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G4TNU > NEWS 19.05.24 04:30l 262 Lines 12075 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 19 May 2024
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 19th of May 2024
The news headlines:
* RSGB Board liaison roles update
* The Signals Museum at RAF Henlow is closing soon
* The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon is under way
Each RSGB Board Director has a liaison role between the Board and
specific aspects of the Society's work. This focuses very much on the
work done by RSGB volunteers in committees, groups and teams as well
as by the Honorary Officers. The Board has just agreed the liaison
roles for the coming year. To find out more or to see contact details
for each Board Director, go to the RSGB website at rsgb.org/board
The Signals Museum at RAF Henlow is closing soon. Its final open day
will be on the 8th of June 2024. According to the Museum's website,
after this time it will start to dispose of its exhibits. The Museum
attempts to tell the story of RAF Signals. Among its attractions, it
contains a lot of working equipment which can be demonstrated,
including transmitters, receivers and radar consoles. To read more
about the Museum, and learn how you can visit it before it closes,
visit signalsmuseum.uk
The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon is under way. The activity is
open to all amateur radio operators worldwide and membership of the
Group is not required. The objective is to work as many four-digit
grid squares as possible between the 4th of May and the 4th of August
on the 6m band. Logs can be submitted until the 18th of August 2024.
You can find out more at uksmg.org
The latest RadCom contesting column is now available for all to read
on the RSGB website. Since April 2024 this exclusive content has been
shared online each month following the publication of each RadCom
issue. This useful resource shares various aspects about contesting
including tip of the month, a featured UK contester, as well as a
contest of the month. This month Nick Totterdell, G4FAL,
who is the HF Contest Committee Chairman, looks at the history of
contesting. To find out more, and to read this month's column, visit
rsgb.org/radcom-contesting
A reminder now that International Museums Weekend will be taking
place on the third and fourth weekends in June. This year, those
weekends are the 15th and 16th, and the 22nd and 23rd of June.
Special event stations will be operating from a wide variety of
museums from many different countries. To read more about the event,
and to register to take part, visit tinyurl.com/IMW2024
Don't forget that lots of stations are on the air to celebrate SOS
Radio Week throughout the month of May. The event takes place each
year to celebrate the work of the volunteers from the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution, Independent Lifeboats and National Coastwatch
Stations around the British Isles. A commemorative certificate is
available to all official stations that record their contacts on the
website together with awards for the top individual and club, or
group, stations on each band from 160m to 70cm. To read more about
the event visit sosradioweek.org.uk
And now for details of rallies and events
The Braehead Rally is taking place today, the 19th of May, at the
Braehead Arena from 10am. Free on-site parking, bring and buy and
refreshments are available. For more information contact Paul via
email at mm3ddq<at>gmail.com
Also today, the 19th of May, Dartmoor Radio Club Rally is being held
at Yelverton War Memorial Hall, PL20 6AL. The doors open at 10am. For
more information, please contact Roger Hann on 07854 088 882 or email
2e0rph<at>gmail.com
Durham and District Amateur Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the
26th of May at Bowburn Community Centre, Bowburn, County Durham,
DH6 5AT. The doors are open from 10.30am to 2.30pm with disabled
visitors gaining access at 10am. The entrance fee will be GBP 2.
There will be a bring-and-buy sale, trade stands, special interest
groups and an RSGB bookstall. Catering and a licensed bar will be
available on site. For more information contact Michael, G7TWX, on
07826 924 192, or via email at dadars<at>gmx.com
Dunstable Downs Radio Club would like to remind everyone that its
annual boot sale has been postponed until the 30th of June. This is
due to the site being used by BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend music
festival. Updates will be posted to Dunstable Downs Radio Club's
Facebook page and reminder emails will be sent out closer to the
time. To add yourself to the list, visit ddrcbootsale.org and sign
up for email reminders.
Now the Special Event News
Today, the 19th, RAF Waddington Amateur Radio Club will be back at
the International Bomber Command Centre for its Inspire Ride 2024
event, which this year will pay tribute to the men of Stalag Luft III
who took part in the ‘Great Escape' in March 1944. Operators expect
to be working on the HF bands, using SSB and some CW, as well as FM
on the 2m band. The station will be using special event callsign
GB5ESC, between 10am and 4pm.
North West Group Amateur Radio Club, MN0NWG is running special event
station GB0AEL until the 31st of May to commemorate the anniversary
of Amelia Earhart's transatlantic flight. On 20th and 21st of May
1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly nonstop and alone across
the Atlantic Ocean. Recently, the station has been heard on the HF
bands using CW, FT8 and SSB. QSL via MI0HOZ, directly or via the
Bureau.
The United Nations Global Service Centre Amateur Radio Club, 4U1GSC,
in Brindisi [BRIN-DUH-ZEE] is active as 4U29MAY until the 31st of
May. The special callsign is active to promote the International Day
of UN Peacekeepers, which is the 29th of May. The station has been
worked recently on the 20 and 15m bands using CW. QSL via 9A2AA.
Now the DX news
Chris, WA7RAR is active as 8P9CB from Barbados, NA-021, until the
26th of May. All of his operations are portable at various locations
throughout the island, especially Parks on the Air sites. He is QRV
on the 20 to 10m bands using CW and SSB. QSL via Logbook of the
World, or directly to WA7RAR.
Roland, F8EN is active again as TR8CR from Gabon until at least the
end of June. He will operate CW only and will celebrate his 96th
birthday while there. QSL via F6AJA directly or via the Bureau.
Roland can usually be found on the 30 to 10m bands using CW.
Now the contest news
The 144MHz May Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 18th and
ends at 1400UTC today, the 19th of May. Using all modes on the 2m
band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK
stations also send their postcode.
Today, the 19th, the 1st 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1100 to
1500UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their
postcode.
Tomorrow, the 20th, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC.
Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the
exchange is your report.
On Tuesday the 21st, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to
2130UTC. Using all modes on 1.3GHz frequencies, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 22nd, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to
2030UTC. Using data modes on the 80m band, the exchange is signal
report and serial number.
The CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the
25th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 26th of May. Using CW on the
160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is
signal report and serial number.
On Sunday the 26th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs
from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using All modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies,
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Thursday the 16th of May 2024
After last weekend's auroral spectacular it was nice to see the Sun
calm down a little and the bands get back to normal. But that didn't
last long.
To recap, on Friday the 10th of May the Kp index shot up to 9, due to
the effects of a number of coronal mass ejections, while the HF bands
closed down in the subsequent geomagnetic storm.
While there were visible aurora across the UK and Europe, HF
propagation really suffered and didn't start to recover until the
late afternoon on Saturday the 11th.
The main culprit, active region 3664, has now rotated out of view,
but that doesn't mean we are out of the woods just yet.
Solar flares can cause short-term disruption to HF propagation due to
their X-rays penetrating deep into the D-region and causing signals
to be absorbed. Subsequent coronal mass ejections can cause
longer-term degradation of the F2 layer with reduced maximum usable
frequencies, noisy bands and auroral conditions.
At the time of writing, the Kp index stood at 6 again so it looks
like unsettled geomagnetic conditions are continuing with a moderate
G2 geomagnetic storm in progress.
Low to moderate activity is now expected, with a slight chance of
further strong-class flares. The regions currently on the visible
disc are smaller and simpler, with isolated M-flares possible from
these. However, a new active region, now rotating into view, has
already emitted an X-class solar flare.
Next week, the United States Air Force predicts that the solar flux
index may remain in the 160 to 180 range. HF conditions remain a
lottery as they can be badly affected by solar flares and coronal
mass ejections.
It is best to keep an eye on solarham.com for updates, and also
propquest.co.uk for near real-time reports of the critical and
maximum usable frequencies.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The weather remains on the unsettled side of things with areas of
rain and some thunderstorms over the country, especially the south as
we end this week. As this report is being read out, high pressure is
becoming established over northern and western Britain.
This may eventually take a tenuous hold over the rest of the country
during the second half of the coming week and into next weekend, the
25th and 26th.
This high pressure, although fairly weak, may help with some Tropo
for those in northern Britain in the 144MHz May Contest and the
Backpackers Contest this weekend, ending the 19th. It may also be
helpful to those taking part in the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest on the
21st. However, the conditions may not be of much use in the south as
another low arrives from the continent.
Overall, rain scatter on the GHz bands will probably be worth
exploring in the rainy areas again, since some of the showers may be
heavy and thundery.
The prospects for aurora are still worth keeping in mind despite the
recent stunning event. Minor non-visible events can still provide a
reasonable radio aurora to explore.
The Sporadic-E season continues to develop. And with such unsettled
weather, there are plentiful jet streams to act as source regions for
turbulence, which can propagate up to the E region where they can
generate Sporadic-E.
We are currently at the tail end of the Eta Aquariids meteor shower.
A few meteors from this shower will continue to appear, but no major
shower is expected this week.
The lowest Moon declination occurs this coming Friday. With the Moon
being full on the 23rd, a clear sky should reveal an impressive
‘Flower Moon'. For EME, path loss will still be relatively high,
although the Moon is starting to move back towards its closest point
to Earth, or perigee.
144MHz sky noise starts the week low but rises to high on Saturday
the 25th.
And that's all from the propagation team this week.
And that's the end of the main news for this week prepared by the
Radio Society of Great Britain. Items for inclusion in subsequent
bulletins can be emailed to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
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