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G4APL > NEWS 17.08.25 08:40l 274 Lines 12957 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 17 Aug 2025
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From: G4APL@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO
To : NEWS@EU
GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 17th of August 2025
The news headlines:
* Read daily updates from the RSGB's YOTA summer camp team
* ‘Women in amateur radio' panel to be held at RSGB
Convention in October
* The RSGB Awards Manager announces a new awards series
This year's Youngsters on the Air summer camp begins tomorrow, Monday
the 18th of August and the RSGB is sending a team of four young
members to take part. YOTA camps are an amazing opportunity for young
people to operate the latest amateur radio equipment, take part in
construction activities and make international friendships. The
Society will be keeping you up to date with the group's progress by
sharing daily updates and photos. This year's camp is taking place
near Paris and is being organised by REF, the French national amateur
radio society, and the IARU. Read the daily blog updates by visiting
rsgb.org/yota-camp and selecting ‘YOTA Paris 2025' from the
right-hand menu. The Society will also be sharing updates via its
Facebook and X channels. If you'd like to get involved with getting
young people on the air, why not participate in YOTA Month in
December 2025? If you'd like to host special callsign GB25YOTA or if
you'd like to find out more, email the YOTA Month Coordinator Jamie,
M0SDV via yota.month<at>rsgb.org.uk
The list of confirmed speakers for this year's RSGB Convention
continues to grow, with a further round of names released. If you
haven't already purchased your tickets, be sure to book online now to
secure your place and watch Dan McGraw, M0WUT explain PCB design for
low-voltage switched-mode power supplies. You'll also be able to get
an insight into what has been learnt from Solar Cycle 25, with a
presentation by the Chair of the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee
Steve Nichols, G0KYA. The Society has also confirmed that RSGB RadCom
Technical Editor Peter Duffett-Smith, GM3XJE will be presenting a
lecture on the importance of understanding the input impedance of
your transmitter. The IRTS Youth Officer Ana Cañizares
[CAN-YE-SA-RES], EI5IXB will be sharing her experience of getting
young people in Ireland involved in amateur radio. In addition, the
RSGB has announced that it will be holding a ‘women in amateur
radio' panel discussion. This exciting session will highlight five
women who enjoy different aspects of amateur radio and will discuss
the various opportunities, challenges and potential barriers that may
exist in engaging more girls and women with amateur radio. Find out
more about these thought-provoking presentations by going to
rsgb.org/convention and selecting RSGB 2025 Convention speakers from
the right-hand menu. The Convention takes place between the 10th and
12th of October and is a must-do on every radio amateur's calendar.
The RSGB Awards Manager has introduced a new awards series for
amateur radio contacts with stations across all UK country and crown
dependency prefixes. The Worked All UK and Crown Dependency Prefixes
Award offers several different sub-sets with the rules varying
slightly for each. The idea for the award was put forward as a way of
encouraging, or tapping into, intra-UK activity as well as
encouraging contact with UK amateurs. Get involved with this new
award by going to rsgb.org/awards and selecting ‘Worked All UK and
Crown Dependency' from the right-hand menu. You can find details of
other awards offered by the Society using the same link.
National Coding Week takes place during the third week of September
and the RSGB is dedicating the whole of the month to amateur radio
and coding activities. This year, the Society has created two new
activities for you to try. Both build on worksheets it shared in
previous years, however you don't have to have done those first. The
Python Pocket Morse activity has been developed by the RSGB Maker
Champion Tom Wardill, 2E0JJI and is a low-cost opportunity to learn
some Morse and programming together. The exercise will cover using a
BBC Micro:bit V2 and the ‘more advanced' Python programming instead
of the previous block programming mode. It is intended as a gentle
introduction to both Python and small computer programming and can be
done without any previous knowledge of the micro:bit. You can
download the full instructions by going to rsgb.org/coding and
selecting ‘Python Pocket Morse' from the right-hand menu. The other
new activity is the LoRa balloon challenge. As well as the manual
which guides you through the process of building your own LoRa
tracker and seeing how far your signal can reach, the Society has
released a video in which Fraser, MM0EFI demonstrates the process.
Find both on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/lora-balloon
International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend started at 0001UTC on
Saturday the 16th and ends at 2400UTC today, the 17th of August. The
event usually attracts more than 500 lighthouse entries located in
over 40 countries. To find out more and to view a list of
participating stations, visit illw.net
This year's British Inland Waterways on the Air event will run from
Saturday the 23rd until Monday the 25th of August. The event is open
to amateurs who use canals, towpaths, rivers, lakes or reservoirs for
work or recreation. To find out more, visit Nunsfield House Amateur
Radio Group's website at nharg.org.uk and follow the ‘BIWOTA 2025'
link.
Please send details of all your news and events to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions is 10am on
Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.
And now for details of rallies and events
Today, the 17th, Finningley Amateur Radio Society Rally opens its
doors at 10am. More details are available at g0ghk.com
Also today, the 17th, the West Manchester Radio Club Red Rose Summer
Rally is taking place at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh, WN7 2PJ
from 10am. More information is available by following the ‘Red Rose
Rally' tab at wmrc.co.uk
On Sunday the 24th the Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society Rally is
taking place at Heron's Lodge Guide Activity Centre, Bradwell Road,
Loughton Lodge, Milton Keynes. Free on-site parking, catering and
disabled facilities will be available. The entrance fee is GBP 3. The
doors open to the public from 9am. For more information visit
mkars.org.uk/mkrally
Also on Sunday the 24th, the Torbay Amateur Radio Society Rally is
taking place at Newton Abbot Racecourse. The doors open at 10am and
entry costs GBP 3. You can find out more via torbayars.org
Now the Special Event news
Leicester Radio Society is active as GB8OVJ until tomorrow, the 18th,
to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. The station is operating on
the HF, 2m and 70cm bands. Operators are using CW, phone, FT4, FT8,
SSTV and RTTY. More information is available at QRZ.com
4U0ITU is the callsign in use by the International Amateur Radio Club
at ITU HQ in Geneva. The station is active in celebration of the
160th anniversary of the International Telecommunication Union. QSL
via Logbook of the World and OQRS.
Now the DX news
Steve, ZL2KE is active as E51KEE from Rarotonga [RAR-AH-TONGA],
OC-013, on the South Cook Islands until tomorrow, the 18th of August.
He is operating CW and some SSB on the 40 to 10m bands. QSL directly
to IK2DUW. QSOs will be uploaded to Club Log and Logbook of the World.
Phill, C21TS is active in Nauru [NAA-OO-ROO] until September 2025. He
has made over 83,000 QSOs so far and hopes to reach 100,000 contacts
before leaving the island. Recently, the station was spotted on the
HF bands using FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World and OQRS.
Now the contest news
On Tuesday the 19th, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from
1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Thursday the 21st, 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.
On Sunday the 24th, the UK Microwave Group 5.7 and 10GHz Contest runs
from 0600 to 1800UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies,
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Thursday the 14th of August
Last weekend was characterised by unsettled geomagnetic conditions
caused by a massive coronal hole on the Sun.
At one point, the Kp index got up to 6, with a corresponding decrease
in maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs. In fact, the Dourbes
Digisonde failed to record much at all over a six-hour period.
Luckily, that disruption had passed by Monday the 11th as the
ionosphere started to get back to normal.
Meanwhile, the solar flux index reached a peak of 153 on the 10th,
before dropping back to 140 on Thursday the 14th. There have been
numerous C-class solar flares and ten M-class events over the past
five days, but nothing of note.
The MUF over a 3,000km path exceeded 24.9MHz at times, but has
generally been between 21 and 24MHz.
Another coronal hole is Earth-centric at the moment and could cause
some disruption, with increased Kp indices by tomorrow, the 18th or
Tuesday the 19th.
HF DX has been good at times with the stand-out station being T30TTT
in Western Kiribati [KIRIB-ASS]. The station has been worked on many
bands, including 20, 15 and 10m using CW, as well as FT4 and FT8.
After two weeks there will be just one operator who is there until
mid-September. So you have plenty of time to work him.
Stanley, AH6KO, in Hawaii, has also been spotted on the 15m band
using CW. This is a relatively rare opportunity and good for anyone
chasing their Worked All States award.
A little closer to home is Henri, OJ0JR on Market Reef who has been
easily workable on the 30m band using FT8. Get in quick though as he
is only there until tomorrow, the 18th.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will remain in the
140 to 150 range. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions are forecast for
tomorrow, the 18th, until Wednesday the 20th, probably caused by the
coronal hole mentioned earlier. Better conditions are predicted for
the 23rd to the 27th with a maximum Kp index of 3.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
Last week's propagation highlights were SSB and CW QSOs between the
UK and Las Canarias on both the 23 and 13cm bands between G4GLT,
EA8DMF, ED8BRZ and EB8AYA.
There may be more Tropo next week with high pressure close to, or
over, the British Isles. However, at this time of the year, any Tropo
will be due to temperature inversions. These can be at the surface
and are especially persistent over water, so look for marine paths
across the North Sea or up the east coast to Scotland.
Other potentially good marine paths might be across the Channel or
Biscay to Spain and beyond. The hot days of high summer break down
these surface inversions over the land during the day so, if your
station is inland, your best chances of Tropo in summer will often be
overnight and until mid-morning.
Inversions can also be elevated in the region of the high pressure,
say between 1 and 2km above ground, giving good DX prospects that are
not affected by the heating of the summer day. In this high-pressure
period, it is much more likely to be a surface inversion that drives
the Tropo.
There will be little rain in prospect except for parts of Ireland,
South Wales and southwest England, where a few thundery showers are
possible. However, these will not be particularly good for rain
scatter.
There continue to be some aurora alerts so monitor the Kp index and
if it is rising to, say, 6 try beaming north on the 10, 6, 4 and 2m
bands in turn to see if any genuine auroral signals are coming back.
Lastly, the Sporadic-E season is coming into its closing weeks. 10m
is a good band to check first. If Sporadic-E is very short-skip
there, try moving up to 6m or beyond for a strong event. Digital
modes are best, so use these to get clues as to where the CW and SSB
paths might show up next.
Meteor scatter operators have been very busy during the Perseids
meteor shower. The Perseids should still provide some activity into
the coming week.
Moon declination is positive and rising until Tuesday the 19th, so
Moon window lengths and peak elevation will follow suit. Path losses
are rising again as we are now past perigee. 144MHz sky noise is low
to moderate all next week.
And that's all from the propagation team this week.
And that's the end of the main news for this week prepared by the
Radio Society of Great Britain. Items for inclusion in subsequent
bulletins can be emailed to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
Our thanks to Andy G4TNU for providing this RSGB feed.
--
g4apl@gb7cip.ampr.org g4apl@gb7cip.#32.gbr.euro
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