| |
G4TNU > NEWS 19.09.26 23:45l 248 Lines 12362 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
BID : 46284G4TNU
Read: DJ6UX DH1ME
Subj: RSGB Main News - 20 Sep 2026
Path: DB0FHN<OE2XZR<OE6XPE<DB0RKB<DK0WUE<GB7CIP<GB7CIP<GB7CIP
Sent: 260919/2126Z @:GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO $:46284G4TNU
T:From: G4TNU@GB7CIP.#32.GBR.EURO <g4tnu@gb7ipf.ampr.org>
T:Newsgroups: ampr.news.europe
T:Message-Id: <E1_5538621_G4TNU@gb7ipf.ampr.org>
GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 20th of September 2026
The news headlines:
* Visit the RSGB village at Hamfest
* What does your RSGB Convention weekend look like?
* Get involved with World Space Week
The RSGB will have a large presence at the National Hamfest at Newark
Showground on Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th of September. In
addition to a new-look bookstall and membership stand, the Society
will have a great selection of displays and practical activities to
enjoy. These include another opportunity to see 3D printing in action
and to have your CW skills tested at a range of speeds. Across both
days the RSGB Outreach team will be running a buildathon, with this
year's kit being the Kanga Morse Tutor – why not go along and hone
your soldering skills? All activities are free of charge and there is
no need to book in advance. If you're looking for inspiration for
your next construction project, you can hear from the overall winner
of the RSGB 2026 Construction Competition and discover a whole host
of projects from the popular monthly RadCom feature, Experimenters'
Corner. Members of the RSGB Board, staff and representatives from the
Propagation Studies Committee and the QSL Bureau will also be there
and are looking forward to meeting you, answering your questions and
offering support.
Would you like to learn a new skill or improve your knowledge on a
particular topic? Perhaps you'd like to network with like-minded
people and make some new connections? Maybe you are looking for
inspiration on what to do next in your amateur radio journey? You can
find answers to all these questions at the RSGB Convention, which is
taking place between the 9th and 11th of October in Milton Keynes.
You can choose from a selection of over 50 lectures, workshops,
forums and activities and build a programme to suit you. By viewing
the Convention web pages via rsgb.org/convention you'll not only
find the programme for both days but also detailed speaker
biographies and presentation summaries. There's a wealth of
information on extra activities that are taking place over the
weekend, from getting involved with additional events on the Friday,
to joining the Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening. Find out which
RSGB Committees and Special Interest Groups are attending and choose
which ones to fit into your programme. You can find all this
information and more by using the sub-menu located on the righthand
side called 'In this section'. Remember to book your ticket online
before 9am on Monday the 5th of October to guarantee your place and
to pay the best available price. After this time you will only be
able to buy tickets on the door.
RSGB Board Director and Board Liaison for ARISS Patrick Wood, 2E0IFB
is calling on radio amateurs to support World Space Week 2026 by
hosting an activity between the 4th and 10th of October. In his
Tonight<at>8 webinar, broadcast earlier this month, Patrick revealed
the RSGB had launched some web pages to help inspire clubs and
individuals. You could host an introductory talk on satellites,
orbits and OSCAR missions using a set of slides he has shared for you
to use. Alternatively, you could host a live demonstration, an on-air
activity, or even getting involved with the planned International
Space Station SSTV event. Start planning your event by going to
rsgb.org/wsw You can view events that have already being confirmed,
including several talks at the RSGB National Radio Centre, by
selecting ‘WSW – events taking place' from the menu on the righthand
side.
Jamboree on the Air is taking place between Wednesday the 16th and
Friday 18th of October 2026. It is the world's largest radio Scout
event and is a brilliant celebration of amateur radio among the
groups within the Scout Association. It also promotes friendship and
global citizenship. The RSGB Youth Vice-Chair and Youth Champion for
Scouts, Sam McCutchion, M0UEL will be compiling a list of JOTA
stations which will be shared on the RSGB website. If you are part of
a Scouting group and are planning to get involved with JOTA then
please contact youthchampion.scouts<at>rsgb.org.uk as soon as
possible with your station name, call sign and any other relevant
information. Sam is encouraging everyone to get involved either by
putting a station on the air or listening out for the JOTA stations,
so let him know how you are supporting the events.
The annual Railways on the Air event will take place on Saturday the
26th and Sunday the 27th of September. The following frequencies are
suggested for use: 3.650, 7.150 and 14.250MHz. Bishop Auckland
Amateur Radio Club coordinates this event and you can read more at
rota.barac.org.uk
The deadline for the GB2RS News on Sunday the 27th of September is
10am on Wednesday the 23rd of September. Please send details of all
your news and events to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk
And now for details of rallies and events
The Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day today, the 20th,
from 11am. The museum is located at 41 Capper Avenue, Hemswell Cliff,
near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5XS. The museum is home to one
of the largest collections of historic broadcasting equipment in the
world. For more information visit becg.org.uk/events
National Hamfest, the UK's largest amateur radio event, returns to
Newark and Nottinghamshire Showground on Friday the 25th and Saturday
the 26th of September. Located on the A46 just north of Newark, it
features major retailers, a large outdoor flea market, and on-site
camping. The site is open from 9.30am to 4pm each day. The doors open
to visitors from 10am on Friday. Find out more via
nationalhamfest.org.uk
Now the Special Event news
Vendeen [VEN-DEE-UN] Radio Club, F6KUF is active as TM4GGR until
Friday the 9th of October. The special callsign's suffix stands for
'Golden Globe Race', the single-handed, round-the-world sailing race
that started from Les Sables-d'Olonne [LAY SABLA DOH-LUN], on Sunday
the 6th of September. For some information visit live.f6kuf.fr
Huntingdonshire Amateur Radio Society will be running special event
station GB2RMR on Sunday the 27th of September from 9.30am until 4pm
at the Riverside Miniature Railway, Riverside Park in St Neots,
Cambridgeshire. Operators will be active on the HF, VHF and UHF
bands. More information is available via QRZ.com
Now the DX news
Kasimir, DL2SBY is active as S79/DL2SBY from Mahe [MAH-HEY], AF-024,
in the Seychelles until tomorrow, the 21st. He is operating using CW,
FT8 and SSB on the HF and 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World,
OQRS or directly to Kasimir.
Yuris, YL2GM and Eugene, EA5EL are active as KH8WW from Aunu'u
[AH-OO-NOO-OO] Island, OC-045, in American Samoa until the 24th of
September. The station is operating using CW, FT8 and SSB on the 160
to 6m bands. QSL via OQRS is preferred, or via YL2GN.
Now the contest news
Today, the 20th, the RSGB 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.
Also today, the 20th, the British Amateur Radio Teledata Group PSK63
Sprint runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using PSK63 on the 80 to 10m bands,
where contests are permitted, the exchange is serial number.
On Tuesday the 22nd of September, the RSGB 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 Thursday the 24th of September, the RSGB Autumn Series Data
Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m
band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
The CQ World Wide DX RTTY Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the
26th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 27th of September. Using RTTY
on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is
signal report and CQ zone. The UK is in zone 14.
On Sunday the 27th of September, the UK Microwave Group High Band
Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. 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 17th of September 2026.
Thursday the 17th of September marked a milestone in terms of the
solar flux index. On this day the solar flux index fell to 100. This
is more psychological than important, but it is a sign that the solar
flux index is falling from the dizzy heights of more than 300 that it
reached at the height of solar cycle 25 two years ago.
The solar flux index briefly dipped to 99 on Sunday the 13th of
September but it probably won't be too long before we see it dropping
further. The declining solar flux index has been helped somewhat by
better ionospheric conditions as we head towards October.
The lower solar flux index has also been slightly compensated for by
relatively good geomagnetic conditions. The Kp index hit a peak of 4
on Monday the 14th, but has otherwise been around 1 or 2.
Daytime maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, over 3,000km have been
hovering around 21MHz and nighttime MUFs over 3,000km have been
around 7 to 10MHz. But don't ignore 24MHz as we may see the
occasional daylight DX opening. We may expect the daytime MUFs to
increase slightly as the month progresses.
DX to be worked this week includes 5W0AF from Samoa; RI1FJZ from
Franz Josef Land; FR/F1TEQ and FH/F1TEQ in Reunion and Mayotte; KH8WW
in American Samoa; PJ2/K5SL from Curaçao [CURE-UH-SOW]; and 8Q7JH in
the Maldives. Later in the week look for KH0/JR1FKR from Saipan and
N7NU/VP9 and VP9I in Bermuda. So, there is lots of DX to search for
next week!
We expect the solar flux index to hover around 100 over the next
seven days but watch out for poor geomagnetic conditions from
Thursday the 24th to Sunday the 27th of September when NOAA forecasts
that the Kp index could hit 5.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The period of unsettled weather that has brought much-needed rain is
just about done for a while, since it looks like high pressure will
build across southern UK today, the 20th.
It may even produce some ridging over northern Britain, so there is a
good chance for tropo in many areas at some stage during the coming
week.
Admittedly, the high does gradually edge away to the east by the end
of the week, but will still be close enough to provide further lift
conditions, especially across the North Sea to the Baltic and south
to France.
Don't forget to try calling CQ on SSB or CW in case conditions are
up. It's easy to miss a new square unless you are checking remote
beacons to see how the lift is developing. The far northwest of the
UK will have some occasional rain at times and may miss out on the
enhanced lift conditions, especially after midweek.
For meteor scatter it is largely a case of trying to catch the best
of any random activity. This means checking conditions in the early
hours of the morning. The solar activity has produced slightly
elevated geomagnetic activity with a Kp index up to 4 at times. With
the possibility of a minor storm in the second half of the last week,
it probably should remain a watching brief in case we find an
unexpected auroral opening, which would tend to favour the equinoxes
due to the Russell-McPherron effect.
EME now, and Moon declination starts rising again after its lowest
point on Friday the 18th of September. Meanwhile, path losses start
falling again after apogee, also on the 18th. 144MHz sky noise starts
the weekend high, falling back to low by Tuesday the 22nd where it
remains for the rest of the week.
And finally, if you are coming to National Hamfest, remember to call
in and see the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee stand.
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.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
