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G4TNU > NEWS 01.04.25 06:33l 259 Lines 12698 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 30 Mar 2025
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 30th of March 2025
The news headlines:
* RSGB AGM – your chance to ask the Board a question
* The RSGB has published new forms for exam question queries
* The April Tonight<at>8 webinar – using a glue stick in a
homemade 40m receiver
Do you have a question about the RSGB's strategy? Perhaps you have a
query about recent licence changes? Or maybe you'd like to understand
more about membership growth? Whatever the topic, the Society is
asking you to get in touch. RSGB Board members will be answering your
questions during the RSGB 2025 AGM on Saturday the 12th of April. You
can submit your question in three ways; live via Zoom, send a written
question in advance, or during the live chat on the day. If you'd
like to ask a question about the formal part of the AGM, you'll need
to do this via Zoom or by submitting a written question in advance.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to discuss what matters to you.
Your participation in the AGM is important, and the Society looks
forward to hearing from you. Find out more about how to be involved,
and the deadlines for submitting questions, by going to rsgb.org/agm
As part of its modernisation of the exams systems, the RSGB has
introduced online forms for reporting possible errors found in exam
questions. These forms replace the current procedure of writing to
the Exam Department. RSGB Examinations Standards Chair Tony Kent,
G8PBH explained that there are two forms. The first can only be
submitted by exam candidates and is to formally challenge questions
in actual exams, where the outcome of a challenge may affect a
candidate's result. The second form can be submitted by anyone, and
is for informal queries of published exam questions, for example in
mock exams. A separate form is needed for each question that you
challenge. Please check carefully that you are using the correct form
otherwise it may delay the process. Your query will be considered by
the RSGB Examinations and Syllabus Review Group, who will let you
know the outcome. For more information and to find the forms, go to
rsgb.org/exam-challenges
The next webinar in the RSGB's Tonight<at>8 series will be with Nick
Wood, M0NTV on Monday the 7th of April. Nick will show you how to use
a regular glue stick housing in a rather novel way to form the basis
of a variable tuning inductor in a homemade 40m receiver. After a
brief description of a Direct Conversion Receiver and a short
technical explanation of how it works, Nick will dive into four
separate modules. At the end of the webinar, he will string it all
together and you'll be able to see some video footage of how it
sounds and what it can do. Visit rsgb.org/webinars to find out more.
Join the presentation live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special
BATC channel and ask questions via the live chat.
The RSGB is delighted to announce that Chris Aitken, MM0WIC, who is
the current RSGB Youth Champion for Schools, is taking on the new
position of RSGB Youth Chair. For now, Chris will continue to fulfil
his Youth Champion for Schools role but will also take on more
responsibilities by leading the Youth Champion team. Chris will work
closely with the Board Liaison for Youth, and IARU Youth contacts, to
help attract more UK youngsters to amateur radio. Find out more about
youth activities by going to rsgb.org/youth
If you live in Region 9, London and Thames Valley, why not support
fellow radio amateurs in your area? There are a number of volunteer
vacancies within the region, including several District
Representative positions, as well as the Regional Representative
role. If you are passionate about amateur radio, enjoy talking with
people, and want to give something back to the hobby, get in touch.
Go to rsgb.org/volunteers to find out more, and then email the
Regional Forum Chair Keith Bird, G4JED via rr10<at>rsgb.org.uk
SOS Radio Week is an annual event that celebrates the invaluable
life-saving work of the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution, the National CoastWatch Institute and the independent
lifeboats around the coasts of the British Isles and the Channel
Islands. This year, the event starts at 0000UTC on the 1st of May and
concludes at 2359UTC on the 31st of May. SOS Radio Week stations can
be run by individuals or groups, from home or at a special location.
To register go to sosradioweek.org.uk
This year's Mills on the Air weekend is taking place on the 10th and
11th of May. Find out more at tinyurl.com/millsontheair or search
Mills on the Air on Facebook.
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 Hack Green Military Surplus and Military Radio Hangar Sale is
taking place on Sunday the 6th of April at Hack Green Secret Nuclear
Bunker, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 8AL. Items on sale will include
electronic equipment, amateur radio gear, components, military radio
items and vehicle spares. For further details, please go to
hackgreen.co.uk or email coldwar<at>hackgreen.co.uk
The Yeovil Amateur Radio Club QRP Convention is taking place on
Saturday the 12th of April at Digby Hall in Sherborne. Doors open at
9.30am. The convention will include traders, bring and buy, club
stalls and a café. For more information, please visit the club's
website via yeovil-arc.com
Now the Special Event news
The Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society, also known as RAFARS, will
be holding its popular Airfields On The Air special event activity
from the 1st of April. RAF Stations will be activated primarily
during the 5th and 6th of April, as well as the 12th and 13th of
April. More information can be found via rafars.org/rafaota
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 will be
active between the 11th and 25th of April. Full details of the event,
as well as details of available awards, can be found via
Hamaward.cloud
Now the DX news
Alex, K6VHF/HR9 will again be active from the 30th of March until
the 6th of April from Roatán [ROW-UH-TN] island, IOTA reference
NA-057. He'll be QRV on 80m to 6m using verticals, Hexbeam, Slopers
and a Delta loop using FT8, FT4, SSB, RTTY and CW. QSL direct via
K6VHF, OQRS Club Log, and Logbook of The World.
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.
Now the contest news
The CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the
29th of March and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 30th of March.
Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the
exchange is signal report and serial number.
On Tuesday the 1st of April, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from
1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday the 1st of April, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 2nd of April, 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 2nd of April, 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.
The UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest is on Wednesday the 2nd
of April and runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band,
the exchange is your six-character locator.
The FT4 International Activity Day starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the
5th of April and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 6th of April. Using
FT4 on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the
exchange is your report.
The SP DX Contest starts at 1500UTC on Saturday the 5th of April and
ends at 1500UTC on Sunday the 6th 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.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Thursday the 27th of March 2025
Last week's space weather was dominated by a large coronal hole on
the Sun. This was probably one of the largest we have seen for many
years.
Moderate, G2, geomagnetic storming was observed following the arrival
of a solar wind stream from the hole, with the wind speed exceeding
600 km/s on Wednesday the 26th. This pushed the Kp index to 6.33,
depressing the MUF slightly.
Luckily, the daytime MUF over a 3,000km path mostly stayed above
28MHz, but it was slow to rise on Thursday the 27th, when it took
until 0900UTC to reach 28MHz. At the time of writing, the solar wind
speed was in excess of 800km/s, so we can expect more disruption
until at least Saturday the 29th.
Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined to 152 by Thursday the 27th,
with only four small sunspot regions visible.
CDXC members have been discussing working New Zealand in the morning
at the ZL sunset, often on low power. Listen and look for ZL4OL and
ZL2CC, usually on FT8, but if conditions allow CW and SSB. 20m or 40m
seem to be the favourite, and the VarAC data mode seems popular in ZL
as well.
Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will climb again,
perhaps to 180 by the 4th of April. However, unsettled geomagnetic
conditions are forecast again, beginning on the 3rd. We may expect
the Kp index to reach six, which could be the start of at least ten
days of disruption.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The overall picture for the weather patterns in the coming week is
that of high pressure, which means that Tropo should be available as
a good mode for VHF bands.
There can be quite strong temperature inversions in the region of
large well-developed areas of high pressure. The best performance
will usually be around the edges of the high where the height of the
inversion and ducting layer is typically between 0.5km and 2km above
the ground, and can cover large distances for excellent DX prospects.
Occasionally, a shallow ducting layer can form near the ground
overnight but often disperses by mid-morning. If you are in a good
inversion region, try SSB or CW on the VHF/UHF bands, as paths of up
to 1,500km can often be achieved from a good ‘tropo lift'.
The reverse side of the high-pressure systems is that we will have
low pressure nearby, mainly to the north and west of the UK. Any
potential for rain scatter will mainly be over northwestern Britain,
although an active front that was moving south on Friday the 28th of
March was a good candidate for chance rain scatter on the GHz bands.
The prospects for meteor scatter are still largely dependent upon
random meteors, which are usually best in the hours before dawn.
Current solar activity will continue to trigger auroral alerts in the
coming week.
Now onto Sporadic-E, and last week we had a few out-of-season
isolated foEs ‘blips' to between 5-7MHz, which was enough to
produce propagation on 10m and 6m, albeit very fleetingly.
There have already been some equinox-related 6m trans-equatorial
propagation or TEP workable from the Southern part of the country, so
keep an eye open late morning for Africa and late afternoon for South
America.
EME path losses have continued to improve until perigee this morning,
the 30th of March. Moon declination is still falling, and reached a
minimum last Friday, the 28th. Moon windows will increase throughout
the coming week. 144MHz sky noise is low, apart from Saturday the
29th when the Sun was close to the Moon in the sky, rising to
moderate next Thursday before dropping back to low for the weekend.
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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