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G4TNU > NEWS 07.04.24 04:01l 302 Lines 15097 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 07 Apr 2024
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 7th of April 2024
The news headlines:
* The RSGB 2024 AGM is approaching
* Don't forget about the RSGB's new ‘Join a friend' referral
scheme
* The next Tonight<at>8 webinar is taking place tomorrow, the
8th of April
Are you an RSGB member? Have you voted on the AGM resolutions? The
deadline for voting is 9am on Thursday the 11th of April. Online
voting is available 24 hours a day, so make sure you use your vote
before then. Registration for asking a question live via Zoom has now
closed but there is still time to submit a written question in
advance – this is the only way for members to ask a question during
the formal part of the meeting. During the later Q&A sessions, written
questions will be answered before any asked via YouTube live
chat. The AGM itself includes the results of the voting, the Honorary
Treasurer's report, a video review of the year by the RSGB President,
as well as announcements of trophies and construction competition
winners. There will also be a presentation by Ofcom Group Director,
Spectrum, David Willis who will talk about "Making amateur radio
licensing fit for the future". After this presentation there will be
a live Q&A session on the new licence conditions with four senior
RSGB representatives. Be part of this important annual event and take
the opportunity to ask questions of the Board and about the licensing
conditions. The RSGB AGM will take place at 10am on Saturday the
13th of April on YouTube – be part of it! Find out more on the RSGB
website at rsgb.org/agm
Don't forget that the RSGB has launched a new opportunity to get even
more out of your RSGB membership. If you recommend a friend who
hasn't been an RSGB member during the last 12 months, you will both
receive GBP 10 cashback when they become a member paying by direct
debit. Whether you're an individual RSGB member, or an affiliated
club, you can sign up as many friends as you like. Membership of the
RSGB gives you a range of fantastic benefits so why not encourage
others to join! Members have access to RadCom, exclusive online
resources, RSGB award schemes and contests, as well as advice from
the Society's specialist committees. The RSGB's representation to
Ofcom and its ability to defend the spectrum nationally and
internationally is more powerful through strength in numbers. Go to
the special RSGB 'Join a friend' web page to find all the information
you'll need to take advantage of this offer, including a link to the
online form at rsgb.org/join-a-friend
The latest Tonight<at>8 webinar is taking place tomorrow, Monday the
8th of April. Whitham Reeve will be looking at high frequency aurora
reflections observed at Anchorage in Alaska in the United States of
America. The presentation will include an overview of early
investigations and concepts that underlie the observations of aurora
reflections and instrumentation. It will also include a selection of
spectrum images from 2020 showing aurora reflections. Watch this live
presentation on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel and
ask questions via the live chat. To find out more go to the RSGB
website at rsgb.org/webinars
Are you making the most of the new amateur radio licence conditions
already? Or are you still discovering what has changed and how it
applies to you? The RSGB website has a range of resources about the
Ofcom consultation, the new licence conditions and where to find help
and guidance. You'll find videos, summaries and links to Ofcom's
documentation. This is also a good time to revalidate your licence.
Go to rsgb.org/licence-review to find out more and remember to be
part of the RSGB AGM if you have a question you'd like to ask.
A reminder that registration is open for Maritime Radio Day 2024
which takes place annually on the 14th and 15th of April. The event
is held to commemorate the almost 100 years of wireless telegraphy
service for seafarers which ended with the closure in the UK of
Portishead Radio on the 30th of April 2000. Commencing at 1200UTC on
the 14th of April, and finishing at 2300UTC on the 15th of April,
this event is a great opportunity to have a QSO with ex-Marine Radio
Officers and Coast Station professionals who exchange details of
their previous ships and coast stations. The mode of operation is CW
and all of the HF bands are used, including the WARC bands. A
certificate of participation will be issued to everyone who submits
results. Amateur licence holders are invited to register to take part
as Friends of Maritime Radio Day. Shortwave listeners may also submit
logs. For more information and to register, visit tinyurl.com/MRD24
Lots of stations are on the air today to join in with this year's
Airfields on the Air event. Amateurs are invited to contact as many
of the stations as possible. To learn more about the event, and read
a list of registered stations, visit tinyurl.com/2024AOTA
Tomorrow, the 8th, a total solar eclipse will head toward the UK from
the west. While not visible over the UK, it will likely affect
transatlantic VLF and HF radio propagation. RSGB Propagation
Committee associate member Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL has a particular
interest in the effect of reduced ionisation during the eclipse on
second and third hops on 15 to 10m paths from the UK to North
America. He encourages occasional WSPR users to dust off their
transmitters to operate on those bands from today, the 7th, through
to Tuesday the 9th of April, not just on the 8th, so as to provide
results on undisturbed days.
And now for details of rallies and events
Holsworthy Spring Rally is being held today, Sunday the 7th of April,
at Holsworthy Livestock Market in Devon. The doors open to traders
from 8am, and to the public from 10am. Wheelchair access, catering
and free parking is available. For more information email
m0omc<at>m0omc.co.uk
Yeovil Amateur Radio Club's 38th QRP Convention will be held on
Saturday the 20th of April at Digby Hall, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3AA.
The doors will be open from 9.30am to 1.30pm and admission will be
GBP 3. The event will feature talks, traders, a bring-and-buy area,
club stalls and a café. For more information, see yeovil-arc.com or
email derekbowen1949<at>talktalk.net
Andover Radio Amateur Club Boot Sale is due to take place on Sunday
the 21st of April at Wildhern Village Hall, Tangley, Wildhern,
Andover, SP11 0JE. The doors open at 10am for visitors and at 9am for
sellers. Entry will cost GBP 2. The fee for a field pitch is GBP 8
and the cost for a table in the hall will be GBP 10. For more
information visit arac.org.uk For table bookings email
admin<at>arac.org.uk
Now the Special Event News
Special event station GB0WYT [GOLF-BRAVO-ZERO-WHISKEY-YANKEE-TANGO]
will be active from RAF Wyton during the Airfields on the Air event
on the weekend of the 13th and 14th of April. This is the 12th year
that a special event station has marked the event. The callsign will
again be operated by RAF Air Cadet Communication Staff and club
members from the Huntingdonshire Amateur Radio Society. This year,
due to restrictions, the activity will be run from a site just west
of the main runway at Wyton. Operators will be active on the HF
bands, subject to working conditions, using CW, phone, RTTY, PSK31
and FT8. FM and SSB will also be in use on the 2m band.
Lots of special event stations are on the air today for Autism
Awareness Week. For more information, including a list of callsigns
that will be active, visit the GB2AA page on QRZ.com
Now the DX news
A team of amateurs is active from Vanuatu [VA-NOO-AH-TWO], OC-035,
until the 11th of April. Operators will be QRV on the 40 to 6m bands
using SSB, CW and FT8. QSL via OQRS. QSOs will be uploaded to Club
Log. Watch the YJ0VK page at QRZ.com for updates.
A team of UK amateurs is about to set off on an expedition to the
Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides. The IOTA reference for the
location is EU008. The team will be on the island on the afternoon of
Sunday the 14th of April and is expected to be operating by the
evening. The last day of operation will be the 20th of April.
Operators expect to be active using CW, FT8 and SSB on most bands
from 160 to 10m as well as the 2m band. The team has a portable
station and hopes to activate each of the following Worked All
Britain Squares: NM 15, 16, 25, and 26. More details are available
on GB0SIC's QRZ.com web page.
Now the contest news
FT4 International Activity Day started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 6th
and ends at 1200UTC today, Sunday the 7th of April. Using FT4 on the
160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your
report.
The SP DX Contest started at 1500UTC on Saturday the 6th and ends at
1500UTC today, Sunday the 7th of April. Using CW and SSB on the 160
to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal
report and serial number. SP stations also send their province code.
Today, the 7th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from
1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Also today, the 7th, the Worked All Britian Data Contest runs from
1000UTC to 1400UTC and from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8, FT4, JS8,
RTTY and PSK on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. Club and
multi-operator stations can only score points in either one of the
operating periods. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the
17th of April. The full rules are available on the Worked All Britain
website.
On Monday the 8th, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to
2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and
serial number.
On Tuesday the 9th, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to
1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report,
serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday the 9th, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from
1900 to 2130UTC. Using All modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 10th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs
from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70m band, the exchange is
report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 10th, the
432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using
FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character
locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the
two-hour contest.
On Thursday the 11th, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to
2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Thursday the 4th of April 2024
Looking at the Sun on Wednesday the 3rd of April, you might be
forgiven for thinking we are near sunspot minimum!
With a near-total lack of sunspots and a solar flux index of 112, the
solar disk was looking pretty bare. Compare that with just two weeks
ago when the solar flux index was sitting at 209 on the 23rd of March.
But never fear, there seems to be some activity coming up. Two active
regions, AR3627 and AR3628, have just rotated into view, but in the
meantime make the most of the geomagnetically-quiet conditions.
10m propagation is still holding up, although you may find that the
band opens a little later in the morning and shuts earlier in the
afternoon. The 4X6TU and VK6RBP IBP beacons were both audible at
0945UTC on Thursday the 4th, while China, Japan, Mongolia and
Thailand were copiable on 10m FT8, even with a lowish solar flux
index.
Higher HF band propagation from the UK has moved from favouring North
America to north-south paths, notably to South Africa and South
America.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will rise a
little, perhaps starting at around 135 and finishing at around 150.
Geomagnetic conditions should be reasonably quiet with a maximum Kp
index of 3, unless we get a coronal mass ejection that could send it
soaring.
As always, keep an eye on solarham.net for current conditions.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
There have been reports of trans-equatorial QSOs on 144MHz from
Southern Africa to the Southern Mediterranean, but here in the UK we
can only dream due to our northerly location.
The next period of weather is unfortunately shaping up to be the same
as most of the recent ones, dominated by low-pressure systems driving
active weather fronts across the British Isles.
It means that Tropo conditions seem unlikely to feature much through
to the end of the coming week. Rain scatter for the GHz bands remains
the mode of choice with help from some heavy April showers. Meteor
scatter options are still best with random meteors before dawn, but
we are getting closer to the April Lyrids shower later this month, so
not long to wait now.
The solar conditions have subsided a little recently, but we remain
in scope for further activity, especially since April can be one of
the more active months for aurora. Watch out for fluttery signals on
HF or VHF bands, use the various clusters, or save the frequency of
one of the northern beacons in your rig's memory.
In fact, this is a good time to suggest updating your list of
favourite beacons on the 10, 6, 4 and 2m bands since they'll be
useful for the upcoming sporadic-E season too.
It's a good time to take an early look at the sporadic-E prospects
before it gets properly busy.
Some background rules which may help are to use propquest.co.uk to
see where the jet streams are, since Sporadic-E propagation is often
associated with turbulence in regions of jet stream activity. Then
look for a relatively low Kp index. The other main rules are related
to timing. Usually, there are two windows of opportunity, one in the
morning and a second in the late afternoon or early evening. However,
at the beginning of the season, these are approximate.
Sporadic-E starts on the lower bands like 10m and, if strong enough,
will gradually extend to the higher bands. The 10 and 6m bands are
probably the ones to check this month.
For EME operators, Moon declination goes positive again on Sunday,
which is also Moon perigee, its closest point to Earth, so we'll see
lengthening Moon windows, increasing elevation and low path losses.
144MHz sky noise is low until Monday's total solar eclipse, then
moderate for the rest of the week.
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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