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G4TNU > NEWS 14.05.23 02:35l 259 Lines 12400 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 14 May 2023
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 14th of May 2023
The news headlines:
* Coronation activities
* RSGB Trophy Manager
* Women in Engineering Day
Although the Coronation itself has taken place, the RSGB's Coronation
activities run until the end of June. After the successful Special
Special Event Station run by Cray Valley Amateur Radio Society, the
GB23C callsign is now open for individual radio amateurs and clubs to
use. You can find out how to register via the GB23C web page on the
RSGB website. You can also get involved in Beaconnect using one of
the hundreds of callsigns that Ofcom has made available for this
activity. RSGB District Representative Martyn, M0TEB activated
GB23BIR with Furness Amateur Radio Society and said the callsign
attracted a lot of interest, so they would encourage others to get
involved too! You can also download a special Coronation QSL card and
work towards three different RSGB Coronation awards. Details of all
of these activities are on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/coronation
After serving for nine years, the RSGB Trophy Manager is retiring
and the Society is looking for a new volunteer for this role. The
position is part of the RSGB Volunteer Leadership Team, reporting to
the Board. Working in close relationship with the three Contest
Committees and the RSGB General Manager, the Trophy Manager looks
after the RSGB's trophies, arranges for their engraving and
presentation to recipients and maintains the trophies' history. If
you are interested in applying for the role or would like to find out
more, please email gm.dept<at>rsgb.org.uk
We know that amateur radio is a great foundation for STEM careers.
With that in mind, why not help the RSGB celebrate International
Women in Engineering Day this June? The Society would love to share
your stories of women in engineering roles to inspire future
generations. If you, or a girl or woman you know, aspire to work in
engineering, are currently working as an engineer or are retired from
the profession, do get in touch with the RSGB comms team. Please send
a photo and a brief story to comms<at>rsgb.org.uk by Monday 22 May.
Don't forget that the RSGB's May Tonight<at>8 webinar will be live
tomorrow, Monday the 15th of May. Watch the livestream and ask
questions as Jack Purdum, W8TEE and Al Peter, AC8GY talk about the
T41-EP ALPS: A High Performance CW Decoder.
A reminder now that Mills on the Air is taking place this weekend.
There are plenty of stations on the air, so why not give them a call!
For more information, visit the www.ddars.net website or contact
millsontheair<at>gmail.com
Pubs and Clubs on the Air is also taking place this weekend. Today is
the last chance to work stations from all over the UK that are active
for the event. For more information, email g1puv<at>yahoo.co.uk or
visit the g6tw.co.uk website.
And now for details of rallies and events
The Braehead Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 14th of May.
The venue is Braehead Arena Foyer, 150 Kings Inch Road, Renfrew
G51 4BN. Free parking will be available. The doors open for everyone
at 10am and admission is GBP 4. The event will feature bring and buy
and the Central Scotland Repeater Group AGM. For more information and
contact details visit www.braeheadradiorally.com
RetrotechUK, hosted by the British Vintage Wireless Society, will
take place on Sunday the 21st of May. The venue will be Sports
Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL.
This large annual vintage technology fair will feature up to 200
indoor stalls. Private sellers, clubs and dealers will offer vintage
items, including radio, television, hi-fi, vinyl, 78s, gramophones,
telephones, communications equipment, spare parts, and much more.
There will also be a bring-and-buy area and free parking available.
The event is open to everyone and general admission from 10.30am is
GBP 10. Early entry from 9am costs GBP 25. For more details contact
Jeremy, G8MLK via email on jezzer3<at>hotmail.com, by phone on
07799 110 080, or visit www.retrotechuk.com
The Dunstable Downs Radio Club Annual National Amateur Radio Car Boot
Sale will be taking place on Sunday the 21st of May. The venue will
be Stockwood Park in Luton. All the usual facilities will be there.
For more information visit www.ddrcbootsale.org
The Barry Amateur Radio Society Rally will take place on Saturday
the 27th of May. The venue will be Sully Sports and Social Club,
South Road, Sully, CF64 5SP. Doors open from 9.30am for the public
and 7.30am for traders. Free parking is available on site. For more
information contact Steve on 07368 140 795.
Now the Special Event News
VI2023HRH [VICTOR, INDIA…] is the special callsign for members of
the Wireless Institute of Australia to celebrate the Coronation of
King Charles III. The callsign will be active until the 31st of May.
QSL via operator's instructions.
Look for special callsign AU40NRO which is active until the 30th of
June to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the National Institute of
Amateur Radio in India. QSL via VU2NRO.
Members of UBA Mechelen [MEH-HELEN] will be operating special event
station OS23SOM until the 31st of May in celebration of Special
Olympics Belgium's annual National Games, this year to be held in
Mechelen [MEH-HELEN], between the 17th and 20th of May. A certificate
will be available and details of how to download it will be published
via the OS23SOM QRZ.com web page.
Now the DX news
Harold, DF2WO will be active again as 9X2AW from Rwanda until
tomorrow, the 15th of May. He will operate using CW, SSB and digital
modes on the HF and 6m bands. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS page.
Giorgio, IU5HWS [INDIA, UNIFORM…] will be active as 5UA99WS from
Niamey [NEE-AA-MAY], Niger [NAI-JUH] until the 15th of June. In his
spare time, he will be QRV on the 40 to 10m bands using FT8 and SSB.
QSL via Logbook of the World, or via EA5GL.
James, KI7MGY will be stationed in Djibouti [JUH-BOO-TEE] until June
and plans to be QRV as J28HJ on the 80, 40, 20, 17, 15 and 10m bands
using SSB and FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World.
Pete, M1PTR, Tom, M0DCG and Kieron, M5KJM / EI6KP from Stockport
Radio Society are planning to operate as EJ6KP from Great Blasket
Island, EU-007, on the 16th, 17th and 18th of May. Operating during
daylight hours, they will be active on the 40, 20 and possibly 15m
bands using SSB. QSL via the bureau or OQRS.
Now the contest news
Today, the 14th of May, the 70MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to
1200UTC. Using CW on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator. UK and Crown Dependency stations also send
the first two letters of their postcode.
Also today, the 14th of May, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre-Wave
Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 24, 47 and
76GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday the 16th of May, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from
1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3GHz band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 17th of May, the 80m Club Championship runs from
1900 to 2030UTC. Using data modes on the 80m band, the exchange is
signal report and serial number.
On Thursday the 18th of May, 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.
On Saturday the 20th of May, the 144MHz May Contest starts its
24-hour run at 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange
is signal report, serial number and locator. UK and Crown Dependency
stations also send the first two letters of their postcode.
On Sunday the 21st of May, 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 and Crown Dependency
stations also send the first two letters of their postcode.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Thursday the 11th of May 2023
Our topsy-turvy world of HF propagation continued last week with
geomagnetic storms, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, proton
events and more.
The good news is that the solar flux index was at 170 by Thursday,
but the bad news was that we had two episodes where the Kp index hit
five and there were at least five M-class flares.
At least one of these flares was responsible for a coronal mass
ejection, or CME, which swept past the Earth on the 10th of May with
a solar wind speed close to 700km/s. Although it was fierce, it was
relatively short-lived and the Kp index was back to three on Thursday
the 11th.
The CME caused the maximum usable frequency over 3,000km to decline
to around 21MHz at times on Wednesday, but by Thursday morning it was
back up to nearly 28MHz.
The high proton flux also caused problems on the 10th of May. The
protons, mainly from CMEs, move down the Earth's magnetic field lines
into the polar regions, and cause massive ionisation of the polar D
region leading to increased, or total, absorption of HF waves.
This effect may last for as long as ten days and is called a Polar
Cap Absorption event, or PCA. This affects signals going over the
poles, such as the UK to the west coast of Canada and the USA, or to
Japan and the far east.
Meanwhile, we are now under way with the Sporadic-E season, so make
the most of the short skip and potential multi-hop Sporadic-E DX on
14 to 28MHz.
Next week, the Space Weather Prediction Centre has the Solar Flux
Index declining slightly into the 150s. This is still more than
enough to maintain DX on 21MHz and higher at times. It also predicts
that the Kp index will be no higher than a stable 2 all week.
However, that is hard to believe, with the level of solar activity at
the moment, and we could reasonably expect the Earth to be hit with a
CME or two at some stage. This could see the Kp index rising with the
potential of reduced MUFs at times.
And now the VHF and up propagation news
After a very unsettled end to the week, with lots of rain scatter
reported, it will soon quieten down as a ridge of high pressure
builds across the country to give some limited Tropo opportunities
for the start of the weekend.
This will not last long and by this evening, it will be heading back
to unsettled with low pressure, heavy rain and rain scatter. This
unsettled theme will last through the first half of the new week
together with strong north-easterly winds. Thereafter, high pressure
will build again for the second half of the week, providing further
Tropo options.
Keep a watch for aurora, especially in view of the current unsettled
solar state. CMEs will mean a very unsteady Kp index and anything
higher than five should get your attention for auroral propagation.
No significant meteor showers are expected this week, but QSOs using
random meteors are always a possibility in the dawn hours.
Likely to be of interest in the summer months ahead, there have
already been Sporadic-E openings on 6m CW and FT8 into Europe. Early
evening trans-equatorial 6m FT8 QSOs to South America, the Indian
Ocean and the South Atlantic were reported from the UK last week.
Check Propquest.co.uk for daily blogs and make use of the DX cluster
and map plots to see where the actual centres of activity are
located.
Timings can be a bit random early in the season, but there tends to
be two ‘openings' per day – one in the morning and a second
during the late afternoon or early evening.
Moon declination is rising, going positive again next Tuesday. But
last Thursday's perigee [PEH-RUH-JEE] means path losses are on the
increase. 144MHz sky noise is low until Friday when the Sun and Moon
are close in the sky for the whole Moon window. Things return to
normal early on Saturday and sky noise is moderate.
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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