GB2RS

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 2nd February 2020

The news headlines:

New IARU Region 1 website live

RSGB Operating Awards QSL Checking Service

GB3RS at the NRC due for maintenance on the 11th

Earlier this week the new IARU website went live with new material added. Also live is the new IARU Region 1 website at its normal address of iaru-r1.org. Please take a moment to explore the new Region 1 site and also remember that if you link to that site from your own website, you will need to update the hyperlinks to reflect the new page addresses. Don, G3BJ, IARU Region 1 President, said, “Thanks go to the many content owners in Region 1 who have reviewed and updated their content as part of the process and to Marko, 9A8MM, the webmaster”.

The RSGB is now offering a QSL card checking service for RSGB award applicants. When submitting your award application, you will have the option to request a QSL card check. The RSGB Awards Manager will arrange for your cards to be checked in person, please do not send cards to RSGB HQ. Did you know that clubs can apply for the RSGB HF and VHF/UHF awards? Your club may apply under its club callsign for any award for which it has met the criteria. For more information, see www.rsgb.org/awards

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.

On the 30th of January at 1400UTC, AMSAT Argentina deployed a WSPR / APRS drifting Buoy on the South Atlantic Seas. The WSPR beacon will run 900mW on 14095.6kHz with the callsign LU7AA. The APRS beacon, callsign LU7AA-11, will initially be on Argentina's APRS frequency of 144.930MHz but will change frequency to 145.825MHz so that it can be digipeated by the amateur packet radio satellites. The release was 100km offshore Mar del Plata coast, seeking east aiming currents and winds. The objective is to track Sea currents and conduct HF, VHF and satellite ultra-QRP propagation tests. AMSAT Argentina, LU7AA, would appreciate WSPR stations receiving and reporting of the 20m beacon. Further information and pictures at http://amsat.org.ar?f=buoy

The RSGB has released another selection of lectures from the 2019 RSGB Convention for Members to enjoy. Ian White, GM3SEK revisits and updates his popular 2015 Convention lecture Clean up your shack; Richard Banester, G4CDN looks at 2m weak signal ionosphere scatter and Tony Canning, G2NF asks Urban QRM; What can I do? Head to www.rsgb.org/videos to view them.

During the month of February, the Polish national society PZK will have 14 different special event stations on the air to mark the 90th anniversary of PZK and the 95th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union. Six of the stations will have 90PZK in their callsigns, two stations will have 2020PZK and six stations will have 95IARU in their callsigns. Prefixes will be 3Z, HF, SN, SP, SQ and SO. A free downloadable award will be available to European station who make seven QSOs on either phone, CW or digital modes. Full details available on 90.pzk.org.pl

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

Today, Sunday the 2nd of February, the 36th Canvey Radio & Electronics Rally will take place at Cornelius Vermuyden School, Dinant Avenue, Canvey Island, Essex SS8 9QS. Talk in will be on 145.550MHz. There is free car parking and easy level ground floor access to two large halls. Doors open at 10 am, or 9.45 am for disabled visitors. Admission is £3, with children under 10 free. Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be available, as well as bacon butties. There will be radio, computing and electronics traders. More details from Tony, G0JYI, via email to [email protected].

If you happen to be holidaying in Florida soon you may be interested in the 74th Orlando Hamcation on the 7th to the 9th of February. Held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park, in Orlando, there will be trade stands, a flea market, a swapmeet, US Licence exams & more. Go to www.hamcation.com for details.

Next Sunday, 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 10 am to 3 pm 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.

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

Nando, IT9YRE and Mike, K9AJ will be on the air as CB0Z from the 3rd to the 5th of February to activate the new IOTA reference Alejandro Selkirk Island, IOTA SA-101. Activity will be on the 40, 30, 20, 17 and 15m bands using CW, SSB and possibly FT8. QSL via IT9YRE.

A DXpedition to Cocos Island will take place until the 9th of February using the callsign TI9C. The operators will be Mark, XE1B and Frank, HK5OKY and they plan to be on all bands from 160 to 6m on SSB and FT8. QSL via Club Log OQRS.

A large group of operators will be operating as 5I5TT from Zanzibar Island, IOTA AF-032, from the 4th to the 18th of February. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB and RTTY with four stations active. QSL via I2YSB.

A German DXpedition team will be on the air from El Salvador until the 13th of February. They will be using the callsign HU1DL. The usual prefix for El Salvador is YS so the HU prefix will attract added attention to the expedition. They will be active on all bands from 160 to 6m on CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via Club Log OQRS.

Matteo, IZ4YGS will be operating as 9G5GS from Sanzule in Ghana from the 1st to the 26th of February. Activity will be on the 160 to 20m bands using FT8 and SSB. He also plans some activity on QO-100. QSL direct to home call.

Russell, G5XW will be operating holiday-style as C5XW in the Gambia until the 7th of February. Activity will be mainly SSB on the 40 to 17m bands and possibly some CW. QSLs go via the RSGB bureau

Now the special event news

On Wednesday the 5th of February GB0GLS will be on the air from Gilnahirk Listening Station, BT5 7SL. Operations run from 10 am to 6 pm. There is no parking on Gilnahirk Road, but the organisers plan to have a field available for parking. Details on qrz.com

Members of the Kuwait Amateur Radio Society are operating as 9K59NLD during February to mark Kuwait's National and Liberation Day. QSL via 9K2RA.

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

Today, Sunday, the 2nd of February, the 432MHz AFS contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

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

On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC, it is followed from 2000 to 2230 by the 144MHz UK Activity Contest where all modes may be used. The exchange for both contests is signal report, serial number and locator.

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

Next weekend the CQ WW WPX Party runs from 0000UTC on the 8th to 2359UTC on the 9th. It’s RTTY only on the 3.8 to 28MHz bands. The exchange is signal report and serial number.

The PACC Contest runs from 1200UTC on the 8th to 1200UTC on 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 Saturday the 8th the 1st 1.8MHz contest of the year runs from 1900 to 2300UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and District.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 31st of January.

We had a new sunspot group last week, but don’t get too excited – region 2757 was from the old Cycle 24. We know this because it was close to the Sun’s equator and had the older magnetic configuration. As you read or hear this, the spot will be rotating out of view off of the Sun’s eastern limb. A new plage region belonging to upcoming Cycle 25 also appeared high in latitude on the southwest limb but didn’t amount to anything.

The Kp index peaked at three last week, possibly due to a minor geomagnetic storm triggered by a coronal mass ejection from sunspot group 2757. But otherwise, with the solar flux at 74, it was business as usual!

There was DX to be had. Andy, M0NKR reports working 7Z Saudi Arabia, 9W West Malaysia, HS0 Thailand and 4S7 Sri Lanka on 40 metres. He also reports working 8P Barbados, SO Western Sahara and FJ Saint Barthelemy on 17 metres.

SO1WS at the Sahrawi Amateur Radio Club has been very active on 17m, so keep an eye on the cluster for their current operating frequency.

Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will be around 74, declining to 71 as sunspot 2757 disappears from the Earth-facing solar surface.

Geomagnetic conditions will be mainly settled with a maximum Kp index of three.

Expect to see openings up to the 18MHz band, with the 14MHz band being more reliable. The 21MHz band and higher are still not really playing ball, other than for FT8 contacts with Germany being spotted on 10 metres on Thursday.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

The coming week’s weather has a continuing unsettled flavour, especially in the north, but with a hint of a brief ridge of high pressure passing across southern areas around mid-week. This means that it's mostly GHz Bands rain scatter on offer this weekend and into the beginning of next week, but again this appears to be mostly for northern parts of the country.

As the high builds later on Tuesday and through Wednesday we could see some Tropo conditions extending to the south into the continent and across Biscay towards Spain, perhaps. This is a relatively brief period of high pressure and may not have enough time to build a strong inversion with moisture trapped beneath the inversion as required for a good lift.

The upper air charts for the coming week provide a significant chance of a strong jet stream in the upper atmosphere over or near the UK. This is the sort of pattern that can produce Sporadic-E in the summer season and may just tip the balance in winter if it goes in our favour. Take a look for digital mode activity on 10m for a “heads up.”

With Moon declination still rising, reaching maximum on Thursday, it's a good week for EME. With just over a week to perigee, path losses are falling. 144MHz sky noise is highest on Wednesday, falling to its lowest on Saturday.

There’s a small meteor shower in progress, the Alpha-Centaurids, reaching its peak on Saturday. Due to the southern declination of its radiant, the best time is before dawn when the radiant lies highest above the horizon.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 26th January 2020

 

The news headlines:

RSGB Board application deadline looms

British Science Week info available now

Why GB3GV is QRP

 

The deadline for applications for the two elected RSGB Board Director positions is Friday the 31st of January. This is your opportunity to take an important and interesting role in leading the Society into the next decade. You'll find guidance and candidate forms on the RSGB elections web page, but if you’d like an informal chat to find out more, contact the Board Chair, Ian Shepherd, G4EVK, via email to [email protected].

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. There's a lot to get you started on this excellent initiative.

Leicestershire digital ATV repeater GB3GV has been significantly down on power for the last couple of weeks. Due to failure of one of the transmitter stages it has only been running about 1W to the antenna. Repairs will hopefully be carried out soon, which will bring the signal back to full strength. Further info is online at www.leicestershirerepeatergroup.org.uk.

Regulators in Spain are allowing radio amateurs there to exchange their current longer-format callsigns for permanent 2 x 1 callsigns. To be eligible, applicants must have held a licence issued by Spanish authorities without any sanctions and have at least 15 years of experience in international amateur radio.

Germany is again permitting amateurs to use the 70.150-70.200MHz segment of the 4m band until the end of 2020. All conditions are the same as last year.

If you would like to support the RSGB at a senior level but are unable to commit to a full three years as a Board Director, please contact the Nominations Committee with an outline of your skills. This Committee can suggest Members for co-option to the RSGB Board or to act as a Board adviser for a certain period and for specific projects. If this fits your skills and time, please email the Company Secretary, who is also the Nominations Committee Chair, via [email protected].

In New Zealand, the trial licence scheme for the 5MHz band has been extended for a further six months. It will now continue until 24 July, during which time the authorities hope to work out a more permanent solution. Conditions of use remain unchanged from earlier in the trial.

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

On Saturday the 1st of February, the Barry ARS Table Top Rally takes place at The Wilton Lounge, Sully Sports & Leisure Club, South Road, Sully CF64 5SP. Doors open from 10am and entry is £2, with under 18s free. There is ample parking. Items on offer will include new and second-hand radio, computer and electronics. Catering and a bar will be available. More details from Nigel, GW1CUQ, via [email protected].

On Sunday the 2nd of February, the 36th Canvey Radio & Electronics Rally will take place at Cornelius Vermuyden School, Dinant Avenue, Canvey Island, Essex SS8 9QS. Talk in will be on 145.550MHz. There is free car parking and easy level ground floor access to two large halls. Doors open at 10am, or 9.45am for disabled visitors. Admission is £3, with children under 10 free. Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be available, as well as bacon butties. There will be radio, computing and electronics traders. More details from Tony, G0JYI, via 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

Dirk, WA4DT will operate until the 2nd of February as HR9/WA4DT from Roatan Island, off the coast of Honduras, IOTA reference NA-057. He will be on CW and FT8.

Melvin, W8MV will be active from the Caribbean island of Montserrat, NA-103, from the 26th January to the 2nd of February. He will be using CW on the HF bands using the callsign VP2MCV. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World.

Russell, G5XW will be on the air holiday-style as C5XW in The Gambia from the 28th of January to the 7th of February. Activity will be mainly SSB and possibly some CW on 40 to 17m. QSL via the RSGB bureau.

Matteo, IZ4YGS will be active as 9G5GS from Sanzule, Ghana from the 1st to the 26th of February. In his spare time he will operate FT8 and SSB on the 160 to 20m bands. He also plans some USB activity on the QO-100 satellite. QSL via Logbook of The World, eQSL or direct to his home call.

Nando, IT9YRE and Mike, K9AJ will be active as CB0Z from Selkirk Island, SA-101, between the 3rd and the 5th of February. They will operate SSB and CW on the 40, 30, 20, 17 and 15m bands, using vertical antennas and two stations. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS, or via IT9YRE.

Don, VE7DS will be active as E51DDG from Rarotonga in the South Cook Islands, OC-013, between the 2nd and the 14th of February. He will operate CW only on the 40, 30, 20 and 17m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, or via his home call.

Now the special event news

We’ve received no news of special event stations taking place 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

The CQ 160m DX contest ends its 48 hour run at 2200UTC today, the 26th. It’s CW only on the 1.8MHz band, and the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. Note that US stations also send their State, and Canadians send their Province.

The BARTG RTTY Sprint contest ends its 24 hour run at 1200UTC today, the 26th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is simple the serial number of the contact.

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.

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

Next Sunday, the 2nd of February, the 432MHz AFS contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Don’t forget that the UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon runs until the end of January, so you have a few days left. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 24th of January.

This week saw a decline in Sporadic-E conditions on 10m. This may be due to a repositioning of the jet stream or just the end of the winter Sporadic-E season, but more of that in the VHF section.

On the face of it, last week saw the Sun behaving itself, with zero sunspots. But look a little closer and it has actually been quite active. Two solar events were launched off the Sun’s surface, one on Sunday the 19th, which was preceded by an X-ray solar flare, the other from a coronal hole on Monday the 21st. There was a slight increase in the solar wind at times this week due to the coronal hole’s solar wind stream. This pushed the Kp index to three.

Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain around 72, with mainly settled geomagnetic conditions. The Kp index is predicted to remain around two, at least until the first of February when an unsettled region of the Sun rotates back into view.

The most interesting propagation this week has been on the low bands, notably Top Band and 80 metres. Derek, G3RAU reports on the CDXC reflector that he worked Mexico on 80m at 0900UTC, while Chris, G3SJJ worked NA5G in Louisiana on 160m at 0745UTC. Victor, G3JNB reports working JT5DX in Mongolia on 80m in the late evening. The JT5 station has also been active on 160 metres.

This really is an optimum time of year for low band DXing, so keep an eye on 160, 80 and 40 metres, especially around dawn for DX from the west. The DX net around 3.795MHz every morning is always a good test of your station’s 80m DX capabilities.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

It’s goodbye to the high pressure as we go through this weekend and the Atlantic weather systems start to move in from the west. This will set up a very unsettled period of weather again during most of the week with strong winds, especially in the north, but also in southern areas at times.

As for propagation, there should be some GHz bands rain scatter options as squally fronts cross the country, and from scattered showers in the unstable westerly flow which follows the cold fronts.

Although high pressure remains over the southern half of the continent, it will be well out of reach from most of the UK and Tropo is unlikely to be a feature of propagation this week.

It’s always just possible for out of season Sporadic-E, and the jet stream over the UK is likely to strengthen again next week. If this were high summer it would be a very positive steer, but in mid-winter it’s not a good prospect, except perhaps for paths to Scandinavia and the Baltic if you are really lucky.

Moon declination is rising this week, going positive on Thursday. Apogee is on Thursday, so it is not a great week for EME due to high path losses. 144MHz sky noise is low.

There are no major meteor showers this week so continue to look for random QSOs in the early morning around dawn.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 19th January 2020

 

The news headlines:

Volunteer as a Regional Representative

New member of Exam & Syllabus Review Group

Teams section launched on RSGB website

 

Are you an RSGB Member living in Regions 2, 5, 7, 11, 12 or 13? If you want to make a difference in your Region and volunteer as a Regional Representative, remember that you need to submit your application before the 31st of January. This applies to those who are standing for re-election as well as Members who want to apply for the first time. Further information about all roles in the RSGB elections can be found on the Society’s website at www.rsgb.org/election.

At the end of last year, the RSGB announced the formation of the new Examination and Syllabus Review Group, the ESRG, and three vacancies within that Group. The Society is now pleased to announce that Tony Jones, G7ETW, has joined the group. Tony is an experienced tutor and will also be known to readers of Practical Wireless as a regular contributor to training-related articles. There are still two vacancies to fill; you can find out more from the RSGB website ESRG pages or the volunteers page, www.rsgb.org/volunteers

In the October 2019 RadCom, Board Director Philip Willis, M0PHI explained how the RSGB was updating the way in which staff members and volunteers work together to carry out the activities of the Society and to achieve its Strategy 2022 priorities. The Society has grouped these activities and specialist volunteers into five new teams and has launched a new section on its website for them: Innovation, Operating, Learning, Representation and Support. Go to www.rsgb.org/teams to find the right people to contact for help and advice.

An AM QSO Party takes place between 0600UTC on the 25th and 1200UTC on the 26th of January. This is not a 5/9 contest and aims to encourage QSOs and conversation, however points can be gained and certificates awarded. Full details of the AM QSO Party can be found at https://amqsoparty.wixsite.com/mysite

Key messages from the RSGB Volunteer Leadership Team meeting on the 16th of November are now online at tinyurl.com/GB2RS-1901A

Following updates to the Amateur Radio Regulations in the Falkland Islands, there is a need to revalidate all Falkland Island amateur radio callsigns. In order to do that, all users will be required to reapply for authority to use Falkland Island callsigns.

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

We have no details of rallies in January. The first couple of the year will be the Barry ARS Table Top Sale on the 1st of February and the South Essex ARS Canvey Rally on the 2nd of February.

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

Roland, F8EN will be active as FR/F8EN from Reunion Island, IOTA reference AF-016, from the 23rd of January to the 18th of February. He will operate CW only on the HF bands. QSL via F6AJA either direct or via the bureau.

Janusz, SP9FIH will be active from Norfolk Island, OC-005 until the 12th of April. He will use the callsign VK9NK on SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSLs go via Club Log OQRS.

Jean-Pierre, F6ITD will be active as FG/F6ITD and TO7D from La Desirade, Guadeloupe, NA-102, until the 9th of March. He plans to operate SSB and digital modes on all bands. QSLs are preferred via Logbook of The World.

Dirk, WA4DT will be active as WA4DT/HR9 from Roatan Island, NA-057, until the 2nd of February. He will operate CW and FT8 on the 40 and 30m bands. QSL direct to his home call.

Slovenian operators S50X, S51V, S52P, S54W, S56DX, S56N, S57DX and S59A will be active on all bands and modes as IG9/homecall from Lampedusa Island, AF-019, between the 21st and 27th of January. QSL via home calls.

Rich, W4GKR will be active holiday style as TI5/W4GKR from Costa Rica until the 4th of February. He will operate digital modes and possibly slow CW on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via his home call.

Now the special event news

Members of the Russian Robinson Club will operate the special event station R200ANT to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica. The station will be on the air until the 31st of March. Listeners are asked to note that the event station is located in Russia and not Antarctica.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

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.

Next weekend, the CQ 160m DX contest runs from 2200UTC on the 24th to 2200UTC on the 26th. It’s CW only on the 1.8MHz band and the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. Note that US stations also send their State and Canadians send their Province.

The BARTG RTTY Sprint contest runs from 1200UTC on the 25th to 1200UTC on the 26th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands the exchange is simply the serial number of the contact.

Don’t forget that the UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 17th of January.

We had another pretty uneventful week with zero sunspots, but no major geomagnetic disturbances. The K index rose to three on Thursday morning due to the effects of the solar wind, but the ionosphere was otherwise calm geomagnetically.

We said last week that there had been some winter Sporadic-E, which had livened up 10 metres. We also said there had been no SSB activity of note on the band and was promptly corrected by Tony, M0IQD who sent a copy of his log. This showed that he made more than 15 SSB contacts on the 8th of January, including Norway, Sweden, Poland, Germany and even VO1FOG in Newfoundland. Keep an eye open around 28.450 to 28.495MHz for SSB openings. He also suggested that the Facebook group 10 Metre UK Net was a useful tool for 10m operators. We’re only too happy to pass that information on.

Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the range 70-72, reflecting the current state of the solar cycle. It also predicts quiet geomagnetic conditions all week, so the ionosphere should be settled and showing seasonal norms in terms of propagation.

According to Propquest, daytime critical frequencies as measured by the Chilton digisonde are generally in the range 4.1 to 5.3MHz. This suggests that 80m remains best for inter-G contacts, with 40m being restricted to longer paths such as G to GM. Night-time critical frequencies are generally around 3.1 to 3.6 MHz, so 80m propagation may be marginal over shorter distances, but better over 500km or more.

Daytime F2 layer openings are generally up to 18MHz, with the 20-metre band being more reliable.

Weather charts show that the jet stream will remain strong over the UK and Europe next week, which may be an indicator for winter Sporadic-E, although the season may be ending – more of this in the VHF section.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

High pressure has started to reassert itself over southern Britain and improved Tropo conditions will probably kick in from today into early next week. Paths into the continent and south past Portugal towards the Canaries might be worth a look, in view of recent performances. This positive Tropo pattern could hold into midweek, but thereafter the models show a collapse of the high back towards the Azores, allowing room for a colder north-westerly to bring stronger winds and a risk of some wintry weather across eastern areas. But other models confine the cold outbreak to the northern half of the UK only.

There is always scope for some winter Sporadic-E and the jet stream pattern may favour paths into Western Europe and the western Mediterranean, particularly for digital modes like FT8, but it could also be worth checking for CW and SSB on 10m too.

The cold northwesterly with its wintry showers may excite the GHz fraternity towards the latter part of next week as heavy showers move down the North Sea and the Irish Sea, bringing some rain scatter propagation. The good thing about winter rain scatter is that the showers are not diurnal like in summer and usually maintain activity throughout the day and night.

Moon declination is negative and reaching a minimum on Thursday. Path losses continue to rise all week, and the very high 144MHz sky noise midweek means it’s a poor week for EME.

There are no major meteor showers this week, so continue to look for random QSOs in the early morning around dawn.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 12th January 2020

 

The news headlines:

First Tunisian licences in 6 decades

Intruder Watcher DK2OM retires

IET Wiring Reg changes affect Syllabus

 

The IARU reports that the first three Authorisations to Operate have been issued to three Tunisian amateurs. These are the first amateur permits issued since 1956. 3V8HB, 3V8MN and 3V1MB will soon be on the air from their homes, rather than being restricted to operating from a club station. Issuing individual authorisations to operate is a new process in Tunisia and involves a number of stages, including equipment conformity checks. This is great news for Tunisians that the process now exists so that radio amateurs can practice their hobby from homes in full compliance with the Tunisian Laws. The IARU Member Society ARAT extends its thanks to the National Agency of Frequencies, the Ministry of Telecommunications and all involved parties for making this happen.

After many years involvement in monitoring intruders on the amateur bands, Wolf Hadel, DK2OM, has decided to retire at the end of 2019. His work stretching back over 30 years first with DARC and, since 2005, for IARU Region 1, has been recognised with an IARU Diamond Award. Region 1 Vice-Coordinator Peter, HB9CET will take up the role on an interim basis until the Region 1 Conference in October.

Changes to The IET Wiring Regulations, BS7671, which are now at the 18th edition, affect syllabus item 8A2 in the Safety section of the amateur radio examination syllabus. There is a notice at www.rsgb.org/electricalsafety that explains more – and it’s relevant to all three exam levels.

Last week we told you about Ian, GM3SEK setting a new 70cm world record distance of 4,565km on tropo on the 28th of December. The record didn’t stand for long as Nick, G4KUX worked D21CV using FT8, establishing a new world record of 4644km. Congratulations to him. You will be able to read more about the excellent VHF conditions in the February edition of RadCom in the VHF UHF column. Any reports you may have for the column can be sent to [email protected].

The RSGB is looking for people to step forward for election at the RSGB AGM. There are vacancies for two elected Board Directors and six Regional Representatives. Full details of the nominations process can be found at www.rsgb.org/election. The deadline for your nomination is the 31st of January.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus members of the Cyprus Amateur Radio Society may use the prefix 5B60 during 2020 instead of the usual 5B4 prefix.

The latest IARU Monitoring System newsletter for Region 1 is now available from www.iaru-r1.org. It contains detailed reports from the national coordinators within IARU Region, including the UK report compiled by Richard, G4DYA. In his report you can see where the Russian Kontayner Over The Horizon radar is appearing on the 40m band and the occasional broadcast station that appeared on the wrong part of the band.

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

We have no details of rallies in January. The first couple of the year will be the Barry ARS Table Top Sale on the 1st of February and the South Essex ARS Canvey Rally on the 2nd of February.

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

Sergey, RX3AMY will be active as 8Q7MA from the Maldives until the 23rd of January. This is a holiday-style operation and he will be mainly on 40 and 20m SSB.

Jean, FG8NY, will be active with the special callsign TO10CWO from Saint Claude, Basse Terre Island in Guadeloupe, IOTA reference NA-102, between the 17th and the 31st of January. Activity is to celebrate 10th anniversary of CW Ops Club. Operations will be on various HF bands on CW. QSL via FG8NY.

PP2OK, PY6ZK, PU6JEL and PY6TV will be active as ZW6C from Tinhare Island, SA-080, between the 16th and 19th of January. Activity will be on the 40, 20 and 10m bands using CW and SSB.

Janusz, SP9FIH will be active as VK9NK from Norfolk Island, OC-005, between the 12th of January and the 12th of April. He will operate SSB, RTTY and FT8 in Fox & Hound mode on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS or via SP9FIH.

Now the special event news

John, M0XIG will operate GB200FN until the 3rd of February to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. QSL direct to M0XIG.

The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group is celebrating its diamond anniversary. Members of the Group will be active as GB60ATG until June 2020. More information can be found at bartg.org.uk.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

Today, the 12th, the Datamodes AFS takes place from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using the 3.5 and 7MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC, using FM only. It is 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 Tuesday the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Saturday the Worked All Britain 1.8MHz Phone contest runs from 1900 to 2300UTC. Using SSB only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square.

Also on Saturday the SSB AFS contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using SSB only on the 3.5 and 7MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

Don’t forget that the UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon and runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 10th of January.

Having predicted in last week’s broadcast that there would be no geomagnetic disturbances, we did in fact have two periods with an elevated Kp index this week. The first occurred on the 5th January, when the Kp index hit four. This was due to the impact of the solar wind. The Kp index rose again to four on Thursday the 9th, again due to the effects of a high-speed solar wind stream from a large geo-effective coronal hole.

On Thursday a new spot was seen forming in the Sun’s north-east quadrant. This event, coupled with other recent reports of new solar cycle 25 sunspots, suggest that the cycle is starting to get under way. The next few months should give us a better idea of how it is progressing. Andy, M0NKR reports that he has now worked more than 100 countries since January 1, so there is DX to be had on HF!

Meanwhile, ten metres was alive this week due to winter Sporadic-E. An opening at lunchtime on the 8th saw short-skip path openings on FT8 to Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland and others. More on this in the VHF report. Interestingly, there were no CW or SSB signals on the band at this time. This just goes to show that you shouldn’t write 10m off at this time of year.

Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain around 70, with mainly quiet geomagnetic conditions. We may have a geomagnetic disturbance on the 14th and 15th which could see the Kp index rise to four again. As always, look out for a pre-auroral enhancement at the beginning of the disturbance, but as it progresses expect to see lowered maximum usable frequencies and noisy bands.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

As we recover from the excesses of Christmas Tropo and start a New Year, the weather continues to provide some interest. Firstly, the northern half of the country will be dominated by deep Atlantic lows, which will mean strong winds at times with rain or snow in the north and a good chance of further episodes of scatter paths on the microwave bands. The south will, for the most part, be on the edge of the main low track and there may just be a chance to link into the high pressure via Tropo, but this doesn’t look like a good option.

Believe it or not, there is still one more roll of the dice for upper HF and VHF propagation and that may indirectly be the result of all this disturbed weather. The jet stream has been very strong, which is typical of winter months and, lying across the UK and northern Europe into Scandinavia, has produced some out-of-season Sporadic-E on 10m and 6m. Always worth a check, but the position of the jet stream and its strength may not be as favourable later in the week.

Moon declination is still positive but declining, going negative again on Thursday. Path losses are at their lowest at perigee on Monday. This and the low 144MHz sky noise means a good week for EME.

We are now entering the winter minimum of meteor activity, with just two more showers before the Lyrids at the end of April. Best opportunities for random QSOs will continue to be in the early morning around dawn.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 5th January 2020

 

 

The news headlines:

Happy New Year

GB3EG now on-air in Wigan

New Tropo records on 2m and 70cm

 

The news team and all the staff at RSGB HQ would like to wish our newsreaders, listeners and online readers a very Happy New Year. We would like to remind everyone that we always welcome your news, by email to [email protected], and the deadline is 10 am sharp on Thursday mornings. The GB2RS script is uploaded to the RSGB website by 4.30 pm each Friday afternoon.

The GB3EG repeater, located in Wigan, is now on the air. It is an analogue repeater with no internet connection activity. The location is at the QTH of 2E0SAF, approximately 200ft above sea level, with a mast 11.5m above ground level. Its RF output is a 7dBW, that’s about five watts but has had some good reports from further afield. It is accessed by 82.5Hz CTCSS tone only, and the operating frequencies are 430.9125MHz and 438.5125MHz with narrow deviation.

Congratulations to Ian, GM3SEK who set a new 70cm world record distance on tropo on the 28th of December by working D41CV at a distance of 4,565km. That put him in the unique position of holding both EME and tropo records on that band as, back on the 12th of March 1989, he worked ZL3AAD at 18,970km. On the 1st of January, Callum, GM0EWX on the Isle of Skye managed to work D41CV on 2m FT8. This now extends the 144MHz IARU Region 1 tropo record to 4,776km.

The new EI1KNH 5 metre beacon is now operational from its site near Enniskerry in County Wicklow. The transmit frequency is 60.013MHz. It shares the site with 70MHz beacon EI4RF and the 50MHz EI0SIX. For additional information please visit the QRZ.com entries.

All amateurs are required to revalidate their licence with Ofcom at least every five years. If it has been a while since you did that, go to www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence or email [email protected]. The process doesn’t take very long.

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

We have no details of rallies in January. The first couple of the year will be the Barry ARS Table Top Sale on the 1st of February and the South Essex ARS Canvey Rally on the 2nd of February.

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

Sergey, RX3AMY will be active holiday style as 8Q7BS from the Maldives, IOTA reference AS-013, until the 23rd of January. He will operate SSB and some CW on the 40 and 20m bands. QSL via his home call.

SP3PS will be active as C5SP from The Gambia until the 17th of January. He will operate SSB and FT8/FT4. QSL via his home call and Logbook of The World.

Jon, EA1VE will be active as HC2JKT from Puna Island, SA-034, in Ecuador from the 10th to the 30th of January. He will operate SSB on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via his home call.

Now the special event news

From Monday until next Sunday, Hilderstone Radio Society will be operating GB1RNLI from the RNLI lifeboat station in Margate.

TM70TAAF will be activated by François, F8DVD from the 12th to the 26th of January. The special callsign commemorates the 70th anniversary of the first amateur radio contacts with French Southern and Austral Territories that took place in January 1950. TM70TAAF will be operated from Mâcon, 60km north of Lyon in France. QSL via the bureau, direct with SASE and Logbook of The World. More information is on QRZ.com.

ARI Fidenza will use a series of special callsigns throughout 2020 to commemorate twelve major events and achievements in Marconi’s life. In January, the callsign will be II4BRN to commemorate his birth in 1874.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

The ARRL RTTY Roundup ends its 30-hour run at 2359UTC today, the 5th of January. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands the exchange is signal report and serial number, with US stations sending their State and Canadian stations their Province.

The second session of the EUCW 160m CW Party runs from 0400 to 0700UTC today, the 5th. The exchange depends on whether you are a member of various CW clubs. Details are at www.eucw.org.

On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC, using FM only, with the exchange of signal report, serial number and locator. It runs simultaneously with the 144MHz Machine Generated Modes contest, where the exchange is signal report and 4-character locator. This is immediately followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest, which runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for this one is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Thursday the 50MHz Machine Generated Mode contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. The exchange is signal report and 4-character locator. It is immediately followed by the all-mode 50MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for this contest is signal report, serial number and locator.

Next Sunday, the 12th, the Datamodes AFS takes place from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using the 3.5 and 7MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

Don’t forget that the UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon and runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

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

After the two new Solar Cycle 24 sunspots that appeared last week, we now have another spot developing in the Sun’s south-west quadrant. Don’t get too excited though, as the last two spots soon disappeared and this one might not amount to much either. It is, however, a positive sign that the next cycle is coming, albeit slowly.

Conditions have been settled geomagnetically, which has been good for the ionosphere. Maximum usable frequencies have reached 18MHz at times, although 7 and 14MHz have been more reliable during the day. There have been more interesting signals on the lower bands – 160, 80 and 40m – after dark. January is a good month for propagation on these bands, with the long periods of darkness meaning no D-layer absorption. DX can start to appear on 40m during the late afternoon and may continue throughout the night if the MUF stays high enough. Propquest.co.uk, which shows the results from the Chilton ionosonde, suggests this may be possible at times. Otherwise, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain in the range 70-72 this week, with the Kp index hitting a maximum of two, thanks to a lack of coronal hole activity. This means conditions should remain roughly similar to last week.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

Tropo records tumbled last week with the D41CV team on Cape Verde working British Isles stations on 144 and 432MHz via FT8. On the 31st of December they had a world record 432MHz QSO with GM3SEK at 4621km, then on New Year’s Day worked GM0EWX at 4776km on 144MHz FT8 to break the 144MHz record. Irish Sea tropo coupled into the Azores high tropo region to make the contacts possible. Love it or loathe it, FT8, combined with social media posting of activity has really made these super-tropo paths visible by making people more aware that something is happening.

This exceptional tropo weather has just taken a pause for now, but with high pressure remaining over the continent for much of the coming week, tropo should still be a feature although probably not of the scale of last weekend. The preferred directions will be from southern Britain into northern Europe and again across Biscay to northern Spain. The northern parts of the UK will be rather windy at times as low pressure drives a series of fronts across northern areas and occasionally down into southern Britain. This could provide some rain scatter on the microwave bands.

Moon declination is positive and reaches a peak on Friday so good Moon availability all week. Path losses are falling so EME conditions will improve throughout the week.

The peak of the Quadrantids shower is over but meteor activity will still be above normal, so keep looking for meteor scatter contacts on the VHF bands.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 22nd December 2019

The news headlines:

Final GB2RS of the year

Last chances to work GB18YOTA

RSGB Christmas and New Year opening times

 

This is the final GB2RS news reading for 2019 and we start with seasonal greetings to all newsreaders and listeners, both over the air and via the internet recordings, and not forgetting viewers of the ATV broadcast, which is available via several repeaters and kindly streamed via the BATC.TV website, as well as those that get this news via TX Factor or podcasts. We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all those that read the news, in whatever format, for their tireless dedication to their fellow amateurs. There will be no formal news reading on the 29th of December, although Newsreaders may choose to read the local news for that week. An abbreviated broadcast will resume on Sunday the 5th of January and a full GB2RS service on the 12th.

YOTA Month is gathering pace and the two-day event at the RSGB’s National Radio Centre last weekend was a great success. Today, the 22nd, the Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society at Blandford Camp will operate from 1200 to 1800UTC at the Headquarters Station. There is still time to apply to host the callsign between Christmas and the New Year so email [email protected] if you would like to take part.

RSGB HQ will close for the Christmas and New Year period from 12 noon on the 24th of December. It opens again at 8.30 am on the 2nd of January. During that time, if you need information about amateur radio, exams or RadCom you’ll find lots of information on the RSGB website, www.rsgb.org. The RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Visitors should also note that the NRC will close early, at 3 pm, on New Year’s Eve.

Sweden’s Alexanderson alternator station SAQ has planned a Christmas Eve transmission on 17.2kHz. The transmitter will be tuned up starting at around 0730UTC and a message will be transmitted at 0800UTC. Guests are welcome to attend the transmission at the radio station in Grimeton from 8 am. The Alexander association will arrange Coffee and Christmas cookies, free of charge, and there is no entrance fee. Amateur radio station SK6SAQ will be active on the 24th on 7.035 and 14.035MHz on CW, and 3.755MHz SSB. Two stations will be on the air most of the time.

The TX Factor team is celebrating an important milestone with the release of the 25th Episode of the only TV show dedicated to amateur radio. Bob, G0FGX talks to Eric Swartz, WA6HHQ about the new Elecraft K4 transceiver and Mike, G1IAR finds out about the WQ Weather Radar by Weatherquest. Mike and Bob took a trip to Southampton and Portsmouth to meet a team of radio amateurs who are working with their local emergency planning officer to make their repeaters resilient by using point to point RF links utilising off the shelf kit; there is also some information on the recent ITU World Radiocommunication Conference held in Egypt. Look out for the RSGB explanation on how it represents radio amateurs both nationally and internationally at around 28 minutes into the show. TX Factor is sponsored by the RSGB and Martin Lynch & Sons. Episode 25 is viewable in HD on all devices from smartphones to smart TVs and is available at www.txfactor.co.uk, where you will find all the previous episodes too.

Now for a licence revalidation reminder. All amateurs are required to revalidate their licence with Ofcom at least every five years. If it has been a while since you did that, go to www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence or email [email protected]. The process doesn’t take very long.

The GB2RS 5MHz Team has a need for readers on the rota of its Sunday afternoon national broadcast at 1500UTC on 5398.5kHz USB. We would welcome applicants, who should contact the RSGB’s GB2RS Manager via email to [email protected]. Note that 5MHz readers need to possess a Full UK amateur radio licence and be RSGB Members.

The RSGB has released a bumper crop of lectures from the 2019 Convention for members to enjoy over the Christmas break. Chris Duckling, G3SVL speaks about Lessons from the 6Gs VK9XG DXpedition including logistics, 160m & FT8 Fox and Hounds mode; Roger Balister, G3KMA and Igor Znamenskiy, UA9KDF talk about the Arctic Legends DXpedition by RI0B to the Russian Polar Arctic; Chris Whitmarsh, G0FDZ talks about 122GHz and up and Elaine Richards, G4LFM explains about Writing for all variants of RadCom. Head to www.rsgb.org/videos to view these and many more.

You may like to take part in Worked All Postcodes, sponsored by Moonraker and assisted by several other dealers. The idea is simple – work as many different postcode areas as you can on 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm. The award website is www.amateur-radio.co.uk.

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

On the 29th of December, the Yeovil ARC Christmas Rally will be held in Davis Hall, West Camel, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7QX. Doors open from 10 am and 2 pm. There are light refreshments available and plenty of free parking. The event has been sponsored by Lindars Radio. More from Bob Harris on 01963 440 167 or by email [email protected].

Please send details of your 2020 rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

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

Kasimir, DL2SBY will be active as HB0/DL2SBY from Liechtenstein until the 28th of December. He will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via his home call direct only. The log will be uploaded to Logbook of The World and Club Log.

Several operators from the Holy Land DX Group will be active as 4X9R from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Beit Shearim on the 27th and 28th of December. They will operate CW and SSB, with two stations on the 80 to10m bands. QSL via 4Z5LA

Oleh, KD7WPJ will be active as CE0Y/UR5BCP from Easter Island, IOTA reference SA-001, from the 26th to the 31st of December. He will operate SSB, CW, FT8 & FT4 on the 60 to 6m bands. QSL via KD7WPJ, either direct or via the bureau; his digital QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World.

Antonio, EA5RM will use HC3AGT while in Loja, Ecuador until the 5th of January 2020. In his spare time, he operates SSB and digital modes on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via his home call.

Col, MM0NDX operating as TF/OJ0Y and Jonathan, MM0OKG operating as TF/MM0OKG will be active from Iceland, EU-021 from the 31st of December to the 2nd of January. They will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on the 80 to 20m bands, and possibly on 160m. QSL via Logbook of the World for both and additionally via EB7DX for Col.

Now the special event news

Royal Signals ARS are pleased to host GB19YOTA at their Headquarters Station G4RS in Blandford Camp, Blandford, Dorset on today, the 22nd of December. Activity will be from 12 noon to 6 pm and HF and VHF operation on SSB, CW and FT8 is planned. Visitors are welcome but please note, as it is located on the Royal Signals Camp a photo ID such as a passport or driving licence is required for all adults visiting the station.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

The Christmas Cumulatives take place from 1400UTC on the 26th to 1600UTC on the 29th of December. Using all modes on the 50 to 432MHz bands, the exchange is a signal report, serial number and locator.

The Worked All Britain Christmas Party runs from the 26th of December to the 6th of January. Using all modes on all contest bands, the exchange is just your WAB book number.

On The 26th, the DARC Christmas Party runs from 0830 to 1100UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 7MHz contest bands, the exchange is a signal report and serial number. German stations also send DOK or NM.

The Stew Perry Topband Challenge runs from 1500UTC on the 28th to 1500UTC on the 29th of December. It’s CW only and the exchange is your 4-character Locator square.

On the 1st of January, the IRTS 80m Counties Contest runs from 1500 to 1700UTC. Using SSB and CW, the exchange is a signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their County.

Also on the 1st, but from 2000 to 2100UTC, the UK EI Contest Club Contest is SSB-only on the 80m band. The exchange is your 4-character locator.

The ARRL RTTY Roundup takes place from 1800UTC on the 4th to 2359UTC on the 5th of January. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands the exchange is a signal report and serial number, with US stations sending their State and Canadian stations their Province.

Finally, in this bumper session, the EUCW 160m CW Party takes place from 2000 to 2230UTC on the 4th of January.

Don’t forget that the UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon and runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 20th of December 2019.

We have a slightly different twist on the HF propagation report this week. At Christmas, we usually help you work the Father Christmas special event station in Lapland, but we are not sure if it is active this year. Instead, there are seven special Christmas stations operating in Spain until the 6th of January 2020. These are AO1XMA, AO2XMA, AO3XMA, AO4XMA, AO5XMA, AO7XMA, and AO8XMA. These are all a fairly easy one-hop distance away from the UK. During daylight hours rsgb.org.uk/predtest forecasts that 7MHz and 10MHz may be the best bands for a contact. Twenty metres, or the 14MHz band, may also offer opportunities around the middle of the day. After sunset the MUF on this path drops to around 5-5.5MHz, so 80m or the 3.5MHz band may provide the best chance.

At the time this report was prepared, we were not too sure exactly where the stations are located. All are listed as being organised by Federacion Digital EA in Barcelona. As Spain is quite large, it could be that propagation on the higher bands favours any station located in the south of Spain.

NOAA predicts a solar flux index of 70 for the next two weeks and reasonably-settled geomagnetic conditions with a Kp index of two. The disruption seen on Thursday 19th should quieten as Earth leaves the high-speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole.

There is the potential for a new sunspot that has been seen forming in the north-west quadrant on the Sun. But this may have completely disappeared by the time this report is being read out, so don’t get your hopes up!

And now the VHF and up propagation news

The weather models diverge markedly by the middle of next week. Starting with the period that remains in-step, which takes us through this weekend and up to Christmas, we have low pressure in the vicinity of northern Britain eventually drifting into the North Sea by Christmas. This will mean rain or showers and perhaps some rain scatter on the microwave bands, but little sign of tropo.

However, one of the models produces a reasonable high over the country by Christmas Day, which tries to hang on nearby the UK to the end of the week. This could bring some slightly enhanced tropo, although it’s forming in cold air and may only provide limited lift conditions, but at least it’s a chance.

The other model evolution retains the low-pressure story, so no tropo and a dominant low over the nearby Atlantic keeping the weather breezy and with rain in the west and north, so the rain scatter theme persists.

There are continuing signs of a quite strong jet stream activity over southern Britain and the near continent, which in the summer is usually a shoo-in for Sporadic-E. In the winter it’s much less common, but not entirely without hope, especially for digital modes on 10m and perhaps up to 6m if we’re really lucky.

Moon declination is negative and falling further this week so Moon availability will reduce. Perigee was last week so path losses will continue to rise. The 144MHz sky temperature will be high, leading to Thursday morning which sees the Moon and Sun very close.

There is just the small Ursids meteor shower peaking tomorrow, but the massive Quadrantids shower gets underway on Friday leading up to its 110 zenithal hourly rate peak over the third and fourth of January.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 15th December 2019

 

The news headlines:

RSGB Christmas opening times

RadCom Basics out now

Happy birthday GB3BS

 

RSGB HQ will close for the Christmas and New Year period from 12 noon on the 24th of December. It opens again at 8.30am on the 2nd of January. During that time, if you need information about amateur radio, exams or RadCom you’ll find lots of information on the RSGB website, www.rsgb.org. Last UK orders from the RSGB shop for delivery in time for Christmas is 10am on Friday the 20th of December. The deadline for overseas orders has passed. Don’t forget to use your RSGB Members voucher against any purchase. The RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Visitors should also note that the NRC will close early, at 3pm, on New Year’s Eve.

A new edition of RadCom Basics is now out. RSGB Members can read it today by going to www.rsgb.org/radcom-basics, where you can also register to receive notification of subsequent issues as they become available.

Repeater GB3BS is celebrating its 10th year at the Lansdown site, IO81TK. After more than 30 years of continuous operation at Cossham Hospital, it was moved on the 19th of December 2009 to make way for a multi-million-pound refurbishment of the Grade 2 listed hospital building that had been its home for so long. GB3BS is also celebrating its 43rd year of operation serving Bristol and surrounding area. The GB3BS repeater group believe it was ether the second or third UHF repeater to be licensed in the UK, so happy birthday GB3BS!

YOTA Month is in full swing and thanks to local clubs, schools and Scout groups it has already introduced large numbers of youngsters to amateur radio. Flight Refuelling ARS in Wimborne had seven young people involved in their activation. Two were already licenced and they hope at least two of the visitors will be future Foundation candidates. This weekend, the 14th and 15th of December, the RSGB’s National Radio Centre is hosting the callsign. Do take young family or club members to take part in this event. RSGB Members can download their free Bletchley Park entrance voucher from www.rsgb.org/bpvoucher. On Tuesday and Thursday, M0WHP will operate from 1800 to 2359UTC and G0MFR will do the same on Wednesday. On Friday and Saturday, a multi young operator activity, supervised by M0SDV, will take place over 48 hours. Next Sunday, the 22nd, the Royal School of Signals will operate from 1200 to 1800UTC.

The reports, presentations and minutes from the recent 2019 RSGB Spectrum Forum annual meeting are now available. The material provides a unique overview on a wide range of topics from EMC, HF to VHF and microwaves from both the Society and Nationally Affiliated Groups. This year’s meeting included an overview of the results of the 2019 World Radio Conference and recent changes and concerns regarding callsigns and licence revalidation. The reports are online at www.rsgb.org/sfmeeting2019.

There will be no GB2RS news script for Sunday the 29th of December. Newsreaders are of course free to run a net under their own callsign on their normal transmission slot. An abbreviated script will be prepared for Sunday the 5th of January for those newsreaders who are able to read on that day. Normal service will resume on the 12th of January. The RSGB would like to take the opportunity to thank all the GB2RS news reading volunteers for their service to the amateur community throughout the year.

Two more videos from the 2019 RSGB Convention will shortly be released to Members. First is a recording of Dean Pesnell speaking via Skype about the Solar Dynamics Observatory, SDO, the Sun and the Ionosphere. The second video is RSGB EMC Committee members John Rogers, M0JAV and David Lauder, G0SNO delivering an EMC workshop. Both will be available at rsgb.org/videos, where you will already find many more from this and previous RSGB Conventions.

Over the Christmas period there are fewer contests than usual so you may like to take part in Worked All Postcodes, sponsored by Moonraker and assisted by several other dealers. The idea is simple – work as many different postcode areas as you can on 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm. Activity nights are on Wednesdays but contacts on any day are valid. The award website is www.amateur-radio.co.uk.

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

We have no more rallies or events listed for 2019. Please send details of your 2020 rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

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

Tony, 3D2AG expects to be active as 3D2AG/p from Rotuma, IOTA reference OC-060, starting around the 17th of December and continuing until mid-January 2020. He plans to operate CW, RTTY, FT8 and SSB on the 160 to 6m bands. He will have no internet access while on the island. QSL direct to 3D2AG or Club Log’s OQRS for FT8 only.

Rudi, DB1RUL will be active holiday style as FK/DB1RUL from Ouvea Island, OC-033, in New Caledonia from the 18th to 21st of December, and from Ile des Pins, OC-032, from the 23 to the 27th of December. QSL via home call, either direct or bureau and Logbook of The World.

Joshua, W9HT will be active as HC5JLT from Ecuador between the 15th and the 21st of December. He will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the HF bands and 6m. QSL via home call.

Ron, PP2RON will be active holiday style as PY6/PP2RON from Itaparica Island, SA-023, from the 20th of December to the 1st of January. He will operate SSB, CW and maybe FT8 on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via his home call.

Seba, SQ1SGB expects to be active as VP8HAL from the Halley VI Research Station, Antarctica until the 8th of February 2020. In his spare time he will operate SSB plus FT8 and JT65 on the 40 and 20m bands. QSL via EB7DX.

Now the special event news

CN19JIM will be active on the 21st and 22nd of December from Imlil in the High Atlas mountain range of Morocco. The callsign’s suffix translates to International Mountain Day. QSL via RW6HS.

DL250BTHVN will be active from Bonn on the 16th and 17th of December 2020, helping mark Beethoven Anniversary Year.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised here on GB2RS, in RadCom, and online.

Now the contest news

The 2nd Machine Generated Mode contest ends its 24 hours at 1400UTC today, the 15th. Using the 50 and 144MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and your 4-character locator.

The ARRL 10m contest ends its 48-hour run at 2359UTC today, the 15th. The exchange is signal report and serial number, with USA stations sending their State code and Canadians their Province code.

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 it’s the turn of the 70MHz UK Activity Contest, also from 2000 to 2230UTC. It’s also all modes with the exchange signal report, serial number and locator.

The UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon and runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 13th of December 2019.

This week NOAA and NASA produced their latest forecast for the upcoming solar cycle. It predicts that we will be at solar minimum in April 2020, plus or minus six months. We should therefore begin to see a slow rise in new cycle sunspots towards the end of 2020. It says the next cycle is likely to be similar to the last one and will peak in July 2025, plus or minus eight months, with a smoothed sunspot number of 115. This is not exactly exciting, but is roughly line with how solar cycle 24 performed. Cycle 24 peaked in April 2014 with an average sunspot number of 82. More importantly it says there is no indication of an approaching Maunder-type minimum.

This last week was characterised by quiet geomagnetic conditions with a maximum Kp index of three. There were no sunspots and the solar flux index hovered between 70 and 72. Next week NOAA predicts unsettled geomagnetic conditions between the 18th and the 21st due to coronal hole activity. Needless to say the solar flux index will remain around 70, reflecting a lack of sunspots.

Daytime critical frequencies as measured by the Chilton Digisonde are currently in the range of 4.8-6.1MHz, which makes 40m difficult for short skip. Maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path are reaching 18MHz at times, with occasional openings up to 21MHz. But you may find the 14MHz band more reliable.

Eighty metres should remain open to both short-skip and DX during the night, after a short dip just after sunset. By 1830 UTC the F layer should stabilise and the band may become more usable, especially for paths over 100km.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

The coming week shows that we once again have predominantly low-pressure systems over the UK, mostly centred over the north of Britain or even further to the north. This will mean several occasions when there could be some rain scatter on the microwave bands to chase down.

For completeness we need to consider Tropo, but with a total absence of high-pressure areas, it is unlikely to feature much during the next week.

Something of a wild card next. Winter Sporadic-E is not unknown, and with a strong set of jet streams over the country during the first part of the week, it is just possible that a check on the clusters may reveal some unseasonal Sporadic-E on bands like 10m and 6m, particularly on the digital modes like FT8. It may also lead to some good days on the HF bands for short-skip paths on, say 20m, and perhaps give some boosted local net propagation on LF bands like 80m, long after the foF2 has dipped below 3.5MHz.

We are now just past the peak of the Geminids meteor shower on Saturday night, but there may still be some activity for the meteor scatter folk into the coming week as the shower tails off. That is until the Ursids shower starts to become dominant from around the middle of the week, peaking on the Sunday through Monday. Although not a large shower, there have been occasional meteor numbers beyond that normally expected, so it might be worth waiting up for.

Now to EME. The moon will be waning throughout this week. As the moon also moves closer to perigee by mid-week, its closest point to the Earth, this will mean low path loss. Sky noise also reaches its lowest at mid-week, so with low libration, the overall prospects for EME operation look very good.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 8th December 2019

 

The news headlines:

GB2RS Christmas schedule

YOTA month news

Sweden discontinuing 2.3 & 3.4GHz permits

 

Due to the way Christmas and New Year falls there will be no GB2RS News script for Sunday the 29th of December. An abbreviated script will be prepared for Sunday the 5th of January for those newsreaders who are able to read that day. Normal service will resume on the 12th of January. The RSGB would like to take the opportunity to thank all the GB2RS news reading volunteers for their service to the amateur community throughout the year.

YOTA Month is in full swing and thanks to local clubs, schools and Scout groups it has already introduced large numbers of youngsters to amateur radio. Hilderstone Radio Society used GB19YOTA to give 40 children aged 7 to 8 the chance to speak to Santa and chat to him about what they would like for Christmas. This weekend an event hosted by Nick, G4FAL will bring together youngsters to get on the air for YOTA Month. Next weekend, the 14th to 15th of December, the RSGB’s National Radio Centre will host the callsign. The Society’s Youth Champion and members of the RSGB Youth Team will be there to welcome any young people who want to find out more about amateur radio, pass greetings messages on the air and try their hand at Morse code. Do take your young family or club members along to take part in this event. RSGB Members can download their free Bletchley Park entrance voucher from www.rsgb.org/bpvoucher.

Amateurs in Sweden have been able to apply for Temporary Permits to allow operation in 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz bands. Their regulator, the PTS, has announced these Temporary Permits will no longer be issued from the 1st of January 2020. The reason is 5G. Swedish amateurs are presently permitted by their regulations to run a maximum of 100mW output in the 2400-2450MHz band.

Following a tutors’ Syllabus 2019 presentation on software-defined radio earlier in the year, the RSGB has now been able to publish three short videos to help tutors teach this aspect of the new Syllabus. The presentations were videoed by members of the exam team to accompany the PowerPoint slides that have been available on the Society’s website for several months. The RSGB hopes that the expert explanations and commentary by Alan Betts, G0HIQ will be of great value to club tutors. The videos can be found at www.rsgb.org/syllabus2019-updates.

The UK and other member states have made investments that mean the European Space Agency has re-confirmed that all astronauts from the class of 2009, including Tim Peake, will return to the International Space Station before 2024. The timings will be confirmed by ESA in due course.

There’s still time to book onto the Introduction to Amateur Radio workshop, which will take place on Saturday the 14th of December at Bletchley Park. Open to anyone aged 17 or over, it will provide an insight into the world of amateur radio through talks, videos and demonstrations. Go to www.bletchleypark.org.uk/whats-on for more information and to book.

For a bit of fun as we approach the festive season, you can use sightings of The International Space Station as it orbits the Earth to impress friends and family. And if you want to pretend its Santa’s sleigh practising before the big day, and then again out delivering presents on Christmas Eve, then you should be able to if it isn’t cloudy. You can use an ISS tracker app on your phone or go to https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ and sign up for email alerts or text messages when the ISS is going to fly overhead.

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

We have no more rallies or events listed for 2019. Please send details of your 2020 rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

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

Tev, TA1HZ will be active as 4L/TA1HZ from Georgia between the 13th and the 20th of December. He will operate from 4L6QC's QTH, with main activity on the lower bands using FT8 and FT4. QSL via Logbook of The World, or direct to TA1HZ.

Matt, IZ4YGS will be operating from Sanzule in Ghana until the 28th of December. He is using the callsign 9G5GS on all bands from 160 to 15m using FT8 and SSB. QSL to his home call.

John, W5JON will return to his home on St Kitts island, OPTA reference NA-104, for a few days between the 10th and the 19th of December. He plans to be on the air as V47JA. QSL direct and QSOs are uploaded regularly to Logbook of The World.

The annual 6V1A expedition to the island of Goree, AF-045, will take place between the 13th and the 15th of December. Activity will be on various bands using SSB and CW. QSL via Logbook of The World.

Now the special event news

On Monday and Tuesday, from 1200 to 1800UTC, GB19YOTA will be operated by M0XDX and M0NCG, and Wednesday sees Flight Refuelling ARS operating from 1800 to 2359UTC. On Thursday and Friday, the callsign moves to Wales under the supervision on GW1YQM from 1800 to 2359UTC each day. Next weekend, the 14th and 15th, sees the callsign operating from the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park from 0930 to 1600UTC. A full list of those participating throughout the month is on the GB19YOTA page on QRZ.com.

Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised on GB2RS, in RadCom and online.

Now the contest news

The ARRL 160m contest ends its 42-hour run at 1600UTC today, the 8th. It’s CW-only and the exchange is your signal report, with US and Canadian stations also sending their ARRL or RAC section number.

Today, the 8th, the 144MHz AFS contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2000UTC, 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 Thursday the 50MHz Machine Generated Mode Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2000UTC with an exchange of a signal report and your 4-character locator. It is immediately followed by the all-mode 50MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for this contest is signal report, serial number and locator.

Next weekend the 2nd Machine Generated Mode contest runs for 24 hours from 1400UTC on the 14th to 1400UTC on the 15th. Using the 50 and 144MHz bands, the exchange is signal report and your 4-character locator.

Also next weekend, but running for 48 hours, the ARRL 10m contest runs from 0000UTC on the 14th to 2359UTC on the 15th. The exchange is signal report and serial number, with USA stations sending their State code and Canadians their Province code.

The UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon and runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 6th of December 2019.

We had very settled geomagnetic conditions last week with the Kp index not rising above two and often sitting at zero. The solar flux index sat at 70/71, reflecting zero sunspots and a blank Sun.

As we approach mid-Winter it is a good time to concentrate on the lower bands, with both 80 and 160 metres showing good DX potential throughout the night. For short wave listeners, mediumwave also comes alive with the possibility of DX stations from the USA coming in during the early hours. As a start, try listening for station WBBR in New York on 1130khz. This is usually one of the loudest transatlantic stations to be heard.

And don't forget to look out for DX on forty metres, especially around sunset and sunrise.

Next week should see more of the same with NOAA predicting a solar flux index of 70, zero sunspots, but a settled geomagnetic Kp index of two all week. The critical frequency graphs at Propquest.co.uk suggest that 20m will be the main daytime DX band next week, with occasional openings on 17 metres.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

Next Saturday sees the peak of the biggest meteor shower of the year, the Geminids. The shower is already underway and is expected to reach peak activity at around 1900UTC on the 14th of December. With a peak Zenithal Hourly Rate of 120, it promises to produce some excellent meteor scatter QSOs.

Last week saw some good Tropo paths, but the high pressure declined mid-week. The forecast charts show no indication of a return of a high, so Tropo cannot be promised, other than a brief return of a ridge across southern areas at the end of the coming week.

The rest of the country will be predominantly driven by low pressure crossing northern areas from west to east and at times leaving us with a cold northwesterly down the North Sea. At this time of the year, this means that strong convection bringing showers is likely as the cold air flows south across the relatively warm sea. These may be good for rain scatter, so plenty of opportunities for GHz bands operators.

Last week saw a few reports of Sporadic-E, chiefly on digital modes, but also a few paths on the more traditional CW or SSB. This is a good reminder that there is no month with a zero chance of Sporadic-E. In this case, conditions were probably enhanced by strong meteor activity. Meteors provide the ionisation as they burn up entering the upper atmosphere and this can combine with stronger jet streams in the winter months.

The Moon reaches maximum declination on Friday and path losses will fall all week. Combined with a generally low 144MHz sky temperature, it’s a good week for EME.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 1st December 2019

 

The news headlines:

Falklands get 60m

EMC Committee Chair vacancy

WSJT-X 2.1.1 released

 

Major changes to the Falklands Islands Communications Laws have been announced by the Falklands Islands Communications Regulator. They were published in the official Falklands Islands Gazette on the 11th of November and came into force on the 15th. One of these changes has resulted in the 60m Secondary allocation becoming available to Falkland Islands radio amateurs. The allocation is 5351.5 to 5366.5kHz, with a maximum power of 25W EIRP.

Dr Martin Sach is standing down as Chair of the RSGB’s EMC Committee at the end of the year. The RSGB is very grateful for all he has done as Chair and for his considerable expertise. This expertise will continue to be available to the Society, as not only will Dr Sach remain a member of the committee but he will also be an EMC Expert Consultant supporting the IARU in its international representation. RSGB Members interested in the vacancy for EMC Chair position will find the Role Description and further information on the Society’s website at www.rsgb.org/volunteers.

The WSJT Development Group has announced the release of WSJT-X version 2.1.1. This is the free software suite that includes the FT4 and FT8 protocols. Version 2.1.1 is a bug-fix release, according to the authors.

Over the entire month of December, many youngsters will become active with YOTA as the suffix in their callsign. The idea for this is to encourage youngsters to be active on amateur radio. GB19YOTA is one of the many stations participating in this initiative. Today, the 1st, the callsign will be operated by M0SDV until 0800UTC, Cambridge University Wireless Society from then to 1600UTC and G0MFR until 2359UTC. On the 2nd Sandringham School Radio Club will operate from 0800 to 1800UTC and M0SDV will take over for the rest of the day. Hilderstone Radio Society will operate from 1200 to 1800UTC on the 3rd and the RNARS station at HMS Collingwood will finish out the day. Hilderstone RS operate again on the 4th from 1200 to 1800UTC followed by Wythall Radio Club. M0XDX and M0NCG take over from 1200 to 1800UTC on the 5th. Then Cambridge University Wireless Society operates from 1200 to 2359UTC on the 6th. Next weekend, for the whole of the 7th and 8th, operating is under the supervision of G4FAL. A full list of those participating throughout the month is on the GB19YOTA page on QRZ.com

There’s still time to book onto the Introduction to Amateur Radio workshop, which will take place on Saturday 14 December at Bletchley Park. Open to anyone aged 17 or over, it will provide an insight into the world of amateur radio through talks, videos and demonstrations. Attendees will gain knowledge on short wave communications including voice, Morse code and digital signal transmissions, and learn how to track satellites and the International Space Station. Pre-booking is essential. Go to www.bletchleypark.org.uk/whats-on for more information and to book.

Are you enthusiastic about promoting and developing the growth of amateur radio? The RSGB Board has split its Training and Education Committee into two parts, one of which is Amateur Radio Development. The ARD activities cover Schools Link, Train the Trainers, the Morse Competency Scheme and Beyond Exams. The RSGB is looking for an enthusiastic volunteer to lead these activities and to play a key role in contributing towards meeting the RSGB’s Strategy 2022 priorities, especially Growth, Participation and Diversity. Further information and the full role description are on the RSGB’s website at www.rsgb.org/volunteers.

The RSGB’s National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Visitors should also note that the NRC will close early, at 3 pm, on New Year’s Eve.

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

We have no more rallies or events listed for 2019. Please send details of your 2020 rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

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

Nobu, JA0JHQ will be active as T88PB from Koror in Palau, IOTA reference OC-009, from the 6th to the 8th of December. He will concentrate on 160m CW and FT8. QSL via Logbook of The World or direct to JA0JHQ.

Antonio, EA5RM will be in Ecuador from the 2nd of December to the 5th of January. He plans to operate in his spare time as HC3/EA5RM from Loja, and perhaps also as HC2/EA5RM from Guayaquil. He will operate SSB and digital modes on the 40 to 10m bands.

John, K9EL, Paul, K9NU, Gary, N9AOL and John, W9ILY will be active as TO9W from Saint Martin, NA-105, between the 4th and the 13th of December, including entering the ARRL 160m Contest. They will operate CW and FT8 using Fox & Hound, plus some SSB and RTTY with three stations. QSL TO9W via Logbook of The World, Club Log’s OQRS or via W9ILY either direct or via the bureau.

Steve, G0UIH will be active as VK2IAY/4 from Heron Island, OC-142, between the 2nd and the 9th of December. Main activity will be on or around 14260kHz SSB. QSL via G0UIH, either direct or via the bureau.

Harald, DF2WO will be active as XT2AW from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso between the 2nd and the 20th of December, with a focus on the 160, 80 and 60m bands. QSL via M0OXO’s OQRS and Logbook of The World.

Bruce, 3W3B will be active as XW4XR from Laos on between the 4th and the 16th of December. He will operate CW, FT8 and FT4 on the 60 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World or via E21EIC.

Now the special event news

We have no details of any special event stations this week. Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised on GB2RS, in RadCom and online.

Now the contest news

The UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon begins on Sunday the 1st of December and runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

On Tuesday the 144MHz Machine Generated Mode Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC with the exchange of signal report and 4-character locator. Simultaneously, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs with the exchange of signal report, serial number and locator. It is immediately followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 2000 to 2230UTC. The exchange for this contest is also signal report, serial number and locator.

Next weekend, the ARRL 160m contest runs from 2200UTC on the 6th to 1600UTC on the 8th. It’s CW only and the exchange is your signal report, with US and Canadian stations also sending their ARRL or RAC section number.

Next Sunday, the 8th, the 144MHz AFS contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. 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 29th of November 2019.

Last week’s CQ Worldwide CW event proved that a contest can really generate activity on the HF bands, despite poor propagation. Despite lukewarm predictions during this period near sunspot minimum, there was plenty of DX to be had, despite a solar flux index of only around 70 and zero sunspots. HF bands as high as 15 metres were open, with the occasional station calling CQ on 10 metres as well. Contesters report that 40m and 20m provided a lot of fun with 7MHz providing night-time openings to the US for many. Tom, GM4FDM also reports working 47 countries on 80m during CQ Worldwide, including V47T, which was St Kitts and Nevis and A44A, Oman.

Next week, as we enter December, NOAA has the solar flux index at 69 all week with a Kp index of two. This represents the fact that the Sun’s surface is clear of major coronal holes at this time.

December is really a month for the low bands, with amateurs’ attention often switching to 80m and even Top Band. 160m is always a tough band to work, mainly due to the large amounts of space needed to install efficient antennas. But this month is probably the best for working transatlantic Top Band contacts in the early hours. 80m may also bring some surprises, with regular contacts into the USA being possible, especially around sunrise. Why not check out the DX nets that occur on or around 3.795 MHz?

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

It looks like high pressure is coming back, at least for a while in the first part of the coming week, so it’s time to get ready for some Tropo activity on the VHF and UHF bands with those multimode rigs. The present unsettled weather will lead into a new high developing to the northwest of Britain, which will then begin to drift south across western Britain, before being pushed aside into the Atlantic towards Biscay around mid-week.

The developing temperature inversion should provide multiple paths across the UK by early next week, especially over western and southern areas. This is great timing for 144MHz contests on Tuesday the 3rd of December.

Unfortunately, this is not going to last, as the high drifts away midweek. This will allow a new, stronger flow across the north of Britain as lows move southeast down the North Sea. There will be cold northwesterly winds and some possible rain scatter options over the North Sea by the end of the week.

Moon declination is rising again this week but doesn’t go positive until Friday. This means the peak Moon elevation will also increase as the week progresses. With apogee on Thursday, path losses will be at their highest, but 144MHz sky temperature is low all week.

There are two small meteor showers to look out for this week. The Phoenecids are on Monday and the Puppid-Velids next Saturday.

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

GB2RS NEWS

Sunday 24th November 2019

The news headlines:

Big news for 6m band

RSGB Board responsibilities change

Five Train the Trainers courses next year

 

The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 has concluded in Egypt. The 3,300 delegates have considered many aspects of radio including several that will affect our hobby. Perhaps the biggest news is that the conference has approved an allocation in the 50MHz band for amateurs in Region 1. The Amateur Service now has a baseline Secondary allocation of 50-52MHz in the main ITU Allocation Table for Region 1. A total of 44 named Region 1 countries will now have a Primary allocation in all or part of the 50-54MHz band. You can find full details on this and all of the WRC-19 outcomes that affect amateur radio at www.rsgb.org/wrc-19 and on the RSGB social media channels. The RSGB gratefully acknowledges the work done by our volunteers and all of the IARU team, and thanks everyone involved for an outstanding effort over the last four years.

Recent appointments to the Board have given the RSGB an opportunity to redistribute responsibilities and activities. These are now grouped across four teams, assisted by a support team. Each team comprises several Committees, Honorary Officers and other groups with a related purpose. For further information about the teams see the RSGB Board web page at www.rsgb.org/board

The RSGB would like to thank all the clubs that have offered to host a Train the Trainers course in their area during 2020. Five courses have now been confirmed. These are Telford on the 21st of March, Cardiff on the 18th of April, Stockport on the 30th of May, Abergele on the 20th of June and Margate on the 11th of July. If you would like to attend a Train the Trainers course, then you can register by contacting the Train the Trainers Administrator by email to [email protected] indicating which course you would like to attend.

We have released two more videos from the RSGB Convention to Members. In the first, Sam Jewell, G4DDK explores the Icom IC-9700 and looks at how it measures up as a VHF DX transceiver. In the second video Neil Smith, G4DBN looks at the ins and outs of digimodes in I can hear it, why won't it decode? Both of these videos can be found at www.rsgb.org/video and he accompanying slides for Neil’s talk are at www.g4dbn.uk.

Are you signed up to the RSGB Members’ email alert service for vouchers and offers? Black Friday is coming up this week, so make sure you hear about everything the RSGB will be doing to coincide with this event. Signing up is very easy – RSGB Members just need to go to their online Membership Portal at www.rsgb.org/login. That’s also the place to manage your RSGB Membership account. 

You could still host the callsign GB19YOTA for this year’s Youngsters on the Air Month in December. It is a great opportunity to encourage youngsters to get on the air and to learn more about the practical side of the hobby. The RSGB is keen for people to take part across the UK and is particularly looking for groups in Scotland and anywhere in Ireland. Operations can be any mode on HF, VHF or UHF. Certificates and awards are given out by the IARU for participating in the event. To find out more go to www.rsgb.org/yota-month.

There’s still time to book onto our Introduction to Amateur Radio workshop, which will take place on Saturday 14 December at Bletchley Park. Open to anyone aged 17 or over, it will provide an insight into the world of amateur radio through talks, videos and demonstrations. Attendees will gain knowledge on short wave communications including voice, Morse code and digital signal transmissions, and learn how to track satellites and the International Space Station. Pre-booking is essential. Go to www.bletchleypark.org.uk/whats-on for more information and to book.

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

The 42nd CATS Radio & Electronics Bazaar takes place today, the 24th of November. The venue is Oasis Academy Coulsdon, Homefield Road, Old Coulsdon CR5 1ES. Doors open from 10am until 2pm and the £1.50 entry fee includes a free tea or coffee. There will be second-hand equipment, flea market tables, traders, a Bring and Buy stand and an RSGB bookstall. Refreshments are available on site. Contact Andy, G0KZT on 0772 986 6600 or see www.catsradio.org.

Also today, the 24th, is the Bishop Auckland Radio Amateurs Club rally. It takes place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, 32 High Street, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6DB. The venue has good parking and access to the large ground floor hall. There will be the usual radio, computer, electronics, and Bring & Buy stalls as well as catering and bar. Doors open at 10.30am, with disabled visitors gaining access at 10.15. Admission is £2, with accompanied under-14s free of charge. More details from John, G4LRG on 0777 569 6568.

The annual Hog Roast at Martin Lynch & Sons will take place on the 30th of November at their premises in Staines, TW18 2AP. Doors open from 8am. Lecture streams will take place in the ML&S Training Academy in the morning by SDRplay and Steve Venner giving an insight into running the ML&S radio workshop. This year’s event is kindly sponsored by Icom UK, JVC-Kenwood and Yaesu Japan.

We have no more rallies or events listed for 2019. Please send details of your 2020 rally and event plans as soon as possible to [email protected].

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

The Radio Club of Sevran will be active as 6W7PCT from Senegal until the 25th of November. A team of four will operate CW, SSB and digital modes with three stations, including activity during the CW WW DX CW Contest. QSL for this is via Club Log's OQRS, or via the bureau to F5KKD, or direct to F8GGV.

A team will be active as OC3CS from the archaeological site of Cerro Sechin in northern Peru on the 29th and 30th of November. Two stations will operate SSB and digital modes on the HF bands. QSL via OA4O either direct or via the bureau and Logbook of The World.

Alex, KU1CW will be active as P4/KU1CW from Aruba, IOTA reference SA-036, until the 26th of November, and as P40C during the CQ WW DX CW Contest. QSL via Logbook of The World.

Members of the Slovenia Contest Club are operating as 9G5W until the 27th of November. Activity is on the 160 to 10m bands using CW, SSB, RTTY and other digital modes. This includes being an entry in the CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL via Logbook of The World.

Masa, JA0RQV will be operating as A35JP from Tongatapu Island, OC-049, while involved in an international project. Activity will be on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB and FT8. He also plans to activate IOTA references OC-191, OC-123, OC-064 and OC-169 during his stay. QSL to his home call.

Eric, OE4AAC is on the air as D4CC from Sal Island, AF-086, until the 30th of November. Activity is on the 40 to 10m bands using CW and some FT8. This includes being an entry in the CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL to home call.

Now the special event news

We have no details of any special event stations this week. Please send special event details to [email protected] as early as possible. We have not received special event station info from Ofcom in recent months so you MUST let us know to get your event publicised on GB2RS, in RadCom and online.

Now the contest news

The CQWW DX CW ends its 48 hours run at 2359 today, the 24th. This CW-only event uses all the contest bands from 1.8 to 28MHz. The exchange is signal report and Zone, which is 14 for the UK.

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.

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

On Thursday the Autumn Series runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW only on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

The UK Six Metre Group’s Winter Marathon begins on Sunday the 1st of December and runs until the end of January. There are no specific operating modes or periods. Just work as many locator squares as you can on the 50MHz band.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 22nd of November 2019.

The predicted poor geomagnetic conditions forecast for late on the 16th didn’t amount to much. In the event, the Kp index rose to three before settling back down again quite quickly. The Sun remained spotless all week again as we get close to the minimum. As such, HF propagation was relatively poor all week.

Daytime critical frequencies have mostly been in the range 4.5 to 5MHz, which really prevents short-range propagation on 40m. Thursday 21st was the exception when the Chilton Ionosonde recorded a critical frequency of 5.925MHz at 1130UTC, which equates to a maximum usable frequency of more than 24MHz over a 3,000km path. This may have been due to a short-lived ionospheric enhancement caused by a coronal hole solar wind stream, which saw the speed increase to more than 500Km per second.

Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain at 69-70. Geomagnetic conditions will likely be poor but recovering this weekend after a predicted Kp index rise to five on the 21st or 22nd. Once the coronal hole has moved and is out of the Earth’s strike zone, the ionosphere should settle for the rest of the week.

Meanwhile, Chris, GM3WOJ and Keith, GM4YXI are still active as VK9CZ on Cocos Keeling Island, OC-003. The best time for propagation from the UK can be checked at vk9cz2019.com. It’s a long way to the Indian Ocean, but a contact is achievable with the right mode and at the right time.

Don’t forget that it’s CQWW CW this weekend, which always guarantees HF activity.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

This week seems to be a good week to try satellites if you’re not active on the microwave bands! There seems to be a majority view amongst the weather models that this will be another low-pressure week. It means further periods of rain and showers, with a chance of rain scatter on the GHz bands again. This unsettled weather type with a strong jet stream over the country can lead to the rapid development of lows and potentially very strong winds. Not identifiable beyond a day or two, but well worth checking the daily forecasts, particularly the wind speeds.

Of course, the opposite side of the coin is high pressure, and it looks to be completely off the playlist during the coming week, which takes Tropo off the agenda.

Moon declination is negative again this week, reaching a minimum on Friday. Moon windows and maximum Moon elevation will fall accordingly. The Moon reached perigee yesterday, its closest approach to the Earth of the lunar month at 366,709km, so losses are low but will increase throughout the week.

The Sun and Moon are very close on Tuesday and generally, 144MHz sky temperature will also be high, reaching a peak of over 3,000 Kelvin on Thursday.

There is one small meteor shower on Thursday, the November Orionids, but nothing to get excited about because they have a zenithal hourly rate of just three.

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