GB2RSNEWS
Sunday13th May2018
[Note to Newsreaders: Please amend your ‘tops and tails’ to ask people to send information to , as noted before.
We have received a query asking whether, in order to avoid overrunning their time slot, Newsreaders can omit irrelevant-seeming items from the Main News (such as a rally taking place at the other end of the country on the day of broadcast that no listener could possibly attend). The short answer is YES – use your skill and judgement, in much the same way as has been done for years with the more-distant Local News items. We would however expect you to announce a distant rally happening next weekend.]
Thenewsheadlines:
- Thousands watch CubeSat deployment
- 2x1 calls for Norwegian clubs
- 2017 CQ WW CW contest logs to be re-scored
ThreeCubeSatswere deployed on Friday from the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo aboard the International Space Station. The satellites wereIrazu from Costa Rica, 1KUNS-PF from Kenya and UBAKUSAT from Turkey. All of them carry amateur radio telemetry payloads; UBAKUSATalso carries a linear transponder for SSB and CW. Details of the beacon and transponder frequencies can be found via the amsat-uk.org website. The deployment was broadcast live from the ISS via YouTube and was watched by thousands of people.
The Norsk Radio Relae Liga, RSGB’s counterpart in Norway, has been given the responsibility to issue new 2x1 contest callsigns to that nation’s amateur community. The first 27 calls were issued in mid-April at the country’s biggest rally, Norsk Hammeting, and last five years. With few exceptions the new callsigns are available only to clubs and an admin fee of approaching £100 is payable, which is passed on to the country’s communications regulator, NCA.
A change in scoring methodology for handling duplicate contacts in the CW weekend of the 2017 CQ World Wide DX Contest led to an inconsistency with the standards by which logs submitted for the SSB weekend of the same contest were scored. After considerable discussion and debate among members of the CQ WW Contest Committee and consultation withCQmanagement, it was decided to restore the original scoring methodology and to re-score all CW logs for the 2017 CQ WW DX contest. Updated scores will be published online on theCQ websiteand on theCQ World Wide DX Contest website, but the re-scoring is not expected to result in any changes to the order of finish.
Next weekend is the Dayton Hamvention®, mentioned in more detail later. The RSGB QSL Bureau is attending, which will of course mean they are out of the office for some time. This, plus an expected influx of cards from Dayton will make them very busy afterwards. All Members, clubs and special event stations are asked to delay sending any other cards to the Bureau until after the 3rd of June.
Also next weekend, on 19 and 20 May, Albania’s Open Source conference, OSCAL 18 takes place in Tirana. Daniel Pocock, M0GLR / VK3TQRhopes to run a prominent amateur radio demonstration station at the event. No callsign has been announced but information on the plans is online attinyurl.com/GB2RS-0513A
[Note to Newsreaders: the original, full URL is
CQScotland.com will be providing free electronic kits for accompanied school-age children attending the Scottish Electronics and Radio Convention. It takes place at the Braehead Arena, Glasgow, on the 20th of May. A dedicated construction area will be set up, and help will be on hand so children should leave with a fully working project. Alternatively, it may be built at home with a parent. The kits and construction session is sponsored by the RSGB and Antex Electronics Ltd.
Finally, Darenth Valley Radio Society announces that they still have places for their Foundation course starting on the 9th of June. More information can be obtained from Mike, G8AXA, via email to .
Andnowforthedetailsofralliesandeventsforthecomingweek
Today, the 13th, the Lough Erne Amateur Radio Rally takes place at Share Centre, Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh BT92 0EQ. Access in NI is from the M1, A5 & A4, or via the M/N3 from the RoI. Doors open at 11.30am. Details from David, GI4VHO, on 07842910076, or online at
Next Thursday the Dayton Hamvention®opens its doors from 8am at Greene County Fair & Exposition Center, Xenia, Dayton, Ohio, USA. The event runs until Sunday afternoon. There will be trade stands and the usual huge flea market as well as special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. A lecture programme will take place each day. There are multiple catering outlets and family attractions on site. US exams are available, and there is a door raffle. Details by email to or online at
Next Sunday the Sarcom Braehead Radio Electronics Rally is at Kings Inch Road, Glasgow G51 4BN. Doors open from 10am to 4pm and entry is £4. Talk-in is available. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy, flea market, special interest groups, an RSGB bookstall and family attractions.There will be lectures on the day. Catering and a licensed bar are on site. There will be a raffle. More from Andrew Hood, GM7GDE, on 0782 593 2488, or email .
Finally for next weekend, the 35th Dunstable Downs Radio Club amateur radio car boot sale takes place on Sunday at Stockwood Park, London Rd. Farley Hill, Luton LU1 5PP. Please note that the date was printed incorrectly in the April RadCom but correctly in the May edition. All the usual facilities will be there, and further details are online at
TogetyourrallyoreventinformationintoGB2RSNews,RadComandontheRSGBwebsite,.
AndnowtheDXnewscompiledfrom425DXNewsandothersources
Take, JG8NQJ/JD1 will be onthe small Japanese atoll of Minami Torishima from mid-May to mid-August.This is Islands on the Air reference OC-073 and a separate DXCC entity.
Chris, VK3QB, Brenton, VK3YB and Luke, VK3HJwill be active asVK9LI from Lord Howe Island, OC-004 until the 18th of May. They will operate CW, SSB and FT8 on 160 to 17 metres.
A team of 6 US operators will be QRV from Rarotonga in the South Cook Islands from the 13th to 25th of May. This is OC-013 for IOTA.
OM3RM will be activeas CT9ABNfromMadeira, AF-014, on the 19th to 29th May. He will be QRV on 80 to 10 metres and will be CR3DX in CQWPX CW.
A number of stations should be active on May 12th to 13th from Liechtenstein, including severalflora and fauna sites.
EJ7NET, from Inisheer Island, EU-006, will be active from the 19th to 23rd of May.The operators are EI5IQ, EI6FR, EI7DSB, GM3YEH, GM7WCO and HB9DGV.They plan to be active on HF and 6 metres.
The Castres DX Gang will operateTM5FIfromRatonneau Island in the Frioul Archipelago, EU-095, until May 16th. They will be QRV from 80 to 6m, using SSB, CW and digital modes.
The C8T operation from Mozambique continues until May 15th. And the 3B9RUN operation on Rodrigues Island (AF-017) continues until May 16th. They should operate SSBand FT8 on 80-10 metres.
Members of Camb-Hams are on the island of Islay, EU-008 until the 20th of May, operating on multiple bands.
Nowthespecialeventnews
Many stations are on the air for some or all RNLI SOS month. Details of all registered stations are online at and there are free awards available for working or even just hearing them.
This weekend is Mills on the Air and many special event stations are active. As mentioned last week, the May RadCom contains a list of some of the callsigns to listen out for.
If you apply for a Special Event Notice of Variation from Ofcom, please remember to tick both boxes that ask about publicity, otherwise the RSGB won’t be told about your event and thus we can’t promote it for you.
Next weekend will see a raft of special callsigns on the air to celebrate the Royal Weddingbetween HRH Prince Harry and Ms Megan Markle. Cray Valley Radio Society lead the pack with GR9RW, believed to be the first-ever use of the GR9 prefix. Operation will be from the 19th to the 23rd, on HF to UHF.
A reminder that all UK radio amateurs – Foundation, Intermediate and Full – are entitled to apply for a Notice of Variation to change their Regional Secondary Locator to ‘R’ between the 19th and 21st of May. Please note that you MUST apply for the NoV, which is free, via rsgb.org/rwrslbefore going on the air with the ‘R’. For example, 2W1xxx would be able to sign 2R1xxx and M6xxx would be MR6xxx. This very rare prefix is likely to be in very high demand from stations around the world, so get your NoV as soon as you can and prepare for the DX to start calling you next weekend.
Nowthecontestnews
Today, the 13th, the RSGB 70MHz CW contest, VHF CW Championship event, takes place from 0900UTC to 1200UTC. Using CW only on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and postcode.
Also today the Worked All Britain 40m Phone contest runs from 1000UTC to 1400UTC on the 7MHz band. Using SSB only, participants should exchange signal report, serial number and their WAB area.
Tuesday sees the RSGB 1.3GHz UKAC from 1900UTC to 2030UTC. Using all modes on 23cm, your signal report, serial number and locator form the exchange.
On Wednesday the RSGB 80m Club Championships data leg runs from 1900UTC to 2030UTC. Using data modes only on the 3.5MHz band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
Thursday is busy on 4m, with the RSGB 70MHz FMAC running from 1800UTC to 1900UTC, immediately followed by the all-mode 70MHz UKAC from 1900UTC to 2130 UTC. The exchange for both is the same, signal report, serial number and locator.
Next weekend the RSGB 144MHz May Contest takes place. Running for 24 hours from 1400UTC on Saturday the 19th until 1200UTC on Sunday, all modes are permissible on the 2m band. Signal report, serial number, locatorand postcode should be exchanged.
Finally for next Sunday, the UKuG mm-Wave contest takes place on all bands from 24-76GHz from 0900UTC to 1700UTC. All modes can be used, and the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Friday the 11th of May.
Our forecast last week was pretty much spot-on, with poor geomagnetic conditions plaguing us from Sunday the 6th.But before this, there was a pre-auroral HF enhancement on the Saturday that surprised many people. Steve, PJ4DX, on Bonaire in the Caribbean worked the UK on 17 metres and also made contact with Martin, M0BCT on 10 metres. He reports that Stephen, G7BXU, using a 5/8-wave vertical in Reading was also S9+ on 12 metres.Alas, things couldn’t last and we then went into a full geomagnetic storm, complete with a high K index, noisy bands, lower maximum usable frequencies and lots of fading.At this point in the solar cycle pre-auroral enhancements are worth looking out for. They are usually triggered by the first arrival of solar coronal hole material, but are difficult to predict accurately, so keep an eye on the bands.
Now to next week’s predictions, and a lack of Earth-facing coronal holes on the Sun as of Thursday 10th May, means this weekend may be more settled geomagnetically.Expect 20 and perhaps 17 metres to provide some good F-layer openings, and for the conditions to last until at least mid-week.NOAA then predicts the K index could rise to perhaps six on Thursday the 17th, probably due to a recurring coronal hole that has not yet rotated into view at the time this report was being prepared. This may be the coronal hole that caused the poor conditions 27 days earlier, around the time of International Marconi Day.So look for a possible pre-auroral enhancement from Wednesday evening or Thursday, followed by poorer F-layer HF conditions thereafter.The good news is that Sporadic-E is supporting strong short skip on 28MHz at times, with lots to work on FT8, CW and SSB.
And now the VHF and up propagation news
There have been some reasonable Tropo conditions recently, but mainly limited to coastal and sea paths. A UK amateur television record-breaking 5.6GHz contact using low power video senders was made last Wednesday, between the Norfolk and Yorkshire coasts, using a shallow surface duct. This can be a relatively-common feature in the summer, but they can be very shallow; climbing the cliffs may just make you too high.
This coming week, with high pressure nearby, there will continue to be options for more Tropo, but keep in mind that nocturnal cooling inversions that give some good overnight Tropo soon disperse after sunrise. Looking for the high-microwave-band beacons overnight often shows them appearing after a hot day.
Tropo is not guaranteed this week since the high pressure is rather weak and often replaced by shallow areas of low pressure with an attendant risk of thundery showers, giving some possibility of rain scatter on the microwave bands.
The Sporadic-E season is well under way. We need to look at the location of jet streams within Europe this week, which can influence the location of Sporadic-E. A north-westerly jet stream over the Pyrenees could help paths to EA and CT. As usual the best advice to capture Sporadic-E is to remember to check 10m and 6m when you get home from work. Checking beacons, the Reverse Beacon Network and clusters should be your first tasks before having your evening meal!
The moon reaches perigee, its closest point to Earth, on Thursday and maximum declination on Friday, so it’s a good week for EME.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.
Next, the Local News:
Please note that details of all RSGB-affiliated clubs and societies can be found on the RSGB website, including email addresses and website links where known.
[Note to Newsreaders: Please read the local news items appropriate to the service area of your transmission. For the avoidance of doubt, this means you can omit individual items that are beyond the range that your listeners are likely to find useful.]
NEWS FOR THE MIDLANDS
We start with news from clubs that have several events this week. Burton Amateur Radio Club has its net on 145.575MHz at 10am today and next Sunday. On Wednesday there’s a shack night and Thursday sees a club net on 145.575MHz from 7.30pm. Details from Mike Lewis, M0XMX on 0785 068 5961.
Lincoln Short Wave Club is taking part in Mills on the Air at Eliss Mill from 9.30am today. On Wednesday there’s a shack night alongside running the Dambusters special event station. Thursday sees the club net from 8pm via GB3LS. Next Saturday the shack is open from 9.30am plus new member induction. Contact Pam Rose, G4STO, on 01427 788 356.
Wythall Radio Club has its net on 145.225MHz or GB3WL from 8pm today and next Sunday. On Tuesday there’s a Morse class followed by a club meeting. Details from Chris, G0EYO, on 07710 412 819.
Coventry Amateur Radio Society has an open net on Monday from 8pm on 145.375MHz FM and or 7.16MHz ± QRM SSB. Thursday sees an open net from 8pm on 50.175MHz SSB. On Friday there’s the first round of the G4ZMC Portable Competition Trophy at Sowe common. Contact John, G8SEQ, on 07958 777 363.
Nunsfield House ARG is having a shack night on Monday. Thursday sees the club net on 145.325MHz from 8pm. On Friday there’s a shack club night and committee meeting. Contact Paul, G1SGZ, via email to .
RAF Waddington Amateur Radio Club has its neton Monday from 8pm on 145.325MHz and on Friday there’s a club night. Contact Bob, G3VCA, on 07971 166 250.
South Birmingham Radio Society is sorting equipment for Field Day on Monday. The regular coffee morning in the shack is from 11am on Tuesday, and visitors are very welcome. On Friday there’s an open meeting and ragchew. Contact Gemma, M6GKG, by email to .
Sutton Coldfield Amateur Radio Society has a club meeting on Monday. Tuesday sees an open net from 7.30pm on 70.475MHz. Details from Robert Bird, via email to .
Rugby ATS is taking part in the 1296MHz UKAC on Tuesday, alongside projects, CW practice and training. Next Saturday sees the shack on the air plus a training session. Contact Steve, G8LYB, on 01788 578 940.
Salop Amateur Radio Society has its club CW net on Tuesday from 4.30pm on 144.070MHz.Wednesday sees the club net on GB3LH from 8.30pm and on Thursday there’s a club equipment maintenance session. For details, email .
Now we return to the traditional listing in date order.On Monday Leicester Radio Society has a Morse class, committee meeting and free & easy night. Contact Sandra Morley, G0MCV, on 0793 027 4044.
On Monday South Normanton Alfreton & District Amateur Radio Club is having a natter night. Details from A Lawrence, 2E0BQS, on 01246 456 625.
On Monday Stratford upon Avon & District Radio Society is holding its AGM and surplus sale. Contact Clive, G0CHO, on 01608 664 488.
On Tuesday Loughborough & District Amateur Radio Club is holding a vintage night and encourages members to bring something along to discuss. More information from Chris, G1ETZ, on 01509 504 319.
On Wednesday Midland Amateur Radio Society is holding a general meeting with training classes and the shack on the air. Contact Norman, G8BHE, on 0780 807 8003.
On Wednesday Telford & District Amateur Radio Society is holding a surplus sale. Details from John Humphreys, M0JZH, on 07824 737 716.
On Thursday Kettering & District Amateur Radio Society has its net from 7pm on 145.300MHz FM. More information from Ed O’Neill, via email to .
On Thursday Solihull Amateur Radio Society is having a club night. Contact Roger Hancock, G4BBT, on 0121 743 7277.
On Friday Bromsgrove & District Amateur Radio Club is having a club night. Details from John, G4OJS, on 0788 9678 303.
On Saturday 19 May Melton Mowbray Amateur Radio Society has its construction contest. More information from Phil, G4LWB, on 01664 567 972.
NEWS FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND
We start with clubs that have several events this week. Denby Dale Radio Club has its net on GB3HD from 10.30am today and next Sunday. Today also sees activities for Mills on the Air and the Worked All Britain Contest. On Wednesday there’s a club night. Details from Darran, G0BWB, on 0797 442 3227.
Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club is active for Mills on the Air today from the North of England Lead Mining Museum in Weardale. Thursday sees training classes and a normal club night. For details, see
Thornton Cleveleys Amateur Radio Society has a fox hunt on Monday and a committee meeting on Wednesday. Details from John E Rodway, G4FRK, on 01253 862 810.