Centre, Main Street, Renton G82 4LY. Doors open at 10am. There will be a Bring & Buy, traders and refreshments will be available. Contact Bill at [email protected].

Please send details of your rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected] – we give you valuable publicity online, in RadCom and on GB2RS, all for free.

 

And now the DX news from 425 DX News and other sources

Andre, PP6ZZ will be active as PY0FF from Fernando de Noronha, SA-003, until the 18th of February. He plans to operate all modes, including FT8 and FT4, in his spare time. QSL via Logbook of The World, or via W9VA.

RI1ANC, the club station at Vostok Station in Antarctica, is active. Look for activity on the HF bands, mainly FT8 with some CW and SSB. QSL via RN1ON.

Ed, K1EP will be active as VP2MEP from Montserrat, NA-103, between the 11th and 17th of February. He will operate CW, SSB and some FT8. QSL via Logbook of The World or direct to K1EP.

Rob, G4WXJ will be active as ZC4RH from the UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus until the 13th of February. He expects to operate SSB, CW and FT8 on the 40, 30, 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL via his home call, direct or via the bureau. He does not use Logbook of The World or Club Log.

Dave, VE3VSM will be active as VE3VSM/HR9 from Roatan Island, NA-057, between the 11th and 23rd of February. He will be operating on the 20 and 15m bands using CW in his spare time and during some contests. QSL via Logbook of The World, or direct.

 

Now the special event news

Heiko, DK3DM and others are active as DL2020R until the end of the year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the German reunification process. QSL via Club Log's OQRS or direct only to M0SDV.

DL250BEETH is another special callsign commemorating Ludwig van Beethoven's 250th anniversary. It will be used by the Kerpen local branch of DARC until the end of the year. QSL via DJ6SI.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

 

Now the contest news

The CQ WW WPX Party ends its 48-hour run at 2359UTC today, the 9th. It’s RTTY only on the 3.8 to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

The PACC Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1200UTC today, the 9th. Using CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report serial number with PA stations also sending their Province.

On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. The 432MHz UK Activity Contest follows at 2000 to 2230UTC using all modes. The exchange is the same for both, signal report serial number and locator.

On Wednesday the 80m Club Championships holds a datamodes leg from 2000 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Thursday the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Next weekend the ARRL International DX Contest runs from 0000UTC on the 15th to 2359UTC on the 16th. Using CW only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands the exchange is signal report and transmit power, with US stations also sending their State and Canadians their Province.

 

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 7th of February.

After sunspot group 2757 rotated out of view the Sun remained spotless with a solar flux index around 70. We had periods of geomagnetic disruption thanks to the effects of coronal holes, the worst seeing the Kp index hit four on Thursday morning. These storms resulted in visible aurora being reported at higher latitudes.

Monday saw the first of the RSGB’s 80m Club Championship events with an SSB contest. Participants complained about the poor propagation, with continental stations being stronger than locals. This was reflected in the ionosonde data at propquest.co.uk, that showed the f0F2 critical frequency, as measured at RAF Fairford, as 2.875MHz at the start of the contest and only 3.175MHz at the end. Meanwhile, Chilton recorded 3.7MHz at the start of the contest and 3.5MHz at the end.

So, you can see that short-range propagation on 80m was marginal and favoured different parts of the country. Next week, there is the possibility that strong jet streams may provide some low-band Sporadic-E enhancement for evening nets when the foF2 has deserted us.

Thursday saw an HF enhancement, possibly linked to the raised Kp index, with maximum usable frequencies creeping above 21MHz and 15m FT8 openings into the Canary Islands, the Azores, Greece and European Russia. There were also 15m FT8 openings to South America later in the afternoon.

CDXC members have also reported contacts last week with TI9A, Cocos Island, off Costa Rica, and HU1DL in El Salvador. Excitement is also building for the VP8PJ South Orkney DXpedition that should start later this month.

Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain around 70 with more settled geomagnetic conditions after the effects of the current high-speed solar wind diminish.

 

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

 

After a brief period of Tropo in the second half of last week, we are now about to enter a period of very unsettled weather with deep lows passing by the far north of Britain. This means that Tropo will not be a feature this coming week and time may be better spent making sure the antenna ropes are secure and towers lowered if the forecast looks severe.

At present, the strongest winds are likely in northern and western areas, but with such a strong Atlantic jet stream there is a huge amount of energy available to spin up very deep lows in less than 24 hours. The message therefore is to keep up to date with the latest forecasts, because the track of such lows can change markedly over a few hours.

There is one propagation silver lining to this type of weather, which is possible microwave rain scatter as squally fronts or showers pass by.

One of the models does build a high over the continent at the end of next week with a possibility of some Tropo into France, but only from the southeastern corner of the country.

Moon declination goes negative on Wednesday, but with perigee on Monday, it's still a good week for EME. Path losses are at their lowest and 144 MHz sky noise is low all week.

There are no major meteor showers this week, and we are now well into the Winter minimum for random meteors. The best time for random meteor scatter QSOs is always around dawn when the Earth is rotating towards the main meteor flux.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.