RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 31st 2022.

GB2RS News

Sunday the 31st of July 2022

The news headlines:

Commonwealth Games station on the air

Listen out for YOTA Summer Camp stations

RadCom Basics available to RSGB Members

The RSGB is excited to be supporting the Commonwealth Games with special event station GB22HQ. This is being activated from the Birmingham Smithfield site where the Beach Volleyball, 3x3 Basketball and Wheelchair Basketball will take place. It is also the starting point for the Marathon. GB22HQ will run for the duration of the Games until the 8th of August. There are two stations using wire aerials for 40m and 30m, plus a Yagi for the five bands from 20m to 10m. During the first day of operation, the station was on the 10 to 40m bands and pile-ups were evident. The operators say 40m SSB during the daytime is probably the best place to look for them. See more at rsgb.org/cwg.

As part of the Youngsters On The Air 2022 summer camp from the 6th to the 13th of August, seven call signs will be heard. 9A22YOTA will operate from the camp in Croatia for the full duration. 9A1YOTA will join remotely on the 8th alongside 9A2YOTA on EU-136. 9A3YOTA will be on the air on the 10th, together with 9A4YOTA. 9A5YOTA will be on the air on the 12th. 9A100QO will work the QO100 satellite from all locations.

The latest edition of RadCom Basics for July 2022 is now available. There are more topics to help newcomers and those looking to brush-up. You can read articles on setting up a station on a tight budget, and understanding the propagation predictions in RadCom and Inter-G working amongst other topics. To help find topics covered in previous editions, the index of RadCom Basics articles has been updated. To read this edition, go to rsgb.org/radcom-basics and login with your RSGB Membership Services details.

The RSGB is pleased to announce the co-option of Karl Bridge M0KHB as Regional Representative for Region 3, the North West, until the 2023 AGM. Also, vacancies currently exist for two District Representatives within the Region 3 team. One to cover the Greater Manchester District and another to represent the Merseyside District. These are worthwhile and rewarding opportunities to assist the RSGB in spearheading the hobby of amateur radio in Region 3. Please contact Karl Bridge, M0KHB for further information by email to [email protected].

A date for your diary now. Churches and Chapels On The Air will take place this year on Saturday the 10th of September from 10 am to 4 pm. If you plan to put a station on the air from your local church or chapel, please inform John, G3XYF by email to [email protected]. He will then add your station to the list on the WACRAL website.

The Genesis Radio Group currently operates around North Manchester and the North West. Founded in May 2022, the group wanted a more relaxed approach to talk about, and operate radios without the constraints of the traditional club. They meet on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 pm on the air. The last Wednesday of the month is put aside for a cafe/pub meet, the location of which rotates in order that as many members as possible can have a chance to turn up. For further information please visit genesisradiogroup.org.uk.

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, 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.

Next Sunday, the 7th of August, the 2022 BATC Convention for Amateur TV will take place at Midland Air Museum, Rowley Road, Coventry CV3 4FR. It will be a meet-up, show and tell, test and fix-it, and Bring & Buy event from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be full test facilities available for equipment.

Also next Sunday, the 7th, King’s Lynn ARC 32nd Great Eastern Radio Rally will be held at Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4EL. Doors open at 9 am and admission is £2.50. Car parking is free. There will be trade stands and a Bring & Buy. More information at klarc.org.uk.

Now the Special Event news

The 1st of August is Yorkshire Day. Members of Denby Dale ARS will be on the air with special event call signs containing the letter YD to celebrate.

It is the 78th anniversary of Operation Buick when special forces parachuted into France. TM44PARA will be on the air today and Monday the 1st mainly using the 7MHz band. See qrz.com for more information.

Saturday the 6th of August will mark the fourth anniversary of the founding of the Pennsylvania Society of Latin American Amateur Radio Operators. To celebrate this occasion, a special event station will be on the air. More at pasola.org.

Now the DX news

Elvira, IV3FSG will be active as 5R8LH from Madagascar from the 1st of August to the 9th of September. Usually, she operates SSB and digital modes in her spare time. QSL direct to IK2DUW.

Frans, DJ0TP will be active again as TK/DJ0TP from the main island of Corsica, EU-014, until the 3rd of September. QSL via Logbook of The World, or via his home callsign.

John, W5JON will be active as V47JA from St. Kitts, NA-104, until the 7th of August. He will operate SSB and FT8 on the HF bands and 6 metres. QSL via Logbook of The World, or direct only to W5JON.

Now the contest news

This weekend is the RSGB IOTA or Islands On The Air contest. It runs for 24 hours until 1200UTC today, 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.

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

On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same, signal report, serial number and locator.

On Wednesday it is the 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest that runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator.

On Saturday it is the 144MHz Low Power Contest that runs from 1400 to 1800UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your 2-letter postcode.

The EU HF Championships also take place on Saturday the 6th of August. It runs for 24 hours and uses CW and SSB on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted. The exchange is signal report and the last 2 digits of the year you were first licenced.

Next Sunday, the 7th, the 432MHz Low Power Contest runs from 0800 to 1200UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your 2-letter postcode.

Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 29th of July 2022.

We’ve had a week of lower solar flux indices, despite a smoothed sunspot number in the 50s. The sunspots we have had have been relatively small and pretty inconsequential.

The week started off with an SFI of 107, but then declined to 98 by Thursday. The good news is that we have had relatively settled geomagnetic conditions after a wobble at the weekend due to a high-speed solar wind stream.

Other than Sporadic-E events, the maximum usable frequency over 3,000km has struggled to get up above 18 or sometimes 21MHz during daytime. But, as we have said before, night-time MUFs have remained seasonally high, topping 14MHz over a 3,000km path most nights.

Next week, and as we enter August, we can expect more of the same. The solar flux index is predicted to rise slightly to perhaps 115 by next weekend.

But the prediction is also for more unsettled geomagnetic conditions with a maximum Kp index of four this weekend and again later in the week. This is most likely due to high-speed solar wind from coronal holes once again.

So best of luck with the IOTA contest this weekend, which will probably be dominated by operators on 20 metres with occasional Es openings on the higher bands.

And now the VHF and up propagation news.

There have been some fleeting signs of the continuing Sporadic-E season, but events are not so commonplace in this second half of the summer. This means being alert to the typical operating windows, which traditionally are early or mid-morning and again late afternoon/early evening. At the heart of these events will usually be a weather feature, such as a jet stream, whose turbulence creates a wave motion in the atmosphere that can cause varying wind flows in the E region some 100km above the weather, and are a big contributor to the formation of Es.

In this coming week, the jet streams are very limited so it's not looking too favourable for major Es events.

The weather pattern shows lows near the northwest of Britain driving fronts across the north, and at the same time precluding the development of Tropo, since it does not allow the development of high-pressure systems.

However, conditions in the south are a bit more supportive, so there could be occasional Tropo, especially over sea paths around the UK. There is a hint that the second half of the week will see the development of a large high more generally over the UK, so that's the time for Tropo to shine.

The other modes such as rain scatter are not looking too strong since the frontal cloud bands tend not to be as effective as heavy thundery showers, but it's always worth checking for aurora and meteor scatter as we move into August and within reach of the broad peak of the Perseids meteor shower.

It’s a good week for EME with positive Moon declination until Tuesday and falling path losses, but we are still more than a week from perigee. 144MHz sky noise is low but slowly increasing all week.

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