Podcasts about Royal National Lifeboat Institution

In this episode, Sea-Watch's search-and-rescue coordinator Hendrik tells us about the rescue of 32 people stranded on a gas rig in central Mediterranean in March.   ---Get in touch---   Twitter: @FleetCivil   Mastodon: @civilfleet@kolektiva.social   Bluesky: @thecivilfleet.bsky.social   Instagram: thecivilfleet   info@civilfleet.com   civilfleet.com --- Show notes ---   For more on Sea-Watch, visit: sea-watch.org/en   Follow Sea-Watch on BlueSky: @en.sea-watch.org Instagram: seawatchcrew   Also, check out episodes 65, 43, 22, 7 and 1 of The Civil Fleet Podcast for more on Sea-Watch.   For more on the Miskar Platform rescue, see here: https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/2025/03/04/sea-watch-rescues-32-people-left-stranded-on-a-mediterranean-gas-rig/    You can watch the 2020 YouTube interview I did with Hendrik and Dariush here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kS3OX922Vs&t=1874s&ab_channel=BenCowles (Check out my Covid beard!)   For more about the Iuventa, check out episodes: 54, 36, 24, and 2.    You can read more about the Iuventa, here: https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/tag/Iuventa/   Hendrik mentions the RNLI – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a lifeboat charity based in the UK.    He also mentions the Humanitarian Pilot Project. You can find out more about them here: https://www.hpi.swiss   The Greek coastguards are fascists? • Read this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0vv717yvpeo, this: https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/2020/06/04/masked-men-attack-refugee-dinghy-off-the-coast-of-greece-as-coastguard-fails-to-launch-rescue/ this https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/2021/02/11/close-to-10000-people-pushed-back-to-turkey-by-greek-coastguard-and-frontex-activists-allege/ and Google Greek Coastguards.    • See here: https://thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/tag/Greece/   • Check out episodes 68, 60, 56, 53, 52, 50, 41, 35, 28, 26, 24, 23, 22, 18, 12, 9, and 4 

GB2RS News Sunday, the 30th of March 2025   The news headlines: RSGB AGM – your chance to ask the Board a question The RSGB has published new forms for exam question queries The April Tonight@8 webinar – using a glue stick in a homemade 40m receiver Do you have a question about the RSGB's strategy? Perhaps you have a query about recent licence changes? Or maybe you'd like to understand more about membership growth? Whatever the topic, the Society is asking you to get in touch. RSGB Board members will be answering your questions during the RSGB 2025 AGM on Saturday, the 12th of April. You can submit your question in three ways; live via Zoom, send a written question in advance, or during the live chat on the day. If you'd like to ask a question about the formal part of the AGM, you'll need to do this via Zoom or by submitting a written question in advance. Don't miss out on this opportunity to discuss what matters to you. Your participation in the AGM is important, and the Society looks forward to hearing from you. Find out more about how to be involved and the deadlines for submitting questions by going to rsgb.org/agm As part of its modernisation of the exam systems, the RSGB has introduced online forms for reporting possible errors found in exam questions. These forms replace the current procedure of writing to the Exam Department. RSGB Examinations Standards Chair Tony Kent, G8PBH, explained that there are two forms. The first can only be submitted by exam candidates and is to formally challenge questions in actual exams, where the outcome of a challenge may affect a candidate's result. The second form can be submitted by anyone and is for informal queries of published exam questions, for example, in mock exams. A separate form is needed for each question that you challenge. Please check carefully that you are using the correct form, otherwise, it may delay the process. Your query will be considered by the RSGB Examinations and Syllabus Review Group, who will let you know the outcome. For more information and to find the forms, go to rsgb.org/exam-challenges The next webinar in the RSGB's Tonight@8 series will be with Nick Wood, M0NTV, on Monday, the 7th of April. Nick will show you how to use a regular glue stick housing in a rather novel way to form the basis of a variable tuning inductor in a homemade 40m receiver. After a brief description of a Direct Conversion Receiver and a short technical explanation of how it works, Nick will dive into four separate modules. At the end of the webinar, he will string it all together, and you'll be able to see some video footage of how it sounds and what it can do. Visit rsgb.org/webinars  to find out more. Join the presentation live on the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel and ask questions via the live chat. The RSGB is delighted to announce that Chris Aitken, MM0WIC, who is the current RSGB Youth Champion for Schools, is taking on the new position of RSGB Youth Chair. For now, Chris will continue to fulfil his Youth Champion for Schools role but will also take on more responsibilities by leading the Youth Champion team. Chris will work closely with the Board Liaison for Youth, and IARU Youth contacts, to help attract more UK youngsters to amateur radio. Find out more about youth activities by going to rsgb.org/youth If you live in Region 9, London and the Thames Valley, why not support fellow radio amateurs in your area? There are several volunteer vacancies within the region, including several District Representative positions, as well as the Regional Representative role. If you are passionate about amateur radio, enjoy talking with people, and want to give something back to the hobby, get in touch. Go to rsgb.org/volunteers to find out more, and then email the Regional Forum Chair Keith Bird, G4JED, via rr10@rsgb.org.uk SOS Radio Week is an annual event that celebrates the invaluable life-saving work of the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the National CoastWatch Institute and the independent lifeboats around the coasts of the British Isles and the Channel Islands. This year, the event starts at 0000 UTC on the 1st of May and concludes at 2359 UTC on the 31st of May. SOS Radio Week stations can be run by individuals or groups, from home or at a special location. To register, go to sosradioweek.org.uk This year's Mills on the Air weekend is taking place on the 10th and 11th of May. Find out more at tinyurl.com/millsontheair  or search Mills on the Air on Facebook. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week. And now for details of rallies and events The Hack Green Military Surplus and Military Radio Hangar Sale is taking place on Sunday, the 6th of April at Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 8AL. Items on sale will include electronic equipment, amateur radio gear, components, military radio items and vehicle spares. For further details, please go to hackgreen.co.uk  or email coldwar@hackgreen.co.uk The Yeovil Amateur Radio Club QRP Convention is taking place on Saturday, the 12th of April at Digby Hall in Sherborne. Doors open at 9.30 am. The convention will include traders, bring and buy, club stalls and a café. For more information, please visit the club's website at yeovil-arc.com Now the Special Event news The Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society, also known as RAFARS, will be holding its popular Airfields On The Air special event activity from the 1st of April. RAF Stations will be activated primarily during the 5th and 6th of April, as well as the 12th and 13th of April. More information can be found via rafars.org/rafaota The Polish Amateur Radio Union is celebrating 95 years since its founding, as well as the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union. To mark the occasion, ten special event stations will be active between the 11th and 25th of April. Full details of the event, as well as details of available awards, can be found via Hamaward.cloud Now the DX news Alex, K6VHF/HR9 will again be active from the 30th of March until the 6th of April from Roatán island, IOTA reference NA-057. He'll be QRV on 80m to 6m using verticals, Hexbeam, Slopers and a Delta loop using FT8, FT4, SSB, RTTY and CW. QSL direct via K6VHF, OQRS Club Log, and Logbook of The World. Aldir, PY1SAD, is active again from Georgetown in Guyana as 8R1TM until the 26th of April. Aldir will be operating on all bands using CW, SSB, digital and satellite. QSL via eQSL and Logbook of The World. Now the contest news The CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday, the 29th of March, and ends at 2359 UTC today, Sunday, the 30th of March. Using SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday, the 1st of April, the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855 UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 1st of April, the 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 2nd of April, the 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Also on Wednesday, the 2nd of April, the 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest is on Wednesday, the 2nd of April and runs from 2000 to 2100 UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The FT4 International Activity Day starts at 1200 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 1200 UTC on Sunday, the 6th of April. Using FT4 on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. The SP DX Contest starts at 1500 UTC on Saturday, the 5th of April and ends at 1500 UTC on Sunday, the 6th of April. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations also send their province code.  Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 27th of March 2025 Last week's space weather was dominated by a large coronal hole on the Sun. This was probably one of the largest we have seen for many years. Moderate, G2, geomagnetic storming was observed following the arrival of a solar wind stream from the hole, with the wind speed exceeding 600 km/s on Wednesday, the 26th. This pushed the Kp index to 6.33, depressing the MUF slightly. Luckily, the daytime MUF over a 3,000km path mostly stayed above 28 MHz, but it was slow to rise on Thursday, the 27th, when it took until 0900 UTC to reach 28 MHz. At the time of writing, the solar wind speed was more than 800km/s, so we can expect more disruption until at least Saturday, the 29th. Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined to 152 by Thursday, the 27th, with only four small sunspot regions visible. CDXC members have been discussing working New Zealand in the morning at the ZL sunset, often on low power. Listen and look for ZL4OL and ZL2CC, usually on FT8, but if conditions allow CW and SSB. 20m or 40m seems to be the favourite, and the VarAC data mode seems popular in ZL as well. Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will climb again, perhaps to 180 by the 4th of April. However, unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast again, beginning on the 3rd. We may expect the Kp index to reach six, which could be the start of at least ten days of disruption. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The overall picture for the weather patterns in the coming week is that of high pressure, which means that Tropo should be available as a good mode for VHF bands. There can be quite strong temperature inversions in the region of large well-developed areas of high pressure. The best performance will usually be around the edges of the high where the height of the inversion and ducting layer is typically between 0.5km and 2km above the ground, and can cover large distances for excellent DX prospects. Occasionally, a shallow ducting layer can form near the ground overnight but often disperses by mid-morning. If you are in a good inversion region, try SSB or CW on the VHF/UHF bands, as paths of up to 1,500km can often be achieved from a good ‘tropo lift'. The reverse side of the high-pressure systems is that we will have low pressure nearby, mainly to the north and west of the UK. Any potential for rain scatter will mainly be over northwestern Britain, although an active front that was moving south on Friday, the 28th of March, was a good candidate for chance rain scatter on the GHz bands. The prospects for meteor scatter are still largely dependent upon random meteors, which are usually best in the hours before dawn. Current solar activity will continue to trigger auroral alerts in the coming week. Now onto Sporadic-E, and last week we had a few out-of-season isolated foEs ‘blips' to between 5- 7 MHz, which was enough to produce propagation on 10m and 6m, albeit very fleetingly. There have already been some equinox-related 6m trans-equatorial propagation or TEP workable from the Southern part of the country, so keep an eye open late morning for Africa and late afternoon for South America.  EME path losses have continued to improve until perigee this morning, the 30th of March. Moon declination is still falling, and reached a minimum last Friday, the 28th. Moon windows will increase throughout the coming week. 144MHz sky noise is low, apart from Saturday the 29th when the Sun was close to the Moon in the sky, rising to moderate next Thursday before dropping back to low for the weekend. And that's all from the propagation team this week.  

Sam Nicholson is a building surveyor based in the North East. He worked with Maersk Training in offshore wind, and has extensive past experience volunteering with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Recognised as Mentor of the Year 2023, Sam has previously served as Matrics Chair, actively supporting young professionals in the industry with a surveying APC community. We talk about Sam's involvement with the APC study group, his current role in Wakefields Chartered Building Surveyors, his past experience working on a lifeboat and in emergency management training, as well as discuss the importance of soft skills and mentoring for the development of competent and skilled surveyors. What is Covered: (00:00) Sam's career journey (07:40) Working with Maersk Training (12:00) Mark's work on the lifeboat (16:49) From onshore training to supporting APC candidates (20:40) How Sam started on the building surveying pathway (23:23) What the APC study group is about (29:43) How Sam's work changed post qualification (33:00) What Matrics is and how it supports surveyors (37:30) Networking advice and recommendations (43:00) Mentor of the Year nomination and application process (49:50) Why Sam is passionate about surveying (55:45) The importance of role models for life and career Resources: Wakefields Chartered Building Surveyors https://www.wakefieldscbs.co.uk/ Connect with Sam Nicholson on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-nicholson-frics-4148a1a8/ Maersk Training https://maersktraining.com/ RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution https://rnli.org/ RICS Matrics UK https://www.rics.org/networking/matrics RICS Matrics Surveyor Awards https://www.rics.org/training-events/rics-awards/matrics-surveyor-awards Ryan Parke - The Science of Men's Mental Health https://www.lovesurveying.com/podcasts/the-surveyor-hub-podcast/episodes/2148287598 Super Prime UK News and The Property Valuation Podcast with Rob Cohen and James Wild https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/super-prime-uk/id1566847536 Buy me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thesurveyorhub The Surveyor Hub Community - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.surveyor.hub.love.surveying/

2024 marked the 200th Anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, an organisation funded wholly by voluntary contributions, keeping our seas safe since 1824. In this episode we visit the volunteers and boat crews who are based at the Blackpool Lifeboat Station, one of the busiest in the country. On their open day in the summer of 2024 we find out what makes them tick and the motivation behind why they do what they do. Willing to risk their own lives in order to save others. We also weave the heroic story of Grace Darling into the podcast, whose actions assisting her father William saved many lives,  in a daring rescue that became national news in the 19th century. If you wish, you can donate to the RNLI here. It's your donation that really does go to saving lives. 

It's not every day you get to celebrate your 200th birthday. But that's exactly what the Royal National Lifeboat Institution has been up to this year! As the huge milestone year comes to a close, Siobhán Fletcher looks back at how and why the RNLI come into existence. She also takes a tour of Manx National Heritage's ‘All at Sea' exhibition, held at the House of Manannan, to explore the pillars of the RNLI's foundation.(With thanks to the RNLI, and Allison Fox at MNH.)

Educated at the Universities of Keele and London, Professor Tipton joined the University of Surrey in 1986. After 12 years at the Robens Institute and European Institute of Health and Medical Science he moved to the University of Portsmouth in 1998. In addition to his University positions, Professor Tipton was based at the Institute of Naval Medicine (INM) from 1983 to 2004 and was Consultant Head of the Environmental Medicine Unit of the INM from 1996. He has spent over 30 years researching and advising in the areas of thermoregulation, environmental and occupational physiology and survival in the sea. He has published over 400 scientific papers, reports, chapters and books in these areas. Professor Tipton is a consultant in survival and thermal medicine to the Royal Air Force and UKSport; he sits on the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's Medical & Survival Committee, Surf Lifesaving GB's medical and research advisory panel and the Ectodermal Dysplasia Society's medical advisory board. He Chairs UKSport's Research Advisory Group which oversees all medical and technological research undertaken with and for Team GB's athletes. Prof Tipton is Patron of the SARbot charity, a Trustee of Surf Lifesaving GB and section editor of the journal Extreme Physiology and Medicine. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. Prof Tipton provides advice to a range of universities, government departments, industries, medical, search and rescue and media organizations.

Some friends went boating in the English Channel, hoping the forecast for stormy weather would change. But the winds rose and the waves became choppy, threatening the safety of their vessel, so they radioed for help to the RNLI (the Royal National Lifeboat Institution). After some tense moments, they spotted their rescuers in the distance and realized with relief they’d soon be safe. As my friend reflected gratefully afterward, “Whether or not people ignore the rules of the sea, the RNLI still comes to the rescue.” As he recounted the story, I thought about how Jesus leads God’s search-and-rescue mission. He came to Earth to become a man, living as one of us. Through His death and resurrection, He provided us with a rescue plan when our sin and disobedience separated us from God. This truth is emphasized by Paul, when writing to the church at Galatia: “The Lord Jesus Christ . . . gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). Paul reminded the Galatians of the gift of new life they received through Jesus’s death so that they would honor God day by day. Jesus, our rescuer, willingly died to save us from being lost. Because He did, we have life in the kingdom of God, and in gratitude we can share the life-saving news with those in our community.

In today's episode of Podcast Smarter, we delve back into the world of branded podcasts with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). We continue speaking about the creation journey of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) anniversary branded podcast, 200 Voices with Rory Stamp from the RNLI and Dan Jones, a former BBC producer, who elucidate their approach in creating impactful narratives for the RNLI's 200th-anniversary podcast. Rory paints a vivid picture of how the concept of 200 Voices evolved, articulating the navigation through the complexities of representative selection to ensure a diversity of roles, locations, and milestones. Get inspired as Rory shares how the podcast was the product of a desire to celebrate RNLI's colossal impact and inspire a futuristic vision. "200 years, it's got to be 200 voices (episodes). Okay, let's see if we can do it." - Rory Stamp, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution Dan shares fascinating behind-the-scenes tales of the production, expounding on the strategies he used to encourage guests to open up and how he crafted narratives that resonated with the audience. You will be inspired by the remarkable feats achieved by Adventurous Audio in accomplishing this grand task with limited resources. Explore the methods used by Adventurous Audio in blending branding strategies with storytelling and music to construct a podcast that splendidly celebrates RNLI's legacy. This episode is packed with insightful lessons for your podcasting journey, offering a peek into how you can make your podcast smarter and more engaging. Immerse yourselves in this engaging conversation revealing how Adventurous Audio connects with varied branded podcasts, while maintaining the authenticity of the brands, their stories, and their audiences. Learn about the process of translating a brand's core message into a wider public domain, highlighting the importance of maintaining relevance. Here are the main takeaways of today's episode: Discover the secrets to starting a branded podcast that stands out from the crowd. Learn how to capture captivating stories through expert audio production techniques. Understand the crucial role of music in creating an immersive and unforgettable podcast experience. Engage your audience on a deeper level by utilizing the power of familiar voices in your podcast. Explore effective strategies for building a podcast that fosters genuine community engagement and connection. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:26 - Origin of the 200 Voices Podcast and 200 Episodes 00:02:39 - Selecting Guests for the Podcast 00:04:13 - Production Expertise and Storytelling 00:09:00 - Aligning Personal Purpose with the Project 00:13:00 - Creating Structure for 200 Episodes 00:13:32 - Promoting High-profile Names 00:15:08 - Narrative Arc and Sound Design 00:16:10 - Creatively Expressing Brand Identity Resources: Subscribe to our email newsletter to get industry updates: https://www.podbean.com/email-subscribe  Watch the video of this event on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/live/gHSOJdKZxfY?si=dEPPg9WHPz3A6Dil  Sign up for all of Podbean's Free Live Events here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/podbeancom-31329492977  Other episodes you'll enjoy: Podbean's Apple Subscription Integration  Podbean's Descript Editing Integration Connect with Rory, the RNLI, Dan and Adventurous Audio: Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RNLI YouTube: www.YouTube.com/RNLI Twitter/X: www.X.com/rnli   @RNLI TT: www.TikTok.com/@RNLI  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/RNLI    Adventurous Audio Website https://www.adventurousaudio.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adventurous-audio-ltd Insta https://www.instagram.com/adventurous_audio  Dan Holland LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dnjholland/    About us: Podcasting Smarter is the official in-house podcast by Podbean.  Podbean is a podcast publishing and monetization service, hosting almost 640,000 podcasts.  If you're looking to start your own podcast, monetize your podcast and livestream directly to your listeners, you can set up an account at podbean.com  Connect with us: Subscribe to our email newsletter to get updates from the team head over to: https://www.podbean.com/email-subscribe Find us on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podbean  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podbeancom YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0H3hvTa_1_ZwFg6RjGNXGw/  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/podbeancom   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/podbean  Website: https://podcast.podbean.com/    Email us: To contact Podcasting Smarter with questions get in contact at podcastingsmarter@podbean.com 

GB2RS News Sunday the 19th of May 2024 The news headlines: RSGB Board liaison roles update The Signals Museum at RAF Henlow is closing soon The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon is under way Each RSGB Board Director has a liaison role between the Board and specific aspects of the Society's work. This focuses very much on the work done by RSGB volunteers in committees, groups and teams as well as by the Honorary Officers. The Board has just agreed on the liaison roles for the coming year. To find out more or to see contact details for each Board Director, go to the RSGB website at rsgb.org/board The Signals Museum at RAF Henlow is closing soon. Its final open day will be on the 8th of June 2024. According to the Museum's website, after this time it will start to dispose of its exhibits. The Museum attempts to tell the story of RAF Signals. Among its attractions, it contains a lot of working equipment which can be demonstrated, including transmitters, receivers and radar consoles. To read more about the Museum, and learn how you can visit it before it closes, visit signalsmuseum.uk The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon is underway. The activity is open to all amateur radio operators worldwide and membership of the Group is not required. The objective is to work as many four-digit grid squares as possible between the 4th of May and the 4th of August on the 6m band. Logs can be submitted until the 18th of August 2024. You can find out more at uksmg.org The latest RadCom contesting column is now available for all to read on the RSGB website. Since April 2024 this exclusive content has been shared online each month following the publication of each RadCom issue. This useful resource shares various aspects about contesting including a tip of the month, a featured UK contester, as well as a contest of the month. This month Nick Totterdell, G4FAL​​​​, who is the HF Contest Committee Chairman, looks at the history of contesting. To find out more, and to read this month's column, visit rsgb.org/radcom-contesting A reminder 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 Don't forget that lots of stations are on the air to celebrate SOS Radio Week throughout May. The event takes place each year to celebrate the work of the volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Independent Lifeboats and National Coastwatch Stations around the British Isles. 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 And now for details of rallies and events The Braehead Rally is taking place today, the 19th of May, at the Braehead Arena from 10 am. Free on-site parking, bring and buy and refreshments are available. For more information contact Paul via email at mm3ddq@gmail.com Also today, the 19th of May, the Dartmoor Radio Club Rally is being held at Yelverton War Memorial Hall, PL20 6AL. The doors open at 10 am. For more information, please contact Roger Hann on 07854 088 882 or email 2e0rph@gmail.com Durham and District Amateur Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 26th of May at Bowburn Community Centre, Bowburn, County Durham, DH6 5AT. The doors are open from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm with disabled visitors gaining access at 10 am. The entrance fee will be £2. There will be a bring-and-buy sale, trade stands, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Catering and a licensed bar will be available on-site. For more information contact Michael, G7TWX, on 07826 924 192, or via email at dadars@gmx.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 Today, the 19th, RAF Waddington Amateur Radio Club will be back at the International Bomber Command Centre for its Inspire Ride 2024 event, which this year will pay tribute to the men of Stalag Luft III who took part in the ‘Great Escape' in March 1944. Operators expect to be working on the HF bands, using SSB and some CW, as well as FM on the 2m band. The station will be using a special event call sign GB5ESC, between 10 am and 4 pm. North West Group Amateur Radio Club, MN0NWG is running a special event station GB0AEL until the 31st of May to commemorate the anniversary of Amelia Earhart's transatlantic flight.  On the 20th and 21st of May 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly nonstop and alone across the Atlantic Ocean. Recently, the station has been heard on the HF bands using CW, FT8 and SSB. QSL via MI0HOZ, directly or via the Bureau. The United Nations Global Service Centre Amateur Radio Club, 4U1GSC, in Brindisi, is active as 4U29MAY until the 31st of May. The special callsign is active to promote the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, which is on the 29th of May. The station has been worked recently on the 20 and 15m bands using CW. QSL via 9A2AA. Now the DX news Chris, WA7RAR is active as 8P9CB from Barbados, NA-021, until the 26th of May. All of his operations are portable at various locations throughout the island, especially Parks on the Air sites. He is QRV on the 20 to 10m bands using CW and SSB. QSL via Logbook of the World, or directly to WA7RAR. Roland, F8EN is active again as TR8CR from Gabon until at least the end of June. He will operate CW only and will celebrate his 96th birthday while there. QSL via F6AJA directly or via the Bureau. Roland can usually be found on the 30 to 10m bands using CW. Now the contest news The 144MHz May Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 18th and ends at 1400UTC today, the 19th of May. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode. Today, the 19th, the 1st 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1100 to 1500 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. UK stations also send their postcode. Tomorrow, the 20th, 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 Tuesday the 21st, the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 1.3GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 22nd, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using data modes on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ World Wide WPX CW Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 25th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 26th of May. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday the 26th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using All modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 16th of May 2024 After last weekend's auroral spectacular, it was nice to see the Sun calm down a little and the bands get back to normal. But that didn't last long. To recap, on Friday the 10th of May the Kp index shot up to 9, due to the effects of a number of coronal mass ejections, while the HF bands closed down in the subsequent geomagnetic storm. While there was visible aurora across the UK and Europe, HF propagation suffered and didn't start to recover until the late afternoon on Saturday the 11th. The main culprit, active region 3664, has now rotated out of view, but that doesn't mean we are out of the woods just yet. Solar flares can cause short-term disruption to HF propagation due to their X-rays penetrating deep into the D-region and causing signals to be absorbed. Subsequent coronal mass ejections can cause longer-term degradation of the F2 layer with reduced maximum usable frequencies, noisy bands and auroral conditions.  At the time of writing, the Kp index stood at 6 again so it looks like unsettled geomagnetic conditions are continuing with a moderate G2 geomagnetic storm in progress. Low to moderate activity is now expected, with a slight chance of further strong-class flares. The regions currently on the visible disc are smaller and simpler, with isolated M-flares possible from these. However, a new active region, now rotating into view, has already emitted an X-class solar flare. Next week, the United States Air Force predicts that the solar flux index may remain in the 160 to 180 range. HF conditions remain a lottery as they can be badly affected by solar flares and coronal mass ejections. It is best to keep an eye on solarham.com for updates, and also propquest.co.uk for near real-time reports of the critical and maximum usable frequencies. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather remains on the unsettled side of things with areas of rain and some thunderstorms over the country, especially the south as we end this week. As this report is being read out, high pressure is becoming established over northern and western Britain. This may eventually take a tenuous hold over the rest of the country during the second half of the coming week and into next weekend, the 25th and 26th. This high pressure, although fairly weak, may help with some Tropo for those in northern Britain in the 144MHz May Contest and the Backpackers Contest this weekend, ending on the 19th. It may also be helpful to those taking part in the 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest on the 21st. However, the conditions may not be of much use in the south as another low arrives from the continent. Overall, rain scatter on the GHz bands will probably be worth exploring in the rainy areas again, since some of the showers may be heavy and thundery. The prospects for Aurora are still worth keeping in mind despite the recent stunning event. Minor non-visible events can still provide a reasonable radio aurora to explore. The Sporadic-E season continues to develop. And with such unsettled weather, there are plentiful jet streams to act as source regions for turbulence, which can propagate up to the E region where they can generate Sporadic-E. We are currently at the tail end of the Eta Aquariids meteor shower. A few meteors from this shower will continue to appear, but no major shower is expected this week. The lowest Moon declination occurs this coming Friday. With the Moon being full on the 23rd, a clear sky should reveal an impressive ‘Flower Moon'. For EME, path loss will still be relatively high, although the Moon is starting to move back towards its closest point to Earth, or perigee. 144MHz sky noise starts the week low but rises to high on Saturday the 25th. 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 21st of April 2024 The news headlines: Dr Stewart Bryant, G3YSX to continue as RSGB Board Chair The RSGB has vacancies for Regional Representatives The Radio Communications Foundation is recruiting new Trustees   The RSGB Board has met for the first time since the Society's AGM where three Directors were endorsed to serve as Nominated Directors on the Board and one was confirmed as elected unopposed. The new Board has chosen Dr Stewart Bryant, G3YSX to continue in the role of RSGB Board Chair until the 2025 AGM. You can find details of all RSGB Board Directors on the Society's website and the Board Liaison roles will be confirmed and added to the page in the coming weeks. Go to rsgb.org/board for more information. At its recent AGM, the RSGB was delighted to confirm the unopposed election of five Regional Representatives. However, there are still vacancies for Regional Representatives in Region 11, which covers England South-West and the Channel Islands, and also Region 12 which is England East and East Anglia. These vacancies will be filled by co-option until the 2025 AGM. If you live in one of these areas and are passionate about amateur radio, keen to support local radio amateurs and clubs, and have the skills to lead a volunteer team of District Representatives in the region, this could be a role for you! To find out more, please contact Tony Miles, MM0TMZ who is the Board Liaison for the Regional Team via mm0tmz@rsgb.org.uk The Radio Communications Foundation is a small charity dedicated to encouraging people to take up radio as a hobby or, in the case of youngsters, considering an RF-based career. The RCF is proud to sponsor Arkwright Scholars, work with the RSGB and Bletchley Park to deliver radio-building workshops and make grants for various projects around the UK. Further information is available via the RCF website at commsfoundation.org  The RCF is now looking to recruit a couple of new Trustees to help it deliver its aims. Applicants should have an interest in radio communications and be prepared to be involved in decisions over grant-making, delivering RCF projects and attracting charity funding. The RCF would particularly like to hear from anyone with links to secondary education in the UK. Expressions of interest and applications should be sent to rcfsecretary@commsfoundation.org preferably by the end of June. Following the introduction in February of the new Ofcom amateur radio licence conditions, the RSGB has continued to provide information and support to radio amateurs to help them make the most of the changes. This has included updates, club talks and a section of the AGM event focused on those licence changes. Go to the RSGB YouTube channel, choose the AGM recording from the ‘live' tab and then watch two sections. Firstly, the main Board Q&A begins just after one hour and eighteen minutes into the event and includes some licensing questions from members. Secondly, a section from just before two hours and thirty-three minutes focused entirely on the new licence conditions and included three videos and a full live Q&A with four senior RSGB representatives. The Society has also published a wealth of information on its website which you can find at rsgb.org/licence-review Nigel Limb, M7FFU, had a motorbike accident in 2015 that left him with permanent brain damage and partially blind in both eyes, but this didn't stop him from pursuing his childhood dream of obtaining his amateur radio licence. In December 2023 he passed the Foundation Licence exam. In the early 1970s Sue Jacob, GW7YLS was a shortwave listener and interested in amateur radio, but it wasn't until she retired and discovered that the exams no longer contained Morse code, that she decided to get more involved. Within 18 months she had passed all three licence levels. One of the great things about amateur radio is that it is accessible to everyone. The RSGB is celebrating this by collecting stories of radio amateurs who have passed their Foundation licence, or progressed through the licence levels, and are now discovering new aspects of amateur radio to enjoy. If you'd like to read more about Nigel, Sue and others, go to rsgb.org/student-stories and, if you'd like to share your story with the Society, email comms@rsgb.org.uk and the RSGB will use as many as possible. A new amateur radio Facebook group has been formed for those who like getting out and about in motorhomes, campervans, and caravans. The group welcomes all radio enthusiasts. To find out more, or to join the group, search for ‘UK Motorhome and Amateur Radio Group' on Facebook. SOS Radio Week is an annual event that takes place throughout May to celebrate the work of the volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Independent Lifeboats and National Coastwatch Stations around the British Isles. Members of these organisations save many people between them 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 that 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 will be 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. Registration for individual and group operators is available via sosradioweek.org.uk International Marconi Day will take place on Saturday the 27th of April. Once again, the Cornish Radio Amateur Club is organising and running the event. Lots of amateur radio stations will be operating from sites that Marconi operated from or had a personal connection with. For more information, and to view a list of the stations that are taking part, follow the “International Marconi Day” link on the gx4crc.com  website And now for details of rallies and events Andover Radio Amateur Club Boot Sale is taking place today, the 21st, at Wildhern Village Hall, Tangley, Wildhern, Andover, SP11 0JE. The doors open at 10 am for visitors and at 9 am for sellers. Entry costs £2. The fee for a field pitch is £8 and the cost for a table in the hall is £10. For more information visit arac.org.uk Cambridge Repeater Group Rally was due to take place today, the 21st, at Foxton Village Hall, CB22 6RN. The event has been postponed until Sunday the 14th of July. For more information contact Lawrence, M0LCM on 07941 972 724, email rally2024@cambridgerepeaters.net, or visit cambridgerepeaters.net The Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Rally, also known as both the ‘NARSA Rally' and the ‘Blackpool Rally', is taking place today, the 21st. The venue is Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool, FY2 9AA. For more details contact Dave, M0OBW on 01270 761 608, email dwilson@btinternet.com or visit narsa.org.uk  Now the Special Event News In celebration of World Amateur Radio Day, Martin, OK1RR and Slavek, OK1TN are active as OL1WARD until the 30th of April. They are operating CW only on the HF bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. Paper QSL cards will not be available. DARC special event callsign DA24WARD is active until the 30th of April, also in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the Bureau.  Now the DX news John, AD8J is active as HR9/AD8J from Roatan Island, NA-057, until the 28th of April. He operates CW, FT4, FT8 and possibly SSB, on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, or direct to John's home call. TJ, PE1OJR is active as PJ4TB from Bonaire SA-006, until the 28th of April. He is operating SSB, FT8 and FT4 on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. Michael, GM5AUG and Kevan, 2E0WMG will be active from the Western Isles of Scotland, with a focus on Barra and the Uists from Friday the 26th of April until Saturday the 4th of May. Worked All Britain hunters will be interested to know that the team will also be visiting Fiaraidh NF61, and Eriskay NF80, which have never before been activated. The guys will be active on the 2m, 70cm, and HF bands, as well as the LEO satellites, using CW, FM, SSB, and packet radio.  Now the contest news On Tuesday the 23rd, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 24th, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Thursday the 25th, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The UK and Ireland DX CW Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 27th and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday 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 stations also send their district code. The SP DX RTTY Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 27th of April and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday 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 starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 27th of April and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 28th of April. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is your report and four-character locator. On Sunday 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. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 18th of April 2024 Last week saw a welcome return of sunspots but, unfortunately, it also brought unsettled geomagnetic conditions. By Thursday the 18th the solar flux index was back above 200, hitting 217. Compare that to the previous week's 131 and you can see that there is a lot more activity. But, with 12 active regions visible, it looks like we could be in for a bumpy ride over the next seven days. The Kp index hit five on the evening of Tuesday the 16th of April after the interplanetary magnetic field, or Bz, swung southwards, sparking visible aurora in the UK as far south as Dartmoor. This impacted the ionosphere, pushing MUFs over a 3,000km path down, with recovery not showing itself until 0930UTC on Wednesday the 17th. The 10m band is struggling to open at times, although you may find FT8 still passing weak signals. SSB operators might be better advised to look at the 12 and 15m bands which may provide richer pickings. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may decline to be in the range of 170 at the beginning of the week, falling to between 135 and 140 at the end of the week. The risk of an M-class flare is currently at 75%, with an X-class event at 20%. Despite this, NOAA predicts the Kp index will be around 2 for all of next week. However, there is a chance that a flare and associated CME could scupper that completely. If we do get a coronal mass ejection, or CME for short, we can expect the Kp index to rise roughly 48 hours after the event, perhaps hitting 5 or more and possibly sparking visible aurora from the UK again. Overall then, it's good news on the sunspot front, but not so good for geomagnetic activity, which could see MUFs fall if any solar flares and CMEs come to fruition. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather is likely to remain unsettled, despite temporary high pressure moving across the country this weekend. This may bring some Tropo, but it's a cold air high and probably not the best for enhanced VHF conditions, except for localised overnight or early morning temporary lifts.  The rest of the time, there will continue to be an unsettled flavour to the weather so this leads to the possibility of rain scatter on the GHz bands, especially if we get heavy April showers. This first weekend coincides with the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower which peaks tonight, the 21st and 22nd, so it's worth checking the usual meteor scatter frequencies. If you are not familiar with meteor rates and variations from day to day, then visit the excellent Radio Meteor Observing Bulletin at rmob.org which gives an hourly display from various locations around the world. You can find many other useful links to meteor scatter resources by searching for ‘meteor scatter' at rsgb.org The Sun has woken up a little since last week, and a few auroral flutter signals on the LF bands suggest we shouldn't give up yet for this spring. As usual, keep a watch for the Kp index going above 5. The late April period can provide some fleeting early season Sporadic-E events, especially for the 10 and 6m bands. A couple of weak 5MHz Sporadic-E critical frequencies were noted during the late afternoon on Wednesday the 17th on the Dourbes plot shown at propquest.co.uk For EME operators, Moon declination goes negative again today, the 21st, but path losses are falling as we passed apogee yesterday, the 20th. 144MHz sky noise is low but will rise to moderate by the end of next week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

4pm - Press secretary pushes back when asked about Biden potentially stumbling // Speaker Johnson allegedly asked Republicans to “behave” during the SOU // The SOU Guests who will sit at Jill Biden’s side // Zelenskyy's wife, Navalny's widow decline Biden State of the Union invites // Biden on Social Security from 2023 SOU address // Businesses hit back at Biden’s Credit Card Late Fee Cap // For the first time in human history, Obesity is a bigger threat to life than hunger // JFK on fitness // Britain’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution officers forced to destroy a man’s bathtub after he repeatedly tried to cross the ocean in it with his dog on board

To mark the day that The Royal National Lifeboat Institution celebrates 200 years since it was founded here on the Isle of Man, Lewis Foster heads to Port Erin Lifeboat Station to meet some of the volunteers and join the crew out on exercise around the Calf of Man.

GB2RS News Sunday the 28th of January 2024 The news headlines: The RSGB election deadline is coming up RSGB Build a Radio workshop planned at Bletchley Park Registration for SOS Radio Week is open The deadline for nominations in the RSGB elections is next Wednesday, the 31st of January. If you would like to stand for the one elected Director role, or any of the eight Regional Representative vacancies, you will need to complete the nomination process by 2359UTC on Wednesday. Full details of the process are on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/election  The Society would encourage anyone with a passion for amateur radio, and a desire to support the amateur radio community, to look at the candidate information and consider stepping forward for one of these roles. You'll find full information about the skills and experience needed in the candidate packs, and there is still time for an informal chat about the roles and responsibilities if you'd like one. But don't delay as late applications won't be accepted! As part of its British Science Week activities, the RSGB is organising two build-a-radio workshops at Bletchley Park on Sunday the 17th of March. Funded by the Radio Communications Foundation, these fun workshops are a great way for young people to try a practical amateur radio activity. The sessions are for youngsters aged 11 to 18 who will build their own VHF FM broadcast receiver using simple tools. The workshops cost £11 for the participant, and if you are an adult accompanying a participant who is aged 16 or under, you will receive free admission to Bletchley Park. These workshops are always very popular so book now if you know a youngster who would like to take part. Go to the Bletchley Park website at bletchleypark.org.uk then choose the What's On option from the top right-hand menu. SOS Radio Week is an annual event that takes place throughout May to celebrate the work of the volunteers from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Independent Lifeboats and National Coastwatch Stations around the British Isles. Members of these organisations save many people 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, so SOS Radio Week is being 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 Coast watch station, with the appropriate authorisation from the station manager. A commemorative certificate will be 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. Registration for individual and group operators is now open via sosradioweek.org.uk The RSGB has released a further three presentations from its 2023 Convention. In the first, Professor Simon Watts, G3XXH gives a fascinating presentation about VHF airborne radar and the design and performance of these early systems in World War II. The other two presentations focus on the World Radiosport Team Championship which the UK will be hosting in 2026. The WRTC is held every four years and is considered to be the Olympic Games of radio contesting. At the RSGB Convention, WRTC Chair Mark Haynes, M0DXR gave an overview of what is being planned and how people can get involved either as a spectator, volunteer, competitor or referee. John Warburton, G4IRN gave his perspective on what it is like to be a WRTC referee. The full WRTC planning team also gave an update recently on an RSGB Tonight@8 live webinar. You can see all of these presentations on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB RadCom Basics aims to help newcomers to amateur radio develop their knowledge and experience. Others enjoy reading it as it helps remind them of things they have forgotten or practise a skill they have not used for a while. The January 2024 issue of RadCom Basics is now available. It contains articles that provide advice on getting started with Bunkers on the Air, working on the 160 and 80m bands, constructing a multi-band vertical antenna, and more. You can find RadCom Basics at rsgb.org/radcom-basics The latest issue of RadCom Plus, the online magazine for the more technically-minded radio amateur, was published this week. The first article, by Tom Alldread, VA7TA, is about how to make a protection filter for an SDR or VNA. Following this is a contribution from Sheldon Hutchison, N6JJA who discusses how to make an effective antenna noise canceller. You may recall the article by Andy, G0FVI in October's RadCom which discussed the principles of antenna noise cancellation. Sheldon investigates exactly how the canceller should work, and his investigations have resulted in his superior design which you can construct for yourself. The third article, by Michael Toia, K3MT, is all about understanding the relationship between a train of square pulses and the harmonic content of its frequency spectrum, not with complicated mathematics, but by using an entirely diagrammatic approach. Those less familiar with mathematics might especially find this article helpful. This issue of RadCom Plus ends with Andy Nehan, G4HUE discussing the design of analogue power supplies. Members of the RSGB can access RadCom Plus via rsgb.org/radcom-plus  And now for details of rallies and events The Lincoln Short Wave Club Winter Radio Rally is taking place today, the 28th, at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. The doors are open from 9 am and admission is £2. Ample free car parking and hot refreshments are 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 in from 1 pm. Contact Steve, M5ZZZ for tables and details via m5zzz@outlook.com or 07777 699 069. The Canvey Rally will be held on Sunday the 4th of February at Cornelius Vermuyden School, Dinant Avenue, Canvey, Essex, SS8 9QS. The Rally is expected to be the usual hive of activity with plenty of traders on site. For more information contact Richard Stanley at 07725 551 263 or email g7oed@icloud.com  The MIDCARS Radioactive Rally will be held on Sunday the 11th of February at Nantwich Civic Hall, Market Street, Nantwich, CW5 5DG. The doors open at 10 am and admission is £5. There will be a wide variety of trader stalls covering every aspect of amateur radio. Raffles will be held throughout the Rally. Refreshments and snacks will be available in the hall, and parking is immediately adjacent to the venue.  Now the Special Event News The Radio Club of Haïti is on the air until the 31st of January with special callsign HH220Y. The station is active to celebrate Haïti's 220th anniversary of independence. Operators are active on the 160 to 10m bands using CW, FT8 and SSB. QSL via N2OO. Listen out for special event station TM21AAW which will be on the air from the 4th to the 18th of February 2024. The station is active to celebrate the 21st Antarctic Activity Week. Activity will be on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL via F8DVD, directly or via the Bureau. For more information about Antarctic Activity Week, visit waponline.it    Now the DX news Mathias, DL4MM will be active as P4/DL4MM and P40AA from Aruba, SA-036, until Wednesday the 31st of January. He will operate CW, SSB and digital modes on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World, or via DL4MM. Elvira, IV3FSG is active as ZD7Z from St. Helena, AF-022, until the 4th of February. She is operating SSB, CW, RTTY, FT8 and FT4 on the 160 to 6m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS. Paper cards can be sent directly to IK2DUW  Now the contest news The CQ 160m DX Contest started at 2200UTC on Friday the 26th and ends at 2200UTC today, the 28th. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report and CQ zone. American stations send their state and Canadian stations send their province. The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group RTTY Sprint started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 27th and ends at 1200UTC today, the 28th. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is serial number. On Wednesday the 31st, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. The UK Six Metre Group Winter Marathon began on Friday the 1st of December 2023. The contest will run until the 31st of January 2024. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report and locator. On Sunday the 4th of February, the 432MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 25th of January 2024 We dodged a bullet last week when a coronal mass ejection, or CME, was predicted to be heading our way. In the end, it came to nothing. The CME observed on the 20th of January was expected to pass Earth and deliver possible G2 storm conditions. But a solar wind enhancement, possibly associated with the plasma cloud passing near Earth, saw the Kp index rise to only 3.67 on Wednesday the 24th. The many solar flares, and associated coronal mass ejections, over the past few days make it difficult to give a reliable geomagnetic forecast. Over the past seven days, there have been more than 60 C-class and 18 M-class flares, typical for this point in the solar cycle. Sunspot-wise, the solar flux index has remained high, being more than 170 all week. Critical frequencies have often exceeded 11MHz during daylight hours, which means the 30m band, as well as the 40m band, should be open around the UK. However, nighttime critical frequencies have fallen below 4MHz, meaning that even the 80m band struggles at times. We mentioned last week that the NCDXF beacon VK6RBP in Australia had been heard on 28.200MHz. If you've copied VK6RBP you might be interested in trying for some other lower-power Australian beacons on the 10m band. Try listening for the 8W VK4LA/B on 28.206MHz in Brisbane, or perhaps the 10W VK4RST, which is 550km north-west of Brisbane, on 28.266MHz. Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the range of 155 to 175. Geomagnetic conditions are forecast to be quiet, other than on the 29th of January when the Kp index is predicted to rise to three. But, as always, keep an eye on solarham.net for a near real-time report. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO Today, the 28th, sees the UK recovering from the two named storms and just getting settled into moving high pressure across northern France, with a second centre crossing central Britain early next week. This offers a chance of Tropo, especially in the south, while fronts continue to affect Scotland. After the middle of the coming week, a more unsettled pattern returns with fronts crossing the country, which might bring some rain scatter for the GHz bands. But, in general, the picture remains unsettled into the end of the week and doesn't look too exciting for the 432MHz Affiliated Societies Contest on Sunday the 4th of February. Other propagation modes that are worth considering are all relatively low-key in the transition into February. This means that meteor scatter is best looked for in the early pre-dawn period when random meteor activity peaks. The other chance might be aurora, and this is simply about checking the behaviour of the Kp index, which measures the disturbance of the earth's magnetic field by solar activity. Kp indices higher than six are a good sign for aurora.  It looks like we are in a quiet period for Sporadic-E propagation. For EME operators, Moon declination is positive and falling, going negative again on the 30th. Path losses reach their maximum at apogee on Monday the 29th, then start to fall again. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Ready to uncover the transformative power of volunteering? We promise you an inspiring journey, exploring how lending a hand can uplift your spirit, fortify your team, and build a legacy that stands the test of time. Drawing from our firsthand experiences as safety collaborators, we shed light on the striking benefits of selfless service. We look at how our voluntary deeds have sparked creativity and solidarity among our team. We venture beyond just personal growth, highlighting the profound impact of volunteering on leadership development and cultural comprehension.We also take you around the globe, sharing our captivating experiences with renowned service organisations like Lions International and Kiva. Join us as we discuss the pressing need for mental health support and how micro-lending can offer a lifeline to those in need, empowering them to rewrite their stories. We pay homage to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a 100% self-funded organisation, underscoring the remarkable power of service. Be prepared to be inspired and encouraged to contribute to your community and the world because every small act of kindness has the potential to create a ripple of change.Click

October 14th is BOOKSHOP DAY!  So here's a little episode... well... it started out as a little episode... to celebrate the humble bookshop. Jon visits his local store to find out more about the art of selling paper and ink. In the process discovering the formula for writing the quintessential indie bookshop bestseller.  The boys share the names of the bookshops they would open and.. well gosh... they just... have so many incisive and fascinating things to say about books and writing and candles and shelving... so... you definitely won't want to miss any of it.  And then... as if you're not already stuffed to the very brim with amazing podcast content... off we go... on a whistle stop tour of THE GREATEST BOOKSHOPS ON THE PLANET. We're too good to you.  We really are. Jon's local: https://www.grovebookshop.com Goldfinch Books in Alton: https://www.goldfinch-books.com Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ateneo_Grand_Splendid Shakespeare and Company in Paris: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com Livraria Lello in Porto: https://www.livrarialello.pt/en/home Barter Books in Alnwick: https://www.barterbooks.co.uk Also... don't forget you can get 20% off Scrivener if you're quick! 'urry up and go to https://www.literatureandlatte.com, Hit '+Add Discount' on the pay page - and use the code FAILING The lovely pastel picture of Grove Bookshop used for the episode art is by Jon's dad, Clive Rand.  Who sells all his work to raise money for The Royal National Lifeboat Institution. https://www.cliverand.com

GB2RS News Sunday the 10th of September 2023 The news headlines: RSGB 2023 Convention RSGB 2023 outreach and buildathons National Coding Week     The RSGB 2023 Convention will be held this year from the 13th to the 15th of October. It is an action-packed weekend of amateur radio and includes the AMSAT-UK Colloquium which will be held during the Convention again. You can chat to the Special Interest Groups and RSGB Committees over a coffee, browse the latest amateur radio equipment and maybe even win a great prize if you buy a ticket in the DXpedition Fund raffle. There will also be two interesting forums on Saturday run in partnership with ICQPodcast. For the first time, the Convention will also have a clear focus on outreach and practical activities as the RSGB provides opportunities for individuals and clubs to ‘have a go' and be inspired to try new things in their local areas. The draft programme will be available in the October RadCom but is also available now on the RSGB website to give you an idea of the fantastic range of talks that will be happening over the weekend. Find out more and take advantage of the early-bird booking price which is available until the 14th of September – go to rsgb.org/convention As part of the RSGB's commitment to the growth of amateur radio, Regional Representative David De La Haye, M0MDB will be giving a presentation at the RSGB Convention in which he will explain more about the Regional Team and how its members can support you to do amateur radio outreach in your local area. A particular focus will be on organising the ever-popular buildathon events. Once you've picked up some tips, you can then have a go at building one of a range of kits provided by Kanga Products. The RSGB Convention buildathon is a drop-in event on Saturday the 14th of October which runs from 10.30am to 5pm. You can also confirm your preferred time by pre-booking a slot for a deposit of £5, which is refundable against the cost of the kit you choose to build. Pre-booked time slots will be allocated as first-come, first-served, so make sure to book now! For full details and to book your slot, visit the RSGB website at rsgb.org/buildathon National Coding Week runs from the 18th of September, but the RSGB is dedicating the whole of September to a focus on amateur radio and coding. There is a range of activity sheets on the RSGB website and we know of schools and amateur radio clubs that are getting involved. Whether you'd like to try the BBC:Microbit, have a go at Node RED or find out more about GNU Radio, this is a great way to try something new, extend your skills, or share your knowledge with your local club, school or community group. If you'd like some support or advice, contact RSGB volunteer John Hislop, G7OHO via g7oho@rsgb.org.uk, and if you're planning an event let the RSGB know – email comms@rsgb.org.uk so the Society can share your stories and photos to inspire others! Air Ambulance Week 2023 is finishing today, the 10th of September. Lots of amateur radio stations are active on the air to help raise awareness of the lifesaving work that is carried out by the UK's air ambulance charities. Please give them a call! More information about Air Ambulance Week 2023 can be found by visiting airambulancesuk.org Amateur radio has been mentioned in the mainstream media twice this week. RSGB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM, was interviewed in a BBC news feature about the demise of longwave radio. You can read it online by searching for “Long wave radio fans mourn fading frequencies”. Secondly, Helen Sharman, the first person from the UK to go into space, was chatting on The Naked Scientists podcast about using amateur radio on the International Space Station to talk to school pupils. Search for “Helen Sharman: chatting with Mikhail Gorbachev” and skip to three minutes and 49 seconds into the podcast.  And now for details of rallies and events Caister Lifeboat Radio Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 10th of September. The venue is Caister Lifeboat station, Caister on Sea, NR30 5DJ. The doors are open from 9 am to 2 pm. Access for traders is available from 8 a.m. Admission is free. Inside tables cost £10 each. The outside tables cost £5 each. For more information, contact Zane, M1BFI via email on m1bfi@outlook.com or phone 07711 214 790. The Angel of the North Amateur Radio Club Rally will be held on Saturday the 16th of September. The venue will be Whitehall Road Methodist Church, Whitehall Road, Bensham, Gateshead, NE8 4LH. The doors will be open to traders from 7.30 am and tables cost £6. The event will be open to the public from 10 am to 2 pm and admission will be £2.50. Bacon butties and hot drinks will be available to purchase. There will be a bring-and-buy and a raffle on the day. Please contact anarc.club@gmail.com for further information.   Now the Special Event News Rustington Amateur Radio Group and Worthing and District Amateur Radio Club will be active with Special Event Station GB1SCW on Saturday the 16th of September. Working between 10.30 am and 4.30 pm, operation will take place on HF, VHF and UHF bands using various modes including SSB, FM and digital modes. The station will be operating to celebrate the work of coastal communities, in particular the National Coastwatch Institution and Royal National Lifeboat Institution. More information is available via QRZ.com OO35ATH is the special callsign in use by members of the Radio Club de Ath, ON4ATH, in Belgium, to celebrate the club's 35th anniversary. The station will be active until the 30th of September.   Now the DX news John, W5JON is active as V47JA from St. Kitts, NA-104, in the West Indies, until the 12th of September. He is operating SSB and FT8 on the HF and 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, or direct only to W5JON. Mike, DG5LAC is active as OZ/DG5LAC from Romo Island, EU-125, in Denmark, until the 13th of September. He will operate using FT8, FT4 and some SSB. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World and eQSL.   Now the contest news Today, Sunday the 10th of September, the UK Microwave Group 24 to 76GHz Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Worked All Europe DX SSB Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 9th of September and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 10th of September. Using SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 12th of September, 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 12th of September, 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 13th of September, the Autumn Series CW Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Wednesday the 13th of September, the 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also, on Wednesday, the 13th of September, the 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 14th of September, 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 17th of September, the 70MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 17th of September, the IRTS 70cm Counties Contest runs from 1300 to 1330UTC. Using SSB and FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. EI and GI stations also give their county. Also on Sunday the 17th of September, the IRTS 2m Counties Contest runs from 1300 to 1500UTC. Using SSB and FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. EI and GI stations also give their county. On Sunday the 17th of September, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Sprint PSK63 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using PSK63 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is serial number. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 7th of September 2023 The propagation team was caught out last week by two coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, that came off the edge of the Sun. The arrival of those CMEs on the 3rd of September eventually pushed the Kp index to 5.67. In its report, Spaceweather.com said that it was possible that a CME arrived on the 2nd of September, but its weak impact was masked by a chaotic stream of solar wind already blowing around Earth at the time. At this time of year, even weak CMEs can do a good job of sparking auroras as a result of the Russell-McPherron effect, which boosts geomagnetic activity around the equinoxes. So much for saying that we could expect quiet geomagnetic conditions last week! The Solar Flux Index declined to 131 but has since recovered to reach 147 on Thursday the 7th, with eight active regions visible. We had a number of M-class solar flares last week, but nothing too damaging. With the Kp index back to one on the 7th, we saw daytime MUFs rising again, heading above 24.9MHz over a 3,000km path. There were lots of Chinese and Japanese stations on 21MHz FT8 around 1100UTC on Thursday. And up on 12m FT8, even more of the same. DX stations included Thomas, KH0/KC0W on the Mariana Islands in the Pacific. While the 10m band was just about open as well, it offered slim pickings compared with the 12m band. Next week NOAA predicts that the Solar Flux Index will increase over the week to hit perhaps 155 by next weekend. Geomagnetic conditions remain variable with a Kp index of three or four forecast for the 12th to the 16th. This weekend the geomagnetic forecast is that it will be quiet although, with so many sunspots visible at the moment, it wouldn't take much for a CME to disrupt things. As always, keep an eye on solarham.net for near real-time updates. And now the VHF and up propagation news The RSGB 144MHz Trophy produced good DX on 2m into Poland and Sweden, so we guess that Tropo performed for us this week. This spell of hot sunny weather, due to high pressure, does mean Tropo was the mode of choice for the end of this current week, ending today the 10th, especially across the North Sea. However, unsettled weather is gradually encroaching from the west, introducing some thundery rain into western areas, and this will spread east. Although the Tropo will cease, Gigahertz bands rain scatter is a likely replacement although very isolated rather than the widespread nature of a good Tropo event. It should be noted that next week is not fully determined by all models with quite a spread of outcomes. Either way, it's Tropo or rain scatter for most areas next week. It's always possible that meteor scatter and aurora could show during this period. The early morning, around dawn, is usually the best time to look for random meteor scatter activity in the absence of any major meteor showers. For aurora, it's best to follow the solar data from spaceweather.com to pick up early alerts and an increasing Kp index. For EME stations, Moon declination is at its highest this weekend but with apogee, the Moon's furthest point from Earth, next Tuesday, path losses are high. 144MHz sky noise is low for most of the week except for Thursday and Friday when the Moon and Sun are very close, meaning high solar noise in the beamwidth of antennas.    And that's all from the propagation team this week.

In 1824, Sir William Hillary founded what is now the RNLI. Coxswain Edd Christian takes us back to where it all started On 10 October, 1822, HMS Vigilant foundered on St Mary's Rock in Douglas Bay on the Isle of Man. A bystander urged others to help him row out to rescue those in peril. That man was Sir William Hillary. And, as a result of this and further shipwrecks, he went on to form what we know today as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. One of Douglas RNLI's current coxswains explains why, two centuries on, Sir William would be proud.   200 Voices is produced by Adventurous Audio for the RNLI Interview by Adventurous Audio Soundtrack composed and performed by Jon Nicholls The RNLI is a charity celebrating 200 years of saving lives at sea - find out more at RNLI.org/200

Mark Pusey is the rockstar you've definitely heard, but maybe never heard of!He's the drummer for superstars like Elton John and Ed Sheeran.When he's not on tour and collaborating with some of the world greatest artists, he's the guy pulling people out the Thames with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, or the RNLI.Link to Live Shows - https://linkable.uk/chapter-collectionLink to Mark Pusey's website http://markpusey.co.uk/Link Mark Pusey's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/markpusey/Link to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution - https://rnli.org/Link to AG1 deal - https://drinkAG1.com/ANDYROWE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  GB2RS News Sunday the 23rd of April 2023 The news headlines: RSGB Coronation activities RSGB AGM announcements and videos RSGB Board Chair   The RSGB is delighted that Ofcom has confirmed that the callsign GB23C can be used for the RSGB's Coronation Special Special Event Station. Cray Valley Radio Society members led by Bob, M0MCV and Dave, G4BUO are organising the flagship amateur radio station that will use this callsign from the 3rd to the 8th of May. The Special Special Event Station will be on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, along the riverside in Greenwich. From the 10th of May onwards, the callsign will be available for individuals and clubs to use until the end of June 2023, and further details about this will be announced shortly. Ofcom has also kindly agreed to a block of 676 Special Special Event Station callsigns for the RSGB's Be a Connect activity for the Coronation. These are GB23BAA to BZZ, which will be available throughout May and June. More details on how to obtain one of these will be given next week, but meanwhile, you may wish to find a beacon site you could activate one or more times for this event. Finally, if you are planning outreach activities with local clubs and groups, take a look at the paper circuit template the RSGB has just shared on its website – go to rsgb.org/coronation and choose the coronation activity ideas tab in the right-hand menu. The RSGB's AGM was held online last Saturday, the 15th of April. If you missed the live event, you can see the results of the elections and follow links to the trophy awards and the construction competition winners on the RSGB website via rsgb.org/agm. You can also catch up on the full live stream or watch individual sections on the Society's YouTube channel. The RSGB has released separate videos of the outgoing President's review of 2022, its new short Convention promo, and the interesting presentation about preparing the GB2RS propagation reports by the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Chair, Steve Nichols, G0KYA. You can see them all in the RSGB 2023 AGM playlist on YouTube via youtube.com/theRSGB   Following the RSGB AGM on Saturday the 15th of April, a brief Board meeting was held to consider necessary appointments. The Board was aware that Stewart Bryant, G3YSX, who had been in a dual role since the recent resignation of Richard Horton, G4AOJ, had expressed a willingness to continue as Chair if required. It was agreed that Stewart should be co-opted to the Board under the terms of Article 37 and was asked to join the meeting. Stewart was then elected unanimously to serve as RSGB Board Chair until the 2024 AGM. This a reminder now that SOS Radio Week 2023 starts at midnight on the 1st of May and concludes at midnight on the 31st of May. It is an opportunity to support the many voluntary organisations in the British Isles whose members volunteer to save the lives of others at risk around the many miles of its coastline, and out at sea. These organisations include the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the National Coastwatch Association and numerous independent lifeboat and coastal rescue groups. Individual amateur radio operators and clubs are invited to register to become an official SOS Radio Week station and operate under their own callsign, their club's or a special event callsign to raise awareness of the great work these volunteers perform. Awards are available for registered stations that make the most contacts on each of the 160m to 70cm bands and using various modes. Registration is now open and further details can be found at sosradioweek.org.uk   And now for details of rallies and events The Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Rally, also known as both the ‘NARSA Rally' and the ‘Blackpool Rally', is taking place today, Sunday the 23rd. The venue is Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA. For more details contact Dave, M0OBW on 01270 761 608, email dwilson@btinternet.com or visit narsa.org.uk Ripon Radio Rally will take place next Sunday, the 30th of April. The venue will be Hugh Ripley Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2PT. Traders can gain access from 7 am and tables are £12 each. Doors open to the public from 10 am and entrance is £3 per person. For more information and directions visit: g4sjm.co.uk Thorpe Camp Hamfest will take place on Sunday the 7th of May. The venue will be Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre and the entrance fee will be £4 per person. Traders should arrive from 7 am. The rally will take place from 9 am to 1 pm. Hot food and drinks will be available on-site. For more information phone Sylvia or Anthony at 07956 654 481. Dartmoor Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 7th of May at Yelverton War Memorial Hall, Meavy Lane, Yelverton, Devon, PL20 6AL. There will be the usual bring and buy, trader stands, refreshments and free parking available. Doors open at 10 am and admission is £2.50. For more information contact Roger by phone at 07854 088 882 or email via 2e0rph@gmail.com   Now the Special Event News Special callsign 5P0WARD will be active from Denmark until Tuesday the 25th of April in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World, eQSL, or via OZ1ACB. Also celebrating World Amateur Radio Day, special event station OT23WARD will be active from various locations in Belgium until the 30th of April. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World and eQSL. A certificate will be available. For more information visit QRZ.com Polydoros, SV1AHH is using special callsign SX50AHH to mark 50 years of being involved with amateur radio. Operating from Greece, the callsign will be active until Friday the 28th of April. He will be active on the 160 to 10m bands using CW, SSB, FT8, FT4 and RTTY. His logs will be uploaded to eQSL, Logbook of the World and Club Log. Paper cards will not be available. Special callsign 3A8AB is operating from Monaco until Sunday the 30th of April. The station is active to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first transatlantic amateur two-way contact between Leon Deloy, F8AB and Fred Schnell, 1MO in 1923. QSL via Logbook of the World.   Now the DX news Look out for Paul, VP9KF who is active from Baileys Bay, Bermuda, NA-005, until Wednesday the 26th of April. He operates CW only. QSL direct to Paul's address which you can view via his QRZ.com page. Sands, VK4WXW has been on Willis Island, OC-007, since October, and will remain there until the end of April 2023. He works at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's weather monitoring station on the island, and in his spare time, he is QRV as VK9WX. The T30UN operation from West Kiribati, OC-017, is expected to be active until the second week of May. Operators plan to be available on the 160 to 6m bands with one CW station, one SSB station and seven FT8 stations. It will be possible to see two FT8 stations on the same band, at the same time, on different frequencies. QSL via Club Log's OQRS.   Now the contest news The SP DX RTTY Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1200UTC today, Sunday the 23rd of April. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Polish stations send their province code. Today, Sunday the 23rd of April, 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 serial number. On Monday the 24th of April, the FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using FT4 on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is your report. On Tuesday the 25th of April, the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3GHz band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 26th of April, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Thursday the 27th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using PSK63 and RTTY on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Next Saturday, the 29th, the UK and Ireland Contest Club DX CW Contest begins at 1200UTC and runs for 24 hours. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. UK and Ireland stations also send their District Code.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 20th of April 2023 We had a surge in sunspot activity over the last week, pushing the solar flux index up to a maximum of 178, although it subsequently declined to 147. Solar flare activity was quite subdued after a frantic period from the 13th to the 15th that saw 40 C-class flares and two M-class flares erupt. This activity was mostly centred around active region 3282 in the northwest quadrant. Geomagnetic conditions were unsettled for a time around the 18th and 19th with the Kp index hitting a maximum of 4.3. This appears to have been due to enhanced activity from a coronal mass ejection and continuing coronal hole activity that saw the solar wind speed hit more than 600km/s and the Bz swing south. The critical frequency was down below 7MHz on the morning of Wednesday the 19th, which impacted near-vertical incidence skywave signals around the UK. This impacted maximum useable frequencies, which struggled to exceed 21MHz over a 3,000km path on Wednesday, although by Thursday they were back over 28MHz again. A critical frequency of more than 10MHz meant the 40m band was once again suitable for close-in contacts around the UK. There were many reports of DX being worked later on during the week, with Australia and New Zealand topping the bill on 18MHz and 28MHz. Next week NOAA has put a more positive spin on sunspot activity. The Solar Flux Index is predicted to be in the range of 168 to 172 for the first half of the week, falling to around 160 in the second half. But we could be in for a bumpy ride geomagnetically, with the Kp index predicted to hit five on Wednesday the 26th of April through to Monday the 1st of May. This may be due to the return of solar phenomena that occurred 27 days ago and saw the Kp index get up to 4.67. Meanwhile, a very large solar coronal hole, albeit positioned very south on the Sun's surface, and a much smaller one on its equator, threaten HF conditions this weekend. Keep an eye on the real-time solar wind from the ACE spacecraft for signs of a rise in speed and a southward-pointing Bz interplanetary magnetic field on solarham.net.  This could push to Kp index higher, perhaps to four.   And now the VHF and up propagation news The Sporadic-E season is nearly upon us. Remember it will usually activate on 28MHz and then higher bands will follow if the event intensifies. There have been some 50MHz FT8 paths flagged up on DXmaps.com, although some may have been tropo. The recent large high pressure centred over Scandinavia has been a bit subdued as regards Tropo. Much of the time, the air nearer the surface has been fairly dry with little sign of banks of sea fog over the North Sea, which would suggest better ducting potential.   We are now entering a phase with low pressure on the charts, initially over the south of Britain, but edging north for a time before drifting out across the North Sea.  This could produce some rain scatter on the GHz bands, especially should any heavy April showers develop. Early next week a ridge will edge south across the UK in a colder northerly weather pattern, so although high-pressure returns, it may not be especially good for tropo. The third changeover comes after midweek when a milder south-westerly returns with active fronts bringing rain and unsettled weather, especially to the north and west. This could mean further opportunities for rain scatter on the GHz bands and perhaps a hint of tropo in the Southeast towards the continent. Aurora and meteor scatter are well worth considering, and the Lyrids shower peaks on Sunday the 23rd. The message is to monitor meteor scatter frequencies and the clusters for signs of activity and, of course, try putting out a CQ call! Moon declination is positive and rising, meaning increasing Moon time and increasing peak elevation until peak declination on Tuesday. Moon apogee is next Friday so path losses increase all week. 144MHz sky noise is moderate to low. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 16th of April 2023 The news headlines: Nominated Board Director Vacancy Regional Forum Facebook pages SOS Radio Week   If you are an RSGB Member you still have time to apply for the RSGB Nominated Board Director vacancy. The RSGB needs a strong and effective Board and this could be your opportunity to be part of that. The deadline for applications is Monday the 17th of April. To find out more, go to the volunteer vacancies section of the RSGB website at rsgb.org/volunteers or, for an informal discussion, please email Nominations Committee Chair Stephen Purser, GW4SHF at nominations.chair@rsgb.org.uk The RSGB Regional Forum has created Facebook pages for each of the 13 regions. These pages focus on regional amateur radio communities and are moderated by members of the RSGB Regional Team. Whilst the pages share a similar style, they are very different in content. Selected posts are created by the RSGB moderators to maintain some news content from the RSGB, but the main content comes from clubs, individual licensees and also event organisers in those regions. The pages also provide a forum where anyone can ask for help with any part of the hobby. Clubs are positively encouraged to post news and events on the pages. You can find them on Facebook by searching for ‘RSGB Region' and the number of your local region, for example, ‘RSGB Region 1'. SOS Radio Week 2023 starts at midnight on the 1st of May and concludes at midnight on the 31st of May. It is an opportunity to support the many voluntary organisations in the British Isles whose members volunteer to save the lives of others at risk around the many miles of its coastline, and out at sea. These organisations include the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the National Coastwatch Association and numerous independent lifeboat and coastal rescue groups. Individual amateur radio operators and clubs are invited to register to become an official SOS Radio Week station and operate under their own callsign, their club's or a special event callsign to raise awareness of the great work these volunteers perform. Awards are available for registered stations that make the most contacts on each of the 160m to 70cm bands and using various modes. Registration is now open and further details can be found at sosradioweek.org.uk The outgoing RSGB President Stewart Bryant, G3YSX and the incoming RGSB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM will be at the NARSA rally in Blackpool on Sunday the 23rd of April. This is a great opportunity to meet John, have a chat and welcome him to his role. There will also be an official handover of the presidential chain on the stage area at the Norbreck Hotel. Find out more about the rally via the event website at narsa.org.uk Tuesday the 18th of April is World Amateur Radio Day. The IARU is excited to mark the occasion, and the 98th anniversary of its founding, with an event to promote the United Nations Human Security for All initiative, also known as ‘HS4A'. Special event stations have been operating since the 11th of April and will be available to work until the last week of April. For more information visit iaru.org and choose ‘On the Air' from the menu options.   And now for details of rallies and events The Cambridgeshire Repeater Group Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 16th of April. The venue is Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN. Doors opened at 7.30 am for traders and 9.30 am for visitors. Admission is £3. The rally features a talk-in, trade stands, bring and buy, an RSGB Bookstall and free car parking. For more information contact Lawrence, M0LCM on 07941 972 724, email rally2023@cambridgerepeaters.net and see the cambridgerepeaters.net website. The Holsworthy Spring Rally and Boot Sale is taking place today, Sunday the 16th of April. The venue is Holsworthy Livestock Market, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 7FA. There is plenty of parking, wheelchair access and full catering available. The doors opened to the public at 10 am. For more details contact the club secretary Ken, G7VJA via email at m0omc@m0omc.co.uk and visit the m0omc.co.uk website. The Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Rally, also known as both the ‘NARSA Rally' and the ‘Blackpool Rally', will take place on Sunday the 23rd of April. The venue will be Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA. For more details contact Dave, M0OBW on 01270 761 608, email dwilson@btinternet.com or visit narsa.org.uk Ripon Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 30th of April. The venue will be Hugh Ripley Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2PT. Traders can gain access from 7 am and tables are £12 each. Doors open to the public from 10 am and entrance is £3 per person. For more information and directions visit: g4sjm.co.uk Now the Special Event News With the kind permission of the National Trust, Weston-super-Mare Radio Society will be operating special callsign GB0IMD from the Old Fort on Brean Down on Saturday the 22nd of April, as part of the International Marconi Day celebrations. Special callsign DR0LIMES will be active until the 30th of June for this year's German World Heritage Day. The 'limes' was the borderline of the Roman Empire to its greatest extent. In 2005, the remnants of the Upper German-Raetian Limes were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as 'Frontiers of the Roman Empire'. Celebrating World Amateur Radio Day, DARC special event callsign DA23WARD will be active until Tuesday the 18th of April. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the bureau. Direct cards will be managed via DL2VFR. Also celebrating World Amateur Radio Day, special event station OT23WARD will be active from various locations in Belgium until the 30th of April. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World and eQSL. A certificate will be available. For information visit QRZ.com Now the DX news Bernhard, DL2GAC will be active in the Solomon Islands until the end of May. He plans to be QRV as H44MS from Malaita OC-047, daily until the end of April, with activity on the 80 to 6m bands using SSB and some FT8. QSL via his home call, direct or via the bureau. He will upload his log to Club Log and Logbook of the World when he returns home. James, KI7MGY will be in Djibouti until June and plans to operate as J28HJ on the 80, 40, 20, 17, 15 and 10m bands using SSB and FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World. HH75RCH is the special callsign for the Haiti Radio Club, established on the 29th of March 1948 to celebrate its 75th anniversary. The station will be active until the 1st of May. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or via N2OO.   Now the contest news On Tuesday the 18th of April, the 1.3GHz UK Activity contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3GHz band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 19th of April, the 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 20th of April, the 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The Machine Generated Mode Contest starts its 24-hour run at 1400UTC next Saturday, the 22nd of April. Using machine-generated modes on the 6m and 2m bands, the exchange is a report and your four-character locator. The SP DX RTTY Contest starts its 24-hour run at 1200UTC on Saturday the 22nd of April. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Polish stations send their province code. The British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC on Sunday the 23rd of April. Using 75 Baud RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is a serial number.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Thursday the 13th of April 2023 A news item this week suggested that the peak of solar cycle 25 could be coming earlier than expected. According to a paper in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, by solar scientist Dr Scott Macintosh, the solar maximum may now be coming between late 2023 and mid-2024. So, make the most of the higher Solar Flux Index now! Solar activity picked up nicely over the past week. The solar flux index rose to 154 and there were eight active regions on the Sun's visible face by Thursday the 13th. Nevertheless, daytime maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs, remain down a little, which has probably more to do with seasonal ionospheric changes than reduced sunspot activity. As we head towards Summer we will see the daytime F2-layer MUF decline further before it picks up again in the Autumn. We also saw some M- and C-class solar flare action this week, but this was not really enough to cause serious problems to the ionosphere. Next week NOAA predicts the Solar Flux Index will continue to increase, perhaps peaking at 160 around the 16th to 18th of April. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for the 18th, perhaps with the Kp index rising to four. The forecast for International Marconi Day on the 22nd of April is for a Solar Flux Index of 155 and a declining Kp index of three, which bodes quite well for the event. In all, the Solar Flux Index is expected to be in the range of 140 to 160 for the rest of the month.   And now the VHF and up propagation news A big contrast is coming next week, so it's time to dust off the VHF gear again! The unsettled weather of this last week will make a complete swap over to more settled high-pressure systems next week.  Initially, on Sunday this will appear as a ridge over the North Sea from a large high over Scandinavia. This will then gradually extend across the country and will eventually be joined by a second high west of Britain.  The end result will be enhanced Tropo prospects in the coming week and potentially good conditions for the 23cm UK Activity Contest on Tuesday the 18th and the 4m UK Activity on Thursday the 20th. Those who enjoy rain scatter propagation in this current showery weather will have to look for other modes by Sunday, once the high pressure builds. As we are coming out of the Winter lull in meteor shower activity, with the medium-rate Lyrids peaking on the 23rd of April at 0100UTC with a Zenithal Hourly Rate, or ZHR, in the 20s, it's well worth a look for meteor scatter contacts. The end of April normally prompts a return of isolated Sporadic-E reports on the 10m band and perhaps even with data modes on 6m. The upper troposphere jet stream charts suggest it's got some potential, especially between Mediterranean countries although not quite so positive for paths nearer to home. The solar conditions may continue to offer a random chance of some aurora, so remember to keep an eye on the Kp index if it goes above five.   For EME operators, the Moon perigee is on Sunday so path losses are at their lowest. Moon declination is rising, going positive on Tuesday meaning increasing Moon time and increasing peak elevation passes. 144MHz sky noise is low, but the Moon is close to the Sun on Wednesday and Thursday meaning high Sun noise for those days. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

HM Brig of War Racehorse, was wrecked at Langness on the 14th December 1822 with the loss of 9 men. 3 were Castletown men who bravely went out to rescue the crew, and a further 6 were crew from the ship. Some 89 ships personnel survived the wreck. On Perspective this week we hear all about this tragic event and its commemoration.  Sir William Hilary witnessed the rescue and the tragedy is credited for the resulting creation by Hilary of an Isle of Man lifeboat service, which later became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. 

Today, Justin sits down with author and researcher, Dr. Andrew Jeffrey. Alongside his historical books, Andrew has made on-air contributions for British, Dutch and French documentaries and is a former Royal Navy Reservist, and a volunteer Lifeboatman with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Andrew's latest book tells the tale of a Scottish civilian Mary Curran, who spotted the suspicious activity of Nazi spy Jessie Jordan. Mary's quick wit, alertness, and instincts broke down a long established espionage network spanning both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.Connect with Andrew:You can read the the preface to Andrew's book, A Taste For Treason, completely free here.https://spycraft101-dbb75.gr8.com/You can purchase the book here.https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Treason-Letter-That-Smashed/dp/1780277881Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Clandestine Laboratories Your new favorite fragrance is here. I'm partial to Novochoc.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

GB2RS News Sunday the 24th of April 2022 The news headlines: Two new GB2RS broadcasts Take part in SOS Radio Week VMARS nets The RSGB GB2RS News Service is delighted to announce two new broadcasts on Sundays. With a nod to how it all started back in 1955, we have introduced a transmission using amplitude modulation. This takes place in the 80m band on 3650kHz at 8 am UK time from the station of G4JBD in Bedfordshire. The intended coverage is the Midlands and the South East of England but it may be heard more widely when propagation is favourable. For those in the South West Glasgow area who are busy on Sunday mornings, we are now offering an evening broadcast on 2m. Delivered by 2M0GUI on 145.525MHz FM, the transmission is at 6.30 pm UK time. Every year thousands of people get into difficulty around our coast. Thousands of unpaid volunteers swing into action to save and rescue them. SOS Radio Week celebrates the work of these selfless volunteers. Amateur radio stations get on the air to raise awareness of the invaluable work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, National Coastwatch Institution and the many independent lifeboat and rescue organisations around our coasts. The activity starts at 0000UTC on the 1st of May and concludes at 2359UTC on the 31st. Participants are encouraged to become an official Registered Station and make as many contacts as possible, mentioning the reason for the event during their contact. For further details visit sosradioweek.org.uk The Vintage Military Amateur Radio Society will be displaying at the Blackpool Rally today. They have regular nets on 3.615MHz at 8.30 am on Saturdays using AM and at 8 pm on Wednesdays using USB to facilitate the use of ex-military equipment. On Fridays, the frequency remains as 3.615MHz at 7.30 pm using LSB. More at www.vmars.org. As part of the forthcoming Jubilee celebrations, the RSGB has announced further details of its GB70 special event station activities. The seven SES callsigns will be active across the Jubilee weekend, from the 2nd to the 5th of June, on multiple bands and modes by various clubs. After that weekend, these special callsigns will be available for activation by RSGB affiliated clubs or individual RSGB members until the 28th of June. Each callsign has a volunteer coordinator responsible for allocating operating slots in a published schedule. They will also collect the log files from those who have been activating the calls. For further information see the GB70 page in the RSGB Jubilee web section at rsgb.org/jubilee. Provisional results for the 2021 IARU Region 1 Marconi Memorial VHF Contest are available. A total of 762 logs from 27 different countries in Region 1 were received. You can read the provisional results at iaru-r1.org. This year's CDXC Convention will take place on Saturday the 7th of May at The Link Hotel, Loughborough. The AGM will take place on the same day but, for those who cannot attend, online voting will be available a few days before and instructions will be sent out nearer the time. An interesting list of speakers has been arranged and can be found at www.cdxc.org.uk. And now for details of rallies and events Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We'll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online. The Cambridge Repeater Group Rally takes place today, the 24th. The venue is Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge CB22 6RN. Doors open at 9.30 am and admission is £3. There will be a talk in station, trade stands, car boot area and a Bring & Buy. Catering is available on site. More at cambridgerepeaters.net. Also today, the 24th is the Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Exhibition, also known as the Blackpool Rally. It will be held at the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA. More details at narsa.org.uk. The Andover Radio Club Spring Boot Sale is due to take place today, the 24th, at Wildhern Village Hall, SP11 0JE. It is open at 10 am and is organised by the Andover Radio Amateur Club. Details at arac.org.uk. Next Sunday, the Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre Radio Amateur Rally will be at Thorpe Camp, Tattershall, Thorpe, Lincolnshire. It is open to the public from 9 am till 1 pm and entry is £4 with under 12s free. There will be hot and cold food on-site and car parking inside the grounds. Contact Anthony on 07956 654481. Now the DX news Thierry, F6CUK will be active as TM8C from Brehat Island, EU-074, until the 30th of April. He will operate SSB, CW and FT8 mainly on 40, 30 and 20m bands. QSL via F6CUK either direct or bureau and Logbook of The World. Lubo, OM5ZW will be active holiday style as 3B8/OM5ZW from Mauritius, AF-049, from the 29th of April to the 6th of May. He will operate CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 on the 10 to 80m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World and Club Log's OQRS. John, W5JON will be active as V47JA from St. Kitts, NA-104, until the 28th of April. He will operate SSB and FT8 on the 6 to 160m bands. QSL via Logbook of The World or direct only to W5JON. Now the Special Event news Flight Refuelling ARS will be operating from the club station using GB2FRA to celebrate the club's 40th anniversary. It is intended that the callsign will be used on all the bands and modes that are available from the club shack including 10GHz EME. Operations will run throughout April. Medway Amateur Receiving and Transmitting Society will operate GB5MW between the 3rd and 30th of April to celebrate the society's centenary year. QSL via eQSL. Now the contest news The SP DX RTTY contest runs for 24 hours ending at 1200UTC today, the 24th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number with Polish stations also sending their Region code. Running until 2130UTC on the 24th, the First MGM contest uses the 50 and 144MHz bands. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator. Today, the 24th, the BARTG Sprint 75 Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using 75 baud RTTY on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is the serial number. On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3GHz and up bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Wednesday sees the UK EI Contest Club 80m CW contest running from 1900 to 2000UTC. Using CW only, the exchange is your 6-character locator. On Thursday it's the RTTY and PSK63 leg of the 80m Club Championships. Running between 1900 and 2030UTC, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Next weekend, the UK EI Contest Club DX contest runs from 1200UTC on the 30th of April to 1200UTC on Sunday the 1st of May. Using CW only on the 3.5 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Note that EI and GI stations also send their District code. Next Sunday, the 1st of May, the UK Six Metre Group Summer marathon starts. It runs until the 2nd of August. Using all modes on the 50MHz bands, the exchange is your 4-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 22nd of April 2022. Last week was characterised by solar flares – lots of them! There were numerous strong flares, although the majority occurred in the early hours and so didn't affect the ionosphere over Europe. Solar flare events can cause short-lived radio blackouts as the energetic photons penetrate deep into the D-layer. Solar activity during the past 30 days has increased drastically with five of the top 10 strongest flares of Cycle 25 detected during this period alone. We have also had very strong sunspot activity with the solar flux index peaking at 160 on Thursday the 21st. The current crop of four sunspot groups probably means we can expect the SFI to stay high until at least early next week. NOAA predicts the SFI will stay above 130, but we may get even higher figures for a time. It also predicts a maximum Kp index of two next week, although that could easily rise if we get hit by matter from any incoming CMEs, which are getting more prevalent as the cycle continues. The good news is that, at the time of writing, it didn't look like we will get any coronal hole activity. There have been numerous reports of good conditions on the higher bands - 21, 24 and 28MHz – including openings to TX5N on the Austral Islands. Braco, 8Q7DX, who is on holiday in the Maldives, has also been worked. There have also been some signs of early Sporadic-E with very loud openings to Spain on 10 metres. So if the SFI stays this high and we don't get many geomagnetic disturbances it could be a good week for HF. And now the VHF and up propagation news. We have a classic spring start to things with low pressure over the near continent, aided by the increasing warmth of the spring sunshine, while colder regions to the north become home to high pressure near Iceland. Between the two, we will have a strong and cold-feeling east to northeasterly wind over the UK; not really the setup required for Tropo, since the strong winds and turbulence destroy any temperature inversion. The changes come along after this weekend as the low weakens and a ridge of high pressure extends south across the country with much lighter winds and a chance of Tropo, especially overnight. It is possible that isolated showers may offer a little rain scatter, but not a high probability. It would be better to consider possible aurora and meteor scatter as your exotic modes. In this closing part of April, the best is within reach, since Sporadic-E is a serious possibility on 10m and perhaps 6m. Use the beacons and clusters to guide you, but if you start to adjust to your summer operating rule of checking for Es mid-morning and late afternoon or early evening, then Es QSOs will soon come. The Winter minimum of meteor show activity is at an end with Sporadic meteor rates increasing towards their usual maximum in late summer. The Lyrids shower has passed the peak but continues to be active until the 30th. Moon declination starts the week negative with low peak moon elevations and short visibility windows but turns positive again on Thursday. Path losses are on the increase again as we are past perigee. 144 MHz sky noise is low all week except Saturday afternoon when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky for the five hours leading up to Moonset at approximately 1900hrs. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Since its foundation in 1824, the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have been braving the most savage of elements at sea to rescue sailors in distress. Their work has saved the lives of an estimated 143,000 people and helped many, many thousands more. Funded entirely by charitable donations and staffed primarily by volunteers it is a much loved national institution in the UK and Ireland.Today, Dan is joined by Mark Wordsworth who spent over a decade as a volunteer crewmember and now serves on the board of the RNLI council. Mark and Dan explore how the RNLI came to be founded, its history and some of its most notable rescues. They also discuss the organisations' ethos, which was set out by its founder Sir William Hillary, and how that continues to shape its work today.If you would like to make a donation to the RNLI you can do so here.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download the History Hit app please go to the Android or Apple store.We need your help! If you would like to tell us what you want to hear as part of Dan Snow's History Hit then complete our podcast survey by clicking here. Once completed you will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in the History Hit shop. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

GB2RS News Sunday the 20th of March 2022   The news headlines: COVID closes the RSGB National Radio Centre British Summer Time starts on the 27th Events to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee   Unfortunately, it will be necessary to close the RSGB National Radio Centre for a week, starting on Monday the 21st of March. A number of NRC volunteers have Covid and the Society doesn't have enough available volunteers to welcome the hundreds of people who visit each week. The RSGB hopes to re-open the Centre on Monday the 28th of March. Please check the RSGB and NRC websites for updates before travelling. In the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1 am on the last Sunday in March, which is the 27th of March in 2022. This is known as British Summer Time or BST. The clocks don't change again until the 30th of October. If you are entering contests, please check the times. The RSGB is offering a wide variety of amateur radio activities to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. From special event stations to an innovation competition, a radio tournament and an operating award, the Society hopes there is something for everyone. You can read an outline of each of the activities now and further details will follow shortly. Take a look at the April issue of RadCom or the Society's website at rsgb.org/jubilee. 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 subcommittee of the RSGB Board, considers proposals for grants to be given to projects from the Legacy Fund. The RSGB is seeking members to join the Legacy Committee, preferably with experience in grant applications or experience within the charitable sector. For more information or an informal chat, contact RSGB Board Chair, Ian Shepherd, G4EVK via the email chairman@rsgb.org.uk. Now in its twentieth year, SOS Radio Week celebrates the work of the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, National Coastwatch Institution and, in 2022, the many independent lifeboat and rescue organisations around our coasts. SOS Radio Week 2022 starts at 0000 UTC on the 1st of May and concludes at 2359 UTC on the 31st of May to coincide with the RNLI's own Mayday fundraising month. Participants are encouraged to become an official Registered Station and make as many contacts as possible, mentioning the reason for the event during their contacts. For further details please visit sosradioweek.org.uk where you can also register to take part. The RSGB is delighted to be planning an in-person convention again on the weekend of 7-9 October. The Society will also live stream some of the presentations in a new hybrid event format. Please share your suggestions for topics and speakers you'd like to hear at the event by completing the RSGB's very short survey. The deadline for responses is Thursday the 31st of March. You can find the survey at thersgb.org/go/survey.   And now for details of rallies and events The Callington ARS Rally takes place on the 27th of March. It will be held in Callington Town Hall. A date for your diary. The National Hamfest will take place on the 14th and 15th of October at the Newark Showground NG24 2NY. Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We'll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.   Now the DX news Gianpi, IK1TTD will be active as 3A/IK1TTD from Monaco between the 25th and 27th of March. Main activity will be during the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest. QSL via his home call, direct or via the bureau. Helmut, DF7EE will be active again as CT9/DF7EE from Madeira, AF- 014, from the 22nd of March until the 1st of April. This includes participation in the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest as CQ3W. QSL for both callsigns via Logbook of The World and Club Log's OQRS. Alex, DD5ZZ will be active again as OA7/DD5ZZ until approximately mid-May, including an entry in the CQ World Wide WPX SSB Contest. He will be operating on the 10 to 40m bands. QSL via his home call and Logbook of The World.   Now the Special Event news Celebrating twenty years of the Summits on the Air programme, GB20SOTA will be active from a Welsh SOTA summit until the 26th of March. QSL via the bureau, or direct to M1EYP. Frans, PC2F will be active as PF01MAX until the 20th of November, over the twenty-two Grand Prix weekends of this year's FIA Formula One World Championship. QSL via PC2F either direct or via the bureau, Logbook of The World and eQSL DARC is the German IARU Member Society and their Special Event Team will activate DA22WARD until the 30th of April in celebration of World Amateur Radio Day on the 18th of April.   Now the contest news This weekend the BARTG HF RTTY Contest ends its 48-hour run at 0159 UTC on the 21st. Using the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands where contests are permitted. The exchange is serial number and time in UTC. The all-mode SHF UK Activity Contest takes place on Tuesday between 1930 and 2230 UTC. Using the 1.2 to 10GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday, the SSB leg of the 80m Club Championship Contest runs from 2000 to 2130 UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number. Next weekend the CQ WPX Contest runs from 0000 UTC on the 26th to 2359 UTC on the 27th. Using SSB only, on the 1.8 to 28 MHz bands where contests are permitted. The exchange is signal report and serial number. CQ Amateur Radio magazine has said it will not accept competitive entries in any of its sponsored contests by amateur radio stations in Russia, Belarus or the separatist Donbas region of the Ukraine. Future events will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the situation at that time.   Now the radio propagation report, was compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Friday the 18th of March 2022. Well, what a mixed week of solar activity we have just had. Last week, we forecast that we could expect unsettled geomagnetic conditions over the last weekend but we didn't expect to see the Kp index hit six. Sunday the 13th saw ground-based magnetometers hit hard with at least 15 hours of unsettled conditions when the Kp index fluctuated between five and six. This was caused by a full halo coronal mass ejection or CME, that was observed coming off the Sun on Thursday the 10th. This had a strongly negative Bz component so more easily coupled with the Earth's magnetic field. The net result was a decline in MUFs, reports of visible aurora in Scotland and complaints about HF conditions with the ensuing G2 geomagnetic storm. Saturday wasn't too bad with lots of contacts being made during the early part of the Commonwealth Contest. Twenty-metre contacts with the New Zealand ZL6HQ station were also possible from the UK, although signals were very fluttery. The short path to ZL goes through the North pole auroral zone so it is not surprising that the signals were affected, despite the Kp index being down to one, from five, during the late morning. The solar flux index held firm at 125 on Saturday but was already declining and was down to 107 by Thursday. So, after last weekend's onslaught, what do we have in store for next week? NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Centre thinks that the solar flux will again decline, from a predicted 115 on Saturday down to 95 on Friday the 25th. The geomagnetic conditions prediction has the Kp index rising to four on Sunday but it may then decline to two by Wednesday the 23rd. The risk of an Earth-facing coronal mass ejection seems to have declined with the decrease in solar activity. So, for once, it looks like a good thing!   And now the VHF and up propagation news. High pressure will dominate the weather charts over the next week or more, centred a long way east over Poland and the Baltic but with a strong ridge extending west towards the British Isles. These large highs are usually associated with a marked temperature inversion and this is a good omen for extensive tropo. This works best if there is moisture below the inversion, so misty low cloud or fog will be a good indicator for better conditions. When the forecast is for dry sunny weather, this usually means that the Tropo may not be so reliable. Paths across the North Sea to northern Europe and into the Baltic region are worth extra attention.  It's a good time to get together a list of beacons from the region, either from the RSGB website or www.beaconspot.uk and check the various clusters for signs of activity. We are nearly there for the Sporadic-E season, but not quite yet. Aurora and meteor scatter are still worth a look though. The Moon will be waning throughout this week with the lowest declination on Friday/Saturday. However, the path loss is also at a minimum this week, so conditions should be good until the 23rd when the Moon moves into the noisier part of the sky, for several days. The early part of the week should provide opportunities for stations with fixed or limited elevation adjustment, due to the low elevation of the moon. And that's all from the propagation team this week.  

Email us: talk@richmond.gov.ukTweet us: @LBRUT For more information on the RNLI: RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution - Saving Lives at SeaIf you need help with your mental health, here is a list of support services in Richmond upon Thames: Mental health support - London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

This week for episode 7 of the show we have a slightly different set up to celebrate the launch of our latest collaboration with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution aka. The RNLI. Born from a shared love and respect for the sea, our collaboration with the RNLI draws inspiration from British seafaring heritage and the hardiness of the human spirit, with 10% of every sale from the collection going to support the vital work of the charity that saves lives at sea.Together we believe that with passion and courage, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Our collaboration with the RNLI celebrates the fortitude of those volunteer crews who brave the ocean's unfathomable power to keep their communities safe. As such, we caught up with 4 volunteer lifeboat crew members from stations around the UK to hear their stories.

PHIL Hello and a very warm welcome to Five in the Eye - the weekly review show on Colourful Radio that examines five stories that have caught our eye over the past week. This is Phil Woodford in London and we're on episode 0317. Michael, that's episode zero THREE ONE SEVEN. MICHAEL A prime number edition! Very well spotted Phil! This is me - Michael Ohajuru - joining the show via Zoom this week and revealing that we have a very special guest with us today. It's my old friend Tony Warner. Hi there, Tony! TONY Hi Michael, hello Phil. It's good to be here on Five in the Eye! And I can reveal our top story this week is the death of Black historian Runoko Rushidi. We'll discuss his ideas and his legacy. PHIL For story number two, it's the war of words that has blown up over the role of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the RNLI, in rescuing refugees who are in trouble at sea. People continue to head towards the UK in boats out of desperation but are met with hostility. At a time when NATO's exit from Afghanistan looks set to herald a further humanitarian crisis. MICHAEL What's story number three? Well, Digby Jones - the former boss of the CBI - criticised former footballer and Olympics presenter Alex Scott for the way she pronounces her words on TV. It sparked a furious backlash. TONY For our fourth story, we're going glamping! Holidaymakers shelled out a fortune for what they were told was going to be a very posh campsite, but were horrified to find they were sharing basic facilities with other guests. PHIL And finally this week, it's the remarkable new tourist attraction that's heading for Stratford in East London. A gigantic, glowing orb that's the size of Big Ben! MICHAEL Now, that's one step up from the ‘mound' of Marble Arch! And that's this week's Five in the Eye!

GB2RS NEWS Sunday the 9th of May 2021 The news headlines: Amateur radio: what next? Free webinar on RF exposure Updates to Full mock exam papers Last year, through the RSGB and NHS ‘Get on the air to care’ media campaign, it is likely that over 35 million people heard news and stories about amateur radio. You now have a chance to tell the RSGB what you think should happen next. As part of a wider IARU workshop, the Society is conducting a short survey of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that apply to amateur radio in the UK. Whether you are a radio amateur or not yet licensed, do take few minutes to fill in the survey and be part of the discussions. You can find it at rsgb.org/survey and the deadline for responses is the 23rd of May. The ARRL is reporting that the IEEE Committee on Man and Radiation has issued an invitation to its free webinar, RF Exposure in the Time of Conspiracies. The 1-hour event is set to get underway at 1800UTC on Wednesday the 12th of May. The committee is a group of experts on health and safety issues related to electromagnetic fields, from power line through microwave frequency ranges. Its primary focus is on the biological effects of non-ionising electromagnetic radiation. Webex, the platform on which the webinar will be held, imposes a limit of 1,000 simultaneous connections. Those interested may check-in at 1730UTC. Links can be found on the ARRL news pages at arrl.org/news. The RSGB’s Examinations and Syllabus Review Group has just updated the two Full licence mock exam papers. In addition, there are now worked answer PDFs for these papers so you can see the correct answer for each question and the reasoning behind it. These mock papers are provided as a training aid and aren’t the exact questions included in a Full licence exam. Foundation and Intermediate mock exam papers will have worked answers added in due course. You can find all the mock exam papers at rsgb.org/mock-exams. SOS Radio Week is an annual event that sees many amateur radio stations get on the air throughout the month of May. The aim is to raise awareness of the voluntary work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and National Coastwatch Institution. For further details of the event, visit sosradioweek.org.uk. The RSGB’s Tonight @ 8 webinar series continues on Monday the 17th of May. Bob Titterington, G3ORY will help you to Discover more about Amateur Radio Direction Finding. This webinar will include contributions from Kim, who gives the perspective of a regular club member being talked into trying ARDF. You will also hear from Flora, who was persuaded to go out and try ARDF with her dad. For more information about this and other webinars, see rsgb.org/webinars. The second mission of European Space Agency astronaut Thomas, KG5FYG and FX0ISS on the International Space Station began on the 23rd of April. Members of Radio Club F4KLR will operate special event callsign TM0ISS on all bands and modes. The activity will run at various times until October to match the duration of the mission. The Society has launched a new video, 2020 – a year like no other, that looks back at the many fantastic activities and resources that helped to support radio amateurs through these difficult times. It also shows how existing radio amateurs ‘got on the air to care’ across the UK and thousands of people of all ages got involved in amateur radio for the first time. Take a look at youtube.com/theRSGB. The Dayton Hamvention has been cancelled for 2021, but Contest University 2021 will still take place on the 20th of May. It will be held online free of charge via Zoom, starting at 1300UTC. Registration is now open on the CTU website at contestuniversity.com. Now the DX news Adrien, F4IHM will be active again as 5UAIHM between the 10th of May and the 15th of June from Niamey, Niger. He will operate CW on the 40 and 20m bands. QSL via F4IHM, direct or bureau. This year’s International DX Convention will be a virtual two-day meeting to be held on the 15th and 16th of May, with eight DX-related and eight exhibitor Zoom webinars respectively. Free pre-registration is required and is now open. See dxconvention.com for more information, including the programme details. Now the Special Event news Special event station GB0ME is still being operated by George, MM0JNL from his home in the Scottish Borders. It aims to increase awareness of the debilitating condition of ME. Depending on propagation, he will be working any HF or VHF band using SSB or FM when practicable. Further details available on QRZ.com. In 2021, the British Railways ARS will be celebrating its 55th anniversary. GB0LMR will be on the air throughout the year. The station will be operated by Mark, G1PIE from Preston in Lancashire. Bands of operation will be 40 to 10m using SSB, PSK-31 and PSK-63. QSL cards are available via the RSGB bureau or direct with an SAE to Pam, 2E1HQY. More on QRZ.com. Guernsey Amateur Radio Society will be using GB5LIB for the 76th anniversary of the Liberation of the islands. The call will be activated by club members from 0001UTC on the 8th to 2359UTC on the 14th of May. All bands and modes from 160m to 10m will be used and maybe 4 and 6m, if conditions allow. See QRZ.com for details. Now the contest news With different parts of the UK having different lockdown restrictions, please make sure you follow the appropriate regulations. Several contests now accept portable entries, so please check the contest rules. Above all, please follow relevant national and local restrictions. Today, the 9th, the 70MHz CW contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode. The Worked All Britain 40m Phone and CW contest runs for 1000 to 1400UTC today, the 9th. Using SSB and CW, the exchange is signal report, serial number and the WAB area. Also on today, the 9th is the IRTS 40m Daytime Counties Contest, which runs from 1200 to 1300UTC. Using SSB and CW, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also exchange their County. On Monday the SSB leg of the 80m Club Championships runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. The exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 432MHz UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange for both contests is signal report, serial number and locator. The 50MHz UK Activity Contest takes place on Thursday from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend, the 144MHz May Contest runs for 24 hours from 1400UTC on the 15th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode. Sunday the 16th sees the First 144MHz Backpackers contest from 1100 to 1500UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode. Also next Sunday, the 16th, the UK Microwave Group Millimetre Wave Contest runs from 0900 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 24 to 76GHz bands the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon runs until the 1st of August. Exchange your 4-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 7th of May. The Sun was devoid of sunspots last week, which saw the solar flux index plummet to 70 – pretty much what it is around sunspot minimum. The good news is that an active region is rotating into view. Region 2817 is currently just on the Sun’s eastern limb as this report is being prepared and should be visible by the time the weekend is here. On its last rotation, the region was quite active and pushed the SFI up to 86, so the hope is that we get a similar surge when it reappears. Geomagnetically, the Sun has been quite quiet with the Kp index at either one or zero last week. This has been boosted by a lack of coronal hole activity. HF-wise, it has been fair but not outstanding, which is in line with what you would expect with an SFI of 70. Most of the chat has been about the beginning of the Sporadic-E season, which has seen a few openings to Spain and Italy. The 10 metre beacons IZ1EPM on 28.173MHz near Turin, Italy and ED4YAK on 28.251MHz in Henares, Spain were heard on Wednesday. For a complete list of low power 10m beacons please see G3USF’s list via the Propagation pages on RSGB.org. Tony, G4CJC’s 10 metre report says Joe, G3ZDF worked KP4JRS, HC2TIC, CT1BFP and heard PJ2BR, KG4IYS and CO3JR on FT8 after 11pm. This was probably via multi-hop Sporadic-E rather than F-layer propagation. There have also been one or two reports of long-distance FT8 contacts on 10m from the Far East, which may be due to short-path Summer Solstice Propagation. As the Sporadic-E season progresses we can expect to see a lot more activity on 10 metres. Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will climb to the high 70s, no doubt boosted by region 2817. Geomagnetic activity is predicted to be quiet for the first half of the week, but could turn unsettled on the 11th with the potential for the Kp index to reach five or six by the 14th with the return of a large solar coronal hole. Expect subdued MUFs until the Kp index recovers. And now the VHF and up propagation news. There is a predominance of low pressure on the charts for much of the next week and more active systems will mean some heavy rain and strong winds for some areas. The models diverge towards the end of next week, with one version showing high pressure over northern areas by the end of the week, while the other option shows a continuation of low pressure. The outcome of this is a mainly rain-scatter week for the GHz bands and at this time of year showers are often heavy and thunderous, which can be very good scatter sources. The option of high pressure at the end of next week may herald some Tropo in the north. Sporadic-E is building nicely and most days will offer the prospects of some Sporadic-E, especially on the digital modes or 10m. There will be some well-placed jet streams in attendance next week, so keep an ear on the bands and beacons. With positive Moon declination, we’ll see lengthening Moon visibility windows and peak Moon elevations as the week goes on. The Sun and the Moon will be at apogee and close to eclipse on Tuesday, meaning highest path losses and very high noise levels after lunchtime. There are no significant meteor showers this week but we will still be in the tail end of last week’s Eta-Aquarids so look out for continuing random activity. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS Sunday the 2nd of May 2021 The news headlines: RSGB AGM appointments Club, Beacon and Repeater insurance renewed Help survey amateur radio At the RSGB AGM on the 24th of April, it was announced that Stewart Bryant, G3YSX has been elected as President of the Society and will serve until the 2023 AGM. We congratulate him and welcome him as RSGB President. Dave Wilson, M0OBW was elected as a Director of the Society and will serve until the 2024 AGM. Congratulations to him and many thanks to those Directors who have served during the year. Paul Devlin, G1SMP and David Hills, G6PYF were endorsed as nominated Directors of the Society and will serve until the 2024 AGM. Congratulations to them both. RSGB Club Insurance and Beacon and Repeater Insurance has now been renewed for the year to April 2022. Club Insurance Certificates can be downloaded from the RSGB website; please use your Membership Services login to obtain a copy of your Certificate. To ensure that your beacon or repeater is covered under the insurance, a £10 admin fee is required and you may renew this online at the RSGB shop. Please allow a couple of days after renewal for your certificate to be dispatched. The IARU Region 1 is running a strategic workshop on the future of amateur radio. Each of the national societies in the region has been asked to contribute information about amateur radio in their country. In preparation, the RSGB is conducting a short survey of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that apply to amateur radio in the UK. The Society would like to hear the views of all UK radio amateurs so please take a few minutes to fill in the survey at www.rsgb.org/survey. The deadline for responses is the 23rd of May. There are three new ways to listen to GB2RS news. John, G4TRN and Sean, G7NJX have been providing a regular UHF service via GB3ZB in Bristol for some time. Now, this repeater is interlinked to GB3FI in Cheddar to give extended coverage on both sides of the Mendips. The broadcast is at 9.30 am. Another new transmission comes from Richard, G0NAD near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, serving the Tendring area on 433.525MHz FM at 11 am. GB2RS can now also be heard via the QO-100 amateur radio satellite. The transmission is provided by Keith, GU6EFB at 0800UTC, using upper sideband on 10489.900MHz, which is in the mixed-mode section of the narrowband transponder. QO-100 is a geostationary satellite with a footprint that covers Europe, Africa and India, so this news bulletin is a specially adapted international version. The RSGB would like to thank AMSAT-DL for their kind cooperation in making this broadcast possible. If you don’t have any 10GHz equipment but would still like to monitor the broadcast, there is a dedicated webSDR at batc.org.uk that requires no radio equipment. Just click on the ‘online’ tab. SOS Radio Week is an annual event that sees many amateur radio stations get on the air throughout the month of May. The aim is to raise awareness of the voluntary work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and National Coastwatch Institution. The event coincides with the RNLI’s own Mayday fundraising month. For further details of the event, visit sosradioweek.org.uk. Earlier this month Mike, G4GUG was interviewed on the University of the Third Age, or U3A, podcast. Mike is the amateur radio subject adviser at U3A. He shared his personal experience of enjoying amateur radio throughout his life and also highlighted the influx of new licensees over the last year. You can hear the podcast on the U3A YouTube channel; search for Episode 7. Mike’s interview starts about nine-and-a-half minutes into the podcast. Sixteen awards were given at this year’s AGM. This included the prestigious RSGB award of Life Vice President, which was bestowed on Dave Wilson, M0OBW. This rarely-given award was for his tireless devotion over many years to all aspects of amateur radio and the Society. Congratulations to everyone who received an award. You can see the trophies, the winners and read the full citations at rsgb.services/gb2rs/010. Now the DX news This year’s International DX Convention will be a virtual two-day meeting to be held on the 15th and 16th of May, with eight DX-related and eight exhibitor Zoom webinars respectively. Free pre-registration is required and is now open. See dxconvention.com for more information, including the programme details. Matthew, M0ZMS will be seconded to the RAF station at Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands, IOTA reference SA-002, from late April to late August. He will be active as VP8ZMS, hopefully using the Royal Air Force ARS club station shack. He operates digital modes, CW and some SSB. QSL via home call and Logbook of The World; logsearch on Club Log. Lee, HL1IWD will be active holiday style as HL1IWD/4 from the Kogunsan Islands, AS-148, until the 3rd of May. He will operate CW and some FT8 on 40-20 metres. On his way back he will make a short stopover on Anmyon Island, AS-080, and will try to operate as HL1IWD/3. QSLs via EA5GL. Now the Special Event news GB0ME will be on the air until the 16th of May to highlight awareness of the medical condition ME. The official awareness day is the 12th of May. The schedule of calling is to be confirmed but, until the 16th, George, MM0JNL will be operating as GB0ME when working from home to get the callsign out there. On the 8th and 9th of May, GB2SXC and GB0SCW will be on air for the Stone Cross Windmill near Eastbourne. The stations are part of the Mills on the Air event. For further details email canavp@gmail.com. Guernsey Amateur Radio Society will be using GB5LIB for the 76th anniversary of the Liberation of the islands. The call will be activated by club members from 0001UTC on the 8th to 2359UTC on the 14th of May. All bands and modes from 160m to 10m will be used and maybe 4 and 6m, if conditions allow. See QRZ.com for details. Paul, G1OVK will be operating GB0SOS throughout May for SOS Radio week. Using HF, 2m and 70cm, he will operate SSB and digital. QSL via the bureau. GB2HLS will be operated by Wirral ARS from Hoylake Lifeboat station throughout May. This is part of the SOS Radio Week activities. On the 8th and 9th of May, Chesham & District ARS will operate GB0BWN at Brill Windmill as part of the Mills on the Air weekend. They will be using the 80m, 40m and 2m bands. Now the contest news With different parts of the UK having different lockdown restrictions, please make sure you follow the appropriate regulations. Several contests now accept portable entries, so please check the contest rules. Above all, please follow relevant national and local restrictions. This weekend, the 432MHz to 245GHz Trophy ends its 24-hour run at 1400UTC today, the 2nd of May. Using all modes on those bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Today, the 2nd, the 10GHz Trophy runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The ARI International DX contest ends its 24-hour run at 1200UTC today, the 2nd. Using CW, Phone and RTTY on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations also give their Province code. Today, the 2nd, the UK Microwave group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode UK Activity Contest from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same for both, signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 144MHz FT8 Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. The exchange is your signal report and 4-character locator. The fourth FT4 Series contest also takes place on Wednesday from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using the 3.5 to 14MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and your 4-character locator. Next Sunday, the 9th, the 70MHz CW contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. The exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode. The Worked All Britain 40m Phone and CW contest runs for 1000 to 1400UTC next Sunday, the 9th. Using SSB and CW, the exchange is signal report, serial number and the WAB area. Also on the 9th, the IRTS 40m Daytime Counties Contest runs from 1200 to 1300UTC. Using SSB and CW, the exchange is signal report and serial number. EI and GI stations also exchange their County. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon runs until the 1st of August. Exchange your 4-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 30th of April. Last week was characterised by relatively low sunspot numbers but reasonably settled geomagnetic conditions. The solar flux index never rose above 80 all week, despite a large cluster of sunspots. This cluster, composed of regions 2818, 2820 and 2821, were responsible for some C-class solar flare activity, but never really grew into anything. By the time you read or hear this, they will have rotated out of view. The Kp index started the week at five, thanks to the effects of a high-speed solar wind stream from a coronal mass ejection. This was relatively short-lived and the rest of the week saw more settled conditions with a maximum Kp index of three and often zero. HF conditions have been variable. There has been DX workable, as Norfolk ARC showed during last Saturday’s International Marconi Day. GB0CMS made more than 900 contacts on HF, including contacting the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Ecuador, Panama, the Falkland Islands, Australia and Indonesia. SSB activity on 10 metres has been reported as being relatively quiet, with the odd Sporadic-E contact into Europe. FT8 has thrown up a few contacts into South America during the late afternoon and early evening. Next week, NOAA predicts the SFI may dip again, perhaps down to 72-73. This weekend may see unsettled geomagnetic conditions with the potential for the Kp index to rise to four or five due to coronal hole activity. However, once this clears we may expect a more settled Kp of two as the week progresses. Propquest shows that, according to the Chilton digisonde data, daytime MUFs over a 3,000km path are generally reaching the 18MHz band and occasionally 21MHz. And now the VHF and up propagation news. Next week it will probably be very difficult to time the weather changes correctly. It will be a mix of classic April showers – in May! – and some longer periods of rain, but also weak ridges of high pressure or, more accurately, ‘cols’, between highs and lows. These are very rarely useful for Tropo but may facilitate temporary lifts in the early mornings. The trend towards a showery weather pattern is likely to be good news for the rain scatter operators on the GHz bands. With the arrival of May, expectations for Sporadic-E grow stronger. The daily blogs will begin this month on the Propquest.co.uk website where a commentary about the location of jet streams and potential for Sporadic-E will be discussed along with a chance to evaluate the new Sporadic-E Probability Index, or EPI, shown on the same website. Beams certainly help with weak Sporadic-E or multi-hop paths, but a strong opening will be found with even a colinear, so it’s not just for super-stations. If you’ve never worked Sporadic-E before, doing just one thing, checking 10m and 6m at teatime, will guarantee you the best chance of breaking your duck. Last week we had a Supermoon. No reason to get excited, this is simply a full Moon occurring within 10% of perigee. Perigee was last Tuesday so EME path losses will slowly rise all week. Moon declination is negative until Saturday so we’ll see lengthening Moon visibility windows and peak Moon elevations as the week goes on. Two meteor showers to look out for this week. The Eta-Aquarids has a broad peak around the 6th of May with a good Zenithal Hourly Rate or ZHR of 50, then the much smaller Eta Lyrids on the 8th. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS NEWS Sunday the 25th of April 2021 The news headlines: 400 lockdown nets for Hambleton Martin, G3YJO on Radio Four Free Contest University online   On the 22nd of April, Hambleton ARS passed the 400th consecutive day of a net on 2m FM. It was started during the Covid-19 lockdown to keep members and amateurs in the area in touch and able to summon help or assistance if required. The net starts at 11 am on the calling frequency and usually moves to S18 if clear. All amateurs are invited to join in and, so far, over 70 different stations have been logged. The net controller is usually Tony, G3MAE, who has ‘missed’ less than five days of operating during that time. A Cabin Fever award is available for any station taking part, issued by Tim, G0TYM via email, see QRZ.com. This week, Radio 4’s programme, The Life Scientific, featured Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, G3YJO. He is the pioneer of microsatellites. He talked about his progress from UOSAT 1 via Cubesats to the Surrey Satellite Technology sale to Airbus. You can hear the interview online via BBC Sounds. The Dayton Hamvention may have been cancelled for 2021, but the Contest University will still take place on the 20th of May. It will be held online, free of charge, via Zoom, starting at 1300UTC. Registration is open at contestuniversity.com. There is an IET webinar about amateur radio on the 12th of May starting at 7.30 pm. You might be interested to see how the presenter, Phil Gould, presents the hobby to the audience. It is a free lecture, entitled To the other side of the world and beyond: An appreciation of amateur radio. Go to events.theiet.org and scroll through until you reach the 12th of May. You can register via the button there. The Radio Club of Haiti’s 10m FM repeater project is now live. It operates with its transmitter on 29.620MHz and its receiver on 29.520MHz. The tone is 103.5Hz. At the moment the callsign is HH70X/R but that will be changing to HH2BM/R in honour of Bernard, HH2BM who sadly didn’t see the project go live before becoming silent key. The Youngsters On The Air Summer Camp due to be held in Croatia has been postponed until 2022 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. News on the rearranged camp will be available nearer the new date. SOS Radio Week is an annual event that sees many amateur radio stations get on the air. The aim is to raise awareness of the voluntary work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and National Coastwatch Institution. The event starts at 0000UTC on the 1st of May and coincides with the RNLI’s own Mayday fundraising month. For further details of the event please visit sosradioweek.org.uk. The Hungarian Amateur Radio Society will commemorate the 230th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Morse with nine special callsigns. Look for activity on CW and SSB until the 27th of April. See MRASZ.org and click on S Morse Award 2021 for all the details. Now the DX news Joe, 9H5JO will be on the air at weekends during April from Malta. Between 1200 and 1300UTC each Saturday and Sunday, he will listen specifically for Foundation licensees on, or very near to, 14.268MHz. This could be a really good opportunity to get Malta in your logbook. Matthew, M0ZMS will be seconded to the RAF station at Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands, SA-002, from late April to late August. He will be active as VP8ZMS, hopefully using the Royal Air Force ARS club station shack. He operates digital modes, CW and some SSB. QSL via home call and Logbook of The World; logsearch on Club Log. Ali, EP3CQ will be back in Mogadishu, Somalia from the 25th of April for two months. In his spare time, he will operate mainly FT8 on various bands as 6O1OO. QSL direct to details on qrz.com. Take, JI3DST will be active as JI3DST/5 from Shodo Island, AS-200, from the 29th of April to the 5th of May. He will operate SSB, CW and FT8 on the 40 to 6m bands, and will also be on the air as JR8YLY/5. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS. Now the Special Event news 8N1MORSE is a special callsign celebrating the 230th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Morse and other significant landmarks in the history of CW. It will be on the air until the 28th of February 2022. A website is under construction at 8n1morse.org. Now the contest news With different parts of the UK having different lockdown restrictions, please make sure you follow the appropriate rules. Several contests now accept portable entries, so please check the contest rules. Above all, please follow relevant national and local restrictions. This weekend the SP DX RTTY contest ends its 24-hour run at 1200UTC today, the 25th. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. SP stations also exchange their Province code. Today, the 25th, the BARTG Sprint 75 contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is just the serial number. On Tuesday the SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2.3GHz and up bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Wednesday sees the UK EI Contest Club 80m contest run from 1900 to 2000UTC. It’s CW only and the exchange is your locator reference. On Thursday the 80m Club Championships runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK only, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Next weekend, the 432MHz to 245GHz Trophy runs for 24 hours from 1400UTC on the 1st of May. Using all modes on those bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Saturday the 1st of May sees the 432MHz trophy contest run from 1400 to 2000UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next Sunday, the 2nd, the 10GHz Trophy runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Next weekend, the ARI International DX contest runs for 24 hours starting at 1200 on the 1st. Using CW, Phone and RTTY on the 3.5 to 28MHz contest bands, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Italian stations also give their Province code. Next Sunday, the 2nd, the UK Microwave group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon runs from the 1st of May to the 1st of August. Just exchange your 4-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA & G4BAO on Friday the 23rd of April. Last week was marked by solar flares, perhaps giving us a taste of things to come as the solar cycle progresses. The Kp index hit four on Monday after the weekend’s high of five. But luckily things then calmed down and we have been seeing the Kp index down to two overall. There was even one three-hour period where it was zero. We have had more sunspots this week, which are always welcome. Region 2817 has now rotated off the Sun’s visible disk, but regions 2816 and 2818 have been very active. They pushed the solar flux index to 86 on Monday, but it was back down to 78 by Thursday. The first M-class solar flare since the 29th of November 2020 was observed around region 2816 in the Sun’s southeast quadrant at 2342UTC on the 19th of April. Luckily, this occurred at night so had zero effect on the ionosphere over the UK. A coronal mass ejection, or CME, associated with this flare has been assessed as passing just behind Earth, but the Met Office’s space weather team said there was a slight chance of a glancing blow in the coming days. A long-duration C-class flare around the same region occurred at approximately 0415UTC on the 22nd and looks to have produced a possible Earth-directed CME. If this is the case, we may expect the Kp index to rise, perhaps early in the weekend, resulting in reduced maximum usable frequencies. HF conditions have been relatively lacklustre this week, although there has been some activity on 10m FT8. EA has been copied, perhaps via early-season Sporadic-E, and Bob, VP8LP on the Falkland Islands has put in an appearance during the late afternoon, as have numerous South American stations. Daytime MUFs over a 3,000km path have generally struggled to exceed 18MHz at times, although there have been the odd DX openings on 21, 24 and even 28MHz. Next week NOAA predicts the SFI will remain low, perhaps even dropping into the high 60s. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to be generally quiet with a maximum Kp index of three. But do look out for further solar flares, which could cause short-lived disturbances on HF and the strong possibility of coronal mass ejections that could impact the Earth one or two days later, depending on the solar wind speed. And now the VHF and up propagation news. Conditions are starting out with a Tropo frame of mind into this weekend, but there are hints of a small low tracking south across Scotland at the end of this weekend, and probably across the North Sea to establish low pressure to the east of the UK after midweek. This will probably mean that the Tropo period is weakened gradually and with further lows near southern Britain at the end of the week, there is likely to be a subtle shift to rain scatter propagation for the GHz bands. We keep flagging up the forthcoming Sporadic-E season and clusters show it's just getting underway in an FT8 sense. It will no doubt start to show up with 10m or 6m beacons soon, so worth checking your favourite beacon list regularly. If you haven’t got one yet, this would be a very good time to save a list of half a dozen frequencies for each band in the rig memories to make sure you can check for openings easily. From a jet stream perspective, initially, paths to Scandinavia look promising and by midweek probably more towards southeastern Europe and Ukraine. Moon declination went negative today, so Moon windows are short and the Moon is at low elevation. The upside is that we have low path losses with perigee tomorrow (Monday). The April Lyrids meteor shower produced some good meteor scatter QSOs last week and with the Eta-Aquarids set to peak on the 5th of May, the new meteor scatter season is well underway. Look at the usual frequencies for the mainly digimode activity. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

Ta Maralyn Crellin chebbal 'Shiaght Laa' lesh fys mychione Undinys Eiraght Vannin, myr v'eh, as mychione Undinys Reeoil ny Baatyn Sauaillagh neesht, as ta red ennagh neesht mychione Culture Vannin as ny seshoonyn Bree. Ayns 'Jamys Jeheiney', ta Jamys Kinry cur daa eysht jeig reesht - lesh cubbyl dy reddyn dy yannoo ad eer ny s'doillee. Cha nel veg ass 'Goll as Gaccan' ayns shoh, myr shoh ta shin goll er oai gys 'Claare ny Gael', lesh y chiarroo ayrn, yn ayrn s'jerree, jeh chyndaays jeh skeeal enmyssit Scapail! liorish Americanagh, Mike Scofield. As fy yerrey, ta Juan y Geill lhaih magh duillag shey jeh'n paraphrase jeh Pargys Caillt myr v'eh prentit ayns Lioar XX yn Cheshaght Vanninagh 'sy vlein 1872. Maralyn Crellin presents 'Shiaght Laa' with information about the Manx Heritage Foundation, as it was, and also about the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and there's also something about Culture Vannin and the Bree sessions. In 'Jamys Jeheiney', James Harrison poses twelve questions again - with a couple of things to make them even more difficult. There is nothing from 'Goll as Gaccan' here, so we move on to 'Claare ny Gael', with the final, fourth part of a translation of a story called Escape! by an American, Mike Scofield. And finally, John Gell reads out page 6 of the paraphrase of Paradise Lost as printed in the Manx Society's Volume XX of 1872.

Maralyn Crellin introduces a programme in which we meet Yn Greinneyder, the newly-appointed Manx Language Development Officer to Culture Vannin, Ruth Keggin Gell. Culture Vannin began its Bree sessions in 2006 to inspire young musicians, singers and dancers. This year's Big Bree Weekend will be coming up at the end of this month, but this week was an important deadline. Manx Music Development Officer, Yn Greinneyder Kiaullee, Chloe Woolley, tells us about that. With the importance of the Island as the birthplace of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, we hear about a stirring and gallant rescue on 6th October 1889 - when Charlie Cain and the Peel lifeboat crew saved all aboard a Norwegian ship, the St George - you can still the figurehead in Peel Lifeboat Station today.

On today's show comedian and writer Colm O'Regan talks about his article on old fashioned petrol stations, Royal National Lifeboat Institution has attracted headlines recently, Ray speaks to Damian Payne, Mike Swan and Kieran Cotter and Gerry Daly is in studio to go through the winners of our Bord Bia GroMór Competition.

They're back after a two week interlude! This week Canon Ann wonders what it would be like to play a stick of celery while Aled confesses to wearing very little on hot broadcasting days! In and amongst the mayhem they celebrate the work of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and all those going the extra mile to help others.

WTF Wednesday Edition -Bison are generally mad as hell and it seems that they're not going to take it anymore. This Australian idiot (below) tried to pull off a sick finishing move while hunting a Bison with a crossbow, but he got just a scoch too close and paid the price in the form of a pound of flesh from each thigh. I hope he's delicious. -Two hammered Irish sailors were sentenced to real jail time after they sailed 26 foot pleasure craft into a shipping lane which they then refused to get out of for either the harbor master or Royal National Lifeboat Institution. -Hugo's Tacos in LA was forced to close both of it's locations temporarily after the restaurant's employees were repeatedly attacked by customers whom were asked to put on masks. According to a post on Hugo's Facebook page (below) some customers went as far as to throw "objects and liquids" at the restaurant workers who dared threaten the customers liberty to breath unimpeded. -A Tampa man who runs a parrot sanctuary sent an email to the Tampa Bay Times recently arrived with the subject line “SOS.” The message read "My name is Majid Esmaeili (AKA) Magic and I am prisoner in my own property with over 200 parrots. No way to get in or out." ... this one is pretty self explanatory if you ask me. Also, after taking a look at this poor bastard it's pretty clear living amongst tropical birds was inevitable. ------------- Brought to you by http://PredictIt.org/promo/HardFactor20 - match your first $20 deposit in the stock market of politics. Follow Hard Factor: Twitter - @HardFactorNews / @BarstoolNewsN Instagram - @HardFactorNews / @BarstoolNewsNet Youtube - HardFactorNews Voice Mail - 512-270-1480 Hard Factor Mark: Twitter - @HardFactorMark IG - @HardFactorMark Hard Factor Pat: Twitter - @HardFactorPat IG - @Pclassidy Hard Factor Wes: Twitter - @HardFactorWes IG - @HardFactorWes Hard Factor Will: Twitter - @HardFactorWill IG - @HardFactorWill

Founded in 1824, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution provided the British Isles with a standing organization of trained volunteers ready and willing to save those in peril in the surrounding waters on a moment's notice.

There can hardly be a greater London Legacy than that of saving lives of Londoners every day on the River Thames. For centuries the Thames has been the iconic lifeblood of our glorious city. But there is also a darker side to this ancient tidal river. This is the calling and passion of many supremely dedicated men and women who work for the amazing Royal National Lifeboat Institution or RNLI. Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station is one of four on the Thames and is the second busiest in the UK and Ireland. Since its launch in 2002, Chiswick has attended over 3500 incidents and rescued over 1730 people. Unlike other stations, Chiswick operates around the clock crew, ready to launch within 90 seconds. Full time crew work alongside volunteers from all sections of society, who all give up their time to help save lives on the Thames. This is the story of Mark Turrell and James Anthony who have dedicated their lives for very good personal reasons to the RNLI.“The Lifeboats were put on the Thames due to one incident back in 1989 – which was the collision between the Marchioness and the Bowbelle.” 4:00 The Thames didn’t have a dedicated rescue service until 1989 after a dredger, the Bowbelle collided with a party boat named the Marchioness, taking 50 lives as the boat sank in about 30 seconds. It stands as one of the greatest tragedies the river and city has ever seen.There was no investigation, and the victims’ families had to press charges and prosecute—although no one individual was ever found to be at fault. But after the disaster it became clear that a service was needed to standby on the Thames and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution was born.  7:50 The RNLI has 9 full time staff members and more volunteers that standby. Around the coast the RNLI is solely volunteer base, but with traffic and London’s busy nature—you’d never make it to the boat in time to make a difference. They run a tight 90 second deadline to respond and hit the water—every station has this so that they can overlap and be on scene in 15 minutes or under. “I’ve slept in this room more than my own bedroom the last two years.'' 17:00 Mark and James have seen everything on the Thames. They respond to hundreds of calls a year that range in seriousness from loss of life—to company directors naked and stranded from being dared to swim across the river. The Thames is a serious body of water that takes 8 hours for the tide to go out, but only 4 for it to rush back in.As such, the RNLI is a highly trained group with a very serious position in keeping Londoner’s safe with the river that has been the lifeblood of the city for centuries. Thankfully the volunteers and staff get assistance for the gravest of incidents, and the full time staff make sure that the volunteers are ready before exposing them to the more extreme cases of rescue, and sadly, recovery as well. Marks on reasons for joining the service are quite personal, as are many others, and the crew do their job with the upmost respect for those on the river—whether that’s a bunch of party goers on swan floats and a bouncy castle floating the wrong way, dogs washed away with the current, and all matter of accidents and dangers. You can follow the RNLI and the amazing work they do at their website Twitter and Facebook pages. Mark also successfully crowdfunded to start a program teaching how to gives dogs CPR, something he just put into practice saving his own dog’s life. Mark and James were kind enough to take me out on the river, and although the recording was too muffled to use, I can attest to their skill and professionalism from seeing it firsthand, and I can’t encourage you enough to support them as they continue to protect London and its waters.   Support this podcast

Two friends with very different political opinions... George Kup and Callum Gurr discuss the Lib Dem's new policy to revoke Article 50, Jeremy Corbyn's leadership and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Jen Kneale has an affinity with the sea that stems from a lifetime spent on the ocean. It’s no exaggeration to say that a love of the sea runs in her veins: like her father and grandfather before her she is now a coxswain - or captain - of the lifeboat on the Isle of Man. Jen was the first female coxswain in the island - the original home of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution - and only the 4th nationwide.  Jen is also a successful businesswoman, having set up her own sailing school at the age of 25, a coach and an international sailor, representing Great Britain in the Laser class. She runs an annual This Girl Can sailing weekend aimed at getting women and girls to try sailing, and is passionate about continuing to increase opportunities across the lifeboats and beyond.  In 2017, on her second crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, Jen taught herself celestial navigation, the art and science of navigating via the sun, the moon and the stars, as they did in the days of Captain Cook and Christopher Columbus. She is certainly a woman of many talents… Where to find Jen and the RNLI: Jen's website - http://www.7thwave-iom.com/activities-courses/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/7thwaveiom/  RNLI website - https://rnli.org  RNLI Twitter - https://twitter.com/RNLI   RNLI YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/officialrnli  RNLI Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnli/  Follow us for more: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smashingtheceiling/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/smashingceiling Facebook: www.facebook.com/smashingtheceiling  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-mellor-171550150/           

Everybody wants the best for their family, especially when it comes to health. Helena talked to a very special guest who has a perfect solution for your family. Damien Payne is the Director of Sales and Account Management for ‘Further’. He manages existing client accounts and the launch of new business with regional teams across the E.U., Russia/CIS and the Middle East. His work has been central to the vision that anyone anywhere should be able to access the best healthcare. What he enjoys most is knowing that the effort he and his team are making will open a world of treatment possibilities to those facing serious illness and have a profound impact on their lives. Damien’s biggest passion is his volunteer work for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charity that rescues people at sea. He’s qualified as a helmsman and navigator on their search and rescue boats. Damien says saving lives is a very rewarding experience and thinks the work the RNLI does is invaluable. Listen on Show Notes .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .inf_infusionsoft_form_content { background-color: #ffffff !important; } .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .inf_infusionsoft_form_container .inf_infusionsoft_form_header { background-color: #000000 !important; } .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .carrot_edge .inf_infusionsoft_form_content:before { border-top-color: #000000 !important; } .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .carrot_edge.inf_infusionsoft_form_right .inf_infusionsoft_form_content:before, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .carrot_edge.inf_infusionsoft_form_left .inf_infusionsoft_form_content:before { border-top-color: transparent !important; border-left-color: #000000 !important; } @media only screen and ( max-width: 767px ) {.inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .carrot_edge.inf_infusionsoft_form_right .inf_infusionsoft_form_content:before, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .carrot_edge.inf_infusionsoft_form_left .inf_infusionsoft_form_content:before { border-top-color: #000000 !important; border-left-color: transparent !important; } }.inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .inf_infusionsoft_form_content button { background-color: #000000 !important; } .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 .inf_infusionsoft_form_content button { background-color: #000000 !important; } .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 h2, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 h2 span, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 h2 strong { font-family: "Oswald", Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; }.inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 p, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 p span, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 p strong, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 form input, .inf_infusionsoft .inf_infusionsoft_optin_50 form button span { font-family: "Oswald", Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; } Want To Read Full Transcript? Then Make Sure To Download Damien Payne's Show Notes DOWNLOAD SHOW NOTES NOW! Please provide consent.Yes, I consent to receiving direct marketing from this website. You have Successfully Subscribed! Connect With Me Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube Linkedin

In today’s episode of the Mastering The Life Podcast, your host Paul Lowe interviews Colin Slater MBE. Colin is an octagenerian gentleman who spent his life in broadcasting and more specifically, in the world of football. Colin shares his knowledge and insights about how to master life and his views on broadcasting and football. Colin discusses how life has changed over the span of years. He also recalls the time when high blood pressure didn’t have any medicine. He also talks about the most important characters that he met during his lifetime. Listen now to today’s episode on life and how it is an ever-changing game. KEY TAKEAWAYS         Insight to life in general. Change is constant in life, and Colin has seen a lot of change over the past decades. He mentions that change is development and therefore, moving forward; but it doesn’t always. Not all changes work for the better. They are not all for the benefit of society because they don't move the world forward. But he's seen changes pretty well in every part of the world in which he had moved and had his being. He cannot think of an area where he has not seen change. He recognizes that there had been enormous changes as a result of technical improvements over the ages. Where would we be today without such improvements?         Medical Advancement. Previously, having a gall bladder operation would have left a big scar - not now though. Recently, a friend of Colin's also underwent the removal of a gall bladder; this time by keyhole surgery and without the subsequent external bodily scar. That's a transformation for good. In the 1940’s Colin’s father was diagnosed with high blood pressure. He was advised to lower consumption of salt and very sparingly eating red meat. There was no medicine then, his father died when he was around 46 years old. Unlike now, there is already pretty much a pill for everything.         Life is complex. He is not saying that it's frighteningly complex or anything like that, but he does believe that - due to relationships with others - life can often become complicated. A good example being in the workplace; you don't always agree - or even like - colleagues but nonetheless, still have to deal with whatever challenges may be presented.  Not all people are co-operative; they're not all even-tempered and not everyone is on your side - but you have still got to deal with them for the benefit of your employers and for your own development as a character, as a person.         Bill Shankly. The man who created what Liverpool Football Club is today. They are Bill Shankly's Club.         Common trait of great people - be it in broadcasting or football - is never to be satisfied with second best - always wanting to do your best. Success in life, if it's not going to be a flash in the pan, a one-off, is not achieved by sitting-back and resting on your laurels. It’s achieved by very hard, dedicated work. People under-rate how much work goes in. These people haven't just achieved what they did achieve by chance or luck.  They don't ever do that. This breed of person, they always take it on and take it further, and that's what makes them stand out as outstanding people.         Principles. There is something interesting about people who joined boards of directors of football clubs. He’s known so many of them over the years. He’s known them well. And he’s known that they were undoubtedly successful in business, but they run their businesses to certain principles, and they were keen always to apply those principles year in year out. “That's got us where we are and we are going to stay with our principles. We're not going to be tempted away from them.” Colin thinks that's a very fine trait.         Life’s purpose. What he has learned in life, and what he tried to apply day by day, it is to give off his best in all circumstances, and he picked those words carefully because it means to give, means giving of yourself.         Voluntary sectors. The voluntary sector helps to keep Britain going. Two examples. One is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Saving Lives at Sea running entirely on voluntary subscriptions. Two is the British Red Cross who flourishes despite the problem of having to raise every penny for themselves. But these things only happen and were only able to achieve them because there are enough people in society, could do with more; but there are enough people in society who give themselves.         Poverty. An alternative to prosperity, is usually thought of and often is another 'P' and it is poverty, and we know what poverty is. Poverty is when you are scraping money together when you don't have enough money to do what really you need to be able to do. Values have changed. The value of money has changed remarkably. Colin started his working life with a weekly wage of 1 pound and 10 shillings. He knows what it is not to have enough money. He knows and remembers it. And he never allows it to leave him completely. Later on, you get more money and you can do more things like holidays, leisure time. But never allow yourself to forget those days in the past when you never had enough.         Things that you can’t control.  When you experience a situation that you cannot do anything about. Ask yourself. Can I do anything to change it? No, I can't. So just draw a deep breath.         Prosperity from Wikipedia. Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, good fortune or successful social status, prosperity often encompasses wealth, but also includes other factors which can be independent of wealth to varying degrees such as happiness and health. Good health is prosperity. When you are unwell. You cannot function efficiently, and you cannot do well. Also, if you sat where other people sit, in terms of being in pain, being less comfortable living your life, and then you get to understand how they feel. So, a bit of suffering, that does that sharpen you up in recognizing that some people have that kind of set back and difficulty in all of their life and every one of their days.         Service above self. This principle that is hugely important. Service to others above self can sometimes cause inconvenience. So, service to society above self.         Words of wisdom for the young generation. When you are choosing your first job or an early job in your career, never think that money as the all-important factor that would convince you to take job A rather than job B. it isn't. What will really matter to your long-term success in life is whether or not when you join a firm, a company, whatever it is. Whenever you join, there is somebody there, who has the skill and the willingness to teach you the rudiments of the job that's something that money cannot buy.         Words of wisdom for those who are getting on in terms of years a bit. Every now and again, have a little review of where you've come from and where you are and where you want to be and are you content that you are on the right path? A little bit of audit of one's own life is no bad thing.         Words of wisdom for older people. when you get older, don't think, don't believe for a moment that this means that you have to be on the scrap heap.  No, you should still be for all your experience and knowledge greatly valued by the rest of society in a very positive way. BEST MOMENTS         “Character is the bedrock of all who are and of our relationships, but you have to work at all those relationships.”         “Perseverance is a big word in what it entails, in what it means, and what it can do for all of us in life. Persevere - persevere to the end; not just for five minutes.”         “I don't know what it is that galvanizes such people because it may be different qualities in different people but they get galvanized wanting to reach the top, wanting to be hugely successful and never ever being satisfied with second best.”         “But it's around having a purpose, a light, a direction that we need to follow because if we don't stand for something, we'll fall for everything.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Paul's Mastering The Game of Life Book... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Speaking-our-Hearts-Mastering-game/dp/1781332819 Paul's Emerging From The Forest Book...Emerging From The Forest The Mastering Life Podcast... https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/mastering-life/id1421271122?mt=2 ABOUT THE HOST Something that’s never been attached to Paul is the label ‘normal’ – for which he is immensely proud.  He definitely subscribes to being one of those mentioned – in the Steve Jobs quote: “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Paul Lowe is the founder of PaulLoweHEARTS – which has a three-fold purpose.  Firstly, to help you make the transition from Pain to Purpose; secondly, to get your inspirational messages and stories out into the world and thirdly, to support charitable organisations in their development & fund-raising. We achieve this by: Delivering our empowering Mindset For Success programmes Sharing your true-life inspirational messages and stories through our Mastering Life Podcast and our Speaking From Our HEARTS book series Utilising our significant charitable knowledge and experience. Find Your Purpose – Make A Difference Paul is totally committed to his HEARTS brand vision (an acronym) of: ‘Helping Everyone Achieve Results Towards Success’. He has a long and distinguished track record of raising significant funds for a multitude of good causes; positively changing the lives of many disadvantaged children within the UK and globally – drawing on his colourful and wide-ranging life's experiences to help others do the same and achieve success in the game of life. “Remember – Mastering Life Starts, By Embracing Our HEARTS!” CONTACT METHOD Email: paul@paul-lowe.org http://www.paullowehearts.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PaulLoweHEARTS/ https://twitter.com/PaulLoweHEARTS https://www.instagram.com/paullowehearts/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqmznF8VCcZKEdSfE7VlwUA Mobile: +44 (0) 7958 042 155 ABOUT THE GUEST Colin Slater MBE is an English Sports commentator; previously serving BBC Radio Nottingham.  He has reported and commentated on football matches at Notts County since 1959, initially writing match reports for ‘The Football News’ and ‘The Football Post’ before joining Radio Nottingham in 1968.  Prior to that, Colin worked as a journalist on local newspapers in Bradford. He was awarded an MBE in 2001, not only for his contribution to radio, but also for his work with the Football Association and his role as the Deputy Chairman of the Nottingham Bench of Magistrates (NBoM). Colin has covered over 2000 Notts County matches for Radio Nottingham, the milestone completed in November 2007, when Notts played Macclesfield Town. In April 2017, he announced that he was to retire from commentary duties for BBC Radio Nottingham although he would remain as the station's Notts County correspondent.  Later that year, he was named as an Honorary Life President of Notts County Football Club, in recognition of his many years of dedication to the club. He represents the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham on the General Synod of the Church of England.

The rough, cold waters off Scotland's Isle of Islay are a challenge for even the best sailors, and one might think it madness to try and swim around the island. A year ago, three men did just that and collected whiskies from each of Islay's eight distilleries along their journey in the "Great Islay Swim." Veteran explorers Justin Fornal and Chad Anderson were joined by Beam Suntory brand ambassador Johnnie Mundell, who brought his own open-water swimming background and his connections on Islay to the challenge. We'll talk with Johnnie Mundell about his life-changing experience on WhiskyCast In-Depth and taste the whisky that's been bottled from that challenge and is being sold to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. In the news, the ringleader of Kentucky's "Pappygate" thefts has been released on shock probation after serving just 30 days of his 15-year prison sentence, while a judge's ruling is all that remains before the stolen whiskey seized as evidence in the case can be destroyed. Meanwhile, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society whiskies seized from four British Columbia bars last January are still locked up as evidence, but a provincial review panel has recommended policy changes that might lead to those whiskies being returned to the shelves. We'll have that story, along with details on the week's new whisky releases and as summer temperatures soar, we'll have tasting notes for a whiskey-flavored ice cream to beat the heat!

Episode 24 of PR Bants, with special guest Dr Lee Edwards from the Department of Media at the London School of Economics, covers these topics: The Royal Wedding Sainsbury's CEO caught singing in PR blunder The impact of GDPR and how it is being communicated Coronation Street and the role soaps play in tackling real life issues The Royal National Lifeboat Institution defends its reputation Happy listening, and let us know what you think by tweeting @PRbants using the hashtag #PRbants Music from Jukedeck - create your own at Jukedeck

Episode 24 of PR Bants, with special guest Dr Lee Edwards from the Department of Media at the London School of Economics, covers these topics: The Royal Wedding Sainsbury's CEO caught singing in PR blunder The impact of GDPR and how it is being communicated Coronation Street and the role soaps play in tackling real life issues The Royal National Lifeboat Institution defends its reputation Happy listening, and let us know what you think by tweeting @PRbants using the hashtag #PRbants Music from Jukedeck - create your own at Jukedeck

In his first message of the series, Pastor Phyl spoke on the Light of the Universe, which is God, a natural light, which is both physical, and expected. Today, he draws our attention to the invention of the personal flotation device, which has undergone many transformations to become the life jacket we know today. It is originally credited to one Captain Ward, an inspector with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, who created a cork vest which provided both weather protection and buoyancy. However, in 1900, Gustave Trouve patented a life jacket, powered by a small maritime battery, which allowed the device to inflate, to receive and transmit messages and to launch a distress flare. It is this battery that also gave it the ability to power a light, which could shine out in the darkness, much like the light in our memory verse from 2Corinthians 4:6. In the second part of his series, Pastor Phyl speaks of a second type of light: The Light of Humanity, which is Christ Jesus. Looking at Psalm 27:1, he shows how all through the scriptures, there is the theme of Jesus being the carrier of light to the world. Isaiah prophecies about a great light dawning in the land of deep darkness, and we see this prophecy fulfilled in Matthew 4 when Jesus hears about John the Baptist being arrested. This is the same man who is spoken of in the Gospel of John. John the Baptist was clear when he said that he was not the light, but came so that he may testify to that light. Jesus is the source of spiritual light to the world. Without Jesus, salvation would not be achievable, and the New Covenant would not have been ushered in. The Old Covenant, which was only between God and the people of Israel would still be in place. Jesus, in bringing in the New Covenant, opened the curtain to us, and allowed us, too, to enter the holy of holies. This is shown in Psalm 27:1, where the light of salvation; the light of the New Promise is revealed to us. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit dwelt on men, but in the New Testament, under the New Promise of Jesus, the Spirit dwells in men. Jesus gives us the power to stand, to witness, and to quicken our mortal bodies. He gives us the light of forgiveness and atonement. In 1John 1:5, it is made clear that in coming to Christ, we must have a repentant heart, and acknowledge what we've done wrong, and then we may ask for forgiveness. Finally, Jesus brings us the light of reconciliation. Pastor Phyl illustrated this with the use of the word “Atonement”. Separating out the word, it gives a literal meaning for God's will for us. “At One Ment” – We are meant to be at one with God, but because of Sin, this is not possible. Jesus came so that these two (Us and God) could be brought together once more. In closing, Pastor Phyl returned to the life jacket analogy, asking us if we are using our life jacket. When we are trapped in the darkness, he reminds us that Jesus is bigger than anything we may feel like we're drowning in, whether it is financial circumstances, disaster, illness or bereavement, or even a work situation. Things can seem incredibly hopeless when you are in the darkness, but Jesus came to shine a light in our lives. He wants us to walk in the light. So, are you using the light on your life jacket?   Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 4:6, Psalm 27:1, Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 4:12, John 1:6-14, 1 John 1:5-10, John 1:9-12

How can people running charities balance doing good, maximising income, while retaining public trust? The sector is undergoing changes in regulation in the wake of scandals involving fundraising and governance. Evan Davis meets the experts. Taking part are: the chairman of the new Fundraising Regulator, Lord Grade of Yarmouth; Jayne Clarke of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Simon Gillespie from the British Heart Foundation.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution funds lifeboats around the coast of Britain to rescue seafarers who are in danger. Jill talks fisherman Sean Baxter about the 30 years he spent as the helmsman of the lifeboat in the village of Staithes on the North East Coast on England. Then Michael Lowell who hails from the island of Malta cooks a traditional Maltese dinner for Jill and some friends. Michael shares his recipe for farfalle al salmone and discusses his very Mediterranean perspective on food. Finally Jill chats to author and psychotherapist Karol Ward about how we can improve our intuition and when to rely on it. Jill also answers a listener’s question about natural ways to deal with acne.  

From the Management news series: as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, academics from Engineering and Management Sciences collaborate with the RNLI to relate technical expertise with commercial knowledge to reduce the operational costs of the RNLI’s fleet of lifeboats.

Four songs reflecting the work of FolkCast's chosen charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Songs of the sea and rivers from Josienne Clarke - Philip Butler - Show Of Hands - Acoustra. The show is released to raise awareness of and money for the RNLI's SOS Day 2011 - January 28th. Please donate to the RNLI - see the show's details for a link to the charity. See the ShowNotes at www.folkcast.co.uk

In this edition of the show we were messing about in boats. For instance, Light Vessel 18, the former Trinity House lightship was nearly ready for her new role as a floating Radio Station to help celebrate the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's 175th anniversary. Radio Northsea International was planning to be heard over in the area of the English county of Essex and beyond starting on 3rd August 1999 on 190 metres medium wave, that is, 1575 kiloHertz. This revivial was only for the month of August. This programme also updated the story about Quality Radio 1224 kHz and quashed the rumour that AFN was planning to close down its Frankfurt transmitter on AM. I also like the preview of the Funkausstellung 1999 from the late Bob Tomalski. He was brilliant - still sadly missed. And he was spot on in his predictions. The photo is taken in Lemmer, one of the harbours on the Ijsselmeer lake