| |
G4FVG > NEWS 28.04.24 10:01l 323 Lines 15862 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
BID : 33760_G4FVG
Read: GUEST
Subj: RSGB Main News 28 Apr 2024 [backup]
Path: IW8PGT<HB9ON<IW0QNL<SR1BSZ<EA2RCF<I0OJJ<GB7CIP<G4FVG
Sent: 240428/0544Z 33760@G4FVG.#79.GBR.EURO LinBPQ6.0.24
As the news appears to be struggling getting from Andy/G4TNU
this weekend, here is a backup resend of the RSGB news; on the basis
that two copies are better than none. Hopefully, the normal copy will
appear later - but the news is the same! So here is the .....
GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 28th of April 2024
The news headlines:
* New mock papers for amateur radio licence exams have been
published
* A revised amateur radio examination syllabus has been released
* The RSGB has released the video review of 2023 by its
President John McCullagh, GI4BWM
The RSGB Exam Syllabus Review Group has published a new set of mock
papers covering each of the amateur radio licence exams, from
Foundation through to Direct to Full. These papers are in addition to
those already available. They are each marked as ‘mock exam paper
3' and you can find them on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/mock-exams
The new amateur radio licence has now been in effect for a few weeks.
Changes to the licence conditions have made it necessary to revise
the examination syllabus. The RSGB is pleased to release version 1.6
of the syllabus which includes these revisions. Compared to version
1.5 in current use, the only section that has seen major changes is
Section 1 – "Licensing and station identification". In Section 7
– "Operating practices and procedures" – there were some minor
changes, for example regarding suffixes. Exams will start using
version 1.6 of the syllabus on the 1st of September 2024.
The Society has released the video review of 2023 by RSGB President
John McCullagh, GI4BWM. Filmed at the Ofcom Spectrum Management
Centre near Baldock in Hertfordshire, the video covers a wide range
of very positive activities, events and achievements. The President
also talks about the RSGB's strategic priorities, gaining publicity
in the mainstream media, and the important work done by the Society
on behalf of all radio amateurs to protect the spectrum. One example
is the WRC Conference, where the RSGB Microwave Manager Barry Lewis,
G4SJH, led the IARU team responsible for defending amateur use of the
23cm band. You can watch the video on the RSGB YouTube channel at
youtube.com/theRSGB
At the April Regional Forum meeting, Regional Representative 10,
Keith Bird, G4JED was elected as Chair, and Regional Representative
3, Martyn Bell, M0TEB was elected as Secretary. They will both
volunteer in these roles until the 2025 AGM. You can find contact
details for both Keith and Martyn on the RSGB website at
rsgb.org/regions
The next in the series of the popular 145 Alive events, to promote
the use of 145MHz FM, is scheduled to take place on the 11th of
May 2024, from 1pm to 3pm. The event and the supporting Facebook
Group was started by Tim, G5TM and from the start of 2024 has been
organised by Mark, M0XIC and John, M0XJA. The last successful event
took place in January this year, when over 30 nets operated
simultaneously across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern and
Southern Ireland. Over 900 QSOs took place, with many amateurs
operating portable, mobile or from their club or home QTH. If you
would like to take part, and find out more about the event and 145
Alive in general, then join the 145 Alive Facebook Group. If you
would like to run a net on the 11th of May, contact Mark, M0XIC or
John, M0XJA via the Facebook Group.
Mills on the Air Weekend 2024 is coming up on Saturday the 11th and
Sunday the 12th of May. The event takes place across the UK every May
with more than 300 windmills and watermills usually taking part. For
more information, to register, and to view a list of registered
stations, visit ddars.net/mills.html
The RAF Air Cadets are pleased to announce that they are running the
ever-popular Blue Ham Radio Communications Exercise in June on the
60m band. The exercise will take place between the 17th and 21st of
June. Subject to your licence conditions, the Blue Ham team hopes
that you can put some time aside to join in with the cadets and staff
who will be ready to take your calls. The Blue Ham Team will issue
you with a participation certificate if you contact 20 or more
special MRE callsigns over the period of the exercise. For more
information visit alphacharlie.org.uk Please note that only Full
licensees may operate on the 60m band.
South Bristol Amateur Radio Club is running a free online Foundation
licence course in May. Anyone who is interested in taking part can
find out more by emailing training<at>sbarc.co.uk When emailing,
please include your name, postal address and date of birth. Please
also indicate which weekday evenings and times you are available.
The weekday evening that the course will take place on will be
decided by majority preference.
MFJ Enterprises has announced in a letter to its customers that it
will be ceasing its on-site production at its premises in Starkville,
Mississippi on the 17th of May 2024. The news also applies to the
sister companies Ameritron, Hygain, Cushcraft and others. MFJ
Enterprises has been in business for 52 years and will continue to
sell its existing stock after the 17th of May. It will also continue
to offer a repair service for out-of-warranty and in-warranty units
for the foreseeable future.
And now for details of rallies and events
The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club's 40th Annual Radio Rally is due to
take place on Sunday the 5th of May. The venue will be Share
Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea [LIS-NA-SKI] Road, Lisnaskea
[LIS-NA-SKI], Enniskillen, BT92 0JZ. The event will feature food and
drink, bring and buy, RSGB books, the QSL Bureau, and the usual
variety of traders. The doors open at 11am. Traders are asked to
arrive around 9am. Admission, which includes a ticket for the prize
draw, will cost GBP 5 or five Euro. Contact Alan
at argault91<at>gmail.com to arrange a table.
Thorpe Camp Hamfest will also take place on Sunday the 5th of May at
Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire,
LN4 4PL. Traders are asked to arrive no earlier than 7am. The doors
open at 9am for buyers and the entrance fee is GBP 5 per person.
The RetrotechUK event will be held on Sunday the 12th of May. The
venue will be Sports Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton-on-Dunsmore,
Coventry, CV8 3FL. The doors open at 10.30am with an entry fee of
GBP 10. A fee of GBP 25 applies for early-doors entry at 9am. This is
an annual event organised by the British Vintage Wireless
Society. There will be almost 200 dealer stalls, clubs and private
sellers. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the wide range
of retro equipment. For more information email
info<at>retrotechuk.com and visit retrotechuk.com
Now the Special Event News
Special callsign SZ0WARD is in use by the Radio Amateur Association
of Greece in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day until the 30th of
April. Look for activity on all bands using SSB, CW and digital
modes. QSL via the Bureau and Logbook of the World. See
sv2rck.gr/SZ0WARD for details of an award that is available.
Also in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day, special callsign
TC3WRD is active until the 30th of April. QSL via Logbook of the
World. For details of a certificate that is available, see
tadx.org/awards The station was spotted recently on the 40m band
using FT8.
Today is the last chance to work special event station GB6WW which is
active from Glasgow, Scotland to commemorate the end of the Second
World War. If you have made QSOs with GB6WW on three or more bands,
you are eligible to apply for an award. To apply for the award, send
an email to gb6ww<at>ft8.me with the details of your contacts. Please
include your callsign, dates of QSOs, and the bands on which they
occurred. There is no application fee. Once your QSOs have been
verified, the PDF award file will be emailed to you.
Now the DX news
Jeff, K5WE and Craig, W5CCP are active as TX7W from Raivavae
[RAY-VA-VEE], OC-114, in the Austral Islands until the 30th of
April. They are operating using mainly CW and FT8, with some SSB,
RTTY and FT4, on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS is
preferred, but is also available via Logbook of the World, or
directly to K5WE. Depending upon a reliable internet connection, logs
will be uploaded to Club Log daily, and Club Log's Livestream will be
enabled. See k5we.com/tx7w for more information and updates.
Listen out for a group of 13 Camb-Hams which is active from the Isle
of Mull, EU-008, as GS3PYE until the 3rd of May. The team is QRV on
the 80 to 10m bands as well as via the QO-100 satellite. QSL via Club
Log's OQRS. You can read a report of the team's previous visit to the
island in 2015 at tinyurl.com/Mull2015
Now the contest news
The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the
27th and ends at 1200UTC today, the 28th of April. Using CW on the 80
to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal
report and serial number. UK and Ireland stations also send their
district code.
The SP DX RTTY Contest started at 1200UTC on the 27th and ends at
1200UTC today the 28th of April. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands,
where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and
serial number. SP stations also send their province code.
The MGM Contest started at 1400UTC on the 27th of April and ends at
1400UTC today the 28th of April. Using machine-generated modes on the
6 and 2m bands, the exchange is your report and four-character
locator.
Today, the 28th, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Sprint 75
Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using 75-baud RTTY on the 80 to
10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your serial
number.
On Monday the 29th, 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 Wednesday the 1st of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour
Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the
exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the
1st of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900
to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and
four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may
also enter the two-hour contest.
On Saturday the 4th, the 432MHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400 to
2000UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The 432MHz to 245GHz Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th
and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 5th of May. Using all modes on
432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial
number and locator.
The UK Six Metre Group's Summer Marathon starts at 0000UTC on
Saturday the 4th of May and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 4th of
August. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is your
four-character locator.
The ARI International DX Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the
4th of May and ends at 1159UTC on Sunday the 5th of May. Using CW,
RTTY and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted,
the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations
also send their province.
On Sunday the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from
0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Also on Sunday the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre Wave
Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24, 47 and
76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and
locator.
On Sunday the 5th, the Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs
from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using SSB on the 40m band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain Square.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO
on Thursday the 25th of April 2024
We had another week with plenty of sunspots, and HF conditions were
quite good in the second half.
Earlier, the Kp index reached 3 and 4, which didn't help maximum
useable frequencies, or MUFs for short. For example, on Sunday the
21st, the Kp index rose to 4 and the MUF over a 3,000km path remained
stubbornly below 21MHz until later in the morning.
This could have been due to a coronal hole on the Sun's equator,
which added to the solar wind. By Wednesday, conditions were nearly
back to normal, with a Kp index below 2 and an MUF of more than
24MHz. By Thursday the improvement had continued, giving us an MUF of
more than 28MHz by 0900UTC.
There have been many reports of 10m band DX being worked, including
Sebastien, FK4AX and Pat, FK8HA in New Caledonia in the Pacific on
SSB. Sebastien has just got his licence and is keen to work DX from
the UK.
This shows that it is worth keeping an eye on the CW and SSB portions
of the 10m band, which can often throw up surprises.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will decline to
around 160. The Kp index is predicted to be around 2 to 3, but that
may be wishful thinking. With 16 active regions visible on the Sun's
surface on Thursday, anything could happen. Only minor C- and M-class
flares have occurred recently but, as we always say, it wouldn't take
much for those to turn into X-class events.
So, make the most of quiet geomagnetic conditions when we have them
as, by the time you read or hear this, we could once again have very
unsettled conditions indeed.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The cold, unsettled weather will ease its grip over the last few days
of this week, ending the 28th of April, but only because the whole
area of low pressure is moving across the country this weekend.
Low pressure remains close by for much of the following week and only
a hesitant return of high pressure west of Ireland will improve
things for western Britain at the end of the week.
The result is a chance of Tropo for western Britain next week, but it
will probably be of limited quality since it is likely to form in
cold, dry air across any temperature inversion.
The remaining option in such weather patterns is primarily rain
scatter for those on the GHz bands. The many online weather radar
displays can be used to highlight the areas of heaviest rain.
We are past the peak of the Lyrids meteor shower, but the
Eta-Aquarids, with a Zenithal Hourly Rate of 50, peaks next Sunday
the 5th around 2100UTC. Until then, rely upon random activity which
tends to be better around dawn.
The Sun has been more active again recently, so monitor the clusters
and Kp index for signs of geomagnetic activity and the chance of an
aurora if the Kp index exceeds 5.
Sporadic-E tends to produce a few early examples in May ahead of its
June peak. Check the DX clusters during late afternoon or early
evening as openings can be very brief early in the season. Start on
the 10m band and, if short skip within Europe is present, move up to
the 6m band. Digital modes are more sensitive so check FT8 reports to
give clues as to where the chances are greatest.
For EME operators, the Moon is at minimum declination today, Sunday
the 28th, meaning we'll have short Moon windows to start the coming
week. Path losses are falling but perigee, when the Moon is at its
closest point, is still over a week away. 144MHz sky noise is high
this weekend, ending the 28th of April, but falls to low by the end
of the coming 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.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
