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G4TNU > NEWS 13.04.25 02:30l 245 Lines 12072 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 13 Apr 2025
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 13th of April 2025
The news headlines:
* Apply to be in the RSGB team for YOTA Camp 2025
* Be part of the RSGB Exam Tutors Review Panel
* Catch up with the RSGB 2025 AGM on YouTube
If you are aged between 16 and 25 and are passionate about amateur
radio, then this news is for you. This year's Youngsters on the Air
Summer Camp will take place between the 18th and 25th of August at
the historical Château [SHA-TOW] de Jambville [ZHOM-VIL] near Paris
in France. The event is being organised by the French national
amateur radio society, REF, and the IARU. It is a chance of a
lifetime for young RSGB members to represent their country and their
national society. If you are ready for exciting experiences, would
like to make new friends and want to help shape the future of amateur
radio, then the RSGB would love to hear from you. If you'd like to
find out more about what's involved and to submit an application, go
to rsgb.org/yota-camp The closing date for applications is the 2nd
of May for Team Leader and the 16th of May for Team Members. Apply
today and don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity.
The RSGB is looking to recruit volunteers from the exam tutor
community to help pre-screen documentation prior to public release as
part of the process of improving the quality of documents issued by
the Exam and Syllabus Review Group (ESRG). The Exam Tutors Review
Panel is intended to be an informal group of approximately six tutors
who are currently involved in providing training for amateur radio
licence exams at any of the three current levels. Panel members will
be asked to use their skills to help improve the quality of the
syllabus, the questions in the published question bank and other
published documentation. They will receive advance copies of
documents that are due to be published, and they will be expected to
return any comments within an agreed timescale, which typically will
be two weeks. The ESRG is not obliged to accept the recommendations
from panel members, but if they do not accept a recommended change,
they will explain why. All documents and additional correspondence
sent to panel members will be under an embargo until the final
versions are released to the public. The Exam Tutors Review Panel is
intended to run for an initial six months and will then be reviewed.
If you are interested in becoming a member of this panel, please
email Board Director Len Paget, GM0ONX via GM0ONX<at>rsgb.org.uk
The RSGB would like to thank everyone who joined the RSGB 2025 AGM
which was held yesterday, the 12th of April. If you missed the live
event, you'll still be able to watch the full livestream on the
Society's YouTube channel. As well as the formal AGM business, the
Board answered questions from RSGB members on a wide range of topics.
You'll also be able to watch the President's review of 2024,
delivered by John McCullagh MBE, GI4BWM, who was the RSGB President
at the time. The AGM also included a presentation about the Society's
strategy. Led by Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX, there were
contributions from Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML; Spectrum Forum
Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB; and the current President Bob Beebe,
GU4YOX. Timestamps will be available in the video summary on YouTube,
allowing you to skip to any particular section you may want to watch.
Go to rsgb.org/agm to find out more about every aspect of the AGM,
including personal statements from the new President, Board Directors
and Regional Representatives.
Don't forget that as part of the celebrations of the centenary of the
International Amateur Radio Union, the RSGB will be activating the
callsign GB0IARU throughout this month. A Commemorative QSL Card is
available for QSOs made during the period from the 1st of April to
the 30th of April 2025. On qrz.com you can find full details of the
special event station, how to apply for your commemorative card, and
a spreadsheet showing who is activating the callsign.
World Amateur Radio Day 2025 is taking place on Friday the 18th of
April, and coincides with the centenary of the International Amateur
Radio Union. This year's theme is "Entering the Next Century of
Amateur Radio Communications and Innovation". All radio amateurs are
invited to take to the airwaves to show their skills and capabilities
to the public. You can read more about the event on the IARU website
via iaru.org
Please send details of all your news and events to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions is 10am on
Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.
And now for details of rallies and events
The Moray Firth Amateur Radio Society Surplus Equipment Sale is
taking place on Saturday the 19th of April at Roseisle [ROSE-ISLE]
Village Hall, near Burghead. Doors open to traders at 10am, and to
the general public between 11am and 4pm. There is ample parking on
site and catering will be available. Entry is GBP 5, and tables for
sellers are GBP 10. Find out more by going to mfars.club
The Cambridge Repeater Group Rally is taking place on Sunday the 27th
of April at Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge,
CB22 6RN. Doors open at 7.30am for traders and 9.30am to the general
public. The entrance fee is GBP 4. The event will include a car-boot
sale, trade stands, a bring-and-buy area, catering, disabled
facilities, an RSGB Bookstall and a free marshalled car park. A cash
and card burger van will open at 8am. The venue rules state strictly
no dogs except assistance dogs on the field. Go to
cambridgerepeaters.net for further details and bookings.
Now the Special Event news
The Experimental Danish Radioamateurs association, also known as EDR,
will be celebrating World Amateur Radio Day on the 18th of April with
special event station 5P0WARD. The group is also operating special
callsign OZ100IARU between the 19th of April and the 27th of April to
celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the IARU. More information can
be found at QRZ.com
The Polish Amateur Radio Union is celebrating 95 years since its
founding, as well as the centenary of the International Amateur Radio
Union. To mark the occasion, ten special event stations are active
until the 25th of April. Full details of the event, as well as
available awards, can be found via Hamaward.cloud
The Spanish national society, URE, will also be on the air to mark
the 100th anniversary of the IARU. Members will be active on 160m to
6m between the 15th of April and the 30th of April with ten different
special event stations, including AO100IARU. Special awards will be
available, as well as medals for the top participants from each
continent who achieve the highest number of contacts with the
stations on different bands and modes. Go to ure.es for further
details.
Now the DX news
Paul, GW0NGA will be active from Jamestown in St Helena
as ZD7PG from the 12th of April until the 19th of April. He will be
active on the HF bands during his spare time. QSL via his home
callsign and possibly eQSL.
Aldir, PY1SAD is active again from Georgetown in Guyana [GAI-AA-NUH]
as 8R1TM until the 26th of April. Aldir will be operating on all
bands using CW, SSB, digital and satellite. QSL via eQSL and Logbook
of The World.
DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada
[A-NE-GA-DA] Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the
10th to the 27th of April. Full details via QRZ.com
Now the contest news
On Tuesday the 15th of April, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange
is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 16th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from
1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal
report and serial number.
On Thursday the 17th of April, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using All modes on the 4m band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Thursday the 10th of April 2025
A fast solar wind caused some disruption last week, often sending the
Kp index up to five, with many three-hour periods in excess of four.
The solar wind speed was in the 600-700 kilometres per second range,
which caused a moderate, G2, geomagnetic storm and visible aurora at
higher latitudes mid-week. Glancing CMEs that left the Sun on the 9th
of April brought a small chance of enhanced geomagnetic activity at
the end of the week.
Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined slightly from a high of 184
on the 5th of April to 167 on Thursday the 10th. There have been
quite a few C-class solar flares, but only two M-class flares and no
X-class events over the past seven days.
This geomagnetic activity has taken its toll on HF propagation, with
lower critical frequencies at times and lower MUFs. This, coupled
with the start of a change to summer ionospheric conditions, has
meant that MUFs over a 3,000km path have often struggled to get past
19.7MHz at times.
We have probably seen the best of the long-range 10m propagation
until the autumn. But we will have Sporadic-E and its associated
short skip from next month to make up for it.
Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will fall further,
perhaps to between 135 and 140 by the 15th of April. Geomagnetic
conditions are also likely to improve with a Kp index of two to
three, forecast for the period after tomorrow, the 14th of April. We
may expect more problematic geomagnetic conditions, with a predicted
Kp index of four, from the 21st to the 24th of April.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The long spell of fine settled weather and strong Tropo is leaving us
for a while, starting this weekend, and the high pressure is giving
way to slow-moving areas of low pressure with cloud and rain for the
coming week.
Although it won't rain all the time it will be considerably wetter
than recent weeks, with some heavy spells of rain at times and good
prospects for rain scatter on the GHz bands. It is possible that
there could be some thunder in the heavier rain, so it's now the
season to be aware of lightning risk.
The meteor scatter prospects are staggering towards the 22nd of April
Lyrids, which peak on Tuesday of the following week, so we're still
probably relying on random activity for most of this coming week, but
with improving chances.
The solar conditions have been feeding low-level auroral activity and
it remains a good time of the year when some effective auroral
conditions can appear - so stay alert to the state of the Kp index,
just in case.
The good news at this time of the year is that Sporadic-E will
eventually make an appearance, usually on 10m or 6m, and is quite
often first picked out on the digital modes. It will be into late
April before we need to get too excited about this, but there is no
harm in getting a set of beacons in mind for tracking an opening.
Remember the main characteristic of Es is that it starts on the lower
frequencies like 10m, and works up through 6m to 4m and then finally
2m in a high-summer opening.
EME path losses are at their maximum at apogee this evening, the
13th, and Moon declination is negative and falling further. Moon
windows will continue to shorten with peak elevation reaching only
eight degrees at the end of next week. 144MHz sky noise starts the
week low but will increase during the week to more than 2300 Kelvin
on Friday.
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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