GB2RS

GB2RS News Sunday, the 14th of December 2025   The news headlines: Dr Bob Whelan, G3PJT, is now a Silent Key Two exciting opportunities to make an impact with the RSGB Free RSGB club affiliation for schools, universities and uniformed groups!   It is with great sadness that we share the news that Dr Bob Whelan, G3PJT, became a Silent Key on the 4th of December. Bob’s contribution to amateur radio was extensive. First licensed in 1961, his main interest was in HF and LF CW operation. In this, he soon became a strong supporter of the Commonwealth Contest, operating from a number of DX locations for the contest over many years. He wrote the book ‘Reflections in a Rosebowl’, which covers the history of the Commonwealth Contest, and he put much effort into building an online Commonwealth Contest community. Bob also played a very significant role in the RSGB, the IARU and the First Class Operators Club. For the RSGB, he started as a volunteer member of the RSGB HF Committee and later was President from 2002 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2014. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. You will be able to read a full tribute to Bob in the February 2026 edition of RadCom. Are you an experienced operations leader who is passionate about delivering exceptional membership services and driving commercial growth? Or are you an advertising agent looking for a new opportunity where you can demonstrate your strong sales capabilities, excellent communication skills, and your ability to build and maintain long-term client relationships? The RSGB is seeking a full-time, highly motivated Operations Manager to be part of its senior leadership team, based at the RSGB HQ in Bedford. This is a key role, responsible for ensuring our members receive outstanding service, and the successful candidate will need to be commercially astute, organised, people-focused, and excited by the opportunity to make a meaningful impact. The Society is also looking for a new contractor or agency to work with, to support the development of RSGB advertising and contribute to the growth of its publications and digital platforms. If you are professional, proactive and excited by either of these opportunities, go to the RSGB website at rsgb.org/careers to find out more. The application deadline for both is the 4th of January 2026.  Did you know that amateur radio clubs in schools, universities and uniformed groups can affiliate with the RSGB for free? Your club will benefit from a copy of RadCom in the post each month, as well as access to the RSGB app, where you can read RadCom, RadCom Basics and RadCom Plus. You’ll also get special book discounts, promotion of your club’s activities, access to RSGB-affiliated club contests, and use of the QSL Bureau. Visit rsgb.org/affiliation  and follow the links. How about giving back to the amateur radio community in 2026 by becoming an RSGB Board Director? The RSGB has two Elected Board Director vacancies and wants to ensure that the voices around the table understand and reflect the community it serves. You’ll need leadership experience and be keen to play an active part in helping to support the Society’s strategic priorities. The Society is encouraging candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds to stand for election. Go to rsgb.org/elections  to find out more. The closing date is the 31st of January 2026, so act now. The RSGB Contest Club is excited to report that the third World Wide Award event will be taking place in January 2026. Award hunters can engage in a very enjoyable competition across all HF bands and modes, with many special international calls to work. The RSGB will be activating seven callsigns, all with the suffix ‘WWA’. RSGB members who hold a Full licence may activate the callsign for their country. To find out more, go to rsgb.org/contest-club YOTA Month continues this weekend with special call sign GB25YOTA. Listen out for operators from the RSGB National Radio Centre and the 2nd Marlborough Scouts. Students from Buckie High School, Wick High School and Simon Langton Boys School Radio Club will be active during the week, as well as The University of Sheffield Amateur Radio Club. Next weekend Cambridge University Wireless Society, along with some young visitors, will be active. Listen out and encourage these young operators. View the operating times, bands and modes for each group at rsgb.org/yota-month  RSGB HQ will close on Wednesday, the 24th of December 2025, at 2 pm and will open again at 8.30 am on Monday, the 5th of January 2026. In the meantime, if you need information about amateur radio, exams or RadCom, you’ll find lots of details on the website at rsgb.org. To join the RSGB, renew your membership, or purchase a range of amateur radio books and other products, go to rsgbshop.org Please send details of all your news and events to [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Sparkford Radio Rally is due to take place on Sunday, the 28th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, near Yeovil, BA22 7QX. The doors will be open from 9.30 am, and admission will cost £2. Refreshments and free parking will be available on site. For more details, contact Luke on 07870 168 197 or email [email protected]   On Sunday, the 25th of January 2026, the Lincoln Short Wave Club Winter Radio Rally will be held at Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. This is an indoor event with ample free parking. The doors will be open from 10 am, and admission is £3. Tables cost £10. To book tables, or for more information, contact Steve, M5ZZZ on 07777 699 069 or email [email protected] Now the Special Event news Special callsign 4T95O is active to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the Peruano Radio Club, OA4O in Peru. Look for activity throughout December on the 40 to 10m bands, as well as on the 6m, 2m and 70cm bands using CW, FT8, FM, RTTY and SSB. Jose, HP2AT, is active as H82AT until the 31st of December to celebrate his 35th anniversary in amateur radio. Recently, the station has been spotted using FT8 on the HF bands. All QSOs will be uploaded to QRZ.com, Club Log, eQSL and Logbook of the World. In celebration of the GB2RS News service’s 70th anniversary, Sean G7NJX will be active with the GB70RS callsign from the 15th to the 21st of December. Sean will be working on the 80, 40 and 20m bands using CW, FT4, FT8, PSK31, RTTY and SSB. There is a schedule of bands, modes, and operating times for the week on Sean's QRZ.com page. He will also do his best to spot his activity on the DX cluster. Now the DX news Roland, F8EN, is active as TR8CR from Gabon until the end of December. He is operating using CW only. QSL via F6AJA. Now the contest news The ARRL 10m Contest started at 0000UTC yesterday, the 13th, and ends at 2359UTC today, the 14th of December. Using CW and phone on the 10m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. American and Canadian stations also send their state or province code. Tomorrow, Monday the 15th of December, the RSGB FT4 Contest runs from 2000 to 2200UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Tuesday, the 16th of December, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday, the 18th of December, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 11th of December We had a bit of everything last week, including increased Kp indices, a high solar flux, an X-class solar flare and coronal mass ejections. The solar flux index hit a maximum of 220 on Thursday, the 4th of December. This brought good HF conditions until Sunday, the 7th. The index declined to 169 on Thursday, the 11th, which was still more than enough to excite the ionosphere. We had an X-class solar flare at 0501UTC on Monday, the 8th of December. This originated from large active region 4298, which has now rotated out of view. We also had more than ten M-class solar flares over the past week, showing that the prediction of disturbed conditions on the downward part of the solar cycle still holds true. The Kp index hit 6.33 on Wednesday, the 10th, which disrupted maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs. The net result was that digisonde traces were missing at times, with the MUF over 3,000km being in single figures on Thursday, the 11th of December. To cap it all, we now have a very large Earth-facing coronal hole that threatens HF propagation today, the 14th of December. There has been DX around, but mostly on the lower bands. CDXC’s Slack group reports that KP2B on St Croix was worked on the 80m band using FT8 on the morning of Thursday, the 11th of December. TO9W on St Martin was logged on the 40 and 30m bands using CW on Tuesday, the 9th of December. TT1GD in Chad also appeared on the 40m and 20m bands using CW on Monday, the 8th of December. Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the 130 to 140 range. However, as was mentioned earlier, geomagnetic conditions may be disturbed today, the 14th, due to a fast solar wind stream from a coronal hole. Conditions might calm down from the 15th to the 20th, before the Kp index hits 5 around the 21st to the 26th of December. In summary, get your HF DXing in during next week, before auroral conditions take their toll over the Christmas period. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The present period of unsettled weather will remain the driving force for weather conditions for most of the country for the period up to Christmas.  This will mean that there are likely to be some very windy spells with extensive rain and squally showers. It offers scope for rain scatter operators on the GHz bands, but scarcely any hint of good tropo conditions. One item of interest is the meteor scatter prospects from the Geminids, which peak today, the 14th of December. It is one of the busiest showers of the calendar with a peak hourly rate of 120, so it should provide plenty of opportunities and is worth exploring during the week before and following the peak. The solar conditions have again remained interesting enough with a red alert on the evening of Wednesday, the 10th of December, and there is always the potential for the Kp index to produce signs of auroral radio activity once it goes above 5. Finally, a reminder that this winter period, from mid-December to mid-January, can produce some surprisingly effective Sporadic-E. It’s possibly easiest to see by checking the propquest.co.uk  graphs to see if the foEs trace is showing any sharp spikes. The 10 and 6m bands are probably the more likely bands to show signs of activity in these winter events, but it's certainly worth checking if the graphs show any promising signs. For EME operators, Moon declination went negative on Friday the 12th of December, meaning shortening Moon windows and decreasing peak elevation. We are past perigee for the month, so path losses are increasing. 144MHz sky noise starts low but increases to high by Friday, the 19th of December, when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday the 7th of December 2025 The news headlines: Become an RSGB Regional Representative in your area Keep up to date with how technology can be used in amateur radio 5MHz – an important reminder about FT8 use within allocated frequencies Do you want to make a difference to the amateur radio community in your region? The RSGB has three Regional Representative posts that are available for nominations in the upcoming 2026 elections. These are for Region 2, which covers Scotland North and the Northern Isles, Region 7, which represents South Wales, and Region 9, which covers London and the Thames Valley. As a Regional Representative, you will lead the team of District Representatives in your area and not only represent the Society but also support your fellow radio amateurs. Find out more about what it takes to succeed in this role by reading the candidate pack at rsgb.org/elections  The deadline for applications is the 31st of January 2026. An increasing number of modern technologies are being used in different ways within amateur radio. From artificial intelligence that helps you to write software, to a 3D printer that you can use to create amateur radio equipment. The RSGB has gathered some of these together in a web section called ‘Emerging technologies’ and has now added to it an overview of the new monthly RadCom column ‘Experimenters’ Corner’. The column was introduced in November and is written by RSGB Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX. The column covers everything from setting up your own TinyGS project at home to experimenting with Meshtastic. Go to rsgb.org/emerging-technologies  and be inspired. The RSGB reminds all radio amateurs that they must only operate within the UK allocated bands for each mode. Ofcom has noticed that, increasingly, radio amateurs are using FT8 outside of the UK 60m allocations. It is monitoring usage and will write to you if it observes your callsign operating outside of this band. Please ensure the configuration of your FT8 software limits your transmissions to frequencies and bandwidth that are fully within the UK allocation. For example, when using WSJT-X for digital modes at 5357kHz, it is imperative that the transmitted signal is never above 5358kHz. Using 'Hold TX Freq’ can help with this. The Society works hard to protect the spectrum for all radio amateurs to use, but that work will be made more difficult if radio amateurs continue to stray outside of the allocated bands. The Ofcom OFW611 Amateur Radio Licence Terms and Conditions document includes an explanation of all the frequencies available to radio amateurs in the UK. You can find this on the Ofcom website or via the UK amateur licensing link on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/licensing The RSGB National Radio Centre, located at Bletchley Park, will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. There will be reduced hours on New Year’s Eve when the Centre will be closing at 2pm. In addition to this, it will also be closed for essential maintenance works on the 5th and 6th of January 2026. Outside of these times, volunteers look forward to welcoming visitors as usual. Remember that RSGB members can download a free entry voucher for Bletchley Park from the RSGB website at rsgb.org/bpvoucher Youngsters on the Air Month is well underway with multiple groups scheduled to host special event station GB25YOTA this week. Today, Sunday the 7th of December, you’ll be able to work operators from Cray Valley Radio Society, as well as the 2nd Marlborough Scouts. The Scout group will also be active tomorrow, Monday, the 8th of December. Buckie High School in Scotland will be operating on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so listen out and encourage young operators in making what could be their first ever QSO. On Tuesday, the 9th of December, Hilderstone Radio Society members will be supervising students from St. Peter ' s-In-Thanet Junior School. On Wednesday, the 10th of December, students from Sunderland College will be on the amateur bands with supervision from Ian Bowman, G7ESY. Looking ahead to next weekend, the RSGB National Radio Centre will be welcoming young people to operate as GB25YOTA. Details of operating times, bands and modes can be found at rsgb.org/yota-month There have been a number of changes to the Region 1 team, which covers Scotland South and the Western Isles. To ensure you are contacting the correct representative, go to rsgb.org/regions  and click the team name from the right-hand menu, followed by ‘Meet the Region 1 team’. And finally, a date for your diary. The next in the popular 145 Alive series will take place on Saturday, the 7th of February, from 12 pm to 3 pm. The event will include the addition of 144MHz SSB stations with vertical polarisation. For more information, visit the 145 Alive Facebook page. Please send details of all your news and events to [email protected]  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 7th of December, the Mid Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair is taking place at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation Centre. The doors will be open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry costs £3 per person, and there is no charge for partners and under-16s. For more details, contact Phil, G6DLJ, on 07990 563 147 or email [email protected] Sparkford Radio Rally is due to take place on Sunday, the 28th of December at Davis Hall, Howell Hill, West Camel, near Yeovil BA22 7QX. The doors will be open from 9.30 am, and admission will cost £2. Refreshments and free parking will be available on site. For more details, contact Luke on 07870 168 197 or email [email protected]. Now the Special Event news Celebrating the city of Chemnitz, one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2025, a number of special event callsigns are active in Germany until Monday, the 15th of December. All QSOs will be uploaded to eQSL, Logbook of the World and Club Log. To read more, including information about certificates that are available for working the stations, visit 2025c.de The first French satellite, named Asterix, was launched into orbit on the 26th of November 1965. To mark the 60th anniversary, members of the Wingles Radio Club, F4KLR, are active as TM60ATX on Friday the 12th and Saturday the 13th of December, and again between the 19th and 23rd of December. All CW and SSB QSOs will be confirmed automatically via the Bureau. FT8 QSOs will be confirmed via eQSL. Now the DX news Vlad, OK2WX and Paula, OK2YL, are active as HP3/OK2WX and HP3/OK2YL from Panama until Wednesday, the 10th of December. They are operating CW and SSB with a focus on the 160, 80 and 40m bands. See QRZ.com for more information. Pierre, VK3KTB, is active as VY0ERC from the Eureka Amateur Radio Club station on Ellesmere Island, NA-008, until Wednesday, the 10th of December. He operates CW, SSB and FT8 on various bands. QSL via OQRS and Logbook of the World. Now the contest news The ARRL 160m Contest started at 2200 UTC on Friday, the 5th and ends at 1559 UTC today, Sunday, the 7th of December. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report. American and Canadian stations also send their ARRL or RAC section reference. Today, the 7th of December, the RSGB 144MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 1000 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday, the 9th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955 UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday, the 9th, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday, the 10th of December, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also, on Wednesday the 10th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday, the 11th of December, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The ARRL 10m Contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday, the 13th of December and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday, the 14th of December. Using CW and phone on the 10m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. American and Canadian stations also send their state or province code. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 4th of December The prediction made for last week was for the solar flux index to increase, possibly reaching 155 by the 1st of December and 175 by the 6th. In fact, it hit 196 on the 1st and 200 on the 2nd. This was no doubt aided by three large sunspot groups in the Sun’s southern hemisphere. We also said that the Kp index could hit 5 on the 3rd of December, and it actually hit 6.67. So well done to the Space Weather Prediction Centre for its forecast. On Thursday the 4th of December, the solar wind speed gradually increased from around 360 kilometres per second to 475 kilometres per second, thanks to the onset of an enhanced solar wind from a very large coronal hole. The Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field has also been pointing sharply south at times, which means it more easily couples with the Earth and the Kp index goes up as solar plasma floods in. Maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, have been affected, but not too much. The MUF over a 3,000km path was still above 28MHz on the 3rd of December, at least until sunset. Nighttime MUFs are now characteristically below 14MHz, leaving only 10MHz and below open to DX. As reported by CDXC’s Slack group this week, recent DX included the YJ0GC DXpedition to Vanuatu and OX7AM in Greenland on the 10m band using CW. 5R8IC in Madagascar was noted on the 15m band using FT4. And SU8YOTA in Egypt was worked on the 20m band using SSB. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will stay in the 180 to 190 range, and the good news is that the Kp index is predicted to remain low, at least until Saturday, the 13th of December, when it is forecast to rise once again to 5. So, get your HF DXing in during the daytime over this coming week! And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather charts for the coming week or more show a very unsettled pattern with some deep areas of low pressure, strong winds and heavy rain at times. Tropo is unlikely in the traditional high-pressure sense, but sometimes a strong maritime south-westerly wind can bring a brief, slight improvement for parts of southeast Britain in the windy warm sector of the depression. Watch out for this on Tuesday, the 9th of December. Rain scatter remains a good option since there will be numerous bands of rain and showers available as scatter elements. The Margate 24GHz WebSDR has seen the Flanders beacon ON0HVL for a number of days due to rain over the southern North Sea, but the lack of active 24GHz stations on the east coast made this a frustrating watch on a WebSDR. Aurora is a possibility during the coming week. Look for a Kp index above 5 to generate a good radio response. The evening of the 3rd of December saw classic fluttery HF signals on the 80m and 40m bands, supported by a Kp index of 6.67 and reported auroral QSOs on 70, 144 and 50MHz. Lastly, a consideration of the meteor scatter prospects is more promising as we are now in the broader period for the Geminids, which is due to peak on Sunday, the 14th of December. This shower has a maximum hourly rate of 120, so it ranks as a joint second after the August Perseids. For EME operators, Moon declination reached a maximum yesterday, the 6th of December, meaning long Moon windows and high peak elevation. Path losses are at their lowest but increasing during the week. 144MHz sky noise is low for the coming week. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 30th of November The news headlines: The RSGB has launched its official Instagram profile Listen out for GB25YOTA for Youngsters on the Air month TX Factor releases part two of its Hamfest special The RSGB has launched its official Instagram profile! This addition to the Society’s social media presence will help it to connect in a new way and showcase the exciting world of amateur radio and STEM. Through Instagram, the RSGB aims to support youth activities and highlight opportunities for young radio enthusiasts. It wants to engage with like-minded organisations that promote STEM education and innovation, and to inspire the RF engineers of the future by sharing stories, projects and events. It will also be a great platform for connecting with other groups that enjoy practical activities. If you’re on Instagram, the RSGB invites you to follow its profile, like its posts and join the conversation as it builds a new community. Search for ‘theRSGB’ and get involved! Youngsters on the Air Month has officially begun. Listen out for special event station GB25YOTA throughout the month as young radio amateurs get on the amateur bands. Sandringham School and the 2nd Marlborough Scout Group start the event on Wednesday, the 3rd of December. On Friday, the 5th of December, Bracknell Amateur Radio Club will host GB25YOTA, as well as Jon, M0NOJ, who will be operating later in the afternoon. Cambridge University Wireless Society will be hosting the callsign on both Friday and Saturday. Also on Saturday, the 6th of December, you’ll be able to work South Durham Radio Club, who are active using the GB25YOTA. Looking forward to Sunday, the 7th of December, listen out for the 2nd Marlborough Scouts and Cray Valley Radio Society. Details of operating times, bands and modes can be found at rsgb.org/yota-month. Take the time to encourage a young radio amateur by having a QSO with them. TX Factor is back with part two of its National Hamfest special, which completes the coverage of news from that event. The episode is full of informative updates on the RSGB, including an interview with RSGB Board Chair Stewart Bryant, G3YSX, on the work of the Emerging Technology Coordination Committee. TX Factor presenter Bob McCreadie, G0FGX, also speaks with RSGB President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX, about the importance of RSGB membership and the vital work the Society does on protecting the spectrum. In addition, you’ll find an interview focusing on the RSGB communications strategy and how it is helping to bring amateur radio to new audiences, as well as an update from the RSGB Maker Champion Tom Wardill, M9TWM. Watch all this and more by going to txfactor.co.uk A reminder that the last Tonight@8 webinar of 2025 will be live tomorrow from 8 pm via the RSGB’s YouTube channel and special BATC channel. The presentation will feature young RSGB members who travelled to Paris earlier this year for the Youngsters on the Air summer camp. As well as hearing about their experience, you’ll receive an update from the RSGB Youth Team on its plans for 2026. If you’re a young radio amateur or you’re interested in encouraging young people to get involved in amateur radio in the coming year, this webinar is not to be missed. Find out more at rsgb.org/webinars Remember that if you’re interested in the role of RSGB Nominated Director, the deadline for applications is the 5th of December. Nominated Directors are selected by the Society's Nominations Committee, and then the RSGB membership votes to endorse them at the AGM. Go to rsgb.org/elections  and follow the instructions on that page to apply or to have a chat about the role. Following the Ofcom changes to the Intermediate licence callsign series, the RSGB is updating its guidance to members. RSGB members with M8 or M9 callsigns who wish to receive QSL cards via the RSGB Bureau should send envelopes to the same QSL sub-manager who handles the corresponding 2x callsign series. The list of QSL sub-managers has been updated accordingly, so please check on the website before posting. You can find the list in the QSL Bureau section of the RSGB website at rsgb.org/qsl Please send details of all your news and events to [email protected]  The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 30th, Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club's Rally is taking place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, County Durham. Traders, catering, ample parking and disabled facilities are available on site. For more information, visit barac.org.uk. The Mid Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair 2025 will be held on the 7th of December at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation Centre. The doors will be open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry costs £3 per person, and there is no charge for partners and under-16s. For more details, contact Phil, G6DLJ, on 07990 563 147 or email [email protected] Now the Special Event news Special event station OZ90NRAU is active until the 7th of December to celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of the Nordic Radio Amateur Union. For more information, including details of awards that are available for working the station, visit QRZ.com Datta, VU2DSI, is active as AU2JCB until the 15th of December to commemorate the birthday of Indian physicist and radio pioneer Jagadish Chandra Bose. Listen for activity using SSB on the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL directly to Datta’s home call. Now the DX news Gabriele, HB9TSW, is active as Z68BG from Slatina Air Base near Pristina, Kosovo, until the 10th of December. He is operating using CW only. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, or via his home call. Red, DL1BUG is active as TY5FR from Cotonou, Benin, until the 11th of December. He is using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via DL1BUG directly or via the Bureau. QSOs will be uploaded to Club Log. Now the contest news The CQ World Wide DX CW Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday, the 29th, and ends at 2359 UTC today, Sunday, the 30th of November. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ zone. The UK is in Zone 14. On Tuesday, the 2nd of December, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955 UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, the 2nd of December, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 3rd, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 3rd, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is a report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The ARRL 160m Contest starts at 2200 UTC on Friday, the 5th and ends at 1559 UTC on Sunday, the 7th of December. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report. American and Canadian stations also send their ARRL or RAC section reference. On Sunday, the 7th of December, the RSGB 144MHz Affiliated Societies Contest runs from 1000 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 27th of November Last week was a mixed bag in terms of solar activity. Yes, we had geomagnetic disturbances, but they were never really that bad, with a maximum Kp index of 5, and that was for only one three-hour period. This was mainly due to two large coronal holes on the Sun, which saw the solar wind speed increase to around 700 to 740 kilometres per second. There have been coronal mass ejections, but these have been on the far side of the Sun and so didn’t affect us. Meanwhile, the solar flux index has continued its downward trend, being in the range of 116 to 121 over the week. However, there has been DX to be worked. The CDXC Slack group reports ZD7VJ on St Helena Island has been logged on the 40m band using CW. 3G0YR on Easter Island, was also worked on the 40m band using CW. Many other stations have been setting up for the CQ World Wide CW Contest over the last week, so there have been plenty of DX stations around. The DXSummit website reports 3B8/E70A in Mauritius on the 15m band using FT8, VR2KF in Hong Kong on the 10m band using CW, and S21RW in Bangladesh on the 10m band using SSB. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will pick up, perhaps hitting 155 by the 1st of December and 175 by the 6th. Only time will tell if this prediction is correct. Meanwhile, the Kp index is forecast to start the coming week at 2, but then increase to 5 by Wednesday the 3rd. Quiet geomagnetic conditions were forecast for the duration of the CQ World Wide CW Contest. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The recent unsettled weather is continuing to dominate the big weather picture for the coming week or two. But with such a complex weather pattern, it is hard to be precise as to the predicted upcoming weather events and their timings. It’s worth keeping a watch on forecasts from day to day to pick the bigger storms out in time and make sure your antennas are secure. Having said that, in propagation terms, this type of pattern is poor for any tropo prospects, and the best benefit is likely to be potential rain scatter from heavier rain. Last Wednesday saw some interesting dry-weather 24GHz propagation over the North Sea. At the Margate 24GHz WebSDR, the newly-repaired Flanders beacon ON0HVL was copiable all day until around 2000UTC, until a band of humid air hit the path from the West, taking out both ON0HVL and GB3PKT. The latter returned to normal on the morning of Thursday, the 27th.   We are now exiting the broader span of the Leonids meteor shower with a gap driven by random meteors until mid-December when the Geminids arrive. There have been a few minor auroral moments, although not particularly noteworthy in a radio sense. But in the absence of any tropo, perhaps it's still worth keeping an eye on the Kp index going above 5 to provide a little excitement. Lastly, we had some more out-of-season Sporadic-E on 50MHz last week, so keep an ear open for that. For EME operators, Moon declination is rising and went positive again on Saturday, the 29th. That means more Moon time and higher peak elevation in the coming week. Path losses are low and falling further as we approach perigee on Thursday, the 4th. 144MHz sky noise is low all week, climbing to moderate at the end of the week And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 23rd of November The news headlines: Could your skills and experience support the RSGB Board? Let the Society know your plans for British Science Week 2026 The RSGB is looking for a volunteer Accessibility Champion Do you have skills and experience that would make you an asset to the RSGB Board? The RSGB elections process has begun, and there are two routes to becoming a Board Director. This week’s focus is on Nominated Directors, and there are two vacancies this year. Nominated Directors are selected by the Society's Nominations Committee, and then the RSGB membership votes to endorse them at the AGM. The closing date for these vacancies is the 5th of December 2025, so don’t delay! There is no functional difference between a Nominated or Elected Director, and all serve the Board in the same way for a three-year term. If you’d like to know more about what is required of an RSGB Board Director, the first step is to read the candidate pack for Elected Directors on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/elections  After that, if you’d like to express your interest in being a Nominated Director or would like an informal chat, email the RSGB Company Secretary, Stephen Purser, GW4SHF via [email protected] Preparations for British Science Week 2026 are already well underway. RSGB British Science Week Co-ordinator Professor Ian Neal, G7IGN, is working on guidance and activity suggestions that you could use to get involved. The annual event is a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths and is run by the British Science Association. It has chosen ‘curiosity’ as its theme for 2026, which fits perfectly with amateur radio. This campaign is a brilliant opportunity for radio amateurs to share their passion with others. This could be through organising an open day for the local community, setting up a buildathon for a club evening, operating a special event station from your local library or even supervising your friends and family in making their first QSO – the options are endless. If this has piqued your interest, and you would like to share your thoughts, ideas and plans with Ian, get in touch via [email protected]. You can see what other people did last year and find the RSGB’s resource bank at rsgb.org/bsw The RSGB is looking for a proactive and knowledgeable volunteer to serve as its new Accessibility Champion. This important role will focus on ensuring that people with disabilities can fully participate and enjoy everything that amateur radio has to offer. Key responsibilities of the role will be engaging with the amateur radio community, serving as a point of contact and signposting people to resources that can help them, as well as raising awareness of the challenges faced by individuals and sharing inspiring stories. If you have a strong understanding of accessibility issues, ideally with personal experience or professional expertise, and are passionate about inclusion within amateur radio, the Society would love to hear from you. If you’re interested in finding out more, including having a chat about the role, please firstly read the full role description on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/volunteers  and then contact RSGB Board Director Nathan Nuttall, 2M0OCC. Did you see the Meteor Beacon Project presentation by Brian Coleman, G4NNS, at the RSGB Convention or on the Convention livestream? Would you like to explore the science that the project supports and be involved in the technical research and activities? Brian is creating a small group to contribute to the ongoing development of the project and will start to record, classify and analyse the data the system can already gather. If you’d like to know more about the project, you can watch Brian’s presentation on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB  If you’d like to be part of the ongoing development group, please contact Brian via [email protected]  for a chat about what would be involved. Today is the last day to give the RSGB HF Contest Committee your comments to help shape the rules for HF contests in 2026. The online survey includes questions on ‘Self-Spotting’ and ‘Slow speed CW’. You can find the survey online via tinyurl.com/hfcontests Please send details of all your news and events to [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events On Sunday, the 30th of November, Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club's Rally is taking place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, County Durham. Traders, catering, ample parking and disabled facilities will be available. For more information and downloadable trader forms, visit barac.org.uk The Mid Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair 2025 will be held on the 7th of December at Winkleigh Sports and Recreation Centre. The doors will be open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry costs £3 per person and there is no charge for partners and under-16s. For more detail,s contact Phil, G6DLJ on 07990 563 147 or email [email protected] Now the Special Event news Special event station GB130WRD is active until the 30th of November to mark the 130th anniversary of the discovery of X-rays. Recently, the station was spotted using FT8 on the 40m band. QSL directly to M0KZT. See QRZ.com  for more information. Special callsign GB70RS is in use to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the RSGB’s weekly news service GB2RS, which has been running continuously since the 25th of September 1955. A team of amateurs is using the callsign on a variety of bands and modes. QSL via the Bureau, Logbook of the World and eQSL. For more information, visit the GB70RS page at QRZ.com Now the DX news Phill, C21TS, is active from Nauru, OC-031, until the 30th of November. The station is often spotted on the HF bands using FT8. QSL via Logbook of the World or OQRS. Darek, TJ1GD, is operating as TL8GD from the Central African Republic until the 30th of November. He is using CW, FT8 and SSB on the HF bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World or via SP3EOL. Now the contest news On Tuesday the 25th, the RSGB SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1930 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 13cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 26th, the UK and Ireland Contest Club 80m Contest runs from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is your six-character locator. On Thursday the 27th, the 3.5MHz RSGB Autumn Series CW Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The CQ World Wide DX CW Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday, the 29th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday, the 30th of November. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and CQ zone. The UK is in Zone 14. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 20th of November After the solar mayhem we reported in last week’s GB2RS News, the Sun has been relatively quiet over the past week. The maximum Kp index we saw was 4, on Monday, the 17th of November, but otherwise it was often below 1 or 2. The result is that the ionosphere has been more stable and DX has been more forthcoming. Unfortunately, this coincided with a drop in sunspot numbers, and the solar flux index fell from 163 on the 12th to 123 on Thursday, the 20th. However, 123 is still enough to get things moving, and we have seen some good DX being worked. CDXC’s Slack chat group has reported several impressive contacts. VK9DX on Norfolk Island was worked on the 15m band using CW; ZL7/LZ1GC on the Chatham Islands was logged on the 40m band using CW; and S79/OK6RA in the Seychelles appeared on the 10m band using CW. Another interesting spot was JA7BXS on the 80m band using CW on the morning of Thursday, the 20th, showing that the low bands are becoming more interesting as we head into winter. DX on the 80m band has little to do with the solar flux index but can be influenced by geomagnetic disturbances; hence, these quieter periods have allowed the 40 and 80m bands to shine. For the coming week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may decline even more, perhaps down to 105 or 110. However, it does look like our run of quiet geomagnetic indices may come to an end, with a Kp index of 5 predicted for the 24th to the 27th of November. In fact, we could have unsettled geomagnetic conditions until the end of the month. So, this may be a good time to start concentrating on the lower bands, such as 40 and 80m. You never know, they might surprise you! And don’t forget, the CQ World Wide CW Contest is taking place during the weekend of the 29th and 30th – always a good opportunity for DX. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of unsettled weather is very much in a cold phase, but although it continues to be unsettled, it will be milder and wetter in the coming week. Perhaps more important is that at times it will be very windy with gales in some areas. For propagation, this means that the one feature absent from the present charts is any high pressure to bring tropo conditions. This means that other modes take on more importance. Auroras have provided some recent interest and, although there’s nothing dramatic in the immediate future, keep a watching brief for a rising Kp index. A good guide for impending activity is if the Kp index increases above 5. The rain scatter prospects are likely to be good during the coming week as several active frontal systems cross the country. Notably, the evening of Wednesday the 19th saw trans-North sea propagation visible on the Margate 24GHz WebSDR. This extended into the morning of Thursday the 19th, but unfortunately, no coastal stations were around to make QSOs. While rain scatter is a GHz band activity, on the lower band,s you may find some increase in static levels due to lightning activity or even snow static before the weather turns milder. There is not expected to be a strong showing of Sporadic-E in the coming week since we are well out of season. Southern UK stations should continue to watch out for fleeting F-layer DX openings on 50MHz, especially to Africa and Asia. For EME operators, the Moon’s declination is at its lowest and negative all week, so Moon window lengths are short and peak elevation is low. We passed apogee on the 20th of November, so path losses are decreasing again. 144MHz sky noise is high today, the 23rd, but will become lower as the week progresses. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

GB2RS News Sunday, the 16th of November 2025 The news headlines: Nominations for the RSGB 2026 Elections are now open The RSGB National Radio Centre to host ‘Build your own radio’ workshops Ofcom has agreed to the RSGB request to extend the 146-147MHz NoV for a further year Could your skills and experience help to shape the RSGB’s activities? The Society's year starts and ends at the AGM, and it is seeking proactive and enthusiastic members with the right skills who would like to become a Director of the Society or a Regional Representative. There are vacancies for two Nominated Directors, two Elected Directors and three Regional Representatives. Nominated Directors are selected by the Society's Nominations Committee, and then RSGB members vote to endorse them as part of the AGM voting. The closing date for these vacancies is the 5th of December 2025. If you’re interested in either the Elected Director or Regional Representative roles, you can find the candidate packs and application forms on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/elections. The application deadline for the elected roles is the 31st of January 2026. If you’d like to find out more about any of these vacancies, please email the RSGB Company Secretary, Stephen Purser, GW4SHF at [email protected]  The RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park is hosting another of its popular ‘Build your own radio’ workshops. Morning and afternoon sessions will be held on Sunday, the 23rd of November and will offer young people aged between 12 and 18 years the opportunity to learn more about amateur radio and electronics. The workshops will use simple tools for participants to build their own VHF FM broadcast receiver, which they can take home with them. Attendance at the workshop costs £11. To find out more and to secure a place, visit bletchleypark.org.uk  and search for ‘Build your own radio’. Ofcom has agreed to the RSGB request to extend the 146-147MHz Notice of Variation for a further year. It is available on a non-interference basis and is subject to a 30-day notice period of change or withdrawal. Ofcom's objective in making this spectrum available is to encourage amateurs to experiment and test new communications schemes and systems. The RSGB VHF Manager would therefore welcome reports of innovative use of the spectrum to support future discussions. Please email him via [email protected]. Full licence holders can apply for the 146-147MHz NoV on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/nov Listeners may also be interested to know that Ofcom has released a video that aims to guide how to use its recently updated licence portal. As well as other topics, the video contains information on how to change your amateur radio callsign and how to apply for a special event station NoV. You can watch the video at tinyurl.com/2025ofcom  The RSGB VHF Contest Committee is currently planning the rules for the 2026 VHF contests. Following some discussion at the RSGB Convention, the committee members have some questions on which they would appreciate feedback from contestants. The survey will close at 11.59 pm on Sunday, the 23rd of November. You can find the survey online via tinyurl.com/vhfsurvey December is all about encouraging young radio amateurs to get on the amateur radio bands. The month will kickstart on Monday, the 1st of December, when members of the RSGB youth team will give Tonight@8 viewers an insight into what a Youngsters on the Air summer camp is like. Team members will talk about some of the activities they enjoyed and how they will be encouraging other young people to get involved in amateur radio in the coming year. They will be joined by RSGB Board Director, Ben Lloyd, GW4BML and RSGB Youth Chair and School Youth Champion, Chris Aitken, MM0WIC, who will give an overview of recent youth activities and engagement and outline the RSGB Youth Team’s plans for 2026. December is also your opportunity to support young radio amateurs. One of the ways you can do this is by hosting special callsign GB25YOTA, which will be active throughout the month. The special event station can be hosted by individuals, clubs, schools and universities or youth groups such as Scouts, Girlguiding and Cadets. This is a brilliant opportunity to show young people what amateur radio has to offer. Get involved now by going to rsgb.org/yota-month  to reserve your operating slot. The Bath-based Distance Learning team is planning to run a new Intermediate licence training course in January with exams in June. The training is free, but applicants must work through some pre-course material and complete a quiz before Christmas to be eligible for a place. This work focuses on the new Foundation topics that have been introduced to the exam since September 2019. The deadline for applications is Friday, the 5th of December. To request full details and an application form, email BBDL team leader Steve, G0FUW, at [email protected] Please send details of all your news and events to [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events On Sunday, the 30th of November, Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club Rally is taking place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, County Durham. Traders, catering, ample parking and disabled facilities will be available. For more information and downloadable trader forms, visit barac.org.uk Mid Devon Amateur Radio and Electronics Fair 2025 will be held on Sunday, the 7th of December at Winkleigh Sports & Recreation Centre. The doors will be open from 9 am to 1 pm. Entry costs £3 per person and there is no charge for partners and under-16s. For more details, contact Phil, G6DLJ on 07990 563 147 or email [email protected] Now the Special Event news Special callsign GB50AUK is active until the 28th of November to celebrate the 50th anniversary of AMSAT-UK. QSOs will be uploaded to at least eQSL, Logbook of the World and the QO-100 DX Club. To find out more, visit amsat-uk.org To celebrate the 39th anniversary of the European DX Foundation, several special callsigns are active until the 30th of November. To view a list of participating stations and read information about an award that is available for working them, visit tinyurl.com/eudxf39 Now the DX news Maurizio, IK2GZU, is active as 5H3MB from Tanzania until the 20th of November. He is operating using CW, digital modes and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via OQRS, Logbook of the World, eQSL, or directly to IK2GZU. Stan, LZ1GC is active as ZL7/LZ1GC from the Chatham Islands, OC-038, until the 20th of November. He is operating CW, SSB, FT4 and FT8 on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via OQRS is preferred, or via LZ1GC directly. For more information and updates, visit c21gc.com Now the contest news Tomorrow, the 17th, the RSGB FT4 Series Contest runs from 2000 to 2200 UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report.                        On Tuesday the 18th, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 20th, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.   Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 13th of November 2025 Last week saw one of the most dramatic auroral events of this cycle. Three X-class solar flares, which sparked coronal mass ejections, joined together to give us a peak Kp index of 8.67, with a solar wind speed in excess of 950 kilometres per second. The result was extensive visible aurora in the US and Canada, although clouds prevented much of its visibility in the UK. The good news from a radio point of view was that the solar wind’s Bz, or interplanetary magnetic field, mostly pointed north or was neutral in the latter stages. This saved the Earth from a lot of its effects. The next day, HF propagation appeared to be almost normal with maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs, over a 3,000km path still exceeding 24MHz at times. By Thursday the 13th, it was mostly over 28MHz, although there were times it dropped dramatically, and signals were weak and watery at best. You could tell that there had been some disruption to HF by a lack of spots on the CDXC Slack group. While Stan, ZL7/LZ1GC on Chatham Island had been spotted on the 11th, there was very little to report the next day as the Kp index rose to 5. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux will remain in the 160 to 170 range. However, we can expect a repeat of unsettled geomagnetic conditions this weekend, possibly due to a large coronal hole that became Earth-facing on the 13th. Likewise, the 20th and 21st of November may be unsettled, with a predicted maximum Kp index of 4. After the following weekend, we can also expect more unsettled conditions, especially around the 24th to the 27th, which could see the Kp index rise to 5 or even higher. Expect decreased MUFs and less HF activity if this is the case. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spell of unsettled weather is likely to continue into the coming week. High pressure is always being kept at arm’s length, so there is no real tropo flavour to proceedings. The rain prospects are very strong, with, if anything, too much rain in some areas. During the coming week, colder northerly air will mean that some snow is possible on the northern hills. So there remains a possibility of rain scatter on the GHz bands. After the recent auroral activity, the prospects are worth considering, although it would be surprising if a repeat of the exceptional event of last week were to happen. Nonetheless, stay alert to the Kp index going above 5 and check for activity on the 10, 6, 4 and 2m bands. The event of last week was triggered by three successive days of X-class flares, so for an early ‘heads-up’ start with the Sun. The foEs graphs on propquest.co.uk  were interesting for the evening of the Autumn Series contest on the 12th of November. There were some rapid changes in propagation as paths were affected by the F2-layer one minute and Sporadic-E the next.  It is occasionally worth examining the graphs now and again to relate perceived conditions from the radio speaker to actual measurements of the ionosphere. Of course, the data from Dourbes is not necessarily what would have been recorded over the UK, but it gives a good flavour. The takeaway message is that although we think of Sporadic-E as a summer phenomenon, it can play a role outside the main season. Meteor scatter is certainly in the frame this week since the Leonids meteor shower peaks tomorrow, the 17th of November. Since meteors also play a part in Sporadic-E propagation, there is another reason to check the foEs graphs for out-of-season activity. For EME operators, the Moon’s declination went negative again on Saturday, the 15th, so Moon window lengths and peak elevation fall accordingly. Path losses are increasing to a maximum at apogee on the 20th of November. 144MHz sky noise is low during all of the coming week except for the whole of Thursday, when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.