GB2RS

GB2RS News Sunday the 1st of June The news headlines: Volunteers' Week begins tomorrow, Monday the 2nd of June Be part of the RSGB 2025 Convention and put the date in your diary now Don't miss tomorrow's Tonight@8 webinar on Morse code   Volunteers' Week 2025 begins tomorrow, Monday, the 2nd of June. As part of this national event, the RSGB will share a number of volunteers' stories on its website and social media channels to recognise their hard work and contribution. Go to rsgb.org/volunteers-week  to find out what inspires people to get involved and what they gain from volunteering. During the week, the Society will also release a video about the volunteer team at the RSGB National Radio Centre, where they welcome over 80,000 visitors every year. If there is a volunteer you would like to thank, or you'd like to share your own volunteering story, please add a comment on the daily social media content that the RSGB will be posting on Facebook and X. You can also read about a few of the RSGB's amazing volunteers in the July edition of RadCom. Whether a volunteer's involvement is behind the scenes or front and centre, the RSGB would like you to know that your work makes a real difference, not only to the Society, but to every radio amateur who benefits from your efforts. The RSGB is delighted to announce that its annual Convention will take place from the 10th to the 12th of October at Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. Whether you want to discover something new, learn more about an aspect of amateur radio, or progress and develop your skills, you'll find something at the RSGB 2025 Convention to explore and enjoy. The Society is giving you the chance to help shape this year's programme by suggesting a presentation, a topic, a practical session or a project. Are you involved in some new research or an interesting project that will take amateur radio to new audiences? Have you helped to make amateur radio more accessible to people with different abilities? Or have you heard a brilliant speaker who has inspired you? Get involved by sending your proposals to convention@rsgb.org.uk  If you've never been to an RSGB Convention, or you'd like a reminder of what happened in 2024, go to youtube.com/thersgb  and choose from the wide selection of presentations and videos from last year. The Society is pleased that AMSAT-UK will, once again, be holding its Colloquium at the Convention. Don't forget to join the RSGB for the next Tonight@8 webinar, which will be going live tomorrow, Monday the 2nd of June. The presentation will include an introduction to Morse code, how to start learning it, the different types of Morse keys and the Achilles heel that can occur when learning this mode. The webinar will be livestreamed on the Society's YouTube channel and special BATC channel, allowing you to watch and ask questions live. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/webinars The RSGB National Radio Centre will be involved in a radio sked as part of the opening ceremony for the ENTER Technology Museum in Switzerland on Saturday, the 7th of June. The museum is opening a radio room that will operate the amateur radio station HB9E. Volunteers from the NRC will be operating GB3RS to deliver the first radio message in the sked, which is scheduled for 1145 CET on the 40 or 20m bands using SSB. Find out more about the ENTER museum by going to enter.ch Radio amateurs have long been interested in the mystery and phenomenon of spy communications, and many will be aware of number stations. If you'd like to discover more on the topic, you can attend a talk at Bletchley Park on Saturday, the 28th of June. RSGB National Radio Centre volunteer Paul Beaumont, G7VAK, will be delivering the engaging session on ‘Number Stations, 1950 to the Present'. He will look at modes used, the different styles of sending and will present several examples where number stations were used and stated in the prosecution of the recipients. The session is being delivered as part of the RSGB's ongoing strategy to promote amateur radio to wider audiences. RSGB members who would like to attend the talk can benefit from a 10% discount, reducing the price to £14.40. To find out more, go to the Bletchley Park ‘What's on' web pages via bletchleypark.org.uk The May 2025 edition of RadCom Basics is now available. RadCom Basics is aimed at new amateurs and those who wish to refresh their skills and knowledge. Among others, this edition contains articles to help you learn about getting the maximum signal to an antenna, constructing an 80m band receiver and making an audio amplifier. To access RadCom publications, visit rsgb.org/radcom Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events Spalding and District Amateur Radio Society's annual radio rally is taking place today, Sunday, the 1st of June. The venue is Spalding Rugby and Football Club, Centenary Park, Drain Bank North, Spalding, Lincolnshire. Free car parking is available, as well as traders, on-site catering and a bar. For more information, visit sdars.org.uk Mendips Radio Rally will take place on Sunday, the 8th of June at Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney. The doors will be open from 9.30 a,m and free parking and refreshments will be available on site. For more detail,s contact Luke on 07870 168 197. On Saturday, the 14th of June, the Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Summer Rally will take place at St Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7QR. The doors will open at 10 am and entry will cost £3. The usual traders and caterers will be in attendanc,e and plenty of free parking will be available. For more information contact Martin Shore on 07587 709 006 or email rally.radars@hotmail.com Now the special event news Special callsign HS30DXA is active until the 21st of June to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Thailand DX Association. Look out for activity on all HF bands, the 2m band and the amateur radio satellites. QSL via HS6MYW. In celebration of this year's German World Heritage Day, special callsign DM0LIMES is active until the 1st of July. The Limes was the border line of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent. In 2005, the remnants of the Upper German-Raetian Limes were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire'. The station was spotted recently on the 40m band using SSB. QSL via the Bureau and eQSL. Now the DX news Morten, LA9GY is active as 3DA0GY from Eswatini until tomorrow, the 2nd. He will operate CW and some SSB with a focus on the 20, 15 and 10m bands. There may also be activity on the 80, 40, 30, 17 and 12m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to Morten's home call. Roland, F8EN, has extended his stay in Gabon and now expects to be operating as TR8CR until the middle of June. He operates CW only. QSL via F6AJA. Now the contest news Tomorrow, the 2nd, the RSGB 80m Club Championship Data Contest runs from 19 00 to 2030 UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 3rd, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855 UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 3rd, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 4th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and a four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 4th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and a four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The IARU ATV Contest starts at 1200 UTC on Saturda,y the 7t,h and ends at 1800 UTC on Sunda,y the 8th of June. Using TV on the 70cm band and up, the exchange is picture quality, serial number, four-digit code and locator. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Contest starts at 1300 UTC on Saturday, the 7th, and ends at 1300 UTC on Sunda,y the 8th of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and Group member number. RSGB National Field Day starts at 1500 UTC on Saturda,y the 7t,h and ends at 1500 UTC on Sunda,y the 8th of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The ARRL International Digital Contest starts at 1800 UTC on Saturday, the 7th, and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday, the 8th of June. Using digital modes on the 160 to 6m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your four-character locator. On Sunday the 8th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0900 to 1500 UTC. Using all modes on the 23, 13 and 9cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 29th of May 2025 Last week's high-speed solar wind, from a massive coronal hole on the Sun, took its toll on the HF bands. However, this week has been little better. Another coronal hole running diagonally across the Sun has been emitting particles that have pushed the Kp index up to a maximum of 6.67 w,hich puts us into visible aurora territory. Nevertheless, some DX has been worked, including CP4BT in Bolivia, ZP5KP in Paraguay and V44KAI in St Kitts and Nevis. These were reported by Karl, G0SKW on the CDXC Slack alerting system. BA100IARU, a special event station celebrating the 100th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union, has been active from Beijing, China and has been worked on 20m CW. The station's QRZ.com page provides real-time updates on which band the operators are working on. Most of the DX has been worked on 21, 18 and 14 MHz, with the 10m band mostly closed due to the summer doldrums. There have not been too many Sporadic-E openings on the 10m band. Instead, most of the Sporadic-E reports have been on the 6m band. The solar flux index has increased, standing at 144 on Thursday, the 29th of May, which is always a good sign. The solar disk is looking quite healthy at the moment with spots in both hemispheres. As of last Thursday, the 29th of May, there had been 43 C-class flares over the previous five days, as well as six more potent M-class events and one X-class flare. So, the Sun is still very active. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will reduce again, perhaps going as low as 110 by Wednesday, the 4th of June. It does look like we are in for a rough ride with unsettled geomagnetic conditions forecast for the coming week. Looking further ahead, the 13th and 14th of June seem to be the worst days, when a Kp index of five is forecast. As usual, a high Kp index can result in lowered maximum usable frequencies and aurora-like conditions, with a slow recovery. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather continues to be unsettled into the coming week, especially for northern areas, but with some drier and warmer spells in the south. There do not appear to be strong signs for any Tropo success, but there should be a chance of occasional rain scatter on the GHz bands. Some models suggest we are on the edge of high pressure over the North Sea. Others drive a deep low right across the country. This will resolve itself next week, but for now, it's not at all clear which forecast will win through. The prospects for meteor scatter are mostly random meteors, but towards the end of this wee,k the daytime Arietids will peak to enhance chances further. The solar auroral alerts keep coming, so it's reasonable to expect the chance of some radio response, such as watery-sounding signals on HF, even if we don't go to the full effects on VHF. It's certainly worth watching for those increasing Kp values. The Sporadic-E prospects often burst into life about now. So, after a few reasonable 6m band openings, like the one into southeast Europe on Wednesday the 28th, make sure you are ready for the first week in June – one of the prime weeks for Sporadic-E opportunities. This is partly due to meteor input and the fact that the tidal winds in the E region are taking on their summer pattern. The long polar days mean that the low-pressure weather patterns are also beginning to affect the northern polar routes to China and Japan across northern Russia, with their possible weather triggers, like jet streams. EME path losses are increasing again. Moon windows shorten, and peak elevation is falling as the Moon's declination goes negative again on Wednesday, the 4th of June. 144MHz sky noise is low and remains low as the week progresses. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 25th of May 2025 The news headlines: Apply to become the RSGB's new CW Champion The Tonight@8 series continues in June with Morse code Could you be the RSGB's new STEM Champion? As part of the RSGB's ongoing strategy to take amateur radio to new and diverse audiences, it is seeking to appoint a volunteer CW Champion. Whilst the need for a CW test has been removed from the licensing requirements, there is still a strong interest in the mode. Recent communications and activity involving Morse have received high levels of interest, and the Society would like to do all it can to encourage and promote CW within the hobby. This new role will take the lead with activities including managing RSGB web content relating to Morse code and contributing to the GB2CW broadcasts. The volunteer will also be tasked with building a team of enthusiastic individuals who can support CW-related activities undertaken by the Society. This role is intended to help take Morse to new audiences with an emphasis on learning and development to further the skills of RSGB members. Read the full role description, as well as details of how to apply, by going to rsgb.org/volunteers The next webinar in the Tonight@8 series is on Monday, the 2nd of June. The RSGB's Morse Test Coordinator, Eric Arkinstall, M0KZB, will lead the webinar and will be joined by a panel of Morse experts, including RSGB Morse Assessor and GB2CW broadcaster Michael Topple, GM5AUG. The presentation will include an introduction to Morse, how to start learning the code, the different types of Morse keys and the Achilles heels that can occur when learning Morse. There will also be a panel discussion on how they each became interested in the mode and how they overcame any problems they have encountered along the way. Find out more about this and future webinars on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/webinars Would you like to become the RSGB STEM Champion? This new volunteer role is part of the Society's strategic plans to encourage more young people into STEM careers and to demonstrate the contribution that amateur radio can make to those careers. The focus of the role will also be to develop and strengthen the Society's relationship with the STEM Learning organisation. The Champion will need to work closely with licensed STEM Ambassadors, attend STEM events to promote amateur radio, and support radio amateurs who would like to become STEM Ambassadors. The STEM Champion will work closely with the Board Liaison, Ben Lloyd, GW4BML and members of the RSGB Outreach team. To make the most of the role, you will need to have the right skills and experience. This includes being a STEM Ambassador with involvement in the STEM sector, and also being proactive, enthusiastic, organised and willing to find new ways to achieve the role's objectives. For full details of this challenging but rewarding role and how to apply, see the RSGB website at rsgb.org/volunteers Staff and volunteers from the RSGB had a successful time at the Dayton Hamvention last weekend. The event was a brilliant opportunity to engage with radio amateurs from around the world and resulted in 134 people joining the RSGB or renewing their membership. These included ARRL First Vice President, Kristen McIntyre, K6WX and ARRL CEO, David Minster, NA2AA, as well as Phil Karn, KA9Q and many more who took advantage of the new RSGB Digital Membership. Members of the RSGB team are always delighted to hear how much the Society's publications, videos and other content are appreciated by radio amateurs in other countries. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.   And now for details of rallies and events The Durham and District Amateur Radio Society Rally is taking place today, the 25th, at Bowburn Community Centre, Bowburn, County Durham. The doors are open from 10.10 am to 2.30 pm, with disabled visitors gaining access at 10 am. Entry costs £3. There is a bring-and-buy sale, trade stands, special interest groups, an RSGB bookstall and catering available on site. For more information, phone Michael, G7TWX, on 07826 924 192 or visit the sdars.org.uk  website. Spalding and District Amateur Radio Society's annual radio rally is set to take place on Sunday, the 1st of June. The venue will be Spalding Rugby and Football Club, Centenary Park, Drain Bank North, Spalding, Lincolnshire. There will be free car parking available, traders, on-site catering and a bar. For more information, visit sdars.org.uk Mendips Radio Rally will take place on Sunday, the 8th of June at Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney. The doors will be open from 9.30 a,m and free parking and refreshments will be available on site. For more details, contact Luke on 07870 168 197. Now the Special Event news Special event station YO160ITU is active throughout the month of May to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the ITU. See QRZ.com for details of diplomas that are available for working the station. The North West Group, MN0NWG, is running special event station GB0AEL until the 31st of May to commemorate the anniversary of Amelia Earhart's transatlantic flight. In May 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly nonstop and alone across the Atlantic. She left Harbor Grace in Newfoundland and landed 15 hours later in Northern Ireland. QSL via MI0HOZ directly or via the Bureau. Now the DX news Frank, PH2M is active as PJ4M from Bonaire, SA-006, until the 29th of May. He is operating mainly FT8 and some SSB on the 80 to 10m bands. There may also be some 6m band work, if conditions allow. QSL via Logbook of the World, Club Log's OQRS, or Frank's home call. Remo, HB9SHD is active as V51/HB9SHD, while touring Namibia, until the 15th of June. He is operating using SSB and digital modes on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. Don, KW7R, is active as V73KW from the Marshall Islands. He is there on a work assignment until September. In his spare time, he operates using CW and FT8 on various bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. Now the contest news The CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest started at 0000 UTC on Saturday, the 24th of May and ends at 2359 UTC today, Sunday, the 25th of May. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Today, the 25th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0600 to 1800 UTC. Using all modes on the 3 and 6cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 27th, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 3 and 13cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday, the 29th of May, the RSGB 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.    Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 22nd of May 2025 A high-speed solar wind, originating from a massive coronal hole, took its toll on HF this past week. During the weekend of the 17th and 18th, the Kp index was above four for nine of the three-hourly recording periods. Unfortunately, the feed from the Dourbes Digisonde failed over this period, so we can't comment on what effect this had on maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs for short. Later in the week, geomagnetic conditions improved, despite the coronal hole still being Earth-centric, and the Kp index fell to more reasonable levels, sometimes in the ones and twos. An M3.2 solar flare was observed at 08:21 UTC on the 19th of May. The source was located off the northeast limb, so perhaps we can expect more as it turns to become more Earth-facing. Unfortunately, the solar flux index also fell to lower levels, reaching 119 by Thursday, the 22nd. In fact, on that day, it had been below 120 for more than seven days. But all is not lost, as a solar flux of more than 100 is usually enough to keep the HF bands open. MUFs over a 3,000km path have generally reached 21 MHz and have often peaked at 24 MHz at times. It is quite normal for the F2-layer MUF not to reach 28MHz due to a change in the ionospheric chemical make-up in the summer – the so-called summer doldrums. However, Sporadic-E may keep 10m alive, so don't write the band off. Propagation, at the moment, favours paths into the southern hemisphere, although each band can have different characteristics at different times. A quick play with the propagation tool at tinyurl.com/propcharts  will show you what we mean. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain around 120 until the 27th of May, after which it could rise to 140 by the end of the month. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the period from the 28th of May to the 2nd of June. This could see the Kp index peak at five or six with corresponding drops in the MUF and DX. As we are now on the downward portion of this solar cycle, we may expect more geomagnetic disturbances from coronal holes and coronal mass ejections. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The long run of fine settled weather seems to have drawn to a close. We have a period of changeable and, at times, wet and windy weather to deal with over the coming week. I doubt we will see much, if any, Tropo except perhaps towards the end of the week as some models show a new high building as we move into June.  Before then, the various fronts and showers will bring several spells of rain and a much greater chance of rain scatter on the GHz bands than recently. The solar conditions have again provided weak auroral events, with fluttery signals on the HF bands being a good indicator, since the bright evenings and early dawns leave little chance of any visual clues. As usual, the measure to follow is the Kp index. So, look out for values of Kp going above five to generate interest. Meteor scatter is declining as the last of the Eta Aquariids play out, following a long tail from the peak on the 6th of May. Meteors also make up the content of Sporadic-E because, as they burn up, they produce long-lived metallic ions that can be focused into thin layers of Sporadic-E. There are some less well-known meteor showers in June. So, next week there may be more to say. In the meantime, random meteors and declining Aquariids will have to suffice. Now, on to Sporadic-E. This is beginning to be the primary mode in these summer weeks. It is sensible to check during main operating windows in the morning, late afternoon and early evening. Ideally, we require meteor input, a low Kp index, plus some weather triggers to set up atmospheric gravity waves which produce the right wind shear in the E region. Jet streams are usually the best clues for where Sporadic-E might form.  Use the daily Sporadic-E blog on the Propquest website to get an insight of the current day's weather patterns – see propquest.co.uk   If you have very limited time and have still not worked Sporadic-E, just checking 50MHz in the late afternoon will ensure that you make a start this year. EME path losses are still falling as the Moon reaches perigee, its closest point to Earth, on the 26th of May. Moon windows and peak elevation are again rising, reaching a maximum on the 29th of May. 144MHz sky noise is low and remains low as the week progresses. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 18th of May 2025   The news headlines: The RSGB announces new Convention Chair for 2025 RSGB members can now read over 300 RadCom editions in the RSGB web app Become a volunteer at the RSGB National Radio Centre RSGB General Manager, Steve Thomas, M1ACB, is delighted to announce the appointment of Pete Joyce, M0OFM, as the new volunteer RSGB Convention Chair. Pete is a regular attendee at RSGB Conventions and has a keen interest in balancing the different needs of attendees through a varied programme. He also understands the importance of making the Convention accessible to everyone, both in person and online. Pete brings to the role a range of experience in planning and managing events for other organisations. The RSGB Convention planning team look forward to supporting Pete as he takes on this challenging and important role. The RSGB is excited to announce that more RadCom editions have been added to its web app. RSGB members are now able to browse back to January 2000, which is over 300 magazines! Go to rsgb.org/radcom to explore all the RadCom content from this millennium. You'll need your RSGB membership portal details to access the editions. If your RSGB membership is due for renewal soon, why not swap to a digital membership? You'll still get all the great benefits of being a member, and you'll save money as well as RadCom storage space. If you're not yet an RSGB member, there's never been a better time to join the Society. Take out a digital membership and choose to read RadCom via our app, and you'll have easy access to 25 years of RadCom editions. The RSGB will be releasing mobile versions of the app soon, so you'll be able to download copies of its publications and read them on the go.   Volunteering at the RSGB National Radio Centre is a wide-ranging and highly rewarding role. Thanks to the variety of visitors and the number of events and activities that the Centre is involved with, no two days at the NRC are the same. If you'd like to join the friendly and dedicated team, the NRC is currently looking for new volunteers. Full training is given, including the operation of the GB3RS radio station. NRC volunteers also enjoy numerous benefits associated with volunteering at Bletchley Park. If all of this sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, and you can volunteer for one or two days per month, please email NRC Coordinator Martyn Baker, G0GMB, via nrc.support@rsgb.org.uk. You can find out more about the RSGB National Radio Centre by going to rsgb.org/nrc The RSGB Outreach Team is offering qualified amateur radio operators under the age of 18 the opportunity to take part in a new DMR project. The project's aim is to help young people get on the air and build their confidence in making QSOs. The Team has nine DMR handheld transceivers and hotspots available to borrow for three months, completely free. As part of the offering, the Outreach Team will be hosting regular youth nets that you would be welcome to join. You can apply for the DMR kit as an individual or as a school group, as long as one member of the group is licensed. Another part of the project is to support teachers who would like to take their amateur radio licence and set up a school club. In collaboration with the Radio Communications Foundation, the RSGB is offering to pay the licence exam fee for nine teachers to help get them and their school club started. If you're a teacher who is interested in discovering more about amateur radio and sharing that excitement with your students, get in touch. Once you have your licence, you can apply for the free DMR kit on loan for three months to help set up your club. If you are interested in applying for a DMR kit, fill out the application form by going to tinyurl.com/DMRyouth. If you are a teacher interested in starting your own radio club, please email RSGB Youth Chair Chris Aitken, MM0WIC, via youthchampion.school@rsgb.org.uk As we come to the end of Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, let's remember to show the very best of amateur radio and make sure we are there for one another. Let's listen to each other, share our appreciation for our fellow radio amateurs and celebrate kindness within our community. You can read how amateur radio helped Lee Aldridge, G4EJB, in the July 2023 edition of RadCom. You can access mental health support by going to mentalhealth.org.uk Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@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 East Midlands Ham and Electronics Rally is taking place on Saturday, the 24th of May at Beckingham Village Hall, Southfield Lane, Beckingham, DN10 4FX. Traders can set up from 7 am, with doors open to the public between 9.30 am and 3 pm. There will be hot food and refreshments available. Free parking is located behind the hall. For more information and to book, please go to emerg.uk/rally The Durham & District Amateur Radio Society Radio Rally is taking place on Sunday, the 25th of May at Bowburn Community Centre, Bowburn, County Durham, DH6 5AT. Doors will be open from 10.10 am to 2.30 pm, with disabled visitors gaining access at 10 am. Entry is £3. There will be a bring-and-buy sale, trade stands, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Catering will be available on-site. For further information, please call Michael Wright, G7TWX, on 07826 924192 or email dadars@gmx.com Now the Special Event news Special event station GB0SAR is active until the 30th of May in support of SOS Radio Week. The station will mostly be using FT4 on the 20m band, but you might also catch it on the other HF bands using phone. For more information, visit QRZ.com Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club is once again raising awareness for men's mental health through amateur radio. Club members will be operating special callsign GB0MMH. Other special call signs will also be active. The station is active today, Sunday the 18th of May, as well as the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of June. Please listen out for the operators and give them a call. Your support will help raise awareness of men's mental health. If you would like further information, please contact secretary@hfdxarc.com The International Amateur Radio Club will be active as 4U0ITU until the end of 2025. The club is celebrating the 160th anniversary of the International Telecommunication Union. QSL is available via Logbook of the World, Club Log, or direct to P.O. Box 6, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland. Now the DX news Antonio, DL4EA, will be active as FY/DL4EA from French Guiana between the 19th and 21st of May. Antonio plans to be active on QO-100 and RS-44 and maybe some HF QRP. Emir, E77DX will again be active as D4DX in Cape Verde on the 24th and 25th May for the CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest. He'll be operating as Single Operator All Bands in the high-power category. QSL is available via E73Y and Logbook of the World.  Morten, LA9GY will be active from Eswatini between the 22nd of May and the 2nd of June. He plans to be operating holiday-style as 3DA0GY mainly on CW but also some SSB. QSL is available via his home call LA9GY. Now the contest news Tomorrow, Monday, the 19th of May, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Tuesday, the 20th of May, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 21st of May, the 80m Club Championship data leg runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using data modes on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday, the 24th of May and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday, the 25th of May. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday, the 25th of May, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0600 to 1800 UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 15th of May 2025 This week, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Solar Cycle 25 maximum is now over. With a reduced solar flux index and an almost blank Sun, there was little to get excited about. By Thursday, the 15th of May, the SFI was 122, but previously, on the 12th, it had been down to 116, which is the lowest it has been for some time. There is still a lot of solar activity going on, but most of it is not conducive to good HF propagation. Over the past week, we have had two X-class solar flares and five M-class events. The X-class events were associated with coronal mass ejections, but these appear to have been directed away from Earth. A fast solar wind has resulted in the Kp index standing at four for a lot of the time, namely on the 9th and 10th of May and again on the 14th and 15th. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon at this point in the solar cycle and adds some evidence that we are now in the declining phase of Cycle 25. Next week, NOAA predicts that things may improve with the SFI set to rise from the 19th of May. It forecasts the SFI will start the week around 115, but then will climb steadily, reaching 145 by the 1st of June. After a brief rise on the 19th with a Kp of four, things then become more settled with a Kp of two between the 22nd and the 28th of May. A large elongated coronal hole became Earth-facing on 16th May, which could cause raised K indices and lower MUFs from today, the 18th of May, onwards. It looks like the best HF F2-layer conditions may occur between the 22nd and 28th of May. And don't forget, despite the HF doldrums, we are now well into Sporadic-E season with short-skip occurring, predominantly on 10m. But more of that shortly. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The prolonged spell of high pressure is likely to remain until near the end of this week, so there is plenty of time to get some more Tropo in the log. Cloudier and cooler air over eastern Britain at the end of last week may enhance the Tropo by adding moisture under the inversion. For most places, the strongest Tropo conditions will be overnight and early morning, then they will degrade as the daytime heating destroys the surface temperature inversion. Meteor scatter is declining a little, apart from a few stragglers from early May showers, so it's probably better to keep to the early morning period as your go-to time for meteor scatter to focus on any random input. Rain scatter is unlikely until next weekend, but it might be worth thinking about the GHz bands from this Friday, the 23rd of May, onwards. Aurora is a different matter, and the solar activity is likely to keep things interesting as a large sunspot group rotates into an Earth-facing position. Strong Es opened on Wednesday, the 14th of May, so it's definitely the season to be checking the upper HF and lower VHF bands for Sporadic-E. In this recent opening, the Dourbes ionosonde peaked at an Es critical frequency of 14 MHz, which is a very high value, even for mid-season. There were strong signals from the central Mediterranean on 6m CW, and some may have even got some 2m digital mode action from the brief opening. Check the Propquest NVIS tab for the day to see the details of this event. Although weak jet streams were present, the opening may well have been helped by some very intense, slow-moving thunderstorms over France. Remember to start checking on 10m and, if it's open, look to the higher bands of 6m, 4m, up to 2m. EME path losses are still falling. Moon declination ended last week at minimum but goes positive again this Thursday, the 22nd of May. Moon windows and peak elevation are again rising. 144MHz sky noise is high this weekend, falling back to low as the week progresses. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 11th of May 2025   The news headlines: The RSGB EMC Committee has updated leaflets on mains wiring and earthing requirements Last chance to apply and be part of the RSGB team at YOTA in Paris Help the RSGB celebrate International Women in Engineering Day The RSGB EMC leaflets on mains wiring and earthing requirements have been updated by the EMC Committee to reflect the latest version of “Part P” of the Building Regulations for England and Wales. Part P deals with electrical safety in domestic homes. There are two leaflets, a basic version and an advanced version, and both are available to download from the RSGB website. Go to rsgb.org/emc and select ‘EMC Leaflets' from the menu located on the right-hand side. Choose the “EMC Leaflet 7: Earthing and the radio amateur” links. You will also find many other resources on the same web page that will help you deal with a wide range of EMC problems. Time is running out to apply and be part of the RSGB team going to France for this year's Youngsters On The Air Summer Camp. The camp takes place between the 18th and 25th of August near Paris and is a chance of a lifetime for young RSGB members to represent their country and their national society. If you are aged between 16 and 25 and are passionate about amateur radio, then the RSGB would love to hear from you. The deadline to apply is Friday, the 16th of May. Don't delay, apply now by going to rsgb.org/yota-camp The RSGB is celebrating International Women in Engineering Day on the 23rd of June. The day celebrates the amazing work of women engineers across the globe. We know that amateur radio is a great foundation for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. This year, the Society would love to share stories of how amateur radio has helped female engineers in their careers, as well as being an enjoyable part of their lives. If you are a woman working in any engineering sector, or know someone who is, the RSGB would like your help to inspire future generations of girls and young women. It doesn't matter whether you are established in your career, just starting out or even still studying. Stories, along with a photo, should be sent to comms@rsgb.org.uk  by the 26th of May. This event contributes to the RSGB's Growth strategic priority by helping to reach new audiences. Members of the RSGB HQ Team and RSGB volunteers will be attending the Dayton Hamvention between the 16th and 18th of May. Held at the Greene County Fairground in Xenia, Ohio, USA, the event is one of the world's largest amateur radio gatherings and attracts radio amateurs from around the world. If you are attending, make sure you pop along to stand numbers 2305 and 2405 to say hello and ask the RSGB about digital membership. Find out more about the Dayton Hamvention by going to hamvention.org Don't forget that the next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar is tomorrow, Monday, the 12th of May. Dr Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF and RSGB Propagation Studies Committee membe,r Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL, will present “Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation: Space Weather We Can Do Together”. The talk will cover some of the key findings of recent HamSCI research, what's next for the organisation, as well as how you can take part. The webinar will be livestreamed on the Society's YouTube channel and special BATC channel, allowing you to watch and ask questions live. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/webinars Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.   And now for details of rallies and events The Barry Amateur Radio Society Rally is on Saturday, the 17th of May at Sully Sports and Social Club, South Road, Sully CF64 5SP. There is a large free car park on site. Admission is £3. Doors open to traders at 8 am and to the public from 9.30 am. Traders and exhibitors can call Nigel, GW1CUQ via 02920 892580 for further information. For general enquirie,s please ring Steve, GW5VOG, on 07900 560080 or email s.cawsey@sky.com The Dunstable Downs Radio Club will be holding its Annual National Amateur Radio Car Boot Sale at the usual venue, Stockwood Park in Luton, on Sunday, the 18th of May.  Excluding a break for Covid-19, this is the 40th consecutive year that the event has been run. For further information, go to ddrcbootsale.org The West of Scotland Braehead Radio Rally is on Sunday, the 18th of May at Braehead Arena, 150 Kings Inch Road, G51 4BN. The venue is just off the M8 and has free parking all day. It also has great bus links with Glasgow, Paisley and Inverclyde. Entry is £4. Doors are open between 10 am and 4 pm. There will be hot food and drinks available, and a licensed bar. There will be over 50 tables of traders and club stands as well as a Bring-and-Buy and an RSGB Book stand. For further information, go to braeheadradiorally.com  The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club's 41st Annual Radio Rally is taking place on Sunday, the 18th of May at Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea, Enniskillen, BT92 0JZ. There will be the usual facilities, food and drink, and a Bring-and-Buy. Doors open at 9 am to traders and 11 am to the general public. Entry is £5 and includes a draw ticket. To arrange a table, please contact Alan via argault91@gmail.com Now the Special Event news Special event station GB0SAR is active until the 30th of May to support SOS Radio Week. The station will mostly be working using FT4 on the 20m band, but you might also catch it on the other HF bands using phone. For more information, visit Qrz.com Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club will be operating special callsign GB0MMH to raise awareness of men's mental health. Other special call signs will also be active. The station will be active throughout the weekend of the 17th and 18th of May, and also of the 21st and 22nd of June. Please listen out for the operators and give them a call. Your support will help raise awareness of the important issue of men's mental health. If you would like further information, please contact secretary@hfdcarc.com Now the DX news Roberto, IW7DEC will be active as PJ2/IW7DEC from Curacao, IOTA reference SA-099, until Wednesday, the 14th of May. He'll be active on 40m to 20m, FT8 and SSB. QSL available via his home call and Logbook of the World. Yuris, YL2GM continues to be active as ZS8W from Prince Edward and Marion Island, IOTA reference AF-021, until Friday, the 16th of May. Yuris will be on Marion Island as a radio engineer and member of the SANAP station communication equipment maintenance team, and he hopes to find good periods of time to be operational.  A team of five Italian operators is active in the Republic of Kosovo until Saturday, the 17th of May. The operators will be active as Z68TT on CW, SSB and RTTY, and as Z68ZZ on FT8. QSL is available via OQRS and Logbook of the World. Now the contest news Today, Sunday, the 11th of May, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre-wave Contest runs from 0900 to 1700 UTC. Using all modes on 24, 47 and 76 GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Sunday, the 11th of May, the 70MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200 UTC. Using CW on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode. Tomorrow, Monday the 12th of May, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday, the 13th of May, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855 UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 13th of May, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 14th of May, the 432MHz FT8 Activity Four-Hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 14th of May, the 432MHz FT8 Activity Two-Hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday, the 15th of May, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 8th of May 2025 Active region 4079 turned out to be not quite so bad as we had predicted. The sunspot was large, about ten times the width of our Earth, so we expected it to be more active. It was regions 4081 and 4082 that produced most of the flare activity last week. Two filament eruptions also occurred within two hours of each other. The first event began at 16:20 UTC on the 6th of May in the southern hemisphere and was responsible for a plasma wave across the surface of the Sun. The second filament eruption began in the northern hemisphere around 17:50 UTC to the northeast of AR 4079. A large amount of plasma was flung to the north. The filament eruptions on Tuesday, the 6th of May, did produce coronal mass ejections, but an Earth-directed component was not apparent. So we dodged a bullet! The solar wind speed remained high for most of last week which didn't help propagation. It did help to push the Kp index to five across the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of May. Things were more settled later in the week. On Thursday, the 8th of May, the solar wind speed was down to around 500 kilometres per second, the Kp index was three, but MUFs over a 3,000km path were still down at about 20 MHz. An Earth-facing coronal hole may add to the solar wind this weekend, the 10th and 11th of May. It looks like summer HF propagation is kicking in, with lower MUFs during the day but higher ones at night. Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI will be in the range 155 to 165. Settled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the beginning of this coming week, but unsettled geomagnetic conditions are expected for the 16th to the 19th of May. At that point, we could see the Kp index rise to five again, coupled with poorer propagation and reduced MUFs. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO Tropo has been a key propagation mode during the previous couple of weeks, but there have been variations in the location and timings of these conditions. Sometimes this will be due to increased moisture below the temperature inversion, so although the cloudier areas have been cool, they have probably done better for Tropo. This is due to the improved quality of the inversion, which performs better when there is a big moisture contrast across it, as you find with these layers of cloud.  Otherwise, we find that the better conditions are driven by night-time cooling, forming a low inversion near the ground which tends to disperse during the morning as the Sun warms it away. This should still be beneficial for the 70cm UK Activity Contest on Tuesday, the 13th of May, over eastern areas, but perhaps less so farther west. Good conditions will last into next week, but not everywhere. The main change will see an area of showery rain, possibly thundery, moving north into western Britain this weekend and perhaps some central areas early next week. This raises the prospect of some GHz band rain scatter in the west. The Eta Aquariids meteor shower peaked last week. In the decaying tail of activity, together with other lesser showers, this should keep an enhanced meteor input for the coming week. The Sporadic-E season typically runs from May to mid-September and the daily jet stream blogs have started on www.propquest.co.uk.  As usual, the main season offers two periods of activity, one in the morning and the second from late afternoon to the evening. Remember, Es is not guaranteed since it depends upon many factors, but jet streams help, and these are shown on the website maps. Use the map clusters to find out where any activity is starting on 10m and then follow it up in frequency through the lower VHF bands. EME path losses are at their maximum but falling after apogee on Friday, the 9th of May. Moon declination is negative, reaching a minimum this coming Thursday, so we'll have very short Moon windows and low peak elevation. 144MHz sky noise is moderate, increasing to high by next Friday. And that's all from the propagation team this week.  

GB2RS News Sunday the 4th of May 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB's Tonight@8 series continues with HamSCI Learn about radar through an RSGB Convention presentation and a new members' benefit RSGB club insurance and beacon and repeater insurance have been renewed On Monday the 12th of May, Dr Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF and RSGB Propagation Studies Committee member Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL will be delivering a Tonight@8 webinar on “Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation: Space Weather We Can Do Together”. Since the 2017 Solar Eclipse QSO Party, HamSCI has been bringing together amateur radio operators and professional space scientists. They have been developing new and innovative ways to study space weather and its impacts on the ionosphere and radio propagation. In the presentation, Nathaniel will show results from the 2023 and 2024 HamSCI Festivals of Eclipse Ionospheric Science. Gwyn will explain why he enjoys the HamSCI experience, from exchanges with scientists to learning from students while pursuing his studies on HF propagation. They'll also talk about what's next for the organisation and how you can participate. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/webinars In the latest RSGB 2024 Convention video to be released by the Society, Graham Murchie, G4FSG presents “Radar - the eyes of the few”. In the talk Graham gives a brief history of early radar, events leading up to the development of a viable system and the establishment of the world's first operational radar station at Bawdsey. Watch the video by going to youtube.com/@theRSGB  If you're interested in learning more about Bawdsey Radar Museum then check out the new benefit for RSGB members, which offers a 20% discount off the usual entrance price. Go to rsgb.org/partner-museums  to find out more! RSGB club insurance, and beacon and repeater insurance have now been renewed for the year to April 2026. Club insurance certificates can be downloaded via rsgb.org/repeaterinsurance. You will need to log in to obtain your certificate. Beacon and repeater insurance certificates are available for an admin fee of £15 from the RSGB shop.  Please allow a couple of days after renewal for your certificate to be dispatched. The RSGB Contest Club has recently exceeded one million QSOs. These have been made by RSGB members activating historic RSGB callsigns and special event callsigns, either in contests or in radio marathon activations. The QSOS have all been uploaded to Logbook of the World. The most prolific callsign has been G6XX with over 154,000 QSOs, and the most recent has been GB0IARU which was active in April to celebrate 100 years of the International Amateur Radio Union. Find out more about the RSGB Contest club, including how to join, by going to the RSGB website and selecting Contest Club from the ‘on the air' menu. Celebrations for the 70th Anniversary of GB2RS are well underway. To find out how you can get involved with special event stations and awards go to rsgb.org/gb70rs . The RSGB has recently updated the web page to add a selection of newsreader stories, which you can access by clicking ‘GB2RS Newsreader Stories' from the menu on the right-hand side. If you've ever wanted to learn more about the voice behind your weekly GB2RS broadcast, this is your chance. More stories will be added throughout the year. On Saturday the 10th of May, RSGB volunteers will be attending a regional Girlguiding event at Ardingly in West Sussex. Amongst other activities, Girlguiding members will have the opportunity to operate special event callsign GB25MAY via the QO-100 satellite. The volunteers would welcome contacts via QO-100 between 10.30 am and 3.30 pm on the day. Put the date in your diary and make time to encourage these youngsters as they try amateur radio! The German amateur radio society, DARC, is once again hosting the traditional HamCamp for youngsters during the HAM RADIO fair in Friedrichshafen  between the 26th and 29th of June. It is open to participants under 27 years old and includes three nights at HamCamp, three breakfast vouchers and a three-day ticket for the HAM RADIO fair. The package price is €80 and the deadline for registration is the 8th of June. You can find further information via tinyurl.com/hamcamp25 Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@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 Dartmoor Radio Rally is taking place tomorrow, Monday the 5th of May, at the Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6AL. Free parking is available. There will be the usual Bring and Buy as well as trader stands and refreshments. Doors open at 10am and admission is £3. For further details, please call Roger on 07854 088882 or email him via 2e0rph@gmail.com The popular Mills on the Air event is taking place on the weekend of the 10th and 11th of May. There are currently 35 stations taking part, with registrations still being accepted. Find out more by going to tinyurl.com/millsontheair or by visiting the Mills on the Air Facebook page. Now the Special Event news The Ramsbury Amateur Radio DX Group will be active on the 3rd, 4th and 8th of May using special callsign GB1VE to celebrate VE day. The group will be operating on 20m and 40m using CW, SSB and digital modes. The Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society will be commemorating VE Day on Thursday the 8th of May. Members will be controlling a number of nets on varying frequencies between 7 am and 2 pm. They will be using vintage military equipment dating from the WWII period and beyond. The full programme of events can be found via vmars.org/news Worthing Radio Events Group are planning to operate GB8OFP for the anniversary of VE Day on the 8th of May. Operation will take place on the seafront at the Ferring Pillbox, Patterson's Walk, West Sussex. Members will be active between 10 am and 2 pm on the 40m and 20m bands using SSB. The East Midlands Electronics and Radio Group will be on the air between the 8th and 11th of May to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Using the callsign GB1BK, the group will operate from the former RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire. Members expect to be operational on at least 40m, 20m and 2m, using SSB and possibly some FT8 and SSTV. Guernsey Amateur Radio Society will be operating special event radio station GU80LIB between the 9th and the 11th of May in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Guernsey at the end of World War Two. See QRZ.com for more information. Special event station GB0SAR will be operating between the 3rd and the 30th of May to support SOS Radio Week. The station will mostly be working using FT4 on the 20m band but you might also catch it on the other HF bands using phone. For more information, visit QRZ.com  Now the DX news A team of radio amateurs is active as TX9A from Tubuai in the Austral Islands, IOTA reference OC-152, until Wednesday the 7th of May. The group will operate on the HF bands. QSL is available via DK8ZZ. For all direct requests, use Clublog OQRS. Further information is available via austral2025.com Yuris, YL2GM is active as ZS8W from Prince Edward and Marion Island, IOTA reference AF-021, until Friday the 16th of May. Yuris will be on Marion island as a radio engineer and member of the SANAP station communication equipment maintenance team, and he hopes to find good periods of time to be operational.  Now the contest news The ARI International DX Contest started on Saturday the 3rd of May and ends at 1159UTC today, Sunday the 4th 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. The 432MHz to 245GHz Contest also started on Saturday the 3rd of May and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 4th of May. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The 10GHz Trophy runs today, Sunday the 4th of May, from 0800 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The May 144MHz Contest also runs today, Sunday the 4th of May, from 0800 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1100 to 1500 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode. Today, Sunday the 4th of May, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs today, Sunday the 4th of May, from 1000 to 1400 UTC. Using SSB on the 40m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain Square. On Tuesday, the 6th of May, 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 6th of May, 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 7th of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 7th 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 Thursday, the 8th of May, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. 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 1st of May 2025 After the previous week's geomagnetic disturbances, as described in last week's GB2RS, the last seven days have been relatively quiet. The Kp index has mostly been in the ones and twos, however the rise to a Kp value of four on Thursday the 1st of May could herald a return to unsettled conditions. The solar flux index peaked at 170 on the 24th of April, before declining to 148 at the end of the month. HF conditions have been acceptable rather than outstanding and many stations struggled to work DX at times during International Marconi Day on the 26th of April. Nevertheless, there is DX about including ZS8W Marion Island, TX9A Austral Islands and HD8G Galapagos Islands. A look at the Proppy propagation prediction tool will help you work out the best times for making a contact with each station and on each band. You can find it by going to rsgb.org/propagation-tools Looking ahead, a large sunspot has rotated into view. Now designated 4079, this region has returned and was previously sunspot region 4055. It has already emitted an M-class solar flare, and we may expect greater activity as it becomes more Earth-centric over the next week. NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will climb again in the coming week, perhaps rising to between 160 and 165. Geomagnetic disturbances are also due to rise, with the Kp index forecast to reach five on the 5th and 6th of May. If this becomes a reality, expect lowered MUFs and poorer HF paths, especially over the poles as the Kp index rises. And finally, this week traditionally marks the start of the Sporadic-E season so keep an eye on 10m and 12m for short- and medium-range openings to Europe. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of high-pressure Tropo weather weakened a little as last week ended and we'll see the return of unsettled conditions with showery rain, perhaps even the odd thunderstorm. This is unlikely to lead to a total removal of high pressure and Tropo will still be worth looking for, especially over the western side of the UK. Some models place a new high just west of Britain during the coming week. This means that the rain prospects are not great, although probably just enough for a hint of rain scatter in any isolated heavier showers. The HF bands sounded a bit ‘watery' at times last week, which is a classic sign of potential aurora to explore on the higher bands. Look out for aurora in the coming week if the Kp index climbs above five. Meteor scatter is worth thinking about and, after last week's Lyrids, we now have the Eta Aquariids shower peaking in the early hours of the 6th of May. Remember that Sporadic-E ionisation is largely composed of long-lived meteor ions, so be on watch for Es openings. From now onwards through to mid-September, Sporadic-E will dominate the lower VHF bands, so check the clusters for signs of activity. Remember that Es starts on 10m and moves HF as an opening develops, even reaching 2m in the peak summer. Unlike Tropo, Es events are often fleeting, so the best you can do is monitor conditions as the Es intensifies and be ready when it reaches the band you want. Don't forget to check the daily Es blogs on www.propquest.co.uk which discuss the potential links between location of jet streams and Es formation. EME path losses are increasing, but apogee is still a week away. Moon declination passed maximum last Thursday so Moon windows are shortening along with reducing peak elevation. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

  GB2RS News Sunday, the 27th of April 2025   The news headlines: RSGB delegates attend special IARU Region 1 Interim Meeting in Paris Join the RSGB in celebrating World Morse Day Be part of the RSGB's team at the Youngsters on the Air summer camp The RSGB is participating in the International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 Interim Meeting in Paris this weekend. The event is of particular historical significance as it coincides with the centenary of the founding of the IARU in 1925, as well as the 75th anniversary of the establishment of IARU Region 1 in 1950. The French host society, REF, is also marking its 100th anniversary. This year's meeting in Paris reflects a broader scope than in previous years and, for the first time, includes ‘Youth Matters' on the agenda. It also covers the usual focus areas of HF, VHF, UHF and Microwave, as well as Electromagnetic Compatibility. The RSGB has been a key contributor to the meeting, submitting papers that include future options for the 23cm band and the harmonisation and protection of HF bands. Three delegates from the RSGB are attending the meeting in person, including the newly appointed RSGB President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX. There will be eight other RSGB representatives attending remotely. The meeting serves as both a celebration of amateur radio's rich heritage and a forward-looking forum to address the challenges and opportunities facing the global amateur radio community. You can view meeting documents at conf.iaru-r1.org  In celebration of the centenary of the IARU the RSGB has created a web page to share information about its part in the celebrations. This includes a link to an RSGB archive video from the IARU meeting in Paris in 1950, as well as the RSGB's July 1925 T & R Bulletin that contains an announcement detailing the formation of the IARU. Go to rsgb.org/iaru-centenary for further details. Today, Sunday the 27th of April, is World Morse Day. The day honours the birthday of the inventor of Morse code, Samuel Morse, who was born on this day in 1791. To celebrate the occasion, the RSGB has released a video with a question in Morse code for you to answer. Once you have used your Morse skills to decipher the question, get involved by leaving your answer in the comments section under the post. You can view the video on the RSGB YouTube channel via youtube.com/theRSGB or search for @theRSGB on Facebook or X. The deadline to apply to be the Team Leader for this year's Youngsters On The Air Summer Camp is Friday, the 2nd of May. This year's camp takes place between the 18th and 25th of August near Paris and is a chance of a lifetime for young RSGB members to represent their country and their national society. If you are an RSGB member, aged between 21 and 30, and are able to motivate a team of young people, then the RSGB would love to hear from you. Download an application form and apply for this exciting opportunity by going to rsgb.org/yota-camp.  Applications to be a Team Member will remain open until the 16th of May. The RSGB Exams Quality Manager would like to remind everyone that clubs can still run exams if they are a Registered Exam Centre. Exams will be conducted online unless a candidate has a special requirement for a paper exam. The introduction of remote invigilation to allow people to take an amateur radio licence exam in their home does not affect this. If clubs have any queries about delivering exams, they should contact the   RSGB Examinations Quality Manager, Dave Wilson, M0OBW, via eqam@rsgb.org.uk. If anyone has special requirements for an exam, they should contact the RSGB exams team via exams@rsgb.org.uk As part of the IARU centenary celebrations, the RSGB has been activating callsign GB0IARU throughout April. On Wednesday, the 30th of April, the RSGB President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX, will be activating GB0IARU from 2 pm on 40m SSB, and then from 5 pm on 80m SSB. Frequencies will be spotted on the day, and times may vary to suit propagation. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Dartmoor Radio Rally is taking place on Monday, the 5th of May at the Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6AL. Free parking is available. There will be the usual Bring and Buy as well as trader stands and refreshments. Doors open at 10 am and admission is £3. For further details, please call Roger on 07854 088882 or email him via 2e0rph@gmail.com RetrotechUK is taking place on Sunday, the 11th of May at Sports Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL. The annual event is organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society and will include nearly 200 stalls of dealers, clubs and private sellers. Doors open at 10.30 am and entry is £10. Early doors entry is available from 9 am for £25. Full details are available from Greg Hewitt via info@retrotechuk.com or by going to retrotechuk.com Now the Special Event news The Spanish national society, URE, is on the air to mark the 100th anniversary of the IARU. Members are active on 160m to 6m until the 30th of April with ten different special event stations, including AO100IARU. Special awards will be available, as well as medals for the top participants from each continent who achieve the highest number of contacts with the stations on different bands and modes. Go to ure.es  for further details. The Amateur Radio Society of Moldova is operating special event station ER100IARU until Wednesday, the 30th of April, in honour of the IARU centenary. Full details can be found via qrz.com The Kuwait Amateur Radio Society is pleased to announce its participation in the IARU centennial celebrations. Members of the Society will be operating special event station 9K100IARU until Wednesday, the 30th of April. Now the DX news Dom, 3D2USU is active again as 3D2AJT from Nadi in the Fiji Islands until the end of April. The call sign is in memory of JH1AJT, now a Silent Key. QSL via Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of The World. Yuris, YL2GM plans to operate as ZS8W from Prince Edward and Marion Island, IOTA reference AF-021, until Friday, the 16th of May. Yuris will be on Marion Island as a radio engineer and member of the SANAP station communication equipment maintenance team, and he hopes to find good periods of time to be operational. For further details, go to lral.lv/zs8w   Now the contest news The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest started at 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 26th of April and ends at 1200 UTC today, Sunda,y the 27th 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 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 26th of April, and ends at 1200 UTC today, Sunday, the 27th 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. On Monday, the 28th of April, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using 75 baud RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your serial number. Also on Monday, the 28th of April, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Wednesday, the 30th of April, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100 UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Thursday, the 1st of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and the four-character locator. Also on Thursday, the 1st of May, the 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and the four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Saturday, the 3rd of May, the 432MHz to 245GHz Contest starts at 1400 UTC and ends at 1400 UTC on Sunday, the 4th 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 0000 UTC on Saturday, the 3rd of May and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday, the 3rd of August. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. The ARI International DX Contest starts at 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 3rd of May and ends at 1159 UTC on Sunday, the 4th 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. The Worked All Britain 7MHz contest will take place on Sunday, the 4th of May, from 1000 to 1400 UTC. All entries need to be with the contest manager by the 14th of May. Please note that all Worked All Britain contests use SSB only. Full details of the contest rules can be found on the Worked All Britain website.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 24th of April 2025 We had yet another week of unsettled geomagnetic conditions. The Kp index peaked at 5.33 on the 21st of April as the solar wind speed hit just above 600 kilometres per second, and active geomagnetic conditions were observed. This was caused by a massive coronal hole on the Sun's surface, which measures nearly 700,000km in length. At the time of writing, part of it is still Earth-facing, but the Bz or interplanetary magnetic field is facing North, so its negative effects are not being felt. The Kp index was down to 3.67 on the morning of Thursday, the 24th of April, but it wouldn't take much for the Bz to swing southwards and for the Kp index to rise again. Meanwhile, the solar flux index has risen from a recent low of 148 up to 168. This has meant MUFs over a 3,000km path have reached 25 MHz at times, but have usually been slightly lower. If the Kp index can stay low, there is a good chance of higher MUFs being attainable, but we have probably seen the best of 10m propagation until the autumn. Much of the recent DX has been worked on slightly lower frequencies, such as VP2VI British Virgin Islands on 40 and 20m, C5R The Gambia on 20 and 12m, and HD8G Galapagos Islands on 20, 17, and 12m. There is still the chance of DX on 10m, but it may be fleeting. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will stay high, perhaps reaching 170 to 175. We may get a slight respite from unsettled geomagnetic conditions from the 26th to the 30th of April, when the Kp index is forecast to be around two to three. However, unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the beginning of next month, with Kp indices of five or six on the 1st and 2nd of May. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO Next week, high pressure should dominate, meaning a chance of Tropo for much of the time which will probably favour paths to the east, to Scandinavia or northern Europe.  Rain scatter won't have featured much other than over northwest Britain in recent days, and meteor scatter is reducing back to random activity, which tends to be better in the early hours before dawn. The solar conditions have continued to keep the Kp index up, and there was a fine auroral opening last week on the 16th of April, so for more aurora, it's still worth checking for when Kp values nudge above five. As the end of April moves into May, we can start to give serious thought to the coming Sporadic-E season. Hesitant beginnings often show up on 10m and 6m, and, as usual, the digital modes will be best for any weak events. CW and SSB are just possible in the stronger openings, especially on 10m.  The background rule is that there are usually two preferred activity periods, one in the morning and a second in late afternoon and early evening. However, at the start of the season, there can be a lot of spread in the timings. EME path losses are at their lowest with perigee today, Sunday the 27th, and the Moon declination is positive and rising. Moon windows will lengthen along with peak elevation, and 144MHz sky noise starts the week low but increases to moderate as the week progresses. From late Sunday to early Monday, the Sun and Moon are close. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 20th of April 2025   The news headlines: Take advantage of new RSGB membership benefits for 2025! The RSGB Board has announced Directors' liaison roles The RSGB has released a 1925 bulletin containing the original announcement of the formation of the IARU As a new benefit, the Society has teamed up with several museums to offer RSGB members discounted entry for 2025. Members can receive between 20% and 50% off admission fees at Amberley Museum, Bawdsey Radar Museum, Internal Fire Museum of Power, PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications and The National Museum of Computing. So, whether you're into engines, radar, transport, computers or communications there's sure to be something for you. To find out more, visit rsgb.org/partner-museums Following the RSGB 2025 AGM on Saturday the 12th of April, a brief Board meeting was held. The Board elected Stewart Bryant, G3YSX to continue in the role of Board Chair and Peter Bowyer, G4MJS to continue as Vice Chair. Both will remain in these roles until the 2026 AGM. The Board liaison roles with RSGB committees, Honorary Officers and areas of RSGB strategy have also been agreed. To find out more or to see contact details for each Board Director, go to rsgb.org/board World Amateur Radio Day was on Friday the 18th of April. It was also on that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris. In celebration of this, the RSGB has shared a T & R Bulletin from 1925 that details the original announcement about the IARU's formation. This unique document has been made publicly available for all radio amateurs to be able to enjoy. To start reading, simply go to rsgb.org/radcom then click on the image to enter the web app and select the ‘RadCom Sample' option in the header. The RSGB website has a wealth of information available to you, and the search function is a useful tool to find what you are looking for. However, to make things as straightforward as possible, the Society has updated the contacts page on its website. If you need to get in touch about something specific, you'll be able to find the correct contact details at a glance. Each Headquarters department is listed with the range of services they offer. For example, you'll see that the Sales Team can also help with club insurance, Membership Services will help with any issues logging into its online membership portal, and that GB2RS news items should be sent to the RadCom Team. Whatever your query, the Team is there to help. If you need more local help, please contact your Regional Team representatives. Head over to rsgb.org/contact  to find out how to get in touch. Professor Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL is a well-known member of the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee, as well as someone involved with Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, also known as HamSCI. In celebration of Citizen Science Month during April, the RSGB has shared Gwyn's HamSCI presentation from the RSGB 2024 Convention on its YouTube channel. In the talk, Gwyn outlines the organisation's activities, particularly during the 2023 and 2024 eclipses. Go to youtube.com/theRSGB  to watch the talk now. If you'd like to find out more, join the RSGB for May's Tonight@8 webinar when HamSCI lead Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF presents ‘Space weather we can do together'. Both Gwyn and Nathaniel recently won awards in the RSGB 2025 AGM Trophy Presentation. You can also get involved with HamSCI's preparations for a series of meteor scatter experiments in August and December. You can find further details via hamsci.org/msqp Have you ever wondered about the origins of the smart doorbell? Although a modern phenomenon, it has a history dating back over 100 years. During the latest series of The Secret Genius of Modern Life, Hannah Fry explores its early origins with a device created by Leon Theremin. During the episode radio amateur Neil, G4DBN, re-creates Leon's device. The episode will air on BBC2 at 20.00 on Wednesday the 23rd of April. Many of you will know Neil from Season One, Episode One of the series when he re-created the Great Seal Bug. Both episodes are available to watch now via BBC iPlayer. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@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 Cambridge Repeater Group Rally is taking place on Sunday the 27th of April at Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge, CB22 6RN. Doors open at 7.30am for traders and 9.30am to the general public. The entrance fee is £4. The event will include a car-boot sale, trade stands, a bring-and-buy area, catering, disabled facilities, an RSGB Bookstall and a free, marshalled car park. A cash and card burger van will open at 8am. The venue rules state strictly no dogs except assistance dogs on the field. Go to cambridgerepeaters.net for further details and bookings. The Dartmoor Radio Rally is taking place on Monday the 5th of May at the Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6AL. Free parking is available. There will be the usual bring and buy, trader stands and refreshments. Doors open at 10am and admission is £3. For further details, please contact Roger by phone on 07854 088882, or email 2e0rph@gmail.com Now the Special Event news The Spanish national society, URE, is on the air to mark the 100th anniversary of the IARU. Members are active on 160m to 6m until the 30th of April with ten different special event stations, including AO100IARU. Special awards will be available, as well as medals for the top participants from each continent who achieve the highest number of contacts with the stations on different bands and modes. Go to ure.es for further details. The Portuguese national society, REP, is also activating a number of special callsigns as part of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the IARU. This includes CR1IARU from the Azores, CR3IARU from Madeira and CR5IARU from mainland Portugal. Members will be active on multiple bands and modes. Look out for activity until the 24th of April. Full details can be found via tinyurl.com/CR1IARU The Amateur Radio Society of Moldova is operating special event station ER100IARU until Wednesday the 30th of April in honour of the IARU Centenary. Full details can be found via qrz.com The Kuwait Amateur Radio Society is pleased to announce its participation in the IARU centennial celebrations. Members of the Society will be operating special event station 9K100IARU until Wednesday the 30th of April. Ten teams of radio amateurs from around the world are commemorating 80 years since Operation Manna and Operation Chowhound. The two operations were humanitarian food drops that helped to relieve the famine in the Netherlands behind Nazi lines late in World War Two. The teams will be active between the 25th and 27th of April on HF, VHF and the DMR Brandmeister Talk Groups unique to this event. A number of the teams are also welcoming visitors and arranging activities at their locations. To find details of Talk Groups for this event, the teams involved, as well as how to collect a commemorative award, go to manna80.radio Now the DX news Aldir, PY1SAD is active again from Georgetown in Guyana 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. Arno, DK1HV is active from Greenland as OX/DK1VK until Sunday the 27th of April. He'll be QRV on 160m to 10m mainly SSB using wire antennas and 100W radio. QSL available via his home callsign. Dom, 3D2USU is active again as 3D2AJT from Nadi in the Fiji Islands until the end of April. The call sign is in memory of JH1AJT, now Silent Key. QSL via Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of The World. Now the contest news On Tuesday the 22nd of April, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 24th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 26th of April and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 27th 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 starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 26th of April and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 27th 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.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 17th of April 2025 Last week was characterised by increased Kp index numbers and severe geomagnetic storms, peaking at G4. These drove down maximum usable frequencies and disrupted DX contacts, especially on the higher HF bands. The solar wind speed increased from 380 kilometres per second to around 500 kilometres per second on the 15th and an increase in plasma density was noted as well. Subsequently, the Kp index peaked at 7.67 on Wednesday the 16th, causing visible aurora alerts in the UK. This was caused by a pair of CMEs that left the Sun on Sunday the 13th of April. We had a total of 22 M-class solar flares over four days, so a CME event was inevitable. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are a feature on the declining side of a solar cycle, so we could unfortunately be in for many more. According to Propquest, MUFs over a 3,000km path fell to below 18MHz for long periods on Wednesday the 16th, before climbing to around 21MHz at the end of the day. Meanwhile, the solar flux index fell from a high of 170 on Friday the 11th of April to a low of 148 on Wednesday the 16th of April. Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI will start the week around 145 but could increase to 165 as the week progresses. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the 22nd to the 24th of April, with a predicted maximum Kp index of four. As always, keep an eye on solarham.com for daily updates, but more importantly, get on the bands, which are a much more effective guide to HF propagation! And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current period of unsettled weather looks likely to continue into the coming week. This does not mean rain every day, but periods of rain or showers with some intervening drier spells. These drier interludes are not really dominated by high pressure, just gaps between the wetter periods, so it's unlikely to produce much significant Tropo. In terms of propagation, there may be some rain scatter, although it won't be very reliable. However, the prospects for meteor scatter are more promising with the peak of the Lyrids due on Tuesday the 22nd of April. It is worth checking up on procedures for meteor scatter working if you've not done it before and you may find a new part of the hobby to add to your operating schedule. The prospects for aurora continue to be raised by what seems like an almost daily supply of aurora alerts. Continue to monitor the Kp index for signs of elevated values, where Kp is above five, for radio activity. Early signs such as fluttery signals on the LF and HF bands may suggest it's worth looking on the VHF bands for auroral activity. As we move towards the new season it is good to get into the habit of looking for Sporadic-E. The Propquest website www.propquest.co.uk shows several useful components for analysing the Es prospects. If you look at the position of the jet streams shown on the Es blog tab, these can produce favourable conditions geographically to give a hint of the right direction in which to listen. The opening season typically favours 10m or 6m. EME path losses are now decreasing towards perigee on Sunday the 27th of April. Last Friday, the 18th of April, saw minimum Moon declination, so Moon windows will lengthen along with peak elevation. 144MHz sky noise starts this week very high but decreases to low as the week progresses. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 13th of April 2025   The news headlines: Apply to be in the RSGB team for YOTA Camp 2025 Be part of the RSGB Exam Tutors Review Panel Catch up with the RSGB 2025 AGM on YouTube If you are aged between 16 and 25 and are passionate about amateur radio, then this news is for you. This year's Youngsters on the Air Summer Camp will take place between the 18th and 25th of August at the historical Château [SHA-TOW] de Jambville [ZHOM-VIL] near Paris in France. The event is being organised by the French national amateur radio society, REF, and the IARU. It is a chance of a lifetime for young RSGB members to represent their country and their national society. If you are ready for exciting experiences, would like to make new friends and want to help shape the future of amateur radio, then the RSGB would love to hear from you. If you'd like to find out more about what's involved and to submit an application, go to rsgb.org/yota-camp The closing date for applications is the 2nd of May for Team Leader and the 16th of May for Team Members. Apply today and don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity. The RSGB is looking to recruit volunteers from the exam tutor community to help pre-screen documentation prior to public release as part of the process of improving the quality of documents issued by the Exam and Syllabus Review Group (ESRG). The Exam Tutors Review Panel is intended to be an informal group of approximately six tutors who are currently involved in providing training for amateur radio licence exams at any of the three current levels. Panel members will be asked to use their skills to help improve the quality of the syllabus, the questions in the published question bank and other published documentation. They will receive advance copies of documents that are due to be published, and they will be expected to return any comments within an agreed timescale, which typically will be two weeks. The ESRG is not obliged to accept the recommendations from panel members, but if they do not accept a recommended change, they will explain why. All documents and additional correspondence sent to panel members will be under an embargo until the final versions are released to the public. The Exam Tutors Review Panel is intended to run for an initial six months and will then be reviewed. If you are interested in becoming a member of this panel, please email Board Director Len Paget, GM0ONX via GM0ONX@rsgb.org.uk The RSGB would like to thank everyone who joined the RSGB 2025 AGM which was held yesterday, the 12th of April. If you missed the live event, you'll still be able to watch the full livestream on the Society's YouTube channel. As well as the formal AGM business, the Board answered questions from RSGB members on a wide range of topics. You'll also be able to watch the President's review of 2024, delivered by John McCullagh MBE, GI4BWM, who was the RSGB President at the time. The AGM also included a presentation about the Society's strategy. Led by Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX, there were contributions from Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML; Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB; and the current President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX. Timestamps will be available in the video summary on YouTube, allowing you to skip to any particular section you may want to watch. Go to rsgb.org/agm to find out more about every aspect of the AGM, including personal statements from the new President, Board Directors and Regional Representatives. Don't forget that as part of the celebrations of the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union, the RSGB will be activating the callsign GB0IARU throughout this month. A Commemorative QSL Card is available for QSOs made during the period from the 1st of April to the 30th of April 2025. On qrz.com you can find full details of the special event station, how to apply for your commemorative card, and a spreadsheet showing who is activating the callsign. World Amateur Radio Day 2025 is taking place on Friday the 18th of April, and coincides with the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union. This year's theme is “Entering the Next Century of Amateur Radio Communications and Innovation”. All radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to show their skills and capabilities to the public. You can read more about the event on the IARU website via iaru.org Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@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 Moray Firth Amateur Radio Society Surplus Equipment Sale is taking place on Saturday the 19th of April at Roseisle [ROSE-ISLE] Village Hall, near Burghead. Doors open to traders at 10am, and to the general public between 11am and 4pm. There is ample parking on site and catering will be available. Entry is £5, and tables for sellers are £10. Find out more by going to mfars.club The Cambridge Repeater Group Rally is taking place on Sunday the 27th of April at Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge, CB22 6RN. Doors open at 7.30am for traders and 9.30am to the general public. The entrance fee is £4. The event will include a car-boot sale, trade stands, a bring-and-buy area, catering, disabled facilities, an RSGB Bookstall and a free marshalled car park. A cash and card burger van will open at 8am. The venue rules state strictly no dogs except assistance dogs on the field. Go to cambridgerepeaters.net for further details and bookings. Now the Special Event news The Experimental Danish Radioamateurs association, also known as EDR, will be celebrating World Amateur Radio Day on the 18th of April with special event station 5P0WARD. The group is also operating special callsign OZ100IARU between the 19th of April and the 27th of April to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the IARU. More information can be found at QRZ.com 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 are active until the 25th of April. Full details of the event, as well as available awards, can be found via Hamaward.cloud The Spanish national society, URE, will also be on the air to mark the 100th anniversary of the IARU. Members will be active on 160m to 6m between the 15th of April and the 30th of April with ten different special event stations, including AO100IARU. Special awards will be available, as well as medals for the top participants from each continent who achieve the highest number of contacts with the stations on different bands and modes. Go to ure.es for further details. Now the DX news Paul, GW0NGA will be active from Jamestown in St Helena as ZD7PG from the 12th of April until the 19th of April. He will be active on the HF bands during his spare time. QSL via his home callsign and possibly eQSL. 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. DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada [A-NE-GA-DA] Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10th to the 27th of April. Full details via QRZ.com Now the contest news On Tuesday the 15th of April, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 16th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 17th of April, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using All modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 10th of April 2025 A fast solar wind caused some disruption last week, often sending the Kp index up to five, with many three-hour periods in excess of four. The solar wind speed was in the 600-700 kilometres per second range, which caused a moderate, G2, geomagnetic storm and visible aurora at higher latitudes mid-week. Glancing CMEs that left the Sun on the 9th of April brought a small chance of enhanced geomagnetic activity at the end of the week. Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined slightly from a high of 184 on the 5th of April to 167 on Thursday the 10th. There have been quite a few C-class solar flares, but only two M-class flares and no X-class events over the past seven days. This geomagnetic activity has taken its toll on HF propagation, with lower critical frequencies at times and lower MUFs. This, coupled with the start of a change to summer ionospheric conditions, has meant that MUFs over a 3,000km path have often struggled to get past 19.7MHz at times. We have probably seen the best of the long-range 10m propagation until the autumn. But we will have Sporadic-E and its associated short skip from next month to make up for it. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will fall further, perhaps to between 135 and 140 by the 15th of April. Geomagnetic conditions are also likely to improve with a Kp index of two to three, forecast for the period after tomorrow, the 14th of April. We may expect more problematic geomagnetic conditions, with a predicted Kp index of four, from the 21st to the 24th of April.   And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The long spell of fine settled weather and strong Tropo is leaving us for a while, starting this weekend, and the high pressure is giving way to slow-moving areas of low pressure with cloud and rain for the coming week. Although it won't rain all the time it will be considerably wetter than recent weeks, with some heavy spells of rain at times and good prospects for rain scatter on the GHz bands. It is possible that there could be some thunder in the heavier rain, so it's now the season to be aware of lightning risk. The meteor scatter prospects are staggering towards the 22nd of April Lyrids, which peak on Tuesday of the following week, so we're still probably relying on random activity for most of this coming week, but with improving chances. The solar conditions have been feeding low-level auroral activity and it remains a good time of the year when some effective auroral conditions can appear - so stay alert to the state of the Kp index, just in case. The good news at this time of the year is that Sporadic-E will eventually make an appearance, usually on 10m or 6m, and is quite often first picked out on the digital modes. It will be into late April before we need to get too excited about this, but there is no harm in getting a set of beacons in mind for tracking an opening. Remember the main characteristic of Es is that it starts on the lower frequencies like 10m, and works up through 6m to 4m and then finally 2m in a high-summer opening. EME path losses are at their maximum at apogee this evening, the 13th, and Moon declination is negative and falling further. Moon windows will continue to shorten with peak elevation reaching only eight degrees at the end of next week. 144MHz sky noise starts the week low but will increase during the week to more than 2300 Kelvin on Friday. And that's all from the propagation team this week.  

  GB2RS News Sunday, the 6th of April 2025   The news headlines: Last chance to submit your question ahead of Saturday's RSGB AGM Tom Wardill, 2E0JJI has been appointed as RSGB Maker Champion Reduced exam slots over Easter weekend The RSGB 2025 AGM is taking place at 10 am next Saturday, the 12th of April. The Society is encouraging RSGB members to take the time to vote for the two resolutions that need your approval. During the AGM, Board members will be answering your questions. Whether your question is about the RSGB, the Board, any of the RSGB services or even the future of amateur radio, your contribution to the discussion is important. Priority is given to questions submitted live by Zoom or by the Society's web form, so get in touch now rather than waiting for the live chat option on the day. The Zoom question deadline is 9 am on Monday, the 7th of April, and the deadline for submitting a written question is when voting ends at 0900 on Thursday, the 10th of April. Following the formal business of the AGM, the RSGB is delighted that RSGB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM will be sharing his review of 2024. There will also be announcements of trophies and awards, the construction competition results, as well as a presentation about the Society's strategy, which will be led by Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX. There will be contributions from Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML; Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB; and Bob Beebe, GU4YOX who at that point will be the new RSGB President. Make sure you don't miss out by putting the date in your diary now. Go to rsgb.org/agm  to find further information. The RSGB is pleased to announce that Tom Wardill, 2E0JJI has been appointed as the RSGB Maker Champion. In his role, Tom will assist the RSGB to take amateur radio to new audiences in the hackspace and makerspace communities. Tom will also investigate opportunities to encourage crossover in both directions, offering new areas of experimentation to more traditional license holders. If you have any ideas you'd like to discuss with Tom or would like to congratulate him on his appointment, please email him via maker.champion@rsgb.org.uk A reminder that the RSGB remote invigilation team will be taking a break over the Easter weekend. You will be able to book to take an exam on Friday, the 18th and Saturday, the 19th of April; however, no exam slots will be available on Sunday, the 20th or Monda,y the 21st of April. Exam bookings will resume as normal after that. The next webinar in the RSGB's Tonight@8 series will be live tomorrow, Monday the 7th of April. Nick Wood, M0NTV 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. Nick has a lifelong fascination with radio and electronics, and an insatiable curiosity to discover how things work. His passion is for designing and building his own radio equipment, particularly SSB transceivers, and he has just completed his sixth. 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 GB3WR VHF Repeater, located on the Mendip Hills in Somerset, was switched back on at 12:30 pm on the 16th of March 2025. The Group is delighted to report that it is working as well as before. It covers a wide area of the South West, and the Bristol Channel area. Amateur stations are regularly heard from the south of the Midlands, South Wales and as far south as Swanage and Basingstoke to the east. The Mendip Repeater Group would like to express its thanks for the generosity of all who have made it possible to put GB3WR back on the air. Find out more via gb3wr.uk One of the GB2RS newsreaders is retiring from reading the news ahead of his upcoming 101st birthday this Saturday, the 12th of April. Peter Valentine, G0NQZ from Eastbourne, remains an active radio amateur and operates daily, as well as taking part in regular nets such as ISWL and RAOTA. The Society would like to thank Peter for his dedication to GB2RS and wishes him a very happy 101st birthday! Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Yeovil Amateur Radio Club QRP Convention is taking place on Saturday, the 12th of April at Digby Hall in Sherborne. Doors open at 9.30 am. 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 The Holsworthy ARC Spring Radio Rally is taking place on Sunday, the 13th of April at the Holsworthy Livestock Market, New Market Road, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7FA. There will be traders and a bring-and-buy. Catering will be available. Doors open to traders from 8 am and to the public from 10 am. Entry costs £3 per person. The venue has disabled access. Also taking place on Sunday, the 13th of April, is the Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Exhibition, or NARSA for short. It is also known as the Blackpool Rally. The event will take place at Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool, FY2 9AA. For further details, please go to narsa.org.uk  or contact Dave, M0OBW, on 07720 656542, or via email using dwilson@btinternet.com Now the Special Event news The Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society, also known as RAFARS, has started its popular Airfields On The Air event. RAF Stations are active this weekend as well as on 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 the 25th of April. Full details of the event, as well as available awards, can be found via Hamaward.cloud Now the DX news The Toshiba Fuchu Amateur Radio Club, JA1YVT, is celebrating its 60th anniversary and, as part of the celebration, team members are staging a DXpedition to the Ogasawara Islands. They will be QRV as JA1YVT/JD1 until Thursday, the 10th of April. The operating schedule, frequencies and QSL information are available via QRZ.com DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10th to the 27th of April. Full details via QRZ.com Now the contest news The FT4 International Activity Day started at 12:00 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 12:00 UTC today, 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 started at 1500 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 1500 UTC today, 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. Today, Sunday the 6th of April, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1600 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, Sunday the 6th of April, the Worked All Britain 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 your Worked All Britain square. Club and multi-operator stations can only score points in one of the two 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 7th of April, the IRTS 70cm Counties Contest runs from 1300 to 13:30 UTC. Using FM and SSB on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their country. Also on Monday, the 7th of April, the IRTS 2m Counties Contest runs from 1330 to 1500 UTC. Using FM and SSB on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their country. On Monday, the 7th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday, the 8th of April, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855 UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 8th of April, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 9th of April, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 9th of April, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday, the 10th of April, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. 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 3rd of April 2025 We had a week of mixed solar conditions, but it ended with an SFI of 182 and a Kp of 3.67 on Thursday, the 3rd of April.   The geomagnetic field declined to quieter levels following a prolonged period of active, Kp4 conditions earlier on Wednesday due to solar wind enhancements. This impacted propagation, with the critical frequency struggling to get much above 7 MHz on Wednesday. Compare this with the following day, when the critical frequency hit 10.4MHz by 0830 UTC. Nevertheless, there was DX to be worked on Wednesday with FT8 allowing signals from Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China, and Surinam to get into the UK on 21MHz. The solar proton flux was also high on Tuesday, the 1st of April, affecting signals passing through the polar regions, but this had declined by Thursday and was heading back to normal levels. This was due to a large CME observed off the east limb of the Sun on Frida,y the 28th of March. If it had been Earth-directed, we may have seen a massive aurora. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will stay in the 175-185 region. A Kp of six was forecast for yesterday, Saturday the 5th of April, followed by a further period of unsettled geomagnetic conditions due to an enhanced solar wind. If this is the case, we may not get more settled conditions until the 14th to the 16th of April. Nevertheless, this remains a good time for North-South HF paths, such as the UK to South Africa, and UK to South America. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The old forecasting maxim that the ‘longer a high lasts, the longer it will last' is built upon the presence of blocked upper air weather patterns. When the jet stream gets so distorted into a high-amplitude north/south wave, its lateral movement, from west to east, becomes very slow. On the upper air charts, this takes the shape of the Greek letter omega, and this is the current set-up. It means that the weather associated with it also lasts a long time. In this case, it's the high pressure and its spell of fine weather that is likely to last for the whole of the coming week. The position of the high will change, though, starting over the North Sea and ending over the UK and the nearby Atlantic. This means that Tropo will be the mode of choice for the coming period, which includes the 70cm UK Activity Contest on Tuesday and the 6m UK Activity Contest on Thursday. Rain scatter is unlikely during this extended period of dry weather. The meteor scatter options are still mainly driven by random meteors for the coming period into next week, but the next important shower, the Lyrids, peaks on the 22nd of April. The auroral alerts continue to come through, raising interest. As usual, the clue will be fluttery-sounding signals on the bands, particularly noticeable on CW, but they can also be pronounced on speech transmissions. Monitor the Kp index for values above Kp5. There have been a few trans-equatorial openings to Southern Africa on 50MHz digital modes for the fortunate few who live in the extreme south and southwest of the UK, but it did extend up to Cambridgeshire and Suffolk briefly on some days last week. The long drought of Sporadic-E will soon be over, but we're still in the realms of very isolated events for 10m and 6m, which will be short-lasting. The jet stream, which can be a good clue as to potential locations, suggests looking to Scandinavia, the Baltic and northern Europe. EME path losses are falling again, but Moon declination has been at its highest this weekend, so we have long Moon windows. 144MHz sky noise is low throughout the coming week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News 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@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 exam 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@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 the Thames Valley, why not support fellow radio amateurs in your area? There are several 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@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 0000 UTC on the 1st of May and concludes at 2359 UTC 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@rsgb.org.uk. The deadline for submissions is 10 am 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@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 9.30 am. The convention will include traders, bring and buy, club stalls and a café. For more information, please visit the club's website at 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 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 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 2359 UTC 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 1855 UTC. 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 2130 UTC. 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 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 2nd of April, the 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a 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 2100 UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The FT4 International Activity Day starts at 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 1200 UTC 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 1500 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 1500 UTC 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 28 MHz, but it was slow to rise on Thursday, the 27th, when it took until 0900 UTC to reach 28 MHz. At the time of writing, the solar wind speed was more than 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 seems 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- 7 MHz, 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.  

GB2RS News Sunday the 23rd of March 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB launches its new web app RSGB Elected Board Director unopposed candidates are announced Full details of the RSGB 2025 AGM have been released The RSGB is excited to give you a first look at its new app! The web version has just been launched and is a one-stop shop for all RadCom publications and club newsletters. You can find the web version at rsgb.org/radcom It gives RSGB members easy access to over ten years of back issues of RadCom, as well as RadCom Basics and Plus. The Society will be adding more back issues of RadCom from the archive in the coming months, making it even more valuable. All you need is your RSGB membership portal details to access the editions. If you're not an RSGB member, you can still view a sample edition of RadCom through the web version of the app. If you like what you see, you can become an RSGB member via rsgb.org/join which will give you access to the back issues of RadCom and its sister publications. Watch this space for news of the release of the RSGB mobile app later this year. For some roles in the RSGB elections, a single nomination was received. These include the two vacancies for Elected Board Directors. Peter Bowyer, G4MJS and Mark Savage, M0XIC will each take up the role of Board Director at the end of the RSGB AGM on the 12th of April 2025. Both were interviewed separately to enable RSGB members to hear their views on the current issues facing amateur radio and the Society. Their answers were combined into two videos: the first ‘short' video is just two quick questions, and the second video is a more in-depth interview. You can watch them both on the RSGB website and its YouTube channel. For more information about each of these unopposed candidates, see the April 2025 issue of RadCom or go to rsgb.org/candidates The RSGB 2025 AGM will take place at 10 am on Saturday the 12th of April. The event will be held online to ensure that as many members as possible can watch and take part. The formal business of the meeting will include the results of members' votes on the resolutions and details about the election. The RSGB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM will give a video review of 2024, and the Society will announce the recipients of its annual awards and trophies, as well as the winners of its construction competition. You can ask the Board questions on the day via Zoom or the YouTube live chat, or by submitting a written question in advance. After the main AGM meeting, the RSGB is delighted to have a presentation about the Society's strategy. Led by Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX, there will also be contributions from Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML; Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB; and Bob Beebe, GU4YOX who will at that point be the new RSGB President. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/agm Maritime Radio Day 2025 starts at 1200UTC on the 14th of April and finishes at 2300UTC on the 15th of April. The annual event takes place to commemorate the almost 100 years of wireless telegraphy service for seafarers, which ended in the UK with the closure of Portishead Radio on the 30th of April 2000. This event is a great opportunity to have a QSO with former Marine Radio Officers and Coast Station professionals who will be exchanging details of their previous ships and coast stations. The mode of operation is CW with all HF bands being used, including WARC. 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, go to radioofficers.com/mrd-2025 Amateur Radio Clubs On The Air has launched a new activity for radio amateurs to promote their club, have some fun and collect points for an award. All bands and modes may be used including SSB, CW, FM, RTTY, FT8, FT4 and other digital modes. This is an ongoing award, and contacts may be claimed from the 23rd of March onwards. You can find full details on the Leicester Radio Society website at g3lrs.org.uk, via the G3LRS page at QRZ.com  or by emailing arcota@g3lrs.org.uk Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Pencoed and District Amateur Radio Club Rally is on Sunday the 30th of March at Sarn and Bryncwils Social Club, Bryncoch Road, Sarn near Bridgend, CF32 9NY. Entrance is £2.50. Tables are available at £10 each. Refreshments will be available. Public access to the event is from 10 am, with trader access from 8 am. Please contact Ieuan Jones via 07791 709 691 for further information. The Dunstable Downs Radio Club will be holding its Annual National Amateur Radio Car Boot Sale at the usual venue, Stockwood Park in Luton, on Sunday the 18th of May.  Excluding a break for Covid-19, this is the 40th consecutive year that the event has been run. Now the Special Event news There is still time to work special callsign GB1KBR. Radio amateurs in Scotland are on the air until the end of March to celebrate the start of the official handover of the Commonwealth Games Kings Baton by His Majesty King Charles at Buckingham Palace for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Activity is on HF, SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via Logbook of The World, eQSL and QRZ.com  An award program is available via the HamAward platform. For further information on the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games please visit glasgow2026.com 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 Heath, VK3TWO is active from Fiji as 3D2TWO until the 27th of March. The station will be active on the 40 to 10m bands using SSB and FT8. More information can be found at QRZ.com Bud, AA3B will again be active from Antigua as V26K between the 25th of March and the 2nd of April. He'll be participating in the CQWPX SSB contest. Outside of this, Bud will be focusing on mainly using CW. QSL via home call, Logbook of The World and OQRS. Aldir, PY1SAD is active again from Georgetown in Guyana 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 On Tuesday, the 25th of March, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 26th of March, the UK and Ireland Contest Club Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Thursday, the 27th of March, the 80m Club Championship Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 29th of March and ends at 2359UTC on 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.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 20th of March 2025 Last week was pretty unremarkable from an HF perspective. After the disturbed geomagnetic conditions on the 12th to the 14th when the Kp index rose to five, conditions were a little more settled. The solar flux index hit 204 on the 17th of March but then declined back to the 180s. Having said that things were settled, the Kp index did exceed four for three periods on the 19th, peaking at 4.67. This had the effect of reducing the MUF over a 3,000km path to 21-24MHz. We also had two M-class solar flares on the 17th and the 19th, with the latter causing a coronal mass ejection that may give Earth a glancing blow around the 22nd of March. As spring progresses, we may find the F2-layer MUF dropping as we move to summer ionospheric conditions, perhaps to be replaced by enhanced sporadic-E conditions on 10 metres instead. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may drop further, perhaps hitting 150 on the 28th. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the 25th to the 28th, with a maximum Kp index of five. As we said last week, this is now a peak period for auroral activity, given the angle that the Earth makes with the Sun. The 'Russell-McPherron' effect is down to the alignment of the Sun and Earth around the spring and autumn equinox and means that you are twice as likely to experience the aurora in spring and autumn than in winter and summer. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The recent fine weather has provided some useful Tropo. This has been mainly towards the east and into the near continent, which seemed like nice timing for the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest last Tuesday evening. Despite this, many participants reported conditions as poor. The high is now moving away and by the time you hear this, it will be a predominantly low-pressure weather sequence from now on. This means limited Tropo in the coming week, and rain scatter comes to the fore as a mode of choice if you have a GHz band set up. The solar conditions continue to provide a trickle charge of auroral alerts, but not enough for any significant operating advantage. As usual the message is to keep on top of things by monitoring the Kp index for values over 5. Meteor scatter remains largely in the gift of random meteors, so it's an early start to catch the pre-dawn peak of random meteors if you are so persuaded. Lastly, a mention of Sporadic-E which is still in its close season. We have a while to wait until later next month when we could expect the occasional stirrings on 10m. EME path losses continue to improve until the Moon's perigee (its closest point to Earth) on the morning of the 30th of March. Moon declination has been falling, reaching a minimum yesterday, the 22nd. So again, we have short Moon windows and reduced peak Moon elevation. 144MHz sky noise started high on Friday the 21st of March but will drop back to low by the middle of next week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 16th of March 2025 The news headlines: Final chance to get involved in British Science Week and share your activities Advance notice of how to ask the Board questions at the RSGB AGM The RSGB has launched new National Radio Centre web pages Today, Sunday the 16th of March is the last day of British Science Week 2025. If you live in the Derbyshire or Leicestershire area, pop along to the open day being held by South Derbyshire and Ashby Woulds Amateur Radio Group. The group is hosting the final day of its family-friendly open weekend. Members will be showcasing all that amateur radio has to offer, from kit building to operating under supervision. Details of the event can be found on the “Events happening near you” section of rsgb.org/bsw There is also still time to get involved with the official RSGB British Science Week activity, which is featured in the British Science Week Community Activity Pack. This can be done at home on DMR or any other radio. If you've been involved in amateur radio activities as part of the annual celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the Society would love to hear from you. Whether you've run an event at your local club, set up and operated a radio station in a school, or introduced the hobby to a community group, get in touch. Please send your reports, with separate high-resolution photographs, to comms@rsgb.org.uk  by the 18th of April. The RSGB would like to thank everyone who has contributed ideas and resources, sharing your passion and expertise with others. It is also welcoming feedback about the British Science Week campaign. Let the RSGB know what worked well, what you learnt, and how the Society could develop its activities for next year. Please email the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator Ian Neal, M0KEO at bsw@rsgb.org.uk  to share your thoughts. Over the last few years, the RSGB has been developing how the Board can be asked questions at its online AGMs. This year, the AGM will be held on Saturday the 12th of April and you have three ways to get involved. To ask a question via video on Zoom you'll need to register in advance and give the topic of your question. You'll have the chance to ask your question live with one follow-up question on the same topic. If you'd prefer to submit a written question in advance, you can do so via a form on the RSGB website. The third way to ask Board members a question is via the Live Chat function on the day. Whilst the Board will take as many questions as possible during the second part of the AGM, if you would like to ask a question about the formal part of the meeting, please submit a written question in advance or register to ask a question via Zoom. Full details of how to take part in the RSGB AGM, along with closing dates to submit a question, will be available from Wednesday the 19th of March via rsgb.org/agm Have you ever wondered what you'll discover during a visit to the RSGB National Radio Centre? Or perhaps you're interested in operating GB3RS during your visit? Maybe you are a group who'd like to arrange a visit. All these topics, plus much more, have been answered in the newly updated RSGB National Radio Centre web pages. Other topics include the RSGB's involvement in the Voluntary Interceptors, as well as organising your visit and how to volunteer at the Centre. Go to rsgb.org/nrc  to discover more. The team of volunteers looks forward to welcoming you soon. Bletchley Park will be hosting one of its infamous 1940s weekends in May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE day. In tribute to the event, the RSGB National Radio Centre will be operating a special event station GB2BP from the 3rd to the 5th of May. Put the date in your diary and make sure you get this callsign in your logbook. The next event in the popular 145 Alive series takes place on Saturday the 12th of April between 12 noon and 3 pm. If you'd like to be a net controller for the event please email masenville@gmail.com  with the callsign you intend to use on the day and your intended six-digit maidenhead locator. For more information visit the 145 Alive Facebook page. The South Yorkshire ATV Group is pleased to announce that the GB3YT television repeater on 23cm has completed its move from Mirfield in West Yorkshire to its new site at Birdwell near Barnsley, adjacent to junction 36 on the M1. The repeater receives on 1276MHz DVB-S or DVB-S2 using 1000 or 333 kilo-symbols per second and transmits on 1316MHz DVB-S at 1000 kilo symbols per second. The repeater is switched on between 6 pm and 9 pm on weekdays and 3 pm and 9 pm at weekends. This will be reviewed when activity increases. Further information about GB3YT and membership in the Group can be found via gb3yt.co.uk or by emailing info@gb3yt.co.uk Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Biggleswade Swap meet, organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society, is taking place on Sunday the 23rd of March at The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH. Doors open to stallholders from 9 am, with general entry from 9.30 am. Admission is £8. Hot and cold refreshments are available all day. There will be vintage technology of varying sorts, as well as a bring-and-buy stall run by the British Wireless and Television Museum. For enquiries, including stall bookings, please email Jeremy Owen, G8MLK via secretary@bvws.org.uk  More details can also be found via BVWS.org.uk The Callington Radio and Electronics Rally will be held in the Town Hall, New Road, Callington, Cornwall, PL17 7BD on Sunday the 23rd of March. Public access to the event is from 10 am until 1 pm. Entry is £2 each with no charge for those under the age of 16. A comprehensive selection of traders, clubs and societies from the southwest will be present along with a bring-and-buy stall and the usual excellent catering service. As an improvement from last year, the bring-and-buy stall now accepts payment by all major debit and credit cards using contactless, chip and pin or by phone. The venue has disabled access and toilet facilities with ample parking in a nearby car park. Although the main hall is now fully booked, tables are still available in an adjacent room at £5 for the large size and £3 for the smaller one. Pre-booking is essential, so please contact Alastair, M0KRR at alastair.kerr1@btinternet.com or by phone at 01503 262 755 with your requirements as soon as possible. Also on Sunday the 23rd of March is The Dover Amateur Radio Club 2025 Rally which is taking place at the St Radigunds Community Centre, Poulton Close, Dover, CT17 0HL. The doors are open between 10 am and 2 pm and entry is £3. Tea, coffee and bacon rolls will be available on-site. Tables are available at £15 each, with a maximum of two tables per vendor. For table bookings and the latest news go to darc.online/rally The Pencoed and District Amateur Radio Club Rally is on Sunday the 30th of March at Sarn and Bryncwils Social Club, Bryncoch Road, Sarn near Bridgend, CF32 9NY. Entrance is £2.50. Tables are available at £10 each. Refreshments will be available. Public access to the event is from 10am, with trader access from 8 am. Please contact Ieuan Jones via 07791 709 691 for further information. Now the Special Event news In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club will be operating the club's call sign GI3VFW on Monday the 17th of March for one week. Members will be operating on all bands on HF, VHF and UHF from Tandragee, County Armagh. The club will also be operating GI3VFW from the 25th to the 27th of April from Navan Fort Armagh using all bands and modes. Radio amateurs in Scotland will be on the air throughout March using the special callsign GB1KBR. This is to celebrate the start of the official handover of the Commonwealth Games Kings Baton by His Royal Highness King Charles the Third at Buckingham Palace for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Activity will be on HF, SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via Logbook of The World, eQSL and QRZ.com There will also be an award programme available via the Ham Award platform. For further information on the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games please visit glasgow2026.com Dennis Spratt, G7AGZ will be operating as a special event station GB0CHC in aid of Cornwall Hospice Care. This marks his 34th year since his first project for the hospices in 1991. Dennis will be active from near St. Agnes, Cornwall on most bands and modes. The station will be on air from the 1st of April for 28 days. He hopes to beat his target of 912 QSOs from 2024. See QRZ.com for further details, as well as how to donate. Now the DX news Heath, VK3TWO is active from Fiji as 3D2TWO until the 27th of March. The station will be active on the 40 to 10m bands using SSB and FT8. More information can be found at QRZ.com Aldir, PY1SAD will be active again from Georgetown in Guyana as 8R1TM from the 11th of March to 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. A team of 12 operators are active as VU4AX from the South Andaman Islands, IOTA reference AS-001, until Thursday the 20th of March. The group is operating six stations around the clock, on bands from 10m to 160m, including WARC and 60m, using CW, SSB, and digital. Full details, including QSL information, are available via dx-adventure.com Looking ahead, DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10th to the 27th of April. Now the contest news The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group HF RTTY Contest started on Saturday the 15th of March and ends at 0159UTC on Monday the 17th of March. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and time. On Monday the 17th of March, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Tuesday the 18th of March, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 18th of March, the IRTS 80m Evening Counties Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and county code. On Thursday the 20th of March, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 13th of March 2025 We've had another week of disturbed geomagnetic conditions with the Kp index at four or five for long periods. On the evening of the 12th of March, Kp was five and, at the time of writing, has stayed there for a total of five three-hour periods. This has taken its toll on the ionosphere with MUFs over a 3,000km path down to less than 24.7MHz during daylight. Meanwhile, the solar flux index rose to 160 on Thursday the 13th after hitting a low of 147 on the 7th. The best HF propagation was last weekend, the 8th and 9th of March, just in time for the Commonwealth Contest. This saw stations around the world romping into the UK, including signals from Australia, New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, Barbados, and many others. As contacts were limited to Commonwealth countries, it meant the UK had little QRM to contend with and it was fairly easy to fill the log book on 40m to 10m. Australia was still coming in at 59 after dark, and even British Columbia on the west coast of Canada could be worked with simple wire antennas and low power. This may have been caused by a pre-auroral enhancement, as the Kp index rose late on the first day of the contest. Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index may rise to 195 by the 21st. It also suggests that we may be back into calmer geomagnetic conditions with a maximum Kp index of two. This will be a welcome change and, if it happens, will no doubt result in better HF conditions. And remember, March is a good month for north-south contacts, such as the UK to South Africa and the UK to South America. But with the equinox just around the corner, auroras are twice as common due to the Russell-McPherron effect. Just as when two bar magnets attract one another when they are oriented oppositely, so opposite Bz components attract. During the autumn and spring equinox, this orientation enables a 'connection' to the Sun, thereby allowing the solar wind to stream in. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The recent change to colder weather brought showers and potential rain scatter to the second half of last week. But this weekend we have lost the showers and gained a large region of high pressure to bring a hint of Tropo. It's not perfect, since in cold air highs like this, conditions are usually less than ideal, so don't expect too much from this particular area of high pressure.  The high will last until midweek before it slips away into eastern Europe and, on its parting, may allow some moisture below the inversion and will improve the Tropo prospects briefly. The second half of the coming week will be dominated by low pressure and back to rain-scatter as an option on the GHz bands. The solar conditions have continued to provide a few weak auroral alerts and it's worth continuing a watching brief on the Kp index for hints of activity; anything greater than a Kp of five is worth our interest. Listen out for watery-sounding signals on the LF bands and then check out the 10m and 6m bands for auroral signals. The next important meteor shower is the April Lyrids, but there's always the chance of random meteor scatter activity, particularly in the pre-dawn hours. It's still a little early to mention Sporadic-E, but it's always worth looking at the lower frequencies first, which means 10m and 6m. Check the graphs on Propquest for signs of spikes in the foEs, which is the critical frequency of the Es-layer. EME path losses continue to rise until apogee on Monday evening. Moon declination is still falling, reaching a minimum on Saturday the 22nd. So again, we have short Moon windows and reduced peak Moon elevation. 144MHz sky noise is moderate and rising to high by Friday the 21st. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 9th of March 2025 The news headlines: RSGB members celebrate IARU Centenary with a special callsign British Science Week events you can be part of RSGB Propagation Studies Committee members give talks at HamSCI event As part of the celebrations of the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union, the RSGB will be activating the callsign GB0IARU in April 2025. If you would like to be an activator, you need to be an RSGB member with a Full licence, as UK licence conditions only allow Full licensees to operate club callsigns. If you would like to take part, please send an email to contestclub@rsgbcc.org  You will be invited to join a discussion group which will be used to provide you with all the information that you will need. You will have to join the RSGB Contest Club to use the callsign, as GB0IARU is linked to the Contest Club's callsign G6XX. Foundation and Intermediate licensees will be able to take part under supervision. You can find detailed instructions about operating with GB0IARU on the RSGB website at tinyurl.com/GB0IARU  For QSL information please see the QRZ.com page for GB0IARU. British Science Week began on Friday the 7th of March and will continue until Sunday the 16th of March. The annual celebration presents radio amateurs with the opportunity to showcase their hobby to new audiences. Crowthorne and Wokingham Men's Shed will be operating as G8EYM during the forthcoming week. Organisers who would like to set up skeds with other groups, particularly other Men's Sheds groups, should get in touch via info@nmishedww.co.uk  if you'd like to be involved. Some events are also open to the public. South Derbyshire and Ashby Woulds Amateur Radio Group will be hosting a family-friendly open weekend on the 15th and 16th of March. The event will include opportunities for kit building, details of training, as well as an opportunity to operate under supervision. Norfolk Amateur Radio Club intends to support the City of Norwich School with its Super Science Saturday on the 15th of March. To get involved with these events, plus more, go to rsgb.org/bsw  and choose the “Events happening near you” tab on the righthand menu. The Society has also shared several fun ideas that you can take part in, from giving your friends and family a tour of your shack to observing the Sun's cycles and understanding the aurora. And of course, don't forget to get involved with the official RSGB British Science Week activity, which is featured in the Community Activity Pack. This can be done at home on DMR or any other radio. Whatever inspires you, be part of this fantastic celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and show the very best that amateur radio has to offer. Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, also known as HamSCI, is holding its 8th annual workshop in New Jersey on the 14th and 15th of March. This year's workshop features nearly 50 presentations, four tutorials, as well as a keynote address by the ARRL's Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R. RSGB Propagation Studies Committee associate member Professor Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL will be delivering several sessions at the two-day event, including one on post-sunset Sporadic-F propagation. The RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Secretary Doctor Chris Deacon, G4IFX, is also attending and will be delivering a session on The Physical Nature of Sporadic-E. You'll be able to watch these sessions, plus more from the workshop agenda online. Details of how to access the event virtually, as well as more information about the event can be found at hamsci.org/hamsci2025 The RSGB remote invigilation team will be taking a break over the Easter weekend. You will be able to book to take an exam on Friday the 18th of April or Saturday the 19th of April, but no exam slots will be available on Sunday the 20th of April, or Monday the 21st of April. Exam bookings will resume as normal after that. Amateur Radio Clubs On The Air is getting ready for a second weekend of operating on the 22nd and 23rd of March. It is a chance for amateurs to promote their club, have some fun and collect points for an award. All bands may be used, using any mode including SSB, CW, FM, RTTY, FT8, FT4 and other digital modes. This is an ongoing award, and contacts may be claimed from the 23rd of March 2025 onwards. You can find full details on the Leicester Radio Society website at g3lrs.org.uk, via the G3LRS page at QRZ.com  or by emailing arcota@g3lrs.org.uk Cray Valley Radio Society is running a two-day, face-to-face Foundation licence course on the 5th and the 12th of April, near Greenwich in southeast London. The Foundation training package costs £65 and this includes the online exam at the end of the course. Please apply or contact Cray Valley Radio Society via its temporary website at cvrs.uk  Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events On Sunday the 16th of March, the Ripon and District Amateur Radio Society Rally will take place at Great Ouseburn Village Hall, Lightmire Lane, Great Ouseburn, York YO26 9RL. Doors open for traders at 7.30 am and then to the public at 10 am for an admission price of £3. Free parking, refreshments and bacon butties will be available. The tables cost £10 each. For enquiries, or to book one or more tables, email radars.rally@gmail.com The Biggleswade Swapmeet, organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society, is taking place on Sunday the 23rd of March at The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH. Doors open to stallholders from 9 am, with general entry from 9.30 am. Admission is £8. Hot and cold refreshments are available all day. There will be vintage technology of varying sorts including radio, TV, communications, audio, vinyl, computing, telephones and components. There will also be a bring-and-buy stall run by the British Wireless and Television Museum. For enquiries, including stall bookings, please email Jeremy Owen, G8MLK via secretary@bvws.org.uk  More details can also be found via BVWS.org.uk The Callington Radio and Electronics Rally will be held in the Town Hall, New Road, Callington, Cornwall, PL17 7BD on Sunday the 23rd of March. Public access to the event is from 10 am until 1 pm. Entry is £2 each with no charge for those under the age of 16. A comprehensive selection of traders, clubs and societies from the south-west will be present along with a bring-and-buy stall and the usual excellent catering service. As an improvement from last year, the bring-and-buy stall now accepts payment by all major debit and credit cards using contactless, chip and pin or by phone. The venue has disabled access and toilet facilities with ample parking in a nearby car park. Although the main hall is now fully booked, tables are still available in an adjacent room at £5 for the large size and £3 for the smaller one. Pre-booking is essential, so please contact Alastair, M0KRR at alastair.kerr1@btinternet.com or by phone at 01503 262 755 with your requirements as soon as possible. Also on Sunday the 23rd of March is The Dover Amateur Radio Club 2025 Rally which is taking place at the St Radigunds Community Centre, Poulton Close, Dover, CT17 0HL. The doors are open between 10 am and 2 pm and entry is £3. Tea, coffee and bacon rolls will be available on site. Tables are available at £15 each, with a maximum of two tables per vendor. For table bookings and the latest news go to darc.online/rally Now the Special Event news The British Railways Amateur Radio Society is running special event stations GB0LMR and GB2SDR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel since 1825. Starting from April, it will also be running GB2TT to celebrate the same anniversary. QSL will be via the Bureau. More information is available at QRZ.com  and via webrars.info From the 1st to the 28th of March George, MM0JNL will once again be activating special event station GB0GTS. This year the station is active in support of the Great Tommy Sleepout. This national challenge aims to raise funds and awareness for all former UK service personnel who are living homeless. More details are available at QRZ.com  and rbli.co.uk Now the DX news The VK9CU team will be active between the 4th and the 11th of March from Cocos Keeling Islands, IOTA reference OC-003. They will operate on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT4 and FT8. QSL via DL2AWG, ClubLog and Logbook of the World. Elvira, IV3FSG is active as D68Z from Moroni in the Comoro Islands until the 18th of March. IOTA reference AF-007. She will operate on HF bands using CW, SSB and digital modes. Looking ahead, DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10th to the 27th of April. Now the contest news The Commonwealth Contest started at 1000UTC on Saturday the 8th of March and ends at 1000UTC today, Sunday the 9th of March. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. HQ stations also send ‘HQ'. On Tuesday the 11th of March, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs between 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 11th of March, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 12th of March, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 12th of March, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Wednesday the 12th of March, the 80m Club Championship Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 13th of March, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group HF RTTY Contest starts at 0200UTC on Saturday the 15th of March and ends at 0200UTC on Monday the 17th of March. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and time. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 6th of March 2025 We started last week with geomagnetic disturbances that saw the Kp index rise to a maximum of 5.67 on the 28th of February and then hover around the 4.5 mark for the next couple of days. As predicted, the rest of the week went quite well, with the Kp index in the range of one to four. The solar flux index fell from a maximum of 210 on the 23rd of February to a low of 140 on the 2nd of March. It then climbed back to 160 on the 4th. Over the past week, we have had no X-class and only one M-class solar flare which was on the 5th. As we head into next week, it looks like all the sunspots in the Sun's northern hemisphere have now departed. Nevertheless, the southern hemisphere is still supplying lots of spots so don't panic just yet! HF conditions have been quite good. VK6IF and VK6IA in Western Australia were booming in on 28MHz USB on the morning of Thursday the 6th, as was VK9CU on the Cocos-Keeling Islands. Nigel, VP8TXF and Ian, VP8CIW have been operating from the Falkland Islands ahead of this weekend's Commonwealth Contest and have been worked from the UK on 20m-10m. They are there until the 10th, so get in quick. Other DX to be worked this week includes VU4AX Andaman Islands, 6Y7EI Jamaica, PJ7AA Sint Maarten Island, 4S7KKG Sri Lanka, TY5C Benin, 6W7/ON4AVT Warang Senegal, RI1ANE Antarctica and H44MS Solomon Islands. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will start off around 150 and may then climb to 185 by the 16th. A large coronal hole became Earth-facing on the 6th, which may result in unsettled geomagnetic conditions this weekend, the 8th and the 9th. It looks like we can expect unsettled geomagnetic conditions around the 10th to the 16th, with a maximum predicted Kp index of five. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather divides into two segments; the first, from the middle of last week through to the middle of next week, is rather changeable with low pressure nearby bringing rain or showers and potential for rain scatter on the GHz bands. Eventually, the unsettled weather ends with a cold northerly on Tuesday the 11th and this leads to a new high building from Wednesday into the weekend of the 15th and 16th March.  This is good news for Tropo and could possibly be of benefit to those in the UK 70cm Activity Contest on Tuesday the 11th in the western UK, but more generally for the FT8 70cm Activity Contest on Wednesday and the 50MHz UK Activity Contest on Thursday evening. We are still between major meteor showers and therefore must rely upon random activity for now. The next shower of note is the Lyrids on the 21st and the 22nd of April, so we have a while to go yet. The solar activity has continued to produce a regular supply of auroral alerts and fluttery signals on the LF bands, but with a lot of clouds in northwestern areas and southern parts just marginally out of reach for any naked-eye auroras. A few digital camera pictures did surface on the web.  Keep an eye open just in case though. Remember Kp equalling five or greater is where we need to be. Lastly, the Sporadic-E prospects are still relatively low with only the odd minor blip up to around a Sporadic-E critical frequency of 5 to 7MHz, often around the middle of the day. This contrasts with the morning and evening windows in the main season. It is enough to promote interest in the 10 or 6m bands, but almost certainly a fleeting moment. EME path losses rise all this coming week and moon declination falls with associated shortening Moon windows and reducing peak Moon elevation. The best results will therefore be early in the week. 144MHz sky noise is moderate this weekend, falling to low in the week commencing the 10th. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 2nd of March 2025 The news headlines: British Science Week – will you be taking part in an amateur radio activity? Could you contribute to the RSGB Technical Forum? The RSGB is looking for an Assistant RadCom Editor British Science Week starts this Friday the 7th of March and gives radio amateurs the opportunity to share their passion and knowledge of the hobby to reach new audiences. Schools including Kingsmead School in Taunton and St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Ormskirk have radio-related activities planned for students. Clubs including South Derbyshire and Ashby Woulds Amateur Radio Group will be involved with events that are open to the public. A Men's Sheds group in Crowthorne and Wokingham will be active as G8EYM and would appreciate skeds, especially with other Men's Sheds – could you arrange one with them? In another fantastic development for this year, the RSGB Outreach team has partnered with the Radio Communications Foundation to provide FM radio receiver kits for 15 school, university, scout and youth groups to build. You can find details of these events, plus more, by going to rsgb.org/bsw and choosing the “Events happening near you” tab on the righthand menu. If you have an activity taking place, there is still time to let the Society know so it can help promote the event. Email the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator, Ian Neal, M0KEO via bsw@rsgb.org.uk  Even if you haven't planned anything yet, you can still get involved by doing the RSGB's official British Science Week activity with your friends and family. You can find that and other ideas and resources on the RSGB British Science Week web page. Be inspired, get involved and show the very best that amateur radio has to offer. The RSGB Technical Forum is accepting expressions of interest from people who would like to join the group. The Forum is a body of technical experts that review articles submitted to the RSGB RadCom Editors. It provides a recommendation on whether they should be accepted for publication, and whether they are best suited to RadCom, RadCom Basics or RadCom Plus. If you are able and willing to contribute to the RSGB Technical Forum, please write in the first instance to gm.dept@rsgb.org.uk and include a short summary of your relevant amateur radio and professional expertise. The RSGB is looking for an Assistant Editor to join the team that produces its suite of RadCom publications. The successful candidate will be involved in everything from magazine production and sub-editing to writing articles and planning content. More information is available on page 83 of the February 2025 issue of RadCom or via rsgb.org/careers  If you are interested in applying for the role, email radcom@rsgb.org.uk The Commonwealth Contest is a unique annual event which has run every year since 1931. Held over the weekend nearest to Commonwealth Day, it is loved by many RSGB members and radio amateurs throughout the Commonwealth. In 2024 over 240 individual entrants and 15 Commonwealth Headquarters stations representing national societies were active. The Commonwealth Contest is a treasure hunt with amateurs in distant locations looking to make a QSO with you, so if you are not a regular contest participant or you have a simple HF setup, you might use the Contest as an opportunity to make DX QSOs. UK amateurs are travelling to the Caribbean, the Falklands and New Zealand, so your scope for QSOs is expanded, and many VK, ZL, VU and VE amateurs will be joining in too. This year the Contest takes place on the 8th of March, and you can find out more on page 38 of the March issue of RadCom and on the RSGB website via tinyurl.com/commonwealth-contest On Saturday the 29th of March, the RSGB National Radio Centre Coordinator, Martyn Baker, G0GMB, together with Andy Webster, G7UHN from the Radio Communications Foundation, will be delivering a talk in the Fellowship Auditorium at Bletchley Park. It will introduce people to the radio spectrum and how to get to grips with the fundamentals of radio transmission. The RSGB is delighted that its members can benefit from a 10% discount, reducing the price to £14.40. To find out more, go to the ‘What's on' section on the Bletchley Park website via bletchleypark.org.uk  If you'd like to visit the wider Bletchley Park site after the talk, RSGB members can gain free entry by downloading a voucher from rsgb.org/bpvoucher Amateur Radio Clubs On The Air is getting ready for a second weekend of operating on the 22nd and 23rd of March. It is a chance for amateurs to promote their club, have some fun and collect points for an award. All bands may be used, using any mode including SSB, CW, FM, RTTY, FT8/4 and other digital modes. This is an ongoing award, and contacts may be claimed from 23 March 2024 onwards. You can find full details on the Leicester Radio Society website at g3lrs.org.uk, via the G3LRS page at QRZ.com  or by emailing arcota@g3lrs.org.uk Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 2nd of March, the Exeter Radio Rally is taking place at a new venue. The event will be held at The Kenn Centre, EX6 7UE, from 10 am. Traders and catering will be available on-site. For more information phone Pete, G3ZVI on 07714 198 374 or email g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk On Sunday the 16th of March, the Ripon and District Amateur Radio Society Rally will take place at Great Ouseburn Village Hall, Lightmire Lane, Great Ouseburn, York YO26 9RL. Doors open for traders at 7.30 am and then to the public at 10 am for an admission price of £3. Free parking, refreshments and bacon butties will be available. The tables cost £10 each. For enquiries or to book one or more tables, please email radars.rally@gmail.com Now the Special Event news The British Railways Amateur Radio Society is running special event stations GB0LMR and GB2SDR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel since 1825. Starting from April, it will also be running GB2TT to celebrate the same anniversary. QSL will be via the Bureau. More information is available at QRZ.com  and via webrars.info From the 1st to the 28th of March George, MM0JNL will once again be activating special event station GB0GTS. This year the station is active in support of the Great Tommy Sleepout. This national challenge aims to raise funds and awareness for all former UK service personnel who are living homeless. More details are available at QRZ.com  and rbli.co.uk Now the DX news Operators R1BIG, RW3RN, W8HC, R9LR and N3QQ are active from Chiriqui, Panama as 3F3RRC until the 3rd of March. The VK9XU Team will be active from Christmas Island, IOTA reference OC-002, until the 4th of March. They will operate on 160 - 6m, CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 and FT4. QSL via DL2AWG, ClubLog and Logbook of the World. Looking ahead, DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active from Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands as VP2VI from the 10th to the 27th of April. Now the contest news The ARRL DX SSB Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 1st of March, and ends at 2359UTC today, the 2nd of March. Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange for non-US and Canadian stations is signal report and transmit power in Watts. US and Canadian stations will send their State/Province in place of transmit power. The RSGB March 144MHz/432MHz Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 1st of March and ends at 1400UTC today, the 2nd of March. Using all modes on the 2m and 70cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number, and locator. Today, the 2nd of March, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the microwave bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, today, the 2nd of March, the Worked All Britain 80m phone Contest runs from 1800 to 2200UTC. Please note that this is an SSB-only contest, and the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain area. Entries are to be with the contest manager by March the 12th. The full rules can be seen on the WAB website. On Monday, the 3rd of March, the RSGB 80m Club Championship DATA Contest runs from 2000 to 2130 UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m band only, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday, the 4th of March, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955 UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 4th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Wednesday the 5th, the UK and Ireland Contest Club Contest runs from 2000 to 2100 UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The Commonwealth Contest starts at 1000UTC on Saturday the 8th of March and ends at 1000 UTC on Sunday the 9th of March. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The Commonwealth HQ stations will also send ‘HQ' as part of the contest exchange.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 27th of February 2025 We had another week of mixed geomagnetic conditions. The Kp index rose to a high of five with visible aurora over the UK at times. Two large coronal holes are now both facing Earth. A solar wind stream flowing from these zones is expected to flow past Earth, possibly on Friday the 28th of February or Saturday the 1st of March. Active geomagnetic conditions with a Kp index of four are currently forecast for this weekend. There has also been more solar flare activity over the past seven days with an X2-class flare on the 23rd and ten M-class flares. The X-class flare occurred at 19:27UTC so had little effect in Europe as the Sun had set. Luckily, an associated coronal mass ejection was not Earth-directed. Another fast-moving CME on the 24th was also not Earth-directed. As we enter March it looks as though the Sun is still very active. The solar flux index stood at 180 on Thursday the 27th, after hitting 210 on the 23rd. Maximum usable frequencies over 3,000km are still reaching 34-35MHz around midday, while night-time MUFs are generally around 10-11MHz, with occasional openings on 20 metres. This week Bob, VP8LP on the Falkland Islands has been active on 10 metres SSB and has been worked from the UK. As we enter March this is a good time for North-South paths on HF, such as UK to South Africa and UK to South America. The spring equinox is also a good time for auroral conditions. NOAA predicts the Sun will start next week with an SFI of 190, perhaps falling to 170-180 as the week progresses. We hesitate to say this, but geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be good once we get past the disturbances on the 28th and the 1st, but only time will tell! And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO There is likely to be a welcome return of high pressure for much of the period from this weekend until the middle of the coming week on the 5th of March. Models show a return of unsettled Atlantic weather, meaning lows, fronts, showers and rain scatter for the GHz bands. Until then, it will be typical high-pressure Tropo conditions with an extensive temperature inversion aloft caused by the descending warming air in the high-pressure region. This should provide ducting conditions over a large part of the country. As often, the far north of the UK will probably just miss out and retain too much breeze for the inversion to be effective. The lull in meteor shower activity continues, so once again your best chances will be in the morning hours around, or just before, dawn. The Sun has kept aurora seekers busy and shows how frequently it can just tip into the right disturbed conditions at this stage of the solar cycle. As we said earlier, there have been reports of visible aurora in the past week. The signs for this are the Kp index rising to five or greater and flutter on LF band signals or trans-polar paths on the HF bands. The new Sporadic-E season is almost upon us, but we are not there yet. Check the graphs on Propquest for signs of enhanced foEs values and check the HF bands first; 10m is particularly good for strong European Es signals. EME conditions will be predictable as usual, with Moon declination rising all week and path losses at their minimum at perigee late on Saturday the 1st of March. 144MHz sky noise is low from this coming weekend, rising to moderate by Friday the 7th. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 23rd of February 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB announces the unopposed candidates in its elections The RSGB releases 2025 Band Plans A year in numbers 2024 – some great things to celebrate! Nominations in the RSGB elections have closed. For some roles, a single nomination was received, and the candidate is therefore elected unopposed. They will take up their role at the end of the RSGB AGM in April. These unopposed candidates include the roles of President and also Regional Representatives in Regions 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12. In Region 9, no valid nomination was received. For more information about each of these unopposed candidates, see the March issue of RadCom or the RSGB website at rsgb.org/election The RSGB Band Plans for 2025 were published in the March 2025 issue of RadCom. They are also available on the RSGB website via rsgb.org/bandplans. This year's plans incorporate further VHF and UHF changes in response to the increased demand that has been prompted by the new Ofcom amateur licence. There are also a few changes from the 2023 IARU Region-1 General Conference. All amateurs are reminded to consult the Band Plans before operating. Despite continuing challenges nationally and across the world during 2024, the amateur radio community stayed strong and the RSGB supported it. The RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB wrote his annual feature called ‘A year in numbers' for the March RadCom and shared some great things to celebrate, in which RSGB HQ staff often led the way. You can also see the highlights in a brief video on the RSGB YouTube channel. The April RadCom will show in detail the work of the committees and other specialist volunteers. Girlguiding groups will be celebrating World Thinking Day on the Air this weekend so listen out for them and encourage the young operators. To highlight the opportunities for young people to get involved in amateur radio activities, this week the RSGB has published two new videos that celebrate the fantastic ISS contact and STEM day held in the autumn and attended by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh. You can watch both the videos on the RSGB YouTube channel. Between January and March 2024 Bob Bower, GM4DLG took on a one-man antipodean adventure. The DXpedition is currently being serialised in RadCom, and on Monday the 3rd of March, he will be delivering a Tonight@8 presentation to complement these features. The trip was eight weeks long and covered 27 activations from 11 sites on six islands. Bob operated on 20, 40 and 80m with 100W SSB into vertical arrays of his design, with his holy grail being a valid 80m greyline QSO with Great Britain. 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. Don't forget to submit your entry to the RSGB Construction Competition by Saturday the 1st of March. You'll need to email a short description of your entry and up to four photographs. It is also recommended to send a link to a video that demonstrates your entry working. More details on submitting your application can be found via rsgb.org/construction-competition  The results of the competition will be announced during the 2025 RSGB Annual General Meeting in April. Exercise Blue Ham will take place on the 29th and 30th of March on the 60m band. Stations will be active between 9 am and 6 pm. Blue Ham exercises provide a platform to further develop Cadet radio operator skills and confidence by engaging with the amateur radio community via the MOD 5MHz shared band. Cadet radio operators, under supervision, will exchange radio messages with amateur radio operators in the UK and Europe. The Cadets hope to speak to many radio amateurs on the air. For more information visit alphacharlie.org.uk/exercise-blue-ham The 26th European Hamradio School Stations Day will take place on Monday the 5th of May from 0700 to 1700UTC. This is an activity day, not a contest, so the focus is on personal radio contacts and QSO partners should take time for a short exchange. The organisers look forward to seeing many schools, universities and training centres on the air again. To find out more, go to tinyurl.com/european-schools Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Red Rose Winter Rally is taking place today from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk The Lagan Valley Amateur Radio Society Annual Rally will take place on Saturday the 1st of March at Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, BT26 6AR. The doors open at 10.30am. For more details visit lvars.uk On Sunday the 2nd of March the Exeter Radio Rally is taking place at a new venue. The event will be held at The Kenn Centre, EX6 7UE, from 10 am. Traders and catering will be available on-site. For more information phone Pete, G3ZVI on 07714 198 374 or email g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk  Now the Special Event news On 26 February 2025, the 90th anniversary of the Daventry Experiment will be commemorated, marking a pivotal moment in the development of British radar technology. The Daventry Experiment had a lasting impact on both military strategy and civilian applications. To honour this milestone, several special event stations will be active. The Bawdsey Radar Museum will be hosting GB2BRS, with BRS representing Bawdsey Radar Station, whilst Coventry ARS from near Daventry will operate GB9ORE, with RE representing Radar Experiment.  Chelmsford ARS from Great Baddow in Essex will activate GB9OCH with CH representing Chain Home since Chelmsford is where one of the original Chain Home radar masts still stands.  Special callsign S5701DX is running during February in memory of Slavko, S57DX who became a Silent Key last February. The station has been heard recently using CW and SSB on the HF bands. For more information visit QRZ.com From the 1st to the 28th of March George, MM0JNL will once again be activating special event station GB0GTS. This year the station is active in support of the Great Tommy Sleepout. This national challenge aims to raise funds and awareness for all former UK service personnel who are living homeless. More details are available at QRZ.com and rbli.co.uk Now the DX news Datta, VU2DSI is operating from Lonar Lake in India until tomorrow, the 24th of February. This unique location was formed by the impact of a meteor around 550,000 years ago. The station will be active on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands using SSB. More information can be found at QRZ.com Now the contest news The CQ 160m DX Contest started at 2200UTC on Friday the 21st and ends at 2200UTC today, Sunday the 23rd of February. Using SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and CQ zone. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province. The REF Contest started at 0600UTC on Saturday the 22nd and ends at 1800UTC today, Sunday the 23rd of February. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The UBA DX CW contest started at 1000UTC on Saturday the 22nd of February and ends at 1300UTC today, Sunday the 23rd of February.  Using CW on the 80 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Belgian stations will also give their section code.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 20th of February 2025 It seems we were a little over-ambitious in suggesting that last week would be better for HF propagation. It looked like we would avoid coronal mass ejections and see the Kp index fall to lower levels. Unfortunately, the Sun had other ideas and a fast-moving solar stream, often moving faster than 500 km/s, had a south-pointing Bz, which coupled more easily with Earth and sent the Kp index up to four or more. So even by Wednesday the 19th, the Kp index was hitting five. However it seems that the geomagnetic disturbance merely lowered the MUF from around 40-45MHz to 31-32MHz, so it barely affected HF propagation. At the time of writing, there had only been one M-class solar flare in the past five days, but more than 50 minor C-class events. There were no Earth-directed CMEs. Nevertheless, there was DX to be had with the standout stations being the V73WW DXpedition to Majuro Atoll on the Marshall Islands, TI1RRC Costa Rica, and 5N9DTG in Nigeria. Upcoming DX next week includes OX3LX (Greenland), Dave G4BUO as 5W0UO (Samoa), TO3Z (Guadeloupe), 4S7SPG (Sri Lanka) and FS/VA3QSL (St Martin). Next week, NOAA predicts that the week commencing the 23rd of February could see the solar flux index starting at 170, but then rising to 195-200 as the week progresses. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to start quietly, with a Kp index of two, but then become unsettled by the 27th to the 29th, with a maximum predicted Kp index of five. If this scenario does pan out then we may expect the best HF conditions to occur at the beginning of next week, from the 23rd to the 26th. As always, keep an eye on solarham.com for day-to-day solar news, and perhaps monitor PSKreporter, the Reverse Beacon Network and DX Clusters for digital, CW and SSB HF propagation updates. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of unsettled weather seems likely to continue through to the end of next week. There will also be significant windy weather at times. It is therefore not a particularly good period for Tropo, or big antennas for that matter. This leaves us with rain scatter on the GHz bands and some of these scattering regions will be large areas affecting the whole of the country as weather fronts pass by, rather than more isolated and harder-to-follow showers which often provide our rain scatter. Meteor scatter is still within its quieter period with no major showers and better chances coming from random meteor activity, which tends to peak in the hours before dawn. Recent solar activity has provided some weak auroral conditions on many days.  As usual, check for high values of the Kp index as a good indicator, or even listen for a watery tone on the LF bands. Ultimately you will need to see the Kp index going to at least five to make it worth checking for auroral signals on VHF. We are still in the dormant period for Sporadic-E propagation, which is a shame given the powerful jet streams likely during this stormy weather. These would produce good Es prospects in the main summer season, but weaker Es at low VHF are still a possibility despite being out of season. Moon declination is at minimum today, Sunday the 23rd of February, and path losses are decreasing as the Moon moves closer to Earth as it heads to perigee on Saturday the 1st of March. 144MHz sky noise goes high this weekend, beginning Saturday the 22nd. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 16th of February 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB has announced its Scout, Cadet and Girlguiding Youth Champion Listen out for stations operating for World Thinking Day on the Air New resources and ideas have been added to the RSGB British Science Week web pages The RSGB is delighted to announce that Samuel McCutchion, M7UEL will be the RSGB's Scout, Cadet and Girlguiding Youth Champion. Sam brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the role having been part of the Scouts from a young age in Beavers and then working his way up to Network. He then progressed to become an Assistant Section Leader. This knowledge will help the RSGB Youth Team to engage and offer amateur radio support to not only the Scouts but also the Cadets and Girlguiding. If you'd like to congratulate Sam on his role, or if you have any ideas you think would be useful to share, email him via youthchampion.scouts@rsgb.org.uk  Lots of amateur radio stations are on the air this weekend and next weekend for World Thinking Day on the Air. Listen out for them and encourage the young Girlguiding members. You can find details of some of the active stations via rsgb.org/thinking-day  but, if your station isn't listed, please share details on the RSGB social media channels. The event aims to encourage Girlguiding members to make friendships with those in other units, using amateur radio as the means of communication.   Have you visited the RSGB's British Science Week web pages yet? Two new worksheets have recently been added to inspire you to get involved and showcase amateur radio to new audiences. The activities were designed by the RSGB Outreach Team to fit in with this year's British Science Week theme of ‘Change and adapt'. If you'd like to deliver these activities to schools or youth groups, the Society has sample lesson plans, risk assessments and a guide to contacting your local school available on its website. Remember that British Science Week isn't just for younger audiences, it is open to all. If you're looking for ideas to get your friends and family involved or a local community group, go to rsgb.org/bsw  and visit the British Science Week resources page. There is a wealth of ideas available, from looking at the history of radio communications to building a sustainable system using only solar panels. If you have an activity planned for British Science Week, let the RSGB know by emailing the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator, Ian Neal, M0KEO via bsw@rsgb.org.uk  Details of events taking place will be shared on the Society's website.  The deadline for the RSGB Construction Competition is Saturday the 1st of March, which means you have less than two weeks left to submit your entry. The judges will be considering entries in six categories: beginners, construction excellence, innovation, software, antennas and outreach. To find out how to submit your application go to rsgb.org/construction-competition  The results of the competition will be announced during the 2025 RSGB Annual General Meeting on the 12th of  April.  If you are passionate about amateur radio and have some spare time to support fellow radio amateurs, why not become an RSGB District Representative? There are currently 12 vacancies across the United Kingdom, including in Belfast, Cambridgeshire and Lancashire. To find out if there is a vacancy in your region go to rsgb.org/volunteers  and then get in touch with the Regional Representative of the district with the vacancy. Amateur radio operators are reminded to take care when operating on the WRC-15 secondary amateur allocation at 5MHz. The UK still has no access to the full WRC-15 allocation. Despite requests, this seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Whilst the UK is fortunate to have more generous licence conditions, these mustn't be put at risk by irresponsible operating in violation of the licence conditions, particularly in the 5358 to 5362kHz gap where there is no UK allocation. The RSGB website has detailed advice for operators, both for SSB and digital modes, on its rsgb.org/5mhz web page. Please take care not to transmit outside of the UK segments even if you hear other amateurs transmitting. Remember that signals heard may be coming from amateurs in other countries with different allocations. The RSGB ARDF Committee is pleased to announce the return of the British ARDF Championships in 2025. The Championships will be held as a three-day festival in early April 2025. Entries open on the 1st of March and will remain open right up until the event itself. Further information and updates can be found at tinyurl.com/ARDF25 Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Red Rose Winter Rally is due to take place on Sunday the 23rd of February from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk The Lagan Valley Amateur Radio Society Annual Rally will take place on Saturday the 1st of March at Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, BT26 6AR. The doors open at 10.30 am. For more details visit lvars.uk On the 2nd of March, the Exeter Radio Rally is taking place at a new venue. The event will be held at The Kenn Centre, EX6 7UE, from 10 am. Traders and catering will be available on-site. For more information phone Pete, G3ZVI on 07714 198 374 or email g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk Now the Special Event news Daren, 2E0LXY is hosting a special amateur radio event to raise funds for the Sheffield Children's Hospital today, the 16th. He will be operating on the 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m bands using FT8. He will also be active on the 2m and 70cm bands using FM. DMR users can talk to Daren via Brandmeister talk group 23530. More information, including how to donate, is available via Daren's QRZ.com page. Special callsign S5701DX is running during February in memory of Slavko, S57DX who became a Silent Key last February. The station has been heard recently using CW and SSB on the HF bands. For more information visit QRZ.com From the 1st to the 28th of March George, MM0JNL will once again be activating special event station GB0GTS. This year the station is active in support of the Great Tommy Sleepout. This national challenge aims to raise funds and awareness for all former UK service personnel who are living homeless. More details are available at QRZ.com and rbli.co.uk Now the DX news Bob, NC6Q is active as HP1TT from Panama until tomorrow, the 17th.  He is operating CW and some SSB on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL directly to NC6Q. Datta, VU2DSI is operating from Lonar Lake in India from the 20th to the 24th of February 2025. This unique location was formed by the impact of a meteor around 550,000 years ago. The station will be active on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands using SSB. More information can be found at QRZ.com Claudio, HB9OAU is active as D44OA from Sal Island, AF-086, Cape Verde until Tuesday the 18th. He is operating using CW and SSB on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World and Club Log.  Now the contest news The ARRL International DX Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 15th and runs until 2359UTC today, Sunday the 16th of February. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and transmit power. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province. On Tuesday the 18th, the RGSB 1.3GHz Activity Contest runs from 20:00 to 22:30 UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 20th, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 20:00 to 22:30 UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The CQ 160m DX Contest starts at 22:00 UTC on Friday the 21st and ends at 22:00 UTC on Sunday the 23rd of February. Using SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and CQ zone. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province. The REF Contest starts at 06:00 UTC on Saturday the 22nd and ends at 18:00 UTC on Sunday the 23rd of February. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 13th of February 2025 Two large coronal holes on the Sun's surface have been spraying solar material towards Earth, pushing the Kp index to a high of 4.67. The solar wind speed has been consistently higher than 500 kilometres per second and, with a south-pointing interplanetary magnetic field, the plasma has flooded into Earth's magnetic field. There have been a few aurora warnings, but these have only been minor. As a result, the ionosphere has not been too badly affected and daytime maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path have generally remained above 28MHz, with the odd dip towards 24MHz. Coronal mass ejections have not made an appearance and there were only three M-class flares between the 9th and 13th of February. Meanwhile, the solar flux index fell to the 150s and 160s last week. Recent HF DX has included the V73WW DXpedition on the Marshall Islands, which has been worked from the UK, including on the 40, 30 and 20m bands using CW. The TX7N DXpedition to Marquesas Island in French Polynesia has just finished. It wasn't an easy path, but it was worked from the UK on all bands from 30 to 12m using FT8, CW and SSB. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index could rise a little, to be in the 180 to 190 range. Once Earth is free from the effects of the current coronal hole stream, we may expect the Kp index to retreat, perhaps to a maximum of 2. So, DX next week could be quite reasonable but, as always, keep an eye on solarham.com for daily updates. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The lingering high pressure just to the east of the UK is holding weather fronts over western Britain for the time being with any tropo benefits confined to eastern areas and being marginal at best.  During the coming week, changes will be slow but gradually a more determined push on the Atlantic fronts may bring them over most areas, except the extreme southeast of the country. This will make rain scatter more accessible although the models suggest that the fronts are likely to become weaker. So, they will not be especially useful by the time they reach the southeast. Sporadic-E is in its quiet season now, as are the meteor scatter prospects, with no major showers in attendance until the spring Lyrids in late April. Perhaps this quieter time is a chance to do some operating housekeeping. For example, you could update a list of nearby repeaters and beacons to help you track developing openings. Or maybe you could consider trying a new mode or band. Perhaps you could learn to use digital modes for meteor scatter. Maybe consider joining the increasing numbers trying CW on the 2m band. Moon declination went negative again on Saturday the 15th and path losses are rising as the Moon moves away to apogee, its furthest point from Earth, on Tuesday the 18th. 144MHz sky noise is low for most of the coming week but goes high for the weekend of Saturday the 22nd. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 9th of February 2025 The news headlines: A new RSGB web page focuses on emerging technology An upcoming talk at Bletchley Park Museum aims to widen awareness of the radio spectrum and radio transmission Remember to share your British Science Week ideas The RSGB has launched a new web page on how emerging technology can be used in amateur radio. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and 3D printing offer the opportunity to broaden the definition of amateur radio. They can also increase appeal and attract a more diverse audience. For existing radio amateurs, they offer the opportunity for progression through learning new skills. You'll also find links to two RSGB Convention presentations, including the newly released talk on 3D printing by Tom Wardill, 2E0JJI. Go to rsgb.org/emerging-technology  to learn more. The Society will be adding more technologies to the web page in the coming months and would love to hear from you if you are involved in amateur radio in any of these areas. Share your stories via comms@rsgb.org.uk  On Saturday the 29th of March, the RSGB National Radio Centre Coordinator, Martyn Baker, G0GMB, together with Andy Webster, G7UHN from the Radio Communications Foundation, will be delivering a talk in the Fellowship Auditorium at the Bletchley Park Museum. The presentation will introduce people to the radio spectrum and how to get to grips with the fundamentals of radio transmission. The session is being delivered as part of the RSGB's ongoing strategy to promote amateur radio to wider audiences. The Society is pleased to announce that RSGB members who would like to attend the talk can benefit from a 10% discount, reducing the price to £14.40. To find out more about this talk, go to the ‘What's on' section on the Bletchley Park website via bletchleypark.org.uk  If you'd like to visit the Bletchley Park museum after the talk, don't forget that RSGB members can gain free entry by downloading a voucher from the RSGB website via rsgb.org/bpvoucher British Science Week is less than a month away and the RSGB would love you to use your interest, expertise and enthusiasm for amateur radio to get people involved. The annual event takes place between the 7th and 16th of March and celebrates science, technology, engineering and maths. Perhaps you love going portable and could take a local rambler group on an activation with you, or maybe you're a member of ‘Men in Sheds' and could deliver a soldering demonstration for them. The Society wants to make amateur radio accessible and inclusive for everyone. All ideas are welcome, both big and small. Whatever you are planning, send your ideas to the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator, Ian Neal, M0KEO via bsw@rsgb.org.uk  The RSGB will continue to share resources and ideas for how to get involved via rsgb.org/bsw  A competition has been launched for RSGB Regions 6 and 7 in Wales that will take place throughout March. The aim is to encourage both individual RSGB members, as well as Affiliated Clubs in Wales, to build their own resonant 21MHz antenna and make as many QSOs as possible on the 21MHz band during the month. There are four categories to enter, with certificates issued to the top three stations in each of the categories. A club trophy is also available. To view the full competition rules and to access the submission form, go to tinyurl.com/walescomp  Don't forget that Girlguiding groups will be taking part in World Thinking Day on the Air activities over the weekends of the 15th and 22nd of February. The event aims to encourage Girlguiding members to make friendships with those in other units, using amateur radio as the means of communication. A list of stations that have provided the RSGB with details of their callsign can be found by going to rsgb.org/thinking-day  If you'd like to be added to this list, please email comms@rsgb.org.uk And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 9th, the Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society RadioActive Fair is taking place at Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DG. The doors are open from 10 am to 3 pm and admission costs £5. Hot food, refreshments and free car parking are available. For more information contact Patrick, 2E0VGF via info@radioactivefair.co.uk The Red Rose Winter Rally is due to take place on Sunday the 23rd of February from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk The Lagan Valley Amateur Radio Society Annual Rally will take place on Saturday the 1st of March at Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, BT26 6AR. The doors open at 10.30 am. For more details visit lvars.uk Now the Special Event news A series of special event stations is active until the 31st of March to celebrate the city of Chemnitz, one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2025. All QSOs will be uploaded to eQSL, Logbook of the World, Club Log and the DARC Community Logbook. Paper QSL cards will not be issued. For more information about the event, including details of a certificate that is available for working the stations, visit 2025c.de Special callsign A9100IARU is in use by the Bahrain Amateur Radio Society to mark the 100th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union. The callsign will be active for five days during each month of the 2025 year. The station was spotted recently using FT4 on the 10m band. QSL via EC6DX. British Railways Amateur Radio Society is continuing to run special event stations GB0LMR and GB2SDR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel. Operation is mainly focused on 40m but there may be additional activity on the 10m band using SSB. QSL via the Bureau. To read more about the special event stations, visit QRZ.com A team of operators from DARC is active until the 27th of April using special callsign DA0IARU. The station is operating to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the IARU. The special event team has been in existence for around five years and is led by Ric, DL2VFR. Now the DX news Thierry, TK1CX is active from Cameroon until the end of February. He is QRV as TJ/TK1CX on the 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m bands. He operates mainly using FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, or via EA5ZD. Przemo, SP3PS is operating as C5SP from The Gambia until around the middle of March. He operates using SSB and FT8 on the HF bands. QSL via SP3PS. Now the contest news The CQ World Wide WPX RTTY Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 8th and runs until 2359UTC today, the 9th of February. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The PACC Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 8th and runs until 1200UTC today, the 9th of February. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. PA stations also send their province. On Tuesday the 11th, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 11th, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also, on Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 80m Club Championship data leg runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 13th, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The ARRL International DX Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 15th and runs until 2359UTC on Sunday the 16th of February. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and transmit power. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Wednesday the 5th of February 2025 Last week went pretty much as predicted. The solar wind from a large coronal hole impacted the Earth on Saturday the 1st of February, pushing the Kp index to four. The hole was so large that the geomagnetic disturbance lasted until the early evening on Sunday. Once the solar wind speed had dropped, things got back to normal and the Kp index has been in the range of 1 to 2 ever since. The event appeared to have had little effect on HF propagation, with maximum usable frequencies over a 3000km path remaining above 28MHz during the daylight hours. So it looks like we dodged a bullet. At the time of writing, we have had 21 M-class flares in three days. A solar flare measuring M8.8 was detected around active region 3981, peaking at 0358UTC on the 3rd of February. This was the strongest flare yet from this region in terms of peak X-Ray flux. However, the flare itself was impulsive and was not the source of a coronal mass ejection. Over the next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index could fall slightly to be in the 180 to 200 range. Make the most of the good propagation as we may be entering a period of unsettled geomagnetic conditions again from the 10th to the 17th of February. NOAA predicts that the Kp index could rise to a maximum of 5 on the 13th but is likely to be in the range of 3 to 5 over the seven days. Part of this may be down to another coronal hole which became Earth-facing on the 6th of February. There is also a good chance that we could get an X-class eruptive flare from active regions 3981 or 3978, which could result in a coronal mass ejection. We recommend you keep an eye on solarham.com for daily updates. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO High pressure during the second half of last week brought some useful tropo conditions. As this week, ending today the 9th comes to a close there are some wintry showers along North Sea coasts, which may produce some snow and rain scatter. However, this may be weakened by the nearby high pressure.  By the end of this week, ending today the 9th, there will be a change of weather pattern as the high, having now migrated to Scandinavia, leaves room for Atlantic weather systems to encroach from the west during the coming week. This could bring rain scatter possibilities to the western side of the country. These should be more useful than the eastern coast ones at the end of last week since the rain will probably be heavier and the fronts slow-moving. This time of year is something of a desert for Sporadic-E propagation although look out for lesser events as a result of jet streams. You can track these on the Propquest website. Keep a look out for auroras during the week beginning tomorrow, the 10th. The likelihood of M-class flares is around 85%, while the chance of X-class flares is approximately 20%. So keep an eye on the Kp index for any potential solar events that could cause auroras. Next week, there are no major meteor showers. The next significant meteor shower, the Lyrids, will become active in April. Keep checking the pre-dawn period for random meteors. Moon declination reached a maximum yesterday, Saturday the 8th. Path losses are still low but will increase throughout the coming week. This means that this weekend, ending today the 9th, should produce good activity for EME, especially on the GHz bands with long Moon windows and high peak Moon elevation. 144MHz sky noise is moderate this weekend, ending today the 9th, but falls to low for the rest of the coming week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 2nd of February 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB's Tonight@8 webinar tomorrow will focus on fault-finding and basic electronics in construction projects Peter Bowyer, G4MJS to take on new role as RSGB Board Vice Chair Don't forget to keep track of the RSGB's strategy updates Tomorrow's Tonight@8 webinar will help you navigate basic fault-finding and electronics within your construction projects. Lee Aldridge, G4EJB will use his many years of experience working in telecoms and electronics to help you understand what to do when you've built a project, but it doesn't work. Go to 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. You can also read more from Lee in the latest edition of RadCom Basics on pages 16 to 24. The RSGB has announced that Peter Bowyer, G4MJS is to take on the new role of RSGB Board Vice Chair. The current Board Chair, Stewart Bryant, G3YSX said that the role of RSGB Board Chair has always been a busy one and, as the RSGB has taken on more commitments, the demands of this position have continually grown. Being able to share those duties is in the best interests of both the Society and the incumbent, and he is grateful to Peter for volunteering for this new role. Contact details for Peter and other RSGB Board Directors are on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/board  As we start a new year, the RSGB would like to highlight that it shares regular updates on its strategy both in RadCom and online. The latest update by General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB reflects on the year ahead and discusses how best the Society might achieve a clear direction for 2025. Read this and previous strategic updates on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/strategy-updates  The RSGB exams team is pleased to announce the publication of a revised version of Syllabus Version 1.6. This update is known as Version 1.6b. The revisions address feedback received from the community since the publication of Version 1.6a. The companion document summarises the changes made to the syllabus which include moving some material from Licensing, in Section 1, to the more appropriate Section 7 which focuses on Operating. There are no significant changes to the number and content of learning points. Version 1.6b will be in effect for exams held from the 1st of April 2025.  The RSGB's weekly news broadcast GB2RS is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. As part of the celebrations, a special callsign GB70RS is active throughout the year. The callsign is being operated by radio amateurs who help to deliver GB2RS each week and could include Newsreaders and RSGB Headquarters staff. You can listen out for operators on all modes and all bands, with activity taking place at any time, although you are particularly likely to hear them before and after the GB2RS broadcasts. Find out more via the GB70RS page at QRZ.com  If you'd like to learn more about the weekly news service, and other celebratory activities taking place this year, watch January's Tonight@8 webinar, which is available on the Society's YouTube channel.   The January 2025 edition of RadCom Basics is now available on the RSGB website for members to read. RadCom Basics is aimed at new licensees and amateurs who want to refresh their skills and knowledge. Among others, this edition includes articles that provide advice on constructing a kit, options for installing a suitable 40m band antenna in a small garden, and a discussion on what you need to power a portable station. To read RadCom Basics visit rsgb.org/radcom-basics RSGB Headquarters will be closing at 12 pm on Friday the 7th of February as RSGB staff will be attending the funeral of their colleague Gillian Coull. To allow time for preparation of the GB2RS News script, the deadline for the GB2RS News broadcast on Sunday the 9th has been brought forward. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk by 10 am on Wednesday the 5th of February. And now for details of rallies and events On Sunday the 9th of February, the Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society RadioActive Fair will take place at Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DG. The doors will be open from 10 am to 3 pm and admission will cost £5. Hot food, refreshments and free car parking will be available. For more information contact Patrick, 2E0VGF via info@radioactivefair.co.uk The Red Rose Winter Rally is due to take place on Sunday the 23rd of February from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk The Lagan Valley Amateur Radio Society Annual Rally will take place on Saturday the 1st of March at Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, BT26 6AR. The doors open at 10.30 am. For more details visit lvars.uk Now the Special Event news Special callsign HB20SOTA is in use throughout 2025 by the Swiss SOTA Group to celebrate its 20th anniversary. For more information, and to read details of a certificate that is available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/hb20sota Special callsign OF60AP is in use throughout 2025 by members of the Central Uusimaa Radio Amateurs Association, OH2AP. The station is operating to celebrate the club's 60th anniversary. QSL via Club Log's OQRS. For details of a certificate that is available for working the station visit tinyurl.com/OF60AP2025 Now the DX news Giovanni, IZ2DPX is active from ZD7DPX from St. Helena Island, AF-022, until tomorrow the 3rd of February. He is operating SSB and digital modes on the HF bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or directly to IK2DUW. Aldir, PY1SAD is active as 8R1TM from Georgetown, Guyana until the 8th of February. He is operating CW, SSB and digital modes across a variety of bands and via satellite. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ.com, or directly to Aldir's home call. Now the contest news Today, the 2nd, the RSGB 432MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Tomorrow, the 3rd, the RSGB 80m Club Championship runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 4th, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 4th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Wednesday the 5th, The United Kingdom and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Saturday the 8th, the Worked All Britain 1.8MHz Phone Contest runs from 1900 to 2359UTC. Using SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain area. Also on Saturday the 8th, the RGSB 1.8MHz Contest runs from 2000 to 2300UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ World Wide WPX RTTY Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 8th of February and runs until 2359UTC on Sunday the 9th of February. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The PACC Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 8th of February and runs until 1200UTC on Sunday the 9th of February. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. PA stations also send their province.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 30th of January 2025 Last week was pretty unremarkable as far as the Sun goes, but it looks like that is about to change. The seven days preceding Thursday the 30th were characterised by reasonably settled geomagnetic conditions, with a maximum Kp index of 3.67 and a solar flux index that fell from 205 on the 24th, to the 170s by the 30th. During this period there had been only four M-class solar flares and no X-class events. Over the next few days, things could change. Two large coronal holes near the Sun's equator threaten to upset the quiet conditions. As the solar material flows out it could cause the Kp index to rise, perhaps to 4, with reduced maximum usual frequencies and noisy conditions. But this will depend upon its associated Bz or interplanetary magnetic field. If it is south-pointing it will couple more easily with the Earth's magnetic field, allowing plasma to flow in, and the Kp index will rise. However, if it is north-pointing we may see very little effect at all. So, keep an eye on Solarham.com for real-time updates and look for increased solar wind speed as the main indicator of the approaching solar material. If the Bz does point south we may expect unsettled conditions and possible aurora today, the 2nd. Meanwhile, three sunspot groups are rotating into an Earth-facing position in the Northern Hemisphere on the Eastern side of the Sun. We have already seen an M-class flare from one of them. These could boost the solar flux index but could also be a source of solar flares and coronal mass ejections over the coming week. Strangely, NOAA does not seem to think they will, as its predicted solar flux index over the next seven days is in the 150 to 160s range. It does agree with our prediction of unsettled geomagnetic conditions, although with a projected Kp index of 5 today, the 2nd, falling to 4 over the next three days. We will just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, maximum useable frequencies over a 3,000km path are still exceeding 28MHz from around 0830 to 1600 UTC. As the month moves on, we can expect the amount of daylight to increase, so this period may be extended. Make the most of 160 and 80m as the optimum time for these bands has now passed. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The tail end of the previous week saw a few weak weather features as lows and a front brushed past. However, from this first weekend of February, there will be a trend to higher pressure, which will offer up some tropo opportunities at times during the coming week.  There is a chance of the occasional decaying front drifting down the country but, for most of the next week, it'll be a tropo story, if anything. 50MHz has been quiet again as we await the return of maybe the last Spring equinox-style propagation of this cycle around mid-March. Meteor scatter is once again mostly down to random activity although there is one minor shower, the Capricornids-Sagittariids, which peaked yesterday, Saturday the 1st of February.  Rain scatter may be somewhat rarer due to the mainly high-pressure pattern.  Some auroral propagation is not without hope in view of the large coronal hole, which crossed the Sun last week. Keep a lookout for high Kp values, and keep an ear open for watery signals on the LF bands as a good sign of potential activity on the higher bands. Moon declination goes positive again today, the 2nd. With perigee having passed late yesterday, the 1st, this means that the upcoming week will be good for EME. This is especially true on the GHz bands if you have a clear view of the horizon. 144MHz sky noise is low, rising to moderate next weekend. One final note: there have been some access problems with the data feeds for the Propquest website. Hopefully, these are temporary and have fixed themselves by the time you hear this broadcast. The other data plots such as jet stream charts should continue to update so there is plenty to look at on the other pages. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 26th of January 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB has announced the details of the amateur radio activity that it provided for the British Science Week 2025 Community Pack Nominations encouraged for the role of RSGB President The next Tonight@8 webinar will focus on fault finding in construction projects The RSGB is delighted to announce details of the amateur radio activity that the Society provided for the British Science Week 2025 Community Pack. The RSGB Outreach Team, working with the RSGB Comms Team, submitted two activities on this year's theme of ‘Change and adapt' and one was chosen for the Community Pack. This activity was created by John Hislop, G7OHO and tested by RSGB School Youth Champion Chris Aitken, MM0WIC, and other members of the Outreach Team with various groups and ages. It uses amateur radio to find out if people in different countries are seeing changes in their weather patterns. It is a simple activity that is also designed to get people on the air. Community or youth groups will need access to a Digital Mobile Radio repeater and assistance from a radio amateur, which is why the RSGB is asking for the support of the amateur radio community to make this as effective as possible! You can find the RSGB activity and other resources on its website at rsgb.org/bsw so take a look and get ready to be involved! You can also find the full set of this year's activity packs at britishscienceweek.org  To ask questions or suggest an activity, contact the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator Ian Neal, M0KEO via bsw@rsgb.org.uk  The RSGB President is a prestigious and important role. Each President has the autonomy to shape the duties and activities they carry out to best match their view of the role. Former Presidents have spoken of the unique insight it has given them into the hobby, and the fulfilment they have felt from the role. Read more from the current and some previous Presidents by going to rsgb.org/president  If you believe you can advocate for amateur radio, that you have the necessary understanding of how the RSGB works, and are someone who can relate to and talk engagingly with a wide range of people, then why not apply to be the next RSGB President? Nominations are now open in the RSGB 2025 elections and full candidate packs can be found via rsgb.org/election  Applications are strongly encouraged from radio amateurs of all different backgrounds and identities. Every new volunteer who joins the RSGB is an opportunity to bring a different perspective, which the Board is eager to embrace. Remember that the closing date for all vacancies is 2359UTC on the 31st of January. So, if you'd like to rise to the challenge and be the Society's next President, act now.   Have you ever spent time constructing a project, only to find it doesn't work? If so, the next Tonight@8 webinar on Monday the 3rd of February is one to put in your diary. Lee Aldridge, G4EJB will present a basic fault finding and electronics session that will look at the requirements of construction, as well as the pros and cons of different types of construction. He will also look at what to do when you've built a project, but it doesn't work. This will include looking at your method, understanding some simple circuits and basic use of a digital multimeter, your expectations, as well as checking and testing. Lee has nearly 35 years experience of working in telecoms and electronics and will be known by many as the former RadCom Basics Editor. Find out more about this discussion by going to rsgb.org/webinars  Watch the presentation live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel and ask questions via the live chat. Today, the 26th, the 2m band is full of transmissions from operators taking part in 145 Alive. The event is running from 12 pm to 3 pm and there are nets operating in most Maidenhead Squares across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. To take part, all you need to do is call in and make contact with others. For more information visit the 145 Alive Facebook page. Have you been involved in inspiring newcomers to amateur radio? Do you have a knack for introducing and explaining the fundamental principles of our wonderful pastime to the uninitiated? If so, have you considered writing for RadCom Basics? Tim, G5TM, the RadCom Basics Editor, welcomes all suggestions. If you have ideas for future articles, email radcombasics@rsgb.org.uk The RSGB is looking for an assistant editor to join the team that produces its suite of RadCom publications. The successful candidate will be involved in everything from magazine production and sub-editing to writing articles and planning content. More information is available on page 83 of the February 2025 issue of RadCom and via rsgb.org/careers  If you are interested in applying for the role, email radcom@rsgb.org.uk  And now for details of rallies and events The Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place today, the 26th, at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. The doors open at 10 am and admission is £3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking are available. For more information contact Steve Burke, M5ZZZ on 07777 699 069 or email m5zzz@outlook.com On Sunday the 9th of February, the Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society RadioActive Fair will take place at Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DG. The doors will be open from 10am to 3pm and admission will cost £5. Hot food, refreshments and free car parking will be available. For more information contact Patrick, 2E0VGF via info@radioactivefair.co.uk The Red Rose Winter Rally is due to take place on the 23rd of February from 10am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk Advance notice now that the 13th Scottish Microwave Round Table will be held on Saturday the 1st of November 2025 at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland, Fife, Scotland. There will be an optional dinner in the evening at a local hotel. Further updates will be posted on the gmroundtable.org.uk website in June or July 2025. To find out more email Colin via gm4hwo@gmail.com Now the Special Event news The Straight Key Century Club's Straight Key Month is currently underway. The annual on-air event commemorates the Club's founding in 2006 and celebrates the original instruments of early radiotelegraphy including straight keys, bugs and ‘cootie' keys. Listen out for the K3Y callsign which is being aired from the ten USA call areas. Information on the event and QSL instructions can be found at tinyurl.com/K3Y2025 A large multi-national team is active as TX7N from Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands, OC-027, until tomorrow, the 27th. The team is operating using CW, SSB and digital modes on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS and Logbook of the World. For more information and updates visit tx7n.com British Railways Amateur Radio Society is running special event stations GB0LMR and GB2SDR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel. Operation will be mainly focused on 40m but there may be additional activity on other bands. QSL via the Bureau. To read more about the special event stations visit QRZ.com  Now the DX news Dwight, VE7BV is active as TG9BBV from Guatemala until the 28th of January. He is operating using mostly CW and SSB on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Dwight's home call and Logbook of the World. Ralf, DB4REB is active as CN2REB while on holiday in Morocco until the 30th of January. He is operating using CW, FT8 and SSB on various bands. Ralf is hoping to work some Parks on the Air sites along the coast during his visit. QSL via eQSL or directly to Ralf's home call. For more information and updates visit QRZ.com Felix, DL5XL is active as DP1POL from a German research station in Antarctica, AN-016, until the 25th of February. He is operating mainly using CW on the HF bands. There may also be some digital mode and SSB activity. QSL via DL1ZBO. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World and Club Log. Now the contest news The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group RTTY Sprint started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 25th and runs until 1200UTC today, the 26th of January. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your serial number. The CQ 160m DX Contest started at 2200UTC on Friday the 24th and runs until 2200UTC today, the 26th of January. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province. On Tuesday the 28th, the RSGB SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 13, 9, 6 and 3cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 29th, the United Kingdom and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon began at 0000UTC on Sunday the 1st of December and ends at 2359UTC on Friday the 31st of January. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator. On Sunday the 2nd, the RSGB 432MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 23rd of January 2025 This week, ending today the 26th, has looked a lot like a repeat performance of two weeks ago. The majority of the sunspots are in the western hemisphere with very few in the eastern side. This means that the solar flux index could drop over the coming week unless there are sunspots ready to rotate into view to replace those being lost. A look at the STEREO Ahead spacecraft imagery suggests that there are indeed sunspots over the Eastern limb, so all may not be lost. Overall, the Sun has been fairly quiet. There were no X-class flares and only five M-class flares from the 19th to the 23rd of January. The Kp index has also been relatively low, only peaking at four for one three-hour period on the 20th of January. As a result, with the solar flux index in the 200s, HF conditions have been quite good. The maximum usable frequency over a 3,000km path has been consistently over 28MHz, from around 0830 to 1600 UTC. However, the 20, 17, 15 and 12m bands, seem to be carrying most of the DX at the moment. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain in the mid-200s. Geomagnetic conditions are also predicted to be good until the end of the month, but a Kp index of 5 is forecast for the 31st of January, and this could last for a few days. So, we urge you to make the most of the conditions now, before geomagnetic storming, if it occurs, makes a mess of HF as we enter February.  And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather pattern is being driven by a very strong winter jet stream across the Atlantic Ocean. This gives scope for rapid development of deep lows and consequent gales and damaging winds. On Friday the 24th of January, the first big storm hit the northwest of Britain. We may find that the next low in the series is heading for southern Britain tomorrow, the 27th.  This all makes tropo unlikely for much of the week ahead since it stays unsettled through most of the period but with the smallest hint of higher pressure trying to return from Thursday. Rain scatter will probably be worth some consideration on the GHz bands while meteor scatter remains driven by random activity rather than any major showers. There have been further aurora alerts over the last week and it's always worth keeping the Kp index in view to monitor any possible chances for aurora. High figures, above a Kp index of 4, are a good trigger point to get interested. Moon declination reaches a minimum in the northern hemisphere today, the 26th, when Moon windows are at their shortest and peak Moon elevation is at its lowest. Path losses are now falling as we passed apogee on Tuesday the 21st. 144MHz sky noise is high, reaching over 3,000 Kelvin today, the 26th, before dropping to moderate until Wednesday when the Moon and Sun are very close in the sky for the whole Moon pass. After this, it drops to a low for the rest of the week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 19th of January 2025 The news headlines: The RSGB is an official partner for this year's British Science Week Nominations are open for two RSGB Elected Board Director roles Don't forget to update your club's RSGB Club Finder information The RSGB is delighted to announce that it is an official partner for this year's British Science Week, run by the British Science Association. The RSGB Outreach Team worked with the RSGB Comms Team to offer an amateur radio-related activity, and this will feature in the British Science Week Community Pack. This links with the Society's strategic priority of Growth and its desire to reach new audiences. The Society is very excited that amateur radio will be featured for the first time in this important national STEM campaign. Full details of the RSGB activity will be shared during the next week when all the packs are officially launched. This year's event runs from the 7th to the 16th of March with the theme of “Change and adapt”. It is not just for young people and the RSGB has a range of additional activity ideas you could try with your community, friends and family too. The RSGB hopes its ideas and resources will encourage you to get out there and inspire others. Find out more at rsgb.org/bsw  and look out for further announcements this week. If you have an idea or a plan to get people involved or would like some advice and support, please contact the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator, Ian Neal, M0KEO via bsw@rsgb.org.uk  If you're an RSGB member, have excellent leadership skills and would like to contribute to the amateur radio community, how about becoming an RSGB Board Director? Nominations are now open for applicants to stand for two Elected Board Director roles. The existing Board is looking for Directors who have specific skills to replace outgoing Directors. It would love to see applications from those who have expertise in spectrum matters and with building positive relationships with other organisations. The Board is also looking for people who are passionate about continuing its important outreach activities, as well as its ongoing work in developing practical skills amongst the amateur radio community. The Society is encouraging candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds to stand for election and wants to ensure that the voices around the table understand and reflect the community it aims to serve. Find out more about these roles, as well as other opportunities in the RSGB 2025 Elections, by going to rsgb.org/election. The closing date for all vacancies is 2359UTC on the 31st of January 2025, so act now and ensure you take this opportunity to help shape the future of amateur radio.   If you're a member of an RSGB-affiliated club or society, the RSGB is encouraging you to visit rsgb.org/club-finder and check that your organisation's details are up to date. The RSGB Club Finder allows people to search for local amateur radio groups. Those people could want to join your group, find out more about amateur radio before taking their Foundation licence exam or perhaps need support for British Science Week activities. Updating your listing is easy. Just log into your club's Membership Services account at rsgb.org/members and go to the ‘UK Club Finder' section. The form includes a section called ‘Meeting details' where you can add helpful information about disabled access, as well as details about both physical and online meetings. The Society will update Club Finder with any new data between 4 pm and 6 pm every Friday. If you wish your update to appear before the weekend, please ensure you update your details before 3 pm on Fridays. Any questions on the process can be sent to membership@rsgb.org.uk  Ofcom has announced a consultation which seeks to simplify the licensing of amateur radio visitors to the UK from a specified list of countries. The consultation also covers the proposed simplification of other wireless equipment usage. Ofcom says: “We propose to introduce a new licence exemption for short-term use of radio amateur equipment by radio amateurs visiting from countries that are not covered by the CEPT Recommendation but with whom the UK has a bilateral reciprocal agreement.” The deadline for responses to the consultation is 5 pm on the 28th of March 2025. You can read the Ofcom consultation document at tinyurl.com/ofcom-uwtle Have you revalidated your licence recently? Ofcom requires that radio amateurs revalidate their licence at least every five years, although confirming annually is recommended. For more information on the process go to rsgb.org/licensing  and select ‘Licence Revalidation' from the right-hand menu. The web page provides further information on the process, a link to the Ofcom portal, as well as a handy video guide on the process from Ofcom. Make sure you keep your details up to date and add a diary reminder to renew each year.  Have you made a New Year's resolution to learn CW? If so, you might be interested in Essex CW Amateur Radio Club's CW for Beginners training. The next course starts on Thursday the 6th of February. It will take place via Skype from 7 pm. If you are interested in taking part, email Andy, G0IBN via g0ibn1@yahoo.com Lots of operators are on the air, until the end of January, with stations taking part in the World-Wide Award. If you have been listening to the HF bands, you will have heard lots of stations using callsigns with a WWA suffix. Points are awarded for working these stations using a variety of modes. For example, two points are awarded for a contact made using a digital mode and ten points are awarded for making a CW contact. To qualify for the award, you need a minimum of 100 points. To read more about the World Wide Award visit hamaward.cloud/wwa And now for details of rallies and events The Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place on the 26th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. The doors open at 10 am and admission is £3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking will be available. The cost of a table is £10. To book, contact Steve Burke, M5ZZZ on 07777 699 069 or email m5zzz@outlook.com On the 9th of February, the Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society RadioActive Fair will take place at Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DG. The doors will be open from 10 am to 3 pm and admission will cost £5. Hot food, refreshments and free car parking will be available. For more information contact Patrick, 2E0VGF via info@radioactivefair.co.uk The Red Rose Winter Rally is due to take place on the 23rd of February from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk Now the Special Event news HI59UD is a special callsign in use by the Dominican Amateur Radio Union, the second-oldest amateur radio club in the Dominican Republic. The station is active to celebrate the 59th anniversary of its foundation. Look for activity on the HF bands, using SSB and digital modes, until the 25th of January. For information about a certificate that is available for working the station visit QRZ.com Special callsign PA25MC will be on the air for just one day on Thursday the 23rd of January. The station will be active to introduce Dutch Marines to the world of amateur radio. Operators will be using SSB on the HF bands. The event is organised and supported by PI4VBD, the club station of the Royal Netherlands Army Signal Regiment. More information is available at QRZ.com Now the DX news David, VE3VSM/HR9 is active from Roatan Island, NA-057, off the north coast of Honduras, until the 25th of January. He is operating CW and FT8 on the 30 and 20m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, or David's home call. Jeff, VA3QSL is active as FG/VA3QSL from Guadeloupe, NA-102, until the 26th of January. Following this, he will be active as PJ7/VA3QSL from Sint Maarten, NA-105, between the 27th of January and the 16th of February. The final leg of his Caribbean tour sees him operating as FS/VA3QSL from St. Martin, NA-105, between the 16th of February and the 4th of March. He will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, directly to Jeff's home call, or via the Bureau. Now the contest news Tomorrow, the 20th, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 2000 to 2200UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Tuesday the 21st, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The CQ 160m DX Contest runs from 2200UTC on Friday the 24th until 2200UTC on Sunday the 26th of January. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and CW Zone. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province. The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group RTTY Sprint runs from 1200UTC on Saturday the 25th until 1200UTC on Sunday the 26th of January. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 16th of January 2025. It looks like the lull in sunspot activity is coming to an end as the solar flux index rose to 174 on Thursday the 16th, after a week in the 150s and 160s. The Sun was fairly bare, but there are now signs of more sunspot activity rotating into view. There have been no X-class flares in the past seven days and only one M-class event. This has meant that the Kp index has been low, thanks to a lack of associated coronal mass ejections. There were four during one three-hour period on the 13th of January. As a result, HF conditions have not been too bad with daytime maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs for short, over 3,000km regularly exceeding 24 and even 28MHz at times. However, nighttime MUFs are still in the doldrums, often struggling to get above 5MHz over a 3,000km path. This will no doubt change as we head towards spring. DX on the bands recently has included S01WS in Western Sahara and UP7WWA in Kazakhstan, both on 28MHz CW. Closer to home we have had GB200LB celebrating the bicentenary of the invention of the Braille code and GB1GKA commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Portishead Radio receiving station, callsign GKA, at Highbridge, Somerset. Both of these stations were active on the 20, 17, 15 and 10m bands using CW. At the other end of the bands, Kev, VK6LW, has been heard on 1822kHz from Western Australia at his sunrise at 2112UTC, as has Robert, DU7ET, in the Philippines at 2200UTC. January is a great month for top-band contacts. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain in the 160 to 175 range. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be good with a maximum Kp index of 3. Watch solarham.com for news of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which could easily send the Kp index higher and the MUFs lower. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. The current spell of high pressure has served us well with some good tropo paths around the edge of the high into Spain and Portugal and even beyond to Madeira. This has shown how effective long maritime ducts can be around the edge of areas of high pressure.  On the 16th of January, the Atlantic was taking over the agenda and low pressure near Scotland was pushing a weakening front into north-western Britain as the high retreated east into Europe. The rest of the coming week has other lows bringing some rain or showers – especially to the north-west of the UK where it will become quite windy again. On Wednesday the 15th, weather models suggested a small high may return to the southern part of the country. We are in a rather unsettled weather period with some limited rain scatter potential for the GHz bands. Meteor scatter is also a bit thin with just a possibility of scatter via the Gamma Ursae Minorids, which peaked yesterday, the 18th. However, the number of meteors is at a very low rate and so is not a great option. Next, we move on to aurora and there continue to be examples of alerts suggesting minor events. Generally, though, spring is usually a better time, so there's still a while to wait. Saturday the 11th of January brought a welcome out-of-season Sporadic-E opening to Poland, and then the Balkans, on 50MHz lasting around three and a half hours from 1200UTC. Another good piece of news is the return of ionosonde data for the propquest.co.uk website after a few missing days. This is a timely opportunity to thank all those who maintain the professional data sets that allow us amateurs to see what the bands are doing. Moon declination is positive, going negative this Sunday. Moon windows will shorten, and peak Moon elevations fall. Path losses continue to increase as we approach apogee on Tuesday. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team.

GB2RS News Sunday the 12th of January The news headlines: There are opportunities in the RSGB's Regional Team World Thinking Day on the Air is coming up in February Are you interested in an exciting opportunity to volunteer with the amateur radio maker community? If you're looking to get involved in a different side of amateur radio this year, have you thought about becoming a volunteer RSGB Regional Representative for your area? There are eight Regional Representative posts available for nomination in this year's RSGB elections. This rewarding role will give you the opportunity to represent the views of members in your region to the Board, as well as supporting and advising the District Representatives located within the Region. Regional Representatives are also members of the volunteer Leadership Team and have the opportunity to contribute to the Society's strategy and policy development, as well as to its implementation. If you think this sounds exciting, and you are a confident communicator who has experience in managing people, then go to rsgb.org/election and read the candidate pack now. You'll also find details about how to apply, alongside information on other roles, including the RSGB President and two Elected Board Director vacancies. The closing date for all vacancies is 2359UTC on the 31st of January. So, act now and use your expertise to make an impact on amateur radio in your region. On the 15th of February, Girlguiding members will celebrate World Thinking Day on the Air. The aim of this event is to encourage Girlguiding members to make friendships with those in other units, using amateur radio as the means of communication. On this day, Crawley Amateur Radio Club and RSGB volunteers will be hosting a special event call sign GB1SCG, which relates to Sussex Central Guides. Girlguiding members of all ages will have the opportunity to celebrate by communicating via the amateur bands. If you or your amateur radio club are planning to work with a local Girlguiding group for World Thinking Day on the Air, please get in touch via comms@rsgb.org.uk  so the RSGB can promote your event.  As part of the RSGB's ongoing strategy to take amateur radio to new and diverse audiences, it is delighted to advertise a new volunteer role. This is an opportunity for someone to be an advocate for amateur radio within the maker community. The spirit of experimentation, curiosity and learning is common to both groups and the RSGB would like to foster greater crossover between the amateur radio and modern maker communities. This crossover would be centred around hackspace and maker spaces, as well as larger events, but would also encourage individuals from each community to inspire and learn from each other. This role is intended to help take amateur radio to a new audience with an emphasis on how the licence would support other hobbies, rather than the promotion of traditional amateur radio activities. To carry out this role you'll need to be open to working with different communities, be proactive and organised, and be able to build a team and help it to work to achieve goals. To find full details of the role go to rsgb.org/volunteers and if you're interested in applying or being part of a wider team, contact RSGB Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX via g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk  The RSGB is recruiting volunteers for two roles that are fundamental to the delivery of the Society's Convention. The Convention Chair will be someone who understands the advantages of both online and in-person events. The successful applicant will have an awareness of all aspects of amateur radio and will contribute to shaping the RSGB Conventions of the future to suit the changing amateur radio audience. A second opportunity to be part of the Convention team is as the Society's Lecture Coordinator. This role is part of both the Convention and Tonight@8 teams and requires someone who is proactive and collaborative. The applicant will need to bring ideas for presentations that educate and inspire radio amateurs to try something new, learn more about interesting topics and expand their knowledge of amateur radio. To find out more about either of these roles and how to apply, go to rsgb.org/volunteers  Don't forget that the next event in the popular 145 Alive series will take place on Sunday the 26th of January 2025. It will run from 12 pm to 3 pm and there will be nets operating in most Maidenhead Squares across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. To take part in the event, which is designed to promote FM activity on the 2m band, all you need to do is call in and make contact with others. For more information visit the 145 Alive Facebook page. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place on the 26th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. The doors open at 10 am and admission is £3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking will be available. The cost of a table is £10. To book, please contact Steve Burke, M5ZZZ on 07777 699 069 or email m5zzz@outlook.com On the 9th of February, the Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society Radioactive Rally will take place at Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DG. The doors will be open from 10 am to 3 pm and admission will cost £5. Hot food, refreshments and free car parking will be available. For more information contact Patrick, 2E0VGF via info@radioactivefair.co.uk The Red Rose Winter Rally is due to take place on the 23rd of February from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk On the 1st of March, The Lagan Valley Amateur Radio Society Annual Rally will be held at Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, BT26 6AR. The doors open at 10.30 am. For more details visit lvars.uk Now the Special Event news The South African Radio League, or SARL, is enjoying its 100th anniversary in 2025. To celebrate the occasion, the SARL Centenary Marathon QSO Party began at 0000UTC on the 1st of January and will run until 2359UTC on the 31st of December 2025. Throughout the year, the League, with the aid of its members and associated clubs, will be on the air using special event callsign ZS100SARL, as well as the permanent callsigns ZS6SRL and ZS9HQ. For details of several awards that will be available, and for more information, go to tinyurl.com/SARL25 The Deutsches Museum in Munich, one of the largest science and technology museums in the world, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025. Special callsign DL100DM will be active throughout the year from the amateur radio station which is part of the Museum's permanent electronics exhibition. QSL via DL8FA. More information is available at QRZ.com Now the DX news Thierry, TK1CX is active in Cameroon until February 2025. In his spare time, he is QRV as TJ/TK1CX on the 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m bands. He operates mainly using FT8 with a solar power supply. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL or via EA5ZD. Don, KW7R is active as V73KW from the Marshall Islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. He is there on a work assignment until September 2025 and, in his spare time, he operates CW and FT8 on various bands. QSL via Logbook of the World.   Now the contest news Today, the 12th, the RSGB Affiliated Societies 80 and 40m Data modes Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY on the 80 and 40m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 14th, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 14th, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 16th, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 18th, the RSGB Affiliated Societies 80 and 40m SSB Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using SSB on the 80 and 40m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 9th of January 2025. First, let's take a look at last week's solar activity. As predicted, the solar flux index declined to the 160s. We had one X-class solar flare on the 4th and there have been 11 M-class flares since then. The net result was that the ionosphere was unsettled from the 4th to the 6th of January with the Kp index hitting 5 on the 4th. Following this, the Kp index was at 4 on the 5th and 6th of January. There were reports of visible aurora over the UK on Saturday the 4th, but it was nothing like the record-breaking aurora in April 2024. There were coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, over this period but they were mainly facing away from Earth. Maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs for short, held up over this period, although the shorter days meant that the MUF over a 3,000km path didn't stay above 28MHz for long after sunset. MUFs plummeted to below 10MHz by 1800UTC on Sunday the 5th. The message is clear – get your high-band DXing done by sunset! Next week it looks like the Sun is going into hibernation. The main sunspots will be disappearing over the western limb, leaving it looking a little bare. As a result, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain low until the 16th when it is predicted to climb into the 200s once again. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast from the 16th to the 20th of January with a predicted maximum Kp index of 4. There are currently no coronal holes to worry about. So, in conclusion, this weekend ending the 12th looks set to be reasonable for HF operating, barring any X-class solar flares and accompanying CMEs. We predict that MUFs over 3,000km will be above 28MHz from around 0900UTC to 1500 UTC.   And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. We are in the middle of a proper winter cold spell at the moment, and we are about to see a large high coming over the country. This high is building in cold air and it means sharp frosts and perhaps some fog, so there's a chance of patchy tropo at times. Conditions may further improve as the high slips south after this weekend ending today the 12th. This may allow milder, moister Atlantic air in from the west to improve the refractive index contrast across the inversion, which could lead to tropo. The solar conditions have remained interesting and produced a few aurora alerts, so we can probably benefit from watching the Kp index during the coming week.  Meteor activity has passed its early January peaks, and we are now sliding back into random meteor activity as our best option. These tend to be better just before dawn. There is just one minor shower this week. The Gamma Ursae-Minorids are active from the 10th to the 22nd of January and peak on the 18th. We have mentioned Sporadic-E quite a lot recently but, with the passing of the meteor activity, the chances of it occurring have reduced considerably. Although limited activity may enhance the lower bands, it probably won't feature in the usual high HF and VHF bands. The Moon reaches maximum declination this weekend, ending today the 12th. Moon windows are long and peak Moon elevations are high. Path losses are also high and increasing all week. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team.

GB2RS News Sunday the 5th of January The news headlines: The GB2RS News service is the subject of tomorrow's Tonight@8 webinar The RSGB 2025 election process has begun Don't forget to report YOTA activity!  The news team and all the staff at RSGB HQ would like to wish our newsreaders, listeners and online readers a very happy New Year. We would like to remind everyone that we always welcome your news, by email, to radcom@rsgb.org.uk and the deadline is 10 am sharp on Thursday mornings. And now, on with the news. The first RSGB Tonight@8 webinar of 2025 will be live tomorrow, Monday the 6th of January. During the presentation, you will get a behind-the-scenes insight into the RSGB's GB2RS News service which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The team of presenters include GB2RS News Manager, Steve Richards, G4HPE and also RadCom Managing Editor Ed O'Neill, M0TZX who will explain how a team of people produces and shares the weekly GB2RS news script. You'll also hear from the Society's Operating Awards Manager Lindsay Pennell, GI3KME who has details about a series of special GB2RS awards for you to chase. Pete Sobye, G0PNM will give you a newsreader's perspective of the weekly broadcast. Find out more about this fascinating discussion and the presenters by going to rsgb.org/webinars Watch the presentation live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel and ask questions via the live chat.  What are your goals for 2025? Could you spare some time and share your expertise to make a difference within the amateur radio community? The RSGB 2025 elections process has begun, and nominations are open for a range of volunteer roles. The RSGB's President John McCullagh, GI4BWM will reach the end of his second year as President at the AGM and so will stand down. There are also two Elected Board Director vacancies. The Board is looking for people with specific skills to fill these roles. The current President is one of the few at the Board level with extensive experience in spectrum matters and negotiating with the authorities – so that skills gap needs to be filled. Outreach has been an important focus over the last year for the Society and it would like to support the current activities and expand on them. These developments will include encouraging practical skills amongst the amateur radio community and also building links with other organisations. Building those relationships will require someone with drive and determination but also tact and diplomacy. There are eight further posts available for RSGB Regional Representatives, ranging from Region 1 in Scotland to Region 11 in the southwest. For more details about the roles as well as application forms and candidate packs, go to the RSGB website at rsgb.org/election  December 2024 saw a wide range of individuals, clubs, schools and universities encouraging youngsters to get on the air and try amateur radio as part of YOTA Month 2024. The RSGB National Radio Centre also hosted the callsign over several evenings and weekends. If you were involved with Youngsters on the Air Month and would like your activity to be included in the RSGB's special RadCom feature, remember that you need to email your photos and a short report to comms@rsgb.org.uk by this Tuesday, the 7th of January.  Do you like making things? Or are you interested in creating software for use in amateur radio? Have you thought about entering the RSGB's Construction Competition? This annual competition is judged online to allow RSGB members from the UK and across the world to participate and demonstrate their creativity. In line with the Society's strategic priority of growth, there will be a new Outreach category this year in which members are encouraged to submit a project that can be reproduced in a school or public environment. The other five categories are beginners, construction excellence, innovation, software and antennas. The winner of each section will receive a cash prize, with a bonus for the overall winner. The deadline for entries is the 1st of March 2025. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/construction-competition    And now for details of rallies and events The Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place on the 26th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. The doors open at 10 am and admission is £3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking will be available. The cost of a table is £10. To book, please contact Steve Burke, M5ZZZ on 07777 699 069 or email m5zzz@outlook.com The Red Rose Winter Rally is due to take place on the 23rd of February from 10 am at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2PJ. Please note that the maximum number of five-foot tables per trader has had to be reduced from six to five. On a brighter note, the price remains as it has been for several years at £10 per table. For more information visit wmrc.co.uk On the 1st of March, The Lagan Valley Amateur Radio Society Annual Rally will be held at Hillsborough Village Centre, 7 Ballynahinch Road, BT26 6AR. The doors open at 10.30 am. For more details visit lvars.uk The Exeter Radio Rally will take place on the 2nd of March at The Kenn Centre, EX6 7UE from 10 am. Traders and catering will be available on-site. For more information contact Pete, G3ZVI by phone at 07714 198 374, or by email to g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk  Now the Special Event news Today, the 5th, is the last chance to work special callsign OZ400POST. The station is active to celebrate the anniversary of Denmark's postal service which was originally established on Christmas Eve in 1624. Visit QRZ.com to read about awards that are available for working the station. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Portishead Radio, callsign GKA, receiving site at Highbridge, Somerset, special callsign GB1GKA will be operated until the 31st of January. The operation will be mainly focussed on CW, but some SSB activity is planned. The station will be active on all bands from 40 to 10m.  British Railways Amateur Radio Society is running a special event station GB0LMR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel. The operation will be mainly focussed on the 40 and 10m bands. QSL via the Bureau. More information about the station is available at QRZ.com In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the GB2RS News service, a special callsign GB70RS has been on the air since the 1st of January. Listen out for operators on all modes and all bands. QSL via the Bureau, eQSL or Logbook of the World. For more information, please visit the GB70RS page at QRZ.com Now the DX news Brian, GW4DVB is operating from St Kitts as V4/G4DVB until tomorrow, the 6th of January. The station is active using multiple modes on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL directly to Brian. More information is available at QRZ.com Ralf, DB4REB is active as CN2REB from Morocco until the 30th of January. He is operating using CW, FT8 and SSB on various bands. QSL via eQSL, or directly to Ralf's home call. More information is available at QRZ.com Now the contest news The ARRL RTTY Roundup started at 1800UTC on Saturday the 4th and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 5th of January. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. USA stations also send their state and Canadian stations send their province. Tomorrow, the 6th, the IRTS 80m Daytime Counties Contest runs from 1700 to 1800UTC. Using SSB and CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their county. On Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 8th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 8th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 9th, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 11th, the Worked All Britain 1.8MHz Phone Contest runs from 1900 to 2300UTC. Using SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. On Sunday the 12th, the RSGB Affiliated Societies 80 and 40m Data modes Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY on the 80 and 40m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 2nd of January 2025. We started the new year with a bang, or more precisely a Kp index of 8 and widespread visible aurora. This was caused by a partial halo coronal mass ejection, associated with an eruption in the Sun's southeast quadrant on the 29th of December. The strong G3 to severe G4 geomagnetic storm peaked at about 1800UTC on the 1st of January as the solar wind speed moved past Earth at just above 500 kilometres per second. It then subsided as the Bz component settled into a north-pointing position. HF propagation suffered as a result with the maximum usable frequency down for the rest of the evening. By the morning of the 2nd of January, things had improved and maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path were back above 28MHz. The solar flux index remained above 200, which no doubt helped, but we are in rocky times from a space weather point of view. A large coronal hole became Earth-facing on Friday the 3rd of January which will no doubt cause some geomagnetic disruption today, the 5th, as the Kp index rises. NOAA predicts the solar flux index may decline this week, possibly ending in the 160s to 170s. Geomagnetic conditions may also be in for a rough ride around the 10th and 11th when the Kp index is forecast to reach 4. From a radio point of view, January is a peak time for low-band DXing. The nights are long and dark so make the most of the 160 and 80m bands. You may also get DX during the late afternoon on the 40m band. During the daytime keep an eye on the 10m band, which may throw up the odd, interesting DX station while the solar flux index remains high.  And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. To start the year the main feature is low pressure over the country but, in the depths of winter, it's good to remember that snow and rain both provide scattering opportunities for the GHz bands. There is a glimmer of tropo hope for the end of the coming week, around the 11th and 12th, as high pressure builds over northern Britain. This will be a cold-air high which tends not to be the best for tropo, but it's worth a look nonetheless. The solar conditions provided an aurora on New Year's Day with a brief index of 8 during the afternoon. With other disturbances possible, it is worth keeping up to date with solar conditions and prospects for geomagnetic storms on spaceweather.com  This is one propagation mode where CW is so much easier to copy under the difficult conditions of aurora. Meteor scatter propagation is driven by the Quadrantids in the first week of January. It peaks on the 4th but spans the period up to the 12th. This is a productive shower with an hourly rate of 120. Since it's the last major excitement until the late April Lyrids, make the most of it before we're reduced to chasing random meteor activity during the rest of winter. We have previously mentioned the chance of out-of-season Sporadic-E propagation in mid-winter and we still have the next week to keep alert, especially in view of the Quadrantids adding fuel into the E region. The ionised trails of the meteors provide long-lived metallic ions, which is the material that gets focussed into Sporadic-E if we are lucky. The Moon starts the weekend with a negative but rising declination, going positive today, the 5th, so Moon windows continue to lengthen. Path losses are low with perigee on Wednesday. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 22nd of December The news headlines: The RSGB is looking for a new Lecture Coordinator YOTA Month draws to a close but is still busy on the air The first RSGB Tonight@8 webinar of 2025 focuses on GB2RS The RSGB facilitates just over 60 lectures each year in a mixture of in-person, hybrid and remote formats. 50 of these are at the RSGB Convention and 11 are delivered through the livestreamed Tonight@8 webinar programme of events. This set of presentations aims to cover a wide mix of amateur radio-related subjects, across all depths of amateur radio experience and knowledge. They are watched and admired by RSGB members and non-members across the world. The RSGB Lecture Coordinator is part of the Tonight@8 and Convention teams. Its recent Lecture Coordinator Keith Hotchkiss, G0FEA has stepped back to focus on his professional commitments, so the RSGB is looking for someone new for this volunteer role. The right person will be proactive and collaborative, bringing ideas for presentations that educate and inspire radio amateurs to try something new, learn more about interesting topics and expand their knowledge of amateur radio. They will lead the invitation and scheduling process for Tonight@8 webinars and contribute to the decisions about Convention presentations. They will also be the main contact with Convention presenters, inviting them to speak, updating the speaker project plan and helping to create a balanced programme. Reporting to the Convention Chair, the Lecture Coordinator would be a member of the RSGB Convention team but would not be required to take responsibility for organising and managing other aspects of the event. If you're interested in the role or would like to find out more, please contact the RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB via gm.dept@rsgb.org.uk Youngsters on the Air Month is nearly at a close. It has been filled with some brilliant activity from young people using special callsign GB24YOTA. Thank you to everyone involved, from supervising young amateurs to making contact with them on the air. Before the year ends, we still have some activity using GB24YOTA, so please continue to listen out. Tomorrow, Monday the 23rd of December, Hilderstone Radio Society will be back on the air as it hosts the callsign for a final time this month. On Sunday the 29th of December, Bushvalley Amateur Radio Club in Northern Ireland will be operating GB24YOTA, followed by Marlborough Scouts on Monday the 30th of December. If you have been involved with Youngsters on the Air Month and would like your activity to be in a special RadCom feature, email your photos and a short report to comms@rsgb.org.uk  as soon as possible. The first RSGB Tonight@8 webinar of 2025 will be live on Monday the 6th of January. The presentation is all about the RSGB's GB2RS News service which will be celebrating its 70th anniversary next year. A team of people will contribute to the live presentation and will give you a behind-the-scenes insight into how the script is compiled, as well as a newsreader's perspective of the weekly broadcast. They'll share details of the plans being put in place for the anniversary and explain how you can get involved. The team will also consider GB2RS in the modern media environment and how new technologies in amateur radio are being embraced. Find out more about this fascinating discussion and the presenters by going to rsgb.org/webinars  Watch the presentation live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel and ask questions via the live chat. The RSGB will be releasing four new presentations from its 2024 Convention over the festive season. If you'd like to be the first to hear about new releases as soon as they are available, go to youtube.com/theRSGB and subscribe to receive notifications. The RSGB YouTube channel has hundreds of other videos and webinars to enjoy, as well as numerous playlists on amateur radio construction, useful practical skills, technical topics and much more. Let the Society know you enjoy the content by pressing the ‘Like' button when you watch a video. Don't forget that the RSGB's headquarters will be closed for Christmas and New Year from 2pm on Tuesday the 24th of December 2024 until 8.30 am on Thursday the 2nd of January 2025. The RSGB National Radio Centre, or NRC, will also be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, the NRC will close at 2 pm and it will also be closed for essential maintenance works on Thursday the 2nd of January. Outside of these times, volunteers look forward to welcoming visitors as usual. Sweden's Alexanderson alternator station SAQ has scheduled a transmission to send out a traditional Christmas message to the world. The century-old 200kW transmitter will start up and begin tuning at 0730UTC on Tuesday the 24th of December using CW on 17.2kHz. Transmission of the Christmas message will take place at 0800UTC. The event will be live-streamed from 0725UTC via the Alexanderson site's YouTube channel. Further details about the event, including test transmissions and QSL reports, can be found by going to alexander.n.se  Please note there will be no GB2RS broadcast on Sunday the 29th of December 2024, but many newsreaders will be holding informal nets in their usual broadcasting slots. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@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 Sparkford Radio Rally is taking place on Sunday the 29th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, near Yeovil. Doors are open to traders from 7.30 am and from 9.30 am to the public. Admission is £2. Refreshments and free parking will be available. For more information, contact Luke on 07870 168 197 or email m3vhv@hotmail.co.uk Looking ahead to events coming up next year, the Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place on the 26th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. Doors open at 10 am, and admission is £3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking will be available. The cost for a table is £10. To book, please contact Steve Burke, M5ZZZ on 07777 699 069 or email m5zzz@outlook.com Now the Special Event news In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the GB2RS News service, special callsign GB70RS will be on the air from the 1st of January. Listen out for operators on all modes and all bands. QSL via the Bureau, eQSL or Logbook of the World. For more information, please visit the GB70RS page at QRZ.com Denby Dale Amateur Radio Society will be celebrating the New Year with a series of special event station callsigns all ending in HNY, which stands for Happy New Year. Members will be active on all HF and VHF bands using SSB, CW, FM and data modes. You can find full details of active callsigns on the GB0HNY page at QRZ.com Several special event stations will be active between the 1st and the 3rd of January 2025 to celebrate KW Electronics, a former UK manufacturer of amateur radio equipment. The active callsigns will include: GB4KW, GB8KW, GB0KW, GB1KW, GB5KW, GB2KW and GB6KW. More details are available via QRZ.com Special callsign GB0IRN will be active in January to celebrate the anniversary of the International Radio Network. The International Radio Network is active on various platforms and its mission is to promote amateur radio to those interested in radio communications. Find out more by visiting irn.radio Terry, GM3WUX will be using special callsign GB200LB from the 4th of January until the 31st of January 2025. The ‘LB' in the callsign stands for Louis Braille. The station will be operating to celebrate the bicentenary of the invention of the Braille Code. The 4th of January is Louis Braille's birthday. Activity will be mainly on CW. QSL via M0OXO. Further details are available via QRZ.com Now the DX news A Danish DXpedition is operational as TO0J from French Guiana until the 31st of December. The group will be active on the 80 to 10m bands using CW, and SSB, but mainly FT8. QSL via Clublog's OQRS, Logbook of the World or eQSL. The J75K team is active in Dominica from the 26th of December 2024 until the 4th of January 2025. The IOTA reference is NA-101. They will be operating on the 160 to 6m bands using SSB, CW and FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to IV3JVJ. Brian, GW4DVB will be operating from St Kitts as V4/G4DVB from the 31st of December 2024 to the 6th of January 2025. The station will be active using multiple modes on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL directly to Brian. More information is available on QRZ.com Members of the Rebel DX Group will be active as 5N9DTG from Abuja in Nigeria during January 2025. They will operate on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, FT8 and possibly SSB. QSL via ClubLog's OQRS. Now the contest news The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon started at 0000UTC on Sunday the 1st of December and ends at 2359UTC on Friday the 31st of January 2025. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator. On Thursday the 26th of December, the DARC Christmas Contest runs from 0830UTC to 1059UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 80 and 40m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. German stations also send their DOK number. On Friday the 27th of December, the RSGB 50MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1500 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 28th of December, the RSGB 70MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1500 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Stew Perry Top Band Challenge starts at 1500UTC on Saturday the 28th of December and ends at 1500UTC on Sunday the 29th of December. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. On Sunday the 29th of December, the RSGB 144MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1500 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Monday the 30th of December, the RSGB 432MHz Christmas Contest runs from 1500 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 1st of January 2025, the RSGB 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, the RSGB 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 Wednesday the 1st of January, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest starts at 1800UTC on Saturday the 4th of January and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 5th of January. Using data modes on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. American stations will send their state, and Canadian stations will send their province. The European CW 160m Party runs from 2000UTC to 2300UTC on Saturday the 4th of January and from 0400UTC to 0700UTC on Sunday the 5th of January. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange for club members is signal report, name, club and membership number. For non-members, the exchange is report and name. On Saturday the 4th of January 2025, the RSGB 80 and 40m CW Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 1300 to 1700UTC. Using CW on the 80 and 40m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 19th of December 2024. The last week was a little more disturbed than usual and we had a Kp index that hit 5.33. An enhanced solar wind stream contributed to active geomagnetic conditions and an interplanetary shockwave, that swept past Earth at 0519UTC on the 17th of December, caused minor G1 geomagnetic storming. A far-sided halo coronal mass ejection event also occurred later on the 17th of December at 1600UTC although this was not directed towards Earth. This shows that the Sun is still very active, and we should not be surprised if we experience more solar flares and CMEs. The solar flux index stayed in the 160s and 170s and we should keep an eye on active region 3927, which is currently turning to be Earth-facing and has already been the source of some C-class solar flares. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may rise slightly to be in the 180s. The largest Kp index forecast is 2, which probably means that NOAA is unsure about what will actually happen. We are pleased to report that OF9X is once again on the air from the land of Santa Claus in Lapland. Up to 16 operators will operate Santa Radio on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, FT4 and FT8. They have already been spotted on the 30 and 20m bands using CW and on the 12 and 17m bands using RTTY. So, there is plenty of scope to work them. According to the prediction program Proppy, paths to Lapland should be open on 14MHz from 0800UTC to 1800UTC. On 28MHz, expect them to be open from 0930 to 1500UTC. The 80 and 40m bands should be mainly open during the hours of darkness. As always, across the Christmas period, we recommend that you use solarham.com and propquest.co.uk for real-time updates on solar and ionospheric conditions. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. Last week ended in a colder unsettled period of weather with strong north-westerly winds and spells of rain or showers. The air is sufficiently cold that some snow is possible over northern hills. This is potentially good news for rain or snow scatter, especially off fast-moving showers down the coastal fringes of the UK.  Although the nearest high remains near the Azores to begin with, it slowly migrates east to France and, by Christmas, to central Europe. This will bring high pressure and possibly Tropo onto Santa's list from Christmas Eve onwards. Look for patches of misty low cloud or fog for the best conditions. As usual, check for other modes. Meteor scatter and aurora are both worth consideration and this is a prime time for out-of-season Sporadic-E between now and about mid-January.  One of the helpful aspects of looking for winter Sporadic-E is that quite often the jet streams are significantly stronger than in the more traditional summer Sporadic-E season. Jet streams are a good source of turbulence that can eventually propagate up to the E region to make Sporadic-E propagation. Jet streams are shown on upper air charts and can be a good geographical guide to Sporadic-E prospects in the summer and should therefore be similarly consulted for these winter events. In this case, they tell us that the first half of the coming week, up to Christmas Day, is well set up with a northerly jet stream over central Europe and, more importantly, crossing the Alps. So, a second mode goes on to Santa's list. Check the VHF Cluster's Sporadic-E graphs at propquest.co.uk for early signs of activity, particularly for paths to the southeast into Italy and the Balkans. The Moon started this weekend with positive declination but goes negative late today, the 22nd. Path losses are at their highest due to apogee on Christmas Eve. 144MHz sky noise is high until Wednesday, including near-eclipse conditions all day on Monday. That's it for this year. How about making a New Year's resolution to try a new mode? Maybe use SSB or CW on VHF now and again and put out lots of CQ calls in 2025! And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 15th of December The news headlines: The RSGB 2025 election nominations process is open The Society is advertising for a new Convention Chair YOTA Month is busy this week with more callsign hosts to listen out for The RSGB 2025 elections process has begun, and nominations are open for a range of volunteer roles. The RSGB's President John McCullagh, GI4BWM will reach the end of his second year as President at the AGM and so will stand down. There are also two Elected Board Director vacancies. The Board is looking for people with specific skills to fill these roles. The current President is one of the few at the Board level with extensive experience in spectrum matters and negotiating with the authorities, so that skills gap needs to be filled. Outreach has been an important focus over the last year for the Society, and it would like to support the current activities and expand on them. These developments will include encouraging practical skills amongst the amateur radio community and building links with other organisations. Building those relationships will require someone with drive and determination but also tact and diplomacy. There are eight posts available for RSGB Regional Representatives, ranging from Region 1 in Scotland to Region 11 in the southwest. For more details about the roles as well as application forms and candidate packs, go to the RSGB website at rsgb.org/election The RSGB has been developing its Convention over recent years to suit the changing needs of the amateur radio community. From a face-to-face meeting, it evolved into an online event when we weren't allowed to meet, then changed again into a hybrid event, bringing together the best of both for people in this country and across the world. The Society has also been developing the programme to include practical workshops and forums to support radio amateurs who would like a safe and accessible environment in which to try to develop their practical skills. The RSGB General Manager has been doing the role of Convention Chair for the last three years but has now stepped back from that additional voluntary role, so the RSGB is looking for a new Convention Chair. This role needs someone who understands the advantages of both online and in-person events and who can contribute to shaping the RSGB Conventions of the future to suit the changing amateur radio audience. The RSGB is looking for someone enthusiastic, proactive, collaborative and good at working with others in a strong team. They will also need an awareness of all aspects of amateur radio, including the latest developments and what might be on the horizon. As part of the wider Convention team, they will need to suggest ideas for speakers and practical activities that will attract a range of radio amateurs. If you believe you could contribute to the development of this prestigious annual event, the RSGB would like to hear from you. Please contact the RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB via gm.dept@rsgb.org.uk Youngsters on the Air Month is now halfway through, with plenty more operators booked to host GB24YOTA. There is still time to work the RSGB National Radio Centre's GB3RS station which is hosting the callsign for the duration of today, Sunday the 15th of December. On Wednesday, the 18th of December, the Simon Langton Boys School in Canterbury will be operating between 12 pm and 6 pm. On Thursday, the 19th of December, between 12 pm and 6 pm the Cambridge University Wireless Society will once again be hosting GB24YOTA. To finish up this week, Tommy, M7OMY will be operating on the 20th and 21st of December under the supervision of Las, M0BOY. Tommy is a young radio amateur and has been taking part in YOTA Month for a few years, so be sure to listen out and make a QSO with him. Search GB24YOTA on QRZ.com  to view the full operating schedule. The RSGB's headquarters will close for the Christmas and New Year period from 2pm on Tuesday the 24th of December 2024. It will open again at 8.30am on Thursday the 2nd of January 2025. During that time, if you need information about amateur radio, exams or RadCom, you'll find lots of information on the website via rsgb.org  If you are planning to visit the RSGB's National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park over the holidays, please note that it will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve, the NRC will close at 2 pm. The National Radio Centre will also be closed for essential maintenance works on Thursday the 2nd of January 2025. Outside of these times, volunteers look forward to welcoming visitors as usual. Remember that RSGB Members can download a free entry voucher for Bletchley Park from the RSGB website via rsgb.org/bpvoucher On the 6th of December, Ofcom announced an update regarding the timing of phases two and three of its amateur radio licensing framework, including changes to the new intermediate call signs and rules for Special event Stations. These phases were originally planned for December 2024 and March 2025 respectively, but Ofcom now expects to deliver them in the third quarter of 2025. For more information go to ofcom.org.uk  and search for ‘Licensing updates'. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Sparkford Radio Rally is taking place on Sunday the 29th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, near Yeovil. Doors are open to traders from 7.30 am and from 9.30 am to the public. Admission is £2. Refreshments and free parking will be available. For more information, please contact Luke via 07870 168197 or email m3vhv@hotmail.co.uk Looking ahead to events coming up next year, the Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place on the 26th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. Doors open at 10 am, and admission is £3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking will be available. The cost of a table is £10. To book, please contact Steve Burke, M5ZZZ via 07777 699069 or email m5zzz@outlook.com Now the Special Event news There is still time to work The Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club which is once again active with special callsign GB0MC until Thursday the 26th of December. The ‘MC' in the callsign stands for Merry Christmas. The Club would like to invite everyone to call in and give them a hearty “HoHoHo” and tell them what radio equipment you would like from Santa this year. The Club will also be live streaming on its YouTube Channel. OR100LGE is the special callsign in use by members of the Liège Radio Club, ON5VL to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The station is active until the end of the year on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL or via ON6YH. QSOs will also be uploaded to Club Log. Starting in January 2025, members of the British Railways Amateur Radio Society will be operating Special Event Station GB0LMR to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway. QSL via the Bureau or direct by sending a Stamped Addressed Envelope to the address given on QRZ.COM. Now the DX news Mike, V47NH is active from St Kitts and Nevis until the 17th of December. The IOTA reference is NA-104. He will operate on the 40 to 10m bands and SSB. QSL via KC1NGS or Logbook of the World. The VP2VMM team is active from Anegada Island in The British Virgin Islands. They will be QRV in the 2024 ARRL 10m Contest which ends at 2359 today, Sunday. Outside the contest, they will be QRV holiday style using VP2V/homecall until Tuesday the 17th of December. QSL via Logbook of the World, Bureau, OQRS or direct to KU9C. Full details via QRZ.com S21DX is active from Bangladesh until the 19th of December. The IOTA reference is AS-140. The team is active on the 160 to 10m bands, SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World or direct to EB7DX. A Danish DXpedition will be operating as TO0J from French Guiana between the 20th and 31st of December. They will be active on the 80 to 10m bands, CW, SSB, but mainly FT8. QSL via Clublog OQRS, Logbook of the World or eQSL. Now the contest news The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon started at 0000UTC on Sunday the 1st of December and ends at 2359UTC on Friday the 31st of January 2025. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator. The ARRL 10m Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 14th of December and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 15th of December. Using CW and phone on the 10m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. US, Canadian and Mexican stations will also send their State or Province code. On Tuesday, the 17th of December, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday, the 19th of December, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 12th of December 2024. We had another week with quiet geomagnetic conditions. Other than three hours with a Kp of four on the 9th of December, as of last Thursday when this report was being compiled it had been below three for the past seven days. Active region 3920 produced an impulsive M2.8 solar flare, peaking at 1006UTC on the 11th of December. A quick M2.0 flare was also detected around AR3922 in the southeast quadrant. There was also an M6.4 solar flare at 0648UTC on the 10th of December, but no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed. The solar flux index, despite being predicted to reach 200 again, has been simmering away in the 160s and 170s. Nevertheless, the quieter geomagnetic conditions have helped HF with the extrapolated MUF over a 3,000km path often hitting 40MHz at times. However, the early sunset, which is around 1538UTC to 1621UTC at the moment depending on your location in the UK, means that the MUF drops off quite quickly in the afternoon. The average critical frequency at night is currently about 3.0-3.5MHz, which explains why the HF bands appear to be dead. The winter solstice is on the 21st of December, and we won't see much change until we get to mid-January. There is DX to be had with CDXC members reporting working YJ0CA (Vanuatu) on 15 metres, V73WE (Marshall Islands) on 30 metres and YI1QEA (Iraq) on 10 metres. So, at the moment, make the most of the daytime DX and greyline openings, and reserve the evening for Top Band and perhaps 80 metres. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain around 170 to 175. The Kp index is expected to be around two or three, apart from the 19th of December when it could reach four. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. The period of enhanced Tropo activity will have faded away by this weekend as the high pressure slips away into Europe and declines. This allowed low pressure to regain control from last Friday through the current weekend. There may be a chance of some rain scatter propagation on the GHz bands, although it doesn't look like a particularly good example.  All is not lost for Tropo followers, since the next high drifts in from the Atlantic early next week. The southern UK will benefit the most with Tropo paths to France and across Biscay. This lasts until midweek, to be followed by a return of low pressure for the second half of the week and probably a better rain scatter option than this weekend. The big Geminids meteor shower peaked yesterday, the 14th of December, but will linger throughout the month. The radiant source rises late afternoon and sets the following lunchtime and is most favourably positioned late evening and early morning, pre-dawn. Next, a consideration of aurora prospects, which are still a little enhanced by solar conditions. So, as usual, stay alert to an increasing Kp index above Kp=4 to keep in the game. Finally, remember that the period of Christmas and early January is well known for producing random out-of-season Sporadic-E. It's not possible to fine-tune Es prospects this far ahead, but it wouldn't hurt to monitor the f0Es traces on the www.propquest.co.uk website between now and mid-January. The Moon's declination is at maximum today, Sunday the 15th of December, and also on Monday, so expect long Moon windows with high peak elevations. Path losses are still low but rising, so it's still a good week for EME. The 144MHz sky noise is moderate to low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 8th of December The news headlines: Take part in the RSGB Construction Competition A new edition of RadCom Basics has been published A busy week with GB24YOTA hosted by many groups for YOTA Month During November, the RSGB used its Photo Friday feature on social media to highlight construction and practical skills. Photos included everything from Construction Clubs for newcomers to ground satellite repairs at university clubs. If these have left you feeling inspired and wanting to get creative, why not submit an entry to the Society's 2025 Construction Competition? There are six categories, including a new Outreach category that gives entrants the opportunity to create a project that can be reproduced in a school or public environment. Whether you are a seasoned constructor, used to building your own projects or a beginner looking to take your first steps in amateur radio construction, the RSGB would love to hear from you. Visit the RSGB website at rsgb.org/construction-competition  for full details of the competition and how to enter. For further inspiration, pick up a copy of the June Edition of RadCom and turn to page 36 to view last year's entries. The November 2024 issue of RadCom Basics is now available on the RSGB website for members to read. The publication is aimed at new licensees or anyone who enjoys reading about the fundamental principles behind the many facets of amateur radio. This issue includes part one of how to get on 40m with a small suburban garden, as well as articles on home construction and using repeaters. If you aren't one of the thousands of members who have done so already, you can subscribe to receive notifications about RadCom Basics via the RSGB Membership Portal. Log in and choose the “Manage preferences” tab. To read the latest edition go to rsgb.org/radcom-basics The RSGB would like to congratulate everyone who operated GB24YOTA last week. There was some brilliant activity on the air, including Wick High School Radio Club which had 12 student operators involved and inspired some to take their Foundation licence. If you missed talking to the group, you've got another chance to make a QSO with them today, Sunday the 8th of December. Taking over tomorrow, Monday the 9th of December is Hilderstone Radio Society, which will be operating between 9 am and 5 pm. Cray Valley Radio Society will host the callsign after 5 pm. The RSGB's National Radio Centre station GB3RS, will be on the air with GB24YOTA for the duration of Tuesday the 10th of December. NRC volunteers will also host youngsters from the 6th Bletchley Guides from 6 pm on that day, so do listen out and get on the air to make a QSO with this group. On Wednesday the 11th of December, Hilderstone Radio Society will be back on the air with the callsign for a second day. Bromsgrove & District Amateur Radio Club will operate as GB24YOTA from 6 pm on Friday the 13th of December. To finish the week, the RSGB's National Radio Centre station GB3RS will once again be on the air as it hosts the callsign over the weekend of the 14th and 15th of December. There are still operating spaces left if you'd like to get involved, but don't delay as GB24YOTA is only operational until the end of this month. Go to rsgb.org/yota-month  to find out more. The RSGB Contest Club recently announced that it is looking for volunteers to take part in the second World Wide Award event taking place in January 2025. To be part of the team you will need to be an RSGB member and hold a Full Licence. QSOs can be made using SSB, CW and digital modes. Foundation or Intermediate licensees can join in under supervision or take part in WWA as award chasers. To be part of the operating team email contestclub@rsgbcc.org  to register your interest. To find out more about the event search ‘RSGB Contest Club' on the RSGB website and scroll down to the section titled World Wide Award 2025. Poldhu Amateur Radio Club is celebrating the 123rd anniversary of the first radio transmission across the Atlantic in 1901. Visitors are invited to join members of the Club at The Marconi Centre in Cornwall between 9 am and 4 pm on Thursday the 12th of December to learn how the location played a crucial part in the history of wireless communication. As part of the celebrations, radio amateurs will be operating on various radio bands throughout the day. If you would like to operate as part of the event email secretary@gb2gm.org  You can find full details on the anniversary celebrations on the Club website via gb2gm.org Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Mid-Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair is taking place today, Sunday the 8th of December, at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation Centre. Doors are open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry is £3 per person and there is no charge for partners and under 16s. Free parking and Wi-Fi are available, as well as hot food and refreshments. The cost for traders is £5 per 6ft frontage with tables supplied. Booking in advance is recommended. Mains electricity is also available on request. Traders are asked to pre-book as soon as possible. Please contact Phil, G6DLJ via 07990 563147 or email wrg2024@hotmail.com The Sparkford Radio Rally is on Sunday the 29th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, near Yeovil. Doors are open to traders from 7.30 am and from 9.30 am to the public. Admission is £2. Refreshments and free parking will be available. For more information, please contact Luke via 07870 168197 or email m3vhv@hotmail.co.uk Looking ahead to events coming up next year, the Lincoln Shortwave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place on the 26th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road in Market Rasen. Doors open at 10 am, and admission is £3. Hot refreshments and ample free car parking will be available. The cost for tables is £10. To book please contact Steve Burke, M5ZZZ via 07777 699069 or email m5zzz@outlook.com Now the Special Event news Ian Astley, M0IAA will be operating as GB1WH on Wednesday the 11th of December. The special event station is being run to support and promote the excellent work done by Wakefield Hospice. To make a donation to the hospice or to hear more from Ian, visit QRZ.com The Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club is once again running the special callsign GB0MC until Thursday the 26th of December. The ‘MC' in the callsign stands for Merry Christmas. The Club would like to invite everyone to call in and give them a hearty “HoHoHo” and tell them what radio equipment you would like from Santa this year. The Club will also be live streaming on its YouTube Channel. Special callsign HB50VC is active until the 31st of December to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Swissair Amateur Radio Club, HB9VC. QSOs will be uploaded to the Logbook of the World. QSL cards will not be provided. You can download a certificate for working this special event station from tinyurl.com/HB50VC-24 Now the DX news Carl, 2E0HPI, is in London from Monday the 9th of December until Thursday the 12th of December and will be operating from several Parks on the Air locations each day. He will be active on 10m SSB. eQSL is preferred or direct to the address on QRZ.com The T46W team is active from Cuba until Tuesday the 10th of December. They will be active on the 160m to 6m bands. Parks on the Air activity is also expected from references CU0292 and CU0298. QSL via CO6QK or Logbook of the World. The TO9W team is active from Saint Martin Island until the 13th of December. The IOTA reference is NA-105. The members will operate on the 160m to 10m bands, with a focus on the 40, 80 and 160m bands. QSL via W9ILY, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS. Mike, V47NH is active from St Kitts and Nevis until the 17th of December. The IOTA reference is NA-104. He will operate on the 40 to 10m bands and SSB. QSL via KC1NGS or Logbook of the World. The VP2VMM team is active from Anegada Island in The British Virgin Islands. They will be QRV in the 2024 ARRL 10m Contest.  Outside of the contest, between Monday the 9th of December and Tuesday the 17th of December they will be QRV holiday style using VP2V/homecall. QSL via Logbook of the World, Bureau, OQRS or direct to KU9C. Full details via QRZ.com Now the contest news The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon started at 0000UTC on Sunday the 1st of December and ends at 2359UTC on Friday the 31st of January 2025. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator. The ARRL 160m Contest started on Friday the 6th of December and ends at 1600UTC today, Sunday the 8th of December. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is a signal report for UK stations. US and Canadian stations will also send their ARRL or RAC section number. Also taking place today, Sunday the 8th of December, the RSGB 144MHz AFS Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday, the 10th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 10th of December, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 11th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 11th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday, the 12th of December, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The ARRL 10m Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 14th of December and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 15th of December. Using CW and phone on the 10m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. US, Canadian and Mexican stations will also send their State or Province code. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 5th of December 2024. We had another week of high solar activity but limited geomagnetic disturbances. This meant that the upper HF bands were playing ball all week. The Kp index only exceeded four on one occasion, on the 30th of November when it hit 4.67, but otherwise, it has been low. With a solar flux index mainly in the 180s, this allowed the upper HF bands to shine. The maximum usable frequency or MUF over a 3,000km path has been consistently over 35MHz during daylight hours. The MUF over 100km has also been more than 14MHz around midday, making 20 metres almost a local band at times thanks to near vertical incidence skywave signals! If you have worked anyone in the UK on 20 metres let us know. An approaching active region just off the east limb of the sun was responsible for an M2.3 solar flare on the 4th of December, so perhaps increased solar activity is on the horizon. Next week NOAA predicts the week will start with the solar flux index starting in the 180s, perhaps then increasing to 200 as the week progresses. An increased geomagnetic disturbance is forecast for the period of the 10th to the 13th of December when the Kp index could increase to four. If this does come to fruition, we can expect MUFs to drop until the storming has passed. As always keep an eye on Propquest.co.uk for near-real-time MUF figures and solarham.com for Kp indices. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. Meteor scatter is top of the list this coming week, with the big Geminids shower lasting throughout the month and peaking on Thursday the 14th of December. With a peak zenith hourly rate (ZHR) of 150 it's one of the most active and reliable of the annual showers. Other lesser meteor streams are also in play, so check the meteor scatter frequencies on 144, 50 and 70MHz where digimodes MSK144 and FSK441 will dominate activity. We have another period of primarily unsettled weather for the lead into this weekend, with deep lows bringing heavy rain, and perhaps some snow over northern hills. Watch out for very strong winds with potentially damaging gales in places. By the time many of you hear this on Sunday the 8th of December, we will be mid-way through the main event but hopefully, your antennas have survived. The better news is that the first half of the week is dominated by high pressure, so this brings a chance to repair antennas and get some Tropo time before a slow drift back to unsettled conditions in the second half of the week. For other modes, GigaHertz band rain and snow scatter will be worth considering especially over the weekend and again later in the week. Last Friday afternoon saw another big 50MHz F2 opening to North America, so continue to be vigilant if you're in the shack after lunch and the Kp index is below two. The solar conditions mean that there is still a chance of Aurora, although the Sun has been a bit quieter recently. Some days the f0Es trace on Propquest shows that weak Sporadic-E is still occurring. The Moon's declination is rising again and going positive on Monday. With falling path losses as we approach perigee on Thursday, it's a good week for EME. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 1st of December The news headlines: Join the final 2024 RSGB Tonight@8 live webinar Update on the RSGB strategic priority of spectrum and licensing RSGB HF Contest Committee announces changes to contests in 2025 The final RSGB Tonight@8 webinar of 2024 is being broadcast tomorrow, Monday the 2nd of December. Join Tim Hier, G5TM for a talk on the various HF antennas available for portable operating. He'll also discuss how to use very basic modelling software to ascertain the choices you have at your disposal. Tim will look at topics ranging from balancing the convenience of multi-band systems with some trade-off in performance to looking at using 40 metres portable. He'll also look at how to power your station and the advantages of operating HF portable. Tim is the RSGB RadCom Basics Editor so he will also highlight content in that publication that viewers will find helpful. Watch the webinar live 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 The RSGB has taken the next steps to support its strategic focus on spectrum and licensing. The Society is now formally engaged in work for the 2027 and 2031 ITU World Radiocommunication Conferences. The RSGB has introduced a new special focus page on WRC-27 and WRC-31 which you can find via rsgb.org/wrc-27 This page includes topics such as 6G telecoms and satellites, wireless power, space weather, and lunar communications. Supporting a new WRC-31 opportunity, the RSGB is also grateful to Chris Whitmarsh, G0FDZ and Roger Ray, G8CUB for a great overview of amateur innovation above 275GHz. You can read this on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/terahertz The RSGB HF Contest Committee has announced some changes to its HF contests for 2025. These cover the FT4 Series, the 1.8MHz Contests, the Commonwealth Contest, Field Day registration and also self-spotting. For full details go to rsgbcc.org/hf Youngsters on the Air Month begins today and Marlborough Scout Group will be the first team of youngsters to operate. They are on the air up until midday today, and then again after 6 pm. Also operating today is the Cambridge University Wireless Society, which is hosting the callsign GB24YOTA between 12 pm and 6 pm. Listen out for the group again on Friday the 6th and Saturday the 7th of December. Other operators this week include Wick High School Radio Club on Monday, the RSGB National Radio Centre's GB3RS station on Tuesday, Sandringham School on Wednesday and Thurso Scouts on Friday. Go to QRZ.com and search for GB24YOTA to view the full schedule and operating times. If you'd like to host the callsign, you've still got time. Visit rsgb.org/yota-month to find out more and then email Jamie, M0SDV at yota.month@rsgb.org.uk to register your interest.  Don't forget that if you want to take an exam online at home, the last date you can do that this year is Friday the 20th of December. Exams will resume on Monday the 6th of January 2025 and the booking system will be available over the festive season so you can book exams for January onwards. Book online on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/exampay The next in the series of 145 Alive events is taking place on Sunday the 26th of January 2025. The organisers are looking for volunteer Net Controllers to help cover as many Maidenhead squares in the UK as possible. Whether you've been a Net Controller before or not, the team would love to hear from you. Find out more about the events by visiting the 145 Alive Facebook Group. To volunteer, send your intended individual, group or club callsign and your intended location and Maidenhead Square to masenville@gmail.com The weekly shortwave broadcast from the Deutsche Amateur Radio Club, or D.A.R.C as it is also known, will be aired from Woofferton in England for the first time in January 2025. The broadcast will be made from an existing BBC broadcasting complex that is operated by the subsidiary company Encompass Media, where there are a total of ten transmitters and just as many antennas. The station in Austria that is currently used by the Club is ceasing its shortwave operations at the end of December this year. Thanks to successful negotiations, the first programme will be broadcast from Woofferton on Sunday the 5th of January 2025 on the previously used frequency of 9670kHz. Full details of how to access Radio D.A.R.C are on the Club's website via darc.de Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Wiltshire Radio Winter Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 1st of December, at Kington Langley Village Hall in Kington Langley, located just off Junction 17 of the M4. Doors open at 9 am and close at 1 pm. Admission is £3. Indoor tables are £10. Car boot pitches are £10 for a car-size pitch and £15 for a van-size pitch. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on-site. For more information email Chairman@Chippenhamradio.club The Mid-Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair is on Sunday the 8th of December at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation Centre. Doors are open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry is £3 per person and there is no charge for partners and under 16s. Free parking and Wi-Fi are available, as well as hot food and refreshments. The cost for traders is £5 per 6ft frontage with tables supplied. Booking in advance is recommended. Mains electricity is also available on request. Traders are asked to pre-book as soon as possible. Please contact Phil, G6DLJ via 07990 563147 or email wrg2024@hotmail.com The Sparkford Radio Rally is on Sunday the 29th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, near Yeovil. Doors are open to traders from 7.30 am and from 9.30 am to the general public. Admission is £2. Refreshments and free parking will be available. For more information, please contact Luke via 07870 168197 or email m3vhv@hotmail.co.uk Now the Special Event news Ian Astley, M0IAA will be operating as GB1WH on Wednesday the 11th of December. The special event station is being run to support and promote the excellent work done by Wakefield Hospice. To donate to the hospice or to hear more from Ian, visit QRZ.com The Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club will once again be running the special callsign GB0MC between the 1st and 26th of December. The ‘MC' in the callsign stands for Merry Christmas. The Club would like to invite everyone to call in and give them a hearty “HoHoHo” and tell them what radio equipment you would like from Santa this year. The Club will also be live streaming on its YouTube Channel. OR100LGE is the special callsign in use by members of the Liege Radio Club, ON5VL to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The station is active until the end of the year on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL or via ON6YH. QSOs will also be uploaded to Club Log. Now the DX news The 9L5A team, part of the F6KOP Club, is active from Sierra Leone until the 8th of December. The members will operate on the 160 to 6m bands and QO-100. QSL via F5GSJ, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS. The A35GC Team is currently active from Tonga until Friday the 6th of December. The IOTA reference is OC-049. The members will operate on the 160 to 6m bands, using CW, SSB, FT4, FT8 and RTTY. QSL via LZ1GC, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS. The TO9W Team is active again from Saint Martin Island until the 13th of December. The IOTA reference is NA-105. The members will operate on the 160 to 10m bands, with a focus on the 40, 80 and 160m bands. QSL via W9ILY, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS. Now the contest news The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon started at 0000UTC today and ends at 2359UTC on Friday the 31st of January 2025. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator. On Tuesday, the 3rd of December, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 3rd of December, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 4th of December, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 4th of December, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The ARRL 160m Contest starts at 2200UTC on Friday the 6th of December and ends at 1600UTC on Sunday the 7th of December. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is a signal report for UK stations. US and Canadian stations will also send their ARRL or RAC section numbers. On Sunday the 8th of December, the RSGB 144MHz AFS Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 28th of November 2024. Last weekend's CQWW CW contest was a reminder of just how good HF propagation can be near sunspot maximum. The whole world was workable on the contest bands up to 10 metres, including the Far East, Australasia, the Caribbean and South America. It was a great opportunity to increase your DXCC total and have fun at the same time. This week's solar flux index crept back above 200 again, peaking at 225 as this report was being prepared. Geomagnetic conditions have been surprisingly good over the past seven days with a peak Kp index of 3.67 on the 24th of November. There have been no X-class solar flares, but there has been a total of 13 M-class and 54 minor C-class flares over the past seven days. There have been coronal mass ejections, notably on the 25th of November, but they have not been Earth-directed as of the 28th. So, to summarise, HF conditions have been pretty good. We are now entering the Winter period for HF propagation, which tends to favour the low bands. So 160m, 80m and 40m come into their own and night-time DXing becomes the norm. Look for greyline openings to the west at sunrise on 80m and 160m, and also short, but good, openings on 40m in the late afternoon. Nighttime may bring good DX on 80m and 40m, including the Caribbean and South America. NOAA predicts that the SFI will remain in the low 200s next week, and while geomagnetic conditions are forecast to be good at first, the Kp index may rise to four on the 4th to 6th of December. This could result in reduced MUFs until the Kp index recovers. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The unsettled theme continues through most of the next week or two. The only signs of slightly enhanced prospects for Tropo are as we close this week, and even that is restricted to some eastern areas for paths across the North Sea. A second option may temporarily appear around the middle of the coming week as a weak high crosses southern areas, but this one looks to be a cold high and probably not so good as a vehicle for Tropo. The meteor scatter prospects are aided by the last throes of the Leonids which fade away by this weekend, and the Orionids which peaked on Thursday the 28th of November, but last through the coming week. The unsettled weather should offer some useful GHz bands rain or snow scatter, since there will be several active weather systems around. This early in the winter is a great time for strong shower activity around the still relatively warmer seas. The auroral prospects are worth checking after recent activity. Look for watery-sounding signals on the LF bands as a good clue along with Kp index values greater than four. Last week saw some fleeting signs of Sporadic E on the Dourbes ionosonde graphs on propquest.co.uk, especially on Monday the 25th of November. This occurred typically around the middle of the day and was probably driven by the very strong jet stream and the current meteor activity. The Moon's declination is negative, reaching minus 28 degrees on Monday and we are close to eclipse on Sunday. That's followed by two days of high 144MHz sky noise, so with path losses still high, EME operators should probably take the opportunity to check their antennas after last week's gale. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 24th of November   The news headlines: The past and the future – the RSGB releases more Convention presentations RSGB Tonight@8 on HF antennas – join the last live event of 2024 Encourage youngsters on the air during YOTA Month   The RSGB continues to share some great presentations from its recent annual Convention. The two this week look back to the important history of amateur radio and contrast that with how amateur radio might be influenced by modern technology. Don Beattie, G3BJ discussed the very different amateur radio environment of 1924, and the history and events of October that year when the first two-way trans-global radio communication between the UK and New Zealand took place. This centenary celebration is just one of a range of activities that have included RadCom articles and a re-enactment of the contact at Mill Hill School. In his presentation on using AI to write simple amateur radio applications, RSGB Board Chair Dr Stewart Bryant, G3YSX considers how using AI software can improve productivity and bring the ability to write effective software within the reach of more people. This presentation is being released separately as part of the RSGB's focus on encouraging coding and programming activities amongst the amateur radio community. You can find a range of coding resources on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/coding  To watch both presentations, go to the RSGB YouTube channel and choose the ‘RSGB 2024 Convention' playlist. The final RSGB Tonight@8 webinar of 2024 is on Monday the 2nd of December. The presentation by Tim Hier, G5TM will focus on the various HF antennas available for portable operating. He will also look at how to use very basic modelling software to ascertain the choices you have at your disposal. Tim's ethos when working portable is simple, “Five minutes from arrival to operating and no more”. Tim is also the editor of RadCom Basics and will refer to content in that RSGB publication that will help radio amateurs who want to try portable operating. Watch the webinar live 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 Youngsters on the Air Month begins one week today. Callsign GB24YOTA will be active for the month, hosted by a range of groups, clubs and individuals. Marlborough Scout Group will be the first team of youngsters to operate. They will be on the air before midday on Sunday the 1st of December, and then again after 6 pm on the same day. Also operating the special callsign next Sunday will be the Cambridge University Wireless Society. They will be hosting the callsign between 12 pm and 6 pm. Remember to listen out and have a QSO with a young radio amateur on the air. If you'd like to get involved, you've still got time. Go to QRZ.com  and search for GB24YOTA to check availability and then email Jamie, M0SDV at yota.month@rsgb.org.uk to register your interest.  The RSGB VHF Contest Committee is currently planning the rules for the 2025 VHF contests. Following some discussion at the RSGB Convention, the committee members have some questions on which they would appreciate feedback from contestants, with particular topics focused on VHF Field Day and the Back Packers events. You can find the survey online at tinyurl.com/VHFCC2025 and it will close on Friday the 6th of December. Members of Wokingham u3a Amateur Radio Group have secured a new club call sign, G5UTA. The group operated the callsign for the first time during the national u3a week in September. G5UTA can be used by any u3a member with a Full licence, in support of a u3a event or demonstration. You can read more about the new callsign, including how to apply for authorisation to use it, in the January 2025 edition of RadCom. To find out more about amateur radio as a subject area within u3a, you can contact its new subject adviser Paul, G0NDN via the u3a website at tinyurl.com/u3asubjects The historic VLF transmitter at Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden is celebrating one hundred years since it was put into commercial operation. The unique Alexanderson alternator operates using callsign SAQ. To mark the centenary a special transmission will take place at 1000UTC on Sunday the 1st of December using CW on 17.2kHz. The event will be livestreamed on the organisation's YouTube Channel using the handle @AlexanderSAQ. You can find out more about the event via alexander.n.se  And now for details of rallies and events The Isle of Man Amateur Radio Society Dinner is at the Creg-ny-Baa on Friday the 29th of November. Tickets are £25. For more information, including details of the menu and how to book, visit iomars.im The Wiltshire Radio Winter Rally is on Sunday the 1st of December at Kington Langley Village Hall in Kington Langley, located just off Junction 17 of the M4. Doors open at 9 am and close at 1 pm. Admission is £3. Indoor tables are £10. Car boot pitches are £10 for a car-size pitch and £15 for a van-size pitch. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on-site. For more information email Chairman@Chippenhamradio.club The Mid-Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair is on Sunday the 8th of December at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation Centre. Doors are open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry is £3 per person and there is no charge for partners and under 16s. Free parking and Wi-Fi are available, as well as hot food and refreshments. The cost for traders is £5 per 6ft frontage with tables supplied. Booking in advance is recommended. Mains electricity is also available on request. Traders, please pre-book as soon as possible. Please contact Phil, G6DLJ via 07990 563147 or email wrg2024@hotmail.com Now the Special Event news A special event callsign 9Y20TATT is active until the 29th of November 2024 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio Society. All amateurs are invited to make contact. Limited edition QSL cards will be available, and certificates can be requested by amateurs making at least five unique contacts. Find out more on the event website via 9y20ta.tt Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the formation of Radio Beograd in 1924, members of the Belgrade Amateur Radio Club, YU1ANO in Serbia are active as YT100RB and YU1924RB until the 30th of November. For details of a certificate that is available for contacting these stations see yu1ano.org OR100LGE is the special callsign in use by members of the Liege Radio Club, ON5VL to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The station is active until the end of the year on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL or via ON6YH. QSOs will also be uploaded to Club Log. The Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club will once again be running the special callsign GB0MC between the 1st and 26th of December. The ‘MC' in the callsign stands for Merry Christmas. The Club would like to invite everyone to call in and give them a hearty “HoHoHo” and tell them what radio equipment they would like from Santa this year. The Club will also be live streaming on its YouTube Channel.    Now the DX news HC5CW and HC2AP are active as HC5CW/8 and HD8CW from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands until the 28th of November. The IOTA reference is SA-004. They will operate on the HF bands, CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via M0OXO or OQRS. The FW7AA Team is active from Wallis Island until the 29th of November 2024. The IOTA reference is OC 054. They will operate on the HF Bands. QSL via W7YAQ, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS. The 9L5A Team, who are members of the F6KOP Club, will be active from Sierra Leone between the 27th of November and the 8th of December. They will operate on the 160 to 6m bands and QO-100. QSL via F5GSJ, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS. Now the contest news The CQ World Wide DX CW Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 23rd of November and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 24th of November. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. The UK is in Zone 14. On Tuesday, the 26th of November, the RSGB SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 13cm, 9cm, 6cm and 3cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 27th of November, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Thursday, the 28th of November, the RSGB 80m Autumn Series CW Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW on the 80m band only, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 21st of November. We've had yet another week of relatively calm geomagnetic conditions. The solar flux index has been in the 160s and despite having 14 M-class solar flares over seven days, we haven't had any coronal mass ejections to contend with. As a result, the daytime maximum usable frequency, or MUF, over a 3,000km path has been high, reaching more than 35MHz at times. The MUF declines after sunset, as expected, settling at about 12-13MHz, meaning the only HF band open to DX has been the 10MHz or 30-metre band. DX this week has included 3D2Y in Rotuma. This Pacific DXpedition has been spotted in Europe, on 20m, 15m and 17m CW, so plenty of choice as to which band you try. E51SGC in Rarotonga on the Cook Islands has also been spotted across many of the HF bands, but they will be leaving on the 24th of November. The good news is that the team of Stan LZ1GC and Ted LZ5QZ are moving on to Tonga as A35GC from the 25th of November until the 7th of December 2024. Gerben (PG5M) is active on the Falkland Islands as VP8G and has been spotted on 20m, 15m and 10m CW. He is there until the 25th of November so get in quickly! Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI may rise to the mid-250s again. Geomagnetic conditions are largely predicted to be good, although do keep an eye on solarham.com for updates. And don't forget the CQ Worldwide CW contest this weekend which should bring a lot of DX to the HF bands. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. The weather is now in an unsettled phase with areas of low pressure bringing alternating spells of mild wet and windy weather interspersed with colder brighter and breezy showery weather.  This raises a couple of radio-related points; one is that we will see some very strong and potentially damaging winds in some areas, so check daily forecasts and make sure your mast guys are secure; and secondly an absence of any marked high-pressure Tropo weather.  Rain and snow scatter may be worth checking on the GHz bands in such unsettled weather. Meanwhile, meteor scatter is worthy of greater attention as next week's list of showers includes the small Alpha Monocerotids shower and the tail end of the big Leonids shower.   This introduces another potential nugget of interest in that it is widely accepted that meteors form the source material for Sporadic-E. Despite being out of season in the traditional sense, the prevalence of stronger jet streams in unsettled weather makes the next week a possible ‘watch period' for Es. If you are curious about what these might look like, check out the propquest.co.uk  website and look for the near vertical incidence skywave or NVIS tab for Wednesday the 20th of November 2024. During the two events in the middle of the day and evening, the critical frequency of the Es layer reached values of nearly 10MHz, which could equate to four-metre propagation on a good day. You will see the Es blog tab upper air charts also show a jet stream of greater than 100 knots.  For EME operators, the Moon has passed peak declination so Moon availability and peak elevation will be falling. Path losses are high and rising towards apogee on Tuesday the 26th. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 17th of November The news headlines: The RSGB has launched a new practical events section on its website The RSGB Awards Manager has added categories to the IARU Region 1 Award There is still time to host the Youngsters on the Air Month call sign The RSGB is keen to promote practical events for radio amateurs as a way of developing their skills and retaining their interest in amateur radio. The Society has also demonstrated that buildathons are a great way of engaging new audiences, giving people a taste of amateur radio in a fun and supportive environment. As part of its strategy, the RSGB held two workshops at the 2024 Convention to introduce individuals to radio-related usage of Micro Controller Units, or MCUs as they are often known. The Society also holds annual build-a-radio events at Bletchley Park for youngsters, with the kits provided by the Radio Communications Foundation. To support radio amateurs to try practical skills themselves or to put on their events, the RSGB has published a new section on its website that is dedicated to practical events. You'll find a guide to running a buildathon, detailed information from the MCU workshop as well as a short video to inspire you! Feedback from the RSGB's events has been wholly positive with requests for similar activities around the country. Could your club host an event and perhaps even boost its numbers at the same time? Find out more at rsgb.org/practical-events The RSGB Awards Manager has announced that, with the support of the Board, he has added new categories of achievement to the IARU Region 1 Award. These include WARC bands only, 10MHz only, 18MHz only and 24MHz only. The standard IARU Region 1 Award check spreadsheet should continue to be used for these categories. However, award chasers are advised to keep separate versions for each band or set of bands. There are no mode or power restrictions and there is no distinction between fixed and portable stations; you just have to be operating within the same country for all QSOs used in the application. There aren't any limitations on the start dates for the awards other than the dates for particular countries as identified in the check sheet. This reflects, for example, when a country became a member of the IARU. The RSGB would like to thank the award chasers who contributed to the discussions about adding new categories. With just two weeks to go until Youngsters on the Air Month, operating slots for GB24YOTA are fast filling up. The special call sign will be active throughout December and is a fantastic opportunity to get youngsters active on the amateur bands. Whether you are part of a school, university, youth group, club or individual, the RSGB would love you to be involved. The Society would be delighted to see the callsign hosted every day during December and see as many youngsters on the air as possible. Be part of this goal by visiting QRZ.com and searching GB24YOTA to check availability. Operating slots aren't fixed and can be adjusted to suit your timings, so don't delay. Email Jamie, M0SDV via yota.month@rsgb.org.uk now. Visit rsgb.org/yota-month to find out more. The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. There will also be reduced hours on New Year's Eve when the centre will be closing at 2 pm. Following the seasonal closures, the NRC will also be closed for essential maintenance works on the 2nd of January 2025. Outside of these times, volunteers look forward to welcoming visitors as usual. Remember that RSGB Members can download a free entry voucher for Bletchley Park from the RSGB website via rsgb.org/bpvoucher. Visitors to and from CEPT countries such as the UK can now operate more easily in the Cayman Islands, which has now joined the CEPT T/R 61-01 Reciprocal agreement. This change was agreed at the CEPT meeting last month. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Winter Rally is taking place on Saturday the 23rd of November at St Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden in Rochdale. The usual traders and caterers will be attending. Doors open at 10 am and entry is £3. Plenty of parking will be available. For more information contact the Treasurer and Rally Organiser, Martin Shore, via rally.radars@hotmail.com or call 07587 709006. The Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur's Club Annual Rally is taking place on Sunday the 24th of November at Spennymoor Leisure Centre in County Durham. The usual traders will be attending. Catering, ample parking and disabled facilities will be available. For more information, please visit barac.org.uk The Isle of Man Amateur Radio Society Dinner is at the Creg-ny-Baa on Friday the 29th of November. Tickets are £25. For more information, including details of the menu and how to book, visit iomars.im The Wiltshire Radio Winter Rally is on Sunday the 1st of December at Kington Langley Village Hall in Kington Langley, located just off Junction 17 of the M4. Doors open at 9 am and close at 1 pm. Admission is £3. Indoor tables are £10. Car boot pitches are £10 for a car-size pitch and £15 for a van-size pitch. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on-site. For more information email Chairman@Chippenhamradio.club The Mid-Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair is on Sunday the 8th of December at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation Centre. Doors are open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry is £3 per person and no charge for partners and under 16s. Free parking and Wi-Fi are available, as well as hot food and refreshments. Traders £5 per 6ft frontage with tables supplied. Booking in advance is recommended. Mains electricity is also available on request. Traders, please pre-book as soon as possible. Please contact Phil, G6DLJ via 07990 563147 or email wrg2024@hotmail.com Now the Special Event news A special event callsign 9Y20TATT is active from the 22nd of November until the 29th of November 2024 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio Society. All amateurs are invited to make contact. Limited edition QSL cards will be available, and certificates can be requested by amateurs making at least five unique contacts. Find out more on the event website via 9y20ta.tt Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the formation of Radio Beograd in 1924, members of the Belgrade Amateur Radio Club, YU1ANO in Serbia are active as YT100RB and YU1924RB until the 30th of November. For details of a certificate that is available for contacting these stations see yu1ano.org Special callsign HB50VC is active until the 31st of December to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Swissair Amateur Radio Club, HB9VC. QSOs will be uploaded to the Logbook of the World. QSL cards will not be provided. You can download a certificate for working this special event station from tinyurl.com/HB50VC-24 Now the DX news HC5CW and HC2AP will be active as HC5CW/8 and HD8CW from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands between the 19th and 28th of November. The IOTA reference is SA 004. They will operate on the HF bands, CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via M0OXO or OQRS. The S9Z Team will be active from Sao Tome Island between the 11th and 20th of November. The IOTA reference is AF 023. They will operate on the 160 - 6m bands, CW, SSB, Digital modes, and also EME on 432MHz. The 9L5A Team, who are members of the F6KOP Club, will be active from Sierra Leone between the 27th of November and the 8th of December. They will operate on the 160 - 6m bands and QO-100. QSL via F5GSJ, Logbook of the World or ClubLog OQRS. Now the contest news Tomorrow, Monday the 18th of November, the RSGB FT4 Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using FT4 on the 80m to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is a signal report. On Tuesday, the 19th of November, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday, the 21st of November, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The CQ World Wide DX CW Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 23rd of November and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 24th of November. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. The UK is in Zone 14. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 14th of November. The solar flux index took a downturn this week, ending up at 150. The visible solar disk is looking rather bare compared with a couple of weeks ago. This is the lowest SFI value since the 2nd of May 2024, but it is only a matter of time before we see another sunspot appear as we make our way through solar maximum. The good news is that we have been pretty devoid of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, with only a few M-class flares occurring. Any CMEs were not Earth-directed and so the Kp index stayed low. As a result, the bands are still playing ball. A quick look on 10 metres at 10.00UTC on Thursday the 14th showed the 4X6TU (Israel), OH2B (Finland) and LU4AA (Argentina) International Beacon Project beacons were romping in on 28.200MHz. Going down to 15 metres it was even better, with ZL6B (New Zealand), VK6RBP (Australia) and JA2IGY (Japan) all audible on 21.150MHz. Also, the proton flux from the Sun remains low, which bodes well for polar paths. Next week the Space Weather Prediction Centre forecasts that the solar flux index will rise again, no doubt as new or returning sunspots appear, perhaps putting us into the low 200s. From a geomagnetic perspective, unsettled conditions are forecast for Wednesday, the 20th of November when the Kp index could rise to four. Looking further ahead, fingers crossed for the 23rd and 24th weekend when the CQ Worldwide CW contest takes place! And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO. It was more of the same on 50MHz last week, with what may be a mix of Es and F2-layer propagation producing morning openings in the afternoon to the Gulf States, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. On the higher bands, with the high pressure just hanging on in its colder guise, next week looks distinctly on the wintry side for some areas. The high pressure has, along with its predecessor, given us at least two weeks of Tropo conditions on the VHF bands. The expected change-over to low pressure takes place on Sunday and drives a colder northerly weather pattern down across the UK, even to southern areas. This means that the majority of next week is a good time to look for rain scatter. Regarding meteor scatter, the peak of the Leonids occurs today, the 17th of November, with rates of 15-20 per hour. Also, occasional peaks of the Kp index above four should tempt us to beam north for chance aurora openings. As usual, check the VHF beacons and clusters for signs of activity during the afternoon and evenings when the auroral oval is displaced southwards nearer to our part of the world. It's a good week for EME operators, the Moon reaches peak declination on Monday morning, but path losses are rising as we have passed perigee on Thursday the 14th. 144MHz sky noise is moderate, reaching 500 Kelvin on Sunday night. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

  GB2RS News Sunday the 10th of November The news headlines: The RSGB launches its 2025 Construction Competition The RSGB Contest Club needs volunteers for the second World Wide Award event Watch more great content from the RSGB 2024 Convention The RSGB has launched its Construction Competition for 2025. Entries to this annual competition will again be judged online to allow RSGB members from the UK and across the world to participate and demonstrate their creativity. In line with the Society's strategic priority of growth, there will be a new Outreach category this year in which members are encouraged to submit a project that can be reproduced in a school or public environment. The other five categories are beginners, construction excellence, innovation, software and antennas. A cash prize will be awarded to the winner of each section, with a bonus for the overall winner, who will also be declared the recipient of the Pat Hawker G3VA Award. The winner of the beginner category will also receive the Gavin Nesbitt, MM1BXF trophy. The results of the competition will be announced during the 2025 RSGB Annual General Meeting in April. For full details of the competition and how to enter, visit the RSGB website at rsgb.org/construction-competition The RSGB Contest Club is excited to announce that the second World Wide Award event will be taking place in January 2025 and it is looking for volunteers to take part. Last year's event included 28 RSGB members who made more than 109,000 contacts. The Society's Contest Club has confirmed there are currently special activator stations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, if volunteers from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man would like to participate then further callsigns can be added. QSOs can be made using SSB, CW, and digital modes. To be involved you will need to be an RSGB member and hold a Full Licence. To find out more about the event search ‘RSGB Contest Club' on the RSGB website and scroll down to the section titled World Wide Award 2025. Then email contestclub@rsgbcc.org  to register your interest. The Society has released some more great content from its recent Annual Convention. In its ‘Discussion with the Board' session, the RSGB Board outlined progress with the strategic priorities and answered questions from Convention attendees about the strategy and a range of other topics. The session wasn't on the live stream, but you can see it now on the RSGB YouTube channel. On the Friday night of the Convention, the RSGB Comms Manager asked people in the bar if they had tried anything new in amateur radio during the last year. You can hear their answers in the latest Convention Chat video. What would your answer be? You can watch both videos in the RSGB 2024 Convention playlist at youtube.com/theRSGB The 19th International Amateur Radio Union Region 3 Conference was hosted by the Thailand National Society in Bangkok and concluded on Friday the 7th of November. The hybrid event saw the RSGB attending online, which included accounting for a seven-hour time zone difference. The Conference was opened on Monday the 4th of November by national and international dignitaries. Numerous papers and reports were considered including the latest proposals for a global 40m band plan, emergency communications reports, as well as modernisation of its organisation. The region which covers Asia-Pacific countries has also started its work for the next World Radio Conference in 2027. You can view papers from the event by visiting tinyurl.com/IARUR3 Ofcom has agreed to the RSGB request to extend the 146/147MHz NoV for a further year. It is available on a non-interference basis and the NoV is subject to a 30-day notice period of change or withdrawal. Full licence holders can apply for the 146/147MHz NoV on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/nov Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, also known as ARISS, will be conducting Slow Scan TV operations from the International Space Station between the 11th and 18th of November. There will be 12 images to catch during the week-long experiment, which will be on the theme of the 40th anniversary of amateur radio in human spaceflight. Find out more by visiting the ARISS social media pages or via ariss.org Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Winter Rally is taking place on Saturday the 23rd of November at St Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden in Rochdale. The usual traders and caterers will be attending. Doors open at 10 am and entry is £3. Plenty of parking will be available. For more information contact the Treasurer and Rally Organiser, Martin Shore, via rally.radars@hotmail.com or call 07587 709006. The Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur's Club Annual Rally is taking place on Sunday the 24th of November at Spennymoor Leisure Centre in County Durham. The usual traders will be attending. Catering, ample parking and disabled facilities will be available. For more information, please visit barac.org.uk The Wiltshire Radio Winter Rally is on Sunday the 1st of December at Kington Langley Village Hall in Kington Langley, located just off Junction 17 of the M4. Doors open at 9 am and close at 1 pm. Admission is £3. Indoor tables are £10. Car boot pitches are £10 for a car-size pitch and £15 for a van-size pitch. Hot and cold refreshments will be available on-site. For more information email Chairman@Chippenhamradio.club Now the Special Event news George, MM0JNL is active as GB0GTS until the 18th of November to raise awareness of homeless military veterans in association with The Great Tommy Sleepout organised by The Royal British Legion Industries. The station will be operating on the 80 to 10m bands using SSB. There may also be some activity on the 2m band. George will operate at least one full night outside as part of the Great Tommy Sleepout. More details are available at QRZ.com Special callsign GB200LB will be active from the 4th to the 31st of January 2025 to celebrate the bicentenary of the invention of the Braille code. More information to follow. Now the DX news Maurizio, IK2GZU is active as 5H3MB from Tanzania until the 11th of November while doing volunteer work at a local school. In his spare time, he will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World, eQSL or direct via IK2GZU. A team of operators is active as XT2MD from Burkina Faso until the 11th of November. They will operate on HF bands and EME. QSL via IK2VUC, bureau or direct. VK9CV is active from Cocos in the Keeling Islands until the 15th of November. The group will operate using CW, SSB, FT8, RTTY and QO-100 on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via OK6DJ and Logbook of the World. HC5CW and HC2AP will be active as HC5CW/8 and HD8CW from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands between the 19th and 28th of November. The IOTA reference is SA 004. They will operate on the HF bands, CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via M0OXO or OQRS. Now the contest news The Worked All Europe DX RTTY Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 9th of November and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 10th of November. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 12th of November the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 12th of November is the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest which runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 13th of November the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also, on Wednesday the 13th is the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour contest which runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The RSGB 80m Autumn Series SSB Contest runs on Wednesday the 13th of November from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band only, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 14th of November, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB Second 1.8MHz Contest runs from 2000UTC to 2300UTC on Saturday the 16th of November. Using CW on the 1.8MHz band only, the exchange is a signal report, serial number and district code. A list of the district codes is available on the RSGB Contest Committee website via rsgbcc.org.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 7th of November. We had another week of high solar flux and good conditions on HF. Solar activity remained at high levels thanks to an impulsive X2.3 solar flare around active region 3883 at 13:40 UTC on the 6th of November, but the event was not responsible for a coronal mass ejection (CME). The Kp index remained below 4.5 all week, with a solar flux index in the range of 240-260. That was more than enough to keep the ionosphere very active. A recent report on spaceweather.com  suggested that the solar cycle may have peaked in the Sun's southern hemisphere but may still have a way to go in its northern hemisphere. It's usual for there to be two peaks in a solar cycle as the two hemispheres are seldom synchronised. We will have to wait and see, but it could mean another three to six months of high SFI numbers as the northern hemisphere catches up. A solar filament located in the southwest quadrant erupted on the 7th of November. A coronal mass ejection, or CME as it is also known, occurred but appeared to be off the Sun-Earth line, so no major impacts are expected. A sunspot group turning into view from off the southeastern limb has been assigned active region 3889 and is producing M-class solar flares. The probability of further M-class flares stands at 80%. Meanwhile, the risk of an X-class flare currently stands at 35%. A coronal hole is currently Earth-facing and could cause some disruption sometime around Saturday 9th. The solar proton flux has decreased to normal levels, so polar paths should now be unaffected. Next week, NOAA predicts that the SFI could decline into the range of 165-185. Geomagnetic disturbances are forecast for the 11th and 12th, and again on the 15th, with the Kp index predicted to reach four. Meanwhile, we do urge you to get on 10 metres, which is currently experiencing some fine DX openings. This month and next will probably give the best chance of good 10-metre propagation for a while.  And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO Another week has just passed with daily F2-layer propagation on 50MHz providing morning openings to Southeast Asia, and the Americas in the afternoon. Expect more in the coming week.  The current spell of high pressure has had a good run with some excellent Tropo conditions, with the best DX along the side of the high pressure. This weekend will see the high finally giving way as weak Atlantic fronts move in from the west. This will soon be replaced by a new high building in the colder air behind the weekend fronts. It may look like Tropo should come back, but this high may be less productive. The major change of weather pattern comes before mid-week, when it may turn more unsettled as low pressure moves closer to eastern areas from the North Sea. This general move towards more unsettled conditions will continue through the end of the week. In terms of propagation, good Tropo will be replaced by some patchy rain scatter opportunities for the GHz bands from about the middle of next week. Staying with scatter modes, meteor scatter looks promising with the Taurids peaking on Tuesday the 12th and the Leonids due to peak on the following weekend on Sunday the 17th. The solar conditions continue to offer chance occurrences of aurora due to solar flares or CMEs so, as usual, keep a watch on the Kp index going above Kp=4. An occasional reminder of the possibility of out-of-season Es for the digital modes is timely. Recently the critical frequency of the Es layer has reached 7MHz on the Dourbes ionosonde plotted on www.propquest.co.uk  and in theory, this would be good enough for a 6m band path. For EME operators, Moon declination is negative but rising, going positive again on Tuesday the 12th. Path losses are falling as we approach perigee next Thursday the 14th. 144MHz sky noise is moderate to low this coming week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 3rd of November   The news headlines: RSGB President honoured by RAYNET-UK Watch the RSGB November Tonight@8 live webinar Encourage youngsters to get on the air during December At the recent RAYNET-UK AGM, the Brian Tindill Shield was awarded to RSGB President John McCullagh MBE, GI4BWM for his outstanding contribution to amateur radio and RAYNET in Northern Ireland. It highlighted in particular his outstanding contribution to providing emergency radio coverage during his voluntary service with RAYNET. The latest RSGB Tonight@8 webinar is tomorrow, Monday the 4th of November. Mike Griffiths will present ‘Listening to the Enemy' which looks at the experience of Scouser Harry Griffiths, G2DFH and his move to the St Erth receiving station in Cornwall. Like many other radio amateurs, Harry was drafted into the military during World War II specifically for his radio skills. During this live presentation, Mike will look at what Harry's experience was like as he started to work for MI6 and the mysterious Radio Security Service. Watch this interesting webinar live 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 Youngsters on the Air month is fast approaching and the RSGB would love you to take part in this annual event. Special callsign GB24YOTA will be active throughout December. Whether you are an individual, club, school or social group, this is a fantastic opportunity to host the callsign to get youngsters active on the amateur bands. The Society would love to see scouts, guides and cadet groups taking part too. Follow the lead of the two new RSGB Youth Champions and register now. Look for GB24YOTA on QRZ.com to check availability and then visit rsgb.org/yota-month  to find out how to secure your slot. Operating slots get booked up quickly, so don't delay. The Society is aiming to have the callsign hosted every day during December this year to enable more youngsters to have a taste of amateur radio, so be part of this great goal! The Society is currently looking to recruit an RSGB member to be the Company Secretary. This volunteer position plays a key role in the Society's governance and provides vital support in running Board meetings and the Annual General Meeting. Stephen Purser, GW4SHF took on the role temporarily after the previous Company Secretary stepped down. The Board is grateful to Stephen for stepping in at short notice last year and is keen to find a good candidate to take the role forward. If you feel you have the necessary skills to fulfil this important role, would like more information or to discuss what is required, please email gm.dept@rsgb.org.uk  in the first instance. The Board Chair will then contact you for a chat. If you email to apply for the position, please include a current CV. In line with all volunteer roles, the Board welcomes applications from people with diverse backgrounds. For full information please go to rsgb.org/volunteers Jamboree on the Air, or JOTA as it is also known, was very busy with large numbers of stations and callsigns active across the weekend. The RSGB would like to thank everyone who contacted the Society with details of their stations so they could be added to the RSGB website. It was great to see so many local clubs and societies, as well as individual radio amateurs, working with scouting groups to deliver a brilliant event for scouts across the country. Don't forget that there will be a report on JOTA in RadCom. If you'd like to be included, please send details and photos from your event to radcom@rsgb.org.uk by the 15th of November. If you have ever considered progressing your licence from Foundation to Intermediate, the Bath Based Distance Learning team has a great track record with passes well above the national average. The next Intermediate level course will run from January to May 2025. To take part in the course, all applicants must complete some pre-course work using BBDL systems. The closing date for applications is the 6th of December 2024. The team will also be running a Full licence course starting in August 2025. For further information on either of these please contact Steve, G0FUW via g0fuw@bbdl.org.uk Do you have some spare time to support fellow radio amateurs? Are you passionate about the future of amateur radio? Do you support the work of the RSGB? The Society currently has several volunteer vacancies within the Regional Team and would love to hear from you if you'd like to fill one of the roles. This week the RSGB is highlighting two vacancies in Region 9 for District Representatives to cover Oxfordshire and West London. If you live in one of those areas and are interested in getting involved, please contact the Region 9 Representative Ron White, G6LTT via rr9@rsgb.org.uk  If you live in a different part of the country you can see all the other Regional Team vacancies on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/volunteers The 19th International Amateur Radio Union Region 3 Conference is being held in Bangkok, Thailand, from the 4th to the 8th of November. The RSGB will join the conference remotely, represented by Spectrum Forum Chair, Murray Niman, G6JYB. There will be a special event station in operation from the conference using the call sign HS19IARU. For more information go online and search for “IARU Region 3 Conference 2024”. The ARRL has awarded a Special Recognition to the team representing the IARU at the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference in 2023. The ARRL extended its appreciation to the team and said that their outstanding contribution and results have benefited the amateur radio service worldwide. The team includes RSGB Microwave Manager Barry Lewis, G4SJH and RSGB Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Holsworthy Radio Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 3rd of November at Holsworthy Leisure Centre, Well Park, Western Road, Holsworthy in Devon. There are traders, a bring-and-buy area and catering. The venue has disabled access, free parking and entry is £3 per person. The doors open to traders from 8am and to the public from 10am. For more information email Chris, M0KNF at boltonbicycles@gmail.com The Twelfth Scottish Microwave Round Table GMRT will be on Saturday the 9th of November 2024 at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland in Fife. Lunch will be provided, and an optional dinner will be held in the evening at a local hotel. Online booking is available via the GMRT website at gmroundtable.org.uk or by email to Colin, GM4HWO at gm4hwo@gmail.com  Now the Special Event news George, MM0JNL is active as GB0GTS until the 18th of November to raise awareness of homeless military veterans in association with The Great Tommy Sleepout organised by The Royal British Legion Industries. The station will be operating on the 80 to 10m bands using SSB. There may also be some activity on the 2m band. George will operate at least one full night ‘roughing it' outside as part of the Great Tommy Sleepout. More details are available at QRZ.com Special callsign GB200LB will be active from the 4th to the 31st of January 2025 to celebrate the bicentenary of the invention of the Braille code. More information to follow. Now the DX news Maurizio, IK2GZU is active as 5H3MB from Tanzania until the 11th of November while doing volunteer work at a local school. In his spare time, he will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World, eQSL, or via IK2GZU. Now the contest news The RSGB 144MHz CW Marconi Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 2nd of November and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 3rd of November. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The International Police Association Radio Club invites all radio amateurs around the world to take part in its contest which takes place every year on the first complete weekend in November. This year, the CW section occurred on Saturday the 2nd of November from 0600 to 1800UTC. The SSB section takes place today Sunday the 3rd of November from 0600 to 1800UTC. More information about the contest and the award programme are available at iparc.de Tomorrow, Monday the 4th of November, the RSGB 80m Autumn Series DATA Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m band only, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday, the 5th of November, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 5th of November, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 6th of November, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 6th of November is the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour contest which runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Wednesday the 6th of November the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The Worked All Europe DX RTTY Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 9th of November, and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 10th of November. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday 31 October 2024. Last weekend's CQWW SSB contest showed just how good autumnal HF conditions can be. Many contestants worked more than 100 countries or DX entities on each and every HF band. With a solar flux index of 238 on Saturday and 246 on Sunday, plus low Kp indices all weekend, it was about as good as it could get. There were two three-hour periods where the Kp index hit four and 4.33, but it was otherwise in the ones and twos. An X-class solar flare occurred on Saturday the 26th at around 07:15 hrs UTC, but this had little effect and the MUF over a 3,000km path was back above 28MHz quite quickly. The rest of the week saw numerous M-class and C-class solar flares occur and a Kp index that did get up to four at times, but once again the MUF remained above 28MHz during daylight for most of the time. Interestingly, there have been times when the critical frequency over the UK has hit 14MHz, making 20m almost a local chat band via Near Vertical Incidence Sky Wave or NVIS communications! These openings may be short-lived so make the most of them should they occur. Nighttime critical frequencies have generally been around 4.5-6MHz, meaning a MUF over a 3,000km path over 14MHz in the first half of the night and around 10-12MHz in the second half. The solar proton flux has been above the 10MeV warning threshold but is now falling as of Thursday 31st. This may improve signals that pass through the polar regions, such as the UK to the far west of Canada and Alaska, and the UK to Japan. Next week NOAA predicts that the SFI will start at around 240, but perhaps fall to around 195-200 as the week progresses. ESA predicts that the solar wind speed could increase around November 4th and could cause disruption. As always, we are at the mercy of solar flares and CMEs, which could disrupt HF propagation, so we recommend keeping an eye on solarham.com for daily updates.  And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The Autumn Equinox period continued to bring F2-layer propagation to 50MHz with almost daily morning openings to VK and JA and afternoon openings to the Americas for some. Stations in the far South and West of the island were favoured. Side scatter in the Indian Ocean brought the JAs on a 90-degree beam heading, an effect noted at previous sunspot maxima. The autumn is typically a time for quiet settled weather, a season of mist, and this is where we are going for the period through to the end of next week. It's worth a couple of reminders of how it all works since, although it's likely to be pretty much the same ‘big picture' of dominant high pressure, there will be subtle differences. Firstly, there are two types of high pressure; one that builds in warm air and the other in cold air. The warm air version is the current offering, and this means quite cloudy conditions at times with moist air below the temperature inversion and very dry air above the inversion. Second, the quality of the ducting is determined by the change of the refractive index across the inversion and a large part of the refractive index change comes from a contrast of moisture, so signs of cloud and/or fog moisture are good omens for a lift. We may swap over to a cold air high later next week, which could lessen the Tropo quality. Meteor scatter prospects are on hold pending the Leonids meteor shower, which peaks mid-November. A dominant high pressure means that rain scatter is not likely to be a big player for the GHz bands next week. There is a possible heads-up for aurora since the solar conditions still offer chances for the Kp index to rise – anything over Kp=4 is worth a longer look – and don't forget that ‘watery' signals on the lower HF bands such as 40m and 80m are also a good sign. For EME operators, Moon declination reaches a minimum (that is, maximum negative declination) next Tuesday when the Moon only reaches nine degrees peak elevation and is only above the horizon for six hours between 1200 and 1800hrs. Path losses, on the other hand, are falling all week. 144MHz sky noise is moderate to high, peaking at more than 3,000 Kelvin on Tuesday the 5th before dropping back to moderate levels. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 27th of October The news headlines: The RSGB releases a snapshot video of the exciting Girlguiding ISS contact You can listen to the Chair of the RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee on the latest episode of the ICQ podcast The RSGB has begun releasing presentations from its 2024 Convention On the 5th of October, in her first official engagement as Girlguiding Patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh joined 100 excited Brownies, Guides and Rangers in making a live amateur radio contact with the International Space Station. The event was organised by The Radio Society of Great Britain and Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS as it is usually known, in collaboration with the UK Space Agency, Girlguiding Surrey West and Brooklands Museum's Innovation Academy programme. The aim was to promote the engagement and involvement of girls and young women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Everyone had a fantastic day and after the contact, the girls enjoyed a variety of STEM activities including making Snail Morse keys, playing Morse battleships, learning about the CubeSat Simulator and making stomp rockets. The RSGB has created a short video snapshot of the day which you can see on its YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB – take a look! The latest episode of the ICQ Podcast is available to listen to online and features RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Chair, Steve Nichols, G0KYA. During episode 441 Martin Butler, M1MRB talks to Steve about propagation and how the sunspot cycle has taken off to impact conditions positively. They also discuss Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, which is also known as HamSCI, a collective that enables university researchers to collaborate with radio amateurs in scientific investigations. To access the interview, select episode 441 at icqpodcast.com and listen from 1 hour and 35 minutes. The RSGB 2024 Convention weekend brought together hundreds in person and thousands via the livestreams. As well as the ‘Convention in a nutshell' video released last week, the Society has now published two of the main presentations. The first is the keynote speech about the future of amateur radio licensing and education by Rafal Lukawiecki, EI6LA. The second looks at inspiring the next generation by the RSGB's two new Youth Champions Chris Aitken, MM0WIC and Rhys Williams, M0WGY. You will find both presentations, as well as the full two days of live stream content, in the RSGB 2024 Convention playlist on the Society's YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel so you don't miss additional presentations when they're published. There is also still time to share your feedback about the in-person event or the live stream, but the feedback forms will close at the end of this month. Head over to rsgb.org/feedback if you attended the event, or rsgb.org/livestream-feedback if you watched via the livestream. Let the team know what you enjoyed! If you are thinking of taking an amateur radio exam before Christmas, there are two important dates you need to be aware of. The last date you can take an exam at a club, whether online or on paper, is Friday the 13th of December. If you want to take an exam online at home, the last date you can do that is Friday the 20th of December. The RSGB Exams Team will, where possible, post-out exam results before HQ shuts over Christmas and New Year. Exams will resume on Monday the 6th of January 2025 and the booking system will be available over the festive season so you can book exams for January onwards. You can book online on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/exampay On Friday the 18th of October the RSGB, Mill Hill School and a team of radio amateurs in New Zealand took part in a special celebration to mark the centenary of the first successful two-way trans-global communication between radio amateurs in the UK and New Zealand. The original contact between Frank Bell, 4AA in New Zealand and Cecil Goyder, 2SZ in Mill Hill School in North London was re-enacted at the school on a wavelength as close as possible to the original. Members of Goyder's family watched the re-enactment and chatted to pupils. As part of wider celebrations for the day, the school put on activities including a build-a-radio workshop. Students at the school showed significant interest in amateur radio, with several students signing up to be part of a new radio club that will be set up by the school's physics teacher. The overall event was led by RSGB Life Vice-President Don Beattie, G3BJ who said that he was delighted by the success of the event and that it had allowed pupils to learn how ground-breaking that first radio contact was with New Zealand. Call sign G2SZ was operational for four days surrounding the centenary, during which operators achieved approximately 1,250 contacts. To find out more about this unique celebration go to www.gb2nz.com and search for ‘GB2NZ re-enactment' on the RSGB website. The Memorial Day QSO Party is an activity providing participants with an opportunity to honour amateur radio operators who are now Silent Key. The event is being sponsored and managed by the First Class CW Operators' Club and is open to all licensed amateurs. The event begins at 0900UTC on the 1st of November 2024 and ends at 0859UTC on the 2nd of November. More information is available at g4foc.org or by emailing mdqp@g4foc.org or michelecarlone@yahoo.it Ofcom has notified stakeholders that the next release of its licensing service will be delayed due to issues that have arisen during software development. According to the Ofcom website, the delays have impacted Phases 2 and 3 of the planned changes to the amateur radio licensing framework. Phase 2 includes changes to new Intermediate callsigns, special event station rules and restrictions on the number of callsigns an individual may hold. Revised plans are expected to be published soon. You can read the update on the Ofcom website via tinyurl.com/OFCOMOCT24 Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Galashiels Rally is taking place today, the 27th of October at the Volunteer Hall, St Johns Street, Galashiels, TD1 3JX. The doors will be open from 11 am. The admission fee is £3 and there will be refreshments, traders and a bring-and-buy area to enjoy. For more information contact rallyqueries@galaradioclub.co.uk or visit galaradioclub.co.uk The Holsworthy Radio Rally will be taking place on Sunday the 3rd of November at Holsworthy Leisure Centre, Well Park, Western Road, Holsworthy in Devon. There will be traders, a bring-and-buy area and catering. The venue has disabled access, free parking and entry will be £3 per person. The doors will be open to traders from 8 am and to the public from 10 am. For more information email Chris, M0KNF at boltonbicycles@gmail.com The Twelfth Scottish Microwave Round Table GMRT will be going ahead on Saturday the 9th of November 2024 at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland in Fife. Lunch will be provided, and an optional dinner will be held in the evening at a local hotel. Online booking is available via the GMRT website at gmroundtable.org.uk or by email to Colin, GM4HWO at gm4hwo@gmail.com  Now the Special Event news George, MM0JNL is active as GB0GTS until the 18th of November to raise awareness of homeless military veterans in association with The Great Tommy Sleepout organised by The Royal British Legion Industries. The station will be operating on the 80 to 10m bands using SSB. There may also be some activity on the 2m band. George will operate at least one full night ‘roughing it' outside as part of the Great Tommy Sleepout. More details are available at QRZ.com Special callsign SX80FF will be used from various locations, including Crete as SV9/SX80FF until the 31st of October. The purpose of the activity is to honour the 80 fallen Greek firefighters and aerial firefighting crews who lost their lives in the line of duty. The station was spotted recently on the 60m band using FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL and QRZ.com logbook. Paper QSL cards will not be available. Now the DX news A team of operators is active as YJ0VV from Efate, OC-035, Vanuatu until the 29th of October. The team is operating SSB, CW and digital modes on the 160 to 6m bands with two high-power stations and a selection of seven antennas. QSL via K4NHW directly or via the Bureau. QSOs will be uploaded to Clublog and Logbook of the World. Maurizio, IK2GZU is active as 5H3MB from Tanzania until the 11th of November while doing volunteer work at a local school. In his spare time, he will operate SSB, CW and digital modes on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World, eQSL, or  via IK2GZU. Now the contest news The CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 26th and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 27th of October. Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. The UK is in Zone 14.  Tomorrow, the 28th, the RSGB FT4 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 30th, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100 UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The RSGB 144MHz CW Marconi Contest starts at 1400 UTC on Saturday the 2nd and ends at 1400 UTC on Sunday the 3rd Of November. Using CW on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The International Police Association Radio Club invites all radio amateurs around the world to take part in its contest which takes place every year on the first complete weekend in November. This year, the CW section will take place on Saturday the 2nd of November from 0600 to 1800 UTC. The SSB section will take place on Sunday the 3rd of November from 0600 to 1800 UTC. More information about the contest and the award programme are available at iparc.de  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 24th of October 2024 Last week's solar conditions couldn't have been much better. We had a week of high solar flux indices, relatively calm geomagnetic conditions and, other than an X-class solar flare, not much else to report. The solar flare originated from active region 3869 and reached a strong X3.3 in the early hours of October 24th. This event was associated with a coronal mass ejection, or CME, based on solar dimming following the event, but because the flare location was located off the east limb, it was directed mostly away from Earth. Once again, all the sunspots are in the southern hemisphere, but activity appears to be growing. This could spell trouble over the next week. This weekend, the 26th and 27th, the CQ Worldwide SSB contest is taking place and conditions should be excellent, with a combination of high solar flux and autumnal HF conditions. Maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs, are generally higher than 28MHz from dawn until dusk. Nighttime MUFs over 3,000km are still just above 14MHz, although you might get better results by dropping down to 10MHz if the 20m band doesn't work for you. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may rise again, perhaps hitting 185 as we enter November. However, this current bunch of sunspots, which are rotating to be Earth-directed next week, appear more active and we could see more solar flares and CMEs, which could throw a spanner in the works. A solar flare could impact the ionosphere by increasing D-layer absorption, for up to an hour or so, and possibly launch a coronal mass ejection. If a CME hits the Earth, expect the MUF to plummet, at least for a day or two until the ionosphere recovers. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The Autumn Equinox period brought some amazing ionospheric propagation to 50MHz on Thursday last week with stations in the UK working morning paths to VK, JA, DS and XV among others. Typically for 50MHz DX, the skip zones were sharp and moved rapidly. Stations even a few kilometres apart experienced very different signals and paths. Those with a low noise floor had a huge advantage as signals were generally weak in the UK and only good for FT8. However, some reports of a VK station at +5 bucked this trend. Next week will offer some reasonable Tropo conditions, although not without some occasional interruptions from weak frontal systems, especially in the far southwest and the far northwest of Britain. It's not clear if these represent good rain scatter options, but they are more likely to temporarily curtail any Tropo for a while. The solar conditions continue to feed the occasional aurora alert our way, so it's always good to monitor the Kp index for signs of it increasing above 4. It won't always go on to produce a radio aurora, but it's worth keeping an eye on things. The meteor scatter prospects continue to be elevated by the decline of the Orionids, which peaked on Tuesday the 22nd, and the Taurids, which are a very low-rate shower, but technically cover a broad period into December. The Leonids are the next major shower, but that doesn't peak until mid-November. Lastly, looking at the out-of-season Sporadic-E prospects, there are always days with minor enhancements of the critical frequency of the Sporadic-E layer, as shown on the propquest.co.uk graphs. Certainly, there are stronger jet streams available in the autumn and winter, but other elements of Sporadic-E are not so favourable. It's usually a very marginal outcome at best, but good enough for the 10 or 6m bands and mostly for digital modes such as FT8.  It could well be that trans-equatorial propagation, or TEP, is a more fruitful venture. For EME operators, Moon declination is positive, but falling, going negative on Tuesday the 29th. Path losses are rising, reaching a maximum at apogee on the morning of Wednesday the 30th. 144MHz sky noise is low until Friday the 1st of November when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 20th of October The news headlines: The RSGB welcomes your feedback on its 2024 Convention Today is the last chance to get involved with JOTA 2024 The RSGB is looking for Youth Champions The RSGB's 2024 Convention took place last weekend and brought together hundreds in person, as well as many more from across the globe who watched via the livestream. The Society is already receiving an overwhelming amount of positive feedback, but if you did attend the Convention and haven't yet completed the feedback form, please go to rsgb.org/feedback and share your thoughts. If you watched the livestream the Society would also love to hear your feedback. Please visit rsgb.org/livestream-feedback and let the team know what you think of the online event. The feedback forms will be closed at the end of October. The live streams for both days will remain available for everyone to watch, so if you'd like to catch up on the selection of presentations that were aired, go to the RSGB website and search for ‘Convention 2024 Livestream'. As well as talks from the weekend, you'll find exclusive special interviews and pre-recorded videos. Today, the 20th, is the last day of Jamboree on the Air, also known as JOTA. The event promotes friendship and global citizenship and is a brilliant celebration of amateur radio among the Scout Association. The Society has compiled a list of Scouting groups that are involved with the annual event and has shared it on its website. The list is available by going to rsgb.org/jota and choosing the ‘JOTA Stations on the Air' link on the right hand side of the page. The RSGB would love to see your photos of Scouts getting involved with JOTA, so tag @theRSGB and also use #JOTAJOTI to be involved in the conversation on social media. If you're not involved with a JOTA station do listen out and encourage the young operators on the air. There will be a report in RadCom so please send details and photos from your event to radcom@rsgb.org.uk by the 15th of November. Following the recent appointment of two Youth Champions for schools and universities, the RSGB is keen to expand the team. The Society is looking for a Youth Champion for scouts, guides and cadets, and another to lead activities and create resources to support young people once they have gained their Foundation licence, motivating them to try new things within amateur radio. The four Youth Champions will work closely as a team, as well as with the RSGB Board Liaison, Ben Lloyd, GW4BML and the RSGB Outreach Team. Together, the Youth Champions will also create a youth team and run a net or sked to involve all youngsters. Do you have what it takes to engage with young people and support them on their amateur radio journey? Another part of each Youth Champion's role is to give input and support for current activities, such as promoting and participating in Youngsters on the Air Month each December. If you are proactive, experienced at managing your own time efficiently, a good leader who can build relationships and mentor young people, and you are passionate about growing the number of young people involved in amateur radio, then one of these roles could be for you! Take a look at the youth activities on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/youth and see some of the great things that are happening already. If you're interested in being part of the team, contact Youth Board Liaison Ben Lloyd, GW4BML via gw4bml@rsgb.org.uk The date has been confirmed for the Twelfth Scottish Microwave Round Table GMRT. It will be going ahead on Saturday the 9th of November 2024 at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland in Fife. Lunch will be provided, and an optional dinner will be held in the evening at a local hotel. The programme is now confirmed and, at the moment, 43 people have booked to attend the event. There are only 7 places left so please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Online booking is available via the GMRT website at gmroundtable.org.uk or by email to Colin, GM4HWO at gm4hwo@gmail.com  Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events Part 2 of the British Amateur Television Club Convention for Amateur TV 2024, also known as CAT 24, is taking place on Saturday the 26th of October. The online event will run from 10 am until 3 pm and will feature talks about ATV-related topics. For more information visit batc.org.uk/live Carrickfergus Amateur Radio Group's Rally is also taking place on Saturday the 26th of October at Elim Pentecostal Church, North Road, Carrickfergus. The doors will be open from 11.30 am and refreshments will be available. More information, including contact details, is available on the Group's Facebook page. The next Essex CW Boot Camp is scheduled to go ahead on Saturday the 26th of October. The event is an opportunity to meet your friends and enjoy a day of CW activities, tea, coffee and cakes. If you are interested in attending and have not yet registered, email info@essexcw.org.uk For more information about the event visit essexcw.uk The Galashiels Rally is taking place on Sunday the 27th of October at the Volunteer Hall, St Johns Street, Galashiels, TD1 3JX. The doors will be open from 11 am. The admission fee is £3 and there will be refreshments, traders and a bring-and-buy area to enjoy. For more information contact rallyqueries@galaradioclub.co.uk or visit galaradioclub.co.uk Now the Special Event news Special event station PF16F is active to say farewell to the F-16 fighter aircraft, or Fighting Falcon. After 45 years of service, from 1979 to 2024, the F-16 will retire from the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Members of Radio Club Limburg will be operating the callsign until the 30th of November 2024 and hope to work as many amateur radio operators across the world as possible. For more information about the station visit rclb.nl/pf16f As part of the celebrations to mark the centenary of the world's first trans-global two-way radio communication, special callsign GB2ZL has been active at times from the UK. This is in addition to the main UK activity from GB2NZ, G2SZ and others. On Tuesday the 15th of October, the GB2ZL station, operated by Chris GM3WOJ from near Inverness, made a remarkable QSO with the ZL4AA team located just North of Dunedin. The ZL4AA station was operated by Dave ZL4DK, Mike ZL4OL and Stephen ZL4BN. This QSO, on the 40m band, long path at 0721UTC, was made using CW. 559 reports were exchanged each way and the operators at both ends were thrilled to make the contact. At each end of the QSO was an 80-year-old all-valve military transceiver from New Zealand, the iconic ZC1. These radios date from 1944, just 20 years after the first UK to New Zealand QSO. For more information about the station and the ZC1 transceiver visit the GB2ZL page at QRZ.com Sylvia, OE5YYN is active as OE20SOTA until the 31st of October to mark the 20th anniversary of Austria joining the Summits on the Air programme. Details of a certificate that is available for working the station are available at QRZ.com Now the DX news Harold, DF2WO is active as 9X2AW from Rwanda until the 22nd of October. He is operating using CW, FT4 and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands. You might also catch Harold operating via the QO-100 satellite. When possible, he also hopes to be QRV on the 6m band. QSL via OQRS. Stephane, F5UOW is active as FR/F5UOW from Reunion Island, AF-016, until the 28th of October. He is operating using CW only on the 17 to 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World only. Now the contest news The Worked All Germany Contest started at 1500UTC on Saturday the 19th and ends at 1500UTC today, the 20th of October. Using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Today the 20th, the RSGB 50MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 22nd, the RSGB SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 24th, the RSGB Autumn Series SSB Contest runs from 1900 to 2030 UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday the 26th and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday the 27th of October. Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. The UK is in Zone 14.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 17th of October 2024 The past week has been characterised by a low geomagnetic Kp index and excellent conditions on HF, including the 10m band. With a solar flux index between 168 and 195, and a Kp index that never rose above 4, conditions have been better than the previous week, which suffered from the bad effects of solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This came as NASA, NOAA and the International Solar Cycle Prediction Panel announced that the Sun has reached its solar maximum period, which should continue for the next year. The announcement was not unexpected, and the exact period of maximum activity won't be known for some time. But it was a wake-up call for radio amateurs to get on the bands and make the most of the conditions! NOAA anticipates additional solar and geomagnetic storms during the current solar maximum period and during the declining phase of the solar cycle. The solar flux index fell from its 200-plus highs to be in the 160 to 195 range last week. But this was still more than enough to keep the ionosphere running. Maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path have been consistently over 28MHz during daylight, falling to around 11MHz overnight. Next week, the Space Weather Prediction Centre thinks the solar flux index will rise into the 200s again, but we may also get some geomagnetic disturbances, namely on the 22nd and 23rd when the Kp index might rise to around 4. Meanwhile, October can be one of the best months for HF propagation with good 10m band openings to Australasia in the morning and North and South America in the afternoon. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current unsettled spell of weather seems likely to continue into next week and is not atypical at this time of year. We should expect a more changeable pattern around the autumn as the main polar front jet stream migrates south across the UK into its winter state over the Mediterranean. That said, there may well be some brief interludes when the extended region of high pressure across Europe influences conditions over the British Isles, more specifically the southeastern corner. This is shown by some models around midweek for potential Tropo from southeastern England into the continent or across the North Sea to northern Europe and southern Scandinavia. The obvious mode to result from this unsettled weather will be rain scatter and it is probable that the GHz bands will enjoy this period of weather. Meteor scatter in October has a few showers to maintain interest. The Orionids and the Taurids are both active during the coming week. In fact, the Orionids, associated with the comet Halley, peak on Monday and Tuesday. Just a final note about Sporadic-E, which is ‘out of season'. Remember that there are no ‘zero Sporadic-E months' and recent indications have tended to show the response of raised critical frequencies of the Sporadic-E layer occurring around the middle of the day on the propquest.co.uk NVIS graphs. You may also see peaks earlier in the day around dawn, which is the peak time for meteor input. Beware, it is easy to get hooked on out-of-season Sporadic-E hunting! For EME operators, Moon declination is positive and rising. Path losses are rising again after the perigee on Thursday the 17th. So, we have increasing peak Moon elevations and longer Moon windows until Tuesday the 22nd. 144MHz sky noise is low to moderate for the rest of the week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 13th of October The news headlines: The RSGB 2024 Convention is taking place this weekend Two new volunteer Youth Champions have been appointed by the RSGB Celebrations are underway to mark the first trans-global two-way radio communication The RSGB Convention has been in full swing this weekend. If you haven't been able to attend, the RSGB has provided a packed live stream on each day and those live streams are available for anyone to view. Full of presentations, interviews and videos to inspire you, this is another way to enjoy your Convention, in your way. Either go directly to the RSGB YouTube channel or head over to rsgb.org/livestream to see the programme of presentations and the links to the livestreams. The RSGB is delighted to announce the appointment of two new volunteer Youth Champion roles. Chris Aitken, MM0WIC will be the RSGB's School Youth Champion and Rhys Williams, M0WGY/AJ6XD will be the University Youth Champion. Chris is a Computing Science teacher at Wick High School, Caithness. Since 2023, Chris has been running the Wick High School Radio Club, GM0WHS, providing students with a wide range of experiences in amateur radio. He has four students who have passed their Foundation licence exam and are now taking on leadership roles within the club and assisting the latest cohort in their studies. He is also a member of the RSGB Outreach Team. You can contact Chris via youthchampion.school@rsgb.org.uk  Rhys represented the RSGB at the Youngsters on the Air Camp in Prague this year. He sent back daily reports on his activities which you can still see on the website under the summer camps tab at rsgb.org/yota  He is starting a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Oxford and is keen to help the RSGB support the growth of amateur radio in universities across the UK. You can contact Rhys via youthchampion.uni@rsgb.org.uk  Ben Lloyd, GW4BML is the Board Liaison for youth activities. He said that he welcomes Chris and Rhys to their new youth volunteer roles and looks forward to working closely with them in the future to attract and grow RSGB youth membership. He explained that the three of them have already had some positive conversations and shared some good ideas, which they will be putting into place over the coming months. This week marks the centenary of the world's very first trans-global two-way radio communication. On the 18th of October 1924 Frank Bell, 4AA, from New Zealand, and Cecil Goyder, 2SZ, from North London, changed how we communicate forever by making contact on amateur bands. To commemorate this historic contact, special callsigns will be active, and awards and QSL cards will be available for those who make contact with these special stations. GB2NZ and ZM100DX have already been active since the start of the month. Starting tomorrow, until the 20th of October, calls reflecting Goyder's callsign, G2SZ, and Bell's, ZL4AA, will be active. This will include activity here in the UK from Mill Hill School in North London which is the original location from which Goyder made his contact. On Friday the 18th of October, radio amateurs will also be recreating and re-enacting the first contact between Goyder and Bell. It is hoped that the QSO will be made on a wavelength close to that used in 1924. To find out more about this unique celebration go to gb2nz.com YOTA Month is just around the corner, and the RSGB is looking for volunteers to host the GB24YOTA callsign throughout the month of December. As in previous years, schools, clubs, guide and scout groups and also individuals are invited to host young radio amateurs whilst they operate with the callsign. Each day during the month has been split into a number of operating slots that you can book. In recent years, this system has allowed many more youngsters to get on the radio throughout the month. You can see the operating calendar by visiting QRZ.com and searching for GB24YOTA. Operators should be below the age of 26. Those who do not hold a Full amateur radio licence should be supervised by an appropriate Full licensee whilst operating. The RSGB is pleased that previous activators have already reached out to book their operating slots but there are still many more up for grabs! To book an operating slot or for more information about YOTA Month, please email Jamie, M0SDV at yota.month@rsgb.org.uk During last month's Hamfest in Newark, the ICQ Podcast team spoke with RSGB President John McCullagh GI4BWM, RSGB Board Chair Stewart Bryant G3YSX and RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas M1ACB. Listen to Episode 440 of the podcast series to hear them discuss some of the many events that the Society is currently involved with. This includes the recent Amateur Radio on the International Space Station contact, which Girlguiding and HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh took part in, as well as the RSGB Convention. The second part of the interview, which features the Chair of the RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee, Steve Nichols, G0KYA will be aired during upcoming Episode 441. Visit icqpodcast.com to listen to episode 440 now. The RSGB has been delighted with the number of responses that it has received in response to its call for Jamboree on the Air participation, which is taking place between the 18th and 20th of October. The Society has compiled a list of Scouting groups that are involved with the annual event and has shared it on its website. The list is available by going to rsgb.org/jota and choosing the ‘JOTA Stations on the Air' link on the right hand side of the page. If you are planning to get involved with JOTA and would like to be added to the list, please get in touch via comms@rsgb.org.uk with a summary of your station name, callsign and any other relevant information. The RSGB would love to see your photos of Scouts getting involved with JOTA, so tag @theRSGB and also use #JOTAJOTI to be involved in the conversation on social media. If you're not involved with a JOTA station do listen out for them on the air and encourage the young operators. And now for details of rallies and events The Dartmoor Autumn Radio Rally is taking place today, the 13th. The venue is Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton in Devon. The usual bring-and-buy area, trader stands, refreshments and free parking are available. The doors are open from 10 am and admission costs £2.50. For more information visit dartmoorradioclub.uk or email 2e0rph@gmail.com Hornsea Amateur Radio Club Rally is also taking place today, the 13th, at Driffield Showground in East Yorkshire. The doors are open from 10 am. For more details visit hornseaarc.com or contact Les, 2E0LBJ on 01377 252 293. The Mexborough and District Amateur Radio Society Rally is taking place on Saturday the 19th of October at The Place, Castle Street, Conisborough, Doncaster. The doors will be open from 10 am to 4pm but traders can gain entry from 8am. Light refreshments will be available and the rally will feature a bring-and-buy sale. The cost for booking a table is £5. To book please email madarsrally@gmail.com  The date has been confirmed for the Twelfth Scottish Microwave Round Table GMRT. It will be going ahead on Saturday the 9th of November 2024 at the Museum of Communication, Burntisland in Fife. Lunch will be provided and an optional dinner will be held in the evening at a local hotel. The programme is now confirmed and, at the moment, 35 people have booked to attend the event. There are 15 places left so please book as soon as possible. Booking is available via the GMRT website at gmroundtable.org.uk or by email to Colin, GM4HWO at gm4hwo@gmail.com  Now the Special Event news Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the formation of Radio Beograd in 1924, members of the Belgrade Amateur Radio Club, YU1ANO, in Serbia, are active as YT100RB and YU1924RB until the 30th of November. For details of a certificate that is available for contacting these stations, see yu1ano.org Special callsign HB50VC is active until the 31st of December to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Swissair Amateur Radio Club, HB9VC. QSOs will be uploaded to the Logbook of the World. QSL cards will not be provided. You can download a certificate for working this special event station from tinyurl.com/HB50VC-24 Now the DX news The PX0FF Dxpedition team is active from Fernando de Noronha, SA-003, until the 21st of October. The team is working on the 160 to 6m bands, including the 60m Band, using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via DJ4MX, ClubLog, OQRS and Logbook of the World. A team of amateurs will be active as C91BV from Mozambique from the 17th to the 24th of October. Operators will be working on the HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via EB7DX. For more information about the DXpedition, see QRZ.com Now the contest news On Tuesday the 15th, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 16th, the RSGB Autumn Series Data Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 17th, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Germany Contest starts at 1500 UTC on Saturday the 19th and ends at 1500 UTC on Sunday the 20th of October. Using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday the 20th, the RSGB 50MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. 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 Wednesday the 9th of October 2024 What a difference a week makes when it comes to HF propagation! This last week has been characterised by solar flares, coronal mass ejections, or CMEs for short, and an elevated Kp index. Put together, this has resulted in dire conditions on HF, reminiscent of a solar minimum. A visible aurora was seen from the UK once again after the Kp index hit 7.33 on the 8th of October. Numerous CMEs have hit the Earth and the solar proton flux has risen, resulting in a moderate S2 radiation storm as particles blasted away from the flare site. This means poor trans-polar paths until the solar wind abates and the storm settles. Maximum usable frequencies have been badly affected and struggled to get much past 14MHz over a 3,000km path on the 8th of October. Geomagnetic storms were also forecast for Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th. That's a shame as, before the CMEs hit, HF had been humming with a lot of DX on the 28MHz band and many five-watt beacons romping in from the USA. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may drop back into the 170s, but it's anyone's guess as to how geomagnetic conditions will pan out. We have had three X-class solar flares over the past week and on Wednesday the 9th the probability of another X-class solar flare was estimated at 30% and an M-class event at 75%. So, it may be a case of ‘batten down the hatches' on HF until the storm conditions pass. This is not uncommon at this point in the solar cycle and unsettled conditions are likely to continue as we move along the downward portion towards the solar minimum.  And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of unsettled weather is probably going to flip into high-pressure mode a couple of times during the coming week. The first of these will be today, the 13th, and through the first half of next week. However, by Wednesday the next change back to low pressure should be with us, closely followed by another attempt to build high pressure later in the week.  This offers something for everyone with prospects for rain scatter on the GHz bands and the possibility of Tropo. The prospects for meteor scatter are also good with October offering several useful meteor showers. While 50 and 70MHz are the best for the mode, look at 144.360MHz in MSK144 digimode. Or, if it's a shower peak, 144.200MHz, the SSB meteor scatter calling channel, to see what's around. The solar conditions continue to behave like a solar maximum and, with several recent powerful flares and CMEs to stir things up, we should continue to check the bands for signs of aurora.  The recent RSGB CW 80m Autumn Series Contest on Monday the 7th of October was about as auroral as it gets with a strong flutter on signals and a challenging hour and a half for participants – so not just an effect for VHF.  The RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest coming up next week on Tuesday the 15th may be on the changeover from high pressure to low. Tropo might be limited to eastern areas for paths across the North Sea to northern Europe. For EME operators, Moon declination is still negative but will rise to positive by Tuesday night. Path losses are falling towards a minimum at perigee on Thursday the 17th. So, we have increasing peak Moon elevations and longer Moon windows with the lowest loss for the coming week. 144MHz sky noise is low for the rest of the week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 6th of October The news headlines: The deadline for advance tickets for the RSGB 2024 Convention is tomorrow, Monday the 7th of October The RSGB is interested in what you did for National Coding Week The RSGB's next Tonight@8 webinar will take place tomorrow, the 7th of October The theme for this year's RSGB Convention is “Your Convention, Your Way” and the Society is providing a range of activities and presentations as well as different ways to get involved. There is still just time to buy your tickets in advance, but hurry as advance sales for attending the Convention or the dinners closes tomorrow, Monday the 7th of October. You will be able to buy a Convention ticket on the door but not at the discounted rate that is available now. At the event, there will be a varied programme of presentations regardless of your amateur radio interests or experience, as well as practical workshops and Morse competency tests. You'll also find a room full of special interest groups to chat to who could inspire you to try something new! If you're unable to travel to the Convention, a small number of presentations will be live-streamed and will be available on the RSGB YouTube channel without the need to pre-register. The RSGB has released two ‘Convention Chat' videos recently and will be releasing two more over the coming week, so find out what others think of the Convention and see who you might bump into in the bar! For full programme details and speaker information and to book in advance, go to the RSGB Convention web pages at rsgb.org/convention Did you take part in National Coding Week this year? The RSGB had nine activities to inspire you to take part, including two new worksheets developed by the Society's Outreach Team. Whether you took part by yourself, at a club night, or with friends and family, the RSGB would love to hear from you. To be included in the RadCom December feature on National Coding Week please send a summary of your activity, along with any photos, to radcom@rsgb.org.uk by the 17th of October. The worksheets will remain on the RSGB website for people to try, so if you would still like to have a go head over to rsgb.org/coding and get involved. The next RSGB Tonight@8 live webinar is tomorrow, Monday the 7th of October. Ian White, GM3SEK will present ‘Aircraft Scatter, the Hitch-Hikers Guide'. Aircraft scatter is about bouncing VHF and UHF radio signals off high-flying aircraft – effectively ‘hitching a ride' with someone else's plane to extend your everyday working range up to 800km. It may sound rather technical, but with some explanations from Ian, aircraft scatter might soon feel very easy. During the talk, Ian will consider how aircraft scatter works, and if it's so useful, why haven't we heard more about it? Join the webinar live at 8 pm on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel. Find out more about this and other webinars on the RSGB website via rsgb.org/webinars grid.radio is a web application born out of the frustration that Rose, 2E0RXO and many others experienced during spontaneous, often unplanned, Parks on the Air activations. During busy moments, someone would inevitably ask for a Worked All Britain square or another reference that she wasn't prepared for. There wasn't a single, simple resource to quickly gather this information with a fast-loading, modern interface. Many websites would spend more time loading advertisements than displaying the necessary information, delaying communication and increasing the pending pile-up. After several months of facing the same issue and finding herself still unprepared, Rose, a Computer Science graduate, decided to solve the problem with code. She created a fast, free web app that can be installed on the home screen of any phone or tablet or accessed on a desktop computer for pre-activation planning. You can also share links so others can easily find out where you are operating from. Once installed, the app will even work without a data connection. Development is ongoing, with feedback from all amateur radio operators welcomed via the contact details on Rose's QRZ.com page. To learn more about this useful web app visit grid.radio Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.   And now for details of rallies and events The 49th Welsh Radio Rally is taking place today, the 6th, at Llanwern High School, Hartridge Farm Road in Newport. Traders can gain access from 7 am and the doors are open for visitors from 9.30 am. The entrance fee is £3 per person and free parking is available. For more information email Mike Rackham, GW4JKV via welshradiorally@gmail.com or phone 07976 368 250. The Dartmoor Autumn Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 13th of October. The event will be held at Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton in Devon. There will be the usual bring-and-buy area, trader stands, refreshments and free parking available. The doors will be open at 10 am and admission will be £2.50. For more information visit dartmoorradioclub.uk or email 2e0rph@gmail.com The Hornsea Amateur Radio Club Rally will also take place on Sunday the 13th of October. The venue will be Driffield Showground in East Yorkshire. The doors will be open from 10 am. For more details visit hornseaarc.com or contact Les, 2E0LBJ on 01377 252 293. Now the Special Event news Special callsign PH80LIB will be in use from various locations until the 10th of November to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the southern Netherlands in the autumn of 1944. Activity will be on the 80 to 10m bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via the Bureau. See QRZ.com for more information. OR100LGE is the special callsign in use by members of the Liege Radio Club, ON5VL to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The station is active until the end of the year on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, FT8 and FT4. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL or via ON6YH. QSOs will also be uploaded to Club Log. Now the DX news Michal, OM2DX is active as TO2DX from Reunion Island, AF-016, until tomorrow the 7th of October. He is operating CW, RTTY and FT8 on the 60 to 10m bands. QSL via OM2DX. QSOs will be uploaded to Club Log and Logbook of the World. Gunter, DK2WH is active again as V51WH, and V55Y in contests from Namibia until the 12th of November. He operates SSB, FT8 and some CW on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via DK2WH. Now the contest news The Oceania DX SSB Contest started at 0600UTC on Saturday the 5th and ends at 0600UTC today, Sunday the 6th of October. Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The RSGB October 432MHz to 245GHz Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 5th and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 6th of October. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The IARU 432MHz to 245GHz Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 5th and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 6th of October. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Today, the 6th, the UK Microwave Group 24 to 76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Monday the 7th, the RSGB Autumn Series CW Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 8th, the RSGB 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 8th, the RSGB 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 Tuesday the 8th, the IRTS 80m Evening Counties Contest runs from 1900 to 2000 UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also send their county code. On Wednesday the 9th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also, on Wednesday the 9th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 10th, the RSGB 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. The Oceania DX CW Contest starts at 0600UTC on Saturday the 12th and ends at 0600UTC on Sunday the 13th of October. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 3rd of October 2024 In the first week of October, the 10m band began to show what it is capable of. With a solar flux index in the high 200s and calm geomagnetic conditions, DX was plentiful. Nick, VK9DX on Norfolk Island was audible on SSB all morning on Wednesday the 2nd and only wanted to work G stations. This made him popular in the UK, but less so in other countries! Vlad, 5H1WX, on Mafia Island, Tanzania, was another strong signal on the morning of the third. Meanwhile, the 3D2V Rotuma Island DXpedition near Fiji on the 10m band using FT4 was another catch for many people. The Kp index managed to remain low for the first half of the week, but there were warnings that a coronal mass ejection, which was attributed to the X7.1 solar flare on the 1st of October, might upset things later in the week. With a good spread of sunspots, mainly in the Sun's southern hemisphere, there could be more flares over the coming days. Scott Mcintosh, the solar physicist who predicted a busier than average Cycle 25, has now questioned whether we are past solar maximum. The fact that there are now fewer sunspots in the Northern Hemisphere suggests that we may be past the peak, but only time will tell. Meanwhile, NOAA predicts the solar flux index may decline towards the 200 mark next week. The Kp index is predicted to go to 4 this weekend. With four of the ten active sunspot groups now classed as growing, we may expect further solar activity and geomagnetic disturbances over the next seven days. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The brief period of high pressure that arrived towards the end of the previous week is currently being nudged away to the east into Europe. The coming week is dominated by very unsettled conditions with a succession of deep lows near or crossing the country and there's even one that contains the remnants of an old hurricane. The result is that next week will provide copious amounts of wet and windy weather, so no Tropo for us, but there may be several areas of heavy rain for a try at rain scatter on the GHz bands. We hope you have all checked out your antennas after last week's reminder since the winds may be quite testing for some areas. The solar conditions have been stirred up recently by several flares so, as usual, keep an autumn watch out for auroras. Lastly, there are plenty of meteor scatter opportunities aside from any random meteor activity. Try investigating one of the many meteor websites to see the full list of options. For EME operators, Moon declination is at its minimum on Wednesday. So, it is a good week for checking out systems before the Sun also gets too low in the sky to make sensible Sun noise measurements over the winter. Path losses are still high but starting to fall. If you're fortunate to have a clear low horizon you'll make some contacts, but with peak Moon elevation only eight degrees on Wednesday, you'll be lucky! 144MHz sky noise in general is high to moderate for the rest of the week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 29th of September   The news headlines: There is still time to book tickets for the RSGB 2024 Convention The RSGB is helping to promote JOTA activities in October The RSGB has responded to a recent Ofcom Consultation concerning the 2.3GHz band   With just two weeks until the RSGB Convention, this year's event is the place to go if you are interested in anything and everything to do with amateur radio. There will be a host of expert speakers presenting on topics ranging from Sporadic-E and how to use AI to write amateur radio applications, to panel debates on amateur radio modes and presentations on inspiring the next generation of radio amateurs. The presentation summaries and speaker biographies are now available on the RSGB speaker page. AMSAT-UK has started to release news of its presentations too and you can see those on the RSGB's Convention programme. There really is something for everyone. If you haven't already bought your ticket, be sure to secure it by Monday the 7th of October when the online booking process will close. Buying tickets before the event will save you up to £5 off the usual 'on the day' ticket prices. Due to demand, the RSGB has also arranged an extra introduction to microcontroller programming workshop that will take place on the Sunday morning. There are still some tickets available for Saturday's Gala Dinner too. To book your tickets for any part of the weekend or to find out more about the programme go to rsgb.org/convention Jamboree on the Air, also known as JOTA, is taking place between the 18th and 20th of October. The event promotes friendship and global citizenship and is a brilliant celebration of amateur radio among the groups within the Scout Association. Some groups have already shared details of activities that will be taking place over the weekend and the RSGB plans to compile and share a list of these on its comms channels. If you are part of a Scouting group and are planning to get involved with JOTA then please get in touch via comms@rsgb.org.uk with a summary of your station name, callsign and any other relevant information. The RSGB has responded to a recent Ofcom Consultation which would see new users sharing spectrum within the 2.3GHz amateur band. Whilst the new devices may be limited to indoor use, the RSGB has taken the opportunity to highlight concerns regarding the weak signal 2320MHz segment. In addition, the RSGB has also indicated its wish to review the current restrictions that apply to this band that date back to 2013, when it was subject to Public Sector Spectrum Release. The response and background information can be found in the Spectrum Forum web pages at rsgb.org/spectrum-forum The October edition of RadCom includes an article about the very first two-way radio communication between the UK and New Zealand, something that Sir Edward Appleton, radio physicist and Nobel laureate, later described as “probably the most dramatic moment in the history of the development of the short waves.” The contact was between two radio amateurs, one in Mill Hill School, London and the other on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Centenary celebrations will be taking place in New Zealand and at Mill Hill School, and special event callsigns will be active from today until late October. GB2NZ and ZM100DX will be active each day during that period and, for the week of the centenary, the near-actual callsigns used in 1924, G2SZ and ZL4AA, will be active from the 14th to the 20th of October. A commemorative certificate will be available for those who make contacts with the event stations. For more information on the Goyder-Bell award, and to find out more about the centenary celebrations, go to gb2nz.com Lots of amateur radio stations are on the air this weekend for the Railways on the Air event. The occasion marks the anniversary of the first steam-powered passenger railway journey which took place on the 27th of September 1825. The first passenger train ran on a line in the North East of England from Darlington to Stockton. Activity will be centred around 3.65, 7.15 and 14.25MHz. For more information visit rota.barac.org.uk The September 2024 issue of RadCom Basics is now available on the RSGB website for members to read. RadCom Basics is aimed at new licensees or anyone who enjoys reading about the fundamental principles behind the many facets of amateur radio. This issue includes articles on antenna building, home construction and getting fit with amateur radio. If you haven't already, you can subscribe to receive updates about RadCom Basics via the RSGB Membership Portal. RSGB members can read RadCom Basics by going to rsgb.org/radcom-basics The September 2024 issue of RadCom Plus, the online magazine for the more technically minded radio amateur, has been published. The first article was written by RSGB Chair Stewart Bryant, G3YSX, and is an introduction to using AI to write computer software. Next, is a contribution from Tony Preedy, G3LNP about how to make an efficient magnetic loop antenna. The third article, by Andy Talbot, G4JNT dives into the interesting, but perhaps unfamiliar, mathematics behind the encoding algorithms used in digital data programs which we all use. The final article is the fourth in the continuing series by Barry Chambers, G8AGN about his pioneering experiments at 30THz. RSGB Members can read past and present issues of RadCom Plus via rsgb.org/radcom-plus Don't forget to listen out for all the 145 Alive activity which is taking place today, Sunday the 29th. Operators will be active from 1pm to 4pm and there will be nets operating in most Maidenhead Squares across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. To take part in the event, which is designed to promote FM activity on the 2m band, all you need to do is call in and make contact with others. For more information contact Mark Savage, M0XIC via the 145 Alive Facebook page.   And now for details of rallies and events On Saturday the 5th of October Carmarthen Amateur Radio Society is holding a surplus equipment sale in aid of club funds. The venue will be Cwmduad Community Centre, Cwmduad, Carmarthenshire, SA33 6XN. The doors are open for traders from 8am, and for visitors from 10am. Disabled access will be available from 9.30am. The entrance fee for visitors will be £2. For more information, or to book a table, email G0JLX@mail.com The 49th Welsh Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 6th of October at Llanwern High School, Hartridge Farm Road, Newport, NP18 2YE. Traders can gain access from 7am and the doors will be open for visitors from 9.30am. The entrance fee is £3 per person and free parking will be available. For more information email Mike Rackham, GW4JKV via welshradiorally@gmail.com or phone 07976 368 250.   Now the Special Event news Today, the 29th, the British Railways Amateur Radio Society will be active with special callsign GB1FRT on behalf of the Furness Railway Trust in Preston. Operation will be on the 40m band using SSB. QSL via the Bureau. To read more about the station, visit brars.info  and QRZ.com During October and November special callsign PZ5JT will be back on the air from Surinam during the jungle training of the Royal Dutch Army and Marines. The station is operated by personnel from the signal regiment and will operate on the 40, 20, 17, 15 and 10m bands using SSB. In-service military L3Harris radios from different locations will be in use and the operators will welcome your call. To read more about this station visit QRZ.com   Now the DX news John, W5JON is active as V47JA from Saint Kitts, NA-104, until the 1st of October. He is operating using SSB and FT8 on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to W5JON. Vlad, OK2WX is active as 5H1WX from Mafia Island, AF-054, Tanzania until the 6th of October.  He is operating using CW, SSB and FT8 on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via I8KHC. More information, including a detailed QSL policy, is available via tinyurl.com/5H1WX2024   Now the contest news The CQ World Wide DX RTTY Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 28th and ends at 2359UTC today, the 29th of September. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ Zone. The UK is in Zone 14. Today, the 29th, the UK Microwave Group 5.7 and 10GHz Contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 1st, the RSGB 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, the RSGB 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, the RSGB 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, the RSGB 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 Wednesday the 2nd, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The Oceania DX SSB Contest starts at 0600UTC on Saturday the 5th and ends at 0600UTC on Sunday the 6th of October. Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The RSGB October 432MHz to 245GHz Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 5th and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 6th of October. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The IARU 432MHz to 245GHz Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 5th and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 6th of October. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 5th of October, the RSGB 2.3GHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400 to 2200UTC. Using all modes on 2.3GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Saturday the 5th of October, the RSGB 1.3GHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400 to 2200UTC. Using all modes on 1.3GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Wednesday the 25th of September 2024 Solar activity is back to moderate levels with an M3.7 solar flare detected on the 22nd of September. Newly assigned AR 3835 in the southeast quadrant is the main source and the event looks to have thrown a stream of plasma into space. The latest model suggested a possible passage near our planet by the 25th and it looks like the prediction was correct. The Space Weather Prediction Centre issued a G1 geomagnetic storm watch and visible aurora may be likely at very high latitudes. Expect maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs for short, to decline if the Kp index is above 4 or 5. Other than a large number of C-class solar flares in the past five days, this was the biggest eruptive event to occur. The solar flux index had declined to 172 on Wednesday the 25th but is unlikely to decrease much further. Note that nearly all the sunspots are in the Sun's southern hemisphere at the moment. Meanwhile, daytime MUFs over a 3,000km path are now consistently over 28MHz under quiet geomagnetic conditions. This is good news for fans of the 10m band. Night time MUFs over 3,000km are around 14 to 16MHz, so it looks like we may soon lose the 24-hour DX openings on the 20m band, which are prevalent in the summer months. Increasing solar proton flux at the moment means paths over the Arctic Circle may be compromised. Daytime critical frequencies remain over 8MHz and often reach nearly 11MHz, so NVIS communications around the UK on the 40m band remain commonplace but may disappear later in the evening. NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will increase next week but may not reach the 200s. Keep an eye on solarham.com  for daily updates.   And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The present run of unsettled weather has become firmly established and, although many parts of the country have not seen the torrential rain and flooding of last week, there will be some rain at times in most parts of the country during the first week of October. There are a couple of brief periods in the models when a weak ridge of high pressure is due to cross southern areas, but these are not seen as great for Tropo. The week beginning Monday the 30th of September sees at least two major lows pass close to northern Britain. One occurs as this weekend draws to a close and there may be another one later in the week. These types of changeable patterns are notorious for problems with detailed predictions beyond a few days, although the general weather type is well forecast. Just a reminder that strong wind events at the end of a long summer can be a big shock to antennas, so now is a very good time to check that all is well in the guying department. Having discounted Tropo as an option, the obvious choice will be rain scatter on the GHz bands, but some of these events may produce very fast-moving echo sources. So, it could be quite a challenge although last week saw plenty of good rain scatter conditions. Meteor scatter is again largely dependent upon random meteors with just a couple of lesser showers, the Kappa Leonids and Sextantids, which see out the end of September. The auroral situation continues to provide some excitement, and the autumn months are a good time of the year for such things. For EME operators, Moon declination is still positive until Tuesday evening, so Moon visibility windows are shortening. Path losses are high with apogee next Wednesday the 2nd of October. Thursday the 3rd sees near-eclipse conditions when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky meaning high noise with wider beam width antennas. 144MHz sky noise is, in general, low for the rest of the week. And that's all from the propagation team this week