GB2RS(Snips) – 19th May
- Book now for RSGB Convention
- CQ Hall of Fame inductees named
- GB2DAY at NRC on 6 June
Advance notice now that RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park will have restricted access for visiting radio amateurs wishing to operate the station, GB3RS on the 6th of June. On the 6th, the NRC will be running a special event station, GB2DAY to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
This year the ITU World Radio Conference takes place and there is an important motion on the agenda to consolidate and extend access to 50MHz in Region 1, which covers Europe, Africa and Asiatic Russia. One of the national telecoms administrations that is actively supporting the proposal is the Czech Republic; unfortunately some other administrations are actively opposed.
The 200th registration for this year’s International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend has been received and it is from Latvia, which is a rare country for the event and a new lighthouse as well.
W7K celebrates the redefinition of the SI unit kelvin, which will take place on the 20th of May. This station will be operated from one of the most accurate temperature standards laboratories in the world, at American Fork, Utah. Times of operation will be 0000UTC to 2359UTC.
Two special event radio stations will be on the air from Shetland. GB0DAW, for Dementia Action Week, will be on the air between the 20th and the 26th of May ……………………
The 144MHz May Contest ends its 24 hour run at 1400UTC today, the 19th. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode.
Today, the 19th, the 144MHz Backpackers contest runs from 1100 to 1500UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Stirling & District Amateur Radio Society has a club meeting today and next Sunday from 10am till 2pm. On Thursday there’s a club night and Friday sees the start of the club DXpedition to Luxembourg. Contact Jess, MM3RCR, via email to secretary@gm6nx.com.
On Wednesday Lothians Radio Society is having a DF hunt. Contact Mike Burgess, MM0MLB, via email to secretary@lothiansradiosociety.com
On Sunday Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club is operating MM0CPS for Port Seton Gala Day. More information from Bob, GM4UYZ, on 01875 811 723.
For more news visit GB2RS – HERE .
Museum Ships Weekend – 1st & 2nd June – 2019
Ms Hoogeveen M827 / PI4MRC &- SS Rotterdam/ PI4HAL During the weekend of 1 and 2 June, the Museum Ships Weekend will be held again. From all kinds of old and special ships, the amateur bands are broadcast worldwide to enable unique QSOs.
It’s not a contest; that means that it is possible to switch to the WARC bands if required.All information about the participating ships and about a certificate to be obtained, can be found on the following website https://www.qsl.net/w/wa2tvs//museum
There is also such a special ship in Den Helder, the former mine sweeper Hr. Ms Hoogeveen. From the time the ships were still made of wood and the guys were made of steel. From the time that the Navy had a large mine service to keep our ports and shipping routes free from the mines that had been laid during the Second World War.
Hr. Ms Hoogeveen M827 Launched during May 1956 and retired from service in 1994, De Hoogeveen, moored at the quay of Willemsoord (former Rijkswerf) in Den Helder, is now managed, refurbished and maintained by the Friends of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Together with all volunteers and donors, they are committed to preserving this ship as a cultural heritage. The Marine Radio Amateur Club (Marac) have succeeded in returning the radio cabin to its original working state.
To mark the occasion, it was decided this year to take part in the Museum Ships Weekend from Hoogeveen. The call sign which Hoogeveen uses is PI4MRC and broadcasts are mainly on HF bands, in all modes and 2 x 24 hours. PI4MRC is the clubstation of MARAC (Marine Radio Amateur Club), The Clubstation of the Dutch Naval Radio Amateur Club.Given the list of participating ships, Hoogeveen is in good company. The SS Rotterdam will participate under the call sign PI4HAL from Rotterdam. 29/03/2019/ in General News / by Fred Verburgh PA0FVHhttps://www.veron.nl/nieuws/museum-ships-weekend-1-en-2-juni
PI4HAL – SS Rotterdam 60 years ago, on September 13, 1958 the SS Rotterdam was launched in Rotterdam.PI4HAL is the call-sign of the amateur radio (aka Ham radio) station, active on board the former cruise steamship (SS) Rotterdam, permanently moored in Rotterdam. PI4HAL will participate in the festivities by using a special callsign between October 2018 and October 2019 to celebrate this anniversary. PI4HAL operators will be active with Morse telegraphy and give demonstrationshttp://www.pi4hal.nl
Amateur Radio News – Ham Nation – 15th May
GB2RS(Snips) – 12th May
- Midland series ARDF event in Leicestershire
- Monk Apollo, SV2ASP, Silent Key
- BBC explains amateur radio emergency comms
An interesting item about amateur radio was broadcast on the BBC World Service this week. It dealt with the importance of amateur radio emergency communications during the recent cyclone in India. You can listen to the broadcast, Digital Planet – Ham Radio Aids Cyclone Relief Effort, at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csy664
A BBC Earth PodCast featuring Eleanor Griffin, M6NWZ talking about her experience with an ISS link from Kings High School, Warwick was broadcast this week. Go to www.bbcearth.com/podcast, scroll to the bottom and listen to the one called ‘Looking Up’
Recently added to the Syllabus 2019 updates on the RSGB website is a presentation on Digital Signal Processing Without The Maths
Dayton Hamvention® takes place on the 17th to the 19th of May at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Members of Tynemouth ARC, G0NWM, are travelling to the Isle of Mull, IOTA reference EU-008, from Friday the 17th of May until Friday the 24th, where they will be operating using the callsign GS0NWM. Subject to conditions the group will be operating up to four stations across the HF bands on SSB, CW, RTTY, FT8 using Fox and Hound mode and they hope to have a go at VHF/UHF satellite operation. QSL is via m0urx.com.
This weekend you can expect to hear special event stations taking part in SOS Radio Week, Pubs and Clubs on the Air and Mills on the Air. Several of these stations are mentioned in local news this week.
Also today, the 12th, the Worked All Britain 40m phone contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using SSB only, the exchange is signal report, serial number and WAB area.
Next weekend the 144MHz May Contest runs from 1400UTC on the 18th to 1400UTC on the 19th. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and postcode. On Sunday the 19th, the 144MHz Backpackers contest runs from 1100 to 1500UTC. Using all modes the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Dundee Amateur Radio Club is taking part in Mills on the Air today. Tuesday sees a club night with training. Contact Martin, 2M0KAU, on 0776 370 8933.
For more news visit GB2RS – HERE .
GB2RS(Snips) – 5th May
An introduction to QOscar 100
Noel Matthews, G8GTZ, Dave Crump, G8GKQ and Phil Crump, M0DMY gave a presentation at AGM 2019 on Qatar Oscar 100
RSGB ARDF Championships
This Bank Holiday weekend sees the annual three day RSGB ARDF Championships taking place in the Thames Valley
NRC visitor figures rising
There were 9,092 visitors to the RSGB National Radio Centre in April 2019
Pubs and Clubs on the Air is taking place between the 10th and the 12th of May. More details can be found at www.g6tw.org.uk.
Windmill Amateur Radio DX Group will take part in Mills on the Air on the 11th and 12th of May from Wilton Windmill, Wilton near Marlborough Wiltshire, using the callsign GB1WW
The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon runs until the 4th of August. Using all modes on the 50MHz band, the exchange is just your four-character locator.
Today, the 5th of May, sees the UK Microwave Groups contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3 to 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday the 144MHz Machine Generated Modes Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC with the exchange of signal report, serial number and four-character locator. It takes place at the same time as the 144MHz FM Activity Contest.
Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club has activity days until next Saturday. On Friday it’s the first 144MHz DF Hunt, meeting in the Old Pool car park, 6.30pm for 7. More information from Bob, GM4UYZ, on 01875 811 723.
On Tuesday Dundee Amateur Radio Club is having a club night and taking part in the VHF contest. Next Saturday and Sunday sees activities for Mills on the Air. Contact Martin, 2M0KAU, on 0776 370 8933 .
Aberdeen Amateur Radio Society is preparing for Mills on the Air on Thursday, and participating in the event at Bellabeg next Saturday and Sunday. Contact Fred Gordon, GM3ALZ, on 01975 651 365
For more news visit GB2RS – HERE .
Nazis Pressed Ham Radio Hobbyists Into Third Reich
Morse Is 175 Years (Young)
Andy – MM0FMF & Jack – GM4COX Awarded The Jock Kyle Award For 2019
Copied from a Post off the GM13 Site.
It was surprise for both of us to receive a letter from the Board of the RSGB to the effect that we were to be awarded the trophy at the April GMDX CONVENTION for our work in promoting the use of 13cms in Scotland.
It is a great honour (and humbling) to be nominated by your peers for such a prestigious award. Thanks everybody.
And we are both looking forward to even more activity on 13 (and up) this year. (If the old bones can stand it – in my case (;>)
Andy & Jack(:>J
RSGB Citation – Jock Kyle Memorial Trophy
Prompted by a talk about the 13cm band at the GM Microwave Round Table in November 2016, Andy Sinclair MM0FMF and Jack Hood GM4COX have been working successfully together to promote 13cm activity throughout Scotland. They started by organising a discount order for ready-built transverters for members of the Lothians Radio Society and beyond, and then encouraged and supported the buyers to get on the air. They have shared their enthusiasm for 13cm by giving their own talks at the GM Microwave Round Tables in 2017 and 2018, and to other radio clubs in Scotland, and have stimulated others to become active both from home and out portable.
In January 2017 Andy and Jack set up the Scottish Amateur Radio 13cms Microwave Group at gm13@groups.io, which has now grown to 54 members. Although initially intended to publicise and coordinate their SOTA expeditions, the group now helps to drive 13cm activity more generally in Scotland and neighbouring areas, and is open to all radio amateurs wherever they are.
For demonstrating how two people taking the initiative can make a real change, Andy Sinclair MM0FMF and Jack Hood GM4COX are deserving recipients of the Jock Kyle Trophy for 2019.
Proposers Rob Ferguson GM3YTS, Gavin Taylor GM0GAV, Mike Eccles GM3PPE, Ian White GM3SEK, Martin Hall GM8IEM, Geoff Crowley MM5AHO and Malcolm Hamilton GM3TAL
GB2RS(Snip) – 28th April
The first May Bank Holiday weekend sees the annual three day RSGB ARDF Championships taking place in the Thames Valley. The areas chosen are Christmas Common near Wendover, Whiteleaf near Princes Risborough and Hodgmoor Woods near Amersham.
SOS Radio Week will take place between 0000UTC on the 1st May and 2359UTC on the 31st of May
From the 4th to the 31st of May, GB9SOS will be operating as part of SOS Radio Week. The station will be operating on as many different HF and VHF bands as possible during the 28 days the station will be active .
Es signals from Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, Italy, Spain, and the French beacon F5ZEH beacon on 28.231MHz, were heard on Thursday the 25th at 1300UTC. Don’t forget that Sporadic-E can affect all the bands from 20m to 10m. The best guide may be the 10m beacons across Europe, which can act as good propagation indicators.
On Thursday Wigtownshire Amateur Radio Club has short talks by Peter Salmon, GM7NFF, Wul Murdoch, 2M0WUL and Ian Macdonald, GM8AVM. Contact Bob Bower, GM4DLG, via email to info@gm4riv.com.
For more news visit GB2RS – HERE .