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GB2RS News Sunday, the 2nd of November 2025   The news headlines: The RSGB National Radio Centre wins the 2025 Sir Arthur Clarke Education and Outreach Team Award The RSGB releases two panel discussions from its recent Convention Learn how to improve speech clarity with DSP in November's Tonight@8 At a glittering awards ceremony in London this week, the RSGB National Radio Centre team beat two other finalists to win the 2025 Sir Arthur Clarke Education and Outreach Team Award. The NRC team was recognised “For inspiring all Generations about Amateur Satellites by providing a unique insight into the world of radio communications”. The awards are organised by the British Interplanetary Society. The award was accepted by RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB; NRC Coordinator Martyn Baker, G0GMB; and NRC Volunteers Patrick Wood, 2E0IFB and Brian Hardy, G4BIP. In his acceptance speech, Steve Thomas thanked Martyn and the 65 volunteers for the work that they do in welcoming over 80,000 visitors to the NRC each year. He also said that through the Society's public outreach and STEM activities, it aims to help generate and support future RF engineers who may one day work in the space or related industries. Congratulations to the whole NRC team for this fantastic recognition of the great work you do! Have you ever considered how to engage more girls and women with amateur radio? This question was discussed by a panel of female radio amateurs at the RSGB Convention last month. The group touched on topics including accessibility to in-person activities, support and encouragement, as well as the potential obstacles to attracting more women into amateur radio. The discussion is now available to watch in the RSGB 2025 Convention playlist on the RSGB's YouTube channel via youtube.com/thersgb, and it would be great to use for a club night to start conversations and to help inspire new plans. You can also see the “How to encourage thriving clubs” panel discussion in the same playlist, where four clubs shared the activities that are helping them to gain members. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel to be the first to hear about new videos when they are released. Tomorrow, the 3rd of November, join Graham Somerville, M3ZGS, owner and managing director of DSP noise cancellation specialists bhi Ltd, for November's Tonight@8 webinar. The presentation will give viewers an insight into how to improve speech clarity with Digital Signal Processing technology and which products are best suited to specific applications and setups. Graham will also explain how noise-cancelling will help those with hearing loss to enjoy amateur radio more. You can join the webinar and ask questions via the live chat on both the RSGB YouTube channel and special BATC channel. To find out more go to rsgb.org/webinars If you are planning a visit to the RSGB National Radio Centre, please note that it will be closing at 4pm over the winter months, in line with Bletchley Park's operating hours. Volunteers from the Centre look forward to welcoming visitors. Remember that RSGB members can download a free entry voucher for Bletchley Park at rsgb.org/bpvoucher 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 began at 0900UTC yesterday, the 1st, and ends at 0859UTC today, the 2nd of November 2025. More information is available by following the ‘On Air' tab at g4foc.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 Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Society Winter Rally is taking place on Saturday, the 15th of November at St Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7QR. The doors open at 10 am and entry costs £3. Traders, catering and plenty of free parking will be available on site. For more information, email rally.radars@hotmail.com On Sunday, the 30th of November, Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur's Club Rally is taking place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, County Durham. Traders, catering, ample parking and disabled facilities will be available. For more information and downloadable trader forms, visit barac.org.uk Now the Special Event news Members of the Latvian Radio Amateur League are active with special callsign YL100LR to mark the centenary of Latvijas Radio's first broadcast on the 1st of November 1925. Today, the 2nd, is your last chance to put the callsign in your log. Look for activity on the HF bands using FT8. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ.com and Club Log. The East Midlands Electronics and Radio Group will be on the air with the GB1BK callsign to commemorate Remembrance Sunday. Operators expect to be active on at least the 8th and 9th of November during daylight hours. The team may also be active on Armistice Day, the 11th of November. The station will operate from the former RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire. Listen for activity on all bands, but in particular, the 40 and 20m bands using SSB, and the 2m band using FM. Now the DX news The 5K0UA team is active from San Andres Island, NA-033, until tomorrow, the 3rd. Operators are using CW, FT8 and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via OQRS and Logbook of the World. For more information, visit imdx.org Edgar, K2IN is operating CW with the HC8M callsign from San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands, SA-004, until Tuesday, the 4th of November. QSL via OQRS. Now the contest news The United Kingdom and Ireland Contest Club DX SSB Contest started at 1200 UTC yesterday, the 1st, and ends at 1200 UTC today, Sunday, the 2nd of November. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and EI stations also send their district code. For full details, including the team competition and area codes, visit ukeicc.com or rsgbcc.org. Scores from RSGB members operating within the UK and Crown Dependencies will be included in the HF Championship. The Worked All Britain DX Contest started at 1200 UTC yesterday, the 1st, and ends at 1200 UTC today, Sunday the 2nd of November. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain area. The RSGB 144MHz CW Marconi Contest started at 1400 UTC yesterday, the 1st, and ends at 1400UTC today, the 2nd of November. Using CW on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Tomorrow, the 3rd, the RSGB Autumn Series Data Contest runs from 2000 to 2130 UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 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 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. Also, on Wednesday the 5th, the United Kingdom and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100 UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The Worked All Europe DX RTTY Contest runs from 0000 UTC on Saturday, the 8th to 2359UTC on Sunday, the 9th of November. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Saturday the 8th, the RSGB 1.8MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 2000 to 2300 UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and your club information. On Sunday the 9th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 30th of October Last weekend saw HF shine as stations took part in the CQ World Wide SSB Contest. Geomagnetic conditions remained settled and DX was plentiful, with contacts possible as far afield as Alaska to the west and China to the east. Given the unsettled conditions we have had recently, it was a welcome break as radio amateurs filled their logs with far-flung DX. As we enter November, we can still expect the fine autumnal conditions that made October so good. However, as the month progresses, we can also anticipate improvements in LF band DX. So keep an eye on the 80 and 40m bands. The solar flux index has declined somewhat and is now standing at 118. This is still enough to get the 10m band humming, but it is a far cry from the 200-plus we saw at sunspot maximum. Nevertheless, get on the bands and work the DX while you can. Two large coronal holes, one in the Sun's northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere, have been the sources of a fast solar wind stream. We may expect more geomagnetic disturbances today, the 2nd. Also, active region 4246 is now coming around the Sun's limb again and could be worth keeping an eye on. It has been emitting solar flares while behind the Sun, so look out for more activity upon its return. For the coming week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index could increase, perhaps starting the week at around 135 and increasing to 150 by the 9th of November. The first half of the week should be quiet geomagnetically, but we may expect more unsettled geomagnetic conditions around the 7th to the 9th of November, when the Kp index could increase to 5. Expect maximum usable frequencies to be depressed until the Kp index recovers. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of unsettled weather remains the focus for the foreseeable future. Previous model runs had suggested the possibility of high pressure returning by the end of the coming week, but this is no longer the case. The RSGB 144MHz CW Marconi Contest, which ends at 1400UTC today, the 2nd, looks to be under the influence of low pressure rather than any tropo-producing highs. With the unsettled pattern continuing, the optional modes might be rain scatter for the GHz bands, but not tropo. The chances of aurora are there, and after a very auroral-sounding 40m band on Wednesday, the 29th of October, when the Kp index hit 4, we should remain alert to changed conditions on the high HF and VHF bands. However, it probably needs something higher, like a Kp index between 5 and 7, before getting excited about radio effects.  The meteor scatter options look reasonable as we move into November, but the next important shower, the Leonids, doesn't peak until the 17th. We do, however, enter the edge of the stream later in the coming week. A final note of caution is that this unsettled type of weather pattern can produce rapidly developing lows and bring damaging winds to some parts of the country. So, take the opportunity on the quieter days to check that antennas are secure. For EME operators, the Moon's declination is negative and rising, going positive today, the 2nd of November. So, Moon window lengths and peak elevation are both rising. Path losses are still falling as we approach perigee on the 5th of November. 144MHz sky noise is low all week, rising to medium by next weekend. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 19th of October 2025 The news headlines: · Ofcom implements Phases 2 and 3 of the amateur radio licence review · Share your feedback on the RSGB's 2025 Convention · The RSGB releases a video to help members make the most of its mobile app Following the introduction of the current amateur licensing framework in February 2024, Ofcom has now implemented most of the remaining changes associated with Phases 2 and 3. Ofcom updates its online Licensing Portal to accommodate applications for new M8 and M9 Intermediate callsigns, more flexible special event callsigns, and other changes, including easier revalidation. It also starts a gradual move to single personal call signs. For example, the revocation of lower licence callsigns is automatically triggered by a new application. Both Ofcom and the RSGB have released guidance for radio amateurs about these changes. You can see both documents by going to rsgb.org/guidance-resources. Please also note that the Ofcom licensing portal now requires longer and stronger passwords, so you may need to reset yours first before you can make any changes. The RSGB's 2025 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. 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 were unable to attend in person and watched the livestream, the RSGB would also love to hear your feedback. Please visit rsgb.org/livestream-feedback  and let the team know what you thought of the online event. The feedback forms will be closed at the end of October. The livestreams for both days will remain available for everyone to watch on the Society's YouTube channel via youtube.com/thersgb. Whether you want to sit back, relax and enjoy the whole programme or use the timestamps to watch a particular topic, you'll find something to enjoy. As well as talks from the weekend, you'll find exclusive interviews and pre-recorded videos. The RSGB has released a short video explaining how to get the most out of its new mobile app. The Society has received great feedback about the new app and wants to ensure everyone enjoys the full functionality. You can find the video via rsgb.org/radcom  or on the RSGB YouTube channel. If you'd like to watch a behind-the-scenes chat with RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB about the lead up to the app launch, you can see that on the RSGB Convention Saturday livestream recording at 4 hours, 27 minutes and 30 seconds. The Tonight@8 webinar series continues on Monday, the 3rd of November, with Graham Somerville, owner and managing director of DSP noise cancellation specialists bhi [B-H-I] Limited. During the presentation, he will look at the types of DSP noise cancelling available for improving audio quality and which products are best suited to specific applications and setups. Join him 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 Today, the 19th, 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. If you've been involved with JOTA this year, the RSGB would love to hear from you. There will be a special JOTA report in the January edition of RadCom, so please send details and photos from your event to radcom@rsgb.org.uk by the 14th of November. RAF Air Cadets Exercise Blue Ham will be operating on the 60m band from 0700 to 1600UTC today, the 19th of October. To operate, you must be a Full Licence holder. More details can be found on the alphacharlie.org.uk  website. Schools and youth organisations interested in setting up an ARISS radio contact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station are invited to submit an application and an educational project. Applications can be submitted until the 24th of October 2025. The school selection will take place in December 2025. The space conversation will be scheduled in the period extending from July to December 2026. You can find out more at tinyurl.com/ARISS-2026 And now for details of rallies and events Carrickfergus Amateur Radio Group Rally will take place on Saturday, the 25th of October at Elim Church, North Road, Carrickfergus, BT38 8ND. The doors open at 9.30 am for traders and at 11.30 am for visitors. Disabled access and free car parking will be available. For more information, email Tim, MI0TBL, via carg@hotmail.co.uk On Sunday, the 26th of October, Galashiels Radio and Computer Rally will take place at The Volunteer Hall, St John's Street, Galashiels, TD1 3JX. The doors open at 11 am and admission costs £3. Disabled access will be available from 10.45 am. For more information, visit galaradioclub.co.uk The Thirteenth Scottish Microwave Round Table GMRT will take place at the Museum of Communication in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland, on Saturday, the 1st of November, from 10.30 am to 5 pm. An interesting programme of speakers has been arranged, and microwave test facilities will be provided. There will be an opportunity to buy components and microwave-related items. An optional dinner will be held in the evening at a local hotel. Further information and online registration are available at gmroundtable.org.uk. The event has a maximum capacity of 50 people, and there are limited places left. Book now to avoid disappointment. Advance notice now that the 79th Annual Orlando HamCation event will take place between the 13th and 15th of February 2026 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park. HamCation is the second-largest amateur radio convention in the world, with the inaugural event dating back to 1946. For more information, follow HamCation on social media channels or visit hamcation.com Now the Special Event news To celebrate the 75th anniversary of DARC, the national amateur radio society in Germany, four special callsigns are active until the 31st of October. For more information, including details of a certificate that is available for working the stations, visit the DC75DARC page at QRZ.com  QSL via the bureau, or directly to DL2VFR. Members of the Haiti Radio Club are active as 4V1SB until the 31st of October. The callsign is in use to commemorate Simon Bolivar, who led several South American countries to independence. Recently, the station has been worked using FT8 on the HF bands. QSL via N2OO.ow the DX news Phill, C21TS, is active on the island of Nauru, OC-031, until the 30th of November. The station is spotted regularly using FT8 on the HF bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or OQRS. See QRZ.com for more information.  Mike, VE2XB, is active as VY0ZOO from Coral Harbour on Southampton Island, NA-007, until the 18th of December. Listen for the station on the 80 to 10m bands using CW and SSB. QSL via VE2XB. Now the contest news Today, the 19th, 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 21st, 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 22nd, the IRTS 80m Evening Counties Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. 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 Thursday the 23rd, 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 Worked All Germany Contest started at 1500 UTC yesterday, the 18th, and ends at 1500 UTC today, the 19th of October. Using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday, the 25th and runs until 2359 UTC on Sunday, the 26th 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. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 16th of October Conditions over the past week have been reasonable with a relatively high solar flux and lower Kp indices. This resulted in a maximum usable frequency, or MUF, over a 3,000km path, in excess of 35MHz. This is just what October was meant to be like! But all good things come to an end and there are a few flies in the ointment coming up. On the 14th, the latest coronal mass ejection, or CME, tracking model from NOAA and the Space Weather Prediction Testbed showed three weak CMEs possibly passing Earth over the next few days.  Although none of them is expected to deliver a large impact to the Earth's geomagnetic field, a combined passage could generate minor G1 to isolated moderate G2 geomagnetic storming.  We are now well and truly into autumn and, with a daytime critical frequency of more than 9 to 10MHz, the 40m band is ideal for QSOs around the UK during the daylight hours. At night, the critical frequency is generally around 5MHz in the early part of the evening, dropping to 3.5 to 3.6MHz as the night progresses. This means that the 80m band is remaining open around the UK for longer, but it may fade out, perhaps towards midnight. October is a great month for HF with the potential for worldwide openings on the higher bands. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will be in the 140 to 150 range. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions with reduced MUFs are forecast for the 20th of October and then again on the 25th and 26th, when the Kp index could hit 5. Incidentally, these are the same dates as the CQ Worldwide SSB contest. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO This next period offers a marked contrast to our recent spell of Tropo weather under high pressure. Today, the 19th, sees a change to a much more unsettled weather type with rain, areas of low pressure, strong winds and showers. This will take Tropo off the agenda for the coming week, and its replacement is likely to be rain scatter for those on the GHz bands. There is no point in trying to time each individual low and front coming through this far ahead, and there is no real scope for any significant intervening areas of high pressure between the lows. So, there is no hint of Tropo next week. The recent solar conditions have again suggested that it's worth looking at the Kp index for signs of aurora, should it go above 5. Next, a few words about meteor scatter, which is gearing up for the Orionids, peaking on Tuesday, the 21st. However, they can have a broad spread with a minor peak preceding the main event. Either way, it's worth checking up on meteor scatter techniques and frequencies before the shower, rather than wondering what to do when it happens. For EME operators, the Moon's declination is falling again and becomes negative today, the 19th, so Moon window lengths and peak elevation follow suit by falling. Path losses are still rising as we approach apogee early on the morning of the 24th.  As we move through 2026, we reach a ‘sweet spot' in June where perigee and the highest declination coincide. This means the lowest path losses occur when we have the longest Moon windows. This cyclic event last occurred in 2018 and will not occur again until 2035.  144MHz sky noise starts the week low until Tuesday, the 21st, when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky. This brings noise problems for Yagi-type antennas with their high beam width. After that, the noise rises too high again for the weekend beginning the 25th of October. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 5th of October 2025 The news headlines: Don't miss out – book now for the RSGB 2025 Convention! Join October's Tonight@8 webinar for a fascinating talk on a Marshall Islands DXpedition The RSGB is helping to promote JOTA activities in October Today, Sunday the 5th of October, is the last day for you to buy your RSGB 2025 Convention and dinner tickets. The online ticketing portal closes at 11:59 p.m. tonight, so please act quickly to ensure your attendance. You will be able to purchase a Convention ticket at the door, but not at the reduced rate currently available. The event is taking place between the 10th and 12th of October in Milton Keynes, and this year's theme is “Discover, Learn, Progress”. To start planning your weekend, go to rsgb.org/convention  and download the Convention programme and speaker information. You'll also be able to view the menus, as well as see what forums and drop-in sessions you can attend. Click on ‘What else is happening at the Convention?' to find details on the AMSAT-UK Colloquium, Special Interest Groups, as well as information on Friday's tour of Bletchley Park and the RSGB National Radio Centre. Don't forget that if it is your first time at the event, pop along to the new ‘Welcome desk' that will be set up in the bar on the Friday evening. If you're going to the Convention, remember to make sure you have your QR code ready to collect your badge at the conference centre. This can either be on your mobile or as a printed copy. The QR code can be found in your purchase email, as well as in the reminder email, which will be sent out this week. If you are unable to travel to the Convention, the RSGB will be livestreaming a selection of lectures. Find out how to join the livestream via rsgb.org/livestream  If you have tickets for the Gala Dinner on Saturday and wish to reserve a table with friends, send your name and callsign details to radcom@rsgb.org.uk Jamie Williams, M0SDV, will be talking you through a DXpedition to the Marshall Islands for the RSGB's next Tonight@8 webinar tomorrow, the 6th of October. In February 2025, the V73WW team made 103,864 QSOs using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. The team of six came from four countries, with the operators having an average age of only 28. Jamie is a 24-year-old radio amateur who has been involved with the hobby since 2015 and has been busy with contests and DXpeditions ever since. The Tonight@8 webinars are livestreamed for free on the RSGB's YouTube channel and special BATC channel, allowing you to watch the presentations and ask questions online. Go to rsgb.org/webinars  for more information. Jamboree on the Air, also known as JOTA, is taking place between the 17th and 19th of October. The event promotes friendship and global citizenship and is a brilliant celebration of amateur radio among the groups within the Scout Association. Samuel McCutchion, M0UEL, is the RSGB Youth Champion for Scouts, Cadets and Guides, and he is compiling a list of JOTA stations which will be shared on the RSGB website. Sam is encouraging everyone to get involved either by putting a station on the air or listening out for the JOTA stations. If you are part of a Scouting group and are planning to get involved with JOTA, then please contact youthchampion.scouts@rsgb.org.uk  with a summary of your station name, callsign and any other relevant information. The RSGB is offering four awards for GB2RS news broadcasts that were logged between the 1st of August and the 30th of September. The awards are part of several activities that have been taking place to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the weekly news broadcast. Applications for awards should be submitted no later than the 31st of October 2025, and should be sent to the RSGB Awards Manager via awards@rsgb.org.uk. The certificates are free of charge and will be supplied as a PDF. Find out more via rsgb.org/gb70rs On Wednesday, the 8th of October, YouTuber James, M0GQC, will be broadcasting his next live episode from the RSGB National Radio Centre. James will be active from approximately 6.30 pm on the 40m band using the GB3RS callsign. His channel @HamRadioOnline is an interactive show where people can call in or simply watch the station live on YouTube. If you haven't already got the Centre's callsign in your logbook, this is a great opportunity to do so. The next Essex CW Amateur Radio Club Boot Camp will be held on Saturday, the 18th of October 2025. Due to cancellations, a few places have become available. If you would like a day practising and improving your CW skills in a friendly, supportive atmosphere, then email Steve, G4OCP at info@essexcw.org.uk before the 7th of October. And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 5th, the 50th Welsh Radio Rally is taking place at Llanwern High School, Hartridge Farm Road, Newport in South Wales. The doors are open for traders from 7 am and for the public from 9.30 am. Admission costs £3. For more information, email welshradiorally@gmail.com On Sunday, the 12th of October, the Autumn Dartmoor Radio Club Rally will take place at Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton. The doors open at 10 am and admission is £3. For more information, email 2e0rph@gmail.com Also on Sunday the 12th, Hornsea Amateur Radio Club's Annual Rally will take place at Driffield Showground in East Yorkshire. Exhibitors can gain access from 8 am, and visitors are welcome from 10 am. For more information, email lbjpinkney1@hotmail.co.uk Now the Special Event news To celebrate 130 years since the birth of radio and 100 years since the formation of the International Amateur Radio Union, lots of special event stations are active from Italy. You can see live updates on all of the stations and their most recent contacts via the II1IARU page at QRZ.com Special callsign GB70RS is in use to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the RSGB's weekly news service GB2RS, which has been running continuously since the 25th of September 1955. A team of amateurs is using the callsign on a variety of bands and modes. QSL via the Bureau, Logbook of the World and eQSL. For more information, visit the GB70RS page at QRZ.com Now the DX news Nine operators are active with five stations as V6D from Chuuk, OC-011, in Micronesia until tomorrow, the 6th. The station is active on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, SSB, FT8 and RTTY. QSL via Club Log's OQRS is preferred, or via DL4SVA. See v6d.mydx.de  for more information. Bernhard, DL2GAC, is active again as H44MS from Malaita Island, OC-047, in the Solomon Islands until the 25th of November. Listen for activity on the 80 to 6m bands using SSB and FT8. QSL directly via Bernhard's home call or the Bureau. Now the contest news Both the IARU and RSGB 432MHz to 245GHz Contests started at 1400 UTC yesterday, the 4th, and end at 1400 UTC today, the 5th of October. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Microwave Group 24 to 76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to 1700 UTC today, the 5th of October. Using all modes on 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB Autumn Series CW Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC tomorrow, the 6th. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday, the 7th of October, 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 7th of October, 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 8th of October, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 four-hour Activity Contest runs from 1700 UTC to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 8th of October, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 two-hour Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report and four-character locator. On Thursday, the 9th of October, the RSGB 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. The Oceania DX CW Contest starts at 0600 UTC on Saturday, the 11th and ends at 0600 UTC on Sunday, the 12th of October. Using CW and 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 2nd of October 2025 Last week was characterised by very unsettled geomagnetic conditions with a Kp index that reached 7.33 on the 30th of September and was often above 5. This is not good for HF propagation! But what caused this? A high-speed solar wind stream at around 750 kilometres per second, coupled with the Bz component of the Sun's magnetic field pointing south, led to the disruption. But there didn't seem to be any particular solar event that triggered the high-speed solar wind stream. The Russell-McPherron effect is probably to blame. This is a phenomenon where the alignment of the Earth's and the Sun's magnetic fields, during the equinoxes around March and September, allows charged particles from the solar wind to more easily penetrate the Earth's magnetosphere. This enhanced connection leads to more intense geomagnetic storms and increased aurora activity as the Bz aligns favourably with the Earth's magnetic field at these times. This may pass as we get further into October. As a result of the geomagnetic storm, maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs, have often been lower than normal. A quick listen on 28MHz on Wednesday, the 1st of October, confirmed the poor conditions. It's a shame, as October is normally a fantastic month for HF DX. The solar flux index peaked at 187 on the 30th of September, having been above 170 since the 28th of September. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain above 150 to 160 all week. The good news is that geomagnetic conditions are forecast to improve, with a maximum Kp index of 3. If that comes to pass, we can expect HF to be better after a day or two, and we might be able to make the most of the autumnal conditions for DX. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of unsettled weather, mainly over northern areas, is typical of the season, but it's also common to find high pressure passing by in between the deeper lows. In the current pattern, the highs are mainly for the southern half of Britain. This will bring some good Tropo conditions at times for the VHF and UHF bands.  As we head into autumn, these lifts may linger through much of the morning on some days before the temperature rise breaks down any temperature inversion. A good clue is that it's usually over when the overnight fog clears. On the other hand, there will probably be some good rain scatter opportunities on the GHz bands as the active lows push fronts across the country, especially in the north. There are signs that we may return to high pressure over the country during the RSGB 2025 Convention weekend from the 10th to the 12th of October. We have a meteor shower to play with during the coming week. The Draconids peak on Wednesday, the 8th of October, but the shower stream is spread over the whole of the week. Lastly, there have been some reasonable auroral events recently, so, as usual, keep a watch on the Kp index going over 5 since, as we said earlier, these autumn months are very much favoured for auroral activity. For EME operators, the Moon's declination is increasing and goes positive tomorrow, the 6th, so lengthening Moon windows and increasing peak elevation is the story for the coming week. Path losses continue to fall as we approach perigee on the 8th of October. 144MHz sky noise will be low for much of the next seven days. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 6th of July 2025 The news headlines: Don't miss tomorrow's RSGB Tonight@8 webinar on UK Bunkers on the Air Get involved with the GR2HQ challenge RSGB appoints a new CW Champion The next episode in the Tonight@8 series is tomorrow, Monday, the 7th of July. During the webinar, Tony Hodge, M0TNI and Jason Dale, 2E0JIV, will discuss their journey into amateur radio, what they enjoy about it and how they got involved in UK Bunkers on the Air. UKBOTA  is a programme and awards scheme that encourages radio amateurs to activate Royal Observer Corps and other types of bunkers in the United Kingdom. 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 IARU HF Championship contest begins in less than a week, and the RSGB Contest Committee is encouraging both individuals and clubs to get involved. During the contest, Headquarters Stations represent their countries, with the RSGB's station GR2HQ being run by a network of about a dozen stations around the UK and islands. Get involved with the GR2HQ challenge and work the stations between 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 12th of July and 1200 UTC on Sunday, the 13th of July. Certificates of Achievement will be available for all stations, and those stations achieving high scores will receive Certificates of Merit. For the full rules, go to the GR2HQ Challenge page on the Contest Committee website via rsgbcc.org RSGB Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX, is delighted to announce that Laura Robertson, MM7BFL, has agreed to take on the volunteer role of the RSGB CW Champion. Laura will head up the RSGB's Morse-related activities and become an advocate for the use of CW. In her role, Laura will also help the Society to take CW to new audiences, with an emphasis on learning and development to further the skills of its members. Laura is a member of CWops and volunteers in the CW Academy team as a co-advisor, primarily assisting EU-based amateurs who are enrolled on the courses. She is often active on the HF bands using CW in POTA and SOTA activities, as well as from her home station. You can contact Laura via cw.champion@rsgb.org.uk. The RSGB has received a lot of interest in supporting this role, and in due course, it will be in contact with those who have said they would like to join a Morse support team. When was the last time you revalidated your licence? Ofcom notes that whilst it is a requirement to revalidate your licence every five years, it is recommended to do it annually. Put a reminder in your diary to revalidate your licence soon, as Ofcom has stated that it intends to implement phases two and three of the planned updates to the amateur radio licensing framework later this year. These phases include changes to new and Intermediate callsigns and rules for special event stations. You can find guidance on the process by going to the RSGB website and searching ‘licence revalidation'. As well as FAQs, you'll also find a link to a step-by-step video by Ofcom, which shows you the process of revalidating your licence using the online licensing portal. Bawdsey Radar Trust will be holding an event to commemorate the world's first airborne radar experiments. The event on Friday, the 15th of August, will take place at Adastral Park, the home to BT's research and innovation labs at Martlesham Heath in Suffolk. Presentation topics will include Radar Early Days, Airborne Radar and Family Histories. There will be two sessions open to members of the public. The morning session is aimed at people with little technical knowledge, and the afternoon session is for those with some technical knowledge. To find out more and book your ticket, go to bawdseyradar.org.uk  and click on ‘Radar in the Air'. If you're unable to attend this event, why not learn about radar history with a visit to the Bawdsey Radar Museum? Don't forget, as an RSGB member, you can save 20% on the ticket price. Visit rsgb.org/partner-museums  to download your voucher. This year, International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend will run from 0001 UTC on the 16th of August to 2400 UTC on the 17th of August. The event usually attracts more than 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. Registration for the event is open at illw.net 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 Saffron Walden Radio Ham and CB Club Rally is taking place today, the 6th, at Lovecotes Farm, Chickney Road, Henham Village, Bishop's Stortford, CM22 6BH. Booking a table for today costs £10, and you can arrive from 8 am onwards. For more information, email g8swr1.5@gmail.com Barford Norfolk Radio Rally is taking place today, the 6th, at Barford Village Hall and Green, Barford, Norwich, NR9 4AB. The doors open at 9 am for visitors. The event features trade stands, car boot sales, bring and buy, a charity raffle, repeater groups, catering and free car parking. Entry costs £3 per person, but under 16s will be admitted free of charge. Outside pitches cost £8 and are available from 8 am. For more details visit tinyurl.com/Barford2025  or email David, G7URP at radio@dcpmicro.com The McMichael Radio & Electronics Rally and Car Boot Sale will take place on Sunday the 13th of July at Oak Trees Event Field, Cocks Lane, Warfield, Bracknell, RG42 6JE. Traders are welcome from 8 am. The doors will be open for visitors from 9 am to 3 pm. The entrance fee is £4 per person. A trader's table costs £15 and this includes admission for two people. Now the Special Event news Special callsign GB70RS is in use to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the RSGB's weekly news service GB2RS, which has been running continuously since the 25th of September 1955. A team of amateurs is using the callsign on a variety of bands and modes. QSL via the Bureau, Logbook of the World and eQSL. For more information, visit rsgb.org/gb70rs Members of Central Uusimaa Radio Amateurs Association, OH2AP, are active throughout 2025 as OF60AP to celebrate their club's 60th anniversary. QSL via Club Log's OQRS. For details of a certificate that is available for working the station, see tinyurl.com/oh2ap25 Now the DX news Don, KW7R, is active as V73KW from the Marshall Islands. He is there on a work assignment until September 2025. In his spare time, he operates CW and FT8 on various bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. George, VU2DGR, is active as AT44I from Bharati Research Station. He is a member of the 44th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. The station was spotted recently on the 20m band using SSB. QSL via home call. Now the contest news Today, the 6th, the 3rd 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. RSGB VHF National Field Day started at 1400 UTC on Saturday, the 5th and ends at 1400 UTC today, Sunday, the 6th of July. Using all modes on the 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB VHF Fixed Station Contest started at 1400 UTC on Saturday, the 5th and ends at 1400 UTC today, Sunday, the 6th of July. Using all modes on the 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Tomorrow, the 7th, the RSGB 80m CW 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, the RSGB 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, 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, 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 9th, 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 Thursday, the 10th, the RSGB 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. The GR2HQ Challenge starts at 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 12th and ends at 1200 UTC on Sunday, the 13th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and ITU Zone. The UK is in Zone 27. The IARU HF Championship starts at 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 12th and ends at 1200 UTC on Sunday, the 13th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and ITU Zone. The UK is in Zone 27. On Sunday, the 13th, the UK Microwave Group 24, 47, and 76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to 1700 UTC. Using all modes on 24 to 76GHz frequencies, 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 July 2025 It looks like the Space Weather Prediction Centre, which supplies the forecasts for NOAA, were overly cautious last week. Despite predicting geomagnetic disturbances, we had quite a calm week. The Kp index rose to 3.33 on a few occasions, but that was it. We ended up with settled geomagnetic conditions and a solar flux index in the 120s to 130s. A warning about the impact of a coronal mass ejection, or CME, which left the Sun on the 28th of June, appeared to come to nothing. This made a much-needed change to the unsettled conditions of previous weeks. As a result, maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs for short, over a 3,000km path have been above 21MHz at times. At night, MUFs over the same path have been consistently above 14MHz, which is normal for this time of year. In the summer, we can expect to see nighttime MUFs being consistently higher than in the winter, due to a change in ionospheric chemistry. Unfortunately, this also means that daytime MUFs are lower than in winter, leaving 28MHz open to Sporadic-E instead. According to DXMaps.com, it appears that most Sporadic-E openings on the 10m band have favoured the southeast of the UK towards Italy, Turkey and Greece. Back to F2-layer propagation now. On the 20m band, E51JD, operating from the South Cook Islands, was spotted on SSB by Laurie, G3UML, on Thursday morning. KH7AL/KH9 on Wake Island, and T30TTT on Kiribati, have also been worked on the 20m band using FT8. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will be in the 125 to 145 range. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be quiet, apart from the period around the 11th and 12th of July, when the Kp index may rise to 4. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO This hot weather has provided some nice marine Tropo around the coasts recently as hot, dry air advects across the cooler, moist surface layer. We have also been able to see the duct move inland in the evenings. The hybrid weather pattern of low pressure to the north of Britain and high pressure to the south will continue to produce some Tropo paths, particularly across the Channel, Biscay and North Sea.  Northern areas of Britain will see occasional fronts and active weather systems, together with breezier weather, making Tropo unlikely here. The higher pressure to the south means that rain scatter may not feature much unless isolated thunderstorms develop when weak weather fronts eventually reach these southern areas. In the north, it's a different matter, and there could be some heavier rain that might produce some rain scatter on the GHz bands. Meteor scatter did well during June with several important showers to boost chances. July offers two showers. The first is the low-hourly-rate Alpha Capricornids, and the second is the Delta Aquariids. Both of these peak around the 30th of July, so we have a while to wait. There have been some minor auroral events recently, and it's always possible that solar activity could lift the Kp index high enough, but we are not expecting great things. Keep a check on the Kp index at spaceweather.com  to see if anything is happening. The Sporadic-E season has had occasional good days, but for much of the time, the focus of activity has been too far into Europe for the whole country to take advantage of it. To begin the coming week, the position of the jet streams suggests paths to northern Europe and the Baltic will offer best results. Later in the week, the emphasis shifts to the Balkans and Italy, and then to Iberia. The Moon reaches apogee tomorrow, the 7th, where path losses are at their highest. Moon declination is negative all week, with the lowest, or the most negative, on Wednesday, the 9th. 144MHz sky noise is moderate but increasing to a high of around 2,300 Kelvin on Wednesday. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

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 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 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 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 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 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.

Le déficit de l'État français a atteint 5,4% en 2023, a annoncé l'Insee. Ce chiffre finalement bien supérieur aux prévisions initiales du gouvernement provoque un vaste débat sur les comptes publics. Avec un gouvernement critiqué de toutes parts pour les causes comme pour les remèdes envisagés. Les comptes de la France sont dans le rouge. Le ministre de l'Économie Bruno le Maire avait lui-même annoncé la couleur en février en préparant l'opinion à des coupes de 10 milliards d'euros dans les dépenses pour limiter la casse. La semaine dernière, la Cour des comptes a enfoncé le clou en soulignant que la France était sur la troisième marche du podium des pays les plus endettés de la zone euro. Depuis, l'opposition se déchaine. La France serait sur la même pente que la Grèce selon les Républicains.L'improbable menace d'une crise de la detteLa dérive des comptes publics français entamée il y a trente ans parait impossible à endiguer. La France ne sera pas en mesure de revenir dans les clous d'ici la fin du mandat du président Macron, c'est-à-dire à un déficit inférieur à 3 % selon la règle de la zone euro. Mais cela ne signifie pas pour autant que la crise de la dette menace la France. Rien à voir avec la crise qui a secoué la zone euro dans les années 2010. La dette française demeure très appréciée des investisseurs. L'écart avec les taux allemands, un indicateur très suivi par les marchés, n'a pas bougé depuis un an. Pas de panique donc dans les jours qui viennent. La perspective des prochaines semaines inquiète davantage le gouvernement. Un déficit au-dessus de 5 % pour 2023 comme pour 2024, pourraient conduire les agences de notation à revoir leur note à la baisse. Et si la note baisse, les taux grimpent. L'addition du service de la dette sera alors beaucoup plus lourde à régler.À lire aussiFaute de croissance, la France est contrainte de raboter ses dépensesQuelles pistes pour redresser les comptesLa plus agréable pour tout le monde, celle sur laquelle comptait le gouvernement, c'est la croissance, car quand le PIB augmente, le déficit est relativement plus petit. Mais ce scénario idéal s'éloigne de jour en jour. Le gouvernement a révisé à la baisse sa prévision à 1 %. Pour rééquilibrer les comptes, il faudra donc employer la manière forte : dépenser moins ou taxer davantage. On connait la religion de Bercy en la matière : il faut freiner les dépenses publiques. Bruno Le Maire se fait le chantre de la sobriété dans l'essai qu'il vient de publier. La rigueur n'est pas sans risque : elle peut casser le peu de croissance escompté. Le remède serait pire que le mal.La hausse des impôts en débatC'est une ligne rouge pour le président Macron qui se refuse à augmenter les impôts, il a même promis un allègement aux classes moyennes. Mais l'idée chemine. Y compris dans la majorité. La présidente de l'Assemblée nationale Yaël Braun-Pivet évoque une taxe exceptionnelle sur les superprofits des grandes entreprises. La balle est aujourd'hui dans le camp de Bruno Le Maire, le ministre de l'Économie.

Today we're back to book talk with two historical fiction books and one translated sci-fi! Plus we're discussing what our ideal museum would be! Thank you so much for listening! You can buy BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->  Becky's pick: Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (8:43-17:19) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/three-words-for-goodbye-hazel-gaynorheather-webb?variant=32952414863394  On Becky's TBR: The Codebreaker's Secret by Sara Ackerman Libby's pick: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Lui (17:19-32:30) https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765382030/the-three-body-problem  On Libby's TBR: Motherhood by Sheila Heti Kayla's pick: The Next Ship Home by Heather Webb  (32:30-45:31) https://bookshop.org/p/books/next-ship-home-a-novel-of-ellis-island-heather-webb/17539964?ean=9781728243146  On Kayla's TBR: Looking For Jane by Heather Marshall

Happy Chaos episode! Today, we're soaking in the good weather we've been having and daydreaming about future travels. Plus Kayla gives us a little peek at her trip to London before she left! If you've not been following along, you can see all her London adventures on @kayreadwhat! Thank you so much for listening! You can buy BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->  Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Today's episode has us reveling in nostalgia, our favorite activity, after the latest American Girl news: there's a new "historical" doll from the '90s. So naturally, we had to get into what our childhood doll's accessories would be. Then we keep that nostalgia train rolling by talking about some childhood favorite rereads ❤️ Thank youuu for listening! You can grab BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->  Becky's pick: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (16:37-36:47) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-princess-diaries-meg-cabot?variant=32206930444322    On Becky's TBR: The Codebreaker's Secret by Sara Ackerman Kayla's pick: The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney (36:48-48:21) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/31416/the-face-on-the-milk-carton-by-caroline-b-cooney/   On Kayla's TBR: The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson Libby's pick: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (48:22-1:04:00) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/196153/the-book-thief-anniversary-edition-by-markus-zusak/   On Libby's TBR: The Answers by Catherine Lacey Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

We kick things off with a controversial fishbowl question, in the vein of "if you could sweat anything" - longtime listeners know. And then, enjoy some fun book talk including a couple of books that the co-hosts may or may not have finished quite yet!!! Hehe thank you so much for listening! You can buy BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com------------->  Kayla's pick: The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards (7:14-19:42) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-girl-from-guernica-karen-robards?variant=39979322081314  On Kayla's TBR: Capote's Women by Laurence Leamer Libby's pick: The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan (19:43-34:15) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-arsonists-city-hala-alyan?variant=39936001998882  On Libby's TBR: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy  Becky's pick: Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier (34:34-43:19) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634633/good-rich-people-by-eliza-jane-brazier/  On Becky's TBR: Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier (lol) Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Today, we're talking about what the book about our lives would be called. Hint: someone's book title may or may not be today's episode title

Good morning, hello, today we're talking about ice cream flavored like a feeling. Not to brag, but I think you're going to want to stop by our ice cream shop… And then, the books! Today, we've got a prize-winning King Lear reimagining, a twisty suspenseful heist story, and a scammer book that Kayla was obsessed with. Thank you so much for listening! You can buy your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Libby's pick: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (10:40-21:22) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/168687/a-thousand-acres-by-jane-smiley-introduction-by-lucy-hughes-hallett/ On Libby's TBR: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Becky's pick: Queen of Thieves by Beezy Marsh (21:23-27:29) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/queen-of-thieves-beezy-marsh?variant=40828468658210 On Becky's TBR: The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel Kayla's pick: Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft (27:30-36:20) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711068/stone-cold-fox-by-rachel-koller-croft/ On Kayla's TBR: River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Hello friends, today we're getting RILED UP about movie and TV adaptatios of books! This episode is inspired by the recent Daisy Jones & the Six adaptation, but also fueled by our various strong feelings about Twilight, HP, His Dark Materials, and all the screen adaptations that never were… (pour one out for that series Becky loved that sent us down a rabbit hole way back). Also please weigh in: did you read The Outsiders in high school? Thanks for listening! ❤️ Buy your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Hello, and happy almost-Spring! Today, before we get into our books, we're talking about historical figures. Specifically, which historical figures we'd bring back from the dead and what we would do with them during our day of hanging out. This question was harder than we thought! And for books today, we've got a family saga, and a couple of royal historical fiction novels. Thanks so much for listening! You can buy your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Kayla's pick: The Last Grand Duchess: A Novel of Olga Romanov, Imperial Russia, and Revolution by Bryn Turnbull (4:28-14:11) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-last-grand-duchess-bryn-turnbull?variant=39391758254114 On Kayla's TBR: Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor Libby's pick: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (15:40-26:41) https://sohopress.com/books/more-happy-than-not/ On Libby's TBR: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab Becky's pick: The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly (26:42-37:18) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Last-Dance-of-the-Debutante/Julia-Kelly/9781982171636 On Becky's TBR: Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

We know you've been dying to know: what would we all want a lifetime supply of? Tune in to find out. Then keep listening for some bookish recs, including a wild religious cult thriller and some historical fiction. Thank youuu for listening! You can buy your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Becky's pick: The Social Climber by Amanda Pellegrino (9:58-21:56) https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-social-climber-amanda-pellegrino/18413257?ean=9780778387022 On Becky's TBR: A Promised Land by Barack Obama by Brianna Labuskes (21:57-32:26) Kayla's pick: The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-librarian-of-burned-books-brianna-labuskes/18553228?ean=9780063297128 On Kayla's TBR: Next Ship Home by Heather Webb Libby's pick: Abigail by Magda Szabó (32:27-44:47) https://bookshop.org/p/books/abigail-magda-szabo/6394238?ean=9781681374031 On Libby's TBR: The Door by Magda Szabó Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

After a quick break for the holidays, we're back! Well most of us are (we miss you Emily!!) and today we're filling you in on all the things we were up to while we were gone and diving into the future of BATC and our reading goals! Thank you for listening! You can buy the new BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Hello! Happy New Year! Welcome to season 3!!! Thanks for joining us for another season of this bookish podcast that us four three friends love making so much. And even though Emily's gone and literally moved to France on us, Becky, Kayla, and Libby are excited to be back in “the studio” recording another season for you all. Today, we're chatting about what meal we would choose to eat if we could only eat one meal (for every meal) for the rest of our lives. This of course spirals into whether or not Becky is eating too much raw tuna (the answer is yes). Then we're chatting about some great books, so stick around for another fantastically chaotic season

THROWBACK! Originally released October 31, 2022. We'll be back with new episodes in February 2023! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Today, we're talking haunted house mishaps and embarrassing spooky season stories in general. This episode features one of the funniest miscommunications we've had on the pod in a while, and that's saying something. Then, appropriately, we're talking about some spooky reads including a couple of witch stories (with varying degrees of horror/coziness), and a true-crime-podcast-esque mystery. And don't forget to grab your copy of All This Could Be Different for Libby's November book club! Stay tuned for dates.

THROWBACK! Originally released March 14, 2022. We'll be back with new episodes in February 2023! Get ready for some nostalgic talk about our favorite TV shows growing up! Also, Emily is sharing a date and time for her fan club book club discussion, Love In the Big City by Sang Young Park, so grab your copies soon. And stick around for the book talk, this week featuring your classic lineup of literary fiction, historical fiction, young adult romance, and a gut-punch of a contemporary novel from a character on death row. Thank you for listening!!! Grab your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Libby's pick: The Idiot by Elif Batuman (12:16-23:38) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/314108/the-idiot-by-elif-batuman/ On Libby's TBR: Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho Becky's pick: The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers (23:39-34:46) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-tobacco-wives-adele-myers?variant=39369364439074 On Becky's TBR: The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Emily's pick: Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi (34:47-46:46) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Permanent-Record/Mary-H-K-Choi/9781534445987 On Emily's TBR: Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi Kayla's pick: Notes On an Execution by Danya Kukafka (46:47-55:18) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/notes-on-an-execution-danya-kukafka?variant=39314561237026 On Kayla's TBR: The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

THROWBACK! Originally released June 14, 2021. We'll be back with new episodes in February 2023! We're (still) reflecting on our upstate retreat, and today we're sharing what we learned about each other after spending our first full weekend together. The answers may surprise you a little bit! And before we get into some quality book talk, we have some exciting announcements about the fan club book club, BATC merch, and a possible end-of-summer Tri-State meet up

THROWBACK! Originally released May 31, 2021. We'll be back with new episodes in February 2023! We're coming to you (not) live with some more BATC Upstate Retreat Content! We recorded this episode from the Airbnb of our dreams in Kingston - can we go back yet? So tune in for that then stay tuned to hear Libby announce the June fan club book club pick! It's a good one and we cannot wait. After all that, stick around for some very lovely (and really varied) book discussions! Thank you for listening! We love you! You can join our fan club (and book club!) here: https://www.patreon.com/booksandthecitypod. Grab your BATC merch: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Becky just read: Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland (15:30-26:43) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Florence-Adler-Swims-Forever/Rachel-Beanland/9781982132460 Up next for Becky: Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous by Suzanne Park Libby just read: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (26:44-36:45) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/253400/dark-matter-by-blake-crouch/ Up next for Libby: Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers Kayla just read: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (36:46-46:30) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/act-your-age-eve-brown-talia-hibbert?variant=32126621941794 Up next for Kayla: The Sober Girl Society Handbook: An Empowering Guide to Living Hangover Free by Millie Gooch Emily just read: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (46:32-1:00:10) https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/saga-vol-1-tp Up next for Emily: The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.

Join us for Emily's last episode on the pod

It's time for the most fun episode of the year: SECRET SANTA! In typical fashion, Kayla's coming in hot with evidence, Libby has thoughts, Emily has suspicions, and Becky has no idea. We've got some great books and some great mysteries lined up for you, so enjoy the holiday chaos :) and don't forget to read The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb for Emily's final fan club book club pick, coming up on January 3 in the new year. Thanks for listening! Grab your BATC merch (perfect stocking stuffers!) here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Emily's pick: All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami (17:50-26:49) https://www.europaeditions.com/book/9781609456993/all-the-lovers-in-the-night On Emily's TBR: Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami Libby's pick: Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun (27:50-42:43) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Kiss-Her-Once-for-Me/Alison-Cochrun/9781982191139 On Libby's TBR: Milkman by Anna Burns Becky's pick: The Cloisters by Katy Hays (42:53-51:37) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Cloisters/Katy-Hays/9781668004401 On Becky's TBR: The Circus Train by Amita Parikh Kayla's pick: Anxious People by Frederik Backman (51:38-58:56) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Anxious-People/Fredrik-Backman/9781501160844 On Kayla's TBR: The Family Game by Catherine Steadman Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Hey! Don't forget to stop by Ink48 Hotel in Hell's Kitchen this holiday season to donate your gently used books, so that Book Fairies can help redistribute them to underserved communities in NYC & Long Island. Also, join Emily in the New Year to discuss her (last!!!) book club pick, The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb. After these announcements, we're chatting (for too long) about our Spotify Wrapped, including plenty of conspiracy theories. And after all that: the books :) today, it's a buzzy pop culture novel, a play, historical fiction, and a weird but great kind of fantasy situation. Thank youuu for listening! You can get your BATC merch (perfect stocking stuffers!) here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Kayla's pick: Anon Pls. by Deuxmoi (20:52-33:00) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/anon-pls-deuxmoi?variant=40169936257058 On Kayla's TBR: Angels of the Pacific by Elise Hopper Emily's pick: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (33:01-42:28) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/295009/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf-by-edward-albee/ On Emily's TBR: Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin Becky's pick: The Wilder Women by Ruth Emmie Lang (42:38-50:21) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609878/skin-of-the-sea-by-natasha-bowen/ On Becky's TBR: The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester Libby's pick: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (50:22-1:04:28) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/612385/hamnet-by-maggie-ofarrell/ On Libby's TBR: The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Hello and happy end-of-November! Now that we're moving into the holiday season, if you're in NYC don't forget to stop by Ink 48 Hotel in Hell's Kitchen. The hotel is partnering with the amazing non-profit organization, The Book Fairies, to collect used books to redistribute to underserved communities on Long Island and NYC. Also, don't forget to stop by Libby's fan-club book club meeting this Wednesday at 8pm ET for an All This Could Be Different discussion. This is a very fun episode where we steal one of Andy Cohen's games (since he stole our fishbowl), and we're guessing whether some wild book titles are real or fake. Guess along with us! And then stay tuned for some book talk: we have cannibalism, we have mermaids, we have magical Native essays, and we have the hottest memoir of the year. Thanks so much for listening! You can get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Libby's pick: Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses (18:22-34:07) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Tender-Is-the-Flesh/Agustina-Bazterrica/9781982150921 On Libby's TBR: Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley Becky's pick: Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen (34:08-46:59) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609878/skin-of-the-sea-by-natasha-bowen/ On Becky's TBR: Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen Emily's pick: White Magic by Elissa Washuta (47:00-56:53) https://tinhouse.com/book/white-magic/ On Emily's TBR: The Dolphin House by Audrey Schulman Kayla's pick: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (56:54-1:11:31) https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Im-Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185824 On Kayla's TBR: The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Welcome to one of the most chaotic episodes in recent memory - I know we say that every month, but we're on another level today. We're chatting about live music, Broadway, being sick in public, and a shocking amount of time on the Try Guys. Thank you for listening! And hope to see you at Libby's book club next week! Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween may be long over, but it's always a little bit spooky season on this pod! So this week naturally we're chatting about who we'd haunt for a day, if we could. We run in a few different directions with this one

First thing's first, mark your calendars for Libby's November book club. We're reading All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews on Wednesday, November 30 at 8pmET. Hope to see y'all there! On this week's episode, the three of us are chatting about NAMES! Including our own name stories, and what we'd pick for our first names if we could choose. Then, we have a wild assortment of books that are honestly hard to sum up, so you gotta just listen. Thanks so much for listening! You can get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Emily's pick: Vita Nostra by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko (15:03-31:27) https://www.harpervoyagerbooks.com/book/9780062694614/vita-nostra/ On Emily's TBR: Daughter From the Dark by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko Libby's pick: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (31:28-46:19) https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250204035/migrations On Libby's TBR: Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy Becky's pick: Exalted by Anna Dorn (46:20-56:05) https://www.unnamedpress.com/books/book?title=Exalted On Becky's TBR: The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Today, we're talking haunted house mishaps and embarrassing spooky season stories in general. This episode features one of the funniest miscommunications we've had on the pod in a while, and that's saying something. Then, appropriately, we're talking about some spooky reads including a couple of witch stories (with varying degrees of horror/coziness), and a true-crime-podcast-esque mystery. And don't forget to grab your copy of All This Could Be Different for Libby's November book club! Stay tuned for dates.

Welcome to another chaos episode, this one's full to the brim with chaos as we chat about celebrities, their book clubs, and their reading tastes. We're also trying to choose which celebs have our most similar reading tastes, so that's fun. Shoutout to @celebbookrecs for providing some fact-checking content. Also...sorry to Colleen Hoover and all her fans. Thanks so much for listening! And we hope to see you at Becky's book club this week for Practical Magic! Get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Join us as we roll with the changing seasons by pinpointing what's in and what's out. Per usual, our algorithms are all feeding us wildly different trends, so there's a chance we did this completely wrong. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Then stick around to hear some good convo about a classic book, a magical book, a new take on the Almost Famous story, and a queer book. Thanks so much for listening! You can get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Emily's pick: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (16:52-28:07) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/117657/song-of-solomon-by-toni-morrison/ On Emily's TBR: Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley Becky's pick: The Moon, The Stars and Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan (28:08-35:51) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-moon-the-stars-and-madame-burova-ruth-hogan On Becky's TBR: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare Kayla's pick: Groupies by Sarah Priscus (35:52-47:33) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/groupies-sarah-priscus?variant=39727618195490 On Kayla's TBR: From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper Libby's pick: Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour (47:34-1:00:42) https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250810465/yerba-buena On Libby's TBR: Intimacies by Kate Kitamura Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Today's episode is all about keeping you on your toes. You may think we're talking books per usual, but it's actually a bunch of chaos about ghosts (and, weirdly, Disney Channel original movies from the 90's). So buckle up, because spooky season is here and so are all of our ghosts/alternate timeline and/or universe selves. Thanks so much for listening! And thank you to those who came to the bookstore crawl, we all had the best time and hope you did too! Get your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

First: are you coming to our very first BOOKSTORE CRAWL??? If yes, please RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyc-bookstore-crawl-tickets-423013423537. Have we mentioned how excited we are? Another reminder: Becky's spooky month book club is coming up! (Re)Read Practical Magic and join her to discuss on Tuesday, October 25 at 8pmET. Finally, tune in to hear us talk scary movie villains and all kinds of books. Thank youuu for listening! You can grab BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club, any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. You can also subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Libby's pick: Sisters by Daisy Johnson (7:18-15:04) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624960/sisters-by-daisy-johnson/ On Libby's TBR: The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker Emily's pick: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (15:05-25:24) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690750/tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-by-gabrielle-zevin/ On Emily's TBR: Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee Kayla's pick: Stay Awake by Megan Goldin (25:25-34:15) https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250280671/stayawake On Kayla's TBR: Half Life by Jillian Cantor Becky's pick: At Summer's End by Courtney Ellis (34:16-40:48) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/658433/at-summers-end-by-courtney-ellis/ On Becky's TBR: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Today on the pod, we're chatting about which author we'd like to write our life story - turns out two of us would enjoy a British spin on the fictionalized versions of our stories! Also, we hope to see you at the BATC bookstore crawl!! The first of an annual pod tradition? Maybe? Please RSVP if you'll be joining us: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyc-bookstore-crawl-tickets-423013423537, WE CAN'T WAIT

Do you smell that? In the air? It's back to school time! Kind of! And even though none of us are going back to school, you better believe we're going to talk about this ~season~ in great detail, and very chaotically. Naturally, we get deep into tangents on school lunch, strange mascots, and the choice paralysis of Tinder? Don't ask. Also, can someone report Emily's elementary school district to child protective services? Thank you for listening :) don't forget to grab your BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com.

Welcome to another episode of chaos. This time, we're reconvening on Zoom to chat all about our summers (since it's soomehow already the end of August?!?). That discussion also includes summer reading! So keep listening to hear all about what we've been up to. Thank you so much for listening! Grab your BATC merch here (its never too late to shop the summer drop): https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com. Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

You heard it here first, summer's not over yet so grab your BATC summer merch and join the girls as they spiral into some deep beach/ocean/river talk and all the accompanying aquatic creatures. After that, naturally, we chat about the weirdest things currently in our fridge (Becky starts us off with a doozy). Then, we've got a cute romcom, a dark fairytale retelling, and an award-winning literary fiction winner. Thank you so much for listening! You can get your BATC merch all that beautiful BATC merch here: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Check out our website for more information about the fan club and any anything else at https://www.booksandthecitypod.com. Subscribe to our newsletter there, and send us a note at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Becky's pick: Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (9:35-16:49) https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250766601/tokyoeverafter On Becky's TBR: The Guest Book by Sarah Blake Emily's pick: Veronica by Mary Gaitskill (16:50-27:08) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/57515/veronica-by-mary-gaitskill/ On Emily's TBR: Boy Parts by Eliza Clark Kayla's pick: Darling Girl: A Novel of Peter Pan by Liz Michalski (27:09-38:18) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677442/darling-girl-by-liz-michalski/ On Kayla's TBR: A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions are our own.

Hello, hope you're all keeping well during these dog days of summer. We're back with another new episode (minus one cohost) covering all things dark thrillers, historical fiction, and literary debuts. But before the books, of course the girls get into the three fictional characters who they most relate to! The fish may or may not have asked a similar question before, so if they're getting forgetful in this heat, we apologize for the deja vu! But thank you so much for listening

First things first, don't forget to come to Emily's fan club book club meeting tomorrow, 8/9, at 8pmET -- she's discussing the book club pick (by one of her faves) in today's episode, so keep listening for a taste of that! Also in this ep: Kayla announces her August book club book, the gals discuss band names, & Libby is MIA as she recovers from covid instead of infecting her cohosts

THROWBACK (Originally released on August 8, 2021): We're starting off this episode very chaotically with a workshop session where we determine our Real Housewives taglines, a very fun merch announcement (or two!) before we jump into some book talk. Today we're discussing a very timely gymnastics story, Portlandia and the very amazing Carrie Brownstein, a very funny short story collection, and the new TJR! Grab your BATC merch: https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Becky just read: The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon (12:34-30:31) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-happiest-girl-in-the-world-alena-dillon?variant=32231870332962 On Becky's TBR: Make it Nice by Dorinda Medley Libby just read: Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein (30:31-45:40) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/312793/hunger-makes-me-a-modern-girl-by-carrie-brownstein/ On Libby's TBR: Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier Kayla just read: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (45:40-55:10) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/577243/malibu-rising-by-taylor-jenkins-reid/ On Kayla's TBR: The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon Emily just read: Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby (55:10-1:07:05) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576724/wow-no-thank-you-by-samantha-irby/ On Emily's TBR: Meaty by Samantha Irby Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.

THROWBACK (Originally released on July 19, 2021): On this week's episode, we're talking ~dreams~ (after we discuss Emily's inappropriate summer attire). Come hear all about our dreams, recurring and otherwise, before we get into the book talk. Speaking of books, we're discussing a thriller, folklore, a heavy romcom, and a Gatsby retelling, Thank you for listening!! Join our fan club at: https://www.patreon.com/booksandthecitypod. Grab your BATC merch (and stay tuned for a summer addition): https://www.booksandthecitypod.com/merch. Browse and shop all the books we've discussed on this episode and past episodes at bookshop.org/shop/booksandthecity. Subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and send us an email at booksandthecitypod@gmail.com-------------> Libby just read: Honey Girl by Morgan Jerkins (14:48-25:49) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/honey-girl-morgan-rogers?variant=39308755796002 Up next for Libby: Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Becky just read: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (25:50-36:43) https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250784780 Up next for Becky: The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon Emily just read: The Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (36:44-46:34) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/577066/gods-of-jade-and-shadow-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/ Up next for Emily: Certain Dark Things Raybearer by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Kayla just read: The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine (46:35-52:56) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-stranger-in-the-mirror-liv-constantine?variant=32257225031714 Up next for Kayla: The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin Music by EpidemicSound, logo art by @niczollos, all opinions our own.

THROWBACK!! (Originially posted Oct 25, 2021) Get ready for another backlist episode! Before we get into the books we read quite some time ago, we're talking magic potions and what our ideal ones would do. After that, it's a fun episode where each host discusses a surprise backlist title, pulled from their Goodreads or booksta from years ago, by ANOTHER host, without doing much of a refresher. Enjoy! PS: if you're a fan club member, hope to see you at Rooney book club this Wednesday. Keep your

Hello, happy almost July aka BATC Summer break! Don't forget, we're taking July off, but we'll be releasing some old favorites, so come hang with the past versions of us. And fan club activities will continue as usual, so we hope to see you at book club and happy hour - both later this week! Join us for a chaotic last episode of June, in which someone catches a bug midair and we singlehandedly revive that "starter pack" meme trend. We're talking all things summer plans in this episode!! ☀️