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G4TNU > NEWS 08.06.25 02:44l 293 Lines 14326 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 08 Jun 2025
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 8th of June 2025
The news headlines:
* The RSGB releases a video to celebrate Volunteers' Week
* Get involved with the GR2HQ contest challenge
* Join the RSGB Regional Team
As Volunteers' Week comes to an end, the RSGB would like to thank its
volunteers once more for all they do. As part of the week-long event,
the Society released a video about the volunteer team at the RSGB
National Radio Centre. These volunteers welcome over 80,000 visitors
to the Centre every year and share amateur radio with them. Watch the
video to discover the variety of things that they do as well as what
they enjoy most about their role. You'll find the video at
rsgb.org/volunteers-week and on that web page you'll also be able to
read about several volunteers in other RSGB roles. If you've been
inspired by their stories and you would like to give some time to
support the RSGB and amateur radio, look at the vacancies on the RSGB
website at rsgb.org/volunteers
The RSGB Contest Committee is looking forward to the IARU HF
Championship contest on the 12th and 13th of July. This is a great
opportunity for both individuals and clubs to get involved. During
the contest, Headquarters Stations represent their countries and the
RSGB's station GR2HQ will be run by a network of about a dozen
stations around the UK and islands. Building on the success of last
year's GR2HQ Challenge, the RSGB Contest Committee has made some
changes to encourage individual stations to work the GR2HQ station on
each band-mode slot. Sharing your QSOs for scoring has also been made
easier. The contest is open to both individuals and clubs so why not
encourage your club members to take part whether they are regular
contesters or not. Last year, thanks in part to those entering the
GR2HQ Challenge, the RSGB Contest Committee improved its position
from third to second and would like to improve that result even
further. Could you take part and make a difference? For the full
rules go to the GR2HQ Challenge page on the Contest Committee website
via rsgbcc.org
The RSGB has several volunteer vacancies within the Regional Team. If
you are passionate about the future of amateur radio and support the
work of the Society, then apply now. These rewarding roles are an
opportunity to support fellow radio amateurs in your area. Vacancies
include District Representative positions in Staffordshire,
Oxfordshire and Dorset. To view the full list of regional team
volunteering vacancies, go to rsgb.org/volunteers If you have
questions about the District Representative roles, contact the
Regional Representative in that region, or you can contact Board
Liaison Nathan Nuttall, 2M0OCC for a chat via 2m0occ<at>rsgb.org.uk
A special interactive spy event is taking place on Father's Day,
Sunday the 15th of June, at the RSGB National Radio Centre. You'll
have the opportunity to become a spy hunter and, using your special
gadget, will be tasked with finding hidden transmitters located
around Bletchley Park. You'll need to decode Morse signals and
uncover the location of the secret spy base. Two time slots are
available, however spaces are limited to 12 groups for each. Secure
your place and treat your Dad, Grandad, or a father figure to a
fascinating day out, by going to bletchleypark.org.uk and selecting
the ‘What's on' option in the main menu. The activity is free to
take part in, however entry to Bletchley Park is required. Don't
forget that RSGB members get free access to the historic site as a
membership benefit. Download your voucher via rsgb.org/bpvoucher
BunkerFest 2025 is taking place on the 14th and 15th of June. This
exciting international festival will bring together amateur radio
operators from over 13 national Bunkers on the Air schemes. For rules
and activation details visit wwbota.org/bunkerfest25
The British Inland Waterways on the Air event will take place between
Saturday the 23rd and Monday the 25th of August. The event is open to
amateurs who use canals, towpaths, rivers, lakes or reservoirs for
work or recreation. Registration for the event is now open. To sign
up, visit Nunsfield House Amateur Radio Group's website at
nharg.org.uk and follow the ‘BIWOTA 2025' link.
Are you called Nigel? If so, you can join other amateur Nigels who
are making plans to operate a special event station at what is hoped
to be the largest ever gathering of Nigels in the world. The event
will run from the 20th to the 21st of September in Worcestershire.
Details on how to get involved are on the GB1NN page at QRZ.com
And now for details of rallies and events
Mendips Radio Rally is taking place today, the 8th of June, at
Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney,
BS39 6UA. The doors open at 9.30am and refreshments and free parking
are available on site. For more details contact Luke on 07870 168 197
or email luke<at>mymixradio.co.uk
On Saturday the 14th of June, Rochdale and District Amateur Radio
Summer Rally will take place at St. Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden,
Rochdale, OL12 7QR. The doors open at 10am and entry costs GBP 3. The
usual traders and caterers will be on site and plenty of free parking
will be available. For more information contact Martin Shore on
07587 709 006, or email rally.radars<at>hotmail.com
The East Suffolk Wireless Revival, also known as ‘The Ipswich Radio
Rally', is due to take place on Sunday the 15th of June at Kirton
Recreation Ground, Back Road, Kirton, IP10 0PW. The doors open at
9.30am and the entry fee for visitors is GBP 3. The venue has free
car parking. Visitors will be able to enjoy trade stands, a car-boot
sale, a bring-and-buy area and special interest groups. An HF station
will be operating with the callsign GB4SWR. Catering and an RSGB
bookstall will be available on site. For more details contact Kevin,
G8MXV on 07710 046 846 and visit eswr.org.uk
Now the Special Event news
The A.R.I. Fidenza Radio Club is operating today, the 8th, as IY4RXO
[INDIA-YANKEE-FOUR-ROMEO-XRAY-OSCAR]. The station is active to raise
awareness of the historical value of Guglielmo Marconi's steam yacht
‘Elettra'. A number of important radio communication experiments
were conducted on board the vessel. For more information visit IY4RXO
at QRZ.com
Members of The James Clerk Maxwell Radio Society will be active with
special callsign GB2JCM, from Parton Kirk near Castle Douglas in
Dumfriesshire, on the 14th and 15th of June. The station will be
active to commemorate the birth of the Society's namesake. Operators
will be waiting for your call on the 40 and 20m bands. For more
information visit the GB2JCM page at QRZ.com
Now the DX news
Martin, MW0BRO is active again as ZC4GW from Dhekelia
[DUH-KAY-LEE-UH] on Cyprus until tomorrow, the 9th. He is operating
using CW and some SSB on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via M0URX's OQRS.
Remo, HB9SHD is active as V51/HB9SHD while touring Namibia until the
15th of June. He is using SSB and digital modes on the 40 to 6m
bands. QSL via Logbook of the World.
Now the contest news
RSGB National Field Day started at 1500UTC on Saturday the 7th and
ends at 1500UTC today, Sunday the 8th of June. Using CW on the 160 to
10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal
report and serial number.
Today, the 8th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from
0900 to 1500UTC. Using all modes on the 23, 13 and 9cm bands, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday the 10th, the RSGB 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 10th, the RSGB 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 11th, the RSGB 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 11th, the
RSGB 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 Wednesday the 11th, the RSGB 80m CW Club Championship runs from
1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal
report and serial number.
On Thursday the 12th, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from
1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
The IARU ATV Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 14th and ends
at 1800UTC on Sunday the 15th of June. Using TV on the 70cm band and
up, the exchange is picture quality, serial number, four-digit code
and locator.
On Sunday the 15th, the 2nd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 0900
to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
Also on Sunday the 15th, the Practical Wireless 2m QRP Contest runs
from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using AM, FM, SSB and CW on the 2m band, the
exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Note that 5W is
the maximum power allowed in this contest.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Thursday the 5th of June
Last week's HF propagation was heavily influenced by unsettled
geomagnetic conditions. This was caused by a combination of coronal
mass ejections and a strong solar wind from a coronal hole.
The coronal mass ejection, or CME for short, followed a solar flare
from sunspot 4100 on the 31st of May at 0005UTC. The explosion lasted
more than three hours. Type 2 radio emissions from shock waves within
the CME cloud suggested it was travelling at 1,938 kilometres per
second, or 4.3 million miles per hour!
Eventually the Bz swung south. This meant that the interplanetary
magnetic field more easily coupled with the Earth's magnetic field.
The result was that the Kp index got up to 7.67 on the 1st of June.
The auroral effects were reported as being due to a co-rotating
interaction region or CIR – a region in space where fast and slow
solar wind streams collide, creating a compressed area with enhanced
plasma and magnetic fields.
The Kp index was 7 or more for four three-hour periods. This pushed
the maximum usable frequency over a 3,000km path below 14MHz at
times, which wasn't conducive to good DXing.
On Thursday the 5th of June, it looked like we were past the worst
and the Kp index was back to a more reasonable 2.33.
Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined from a recent high of 164 on
the 31st of May, to a low of 134 on the 5th of June. HF propagation
was being driven by the geomagnetic conditions, with a general
lowering of the maximum usable frequency.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will start the
week at around 155 and remain around 150. More worryingly,
geomagnetic conditions are again predicted to be unsettled after this
weekend, with a maximum Kp index of 6 on the 13th of June.
So, unsettled geomagnetic conditions, plus the HF summer doldrums,
means HF DX via F2-layer propagation may be hard to find. So, make
the most of the 10m Sporadic-E short-skip openings instead!
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
Last week has offered an example of what a good Sporadic-E season
should look like. On Tuesday the 3rd of June in particular, the 6m
band sounded like the 20m band and, at its peak, activity extended
all the way up to the 2m band.
This coming week has an unsettled flavour with several areas of low
pressure and weather fronts involved, together with heavy showers in
between. This means rain scatter will be a supported mode on the GHz
bands.
There is a slight hint of a slow improvement during the week, but not
really any high pressure showing up until right at the end of the
coming week. So, there is a chance of Tropo propagation for the 2nd
144MHz Backpackers Contest on Sunday the 15th.
Meteor scatter is always interesting in June with four showers to
play with during the month. The early ones are the Arietids
[A-REE-UH-TIDZ], which peaked on Saturday the 7th of June – good
news for the 50MHz UK Activity Contest on Thursday the 12th.
The Zeta Perseids peaks tomorrow, the 9th of June, and there will be
a couple of other showers later in the month. This is probably also
why the Sporadic-E prospects improve about now.
Aurora has also been much in evidence recently. Despite the light
summer evenings and short nights, the chances of radio aurora
continue to be important, so monitor for high Kp values above about 5.
The advice for some who have not yet worked Sporadic-E is to check
the 6m band around teatime.
There are, of course, usually two primary periods when Sporadic-E is
more likely: one in the morning, and the second in late afternoon and
evening. A morning opening may repeat in the afternoon in similar
locations, although usually the weather trigger may have moved a
little in the meantime.
Check the jet stream charts at propquest.co.uk by following the
Sporadic-E blog tab. The daily commentary will highlight the
important directions each day. You can hopefully test out the system
on Thursday the 12th of June in the 50MHz UK Activity Contest.
EME path losses were at their maximum with apogee, when the Moon is
at its furthest from the Earth, on Saturday the 7th of June.
Declination reaches minimum on Wednesday the 11th so Moon windows are
short and peak elevation low. 144MHz sky noise peaks around the 11th
and 12th of June. EME conditions were classed as poor this weekend
and are classed as poor-to-moderate on the 14th and 15th of June.
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.
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