RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 24th 2022.

GB2RS News

Sunday the 24th of July 2022

The news headlines:

Operate a Commonwealth Games station

GB2RS news readers sought

Poldhu ARC Open Day

For the Commonwealth Games, GB22HQ will be operating from the Birmingham NEC. There are also seven ‘Special’ Special Event callsigns, one each from the four UK Home Nations and three Crown Dependencies. From the 25th of July until the 21st of August, the special callsigns will be available for activation by RSGB affiliated clubs or individual RSGB Members. To take part you must please first check the relevant Activation Schedule on QRZ.com for a slot to suit your availability. Then contact the callsign coordinator, who will be keen to help. They will book you in and update the schedule. Depending upon your location, the callsigns to look for are GB22GE, GB22GM, GB22GW, GB22GI, GB22GJ, GB22GU and GB22GD. More details at rsgb.org under the ‘on the air’ tab.

The RSGB is seeking one or more readers to join the team that broadcasts GB2RS on 2m FM voice at 9 am UK clock time each Sunday from south Essex. You would transmit the news occasionally as part of a schedule devised by the existing team. Your station should provide good coverage of South-East Hertfordshire, South Essex, Greater London, North-East Surrey and North-West Kent. If you would like to find out more, please contact the GB2RS Manager Steve Richards, G4HPE at [email protected].

Poldhu Amateur Radio Club is holding an Open Day on Saturday the 6th of August from 10 am. They welcome anyone who has an interest in amateur radio, or those that are already licensed, to join them for the day. There will be an opportunity to operate the club station, have a chat and learn more. The club has a superb site on the cliffs overlooking Poldhu Cove and Mounts Bay, with a triband HF beam and multiple dipoles. The location is close to Poldhu Cove beach with its café, an ideal location for the family while you indulge your radio passion. Go to Poldhu Cove and follow the signs to the Marconi Centre, where there is a large free car park. For more information, please call Terry, G4CDY on 0776 468 1843.

The RSGB is pleased to announce the publication of the new Direct to Full examination syllabus. Enrolments for the Direct to Full examinations will open in January 2023, six months after the publication of the new syllabus. More information about the changes and the full syllabus can be found at rsgb.org/direct-to-full.

The biographical film about Sir Ran Fiennes’ life, Explorer, has a fair number of clips of HF radio operations with his late wife, Ginny, and Laurence, GM4DMA now KL7L included. HF communications were a mainstay of many of their expeditions from the early 70s to the 2000s. The trailer for the film has a short CW message to be decoded. The film is shown at selected cinemas in the UK.

The RSGB is pleased to announce the team of young RSGB Members who will be representing the UK at next month’s YOTA camp in Croatia. Hosted by the Croatian Amateur Radio Association, the event will be held between the 6th and 13th of August. Dan, M0WUT is the Team leader with Peter, M0SWN; Hamzah, 2E0HXS and Povilas, MW7DKV.

The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is looking to recruit volunteers, particularly for duties on Mondays, Thursdays and at the weekend. If you think this volunteer role is for you, or if you want more information, please contact the NRC co-ordinator, Martyn, G0GMB at [email protected].

And now for details of rallies and events

Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to [email protected]. We’ll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.

Today, Sunday the 24th of July, the Finningley ARS Rally is due to take place near Doncaster, junction 2 of the M180. It will be a car-boot-style rally. Refreshments will be available on site. Entry is £3. You can find out more via the club’s Facebook page.

The Radio Operators Cornwall radio weekend takes place from the 28th of July to the 1st of August overlooking Mount’s Bay, Cornwall. It is a weekend of camping and radio either with the club station, GX8ROC or with your own set-up. Overnight stays are restricted to ROC members, but day visitors are welcome between 10 am and 6 pm each day. New members are also welcome, please email [email protected].

Next Sunday, the 31st of July, the Wiltshire Radio & Car Boot Sale will be at Kington Langley Village Hall and Playing Field, Kington Langley, Wiltshire SN15 5NJ. Doors open at 9 am and admission is free. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on site.

Now the DX news

Ian, G3WVG will participate in the IOTA Contest as MN5A from Rathlin Island, EU-122 on the 30th and 31st of July. QSL via Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of The World.

Henning, OZ2I will operate CW as EJ7EE from Bere Island, EU-121, between the 29th and 31st of July. On the 1st and 2nd of August, he will operate as EI7EE from the main island of Ireland, EU-115. QSLs via Logbook of The World, Club Log's OQRS, or via OZ2I.

A team will be active as TM65M from Molene Island, EU-065, from the 29th of July to the 3rd of August. They will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 6 to 80m bands, with the main activity planned during the IOTA Contest. QSL via F5RAB.

A large team of Bulgarian and Greek operators will be active as LZ0KP from Sveti Ivan Island, EU-181 from the 28th of July to the 1st of August. The main activity will be during the IOTA Contest. QSL direct to SV2CLJ.

Now the contest news

On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Thursday sees the data leg of the 80m Club Championships run from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63, the exchange is signal report and serial number.

On Saturday, the fourth of the 144MHz Backpackers Contest series runs from 1400 to 1800UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and the first two letters of your postcode.

The Worked All Britain 144MHz Low Power contest takes place on Saturday the 30th of July from 1400 to 1800UTC. Note that the input power for all contestants is limited to 10 watts PEP. Using AM, FM and SSB, the exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB square if applicable. For the full rules please see the WAB website. Entries must be with the contest manager by the 29th of August.

Next weekend is the RSGB IOTA or Islands On The Air contest. It runs from 1200UTC on the 30th to 1200UTC on the 31st. Using CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and IOTA reference.

Next Sunday, the 31st of July, the UK Microwave Group’s 5.7 and 10GHz contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 22nd of July 2022.

Last week was almost a repeat performance of the previous week. We had very disturbed geomagnetic conditions on Tuesday, with the Kp index hitting five. But then other days, like Wednesday, when conditions were much more settled. The solar flux index declined from its high of 176 last Saturday to 133 on Thursday. The Sun’s surface is still peppered with spots, but they are all fairly small and innocuous.

Nevertheless, there have been numerous C-class flares happening on a daily basis and two M-class flares last Saturday.

The popular press has been running their usual horror stories about CMEs hitting the Earth, threatening all sorts of doom and gloom. But to be honest, for radio amateurs, it’s business as usual.

Sporadic-E had been most prolific earlier in the week with some relatively short-skip signals being stable over long periods. The ED4YAK beacon in Spain on 28.251MHz has often been audible for hours.

Next week NOAA predicts that the SFI will remain in the mid-130s, but predicts that geomagnetic conditions may be unstable over the weekend, before settling on Tuesday. If this is the case we can expect reduced MUFs over the weekend and a general lacklustre feel to HF, until the Kp index reduces again.

Make the most of the Es season while it lasts, as we may have seen the best of it, and we can’t expect an upturn in F2-layer propagation until mid to late September.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

It looks like a bit of a propagation mode mixture this coming week with something for everyone. It begins with a continuation of the typical summer warmth rather than the extreme conditions last week. Over northern areas, where low pressure remains close-by, we’ll see a few showers that might bring GHz band rain scatter opportunities. There will be a few showers in the south too, but also with a period of the Azores high building a ridge across southern Britain. This could bring some occasional Tropo throughout the week to southern areas, interspersed with isolated rain scatter opportunities in any showery interludes.

The Sporadic-E season continues apace with a bit of an uptick again last week, bringing some strong signals from south-eastern Europe. Summer jet streams are often rather scarce in more southern latitudes, but can occur fairly frequently over the UK and northern Europe. That will probably be the case in the coming week and suggests that paths towards Scandinavia, the Baltic states and eastern Europe will do best.

With four minor showers peaking around the 28th to the 30th, meteor scatter is worth trying, particularly around dawn, as will aurora propagation modes in view of the current unsettled solar activity.

The Moon is at maximum positive declination on Tuesday and also at apogee, its furthest point from Earth, so Moon windows are long and path losses are at their highest. 144MHz sky noise is low to moderate all week, but Thursday sees the Sun and Moon close in the sky, making EME very difficult due to sun noise in the antenna beam width.

And that’s all from the propagation team this week.