Podcasts about qth

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com {Marathon Alert} CE0Y – Easter Island will be active from June 20–27. Manu, CE3YMR, will be active from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) under the callsign 3G0YM. The focus will be on the 6-, 30-, and 40-meter bands, with possible activity on 10, 20, and 60 meters depending on propagation. Operations will use FT8 and SSB modes. Although this takes place during a family vacation, the goal is to maximize contacts for the worldwide DX community during this second activation from the island. 5H – Tanzania - A reminder, the NK8O (Charles) work trip to Chihoni, Tanzania, is planned to start today and continue to July 2. Working around his job assignments, he will be on the air as 5H3DX. He will be using 100 watts to a dipole, vertical, and long wire antenna, CW, FT8 and FT4, 40-6M. He will upload the log to LoTW and Club Log. {Marathon Alert} C2 – Nauru - Phil, C21TS,  confirms he will depart Nauru on July 22. Meantime, he will be working “a lot of new ones.” PJ2 – Curacao -PJ2/PH2M, operatorFrank, will be on the air until June 29, mainly FT8 and “some FT4 and SSB,”various bands. QSL using Club Log OQRS, or LoTW, or direct to his home QTH. {Marathon Alert} FS – St. Martin – K9EL, John,operating as FS/K9EL, is now active on the air using an IC-7300MK2 and anExpert 1.3 amplifier. Antennas covering 6 through 80 meters are installed, and6 meters has been performing particularly well so far. Because his local noiselevel is very low, many stations may not realize he can hear them. Anyoneneeding a QSO is encouraged to contacthim through his QRZ email address. ClubLog Livestream was notfunctioning, so he uploads logs to LoTWand Club Log at the end of eachday. His grid square is FK88, but the FTsoftware cannot transmit thefull grid when using a compound callsignsuch as FS/K9EL. If conditions are favorable on 6 meters, operators mayalso hear K9EL on the air at thesame time, as he has remote access to hishome station. On Wednesdaynight, he enjoyed a good 6-meter openingto VE6 and VE7, thoughunfortunately, he was unable to get areply from any VE7 station despitethe promising three-hop path. {Marathon Alert} A6 – United ArabEmirates - A60PCis a special event callsign that is QRV until June 30th, in supportof the UAE's Pledge and Commitment. This national initiativeinvites people to affirm their loyalty toPresident His Highness SheikhMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and theirsense of belonging to the UAE,while promoting peace, coexistence, socialunity, national responsibility, and the preservation of these values for futuregenerations. VP2V – British Virgin Islands - Jonathan, W5GI, willoperate from his second QTH in the British Virgin Islands until June 30th.He'll be active as VP2V/W5GI operating on 10–40 meters via SSB and FT8. You mayalso email him to arrange aSchedule. Thisweek, the DX Mentor Podcast will feature a discussion with Robin, WA7CPA, aboutthe DXpedition to E51MWA, the North Cook Islands/Manihiki. Check it out and let me know what you think.             If you have questions or needinformation, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com  Contest Updates  There are a few contests thatI have found to be especially useful for DXers who are trying to fill bandslots or work an All Time New One.  Until next week, this isBill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. IHope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B. For the rest of this year, I am going to pass along a bit of extra information when I let you know what will be on the air in the next seven days. So many hams have joined in the annual CQ Marathon contest that I thought I would help them out, as well as anyone else who is involved in the Marathon. The great thing about the Marathon is that it truly is a marathon and not a sprint. You can join at any time and get credit for all the QSOs you have accumulated in the calendar year. So, when I come across an activation that I would recommend that you get in the log to help your score, I will announce it by starting off with Marathon Alert! I know that this seems corny, but you will know that the information that follows indicates an entity that is more rare than usual DX. If you are not as experienced with DX or the Marathon, you may not know what is common and what is not. I hope this helps you get key entities into the log to help your CQ Marathon score. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com TF1OL, Ólafur, and his wife will be on Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, from June 12 to June 23 for a 10-day stay. During this time, he will be active on FT8 and FT4 on 80 through 6 meters under the callsign D4OL. {Marathon Alert} CE0Y – Easter Island will be active from June 20–27. Manu, CE3YMR, will be active from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) under the callsign 3G0YM. 5H – Tanzania - A reminder, the NK8O (Charles) work trip to Chihoni, Tanzania, is planned to start today and continue to July 2. Working around his job assignments, he will be on the air as 5H3DX. He will be using 100 watts to a dipole, vertical, and long wire antenna, CW, FT8 and FT4, 40-6M. He will upload the log to LoTW and Club Log. {Marathon Alert} C2 – Nauru - Phil, C21TS, confirms he will depart Nauru on July 22. Meantime, he will be working “a lot of new ones.” He has been doing some Club Log livestream and Club Log log search. He says 99.9% of the time Club Log has real time updates. Heavy rain occasionally blocks his internet connection. Phil has now made 132,000 QSOs, 40,400 of those being uniques, 272 entities worked, 269 confirmed, saying “and I honestly thought 260 was going to be max for here.” He even worked 3Y0K, with 50 watts and homemade vertical. On 80 meters, a tuner problem is “making life difficult,” with SWR rising after five minutes of operating, so he will likely not be on 80 much more. He was hoping for five-band Worked All States but is still missing NH, NE and VT. Presumably he means on 80. PJ2 – Curacao -PJ2/PH2M, operator Frank, will be on the air until June 29, mainly FT8 and “some FT4 and SSB,” various bands. QSL using Club Log OQRS, or LoTW, or direct to his home QTH. FS – St. Martin – John, K9EL, will be active as FS/K9EL until June 24, focusing mainly on 6 meters while also operating on 80–10 meters. He'll upload logs to club Log in real time and to LoTW daily. He plans to answer all bureau cards, though bureau replies may take several months. His station includes an IC-7300MK2, Expert 1.3, an EFHW antenna for 80–10 meters, and a Yagi for 6 meters, located on a hill overlooking the Atlantic. {Marathon Alert} T8 – Palau - T88RR will be active until June 18 from Palau. The op plans to operate on 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 12, 10, and 6 meters using FT8, FT4, SSB, and FM on 10 meters. The operator is JA6UBY, Yas. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW and eQSL. For a paper QSL, requests should be sent directly with SASE. He also says he will respond to bureau requests. If you have questions or need information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comXT - Burkina Faso – Harald, DF2SWO,goes again to Burkina Faso using the callsign XT2AW, until May 19.  Harald plans to be on HF and the QO-100 satellite and he welcomes skeds.   CN – Morocco - CN2NQV is the call for F8NQV who is QRV until July 11.  The QTH is the town of Sidi Rahal Chatai, on the Atlantic Ocean, 70 kilometers south of Casablanca.   Pascal's gear runs 100 watts to a Diamond vertical on the rooftop, about 15 meters above ground level. 5Z - Kenya  - 5Z4/MM0ZBH is QRV Holiday Style until June 15, with 100 watts and wire antennas.  QSL via the MM0ZBH home QTH, but his first choice is Logbook of the World foryour request.  Direct is SAE, no USD or IRC needed.  Paul says"I am happy to pay return postage." A6 - United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Many A60PE/##calls will be on the air as part of a national campaign of pride,"Proud of the Emirates."  Flag Day and Union Day (National Day) are popular national pride days.  The current event goes through May 31.  A3 – Tonga - JH3QFL, Takio, will operate as A31AA from Tongatapu Island, Tonga between May 14–22, 2026, onthe 80m–6m bands. QSL cards are available via SASE, and QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW. T8 – Palau - T88IL, T88JH and T88KY will be an operation May 21-24, ops JF3PLF, JR3QFB and JA1MFR, from Koror.  Masa, Yoshi, and Masa will be on 160-6M SSB, CW and digital. QSL details are on QRZ.com.  ZC4 - UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus - G4WXJ, Dave, will operate as ZC4RH from Dhekelia (KM64ux) between May 24 and 30, using 100 watts with Yaesu 857D and Xiegu X6100 radios. He will be active on CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4 modes across 40 to 6 meters, using dipoles and EFHW antennas. 3B9 - Rodrigues I - UR9IDX, Ivan, is QRV until June 1st, as 3B9IDX from Rodrigues Island. His operations will focus on HF bands, primarily using CW and some SSB, but not FT8. QSLdirect only to his address in Madeira Island, Portugal. JW – Svalbard - G1VAQ, Tom, will be briefly operating as JW/G1VAQ from Svalbard in May, using portable QRP (5W)CW on 20 meters. He asks for patience with his CW and notes that QSOs will be confirmed via LoTW and QRZ.com after his return to the UK. OX – Gree nland - OZ1DJJ, Bo, will be active as OX3LX from Aasiaat Island until May 22nd. This activity is part of a work trip, not a DXpedition, so limited radio contacts are expected. 6Y – Jamaica - KQ4PGV, Bill, is traveling to Jamaica from May 31 to June 8 for an anniversary trip and will operate as KQ4PGV/6Y on the radio when possible. Although experienced with POTA and SOTA, he is new to DXing and will be using an IC-705, tuner, and an amp (either 100W or 50W). He plans to activate parks for POTA using FT8 and Ham2kPortable Logger. CP – Bolivia - Team CP7DX has released some details of the upcoming DXpedition. They plan to be QRV from Tarija May 26 to June 6, including the CQ WW WPX CW weekend. The rest of the time they will do SSB, CW and FT8, 160-6M and EME on 144 and 432 MHz. QSL direct to LU1FM and Club Log OQRS too. PJ4 – Bonaire - WA7RAR, Chris, as PJ4CB will be there again May 27 to June 8, SSB and CW, 20-10M and from POTAsites on the island.  4K – Azerbaijan - The first ever POTA activation from Absheron National Park, AZ-0004 is May 28. The 4K0T“DXpedition and Contest Team” is going, joined by the ARAS, the Azerbaijan Radio Amateurs Society. They say the park is remarkable, on the Caspian Sea. It is grid LN50eg. They plan HF SSB and will have live updates, photos, logs and QSL info as things unfold.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comXT - Burkina Faso – Harald, DF2SWO, goes again to Burkina Faso using the callsign XT2AW, until May 19. Harald plans to be on HF and the QO-100 satellite and he welcomesskeds.  CE0 - Juan Fernandez - 3G0Z is the call for XQ7IR, Felipe, when he goes later this month.  His call will be XR0Z when he's on Alejandro Selkirk Island, SA-101, a possible side trip for 24-36 hours.  His gear has been sent ahead successfully, from Valparaiso to Juan Fernandez Island. CN – Morocco - CN2NQV is the call for F8NQV who is QRV until July 11.  The QTH is the town of Sidi Rahal Chatai, on the Atlantic Ocean, 70 kilometers south of Casablanca.Pascal's gear runs 100 watts to a Diamond vertical on the rooftop, about 15 meters above ground level. 5Z - Kenya  - 5Z4/MM0ZBH is QRV Holiday Style until June 15, with 100 watts and wire antennas.  QSL via the MM0ZBH home QTH, but his first choice is Logbook of the World foryour request.  Direct is SAE, no USD or IRC needed.  Paul says"I am happy to pay return postage." A6 - United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Many A60PE/##calls will be on the air as part of a national campaign of pride,"Proud of the Emirates."  Flag Day and Union Day (National Day) are popular national pride days.  The current event goes through May 31.  TF – Iceland - TF/WE9G, Rikk,will again be traveling, this time to Borg, Iceland, May 10-19, IOTA EU-021 and grid HP94ob.  He will have three radios on, a pair of IC-7300 radios and an IC-705, to a homebrew vertical, a tunable vertical, and a G5RV-E.  He will do 160-6, mostly FT8/4/2 "with some SSB and CW."  A Park on the Air, POTA, is a possibility, depending on his local transportation there.  QSL direct or bureau to WE9G and TF/WE9G on Club Log OQRS, QRZ and LoTW.  He plans real time log uploads and also Club Log livestream.    T8 – Palau - T88IL, T88JH and T88KY will be an operation May 21-24, ops JF3PLF, JR3QFB and JA1MFR, from Koror.  Masa, Yoshi, and Masa will be on 160-6M SSB, CW and digital. QSL details are on QRZ.com.  ET – Ethiopia - DL9WVM, Ulli, says he has two more weeks in Addis, and is QRV on CW from ET3AA as time permits.  He is there visiting family.  W9XY, Bob, say he may do some remote operating from that station, when DL9WVM is not operating.  K4ZW, Ken, will also be there, next weekend.  QSLs for K4ZW operations will go to N2OO as usual. ZC4 - UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus - G4WXJ, Dave, will operate as ZC4RH from Dhekelia (KM64ux) between May 24 and 30, using 100 watts with Yaesu 857D and Xiegu X6100 radios. He will be active on CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4 modes across 40 to 6 meters, using dipoles and EFHW antennas. TK – Corsica - F4FTV, Fabrice, will operate as TK/F4FTV from Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, from May 9 to 16, using SSB and digital modes. QSL is available via F4FTV and LoTW after three months.OX – Greenland - TF1OL, Olafur, plans to be QRV from Nuuk, Greenland from May 10 to 17. 3B8 - Mauritius & 3B9 - Rodrigues I - UR9IDX, Ivan, recently operated from Reunion Island (FR/UR9IDX, Mayotte (FH/UR9IDX)  and Comoros (D60DX), is QRV as 3B8IDX until May 16 from Mauritius and as 3B9IDX (May 18-June 1) from Rodrigues Island. His operations will focus on HF bands, primarily using CW and some SSB, but not FT8. QSL direct only to his address in Madeira Island, Portugal.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comVK9/C - Cocos (Keeling) – Mark, VK9BSA, and Deena, VK9DEE, have received their radio equipment at Cocos (Keeling) and are now active on the air until May 17th, with operations mainly on weekends and after work, as they balance family life on the island. This Sunday will be a dedicated radio day, and Deena (VK9DEE) is interested in connecting with other women on air. Frequency and timing details will be shared via email, with SSB as the chosen mode and plans for regular after-work activity on the 20-meter band.CT3 - Madeira Island - CT9/DL1BU is QRV and continues until May 2. Marc says for his holiday he took his IC-7300, 10-meter-tall fiberglass mast, and an off center fed dipole, the "Aerial51." His first day was devoted to setting it all up and testing. CN – Morocco - CN2NQV is the call for F8NQV who is QRV until July 11. The QTH will be the town of Sidi Rahal Chatai, on the Atlantic, 70 kilometers south of Casablanca. He plans 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10M, with target frequencies 7155, 14345, 18140, 21165 and 28575. Pascal's gear runs 100 watts to a Diamond vertical on the rooftop, about 15 meters above ground level.5Z - Kenya - 5Z4/MM0ZBH is QRV Holiday Style until June 15, with 100 watts and wire antennas. QSL via the MM0ZBH home QTH, but his first choice is Logbook of the World for your request. Direct is SAE, no USD or IRC needed. Paul says "I am happy to pay return postage."PJ4 – Bonaire - PJ4TB is QRV again by TJ, PE1OJR, TJ (short for Theerd), until May 4, holiday style, 40-6M SSB and FT8/FT4. TJ has an IC-7300, a "PAC-12" vertical that he's modified to cover 40-6, and an end fed wire antenna. He says he only uses LoTW (and Club Log, but he also mentions QRZ.com) for e-confirmations, no eQSL or traditional cards by mail. His LoTW and QRZ uploads are once a week.FO/M – Marquesas - TX9W, "Team Marquesas," arrived on Hiva Oa and made their way to their site to begin their setup. The team leader, K5WE, Jeff, had "a medical emergency" the night before the departure early Saturday, he spent the night in the hospital, and the decision is being made when and whether he can join the team. Setup is underway and they are QRV.Z6 – Kosovo - Z66SP with his Polish teammates will be QRV from near Pristina, April 23-28, CW, SSB and FT8, 160-10. They will be in the "SP DX RTTY Contest" weekend, and will also do some 6M and QO-100. QSL using Club Log OQRS and LoTW. https://z66sp.spdxc.org/7P, LESOTHO - 7P8WR will be QRV until May 1 by IZ0EVI, IZ0EWJ and IZ6DSQ. For antennas, they will have a spiderbeam covering 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10, a three-element "Skipper" for 10, loop for 20-10, another loop for 40-15, and a 40M vertical. For radios, it's three IC-7300s and an IC-706MKIIG, plus amplifiers. QSL via IZ0EWJ, bureau or direct, LoTW, QRZ.com, but no eQSLAll QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW, Club Log, and QRZ.com. https://www.mdxc.support/7p8wr/JT, MONGOLIA - Vladimir R9LR and Denis R8LCM will be QRV as JT0LR from rare grids NN49, NN48, NN58 and perhaps NN59. Activity between April 25 and April 30 on various bands using CW, SSB and digi. Satellite QO-100 also. QSL via R9LR. 4W - Timor-Leste - DX World reports 4W/EA2TA, Christian, has the licenses in hand now. He, 4W/EA3NT and 4W/IZ7ATN are now on the air from Timor Island. Their operation continues to April 28, 80-6M CW, SSB and FT8. 60M is not allowed in Timor-Leste, so no 60M for them. QSL all of them via IZ7ATN or use Logbook of the World.Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week!

En este episodio arrancamos mirando al aire con una de esas historias que nos recuerdan por qué la radio sigue teniendo magia. Hablamos de la última activación del grupo Conecta Radio de Canarias, una cita ya habitual en QRP en HF… La conexión Canarias - Península, en esta ocasión, aunque ya desde QTH, nos dejó un contacto muy especial en VHF: más de 1.500 km entre Galicia y Canarias gracias a un canal de propagación troposférica típico de estas fechas. Escucharemos el QSO entre EA1FTW, en un SOTA desde Ourense, y EA8CAZ desde Tenerife, en una de esas aperturas que hay que aprovechar cuando el Atlántico decide “abrirse”. Después nos vamos hasta Oviedo para charlar con Kike, EB1RD, del Radio Club Vetusta, sobre la próxima edición del Mercau Astur Radio, que se celebrará el 16 de mayo de 2026. Y cerramos estrenando nueva sección: un recorrido por las entidades DXCC. Empezamos fuerte con una de las más raras y deseadas… P5, Corea del Norte. Radio, experiencias, eventos y DX… todo en un mismo episodio. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/apoyar/ Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram: https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no olvidéis visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com CY0S DXpedition Update - The CY0S DXpedition started operations from Sable Island on March 18 at 2140Z. Although they intended to use Super Fox mode on FT8, technical issues led them to operate in Fox and Hound mode instead. All five stations are now active, and a livestream is available via Club Log.  A2 – Botswana - HB9SHD, Remo, is currently operating from Botswana under the callsign A255HD (yes A 2 5 5 HD), having previously been active as ZS2/HB9SHD earlier in March. He expresses gratitude to A2NEW, John, for assistance with his license renewal. Remo operates in casual holiday style using an FT-891 radio and an end-fed antenna for 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. So far, he has been reported on FT8 on 20, 15 and 10 meters. QSL cards can be sent via bureau or direct (no money needed, just a self-addressed envelope). S2 – Bangladesh - The guys are currently off air as the team is further investigating a noise problem at their QTH. They might have found the issue and are addressing it at this minute. They say QRX, and hope to be back on shortly – with better RX.  XX9 - Macao - The XX9W team began operations on 3/22  just before 0900Z. They have been reported on FT8 on 15 and 30 meters and 20 CW. They have 8 rigs.   T31 - Central Kiribati - The Rebel DX Group announced that their T31TTT DXpedition to Kanton, Central  Kiribati, will involve two weeks of operations with a possible plan to establish a permanent remote station at the government site on T31. The main focus will be on digital modes, especially to give operators with less powerful stations a good chance to make contacts and get logged. Duplicate  QSOs are not a concern-participants are welcome to call repeatedly until their  contact is confirmed. The team will also have one CW and one SSB station  active.  The digital operation plan includes running up to 14 radios simultaneously,  with two radios per band. Multiple frequencies will be active at once, using both MSHV multistream and Super Fox modes. As traffic decreases, all stations will return to MSHV multistream operation only. https://www.qrz.com/db/T31TTT   HR – Honduras - KN2P, N7VZ and W7UM are now QRV using callsign HQ9UM until March 31.  They are on 160-10 SSB, CW and FT8 and use LoTW for QSLing.  And they have the HQ9X callsign for the CQ WPX SSB weekend.  Otherwise, they will be holiday style.  CE0Y - Easter Island - Change of plans for DJ4EL, Markus's, Easter Island Trip as his expected 3G0YE callsign will not be used. He now expects to use CE0Y/DJ4EL. Despite these licensing challenges, Markus's Starlink equipment is prepared for Club Log live streaming during the trip March 28-April 11.  9J – Zambia - DM7XX, Robert, is QRV as 9J2RO from the Fountain Gate Crafts & Trades School until March 30.   YJ – Vanuatu - VK2YUS, Chris Ayres is QRV as YJ0CA from Vanuatu until April 2, SSB only, the same gear as previously, an IC-7300 to small amplifier, and simple wire antennas, 40-10.  He says his main operating times are likely to be between 2100-1000Z.    YJ - Vanuatu - JK1JXZ, Aki, is also QRV from Vanuatu as YJ1JXZ until April 3, active on 80-6 meter bands after 5 PM (local time) on weekdays and all day on weekends.   E5/S - South Cook Islands DJ5NQ, Frank, will be operating as E51ANQ from Rarotonga, South Cook Islands, until the end of March. He will operate on CW and SSB in a holiday style operation, running 100 watts and a short G5RV antenna at 15 meters height. QSL cards can be sent via DJ5NQ, either through the Bureau or direct.  VK9/c - Cocos (Keeling) - From the Daily DX, VK9BSA on Cocos Keeling Island will be activated by Mark, VK6BSA, along with Deena, VK9DEE,  (aka VK6DEE), until May.    

Esta semana, os explico como he conseguido hacer llegar el coaxial desde mis antenas, atravesando el nuevo QTH hasta mi cuarto de radio. ¿Es la forma más eficiente? ¡NO! Pero es válida y me va a permitir no tener que estar recogiendo coaxiales y poder dejarlo "semi fijo" mientras dura mi situación de provisionalidad. Además, os hablo del descubrimiento que he hecho de datos de propagación para España en la web del cluster de URE. Y os dejo con un breve documento acerca de la colocación de las antenas EndFed Half Wave y Aleatorias para conseguir diferentes ángulos de radiación. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/apoyar/ NOTAS DEL EPISODIO - Tablas de atenuación de coaxiales https://messi.it/es/tabla-de-comparaci%C3%B3n-de-atenuaci%C3%B3n-cables-coaxiales-de-50-ohmios.htm y https://www.electronicafacil.net/tutoriales/Tabla-cable-coaxial.html - DX cluster de URE con datos de propagación EA https://webcluster.ure.es/ - Video de Tim K5OHY, sobre las antenas EFHW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_psdSDVXAC8 Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram: https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no olvidéis visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comV4 - St. Kitts - The 425 DX News reports that V47JA by W5JON is QRV from the island until February 3, SSB andFT8 on HF.  QSL direct to W5JON, or  use Logbook of the World. TL - Central African Republic & TT –Chad - TJ1GD, Darek, has established permanent amateur radio stations in the Central African Republic and in Chad, which are maintained locally. These stations (TL8GD and TT1GD), licensed to Darek, operate periodically-often remotely using FT8, CW, and SSB. QSL confirmations are available via LoTW and Club Log.J5 - Guinea-Bissau – Livio, IZ3BUR, is once again QRV as J52EC starting January 24. He has been reported on SSB on 10 and 15 meters. Numerous sources report he is there until March. QSL direct only via IZ3BUR. C2 - Nauru – Phil, FK1TS, is back on Nauru Island and expects to be active as C21TS on FT8 by the weekend, after setting up his vertical antenna. He will operate until July 2026, and Club Log Livestream will indicate when he is on the air. KP5/NP3VI, Desecheo Island - KP5/NP3VI is now 2 weeks into its planned 30-day operation. Their latest published statistics are as follows: 29,418 QSOs with 8,291 unique callsigns; ATNO for 1,66 stations. Six continents are represented in the log, with 91.1 percent of the QSOs with North American and Europe. However, North America contacts continue to decrease in percentage as they increase activity with other regions.  C5 - The Gambia - C5SP, Przemyslaw and C5MB, Magdalena are QRV from Sanyang, Gambia (Grid Square IK13pf) until March 2026. QSL cards are available via SP3PS Direct, but not through LoTW.H4 - Solomon Islands - DL2GAC, Bernhard now in the Solomon Islands as H44MS until mid-May.  He departed India last Wednesday, arriving in the Solomons' capital on Friday.  He is renewing his H44MS license, which was scheduled to expire in early February.  He will move to his "usual QTH" there tomorrow or Wednesday.  He has taken with him a Hexbeam that covers 20-6, to replace his old tri-bander that covered 20-10.  He says the weather is poor, lots of rain, no sunshine.  He plans to mostly be on 40M this time, with a dipole 20M high in a palm tree near the ocean.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.I mentioned previously that I would be addressing two issues, as I do at the beginning of each year. The first is my goals for 2026. We accomplished that last week. The second issue was to share those contests that I have participated in over the years. I have found them to be excellent opportunities to improve your skills, garner you some new band slots and potentially some ATNOS. The dates that I am referring to include the State QSO Parties, international DX contests, and regional DX contests. I have worked many normally difficult entities during contests and found it very easy (sometimes) to get them in the log. I have about 90 dates that I would suggest that you keep in mind. However, you don't need to write them down. I have created two items to make it easy for you. There is a list of dates andcontests in both .pdf and Excel format. Both files can be found at www.aj8b.com/files. Let me know if you have any questions. If you are somewhat skilled with Excel, you can create a CSV file from the Excel workbook and import it in to your personal calendar.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comKP5/NP3VI, Desecheo Island, makes history  - At its four-day mark, KP5/NP3VI has made over 10,000 QSOs on all continents. Their goal is to make over 100,000 QSOsduring their 30 days on the air. J5 - Guinea-Bissau - Bavarian Contest Club members will be operating J51A from Guinea-Bissau in February/March 2026. The location is on the island's northern shore with an unobstructed view over water, using generator power 24/7 due to lack of public electricity. Their  main goal is to provide contacts from Guinea-Bissau, which is ranked as number  85 worldwide, and number 53 in Asia. QSL cards and LoTW confirmations will be managed through Club Log OQRS, and donations are welcome via Club Log.H4 - Solomon Islands - DL2GAC, Bernhard now in the Solomon Islands as H44MS until mid-May.  He departed India last Wednesday, arriving in the Solomons' capital on Friday.  He is renewing his H44MS license, which was scheduled to expire in early February.  He will move to his "usual QTH" there tomorrow or Wednesday.  He has taken with him a Hexbeam that covers 20-6, to replace his old tri-bander that covered 20-10.  He says the weather is poor, lots of rain, no sunshine.  He plans to mostly be on 40M this time, with a dipole 20M high in a palm tree near the ocean. V6 - Federated States of Micronesia - Yesterday afterarriving on Chuuk (OC-011), JA1XGI (Haru) reports his amplifier was likely damaged during airport transport. Nevertheless, he has been active as V6CU25, operating FT8 and CW on 160, 40, 30, 20, and 15 meters. S21WD – Bangladesh 2026: Project Update - The NextGeneration DX Club is pleased to announce a major milestone for its upcoming Bangladesh DXpedition: the callsign S21WD has been officially issued for the project. The DXpedition will be active for 12 days and operate on 160 through 10 meters, including 5 MHz (60 m), using CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8. In addition, activity via the QO-100 satellite is planned using CW, SSB, and FT4. I mentioned that the KP5 DXpedition to Desecheo was racking up record numbers and they were working all continents. If you would like to learn more about this DXpedition, check out the DX Mentor podcast and YouTube channel. AJ8B and W8GEX had a great discussion with team leader, Otis, NP4G, about all aspects of the DesecheoDXpedition. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!  Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. IHope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comKP5 - Desecheo Island – On Monday, KP5/NP3VI began operations from Desecheo Island, the first time KP5 has been on the air since 2009. NP4G, Otis, and several other team members were on the island setting up the antennas, stations and solar panels. We have an update from the KP5 team - Desecheo DXpedition 2026 Update“Please be patient—this is only Day Two of a planned 30-day activation. This DXpedition represents a completely new operating concept designed specifically for environmentally sensitive, highly regulated, and restricted locations. As with any first-of-its-kind effort, refinements are ongoing. Our team leaders, along with electrical and software engineers, are actively fine-tuning operating schedules, band and mode selection, RF power levels, and overall system performance to optimize results as conditions evolve. Due to Desecheo's geographic location, North American stations are currently dominating propagation. That said, our operators have been explicitly instructed to listen for DX stations and to give them priority whenever possible in order to broaden log coverage. We ask for your patience as we work through the pileups and strive to put as many stations as possible into the log.A primary goal of this DXpedition is to deliver as many ATNOs as we can worldwide. Thank you for your understanding, your support, and your cooperation.Good luck in the pileups—and we'll see you in the log!73,Steve N2AJMedia Officer & PilotDesecheo DXpedition 20265H - Tanzania - Dr. Charles, NK8O, is QRV from Tanzania as 5H3DX until February 9 with limited radio activity due to other commitments. He plans to operate mainly 20 to 10 meters, possibly 6 meters if conditions allow, using simple antennas. A more extensive operation is expected in April, and he is exploring remote operation, though limited Internet access is currently a challenge.VP0/H - South Shetland Islands - LZ0A (LZ1AAW), Ivo, continues his activity from the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island. He is QRV in his spare time and has been reported on FT8 on 20 and 15 meters. QSL via LZ1KDP.3X, Guinea - Herman, YB3GIH, is QRV from Boff as 3X/YB3GIH and plans to remain there until about June while working on a contract. His station setup includes an ICOM IC-718 at 100W and a homebrew vertical antenna. He is operating on 20 and 15M SSB. QSL options are eQSL, Club Log, and LoTW.TY - Benin - Gerard's, F5NVF, flight to Benin was delayed by snow in Paris, but he plans to be active on CW as TY5GG later this week where he is scheduled until April 6.PJ2 - Curacao – Jeff, K8ND, operating as PJ2ND, is QRV in Curaáao and will stay until January 30. He will participate in the CQWW 160 Meter CW Contest as PJ2T later in the month and will be active on the bands as PJ2ND until then. QSL for PJ2ND goes via K8ND or Logbook of the World, and for PJ2T via KU9C or Logbook of the World.6W – Senegal – Rudi, 6W/DB1RUL, is QRV and will continue to January 20. He plans to upload the log to LoTW. Other routes are the bureau to his home callsign, or direct with 2 USD. 4S - Sri Lanka – Peter, 4S7KKG, says everything is the same as in previous years. "I'll be here in 4S until the end of March!" His other call is DC0KK. QSL direct or bureau through Club Log OQRS or, he calls it "direct-direct," with SASE and 2 USD to his German home QTH. Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week!

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comVP2V - British Virgin Islands - W5GI, Jonathan,has returned to Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands and is QRV as VP2V/W5GI until January 20th. He is hopeful to work 1000 stations from POTA VG-0021. Listen for him on SSB and FT8 from both the park and his living QTH. He will be mainly on 20 meters but can also operate on 40, 17, 15, 12and 10 meters.ZD7 - St. Helena Island - AC1GQ, Casey,will be on St. Helena Island from January 10-24. He plans to operate with a QRP rig (QMX from QRP Labs) and an end-fed antenna (QRP Guys) on the 40m and 20m bands, if possible. Casey  will bring a copy of his home amateur radio license and is seeking advice on applying for a ZD7 license.  This one is right around the corner. “In collaboration with the Vieques Island Amateur Radio Club (NP3VI) and theManyana DXFoundation, we are proud to announce KP5/NP3VI, a landmark DXpedition to Desecheo Island (KP5), currently ranked by Club Log as the 14th most wantedDXCC entity worldwide. Located approximately 13 miles off the west coast of Puerto Rico, Desecheo Island has not been activated since 2009. This operation represents the first Puerto Rican-led DXpedition to Desecheo in 48 years,following the historic KP4AM/D activation in 1978. The primary mission of this DXpedition is to provide an All-Time New One (ATNO) to as many amateur radio operators worldwide as possible. Operators from Puerto Rico and international locations will participate to maximize coverage, band availability, and global accessibility. To ensure continuous, global on-air presence, two self-sustainedRemote Deployable Units (RDUs) provided by the Manyana DXFoundation will be deployed on the island. These stations will operate 24 hours per day for 30 consecutive days,utilizing state-of-the-art remote operating infrastructure from Remote Ham Radio (RHR). Operations will be livestreamed, and there will be real-time activityupdates via Club Log. NP4G, Dr. Otis Vicens, is DXpedition leader, and N2AJ, Stephen Hass, is media officer and pilot. DK6SP, Philipp, and DJ4MX, Sven, have announced the next adventure of the Next Generation DX Club. “This time, ouryoung and ambitious team will travel to the People's Republic of Bangladesh, better known as S2 to the amateur radio community…After bringing you 8R7X, Guyana in 2024 and V73WW, Marshall Islands last year, we are ready to make waves from one  Asia's most exciting and under-activated locations.” More information about callsign, dates, andoperators will follow. XU - Cambodia - DL7BO, Tom, who is QRV until January 18, is using the callsign XU7O. He will be active on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8, with a focus on the lower bands. QSLinformation remains direct to DJ4WK, or via LoTW, Club Log, or eQSL. FY - French Guiana - F4GPK, Peter, is QRV as TO2FY until January 15 from Kourou. C5YK, The Gambia – Andre, ON7YK, is QRV from The Gambia as C5YK until January 25. He is operating on SSB, RTTY, PSK,FT8, FT4, and some CW on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10M. QSL only via LoTW, eQSL, or direct to ON7YK. He posts his logbook on his website.   Z6 – Kosovo - HB9TSW, Gab, isQRV as Z68BG from Slatina Air Base, Kosovo, until January 28 using CW only. For direct QSL, send an SAE  with 3 green stamps via HB9TSW.

En este episodio de CQ en Frecuencia queda constancia de un momento histórico: el apagado definitivo de las emisiones de Radio Nacional de España en onda media. Escuchamos los audios reales del cierre, tal y como se produjeron, poniendo punto final a décadas de radio que acompañaron a generaciones enteras de oyentes. Tras ese instante cargado de memoria radiofónica, comparto un update personal desde mi nuevo QTH. Aún sin instalación definitiva de antenas, continúo explorando soluciones prácticas y discretas para sacar RF al exterior. De momento, el resultado en VHF y UHF ha sido más que satisfactorio, demostrando que con ingenio y paciencia se puede seguir en el aire incluso en condiciones poco ideales. La próxima etapa ya está marcada: HF. Nuevos retos, nuevas pruebas y, como siempre, el mismo espíritu de experimentar, escuchar y aprender que define nuestra afición. Un episodio entre la memoria y el presente, entre lo que se apaga y lo que empieza a tomar forma… siempre en frecuencia. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/apoyar/ Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram: https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no olvidéis visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comLZØA, South Shetland Islands - LZ1AAW, Ivo, is onhis way to the South Shetland Islands where he will be working during the 34thBulgarian Antarctic expedition. He plans to be QRV in his spare time as LZØA. The dates are from December 28 to February 16, plus or minus two days. Ivo expects to be on 20M, and possibly other bands, on SSB and FT8/FT4. Theactivation is registered under IOTA reference AN-010 and WAP reference WAP BUL-01, and falls within CQ Zone 13, ITU Zone 73, and the DXCC entity VP8, LU -South Shetland Islands (#67 on the Club Log DXCC Most Wanted list). CE0X - San Felix and San Ambrosio - Felipe, XQ7IR, ispreparing for his upcoming 3G0XQ DXpedition to San Ambrosio, scheduled from January 12 to February 15.  He recently drove 14 hours to the Port of Valparaiso to oversee his equipment being shipped to Juan Fernandez.  Once all necessary paperwork is completed, Felipe and his gear will continue on to San Ambrosio by charter vessel in the coming weeks. This update is courtesy of DX World. XU - Cambodia - DL7BO, Tom, who is QRV until January 18, is using the callsign XU7O. He will be active on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8, with a focus on the lower bands. QSL information remains direct to DJ4WK, or via LoTW, Club Log, or eQSL. FO - French Polynesia - FO/JI1JKW is QRVuntil January 6 from Tikehau and Tuamotu islands.  The band plan is to operate 7, 14, 18, 21, 24, 28 and 50, and SSB, CW and FT8.  QSL to his home QTH or use LoTW. FY - French Guiana - F4GPK, Peter, is QRV as TO2FY until January 15 from Kourou. C5YK, The Gambia – Andre, ON7YK, is QRVfrom The Gambia as C5YK until January 25. He is operating on SSB, RTTY, PSK, FT8, FT4, and some CW on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10M. QSL only via LoTW, eQSL, or direct to ON7YK. He posts his logbook on his website.   VP8 - South Shetland Islands - LZ1AAW, Ivo, is heading to the Bulgarian Antarctic Base "St. Kliment Ohridski" on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands (IOTA AN-010). He plans tooperate as LZ0A during his free time from late December 2025 to mid-February 2026. The base, located at 62¯38'S, 60¯21'W in the eastern part of Livingston Island, has been permanently staffed since December 11, 1993. 5Z – Kenya- Not an expedition but on the air casually, "holiday style," will be OZ6ABL/5Z4, Michael Johansen, January 15-28.  He says he will try to get on the air as much as possible.  It is his 14th trip to Kenya but the first time taking a radio along. Michael will be on 80-6 but did not get permission for60.  QSL to his home call, OZ6ABL, and LoTW and Club Log will also work. Z3 - Republic of North Macedonia - The specialevent callsign Z380CEF is being used to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Ham Radio Club "STEVO PATAKOT" in Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia. The club, formerly known as YU5CEF and currently Z37CEF, has been active since 1946. Operations will continue until December 31, 2026. XT - Burkina Faso – Max, DK1MAX, will be in Burkina Faso from January 4th to January 11th, 2026, operating as XT2MAX. He plans to use an IC-7300 rig with up to 100W of power, working mostly on 20m to 6m bands, and possibly lower bands if conditions allow. Modes will include CW, SSB, and FTx (MSHV, no F/H). QSLs will be handled via EA5GL and Club Log, with daily free LoTW uploads. 

Estas Navidades estoy viviendo una situación que muchos radioaficionados conocen bien: nuevo QTH y, de momento, sin antenas instaladas. Mientras preparo soluciones para poder sacar RF al exterior —hablando del siempre complicado paso de coaxial por una doble ventana—, la radio no se detiene… y las bandas tampoco. En este episodio hablamos de cómo, durante estas fechas, la actividad en radio se multiplica. Indicativos especiales que celebran la Navidad, parques y cimas que se llenan de activadores, y colegas que aprovechan los días de descanso para salir al aire con equipos sencillos y muchas ganas de disfrutar. Escuchamos radio real, grabada a través de un SDR remoto mientras no tengo antenas en casa: activaciones POTA desde el Montseny y desde Segovia, SOTA en VHF desde una cima de Cádiz, y un indicativo especial navideño en 40 metros. Señales fuertes, señales débiles, propagación cambiante… exactamente lo que encontramos cuando la radio se vive sin artificios. EG1XMA, EA3IPX, EA3IMR, EA1ZJ, EA3HIG, EA4BTQ, EA9ADD, EA4IOI... vamos, un montón de amigos. Pero este episodio también va de algo más importante: radio compartida. De amigos que se juntan, de hijos que acompañan y aprenden, y de cómo la radioafición se convierte, especialmente en Navidad, en una excusa perfecta para pasar tiempo juntos. Porque al final, da igual si la señal sale por una ventana, desde un parque o desde una cima: lo importante es seguir disfrutando de la radio. NOTAS DEL EPISODIO - Web de la EG1XMA https://eg1xma.riojanosporlaradio.com/ - Canal de Youtube de EA1ZJ https://www.youtube.com/@EA1ZJ - Comet CTC 50M https://www.locuradigital.com/en/antenna_cable/comet_pasamarcos_ctc-50m.htm - Diamond MGC 50 https://www.wimo.com/es/diamond-mgc-50-set - Antenas Skyline y Skyloop de Big Signal https://www.bigsignal.es/antenas/big-signal-skyline-antena-17.html Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram: https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no olvidéis visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com

En este episodio de CQ en Frecuencia arrancamos hablando de cambios. Cambio de QTH, nuevas ideas para antenas, y las dificultades reales que aparecen cuando uno se enfrenta a una ubicación distinta, con condicionantes que no siempre son fáciles de resolver. Un episodio muy pegado al día a día del radioaficionado: pensar, probar, adaptar… y tener paciencia. Pero este episodio no se queda solo en lo técnico. Como cierre, te proponemos algo especial. Un cuento de Navidad para radioaficionados, titulado “Una línea gris para una barba blanca”. Una historia que mezcla radio, escucha y un poco de magia, en la que imaginamos que Papá Noel se orienta en la noche de Nochebuena siguiendo la línea gris, ayudado por la actividad de los radioaficionados de todo el mundo. Gracias a nuestros CQ, a nuestros indicativos y a esas señales que mantenemos vivas incluso en fechas señaladas, el viaje se hace posible. Un episodio que empieza hablando de antenas y termina hablando de lo que realmente sostiene a la radioafición: las personas, la escucha… y las señales compartidas. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/apoyar/ Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram: https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no olvidéis visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com

When you walk in the main gate at the Hamvention, the first exhibit you encounter is an outdoor collection of vehicles outfitted to the gills with ham radio. The banner says 'EmComm Vehicle Display', and some of the vehicles are truely that, sponsored by organizations dedicated to emergency response. Others have diffeent purposes: contests, rovers, or just the ability to escape a poor home QTH and get to a better operating location, and they are personal projects. In this episode we'll meet some of the hams responsible for these impressive rolling ham shacks, and take a look at what they've built. About this episode Last May, the HamRadioNow Mobile Production Unit (that's Gary K4AAQ, a handheld camera and a couple of wireless mics) shot some TOURS at the Hamvention, which the HRN Editorial Unit (also Gary K4AAQ, using DaVinci Resolve on a 13 year-old Windows PC) promptly edited and posted. The MPU also shot a bunch of interviews at the 'fest, which have been languishing on the editor's hard drive ever since, while life went on. Now, somehow, Gary found a few spare minutes to slap one of those segments together. There are a bunch more. Apparently Gary could use some encouragement

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.I had mentioned previously that our DX club, the Southwest Ohio DX association, had just published a special edition of the October newsletter dedicated to 160M. Scott, N4JN, Dave, K3BQ, and Ken, NS7V, each dropped me a note and are now reading the newsletter. You can get a copy as well by emailing me at thedxmentor@gmail.com. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com9U - Burundi We have now been QRV for 4.5 days running up to 10 HP stations 6m - 160m.  Per our 9U1RU Club Log Expedition chart: https://clublog.org/charts/?c=9U1RU#r,  we are currently at43,500 QSOs from this mountainside QTH 2,340m ASL.  All operators are doing well and in great spirits with the focus on achieving team objectives. Please keep in mind that the plan for the 9U1RU DXPedition calls for us to be QRV until November 20. Please consult our website for additional information: https://www.rudxt.org/9u1ru 8R- GuyanaPY1SAD, Aldir, is back in Guyana and QRV once again from Georgetown as 8R1TM until December 7. During the week listen for him on CW, SSB and digital modes on 1.8 through 50 MHz between 2300 and 0200Z. Over the weekends watch for him to be on more often. QSL direct to PY1SAD, via LoTW, QRZ or eQSL. CP- Bolivia Members of the YaguaretÇ DX Group have announced their plans to go back to Tarija (grid locator FG87pl), Bolivia as CP7DX from October 31 to November 10. They plan to be active on 160, 80, 60, 40, 20, 15, 12 and 10 meters. QSL via LU1FM. TL - Central African RepublicTJ1GD, Darek, began operating TL8GD on Saturday November 1.  Over the weekend he was reported on 20, 15, 10 meters FT8.  Darek plans to be QRV in his spare time on HF on FT8, FT4, SSB and CW until the end of the month.  QSL via LoTW and Club Log. 4K- AzerbaijanCalls 4K8N and 4J8N will be in use for"Victory Day," QRV to November 15. The actual day is November 8.  This is for the "2020 Patriotic War," a 44-day campaign where Azerbaijan's Army retook their historical boundaries from 30 years earlier.  As seen in the news, Azerbaijan and Armenia made peace recently.  QSLs for this operation, they say it is paper QSLs direct only. 5V- Togo 5V7RU is QRV until November 19, with RA1ZZ and R9LR operating.  They say it is unrelated to the 2022 operation under that callsign.  This will be holiday style, using HF CW, SSB, FT8 and the QO-100 satellite, with a focus on 160 and 80. Direct OQRS requests and all donors will get a fast LoTW confirmation.  Paper QSLs will be Club Log OQRS with donations of 10 USD or more.  Log corrections and questions are via ra1zz@mail.ru 7Q- Malawi Upon reviewing his 6-meter 7Q6M log, Don (K6ZO) notes that, based on historical propagation data, conditions on the Magic Band are likely to be favorable for openings between Malawi and North America in the coming days. On Monday, 7Q5BM was heard on 6 meters FT8 in the central and eastern US between 1340 and 1800Z. North American operators should monitor for this opening. Gerry Hull (W1VE) will operate remotely as 7Q2T on 6M CW at 50.090 MHz, self-spotting on the DX network, typically between 1500 and 1900Z, although activity will depend on the reliability of AC power in Embangweni. S2,BANGLADESHThe Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has officially granted special authorization for the upcoming DXPedition program to be held at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sundarbans, from 11–17 November 2025. All radio operations during this period will be conducted under the special event callsign S21SDX. QSL via I8KHC.

Foundations of Amateur Radio The other day I went on my first POTA or Parks On The Air adventure, this time I was on my own. If you recall, my power company announced yet another planned network outage and I felt that I could use this time without electricity to my benefit, for a change. As is traditional, I did all the prior planning to prevent pretty poor performance. I made a list, checked that all the items on the list were in my kit, packed the kit days before, put it all ready to go in the hallway the night before, packed the car on the day and set out on my adventure. I will confess that I was slightly more sweaty than anticipated when I set off because the umbrella in the boot of my car has a nasty and recurring habit of getting in the way, specifically it stops things from getting pushed right to the full depth of the boot. Mind you, it wasn't until I started getting agitated that I realised that it wasn't the umbrella's fault entirely this time, since as it turns out, the folding chair that I was attempting to jam in place doesn't actually fit longways into the boot. Anyhoo, I set off and visited the local petrol station. I was not prepared for a customer to spend 15 minutes dribbling the last bit of diesel into their pretend Sports Utility Vehicle, but he looked like he was up for a fight, so I smiled sweetly and waited for him to pay and move his box on wheels. After paying for my own fuel and driving off, the pressure in my bladder had gotten beyond the "cross your legs and hope for the best" stages and I swiftly made my way to the nearest shopping complex where a local pharmacist helpfully told me that there were no toilets in the building and that the local hotel or fast food joint were the place to relieve the pressure. One problem .. they were both closed. At this point I was in pain, and discovered that I couldn't read the screen on my mobile phone in the lovely sunlight, because it was set to battery saving mode, since my charger was at home where the power was out. After disabling the battery saving mode I opened the local public toilet map shortcut on my phone, and discovered that fortunately the shortcut still worked, opening up my default browser, which suddenly didn't want to display a map. Copied the URL to another browser, still in pain, finally a map. Click on the nearest icon and it navigates me there from Darwin, or over 4,000 km from where I actually am. Luckily it has the GPS location which I copy and then paste into my mapping app, and I can finally navigate to the nearest toilet. Several comment worthy navigation moves later, I drive into the car park, lock the car, painfully shuffle to the building, do my business in the very clean facilities and then decide that I should just stop, sit, and take a breath. So, I get in the car and discover that my partner was right when they heaped scorn on our newly acquired thermos cup. It really does hurt your nose when you try to drink from it and the sharp edges in your mouth do nothing to make the experience joyful. Meanwhile there's some trucks moving around in the car park and a guy walks up to the car to ask me if I can move because they want to move a third, or was it forth, truck into the space. I swallow my sip of restorative coffee, wipe the now wet bridge of my nose, and move the car, only to be blocked from leaving the exit thanks to the slowest reversing truck I've ever encountered, one who then proceeds to sit at the next intersection for five minutes without indicating where it was going. Are we having fun yet? I finally made my way to the main road where I attempt to calm my nerves with the help of a Morse code edition of my podcast. It's been the only exposure I've had to Morse for way too long. This accompanies me to my first destination, breakfast. I'm going to skip past the drivers in the centre lane driving at 10 km per hour below the posted speed limit, or the ones who think that jumping out of a side street in front of you is normal and safe driving practice. At every traffic light I celebrate the pause with a sip from my coffee and a furtive wipe of my nose which is being assaulted by the lid of the cup. I arrive at my breakfast destination and fear the worst. Their car park is almost empty. I've never seen it this quiet and I didn't check to confirm that they were open, or not. I look at my map application and remember to turn my phone back to battery saving mode. According to the Internet, my cafe is open, so I cross my fingers and get out of the car. To my delight, they are absolutely open, make me a lovely breakfast and provide the needful for lunch too .. I have a big day planned after all. After enjoying breakfast and hot chocolate, with two marshmallows, I get back in the car and navigate to my planned set-up location. As I drive into the park I notice something that I hadn't the last time I was here. I'm descending, as-in, the deeper into the park I go, the more I go downhill. That in and of itself isn't a cause for concern, were it not for the fact that the local repeaters are on the hilltops that overlook the city and I'm several hills inland and travelling into a valley. I'm keeping my eyes open for side roads and alternatives, but gamely proceed to the formal entrance of the park, where I pay my $17 to have a car with a maximum of 12 passengers enter the National Park. I drive to the location I have planned and discover that there's a car park quite close to the gazebo I've earmarked, so I park there. I figure that before I get all set-up in the gazebo for a day of radio, I should first check what I can learn from where I'm parked, especially since I'll need to pull the gear out of the car either way. Before I get out of the car, I attempt to mark my actual location on the map, only to discover that there's no mobile phone coverage, so much for using Echolink as a fallback. I pull out the folding table which neatly fits next to the car, dig out the coax from the boot and lead it out the passenger door. The other end is connected to the boot-lip mount that has been there for years. In case of failure I did bring a magnetic base, but I'm optimistic. I remove the HF and VHF multi-band antennas from their storage spot, taped to the driver side rear passenger roof grab handle and pull out the previously errant folding chair. All is going well. I pull out the spare coax and my anxiety spikes a little, this is what I think might be what causes me to come unstuck. It's a 10 meter or so length of coax, it's untested, terminated with BNC and I'm concerned that I didn't bring enough adaptors beyond the BNC to PL259 and the SO239 barrel I packed hastily the night before. I push away my fear, since I'm not needing this right now and continue to unpack the radio, noticing that to my immense relief, the knobs are still attached, set it all up, pull the power cable from the 12 Volt, 80 Amp hour AGM Deep Cycle battery, "ideal for 4WD, caravan and camping trailers", which I bought four years ago to power my dash cams and radio. It's automatically charged by a 360 Watt DC to DC converter that's connected to the alternator in the car - because I don't want my dash cams, or radio for that matter, to stop me from starting the car. Ask me how I know. The power leads are long enough to make it out of the boot and I connect the inline volt meter to the battery, 12.6 Volt, the same as what I saw when I checked it a week earlier. I mount the VHF multi-band antenna, connect it to the radio after pulling out the N-Type to PL259 adaptor which is on the list and part of the standard kit. I take a breath and turn on my radio. Tune to the local repeater frequency and hit the PTT. The radio is set to 5 Watts and I'm hoping to hear the repeater tone. Nothing. I check all the repeaters in my radio, about seven of them, none of them do anything. Then .. I hear a click. I've been "on-air" for all of three minutes. I notice the radio is turned off. I've seen this before, sometimes stray RF gets into something and causes the radio to stop. I turn it back on and notice the voltage on the display of the radio, 9.65 Volts. That .. is .. not .. good. I check the inline volt meter, it doesn't even display anything. I turn off the radio to save what little power I have. I take a moment to consider and attach the HF antenna, hoping that I can run the radio for a few seconds to check the local 10m repeater. All is good to go, turn on the radio and it won't even turn on, just flickering on and off. I feel like I want to cry, but there doesn't seem to be any point. I pack everything back up, the water, my hat, the radio, the coax, the antennas, the table, the chair, put it all back in where it came from, even the sandwich I was going to have for lunch. After slowly reversing out of the car bay, looking carefully at the ground to make sure I didn't leave anything behind, I make my way out of the park. I've been there for a grand total of 29 minutes. I briefly entertain the idea of going to the nearest electronics store and spending $50 on a small battery, but I don't actually have a working charger, and spending several hundred dollars on a charger and battery is not really in my budget at the moment. Whilst I was driving home I got a notification that the power was out at my QTH. I got home 52 minutes after the power went out. It stayed off for the next six hours. So much for being productive. My friend Charles NK8O, tells me that his first few activations were a bust. He's a Sapphire POTA activator with 609 activations across 372 parks, so, there's hope for me yet. In looking back at this adventure, I was planning for failure. I'd thought through all the different permutations of what might happen. Not for one moment did I consider that my battery might be a single point of failure. That said, there were hints that not all was well. The 12.6 Volts was one hint, the fact that my dash cams have been acting up was another. I had been on the hunt for a battery monitor for the past two years to discover precisely what was going on, but I haven't found one that doesn't require a specific app that needs to know where you are or what's in your diary, so I put it out of my mind. As it happens, that was where I made my rookie mistake. Mind you, part of me knows that I don't have another battery anyway, so it really didn't matter if the battery was faulty or not. Either way, I wasn't going to connect my radio to my car battery, I learned that lesson well over a decade ago. I'm back to the drawing board. It's unlikely we'll use that location to activate for the 750th edition of F-troop, but when I get my power situation sorted out, it's still a lovely place to get on-air and make some noise. I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Cambiar de QTH no es solo mudarse: es volver a empezar desde cero como radioaficionado. En este episodio comparto mis reflexiones, dudas y planes ante un cambio de domicilio que me obliga a mirar con nuevos ojos el tejado, las normativas y las memorias técnicas. ¿Qué pasa cuando el edificio está fuera de ordenación? ¿Podré instalar mis antenas? ¿Cómo convencer a la comunidad de vecinos? Y, sobre todo, ¿cómo mantener viva la radio cuando la burocracia y la urbanística se interponen entre nosotros y las ondas? Durante casi 20 minutos repaso las opciones, los planes A, B y C, y las soluciones de fortuna que todos, tarde o temprano, tenemos que barajar los que amamos este hobby. Una conversación íntima, técnica y muy personal sobre lo que significa seguir haciendo radio… incluso cuando el QTH cambia. Porque, al final, quien quiere hacer radio, se las ingenia. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/apoyar/ Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram: https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no olvidéis de visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com No olvides el like, subscribirte y/o darle a la campanita para no perderte ningún episodio de nuestro podcast! Nos encontrarás también en Spotify y Youtube.

Este fin de semana participé en el concurso internacional IARU HF, exprimiendo al máximo mi estación. ¡Y lo conseguí! Logré mis primeros contactos con Sudamérica desde mi QTH, incluyendo Argentina y Brasil. Una experiencia ilusionante que demuestra cómo los concursos pueden ayudarnos a romper barreras técnicas y personales. ️ Recomendación familiar: “Elio” de Pixar Para los que disfrutáis la radioafición en familia, os traigo una propuesta veraniega para los peques: la película Elio, la última de Pixar, ya en cines. Una historia con toques espaciales en la que la radioafición tiene un papel especial. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/apoyar/ NOTAS DEL EPISODIO - Radiomochilas Militares con LU2MHP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay6ofTUomEg - Trailer de Elio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaiJwkM8yh4 Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram: https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no olvidéis de visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com No olvides el like, subscribirte y/o darle a la campanita para no perderte ningún episodio de nuestro podcast! Nos encontrarás también en Spotify y Youtube.

Darling Downs Radio Club news. Coming up on 10 May we're running our inaugural annual club Foxhunt and family day. The actual hunt will start at 1030 and will run no further than a 15 km radius from the starting location at Peacehaven Park in Highfields, just north of Toowoomba. The Fox frequency will be 145.650 kHz, and the hunt is going to be staged so that experienced hands and rank beginners can both have fun. Doesn't matter where you are in the state; we'd love you to come and join us - we already know of a few distant households who will come to stay in Toowoomba overnight, and the aim is to be as social as possible. The hunt will start from Peacehaven Botanic Park on Kuhls Road in Highfields and is also the location for the post-hunt BBQ. Tons of parking, easy access, wet-weather protection, and great family amenities. Our next club tech session is on Monday, 12 May, when Simon VK4TSC will join us from the Brisbane WICEN group to guide us on the WICEN state of mind, and talk about the Hip Pocket Challenge Horse enduro, which has been rescheduled for Southbrook on 28 June. Hello, I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I've been thinking. A comment about the quality of the image on one of the free-to-air TV channels started me thinking about progress. Compare the sound reproduction of a portable cassette player to a digital machine, and you can appreciate the way things have improved. With television, the images that we get when archived material is shown are appalling compared to the images we saw on the screens in our living rooms 30 or more years ago. Just as the digital TV was a vast improvement over the old PAL services, the newer HD is another jump ahead in home entertainment. This brought me around to thinking about the radios that I have used in the past. Budgets being what they are on the domestic front, most of my rigs have been 2 nd hand, so already showing their ages by the time I got to use them. From hybrid to fully solid-state HF radios, there seems not to be much difference in performance. For someone who started listening on the large console receiver dominating the lounge room and then went through home-made and commercial simple sets, it was amazing at the time what the multiband and multimode brand-name transceiver could do. Still, as most of us will have experienced, these older rigs had their own characteristics which made them good, but at times finicky and annoying on reception. They are perfectly usable, but you have to tolerate overlapping signals and front-end overload, from time to time, as they represent the technology of the period of manufacture. More recently, I was able to purchase an Asian SDR as my introduction to the multicoloured scrolling display. What a great little rig that has yet to do duty out in the rig. It is versatile and every bit a good as the best shortwave rig that I have owned. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been fortunate to use a full-blown 100W SDR transceiver made by a major Japanese company. Before receiving this piece of kit, I watched several online videos and took note of what users and reviewers had to say. I must say that I have yet to put a signal on air, and I have to fight the electrical noise which envelopes this QTH, but the received signals and sensitivity just blow me away. I am using a shortened centre-loaded vertical antenna in a poor location, but pulling voices out of nothing is amazing. There can be no trace on the display, and the audio is readable. There can be close-by signals without heterodyning, and I have yet to find out how this unit handles a really close-by and strong signal. I suspect it will use the AGC to the best advantage and still provide a clean signal through the speaker. I am impressed with the improvements that digital technology is providing now, and I hope we all appreciate the engineering developments for our recreation. I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and that's what I think. How about you?

GB2RS News Sunday the 1st of September The news headlines: RSGB collaborates on a special contact with the International Space Station The RSGB's Tonight@8 webinar autumn programme starts tomorrow, the 2nd The RSGB is getting ready for National Coding Week We are delighted to announce that the Radio Society of Great Britain and ARISS, in conjunction with Girlguiding Surrey West and Brooklands Museum including the Innovation Academy, have been collaborating on a special event due to take place on Saturday the 5th of October. Girlguiding President, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh will attend a planned contact with the International Space Station as part of a visit to promote the engagement and involvement of girls and young women in science, technology, engineering and maths. Further details of the contact and the event will be announced in late September. The RSGB's autumn Tonight@8 programme starts this Monday, the 2nd of September. Brian Coleman, G4NNS will give an update on the Meteor Beacon Project which is a cooperation between the worlds of amateur radio and astronomy. The first phase of this project was completed in May 2022 when the UK meteor beacon GB3MBA went on the air from the Sherwood Observatory of the Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society. It enabled studies of meteor events over the UK using simple equipment and made possible a range of STEM projects featuring radio and astronomy. The second phase of the project, which Brian will describe in the presentation, is to develop a network of receivers streaming their data via a central server for detailed studies of individual meteor events. You can watch and ask questions live on the RSGB YouTube channel or a special BATC channel. To find out more go to the RSGB website at rsgb.org/webinars The RSGB is getting ready for National Coding Week which begins on the 16th of September. This national event is in its 11th year and encourages people of all ages to try coding, or programming as it is also called. During the next few days, the RSGB's Outreach Team will release two new coding activities for you to try on your own, with members of your local club, or at a school or other youth group. These are in addition to the seven activities the Society shared last year. This is a great opportunity to see how coding can link with your usual amateur radio activities, or for you to try something new. If you are planning an activity or an event or would like some support, please email the RSGB National Coding Week Coordinator Nigel Thrower, G3YSW via ncw@rsgb.org.uk  You can find the coding activities on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/coding The British Science Association has announced that applications for kick-start grants will open on the 17th of September 2024. The grants are provided to help schools in challenging circumstances to deliver events and activities as part of British Science Week. To find out more visit the British Science Week website and enter ‘Grant applications for British Science Week 2025' in the search box located in the top right-hand corner. If you need some inspiration on how to get involved, the RSGB is already planning for the March event. You can go to rsgb.org/bsw to find out more, as well as to view activity ideas and lesson plans from previous years. If you'd like to get involved or have any questions, you can email the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator, Ian Neal, M0KEO at bsw@rsgb.org.uk RSGB Members can ensure that they are the first to hear about the Society's online webinars and events by registering to receive updates by email. Simply log into the RSGB members' portal, select the ‘Manage Preferences' tab and click the online events option. By selecting this preference you'll be kept up to date on events such as the Tonight@8 webinars, which are already shaping up to have a brilliant programme for the Autumn. Keep an eye on your mailboxes for more news about these soon. Don't forget that the popular Churches and Chapels on the Air event, also known as CHOTA, is taking place on Saturday the 14th of September. Lots of stations will be on the air from 10 am to 4 pm so please give them a call. The operation will be focused on the 80, 40 and 20m bands. To see the list of churches and chapels taking part visit the ‘CHOTA' tab on the World Association of Christian Radio Amateurs and Listeners website at wacral.org The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park, or NRC, will be closed for one day on Monday the 16th of September to allow time for some minor decorating and cleaning. Don't forget that RSGB members can gain free entry to Bletchley Park and the NRC by downloading a voucher from rsgb.org/bpvoucher And now for details of rallies and events Telford Hamfest is taking place today, Sunday the 1st of September at Harper Adams University near Newport, Shropshire. The doors open at 10.15 am and admission is £5. Children up to the age of 16 will be admitted free of charge. Free parking, catering, an RSGB bookstall, and a bring-and-buy area are available on site. For more details visit tdars.org.uk or email John, M0JZH at hamfest@tdars.org.uk The Caister Lifeboat Radio Rally is due to take place on Sunday the 8th of September at Caister Lifeboat station, Caister on Sea, NR30 5DJ. The doors will be open from 9 am to 8 pm and there is no admission fee. Sellers can gain access from 8 am. For more information email Zane, M1BFI via m1bfi@outlook.com or phone 07711 214 790. The Broadcast Engineering Museum near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire is new and a work in progress, so it only opens a few days each year. The next open days are coming up on Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th of September from 11 am to 4 pm. The Museum contains a vast collection of historic broadcasting equipment and memorabilia, some restored and working, on display in a former RAF sergeants' mess. Free parking is available on-site. For more information email contactus@becg.org.uk or visit becg.org.uk Now the Special Event news Carmarthen Amateur Radio Society is taking part in Churches and Chapels on the Air again this year with special event station GB2SCC. The station will be operating on Saturday the 14th of September from 0900 to 1500UTC on the 40 and 17m bands using SSB. Operators will also be available for VHF and UHF FM calls. For more information see QRZ.com Austin, M0MNE, who is a marine engineer in the Merchant Navy, will be operating special callsign GB0MND on the HF Bands and flying the British Red Ensign from the seafaring town of South Shields, home of the world's longest-operating marine training college. This is to commemorate Merchant Navy Day on the 3rd of September and the merchant seafarers all over the world who work tirelessly, day in and day out, keeping global trade afloat. The station will operate from the 3rd of September until World Maritime Day on the 26th of September. On the 3rd of September, Austin will be concentrating on SSB and CW on the 40, 20 and 15m bands. During the rest of the month, he will be working on all bands using SSB, CW, FT8, and digital modes such as Olivia, Domino, Hell and SSTV. More information about the station and Merchant Navy Day is available via QRZ.com Callington and District Amateur Radio Society will activate Special Event Station GB0EKF for the annual Esedhvos Kernow Festival of Cornish Culture which this year is being held in Callington, Cornwall on Saturday the 7th of September. Listen out for GB0EKF on the local repeaters, HF bands and via the QO-100 satellite. Now the DX news Domenico, IK1MNF is active as IK1MNF/IA5 from Isola d'Elba, EU-028, until the end of September. He is operating using SSB on the 20 to 6m bands. QSOs will be uploaded to Club Log and Logbook of the World. Yann, F1SMB is active as FO/F1SMB from French Polynesia until the 15th of September. His main QTH will be Tahiti, OC-046, with a side trip to Fakarava, OC-066. Usually, he operates FT8 and SSB on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL to F1SMB directly or via the Bureau, Logbook of the World or eQSL. Now the contest news The UK and Ireland Contest Club DX SSB Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 31st of August and runs until 1200UTC today, the 1st of September. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and Ireland stations also send their district code. The Worked All Britain DX Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 31st of August and ends at 1200UTC today, the 1st of September. The exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square, where applicable. Entries need to be with the contest manager by the 11th of September. Visit the Worked All Britain website for more information and to read more on the rules for the contest. Tomorrow, the 2nd, the Autumn Series SSB Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 3rd, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 3rd, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 4th, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also, on Wednesday the 4th, the 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. Also, on Wednesday the 4th of September, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. SSB Field Day runs from 1300UTC on Saturday the 7th to 1300UTC on Sunday the 8th of September. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The 144MHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400UTC on Saturday the 7th to 1400UTC on Sunday the 8th of September. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 7th, the CWops CW Open takes place in three four-hour sessions between 0000 and 2359UTC. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is serial number and name. The All Asian DX Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 7th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 8th of September. Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, the exchange is signal report and your age. On Sunday the 8th, the 5th 144MHz Backpackers Contest takes runs from 1100 to 1500UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Sunday the 8th, the Worked All Britain 2m QRO Phone Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using AM, FM and SSB on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 29th of August 2024 We had a good week for HF propagation, at least until we had a Kp index of 5.67 on Wednesday the 28th. This was caused by the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field moving into a south-pointing position. Luckily, it didn't last long and geomagnetic conditions were back to normal by Thursday. The solar flux index remains above 200 with no sign of it dropping. But solar flare activity has not diminished either with 16 M-class flares over the past seven days and more than 60 C-class events. There remains a 55% chance of a further M-class flare and a 10% chance of an X-class event. Tuesday the 27th saw some good activity on the upper HF bands with the 10m band opening up at times. VK has been heard on 28MHz in the mornings, which bodes well for the coming months. The top DX choice this week has been CY9C on Saint Paul Island near Newfoundland. The team is active on all bands until the 5th of September using CW, SSB, FT8, Super Fox and RTTY. VOACAP Online shows that the 20 and 17m bands offer the best chance for a contact and are open from 0900 to 2000 UTC. The 30m band is another strong contender from 2000 to 1000 UTC. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will start at around 250 but could end the week at 275. As always, it estimates the Kp index will be at 2 all week, but this will depend upon coronal mass ejections, so keep an eye on solarham.com for daily updates. If a solar flare and associated coronal mass ejections do occur, expect the Kp index to rise after about 48 hours, with a lowering of the maximum useable frequency. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The autumn season usually brings thoughts of Tropo since areas of high pressure can often be a feature of this time of year. Most models predict that there will be high pressure moving in to offer Tropo conditions today, the 1st. Thereafter, the models differ, and some bring low pressure over the country for much of the coming week, while others maintain a high-pressure story and the continuation of Tropo. This is potentially useful for the 144MHz UK Activity Contest on Tuesday and Wednesday and, if it lasts, the 144MHz Trophy Contest next weekend along with the Backpackers contest on Sunday the 8th. With the uncertain feel of the forecast at the moment, we may find rain scatter is the main option on the GHz bands. Meteor scatter is again reduced to non-shower random events with just a minor shower, the Aurigids, peaking on the 31st of August. This shower has produced brief unexpected outbursts with a zenithal hourly rate of around 30 to 50 per hour in 1935, 1986, 1994 and 2019. Random meteor flux is at its annual maximum in September with relatively good rates, especially during morning hours. Pre-dawn is the best time to try. The solar conditions continue to provide chance auroras. Keep one eye on the Kp index and lock the frequency of some northern European beacons into your rig's memory. Lastly, it's the nominal end of the 2024 summer Sporadic-E season and the daily blogs on Propquest have finished. However, some years can produce surprise Sporadic-E events during the first week of September. Moon declination starts the weekend still high but falling, going negative again on Thursday the 5th. So, Moon visibility windows will also fall, as will the peak Moon elevation. Moon apogee is also next Thursday so path losses are still increasing. 144MHz sky noise is low until Monday but, shortly after moonrise that day, the Sun and the Moon become close in the sky and continue to be until after moonset on Tuesday. This means sky noise will be very high, especially at VHF, due to wide antenna beamwidths.  And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Pues, el finaaaaal (tututun) del verano (tutututun) llegó... y se acabaron las "vacaciones". Y con el fin del verano, terminamos la serie de especiales que nos han acompañado mientras el calor a apretado más y hemos necesitado aprovechar la fresca de las noches para hacer radio y remojarnos en playas y piscinas. Repasamos algunos momentos de este radioverano 2024, tanto míos como de algunos de vosotros que os habéis animado a enviar vuestros audios ¡Me encanta cuando participáis así! Ahora que ya tengo casi las maletas vacías y esta semana empezaré a volver a montar el cuarto de radio en el QTH habitual y todos los bártulos de grabación del podcast... ¡podremos empezar la tercera temporada de CQ en Frecuencia! La próxima semana espero poderos presentar ya las novedades del nuevo curso. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast y más contenidos? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/apoyar/ Y si quieres conocer lo que puedo hacer por tu negocio a través de internet visita PODsicionando.com Envía tus preguntas, propuestas de temas o lo que quieras: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/contacto/ O en nuestro canal de Telegram https://t.me/cqenfrecuencia Y no dejéis de visitar nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com No olvides el like, subscribirte y/o darle a la campanita para no perderte ningún episodio de nuestro podcast! Nos encontrarás también en Spotify y Youtube.

GB2RS News Sunday the 9th of June 2024  The news headlines: TX Factor is marking its tenth anniversary by launching its 30th episode Changes to the four-year planning rule in England Bath Based Distance Learning's next Full licence course is starting soon TX Factor is marking its tenth anniversary by launching its 30th episode. It looks at how radio technology has advanced since Marconi conducted some of his early transmissions. The episode includes the first of a two-part feature on operating via the QO-100 geostationary satellite with a look at the hardware and software needed to achieve your first QSO at home or out mobile. Bob, G0FGX reviews the FTM-500D which is the latest mobile transceiver from Yaesu and demonstrates the many advanced features of this versatile FM and digital rig. There is a visit to Sidmouth Amateur Radio Society which secured a derelict former sports social club from the local council and turned it into a community hub and the club's new QTH. Watch this interesting episode and don't miss out on the TX Factor free-to-enter draw with a chance to win three RSGB publications. You can see this and previous episodes on txfactor.co.uk The four-year planning rule has offered a degree of protection for antennas and masts that have been erected without planning permission. Under this rule any installations which had been installed and unchanged for four years or more were protected against planning enforcement action. However, as of the 25th of April 2024, this rule ceased to exist in its current form in England under changes introduced under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. The rule has been replaced by a more stringent ten-year period for the exemption from enforcement for residential dwellings. This change does not affect Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland where the four-year rule will continue to apply. Any installation that was substantially completed before the introduction of the Act will still be subject to the four-year rule meaning, for most radio amateurs, the ten-year rule will not apply until the 24th of April 2028. For more information on planning matters visit rsgb.org/planning Bath Based Distance Learning's next Full licence course runs from August to December, with exams in January. There is no charge for the training, but applicants must work through some pre-course material and complete a quiz to be eligible for a place. To request full details, and an application form, please email Bath Based Distance Learning's Team Leader, Steve, G0FUW via g0fuw@bbdl.org.uk A reminder that the RSGB is asking radio amateurs to share their ideas on the theme of ‘change and adapt', as part of plans for British Science Week 2025. The event is run by the British Science Association and celebrates science, technology, engineering and maths. The 2025 theme offers a huge range of opportunities for creativity and discovery. Ideas could cover any area from construction to propagation, from making QSOs under supervision to space and satellites. This is a chance to show young people in schools, or anyone in your local community, just how interesting and enjoyable amateur radio can be. Please send ideas to the RSGB British Science Week Coordinator Ian Neal, M0KEO at bsw@rsgb.org.uk To find out more about the previous year's activities, or next year's theme, you can visit rsgb.org/bsw Don't forget that you have the opportunity to get even more out of your RSGB membership. If you recommend a friend who hasn't been an RSGB member during the last 12 months, you will both receive £10 cashback when they become a member paying by direct debit. Whether you're an individual RSGB member or an affiliated club, you can sign up as many friends as you like. Membership of the RSGB gives you a range of fantastic benefits so why not encourage others to join? Members have access to RadCom, exclusive online resources, RSGB award schemes and contests, as well as advice from the Society's specialist committees. The RSGB's representation to Ofcom and its ability to defend the spectrum nationally and internationally is more powerful through strength in numbers. Go to the special RSGB 'Join a friend' web page to find all the information you'll need to take advantage of this offer, including a link to the online form: rsgb.org/join-a-friend A new exhibition entitled 'What Happened Next' will open to the public on Friday the 14th of June in the Pye Building at the Cambridge Museum of Technology. It will explore the period after the Pye Group was acquired by Philips in 1967 and track the progress of these organisations up to the present day. More information on the Cambridge Museum of Technology is available at museumoftechnology.com  The 2024 Gateways on the Air event will take place between the 15th and 23rd of June. The event aims to promote and increase RF activity via UK simplex gateways. The event is hosted by the FreeSTAR International network and will feature special event stations GB0GOA and GB4GOA. Confirmed simplex gateways are listed at gota.org.uk CDXC: The UK DX Foundation is holding its annual DX Convention and dinner on the 20th of July. This year there will be a new venue: The Littlebury Hotel, Bicester, OX26 6DR. The CDXC AGM will be held at 11 am and there will be a series of talks in the afternoon. Mark, M0DXR will be speaking about WRTC 2026. Mike, G4WNC is covering all things SDR. Nigel, G3TXF will be discussing the impact of FT8 on DXpeditions. And Gregg, W6IZT will be describing the build and operation of his 'Rig in a Box' for DXpeditions. Non-members of CDXC are most welcome to come for the day and the evening dinner. Full details and booking information can be found by following the link on the CDXC homepage at cdxc.org.uk Do you live in the southeast of England and could you spare an hour on Sundays to help inform radio amateurs in your area? The GB2RS news service is looking for new volunteer newsreaders in Essex, London, and the counties to the south and southeast, ideally to broadcast on the 2m or 70cm bands using FM. RSGB members with Full or Intermediate licences, who have a good VHF or UHF station, are needed to help improve our coverage. There is flexibility in deciding a band, mode and time that would suit individual circumstances. If you are interested in finding out more about what the role entails, please contact the GB2RS News Manager, Steve Richards G4HPE, via gb2rs.manager@rsgb.org.uk There is also more information on the RSGB website, at rsgb.org/gb2rsschedule And finally, don't forget to listen out for all the amateur stations that will be on the air during the Museums on the Air activity next weekend, the 15th and 16th.  For more information about the event visit tinyurl.com/IMW2024 And now for details of rallies and events The Junction 28 Radio Rally is taking place today, the 9th, at Alfreton Sports Centre, DE55 7BD, one mile from M1 Junction 28. The doors are open from 10.15 am and admission is £4. For more information visit snadarc.com or contact j28rally@snadarc.com The Mendips Rally is also taking place today, the 9th. The event is being held at Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney, BS39 6UA. The doors are open from 9 am to 1 pm and admission is £2. Access for traders will be available from 7.30 am. Inside tables cost £8 and field pitches are £5 each. Hot and cold refreshments, and free car parking, are available on-site. For more information contact Luke at 07870 168 197 or email mendipsrally@hotmail.com The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Summer Rally is set to take place on Saturday the 15th of June at St Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7QR. The doors open at 10 am and entry will cost £3. The usual traders and caterers will be present and plenty of free parking will be available. All proceeds from this event will be donated to a local charity. Last year the organisers were able to donate £4,000 from rally sales and Silent Key donations to the Rochdale Springhill Hospice. For more information, email Dave, G3RIK at dave@cardens.me.uk The East Suffolk Wireless Revival, also known as the Ipswich Radio Rally, will be held on Sunday the 16th of June. The venue will be Kirton Recreation Ground, Back Road, Kirton, IP10 0PW, just off the A14. Doors open at 9.30 am and the entry fee for visitors is £3. The venue has free car parking and catering is available on site. For more information, contact Kevin, G8MXV on 07710 046 846 or visit eswr.org.uk  Now the Special Event News Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Radio Belgrade, members of the Belgrade Amateur Radio Club are active as YT100RB and YU1924RB until the 30th of November. For details of an available certificate, see yu1ano.org 9A100RKZ is the special callsign celebrating the 100th anniversary since Radioklub Zagreb was founded on the 24th of March 1924. The callsign will be active throughout 2024 and details of an award for contacting the station are available via QRZ.com  Now the DX news Dave, WJ2O is active as VP6DF from Pitcairn Island, OC-044, until tomorrow, the 10th of June. He is running low power and operating CW on the 40 to 10m bands. He may also operate on the 160 and 80m bands, depending on working conditions.  QSL via N2ZN and Logbook of the World. John, W5JON is active as V47JA from Saint Kitts, NA-104, until the 13th of June. He is operating SSB and FT8 on the HF and 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, or directly to W5JON. Now the contest news The IARU ATV Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 1800UTC today, Sunday the 9th of June. Using TV on 432MHz and up frequencies, the exchange is a serial number, four-digit code and locator. More details on the rules for this contest are available at tinyurl.com/IARUATV Today, the 9th, the Practical Wireless 2m QRP Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using AM, FM, SSB, CW and a maximum of 5W on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 9th, the 2nd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Monday the 10th, the 80m Club Championship will run from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 11th, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 11th, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 12th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 12th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 13th, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The 50MHz Trophy Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 15th and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 16th of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The All Asian DX Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 15th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 16th of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, the exchange is your signal report and age. On Sunday the 16th, the Worked All Britain 6m Phone Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using phone on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. More information is available from the Worked All Britain website. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 6th of June 2024 It seems that we haven't had a repeat performance of the auroral conditions caused by active sunspot region 3697. For Aurora watchers, that could be a disappointment, but for HF lovers it means the bands have been quite settled. The Kp index has been at 3 and below, while the solar flux index has been consistently above 175 all week. As a result, HF conditions have been quite good with maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path being regularly over 21MHz and often 24MHz. It is always a good idea to operate on the highest HF band that is open as absorption decreases the higher you go. Meanwhile, Sporadic-E propagation brought interest to the 10m band with stations from all over Europe being workable for long periods, but more of that in the VHF report. On the 5th of June, a filament located in the northeast quadrant erupted. The event flung a coronal mass ejection into space that doesn't appear to be Earth-directed. But this shows that we are still in the danger zone for major solar events, and anything could happen. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain around 175, but we expect some geomagnetic disruption today, the 9th of June, with a predicted Kp index of 4. Otherwise, solar conditions are predicted to be calm next week. So, if these conditions continue, this is a good time to make the most of the HF bands. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather pattern for the coming week is dominated by low pressure, which means there is unlikely to be any significant Tropo to speak of.  There will probably be several opportunities for those on the GHz bands to search for rain scatter. However, these events look to be moving showers or rain bands, which means that you'll need to be pretty agile with the rotator to keep on the scattering target. With the solar conditions continuing to keep the pot simmering it's not impossible that the Kp index could rise high enough to promote an aurora, but it's a low probability. The early part of June is well regarded for minor meteor events and should be worth a look for those using meteor scatter modes. There were several Sporadic-E openings early in the week that finish today, the 9th. Sporadic-E was reported up to the 2m band on a few occasions. Last Sunday, the 2nd, lasted up to three hours on the path from Eastern England down to the Italian peninsula. Events initially get picked up on the 10m band and then move up through the VHF bands of 6m, 4m and finally 2m as the Sporadic-E propagation strengthens. In this peak of the Sporadic-E season, the openings on the lower bands, such as 10 and 6m, can be present for much of the day and certainly quite late into the evening. Follow the weather patterns on the daily Sporadic-E blog on propquest.co.uk and you should be able to point in the right direction for an opening. Multi-hop paths to the Far East or the Americas require a good antenna like a beam, but single-hop European Sporadic-E propagation can be very strong, and any antenna will do the job. Moon declination is at its maximum this weekend for the DUBUS 10 and 24GHz EME contest, but EME path loss is rising. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 5th of May 2024   The news headlines: RSGB insurance update RSGB Legacy Committee Chair appointed SOS Radio Week is under way   RSGB club insurance, and beacon and repeater insurance, have now been renewed for the year to April 2025. Club insurance certificates can be downloaded from the RSGB website. You will need to log in to obtain your certificate. Beacon and repeater insurance certificates are available for an admin fee of £15 from the RSGB shop. Please allow a couple of days after renewal for your certificate to be dispatched. The RSGB Board is pleased to announce it has approved the appointment of Richard Horton, G4AOJ to the role of Legacy Committee Chair. The RSGB Legacy Fund, thanks to the generosity of donors, has significant financial resources available to encourage and develop amateur radio. The Legacy Committee, which is a sub-Committee of the RSGB Board, considers proposals for grants that can be awarded to projects from the RSGB Legacy Fund. The criteria and application form are available on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/legacy  If you have an interesting idea and would like to submit it for funding, you can contact the new Legacy Chair via legacy.chair@rsgb.org.uk SOS Radio Week is underway. It is an annual event that takes place throughout the month of May to celebrate the work of the volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Independent Lifeboats and National Coastwatch Stations around the British Isles. Between them, members of these organisations save many lives who are in danger along and around the thousands of miles of coastline and further out to sea. This year is the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI, and SOS Radio Week is being co-branded SOS Radio Week 200 for those operators who are supporting the RNLI during the event. Participants can operate from home, a public location, or a lifeboat or Coastwatch station, with the appropriate authorisation from the station manager. A commemorative certificate is available to all official stations that record their contacts on the website together with awards for the top individual and club, or group, stations on each band from 160m to 70cm. To read more about the event visit sosradioweek.org.uk The next in the series of the popular 145 Alive events, to promote the use of 145MHz FM, is coming up on Saturday the 11th of May, from 1pm to 3pm. The event and the supporting Facebook Group was started by Tim, G5TM and from the start of 2024 has been organised by Mark, M0XIC and John, M0XJA. The last successful event took place in January this year, when over 30 nets operated simultaneously across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern and Southern Ireland. Over 900 QSOs took place, with many amateurs operating portable, mobile or from their club or home QTH. If you would like to take part, and find out more about the event and 145 Alive in general, then join the 145 Alive Facebook Group. Next weekend, the 11th and 12th, lots of amateur radio stations will be taking to the air as part of Mills on the Air Weekend 2024. The event takes place across the UK every May with more than 300 windmills and watermills usually taking part. For more information, to register, and to view a list of registered stations, visit ddars.net/mills.html Advance notice now that International Museums Weekend will be taking place on the third and fourth weekends in June. This year, those weekends are the 15th and 16th, and the 22nd and 23rd of June. Special event stations will be operating from a wide variety of museums from many different countries. To read more about the event, and to register to take part, visit tinyurl.com/IMW2024 And now for details of rallies and events Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club's 40th Annual Radio Rally is taking place today, the 5th of May. The venue is Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea, Enniskillen, BT92 0JZ. The event features food and drink, bring and buy, RSGB books, the QSL Bureau, and the usual variety of traders. The doors open at 11 am. Traders are asked to arrive around 9 am. Admission, which includes a ticket for the prize draw, will cost £5 or five Euro. Contact Alan at argault91@gmail.com to arrange a table. Thorpe Camp Hamfest is also taking place today, the 5th of May at Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire, LN4 4PL. The doors open at 9am for buyers and the entrance fee is £5 per person. The event will finish at 1pm. The RetrotechUK event will be held on Sunday the 12th of May. The venue will be Sports Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL. The doors open at 10.30 am with an entry fee of £10. A fee of £25 applies for early-doors entry at 9 am. This is an annual event organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society. There will be almost 200 dealer stalls, clubs and private sellers. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the wide range of retro equipment. For more information email info@retrotechuk.com and visit retrotechuk.com Dunstable Downs Radio Club would like to remind everyone that its annual boot sale has been postponed until the 30th of June. This is due to the site being used by BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend music festival. Updates will be posted to Dunstable Downs Radio Club's Facebook page and reminder emails will be sent out closer to the time. To add yourself to the list, visit ddrcbootsale.org  and sign up for email reminders. Now the Special Event News Special callsign 9H6HE is in use by the Malta Amateur Radio League to celebrate the swearing-in of Malta's 11th President. Look for activity until the 31st of May on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via Logbook of the World. Paper QSL cards are not available. The RSGB National Radio Centre will be operating a special event callsign GB2DAY to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during the Second World War. The station will be active between the 6th and 9th of June. In addition, volunteers will be hosting the special demonstration station GB1SOE on Saturday the 15th of June. Don't forget that RSGB Members can get free entry to Bletchley Park and the RSGB's National Radio Centre by downloading a voucher from the RSGB website at rsgb.org/bpvoucher Now the DX news Bo, OZ1DJJ is active as OX3LX from Greenland until the 9th of May. In his spare time, he operates FT8, RTTY and CW. The station was spotted recently on the 10 and 12m bands using FT8. QSL via OZ0J. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World and Club Log. Tom, NL7RR is active on Wake Island, OC-053, until the 15th of May. Look for KH9/NL7RR to be QRV daily at about 0700UTC on or around 14.200MHz. QSL via Logbook of the World, or direct to Tom's home call. QSOs will also be uploaded to Club Log. Now the contest news Today, the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, today, the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre-wave Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24, 47 and 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 5th, the Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using SSB on the 40m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain Square. The ARI International DX Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 4th and ends at 1159UTC today, Sunday the 5th of May. Using CW, RTTY and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations also send their province. The 432MHz to 245GHz Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 5th of May. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Today, the 5th, the 10GHz Trophy runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using All modes on 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 7th, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 7th, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 8th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 8th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 9th, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 12th, the 70MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using CW on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 2nd of May 2024 What a strange week we had. With the solar flux index in the 167 range, falling to 130, conditions should have been reasonable. But the Kp index hit 4, and even 5.33, on the evening of Friday the 26th of April, which meant propagation on Saturday the 27th was truly dire. Stations taking part in International Marconi Day on the 27th found the 40m band only open to long skip in the morning. This was due to the critical frequency being below 5MHz. The predicted MUF over a 3,000km path fluctuated between 15MHz and 19MHz for the whole day, which meant only 14MHz was open reliably. As a result, QSOs were hard to come by and many stations reported that it was slow going with virtually no signals from outside of Europe. So what happened? Well, it was a combination of factors. The increased Kp index, due to a fast solar wind, took its toll. And we are now moving to a summer ionosphere, where chemical changes make it harder to ionise. This will mean we should see MUFs dropping as the season progresses, at least during the day. Nighttime MUFs will be higher than in winter. So it may be that the glory days of 28MHz F2-layer propagation are on hold until Autumn, with only short-skip Sporadic-E on the 10m band to keep us entertained. F2-layer propagation is still available on the higher HF bands, but it may be patchy. International Marconi Day station GB0CMS in Caister, Norfolk, reported that its 20m signals were picked up by a reverse beacon network skimmer in Utah, despite not working anyone outside of Europe. Meanwhile, on the morning of the 2nd, Laurie, G3UML was quite surprised to work YJ0CA on Vanuatu on the 15m band using SSB. He also worked 3D2CCC on Conway Reef on the 20m band using CW, and JD1BMH in Japan on the 15m band, also using CW. Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the 125 range, rising to 175 as the week progresses. Geomagnetic conditions are dependent on coronal mass ejections. We have had eight M-class solar flares in the past three days, and a Kp index of 5 on Thursday the 2nd, which doesn't bode well for next week. So, keep an eye on solarham.com for current conditions and look for the best HF propagation if the Kp index is low for a day or two. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather pattern remains very unsettled for the whole period with areas of low pressure edging north across the UK from the continent. There will be a risk of thundery weather at times with locally heavy rainfall, which will be good for rain scatter on the Gigahertz bands. Tropo looks to be hard to find as we end the current week dominated by low-pressure systems, but there are signs of high pressure returning after mid-week, but only temporarily. This could produce some Tropo paths, especially across surrounding waters such as the Irish Sea, English Channel and North Sea. The nominal summer season of Sporadic-E propagation is upon us and, from May to early September, daily blogs will be provided on the Propquest.co.uk website highlighting the possible Sporadic-E links to the position of the jet streams shown on the upper air charts. It's well worthwhile getting into the habit of regularly checking the DX clusters and activity maps, since the early season is usually characterised by a complex jet stream pattern with multiple potential locations for Sporadic-E propagation.  Timewise, it eventually settles into a more traditional behaviour with activity often in two phases, one in the morning and the second in late afternoon, early evening. As you listen to this report, the Eta Aquariids meteor shower should be peaking. Unfortunately, the best viewing for the shower, which is part of the debris from Halley's comet, will be in the southern hemisphere. Nevertheless, this is expected to be one of the best showers this century. For those viewing the shower, a waning Moon means that light levels should be low, making for ideal visual sighting. For EME, the Moon will be waning all week with the new Moon around the 8th of May. The Moon will be rising in the sky throughout the week, with zero declination on the 5th of May and peaking at its highest in the sky on Saturday the 11th of May. The lowest additional path loss occurs today and tomorrow, the 5th and 6th, but high Sun noise, with the Moon close to the Sun at new Moon, occurs shortly afterwards. Later in the week, as the Sun 'leaves' the Moon behind, noise levels, at least on the higher bands will fall to around normal. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 28th of April 2024   The news headlines: New mock papers for amateur radio licence exams have been published A revised amateur radio examination syllabus has been released The RSGB has released the video review of 2023 by its President John McCullagh, GI4BWM The RSGB Exam Syllabus Review Group has published a new set of mock papers covering each of the amateur radio licence exams, from Foundation through to Direct to Full. These papers are in addition to those already available. They are each marked as ‘mock exam paper 3' and you can find them on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/mock-exams  The new amateur radio licence has now been in effect for a few weeks. Changes to the licence conditions have made it necessary to revise the examination syllabus. The RSGB is pleased to release version 1.6 of the syllabus which includes these revisions. Compared to version 1.5 in current use, the only section that has seen major changes is Section 1 – “Licensing and station identification”. In Section 7 – “Operating practices and procedures” – there were some minor changes, for example regarding suffixes. Exams will start using version 1.6 of the syllabus on the 1st of September 2024. The Society has released the video review of 2023 by RSGB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM. Filmed at the Ofcom Spectrum Management Centre near Baldock in Hertfordshire, the video covers a wide range of very positive activities, events and achievements. The President also talks about the RSGB's strategic priorities, gaining publicity in the mainstream media, and the important work done by the Society on behalf of all radio amateurs to protect the spectrum. One example is the WRC Conference, where the RSGB Microwave Manager Barry Lewis, G4SJH, led the IARU team responsible for defending amateur use of the 23cm band. You can watch the video on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB At the April Regional Forum meeting, Regional Representative 10, Keith Bird, G4JED was elected as Chair, and Regional Representative 3, Martyn Bell, M0TEB was elected as Secretary. They will both volunteer in these roles until the 2025 AGM. You can find contact details for both Keith and Martyn on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/regions The next in the series of the popular 145 Alive events, to promote the use of 145MHz FM, is scheduled to take place on the 11th of May 2024, from 1 pm to 3 pm. The event and the supporting Facebook Group was started by Tim, G5TM and from the start of 2024 has been organised by Mark, M0XIC and John, M0XJA. The last successful event took place in January this year, when over 30 nets operated simultaneously across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern and Southern Ireland. Over 900 QSOs took place, with many amateurs operating portable, mobile or from their club or home QTH. If you would like to take part and find out more about the event and 145 Alive in general, then join the 145 Alive Facebook Group. If you would like to run a net on the 11th of May, contact Mark, M0XIC or John, M0XJA via the Facebook Group. Mills on the Air Weekend 2024 is coming up on Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th of May. The event takes place across the UK every May with more than 300 windmills and watermills usually taking part. For more information, to register, and to view a list of registered stations, visit ddars.net/mills.html The RAF Air Cadets are pleased to announce that they are running the ever-popular Blue Ham Radio Communications Exercise in June on the 60m band. The exercise will take place between the 17th and 21st of June. Subject to your licence conditions, the Blue Ham team hopes that you can put some time aside to join in with the cadets and staff who will be ready to take your calls. The Blue Ham Team will issue you with a participation certificate if you contact 20 or more special MRE callsigns over the period of the exercise. For more information visit alphacharlie.org.uk  Please note that only Full licensees may operate on the 60m band. South Bristol Amateur Radio Club is running a free online Foundation licence course in May. Anyone who is interested in taking part can find out more by emailing training@sbarc.co.uk When emailing, please include your name, postal address and date of birth. Please also indicate which weekday evenings and times you are available. The weekday evening that the course will take place will be decided by majority preference. MFJ Enterprises has announced in a letter to its customers that it will be ceasing its on-site production at its premises in Starkville, Mississippi on the 17th of May 2024. The news also applies to the sister companies Ameritron, Hygain, Cushcraft and others. MFJ Enterprises has been in business for 52 years and will continue to sell its existing stock after the 17th of May. It will also continue to offer a repair service for out-of-warranty and in-warranty units for the foreseeable future. And now for details of rallies and events The Lough Erne Amateur Radio Club's 40th Annual Radio Rally is due to take place on Sunday the 5th of May. The venue will be Share Discovery Village, 221 Lisnaskea Road, Lisnaskea, Enniskillen, BT92 0JZ. The event will feature food and drink, bring and buy, RSGB books, the QSL Bureau, and the usual variety of traders. The doors open at 11 am. Traders are asked to arrive around 9 am. Admission, which includes a ticket for the prize draw, will cost £5 or five Euro. Contact Alan at argault91@gmail.com to arrange a table. Thorpe Camp Hamfest will also take place on Sunday the 5th of May at Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre, Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire, LN4 4PL. Traders are asked to arrive no earlier than 7 am. The doors open at 9 am for buyers and the entrance fee is £5 per person. The Retrotech UK event will be held on Sunday the 12th of May. The venue will be Sports Connexion, Leamington Road, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL. The doors open at 10.30 am with an entry fee of £10. A fee of £25 applies for early-doors entry at 9 am. This is an annual event organised by the British Vintage Wireless Society. There will be almost 200 dealer stalls, clubs and private sellers. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the wide range of retro equipment. For more information email info@retrotechuk.com and visit retrotechuk.com Now the Special Event News Special callsign SZ0WARD is in use by the Radio Amateur Association of Greece in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day until the 30th of April. Look for activity on all bands using SSB, CW and digital modes. QSL via the Bureau and Logbook of the World. See sv2rck.gr/SZ0WARD for details of an available award. Also in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day, the special callsign TC3WRD is active until the 30th of April. QSL via Logbook of the World. For details of a certificate that is available, see tadx.org/awards The station was spotted recently on the 40m band using FT8. Today is the last chance to work special event station GB6WW which is active from Glasgow, Scotland to commemorate the end of the Second World War. If you have made QSOs with GB6WW on three or more bands, you are eligible to apply for an award. To apply for the award, send an email to gb6ww@ft8.me with the details of your contacts. Please include your callsign, dates of QSOs, and the bands on which they occurred. There is no application fee. Once your QSOs have been verified, the PDF award file will be emailed to you. Now the DX news Jeff, K5WE and Craig, W5CCP are active as TX7W from Raivavae, OC-114,  in the Austral Islands until the 30th of April. They are operating using mainly CW and FT8, with some SSB, RTTY and FT4, on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS is preferred but is also available via Logbook of the World, or directly to K5WE. Depending upon a reliable internet connection, logs will be uploaded to Club Log daily, and Club Log's Livestream will be enabled. See k5we.com/tx7w for more information and updates. Listen out for a group of 13 Camb-Hams which is active from the Isle of Mull, EU-008, as GS3PYE until the 3rd of May. The team is QRV on the 80 to 10m bands as well as via the QO-100 satellite. QSL via Club Log's OQRS. You can read a report of the team's previous visit to the island in 2015 at tinyurl.com/Mull2015 Now the contest news The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 27th and ends at 1200UTC today, the 28th of April. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and Ireland's stations also send their district code. The SP DX RTTY Contest started at 1200UTC on the 27th and ends at 1200UTC today the 28th of April. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations also send their province code. The MGM Contest started at 1400UTC on the 27th of April and ends at 1400UTC today the 28th of April. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is your report and four-character locator. Today, the 28th, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using 75-baud RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your serial number. On Monday the 29th, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Wednesday the 1st of May, the 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 1st of May, the 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 Saturday the 4th, the 432MHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400 to 2000 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The 432MHz to 245GHz Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 5th of May. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Six Metre Group's Summer Marathon starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 4th of May and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 4th of August. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. The ARI International DX Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 4th of May and ends at 1159UTC on Sunday the 5th of May. Using CW, RTTY and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations also send their province. On Sunday the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Sunday the 5th, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre Wave Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24, 47 and 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 5th, the Worked All Britain 7MHz Phone Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using SSB on the 40m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain Square. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 25th of April 2024 We had another week with plenty of sunspots, and HF conditions were quite good in the second half. Earlier, the Kp index reached 3 and 4, which didn't help maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs for short. For example, on Sunday the 21st, the Kp index rose to 4 and the MUF over a 3,000km path remained stubbornly below 21MHz until later in the morning. This could have been due to a coronal hole on the Sun's equator, which added to the solar wind. By Wednesday, conditions were nearly back to normal, with a Kp index below 2 and an MUF of more than 24MHz. By Thursday the improvement had continued, giving us an MUF of more than 28MHz by 0900UTC. There have been many reports of 10m band DX being worked, including Sebastien, FK4AX and Pat, FK8HA in New Caledonia in the Pacific on SSB. Sebastien has just got his licence and is keen to work DX from the UK. This shows that it is worth keeping an eye on the CW and SSB portions of the 10m band, which can often throw up surprises. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will decline to around 160. The Kp index is predicted to be around 2 to 3, but that may be wishful thinking. With 16 active regions visible on the Sun's surface on Thursday, anything could happen. Only minor C- and M-class flares have occurred recently but, as we always say, it wouldn't take much for those to turn into X-class events. So, make the most of quiet geomagnetic conditions when we have them as, by the time you read or hear this, we could once again have very unsettled conditions indeed. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The cold, unsettled weather will ease its grip over the last few days of this week, ending the 28th of April, but only because the whole area of low pressure is moving across the country this weekend. Low pressure remains close by for much of the following week and only a hesitant return of high pressure west of Ireland will improve things for western Britain at the end of the week. The result is a chance of Tropo for western Britain next week, but it will probably be of limited quality since it is likely to form in cold, dry air across any temperature inversion.  The remaining option in such weather patterns is primarily rain scatter for those on the GHz bands. The many online weather radar displays can be used to highlight the areas of heaviest rain. We are past the peak of the Lyrids meteor shower, but the Eta-Aquarids, with a Zenithal Hourly Rate of 50, peaks next Sunday the 5th around 2100UTC. Until then, rely upon random activity which tends to be better around dawn. The Sun has been more active again recently, so monitor the clusters and Kp index for signs of geomagnetic activity and the chance of an aurora if the Kp index exceeds 5. Sporadic-E tends to produce a few early examples in May ahead of its June peak. Check the DX clusters during the late afternoon or early evening as openings can be very brief early in the season. Start on the 10m band and, if short skip within Europe is present, move up to the 6m band. Digital modes are more sensitive so check FT8 reports to give clues as to where the chances are greatest. For EME operators, the Moon is at minimum declination today, Sunday the 28th, meaning we'll have short Moon windows to start the coming week. Path losses are falling but perigee, when the Moon is at its closest point, is still over a week away. 144MHz sky noise is high this weekend, ending the 28th of April, but falls too low by the end of the coming week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Fred Hopengarten K1VR, and his wife Betty, were guests in my home after an afternoon of touring with me the unusual sites around Jerusalem and Gush Etzion, where I live a few years ago.  Fred has a long history in amateur radio and took to the law rather than engineering as a profession specializing in communications law and antenna regulations for both commercial broadcasting and amateur radio.  His book, Antenna Zoning for the Radio Amateur, is a must read for hams that need and want external antennas at their QTH.  K1VR discuss antenna law, contesting, and his elaborate station in this QSO Today.

Hello, I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I've been thinking. Well, here it is already, the autumn season that used to herald cooler weather as we rotated into winter. The Bureau of Meteorology has released its quarterly outlook and we can expect weather that is likely to be drier than our summer but still giving us warmer nights than usual. For the night owl operators, that might suggest a further degree of discomfort or comfort, depending on individual locations. One thing that we can do personally or as part of a group activity is make things. For many people starting off, there is the temptation to develop a first-name acquaintanceship with the bank manager to finance the biggest and best. What most of us should do is get our hands on some tools and some cheap materials and put something together. There are many requests for the best antenna for a new operator and there are a multiplicity of replies by the experts, well the self-appointed experts anyway. There is a ton of practical information to be had in the videos that increase in number daily. For my backyard, I have two aerials for shortwave. One is an off-centre fed horizontal and the other is a non-resonant vertical and both have been built by me. Now I am not using the horizontal antenna but the vertical does a good job for monitoring and basically, it is a 'junk box special' made from a salvaged fibreglass pole strapped to a tripod base. I did take the easy way out and used a commercial matching transformer but for the sake of a bit of measuring and cutting and using a few cable ties, I have a perfectly usable antenna for minimal cost. This is the thing I am talking about. These days we see many newcomers wanting to only use commercially made accessories and in dodging the experience of making something they are missing the opportunity to strengthen their learning. We have all seen the responses to questions that the only suitable antenna must be a resonant one. By experimenting with a non-resonant design you can find what works at your QTH and what is the most effective for the style of operations that you take on. Being able to cheaply and quickly put together something as useful as an antenna gives a sense of satisfaction and achievement too. Terminating feed lines is a skill that is mastered with a little practice but at times buying in ready-made items might be more practical. If you are in a club, maybe you can suggest a project where several members can get together and decide on a time to share the building and testing. For many of us, a suitable squid pole will be the most expensive outlay but a club bulk buy can drop the costs considerably. Once you have completed one project, perhaps you can build into your club calendar a regular schedule for these practicals that put the book learning to good use. I'm Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that's what I think….how about you?

GB2RS News Sunday the 18th of February 2024 The news headlines: Ask the RSGB Board a question during the Society's 2024 AGM Get involved with British Science Week Registration is now open for Maritime Radio Day 2024   Over the last few years, the RSGB has been developing the way in which the Board can be asked questions at the Society's online AGMs. Last year people were able to ask questions via the YouTube live chat as well as submitting written questions in advance. This year, in response to members' feedback, there will be an opportunity to ask a question on video via Zoom. The RSGB Board will still take written questions in advance and will also answer as many questions on the day via the live chat as possible, depending on the time. The RSGB AGM will be held on Saturday the 13th of April and you can find more information about how to take part on the Q&A subpage of the RSGB AGM web section at rsgb.org/agm The RSGB has a collection of resources to help you get involved with British Science Week, which runs from the 8th to the 17th of March this year and has the theme of ‘Time'. If you already have something planned, please let the RSGB know. This will be useful for others to see and might inspire them! There are already several events for British Science Week on the RSGB website. Some of these are open to everyone, so please show your support for them. If you're going on the air, tell everyone when to listen out for you by sending the RSGB dates, times, bands and modes. The RSGB's British Science Week coordinator is Ian Neal, M0KEO and you can contact him via bsw@rsgb.org.uk  Please send Ian the resources you'd like to share and your event details including the times you'll be on the air. All details are on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/bsw Registration is now open for Maritime Radio Day 2024 which takes place annually on the 14th and 15th of April. The event is held to commemorate the almost 100 years of wireless telegraphy service for seafarers which ended with the closure in the UK of Portishead Radio on the 30th of April 2000. Commencing at 1200UTC on the 14th of April, and finishing at 2300UTC on the 15th of April, this event is a great opportunity to have a QSO with ex-Marine Radio Officers and Coast Station professionals who exchange details of their previous ships and coast stations. The mode of operation is CW and all of the HF bands are used, including the WARC bands. A certificate of participation will be issued to everyone who submits results. Amateur licence holders are invited to register to take part in Friends of Maritime Radio Day. Shortwave listeners may also submit logs. For more information and to register, visit tinyurl.com/MRD24 There are less than two weeks to go until the deadline for the RSGB Construction Competition. There are six categories to enter this year: Antennas; Beginners; Most creative and/or elegant PCB Design; Construction Excellence; Innovation; and Software and Systems. To enable members from across the country, and even the world, to enter, entries will again be judged over the internet rather than in person. Special recognition will be given to entries submitted by radio amateurs under the age of 24, and to those who have just gained their Foundation licence. A cash prize will be awarded to the winner of each section, with a bonus for the overall winner, who will also be declared the winner of the Pat Hawker G3VA Award. You can find out more, including how to enter, on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/construction-competition  Don't forget, the deadline for entries is the 1st of March 2024 so get your entry in before it's too late. Many amateur radio stations have been on the air this weekend, in conjunction with The Guide Association, to celebrate World Thinking Day on the Air. The aim of World Thinking Day on the Air is to encourage Guides to make friendships with members of other units, using amateur radio as the means of communication. If you, or your club or society, were on the air during the event don't forget to send your pictures and stories to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  Please send your reports in by the 23rd of March. And now for details of rallies and events The British Vintage Wireless Society Biggleswade Swap meet and AGM will take place on Sunday the 25th of February. The venue will be The Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 8JH. A bring-and-buy stall will be available with a 10% commission on sales going to the British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum. Stallholders can gain entry from 9 am. The doors open to the public at 9.30 am and admission will be £8. For more information visit bvws.org.uk or email secretary@bvws.org.uk The Red Rose Winter Rally will take place on Sunday the 25th of February. The venue will be St Joseph's Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, WN7 2PJ. Access for exhibitors will be available from 8.30 am and the event will be open to the public from 10 am. Hot and cold refreshments will be available. Further details can be found via West Manchester Radio Club's website at wmrc.co.uk  Send enquiries to Les, G4HZJ via lesjackson@ntlworld.com or phone 07796 264 569. The Exeter Radio and Electronics Rally will take place on Sunday the 3rd of March from 10 am to 1 pm. The event will be held at America Hall, Pinhoe, EX4 8PX. For more information contact Pete, G3ZVI on 07714 198 374 or email g3zvi@yahoo.co.uk  Now the Special Event News Today is the last chance to work Francois, F8DVD who is active as TM21AAW to promote the 21st Antarctic Activity Week. He is QRV from his home QTH in France. QSL via Logbook of the World, his home call or the Bureau. Listen out for members of Radio Club Jean Bart, F6KMB who are active today, the 18th, as TM6C during the traditional Dunkirk Carnival. Operators will be working on the HF and VHF bands using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via F6KMB. Celebrating the Scandinavian CW Activity Group's 50th anniversary, special callsign SC50AG is active on the HF bands during February. All QSOs will be confirmed via the Bureau and Logbook of the World. Now the DX news Antonio, IK7WUL is active as TY2AA until Tuesday the 20th of February while on a humanitarian mission to Benin. In his spare time, he operates SSB on the HF bands. QSL via IZ8CCW and Logbook of the World. Chuck, KG9N is active as V26CV from Antigua, NA-100, until Tuesday the 20th of February. He is operating mainly using CW and SSB on various bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, or his home call.  Now the contest news The ARRL International DX Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 17th and ends at 2359UTC today, the 18th. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and transmitter power. American stations send their state and Canadian stations send their province. On Tuesday the 20th, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 22nd, the 80m Club Championship runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ 160m DX Contest runs from 2200UTC on Friday the 23rd to 2200UTC on Sunday the 25th. Using SSB on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and CQ zone. American stations send their state and Canadian stations send their province. The French HF Championship, also known as the REF Contest, starts at 0600UTC on Saturday the 24th and ends at 1800UTC on Sunday the 25th. Using SSB on the HF bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. French stations send their department number or overseas territory prefix. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 15th of February 2024 We had an interesting week with the threat of a major coronal mass ejection at any time with so much sunspot activity. In the end, it pretty much amounted to nothing, with the highest Kp index only reaching 4.33 on February 11th. That's not to say we didn't have solar activity. Far from it, as the solar flux index reached 208 on the 12th and has been consistently above 180 all week. We also had high proton levels as the positively charged particles streamed past Earth. This was the result of an eruption early on Monday morning from beyond the southwest limb. This may have affected HF signals going over the poles. Otherwise, we had numerous low-level solar flares to contend with, but none of them were stronger than M-class and so of little consequence. So where did this leave us in terms of HF propagation? All in all, not bad with maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs for short, over 3,000km consistently above 28MHz in daylight hours. Daytime MUFs were peaking above 33MHz according to the Dourbes ionosonde. Looking further ahead, we are now heading towards the equinox period, so we can expect MUFs to fall from their winter highs. The good news is that we can expect north-south paths to improve. The equinox is traditionally a better time for auroral conditions. If you want to work the USA on 28MHz you still have a couple of months left to do so, but expect transatlantic propagation conditions to decline by the time April arrives. The good news is that propagation to South Africa, South America and the Caribbean may improve. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may reduce and be in the range of 155 to 165. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be quiet but, as always, keep an eye on solarham.net for a near real-time update as the risk of a coronal mass ejection, or CME, remains high. To recap, an Earth-facing CME could increase the Kp index, reduce MUFs and generally give poor HF propagation for up to a day.   And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The basic weather pattern remains unsettled with a series of frontal systems crossing the country during the period. This leaves little room for any Tropo other than the occasional transient ridge of high pressure between successive weather systems. It does however give plenty of scope for rain-scatter enthusiasts to try their luck on the GHz bands. The solar conditions continue to give hope for an increased geomagnetic Kp index, which would be a good signal for potential aurora if it goes above 5 as evidenced in visual displays over northern Britain last Tuesday night, the 13th and 14th of February. As usual, the other propagation modes can still surprise us, even though this is not strictly the best time of year. The large number of satellites in operation means that QSOs can be guaranteed even with simple hand-held equipment. So, have a look at the AMSAT-UK pages and the RSGB website for details and give it a go! Also, a reminder that the best time for random meteor scatter QSOs is around dawn and that the high solar flux could see some 50MHz openings if the Kp index remains low, especially for the far South and West of the UK.   For EME operators, the moon reaches peak declination today, Sunday the 18th, so activity should be higher with high peak moon elevations and long moon windows. Path losses are moderate but rising and 144MHz sky noise is moderate, but falling after Monday. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

It is with sadness that we report the passing of a real gentleman and former member of the Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio Club known affectionately to all as Doctor Rod VK4MRC. Rod Cardell was well-liked at the club and in his community and died December 27th in Nambour after ill health, his funeral was held on January 3 and attended by family, friends and club members. Dr Rod a retired doctor and former Ansett Pilot, was born in Brisbane on the 4th of July 1932 and was a child of WW2, living in the shadow of Mt Louisa Townsville in Far North Qld from 1942 to 1945 adjacent to the Stock Route Airstrip which became a US and Australian Air force base during the war. He had many great adventures and put them to paper in 1991 when he wrote the book, “Wings Around Us” which includes the story of how his father refused to sell his house to make way for the Airbase, so it was built around them. He is missed by his children, grandchildren, club members, and the local community. Vale Dr Rod VK4MRC. Hello, I'm Geoff Emery, VK4ZPP, and I've been thinking. The fireworks that marked the New Year Celebrations are now just a memory but the world around us continues with infinite variability. The possible peak of activity may be upon us for Sunspot Cycle 25 with solar flares, radio blackouts and amazing DX if I understand the reports. The weather has been going to be wet for days but the skies cleared and people have been looking forward to basic services such as electricity, telephones and the internet. Areas that suffered from storms and deluges with extreme damage to housing are ironically getting water back to their homes as the localised flooding recedes. At my QTH, we had storm activity and woke up the following day, New Year's Eve, with no internet. With the brilliance of the design of the NBN, this also meant no home telephone and our main service provider and the one I use as backup were all unavailable. A day without online entertainment was little more than an inconvenience but it indicated how many advisory services are now geared to delivery via the Internet. We had no access to immediate weather advice or means of accessing it other than via good old-fashioned broadcast, free-to-air, services. It seems the outage was localised as it has not been mentioned on any service that I have used. We woke up for New Year's Day with the service restored but stories running in the news are indicating many people have been without services since Boxing Day and they live not knowing what is happening in the community that sustains them. For these people, it would seem the planners have put all their eggs in one basket and then dropped it. It is interesting to hear the electricity supply people saying that the quickest way of restoring power to many areas is to set up small networks that transportable generators can service. Then as if this is the ultimate fix, hearing from one spokesperson that this solution will save householders from having generators. Sorry mate, but since when has redundancy of services been unnecessary? Householders might not have the means to replace telecommunications but should be able to protect themselves with readily available equipment. I wonder what involvement there has been in the whole weather-born situation from radio amateurs and whether radio clubs have been able to assist during the Christmas to New Year period. I am not aware, at this stage. Have you been affected or has your club suffered loss or been involved? This is the news that should be shared widely. There is a spirit of generosity within our community but for it to be demonstrated, the needs have to be known. There has been some interesting activity during the recent heatwave in the south of the State with VHF signals being received in places quite distant from their source. I'm Geoff Emery VK4ZPP and that's what I think….how about you?

GB2RS News Sunday the 10th of December 2023 The news headlines: 23cm recommendation approved at WRC-23 RSGB Examinations Standards Committee report published RSGB Elections process begins   The third week of the WRC-23 World Radiocommunication Conference has seen the approval of a new footnote to the 23cm amateur band at 1240 to 1300MHz under Agenda Item 9.1-b. This draws attention to the recently released ITU-R Recommendation 2164 that provides guidance to avoid interference to radio navigation satellite services, or RNSS, such as Galileo. This is a major landmark after four years of hard work which started after WRC-19 and now lays out the basis for guidance and next steps. IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH said that the addition of a footnote that provides guidance to administrations in the event of interference to the RNSS is a good regulatory outcome for amateurs and the primary users of this band. You can read more on this story at tinyurl.com/RecRNSS  The IARU team continues its work on other WRC issues including the development of agendas for future conferences. The RSGB special focus page provides regular updates and additional detail. You can find the page at rsgb.org/wrc-23  The RSGB Examinations Standards Committee has published its annual report, covering the operation of the amateur radio exams during the calendar year of 2022. You can read the report on the RSGB website. Go to rsgb.org/esc and click on Minutes, Papers and Reports in the righthand list. If you are keen to see amateur radio, and the RSGB, continue to thrive over the coming years, this is the time to volunteer for an RSGB Board or Regional Team role. This year the Society is looking for one elected Board Director, two Nominated Board Directors and eight Regional Representatives. You can find candidate packs, forms and further details on the Society's website at rsgb.org/election If you're interested but unsure, please read the information set out on the elections web page first and then have an informal chat with the RSGB Company Secretary. Email Stephen Purser, GW4SHF at company.secretary@rsgb.org.uk The RSGB Board is delighted to announce that Bob Beebe, GU4YOX has been appointed as the new Nominations Committee Chair. The Board would like to thank Stephen Purser, GW4SHF for his work in this role over a number of years, and it is pleased that he will continue in his other role as Company Secretary. You can find out more about the Nominations Committee on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/nomcom and you can email Bob via nominations.chair@rsgb.org.uk Don't forget that the last of the RSGB's Tonight@8 webinars for 2023 is at 8 pm tomorrow, Monday the 11th of December. It focuses on amateur radio construction and the RSGB Construction Competition. Jenny Curtis M7JNY, Colin Murray GM4EAU, and David Law G0LBK will talk about the projects they worked on and why they decided to submit them to the RSGB Construction Competition in recent years. Watch 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 EIRSAT-1 launched on a Space X Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA at 1819UTC on Friday the 1st of December 2023. 'EIRSAT-1' stands for 'Educational Irish Research Satellite'. A team of students at University College Dublin, with support from academic and professional staff, has designed, built, tested, and will operate, Ireland's first satellite, a 2U CubeSat. It has a downlink on the IARU coordinated frequency of 437.100MHz. For more information about the project visit eirsat1.ie The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon is underway. The objective is to work as many four-digit grid squares as possible, between 0000UTC on the 1st of December 2023 and 2359UTC on the 31st of January 2024, on the 6m band. Logs can be submitted until 12 February 2024. For more information visit uksmg.org It is now the second week of Youngsters on the Air month. Special callsign GB23YOTA has already been operated by a range of schools, universities and radio societies. The RSGB National Radio Centre is active today Sunday the 10th of December using GB23YOTA between 9 am and 5 pm. On Monday the 11th of December Hilderstone Radio Society will be on the air with St Peter-in-Thanet School in Kent between 12 pm and 6 pm. Mallaig High School will be hosting the special callsign for the second time this month between 12pm and 3pm on Thursday the 14th of December. Tommy M7OMY, who was involved with Youngsters on the Air month in 2022, is back again this year and will be operating GB23YOTA supervised by M0BOY for the whole of Saturday the 16th of December. Remember to listen out for all these young operators on the air and help make them feel welcome in the world of amateur radio. If you'd like to get involved and operate GB23YOTA, there is still time. Email Jamie, M0SDV at yota.month@rsgb.org.uk to register your interest or ask for further information.  And now for details of rallies and events The Sparkford Wireless Group Tabletop Rally, in aid of the RAIBC, will take place on Thursday the 28th of December from 9.30 am to 1 pm. The event will be held at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel near Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7QX. Entry is £3 and free parking and refreshments will be available. For more information, email Bob via wjh069@gmail.com The Lincoln Short Wave Club Winter Radio Rally will take place on Thursday the 28th of January at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. The doors will be open from 9 am and admission is £2. Ample free car parking and hot refreshments will be available. The tables cost £10 each. At 2 pm, after the Rally, there will be a used equipment auction. Items for the auction will be booked from 1 pm. Contact Steve, M5ZZZ for bookings and information via m5zzz@outlook.com or 07777 699 069. Now the Special Event News On Thursday the 14th of December, from 1700UTC, lots of special event stations from The Netherlands will be on the air. The callsigns in use will follow the format PA01MIL with each station having a unique combination of numbers in the callsign. The operators will be arranged into teams – each team containing two military personnel and one amateur. The stations will work on the HF bands using SSB. The objective of the event is to promote amateur radio so please do give them a call. Special callsign SX25GTC is in use until the 15th of December to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Greek Telegraphy Club. Listen for CW activity on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. See QRZ.com for information about certificates that are available. Now the DX news Burkhard, DL3KZA is active as YB9/DL3KZA from Lombok Island, OC-150, until the 18th of December. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. The V6EU team is active from Chuuk Island, OC-011, in Micronesia until the 16th of December. The team will operate on the 160 to 10m bands using SSB, CW, RTTY and FT8. QSL via DL2AWG. Now the contest news On Tuesday the 12th, the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 12th, the 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The ARRL 10m Contest started at 0000UTC yesterday, Saturday the 9th and ends at 2359UTC today, the 10th. Using CW and Phone on the 10m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. American, Canadian and Mexican stations also send their state or province code. On Wednesday the 13th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 13th, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 14th, the 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Stew Perry Top Band Challenge runs from 1500 UTC on Saturday the 16th to 1500 UTC on Sunday the 17th of December. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 7th of December 2023 We dodged a bullet last week as a high-speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole sped past the Earth. Although the wind speed was often in excess of 600 kilometres per second, its Bz, or magnetic field, was pointing north. The net result was that most of this passed harmlessly away from Earth and the Kp index remained around three. Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined to 130 by Thursday, which is quite a difference from the 194 we had on the 23rd of November. Solar activity last week reached moderate levels thanks to multiple low-level M-class solar flares detected around active region 3513 in the northeast quadrant. This region also produced frequent C-class flares. Daytime MUFs over a 3,000km path mostly remained over 28MHz, while nighttime MUFs over a similar path length remained around 10MHz. As we head towards mid-winter, we may expect these nighttime MUFs to drop, with the result that the 80m band closes down for short-skip early on in the evening – the curse of the inter-UK 80m Club Championship contests! However, the 80m band may still be open over long distances and we are now entering the best time of year for low-band DXing. Keep an eye on the top end of the 80m band, around sunrise, for transatlantic signals. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may recover a little and be in the range of 130 to 150. Geomagnetic conditions will depend upon coronal mass ejections but are predicted to be good, with a peak of Kp4 on the 12th of November. There is a slender coronal hole on the Sun that could cause the Kp index to rise this weekend, ending the 10th, due to its associated solar wind stream. However, it shouldn't be too bad and any poor HF conditions are likely to be short-lived. Finally, NOAA has updated its progression forecast for Solar Cycle 25. It now predicts that this cycle will peak somewhere between January and September 2024 with a solar flux index of around 167 to 201. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The present spell of unsettled weather at the end of the first week of December will run into the first half of next week. This brings a limited chance of rain scatter on the GHz bands, but there is a strong signal in the models for a major change of weather patterns for the middle of next week.  This will be the arrival of high pressure around Wednesday the 13th that will probably last into the following weekend, although there is some model variation in how quickly it will move away. The main result is that, although it begins as a cold air with high pressure with frosts, it will probably develop surface temperature inversions, which will be useful for Tropo. Towards the end of next week, as the centre of the high drifts east, it will allow more moist air at the surface and produce stronger ducting potential as well as develop an upper-level inversion for longer DX paths into the continent. The evening of the 14th of December sees the peak of the biggest and most reliable meteor shower of the year. The Geminids have the potential for a zenithal hourly rate of 150. The higher 50MHz and 144MHz activity usually provide the best chances, and a reasonably quiet QTH with 100W and a beam will bring you plenty of digimode QSOs. QSOs are even made by EME-class stations on the 70cm band and strong, long reflections on the lower bands can allow SSB QSOs if you're persistent enough. That said, MSK144 and FSK441 digimodes will be the most reliable. Aurora remains a possibility, but the isolated out-of-season sporadic-E blips on the Propquest NVIS plots last month have quietened down for now. For EME operators, Moon declination is negative, falling further and reaching its minimum on Thursday the 14th. Path losses are falling towards a minimum at perigee on Saturday the 16th. 144MHz sky noise is moderate until the 12th and 13th when the Moon and Sun are close in the sky. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Esta semana las condiciones de propagación empeoran, a priori, un poco, aunque se van a poder trabajar las bandas de forma habitual ya que estamos iniciando un buen ciclo solar. Condiciones muy similares a semanas anteriores aunque las bandas altas, en especial 10m, empeoran sensiblemente. Tenéis el informe completo, con todos los datos y detalles en nuestra web: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/pred-propagacion/propagacion-del-2-al-8-de-diciembre-de-2023-hf/ Os pido disculpas por la calidad de grabación, pero me encuentro fuera de mi QTH y no cuento con los medios habituales. ¿Nos apoyas para que podamos seguir haciendo este podcast y más contenidos? Puedes apoyarnos en QRP con 1,99€ al mes o un poco más de potencia en QRO, con 5,99€ al mes aquí: https://cqenfrecuencia.com/cq-en-frecuencia-podcast/apoya/

In deze eerste aflevering van de reeks Technische Praatjes On Tour brachten Paul en Ko een bezoek aan Teun (PD9TL/19RF359) in het mooie lintdorp Den Ilp gelegen in de rook van Purmerend. Dit resulteerde in een leuk gesprek met veel passie over de radiohobby aan de eettafel. Bedankt Teun voor deze leuke avond op locatie....oh pardon QTH

Foundations of Amateur Radio Let's compare the same antenna in different locations... Over the years I've spent many hours building and testing antennas. I've talked about this and discussed how there is essentially an infinite variety of antennas that can exist. To give you a sense of this, picture a basic dipole antenna, two bits of wire, same length, connected to a feed-point. We're doing this experiment in space, so we're not concerned with trees or rope, or the ground for that matter, more on those shortly. We can make this dipole straight, or we can make it into a V-shape, or bend over the edges, or make each side into a half-circle and join them, or make them into a spiral, or kink the wires, or bend them over, or any number of variations. Every time you change something, the antenna radiation pattern changes and the antenna behaves differently. While at its heart the antenna might still be considered a dipole, essentially a change in radiation pattern effectively means a different antenna. In those changes or wire orientation alone we have already defined an infinite number of antennas, but that only scratches the surface. We can build an infinite variety of physical antennas. Consider the design of vertical antennas, loop antennas, log periodic antennas, yagi antennas, slot antennas, and beverage antennas to name a few. Once you start investigating antennas you'll discover just how many options there are and once you've acquired the antenna of your dreams, the work is only just beginning. To explain why this is the case, consider the process of finding an antenna to buy or build. You'll find breathless reports of how amazing an antenna is and how it allowed the operator to hear a mosquito land on the back of a container ship in the middle of a tropical cyclone whilst the sunspot activity was at an all time low. Right next to those reports you'll find another amateur describing how their dummy load performed better and cost less. If not those specific examples, you'll have no doubt found both positive and negative reviews for the very same antenna, often side-by-side and if you don't, you're not looking hard enough. Leaving aside the notion that someone is trying to discredit a commercial competitor or that the antennas are inadvertently physically different, because someone put it together incorrectly, there's plenty of opportunity for other reasons for this wide range of opinion. Let's take the popular G5RV antenna, invented in 1946 by Louis G5RV, who became a silent key on June 28, 2000. The antenna is a multi-band HF antenna and there are plenty of people offering plans and kits for this antenna. Ignoring the differences in plans, let's imagine that two amateurs purchased the exact same G5RV from the same batch from the same supplier. Both erect their antennas at their home shack, or QTH and get on air to make noise. At a local BBQ they get together and compare notes only to discover that the two antennas are behaving completely differently. How is this possible? What other factors might cause this experience? You're not going to like my answer, but "it depends". The height at which the antenna is erected, how tight you pull it between two trees, how you feed it, the type of coax you use, how much power your transmitter uses, how close it is to another object like a fence or a house, what type of ground is below the antenna, what the local noise floor is like, which direction it's oriented, which day you use it and finally, what colour clothes you're wearing at the time. That last one isn't strictly true, but it serves to highlight that some differences exist that are so innocuous as to be laughable, for example, have you considered the type of tree and how much foliage there is, when the lawn below the antenna was last watered, etc. My point is that some differences aren't obvious, but they can, and do, make an antenna behave differently. In other words, the environment around two identical antennas is hardly ever the same and thus the antenna system as a whole, since the environment and the antenna together combine into a system, are never the same. This means that when you go about finding an antenna that's suitable for you, the reviews you read are only part of the story. If the antenna needs ground radials that are physically not possible at your site, then that antenna is unlikely to be suitable for your situation, regardless of the glowing reviews. As I said, in my time I've built and bought plenty of antennas. I've also tried several by way of my local amateur radio club. I've operated a mobile station from my car, set-up a portable station in numerous locations using the exact same antenna, and learnt that while the environment is almost never discussed, it has by far the biggest influence on the performance of your antenna. My recommendation is to pick an antenna, any antenna, cheap is good, and start. Play with it, change how you erect it, set it up in different locations and I'd highly recommend that you do this with a friend. Between the two of you the shared installation can be used as a baseline to compare your own antenna against and if you're both comparing notes against what you built together, you'll both have a better chance of understanding what particular difference matters in your own setup. I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Alan Higbie, K0AV, is a ham over sixty years, with an interest in CW, contesting, working DX, and working 2BSIQ mode.  Alan has developed special expertise in finding RF noise sources around his QTH using a portable SDR receiver, and as a trial lawyer, he has had the opportunity to live in unusual places that lead to unusual ham radio operating events.  K0AV is my QSO Today.

Foundations of Amateur Radio A curious thing happens when you become part of the amateur community, you start to talk like an amateur. This phenomenon isn't specific to being a radio amateur, it happens whenever you join any community. Lead by example, one word at a time, you start to inherit a vocabulary that represents that community. Amateur radio, rife with acronyms and so-called Q-Codes, a standardised set of three-letter codes that start with the letter "Q", does this in spades. If you've been around amateurs for more than 30 seconds, it's likely that you have already heard QSL, QTH and QRM, colloquially short for "Yup", "Home" and "Noise". There's an official meaning if you're keen. You can use the three letters as both a question and an answer, so QSL can mean "Can you acknowledge receipt?" and "I am acknowledging receipt." Similarly, QTH means "What is your position in latitude and longitude (or according to any other indication)?" and QRM means "Is my transmission being interfered with?" In those cases, used either with Morse code or Voice, they can make getting the message across simpler, faster, and more accurate, all important aspects of communication. It's easier to get QTH across to an amateur who doesn't speak English as their first language than it is to ask the whole question. Other letter groups also creep into common language of an amateur. You've likely heard the letters: "XYL", but if you haven't, let me explain. Given that amateur radio is an activity dominated by men, "YL" refers to Young Lady and "XYL", refers to eX-Young Lady, a less than complimentary way of referring to one's wife. I'd like to point out something curious. In Morse code, XYL is sent using: -..- -.-- .-.. It's intended to represent the word WIFE which is sent in Morse code as: .-- .. ..-. . Now, if you know anything about Morse, you'll know that a dit is one unit, a dah is three. Individual elements are spaced by one unit. The space between letters is three units and the space between words is seven units. Armed with that knowledge, XYL takes 39 units and WIFE takes 31 units to send. So, sending the shortcut actually takes longer and it's clear that this choice is not about efficiency. Describing someone as an eX-Young Lady to refer to your Significant Other seems very 1950's to me. In the situation where you are the female amateur operator, the apparently appropriate way to refer to your Significant Other is as Old Man or "OM". Are female operators supposed to refer to themselves as YL or XYL? Really? Sexism aside, this is extremely offensive in a same-sex and gender fluid community. Then there's the symbol "88", apparently meant to refer to "Hugs and Kisses", not something I'd feel comfortable sending to anyone other than my partner who is emphatically not an amateur, let alone the idea that it would be appropriate to send it to any random station or the connotations around males sending such a message to a random female operator. So, given that we now live in the 21st century and we're no longer in 1950, perhaps it's time to consider what language we teach new amateurs. One proposal by Chris M0YNG is to refer to the Operator as "OP" and the Significant Other as "SO". Seems like a good start. I will point out that this conversation was brought to my attention by Andreas DJ3EI who was participating in a Mastodon.radio conversation with Tim N7KOM who started the thread. I think it's a worthwhile thing to discuss such an evolution of our language, it goes to the heart of our community, you are what you say you are, and words matter. So, what words, acronyms and symbols do you use in your amateur community and what are you teaching new amateurs? I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Rich Gussow, 4Z1JJ, discovered ham radio in high school and finally got his amateur radio ticket in his first year at Brooklyn College in 1976, where he quickly built up his operating skills and amateur theory to upgrade to Advanced within a year.   Single Side-band is Rich's favorite mode, and now Rich enjoys working amateur satellites in voice and packet modes from his QTH in Modiin, Israel.  4Z1JJ is my QSO Today.

Foundations of Amateur Radio Our community is full of TLAs, or three letter acronyms. Some of them more useful than others. For example, I can tell you thank you for the QSO, I'm going QRT, QSY to my QTH. Or, thanks for the chat, I'll just shut up and take my bat and ball and go home. Acronyms arise every day and it came as no surprise to spot a new one in the wild the other day, SHF. It was in a serious forum, discussing antennas if I recall, so I didn't blink and looked it up. Super High Frequency. Okay, so, where's that? I'm familiar with VHF and UHF and as radio amateurs we're often found somewhere on HF, that's Very High Frequency, Ultra High Frequency and High Frequency if you're curious. Turns out that the ITU, the International Telecommunications Union has an official list, of course it does. The current ITU "Radio Regulations" is the 2020 edition. It's great bedtime reading. Volume one of four, Chapter one of ten, Article two of three, Section one of three, Provision 2.1 starts off with these words: "The radio spectrum shall be subdivided into nine frequency bands, which shall be designated by progressive whole numbers in accordance with the following table." When you look at this table you'll discover it starts with band number four and ends with band number twelve, between them covering 3 kHz to 3000 GHz. In position ten you'll see the designation "SHF", covering 3 to 30 GHz, centrimetric waves. A couple of things to note. The list starts at band four. There are of course frequencies below 3 kHz. The list ends at twelve, but there are frequencies above 3000 GHz. You'll also note that I'm not saying 3 Terahertz, since the ITU regulations specify that you shall express frequencies up to 3000 GHz using "gigahertz". Interestingly the same document has a provision for reporting interference where you can report using Terahertz frequencies, so I'm not sure how the ITU deals with such reports. Another thing to note is that this table doesn't actually define what SHF means. It's nowhere in the radio regulations either, I looked. I'm not sure where the words Super High Frequency came from. There is an ITU online database for looking up acronyms and terms. That leads to a document called "Nomenclature of the frequency and wavelength bands used in telecommunications", which also doesn't use "Super High Frequency" anywhere. That said, using the ITU band four, where its definition starts, the VLF band, or Very Low Frequency, followed by LF, Low Frequency, MF, Medium Frequency, the familiar HF or High Frequency, VHF, UHF, then SHF and beyond that, EHF, Extremely High Frequency and THF or Tremendously High Frequency, yes, Tremendously High. There's a report called the "Technical and operational characteristics and applications of the point-to-point fixed service applications operating in the frequency band 275-450 GHz". It introduces the term "THF which stands for tremendously high frequency" but adds the disclaimer that "this terminology is used only within this Report." Seems that there are plenty of documents on the ITU website using that same definition, so I'm guessing that the cat is out of the bag. THF by the way is defined as being for 300 to 3000 GHz frequencies. By the way, the ITU TLA finder exposes that THF stands for Topology Hiding Function. Where's a good acronym when you need it? Speaking of definitions, I came across the definition of a "taboo channel" which according to the ITU is "A channel which coincides with the frequency of the local oscillator in the single super heterodyne receiver which is tuned to an analogue channel." Anyway, we still have a way to go. Below band four, less than 3 kHz, we have ULF or Ultra Low Frequency, SLF, Super Low Frequency and ELF, Extremely Low Frequency, which is defined as band one, between 3 and 30 Hz. Below that, some have suggested TLF, or Tremendously Low Frequency which apparently goes between 1 and 3 Hz with a wavelength between 300,000 down to 100,000 km. Others have suggested that this is an internet meme, but so far it seems to me that it has just as much legitimacy as any of the other wordings, since it appears that the ITU explicitly excludes such definitions, even if internal documents introduce terms from time to time. It did make me wonder, what comes after Tremendously High Frequencies, Red? Turns out, yes, well, infra-red pretty much follows on from Tremendously High Frequencies. If you think that's the end of it, think again. The IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has its own definitions, of course it does. Unfortunately they decided that you need to pay for their standard. It was first issued in 1976 "to remove the confusion". There's an xkcd comic called "Standards", number 927 if you're looking. It goes like this: Situation: There are 14 competing standards. 14?! Ridiculous! We need to develop one universal standard that covers everyone's use cases. Yeah! Soon: Situation: There are 15 competing standards. Anyway, the IEEE designates that after UHF comes L or Long wave, followed by S, or Short wave, then comes C, the compromise between Short wave and X or cross or Exotic. Then there's Ku, Kurtz Under, K, Kurtz, and Ka or Kurtz above, Kurtz being the German word for Short. There's the V band and the W band which follows the V band. Had enough yet? NATO, the EU and the US define these using letters of the alphabet. And broadcasters use Band Numbers which link up to nothing in particular. I wonder if the measure of a society is just how many different ways can be used to describe the same thing. Perhaps we should have stopped at Hertz or Hz, which was established in 1930 by the International Electrotechnical Commission, as an expression of the number of times that a repeated event occurs per second, in honour of Heinrich Hertz. One more three letter acronym, the International Electrotechnical Commission is better known as the IEC. I wonder if the ITU is taking suggestions, ginormous, utterly, inordinately, awfully and humongously seem like perfect opportunities for future expansion. I'm Onno VK6FLAB.

Foundations of Amateur Radio Last week I went outside. I know, it was a shock to me too. The purpose of this adventure was to test an antenna that has been sitting in my garage for nearly a year. Together with a friend we researched our options and at the end of the process the Hustler 6BTV was the answer to our question. Before the commercial interest police come out of the woodwork, I'll point out that I'm not providing a review, good or bad, of this antenna, it was the antenna I purchased and went to test. Between the two of us we have three of these antennas. I have the idea to use one as a portable station antenna and another as my base station antenna. Glynn VK6PAW intends to use his as a base station antenna. To set the scene. The antennas came in quite large boxes, just over six bananas long, or more than 180 cm. When they arrived I opened my boxes and checked their content, then sealed it all up and put the boxes on a shelf. Last week Glynn proposed that we set one up and see what we could learn from the experience. You know that I love a good spreadsheet, so planning went into overdrive, well, I put together a list of the things we'd need, starting with the antenna and ending with sunscreen to protect my pasty skin from the fusion experiment in the sky. In between were things like an antenna analyser, spare batteries, tools, imperial, since apparently there are still parts of the world that haven't gone beyond barley measurements. I jest, they authorised the use of the metric system in 1866. My list also included a magnetic bowl to capture loose nuts and washers, you get the idea, anything you might need to test an antenna in the field. Our setup was on a rural property where we had lovely shady trees and oodles of space to extend out a 25m radial mat. We tested many different set-ups. I won't go through them all, but to give you an idea of scale, in the time we were there, we recorded forty different antenna frequency scans. The 6BTV antenna is suitable for 80m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 15m and 10m. We tested with and without radials, raised and on the ground and several other installations. We learnt several useful things. For starters, sitting on the ground with radials the antenna measurements line up pretty well with the specifications and with a suitable base mount to protect the plastic base the portable station antenna is usable out of the box. Any variation on this will result in change, sometimes subtle, sometimes less so. For example, we came up with one installation where the SWR never dropped below 3:1. That's with the antenna on the ground without any radials in case you're wondering. Other things we learnt were that manually scanning each band is painful. When we do this again we'll have to come up with a better way of measuring. The aim for my base antenna is to install it on my roof, bolted to a clamp on the side of my metal pergola. This means that we're going to have to do some serious tuning to make this work for us. It might turn out that we'll start with installing the antenna at Glynn's QTH first, but we haven't yet made that decision. Other things I learnt are that I had actually put together the base clamp when I checked the boxes a year ago, so that was a bonus. The magnetic bowl saved our hides once when a spring washer fell into the lawn. The hose-clamps that come with the antenna require a spanner, but there are thumb screw variations of those that I'll likely use for my portable setup. Other things we need to do is learn exactly how the traps work and how adjusting them affects things. In case you're unfamiliar with the concept of a trap, think of it as a radio signal switch that lets signals below a certain resonant frequency pass and blocks signals above that frequency. In other words, a 10m trap resonates just below 28 MHz. It lets frequencies below 28 MHz pass, but blocks those above it, essentially reducing the length of the antenna to the point where the trap is installed. One test we did was to only use the base and the 10m trap. We discovered that this doesn't really work and that the metal above the trap, as-in the rest of the antenna, isn't just for show, even though it's on the blocked side of the 10m trap. Given that I intend to use my base antenna as my main WSPR transmission point, I need to adjust things so the antenna works best on WSPR frequencies. I intend to use a tuner for when I want to work outside those frequencies. One unexpected lesson was that the awning that Glynn attached to his vehicle was an absolutely essential item. I don't think I'll ever go portable again without one. Life changing would be an understatement. I'm investigating if I can fit one to my vehicle. Having had some health issues over the past months I was anxious about going outside and being somewhat active. I paced myself, protected my back, took regular breaks, sat down a lot, drank litres of water and slept like a baby that night. No ill effects, very happy. As a bonus, I even transferred our measuring data to a spreadsheet. I can't wait to see the results of our next adventure. Oh, we did connect a radio. Heard a beacon in Israel, heard a QSO in Italy, listened to WWV on 10 MHz and almost missed the bliss of not having to tune or switch when moving from band to band. What have you been up to in the great outdoors? I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Foundations of Amateur Radio When people think about and discuss my chosen hobby, amateur radio, there's often a perception that it's old men sitting behind a radio tapping on a Morse key, making beeping noises surrounded by all manner of imposing equipment, stacked thick and high in a tiny room that soon becomes too stifling to spend much time in. While such scenes might exist, often reinforced by old photos and messy radio shacks, any self respecting amateur will tell you that plenty of time is spent outside the shack dealing with antennas, coax and earthing systems, combined with pouring concrete, building, erecting and climbing towers and a myriad of other physical activity. My experience has shown that my own inertia bending acts often involve things like camping, portable operation in ever changing environments, throwing ropes into trees and recovering those later, erecting verticals, tying down squid-poles and other muscular movements like building temporary rotators lashed to the nearest utility vehicle to take advantage of a multi-band yagi that someone brought along to play with during a field day. The first time I really discovered just how lacking my stamina is, was in early 2014 when the FT5ZM DXpedition team to Amsterdam Island was in town. I had the pleasure of spending a day with a couple of team members showing off the sights of my QTH, Perth in Western Australia. In the middle of the city is Kings Park. To give you a sense of scale, at over 400 hectares, Perth's Kings Park is larger than New York's Central Park and London's Hyde Park. One of the attractions is the dual spiral staircase DNA tower. At 15m height, it's the highest viewing point in Kings Park offering 360 degree views of the park and the city surrounding it. Commissioned in 1966, the tower has 101 steps and has recently been refurbished. It derives its name from the DNA Double Helix molecule, which is how the staircases are arranged. One of my companions on the climb to the top was a sprightly amateur who's been licensed a decade longer than I've been alive. I marvelled when Arnie N6HC essentially ran up the tower when all I was able to achieve was puff my way up in his wake. Since then I've discovered that doing 24 hour contests, camping and other fun stuff now absolutely kicks the stuffing out of me, often requiring that I spend a day in a small dark room recovering with a blanket over my head. While my body shape and my callsign have things in common and my doctor continues to encourage me to lose weight, I can say that my recent visit to hospital, unexpected as it was, reminded me in no uncertain terms that I should look after myself, if only so I can actually participate in the next contest or camp-out. I'm not going to tell you what my fitness plan is, nor am I going to tell you to embark on one of your own, other than to ask, have you considered just how much of this wonderful hobby goes beyond keying a microphone or tapping a keyboard and consider just how safe you really are when you next climb up a ladder, tower or other height to fix an antenna? Speaking of health, I've been absolutely blown away by the incoming messages, offers of help, shared gallbladder emergency and post-operative experiences and more, from people whom I've known for years through to amateurs who took a chance to introduce themselves and wish me well. It wasn't until this week that I really understood that this community is rich in personal lived history, going well beyond the experiences I've had outside the hobby. I'm ever so grateful for your encouragement and intend to keep fighting to get well. It's going to take some time, but I'm looking forward to when I can next camp-out and not regret my life choices. So, get off your sedentary and go do something will ya? I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Art Bell, W6OBB, now a silent key, was my guest on Episode 85, in March of 2016 and the interview that follows is the remastered version.  Art was a very active ham from his QTH in Pahrump, Nevada, and his 160 meter Rhombic antennas were legendary.  He was also one of the most popular late night talk radio hosts for over 30 years, syndicated nationwide until his retirement in 2007.   I was a great fan of Art's and like many of his fans truly miss him on the radio. 

Foundations of Amateur Radio The other day I was woken by the sound of a thunderclap. It was shockingly loud and came out of the blue. A few moments later, it happened again. I exploded out of bed, rushed to the shack, disconnected the beacon power and switched the antenna coax to "safe". After breathing a sigh of relief, everything went dark and with it came the distinctive sound of the sudden death of the uninterrupted power supply taking with it my workstation. With nothing else left to do, I reported the outage to the power company, went back to bed, pulled the covers over my head, snuggled in and surprisingly, slept pretty well despite the barrage of water hitting my QTH. The next morning the power was back on and I discovered that one of the residual current devices, the one that powered most, if not all, the wall sockets had tripped. I reset it and much to my surprise, most of my QTH came back to life. I say most, because after breakfast I had a moment to switch on my radios and see what, if any, damage there was. I could hear and trigger the local repeater, but HF was strangely dead. I could hear the coax switches turning on and off, but the SWR on the antenna was high and it didn't appear that the antenna coupler was doing anything. It's powered remotely using a device called a Bias-T. You use two of them to transport a power supply voltage along your antenna coax. In my case, I inject 12 Volts in my shack, and extract the 12 Volts at the other end near the antenna where it powers the antenna coupler. Occasionally the antenna coupler needs a reset, so I removed the power, waited a bit and reconnected. Still no response from the coupler, so I disconnected the power and left it for another time. A few days later I had a moment to investigate further, so I went outside to check out the antenna and coupler. Both looked fine. I removed and reinserted the power, heard a click, but wasn't sure since a car came barrelling down the road at the same time, so tried again and heard nothing. At this point I decided that this warranted a full investigation and started putting together a mental list of things I'd need. I wanted to test the coupler when it was isolated, I wanted to do a time-domain-reflectometry, or TDR test, to see if anything had changed. This test uses the RF reflection of a cable to determine its overall length and any faults like a cable break, high or low resistance and any joints. If you have a Nano VNA or an antenna analyser, you can do this test. It did occur to me that I didn't have a baseline to compare with, so that was disappointing, but I added it to the list. First thing to test was to check if the radio had been affected. I turned it on, did the same tests and discovered that the Bias-T was still disconnected, which could explain why I didn't hear a click when I tested a second time. Armed with a level of confidence around power, I tried again to trigger the antenna coupler and got nothing, dread building over the potential loss of a radio in the storm, I set about swapping my HF antenna to another radio. At this point I was reminded of an incident, 37 years ago, as a high school student during a class outing. My wonderful and inspirational physics teacher, Bart Vrijdaghs, took us to the local University where the head of the Physics Department of the University of Leiden gave us a tour of their facilities. He took us into a student lab full of oscilloscopes and tone generators and set-up a demonstration to show us how you could generate Lissajous figures. He was having some trouble making it work and with the impertinence reserved for teenagers I quoted a then popular IBM advertisement from 1985, "Of Je Stopt de Stekker Er In", which loosely translates to asking if he had plugged it in. I can tell you, if looks could kill, I wouldn't be telling this story. Suffice to say, it wasn't. Plugged in, that is. Back to my HF antenna. Yeah. It was already plugged into the other radio, so, unsurprisingly it was unable to send any RF to, or from, the first radio, much like some of the advanced telepathic printers I've had the pleasure of fixing during my help desk days a quarter of a century ago. After all that, I can tell you that HF seems to work as expected. The beacon is back online and I have some work ahead of me to create some baseline TDR plots and perhaps a check-in, check-out board to keep track of what's plugged in where. That and looking for another UPS, since keeping the computer it's connected to up and running, at least long enough to properly shut down, would be good. What other lessons can you take away from lightning hitting nearby? I'm Onno VK6FLAB

John Raydo, K0IZ, had a great mentor at the beginning of his ham radio story that laid the foundation for John's approach to operating amateur radio and building radio equipment from scratch. John shares this story and how he now remotely controls and has the noise benefit of his rural Colorado rig when operating from his QTH in Missouri.  K0IZ is my QSO Today.

Foundations of Amateur Radio One of the topics I've been talking about lately is the idea that we might be able to measure the performance of your radio in some meaningful way using equipment that can be either obtained by any amateur, or by introducing a process that allows results to be compared, even if they have been generated differently. Recently I came up with a tool that automatically generates a spectrogram of an audio recording. That on its own isn't particularly interesting, but it's step one in the processing of an audio signal. In addition to the spectrogram, I also created a tool that generates a tone frequency sweep, think of it as a tone that changes frequency over time, let's call it a sweep. If you combine the two, you can generate a spectrogram of the sweep to give you a starting point or baseline for comparison. You can build on that by using your radio to transmit that sweep and record the result using a receiver. In my initial experiments, I used an RTLSDR dongle to receive the audio with some success and a boatload of spectacular harmonics, but I wanted to find a better, more accessible way to do this and during the week I realised that my Yaesu FT-857d that's sitting in my shack, is connected to a perfectly functional antenna and with a few settings it could do the job perfectly. One of the biggest issues with my RTLSDR setup was squelch. That is the difference between what is a legitimate transmission and what is noise. Set it too high and you hear nothing, set it too low and you hear everything, including background noise. Since the VHF or 2m noise levels are quite high at my location, or QTH, I normally have the squelch completely closed. This is fine if you're normally using a strong repeater, but if you're attempting to receive a weak hand-held, that's never going to work. As any self-respecting amateur I was dragged down the path of last resort to read my user manual where I discovered that in addition to CTCSS, a way to transmit a tone to open a repeater, there's also a setting called Tone Squelch or on my radio TSQ, which will keep my radio squelch closed, unless it hears the CTCSS tone from another radio. Truth be told, I had to read a different user manual to discover how to actually set the CTCSS tone on my handheld to test, but that's just adding insult to injury. It has been a while since I read any manual, even though I try to get to it once a year or so. I blame it on the lack of field-day camping. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. So, combining all this, the spectrogram generator, the sweep, CTCSS, and adding a Raspberry Pi with some website magic, if you're interested, an AWS S3 bucket, I now have a service that listens on a local frequency, opens the squelch if it hears the correct CTCSS tone, records the incoming signal until it stops, then generates a spectrogram from that audio and uploads it to a web site. None of this is particularly complicated, though I did have some bugs to work through. I've published the code as a branch to my existing frequency-response project on github and I've asked my local community to experiment with what I have on-air before I start doing more far reaching experiments. For example. If I were to tune my radio to a local repeater output frequency, rather than the simplex one I'm currently on, I'd be able to record and generate spectrograms for each transmission coming from that repeater. If that repeater was connected to the internet, using AllStar, IRLP, Echolink, DMR or Brandmeister, or even all of them, the global community could send their audio to my recorder and it could generate a spectrogram on the spot. If using that repeater, you played a sweep into your microphone, or used your digital audio interface to play the sound, you could then compare your signal path against others and against the baseline response. One of the issues with doing this is that much of the audio that travels across the internet is pretty munched, that is, it's compressed, frequencies are cut-off, there's all manner of interesting harmonics and the value of the comparison appears limited at best. Once I have my multi-band HF antenna, which I'm told is still being built, I intend to set this contraption up on HF where we can do point-to-point recordings and we end up having a direct comparison between two stations who transmit into my frequency-response software. I should add some disclaimers here too. At the moment I'm only using FM. The intent is to get this to a point where I can compare any mode, but when I move to HF, I'll likely start with Single Side Band and go on from there. One other annoyance is that any user needs to configure CTCSS to make this work, which is yet another hurdle to overcome, not insurmountable, but I like to keep things simple when you're starting to learn. Also, the harmonics still show, even on an analogue radio, so there's plenty more to discover. In the meantime, what kinds of things can you think of to use this for? I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Foundations of Amateur Radio For some time now I've been discussing the potential of weak signal propagation and its ability to create a live map from the data that your own station transmits. There are several systems in place that show a map of where and when your station was heard in the past little while. Using 200 milliwatts, I've been transmitting a WSPR or Weak Signal Propagation Reporter beacon on 10m for the past few weeks. At the moment, the furthest away my beacon has been heard is 13.612 km away. That's an 0.2 Watt signal heard on the other side of the planet, on 10m. As distance goes, it's a third of the way around the globe. I must point out that there's no way of knowing if this signal travelled the short path or the long path. If you've heard those terms, short and long path but were wondering what they mean, here's how it works. If I get on my bike at my QTH in Perth in VK6 and peddle East until I hit Sydney, I'll have crossed Australia, taken about 184 hours and travelled about 3.746 km. That's the short path. If I head West instead and start swimming, visit Cape Town, Buenos Aires and Auckland along the way, I'll have travelled much further, still made it to Sydney, but taken the long path. Radio waves can do the same. Depending on propagation, a signal might take either the shortest route, or go in the opposite direction and take the longest route along the great circle between two stations. I'm mentioning this because WSPR doesn't tell you if it's one or the other and if you're using a vertical, it could be either. Even directional antennas might receive a signal from unexpected directions. Using one of the mapping tools, wspr.live, I extracted all the sightings of my callsign and all the reports that I'd made from my receiver. It shows that my newest transmitter has now been heard by 11 stations across three continents. Those numbers are just the beginning. I wanted to see on the map where these stations were, so, during the week I built a proof of concept world map that I used to visually show the four character Maidenhead grid squares that my station was heard in. I also had a look to see which stations I'd heard over the years and where they were. In all, 771 different stations are in my log, either as a receiver or a transmitter. N4WQH heard me on 40m, 18.832 km away when I was using 5 Watts. My station has heard, or has been heard across 331 different grid squares. There's reports across some remote parts of Australia, Japan, India, South Africa, Europe, the United States, several across the Pacific and even a few in Antarctica. I wondered how many of the world's grid squares have actually been activated and which station was heard the furthest and how much power was used. Those numbers will have to wait for another day. I initially started using wspr.live which has a neat way of allowing you to embed an SQL query as part of the URL to download the output. I was getting some interesting results, so I thought, rather than hammer this lovely resource with my questions, I should download the raw data instead. So I did. Well, I am. Still. It's big. As of today, there's 166 files, taking up 60 GB of compressed data, with over 3.5 billion reports. The first spot in that data goes to N8FQ who heard WB3ANQ on Monday, the 17th of March, 2008 across 911 km on the 30m band transmitting with 28 dBm, or about 630 mW, reporting a signal to noise ratio of 1 dB. Using preliminary data to get started I mapped all the activated squares, each shown as a red box and saw that my entire map was red. At that point I figured that either I've got a bug in my code, or something else is going on. To give some context before I share what I found, a Maidenhead locator consists of a combination of letters and numbers. For four letter grid squares, there's a grand total of 32.400 different combinations, running from AA00 to RR99. They're 2 degrees wide and 1 degree high and their width depends on where on the planet they are. At the equator it's about 222 km wide and 111 km tall, at the North and South pole, it's 0 km wide. If you travel between two squares, you might have to move a meter, or the entire width of a grid square. Among the report, I found stations who had activated more than one square. That's fair enough, you can move your station and start making noise where ever you like. I found stations with activations across more than a thousand different squares. Before I start pointing the finger, I will mention that if you attach a WSPR beacon to an aircraft, or a balloon, you can legitimately activate plenty of squares. When you set-up a WSPR transmitter, you're required to manually enter the locator and mistakes happen. There's plenty of records with invalid Maidenhead locators, typically shown instead is a callsign. Then there are stations that pick desirable locators. This manual entry is also true for the power level and even the callsign, so I'm not outing these stations here, since it's entirely possible that the callsign shown doesn't actually relate to the transmitter or the licensed amateur. What does all this mean? It means that the information in the WSPR database cannot be trusted. I suspect it also means that the data used to lodge FT8 contacts across the planet can probably also not be trusted. It means that any propagation data you're deriving is likely contaminated by misreporting, deliberately or not. As a community, if we want to use this for actual measurements, we'll have to figure out how to make this a trusted resource, because the information that WSPR can bring to propagation is in my opinion extremely valuable. I would love to hear your thoughts on how we might fix it. I'm Onno VK6FLAB

GB2RS News Sunday the 14th of November 2021 The news headlines: Bletchley filming will disrupt NRC days Canadians mark transatlantic first Newsreader ‘Jon Island Jon' goes SK The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will be closed to all visitors this coming Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This is due to filming taking place at Bletchley Park and no visitors will be on-site during this time. Please check the Bletchley Park site before planning your visit. NRC staff and volunteers plan to re-open as normal on Saturday the 20th of November. CF3BP will be operating from the York region near Toronto until the 12th of December. It will mark the anniversary of the first transatlantic amateur radio transmission from Canada by Edward Rogers Senior using the call 3BP. He was one of the few amateurs to successfully transmit across the Atlantic in an ARRL-sponsored test and the only Canadian to succeed, using a 500W spark gap transmitter. Operated by members of the York Region ARC, a schedule will be available at yrarc.org/cf3bp. You can also read more about the historical event at the same place. The RSGB has learned, with sadness, that Jon Hague, GM3JIJ, has become a Silent Key. Jon was a member of the Society for 72 years. Affectionately known as ‘Jon Island Jon' to his many on-air friends, he delivered the GB2RS News from his QTH at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis for 26 years, his big signals covering the Highlands & Islands on 80m, 40m and 2m each Sunday. Our thoughts are with Jon's family and many friends. On Saturday the 13th of November, Barry ARS was featured in a programme on Channel 4 at 8 pm called Britain by Beach. The club was shown doing a recreation of Marconi and Kemp's CW transmissions from Lavernock Point in South Wales. You can watch the episode on the Channel 4 website by searching for Britain by Beach. The RSGB HF Contest Committee is going to use the information from a short survey to inform its planning. The committee is considering some changes to an existing contest and may introduce a new contest. Additionally, the RSGB VHF Contest Committee is finalising the VHF Contest rules for next year. It is not proposing major changes to the rules, but have a few areas where it would appreciate your feedback. You can answer both surveys, before the 17th of November, by going to thersgb.org/gb2rs/013/ The RSGB held its second online Convention on the 9th of October. A new video, RSGB 2021 Convention: Unwrapped, gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how we created the event. Months of planning went into this online event, which provided 15 presentations across two live streams throughout the day as well as regular content from the RSGB National Radio Centre. You can find it on the RSGB YouTube channel or on the Convention web page at rsgb.org/convention. And now for details of rallies and events Before travelling to any rally or event, please check the event's website as there may still be alterations or cancellations due to the pandemic, even as we head into the 2022 diary. The next rally we have details for is in 2022. The Sparkford Wireless Group Rally is due to take place on the 2nd of January at Davis Hall near Yeovil. More dates for 2022 as we get closer to the end of the year. Some rallies have been cancelled, as previously publicised, including the Bishop Auckland RAC rally, originally due to be held on the 28th of November. Now is the perfect time to let us know your group's rally or event plans for 2022. Email radcom@rsgb.org.uk with details and we'll publicise your event for free in RadCom, on the RSGB website and in GB2RS. Now the DX news TM60ANT will be on air from the 16th to the 30th of November to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty signature. Operated by François, F8DVD from Mâcon, JN26JH, operations will be on the 10 to 40m bands. Information about the event and the QSL route can be found on QRZ.com. Robert, S53R is now stationed in Kathmandu, Nepal for the foreseeable future, and will be active as 9N7AA (a reissued callsign, previously used by UA3AA in 2014). He is waiting to move to a permanent residence and for part of his equipment to arrive. He says that for the time being only limited operation is planned, but the pace should pick up by end of November. QSL via LoTW, or direct to S57DX. Oleh, KD7WPJ will be active as PJ7/UR5BCP from Sint Maarten, IOTA reference NA-105, from 18-24 November. He will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on 40 to 6m. QSL via KD7WPJ. Abie, AB1F will be active as VU2ABE from Shillong, in the Indian state of Meghalaya, between 6 November and 18 December. He will be QRV on 40, 20, 15 and 10m. QSL via home call, direct or bureau and LoTW; he will upload his log also to eQSL, QRZ and Club Log on a regular basis. Now the Special Event news OQ05PHI is the special callsign for the UBA Section de Philippeville to celebrate its 5th anniversary. It will be active until the 22nd of November. QSL via ON4PHI. Celebrating Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, Welland Valley ARS will be active as GB0SA between 6 November and 3 December. QSL via G4XEX, LoTW and eQSL. Now the contest news When operating in contests, please keep yourself and fellow amateurs safe by following relevant pandemic-related government recommendations. The WAE DX RTTY contest ends its 48 hour run at 2359UTC today, the 14th. Using the contest bands between 3.5 and 28MHz, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The UK Microwave Group Low Band contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC today. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Thursday sees the 70MHz UK Activity Contest, also running from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday, the Second 1.8MHz contest runs from 1900 to 2300UTC. It is CW only and the exchange is signal report, serial number and your District code. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 12th of November. This last week was a little more settled than the previous one. The solar flux index remained in the high 80s and geomagnetic conditions were mostly quiet, with a maximum Kp index of three. That isn't to say that the Sun has been inactive – far from it. A long-duration M2.0 solar flare took place on the 9th of November around region 2891, which is now located behind the northwest limb. Its associated CME was luckily not Earth-directed, so it looks like we escaped that one. As a result of the settled conditions maximum usable frequencies have remained quite high. On Thursday lunchtime they were topping out at just over 28MHz over a 3,000km path. Manubhai, VU2XO in India has been logged on 10m SSB on a few occasions and Stuart VK8NSB has also found his way into many logbooks according to the 10m UK Net group on Facebook. The 10m Australian beacon VK8VF/B in Darwin has also been logged in Southern Ireland on 28.268MHz. According to the Propagation Studies Committee's beacon listing on RSGB.org the beacon runs only 25W. Next week, NOAA predicts more of the same, with the solar flux index rising from around 80 to perhaps around 90 as the week progresses. Geomagnetic conditions are currently predicted to be unsettled around the 15th when the Kp index could rise to four. But at this point in the cycle, it is hard to be precise as CMEs can disrupt the ionosphere approximately two days after a solar flare and CME event, and they are very hard to predict with any accuracy. The best advice is to keep an eye on solarham.com for news of solar events. And now the VHF and up propagation news. High pressure will build in from Scandinavia as we move into early next week. This high should bring some Tropo opportunities but suffer a brief knockback midweek as a new low pushes a weakening front south. After this, a new high will build, but this time from the Azores High with a moister surface airflow and a better prospect for Tropo. The Tropo prospects will favour southern UK regions, whereas the north will remain closer to low pressure and be less likely to generate Tropo. Rain showers may again provide some rain scatter on the GHz bands. The Leonids meteor shower peaks this week, so obviously a good chance to test out those meteor scatter techniques using digimodes MSK144 and FSK441 if you've not tried them before. SSB and fast CW on the lower VHF bands will also be possible for well-equipped stations using the right techniques. For EME enthusiasts, Moon declination goes positive again on Monday, but path losses are rising as we head for apogee a week today, the 21st. The Moon will be at 34 degrees elevation this evening, Sunday, at its zenith, getting higher as the week progresses. And that's all from the propagation team this week

GB2RS News Sunday 10th of October 2021 The news headlines: School ISS contact this Tuesday RSGB exam booking system is live New 2x1 callsigns for Australia   At 1112UTC on 12 October, GB4MHN will be calling the International Space Station to enable ten deaf children to speak to a NASA Astronaut. The children at the Mary Hare School for deaf children in Newbury will be assisted by Lloyd, M5LDF and other members of Newbury and District Amateur Radio Society. The children will each ask a question to the astronaut and the reply will then be interpreted into subtitles and sign language. The event is made possible by ARISS, which heads up the radio contacts for space agencies NASA and ESA. The ISS signal can be received on the 2m band or watched live at live.ariss.org. The RSGB's new exam online booking system is now live. On the first page, you choose whether you are an individual who wants to book a remote invigilation exam or a club that wants to book an exam for candidates at the club premises. Clubs will be able to choose whether to book and pay for their candidates, or just book the date and time then receive a link that candidates will use to pay for their own exams. You can find the new booking process and an FAQ to help you at rsgb.org/exam-bookings. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will commence the release of brand new 2 x 1 Australian contest callsigns at 10 am, 13 October 2021. The contest callsign template comprises the VK, VJ or VL prefix followed by one number then one letter. There are a number of rules governing the application for a short contest call and they will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The RAF Air Cadets are planning to run the next Blue Ham Radio Communications Exercise on the 16th and 17th of October. They hope that radio amateurs can put some time aside to join in with the cadets and staff on the shared section of the 5MHz bands. A Blue Ham participation certificate is available to those who contact 15 or more special Cadet callsigns during the exercise. Just search for exercise blue ham to find out more information. As part of the day of lectures for the British Amateur Television Club CAT21 day, Ian, GM3SEK is giving a talk on the application of the RSGB-Ofcom Calculator to microwave bands and QO-100 satellite operation on Saturday the 16th of October at 1.30 pm. Registration is not required and full details of the day and how to view can be found at batc.org.uk/live/cat21. Jamboree On The Air is an annual event in which Scouts and Guides all over the world communicate with each other via amateur radio. JOTA 2021 runs for the full 48 hours of the 16th and 17th of October. You can find out more at jotajoti.info. Members of the BBC's radio club, The London BBC Radio Group, have been granted an exceptional all-year Special Event callsign to help celebrate the BBC's centenary year in 2022. Ofcom will permit GB100BBC to operate throughout the year, starting at midnight on New Year's Day, from the headquarters station in Broadcasting House, London. Operating slots will then be allocated for use by individual members and local groups of operators, from their home QTH, or BBC premises throughout the UK. And now for details of rallies and events Before travelling to any rally or event, please check the event's website as there may still be alterations or cancellations due to the pandemic. The second part of the BATC Convention for amateur TV will take place on the 16th of October. It will be a day of free online talks about amateur television. Just search for BATC CAT21 and follow the link for the live stream. Essex CW Amateur Radio Club will hold a CW Boot Camp on the 16th of October in Witham. You can find out more by searching on the internet for Essex CW ARC and clicking their Boot Camp link. On the 17th of October, the Hornsea Amateur Radio Rally is due to be held at the Driffield Show Ground, YO25 3AE. Doors open at 10 am and parking is free. Admission is £2. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy and a car boot area. Catering will be available on site. Also on the 17th, the Hack Green Radio Surplus Hangar Sale will be held at the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker in Nantwich. Doors open at 10 am and there will be equipment, components and amateur radio gear on sale. The Galashiels Rally, scheduled to take place on the 24th is cancelled, as previously publicised. The Members of Bishop Auckland RAC have, sadly, had to cancel their annual rally due to be held on the 28th of November. It will now be planned for 2022. Now the DX news Nobby, G0VJG has cancelled his operation from the Maldives and will be active as 3B8/G0VJG from Mauritius, AF-049, until the 16th of October. He will operate SSB and digital modes on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS. Robert, 3B9FR is a resident of Rodrigues Island, AF-017, and is now active again. He operates mainly CW, with some occasional SSB and FT8. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS. Curtis, KC5CW will be active as FY/KC5CW from French Guiana until the 3rd of November. He will operate SSB, slow CW, PSK and FT8 on the 160 to 6m bands. He will upload his log to the Logbook of The World and Club Log. Alex, VE1RUS and Pierre, VE3TKB will be active from VY0ERC, the Eureka Amateur Radio Club station located on Ellesmere Island, NA-008, between the 12th of October and the 22nd of November. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS and Logbook of The World. Now the Special Event news From the 6th of October through to the 2nd of November, West of Scotland ARS will be running a special event station GB4GDS, celebrating 90 years of the Guide Dog Association. More information about the station can be found at www.wosars.club. Dundee ARC will be active over the weekend of the 16th and 17th of October as part of the Jamboree On The Air weekend. They will be using HF and VHF, so if you hear them please give them a call. Now the contest news When operating in contests, please keep yourself and fellow amateurs safe by following relevant pandemic-related government recommendations. This weekend, the Oceania DX CW contest ends its 24-hour run at 0800UTC today, the 10th. Using the contest bands between 1.8 and 28MHz, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Today, the 10th is the UK Microwave group's 122 to 248GHz contest. Running from 0900 to 1700UTC, it uses all modes. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange for both is signal report, serial number and locator. Wednesday sees the data leg of the 80m Autumn Series running from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number. The 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC on Thursday. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend is the Worked All Germany contest running for 24 hours from 1500UTC on the 16th. Using SSB and CW on the contest bands between 3.5 and 28MHz, the exchange is signal report and serial number. German stations will also send DOK. Next Sunday, the 17th, there are four contests taking place. The first is between 0900 and 1300UTC the 50MHz AFS contest uses all modes and the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Stations in the UK and Commonwealth Dependencies also exchange the first two letters of their postcode. The second contest is The UK Microwave Group 24 to 76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The IRTS 40m Daytime Counties Contest runs from 1200 to 1300UTC and is the third contest on the 17th. It uses CW and SSB and the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations will also send their County code. Finally, for the 17th, the second Rolling Locator, or RoLo, contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. It is CW-only on the 3.5MHz band. The exchange is the signal report and the rolling locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 8th of October. Solar activity has dipped a little over the last two weeks. From a solar flux high of 102 on the 20th of September, activity declined to the mid-80s and stayed there. That isn't to say that HF activity has been poor. Far from it. There are numerous reports of DX being worked, including S9OK on Sao Tome and Principe. The Czech DXpedition, off the coast of western Africa, has been logged on many bands and continues to be popular. Ten metres has thrown up SSB contacts into Brazil, Chile and Uruguay for many, and openings to the Far East at times. Autumnal HF conditions are driving the DX, rather than the solar flux index. Maximum usable frequencies over a 3,000km path are often above 24 or even 28MHz in the afternoons. Next week is looking like more of the same, with NOAA predicting a solar flux index of 85, declining to 75 later in the week. Having said that, the STEREO Ahead spacecraft is highlighting two active regions due to rotate into view that may or may not develop into sunspots, so NOAA's forecast may turn out to be pessimistic. The good news is that a decline in coronal hole activity means the Kp index may remain low, perhaps down to two, which may result in continued settled geomagnetic conditions. As always, we maintain that October is one of the best months for HF DX, so do make the most of it. And now the VHF and up propagation news. High pressure this weekend should be producing good Tropo conditions for the southern half of the country, but probably peaking on Saturday the 9th. It is likely to return at times after mid-week as high pressure becomes more dominant over the country. Remember that Tropo can be long-lasting, as opposed to brief Sporadic-E openings, and it is often better on higher frequencies, so if 2m feels good then look at 70cm and 23cm too. It is worth looking up on beaconspot.uk, checking out some of the useful beacons across DL, OZ, SM, SP, LY, YL, and ES and getting them in your rig memories. In the second part of the week Tropo is more likely to favour the western side of the UK and support paths south to France or Spain. Other modes such as rain scatter, aurora and meteor scatter are worth checking and of course, you have a number of opportunities using the low earth orbit and geostationary satellites to keep you interested. The Draconids meteor shower peaked on Friday and we have the small delta-Aurigids, with a low ZHR of two, peaking on the 11th.    For EME enthusiasts, the SV5/HB9COG DXpedition to Rhodes is now over, with the team making QSOs on all bands from 432MHz up to 10GHz with just a lightweight 1.5metre portable dish and a single Yagi. Moon declination reaches minimum on Tuesday with the Moon barely reaching 11 degrees elevation at its zenith that day. Path losses are still low but increasing. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Foundations of Amateur Radio A while ago as part of my ongoing exploration into all things radio I came across a utility called rtlsdr-airband. It's a tool that uses a cheap software defined radio dongle to listen to a station frequency or channel and send it to a variety of different outputs. Originally written by Tony Wong in 2014, it's since been updated and is now maintained by Tomasz Lemiech. There are contributions by a dozen other developers. The original examples are based around listening to Air Traffic Control channels. I know of a local amateur who uses it to listen to and share the local emergency services communication channels, especially important during local bush fires. While sophisticated, it's a pretty simple tool to use, runs on a Raspberry Pi, or in my case, inside a Docker container. It's well documented, has instructions on how to compile it and how to configure it. Before I get into what I've done, as a test, let's have a look at the kinds of things that rtlsdr-airband can do. First of all, it's intended to be used for AM, but if you read the fine documentation, you'll learn that you can also make it support Narrowband FM. It can generate output in a variety of different ways, from a normal audio file, to an I/Q file - more about that at another time, and it can also send audio as a stream to a service like icecast, broadcastify or even to your local pulse audio server. If that last one doesn't mean much to you, it's a local network audio service, popular under Linux, but it runs on pretty much anything else thanks to the community efforts of many. So, on the face of it, you can listen to a channel, be it AM or Narrowband FM, and send that to some output, but I wouldn't spend anywhere as much time on this if that was all there was to it. The software can also dynamically change channels, support multiple dongles, or simultaneously listen to several channels at once and output each of those where ever you desire. Another interesting thing and ultimately the reason I thought to discuss it here is that rtlsdr-airband also supports the concept of a mixer. You can send multiple channels to a single mixer and output the result somewhere else. Using a mixer, in addition to setting cut off frequencies and other audio attributes, you can set the audio balance for each individual channel. This means that you can mix a channel exclusively to the left ear, or to the right ear, to both, or somewhere in between. Now, to add one extra little bit of information. In my location there's about a dozen or so amateur repeaters most of which can be heard at some time or another from my QTH. The frequency spread of those dozen repeaters is less than 2 MHz. A cheap RTL-SDR dongle can handle about 2.56 MHz. Perhaps you've not yet had the ah-ha moment, but what if you were to define an rtlsdr-airband receiver that listened to a dozen amateur radio repeaters - at the same time - and using the audio balance spread those repeaters between your left and right ear, you could stream that somewhere and listen to it. I'm sitting here with my headphones on, listening to the various repeaters do their idents, various discussions on different repeaters, a local beacon, incoming AllStar and other links, all spread out across my audio horizon, almost as if you can see where they are on the escarpment, though truth be told, I've just spaced them out evenly, but you get the idea. My original Raspberry Pi wasn't quite powerful enough to do this in the brute force way I've configured this, so as a proof of concept I'm running it on my main computer, but there's nothing to suggest that doing a little diligent tweaking won't make my Pi more than enough to make this happen. As for audio bandwidth, it's a single audio stream, so a dial-up connection to the internet should be sufficient to get the audio out to the world. I will point out that there may be legal implications with streaming your local amateur repeaters to the world, so don't do that without checking. For my efforts, this is an example of: "I wonder if ..." As it turns out, Yes you can. As it happens, my next challenge is to use this code on a PlutoSDR where the bandwidth is slightly larger, mind you, I'll have to do some fancy footwork to process the data without overwhelming the CPU, but that's another experiment in my future. What kind of crazy stuff have you tried that worked? I'm Onno VK6FLAB

GB2RS NEWS Sunday the 21st of March 2021 The news headlines: Get ready for Summer time RSGB Youth Award Blue Ham this weekend In the UK, the clocks go forward one hour at 1 am next Sunday, the 28th of March. This means we will be on British Summer Time. Please note that many contests and other events often state the timings in UTC or GMT, which will be one hour behind the local clock time here in the UK. The RSGB Youth team has created a new award, aimed at younger people but it is also open for anyone to try. Called the Radio Surfer Award, it encourages experimentation with all types of radio communications. There is a list of possible activities, each with a points value. All you have to do is get the same number of points as your age. You don’t have to be licensed to take part although having a licence will give you more options. For more information about this and the RSGB Youth Award, see rsgb.org/youth-award. The Royal Air Force Air Cadets Exercise Blue Ham 21-1 is on the MoD 5MHz shared band this weekend. RAFAC and other MoD Cadet formations will be on air over the period of operation using SSB and data modes. The Exercise Blue Ham website is at alphacharlie.org.uk. Voting for the RSGB elections is now open. The Calling Notice, Resolutions, candidate statements and voting process are on the Society’s website at www.rsgb.org/agm. Voting ends at 9 am on Thursday the 22nd of April. The RSGB will be holding its AGM online this year, on Saturday the 24th of April, and will live-stream the event. RSGB Members will be able to submit written questions for Board Directors in advance through a form on the AGM web pages. The election details are also in the April RadCom, which RSGB Members will have started to receive in the last few days. The RSGB has published an update to the RSGB EMF calculator on the website at www.rsgb.org.uk/emf. This version has had the front sheet changed in response to comments and suggestions from people who have tried using it. We are grateful for all the helpful suggestions received. Further work is needed to update the frequency dependant antenna data and would appreciate volunteers to help with this exercise. It has also been updated to use the Ofcom calculator v0.1.2 published on their website. This does produce separations for frequencies less than 10MHz. We continue to work on the calculator including producing a version that works with the newer ICNIRP2020 limits. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station is once again operational, following a spacewalk on the 13th that worked on the Columbus module cabling. The Columbus amateur station, which typically uses the callsign NA1SS, is the primary ARISS amateur radio station used for school contacts and other activities. Trowbridge & District ARC and Leyland & District Amateur Radio have shared their stories of running nets during the pandemic to support their members. You can read about them on the RSGB’s ‘Get on the air to care’ clubs and groups web page, rsgb.services/gb2rs/006 Now the DX news Mats, RM2D will be active holiday style as 8Q7MS from the Maldives, IOTA reference AS-013, from the 28th of March to the 10th of April. He will operate CW with some SSB, mainly on the 40 to 15m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World, or EA5GL. Barring Covid-related restrictions, Janusz, SP9FIH will be active as TO1K from Saint Martin, NA-105, between the 22nd of March and the 5th of April. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS, or via his home call. Now the Special Event news John, MW1CFN will be active as GB1004FTS from Anglesey, EU-005, between the 25th of March and the 8th of April. He will operate SSB and digital modes on the HF bands, 6 and 2m. QSL via Logbook of The World or direct. The special callsign celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force’s No 4 Flying Training School, which opened on the 1st of April 1921. GB2VAX will be operational from the QTH of Andy, G4ISN of Welland Valley ARS, until the 28th. Now the contest news Please remember to check before the contest for any new rules due to lockdown and social distancing, which may differ around the world. The RSGB strongly advises obeying your national and local government’s advice. The Russian DX Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1200UTC today, the 21st. Using CW and SSB on the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Russian stations will also exchange their Oblast code. On Tuesday, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using the 2.3 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the IRTS 80m Evening Counties Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and county code. On Thursday it’s the 80m Club Championships from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using SSB only, the exchange is a signal report and serial number. Next weekend it’s the CW World Wide WPX SSB contest. It runs for 48 hours from 0000UTC on the 27th to 2359UTC on the 28th. Please check the rules as there is a new multi-station category. Using the 1.8 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is a signal report and serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 19th of March. We had a week of settled geomagnetic conditions, following a mixed weekend. The consensus on the Commonwealth Contest was that conditions were not too good, although plenty of amateurs managed to put VK in their logs, despite the Kp index hitting four during the event. The Sun remained fairly quiet, with a solar flux index of 81 on Saturday and 78 on Sunday. Otherwise, the DX interest has been focused on the Russian DXpedition A25RU to Botswana. They are there until the 26th of March and will be operating all modes, including CW, SSB and FT8. March is a good month for these North-South paths and Predtest.uk predictions show that 1600-1800UTC is probably the best time for a contact with Botswana on 30 to 17 metres. Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain in the mid-80s, although this weekend is likely to see unsettled geomagnetic conditions again thanks to a high-speed solar wind emanating from an Earth-facing coronal hole. Expect maximum usable frequencies to decline, after the potential for pre-auroral enhancement as the plasma hits. We expect to see the Kp index rise to four on Saturday and Sunday, although this will improve as the week goes on, bringing a more settled ionosphere and a predicted Kp index of two. Meanwhile, ionospheric conditions remain subdued due to a lack of real sunspots. Spring remains a good time for North-South paths, and we also have the Sporadic-E season to look forward to in a couple of months. And now the VHF and up propagation news. The coming week is again suggesting that high pressure will feature on the weather charts for much of the period, at least in the south and east. This gives a possibility of further Tropo opportunities for most parts of the country, at least at first. The trend thereafter is for Atlantic fronts to reach the west and north of Britain by mid-week, bringing unsettled weather conditions and putting an end to any Tropo there. But to compensate a little, it could introduce some rain scatter for the GHz bands. There are always hopes that some out-of-season Sporadic-E could crop up, and there were weak 50MHz openings for digimodes last week, but ideally, we need to be a bit further on into April before getting too excited. Moon declination is at maximum on Monday, so peak Moon elevation gets to 62 degrees in the UK and the Moon is above the horizon for more than 16 hours. As we passed apogee in the middle of last week, path losses will continue to fall as the week progresses. Meteor scatter enthusiasts will have to be content with the pre-dawn random meteor enhancement until the Lyrids meteor shower, which is still a month away. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.