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G4TNU > NEWS 05.04.26 02:34l 256 Lines 12391 Bytes #60 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 05 Apr 2026
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 5th of April 2026
The news headlines:
* Get to know the candidates in the RSGB 2026 elections
* Are you aged 16-30? Apply for this year's YOTA camp in
Austria!
* RSGB EMC Committee releases new leaflet
RSGB members – have you cast your vote in the RSGB 2026 elections
yet? To help you get to know the candidates, the Society has prepared
two sets of videos. The first will help you to get to know the three
Elected Director candidates. Who do you think will best serve the
Society and amateur radio? There are two vacancies for Elected Board
Directors and three nominations have been received, so your vote
counts. The second set of videos focuses on the Nominated Director
candidates who need your vote to endorse them. In each video set
you'll find an in-depth interview on a range of subjects, and a
second shorter video with two quick questions about RSGB membership.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and take some time to watch these videos
via rsgb.org/candidates and then go to rsgb.org/vote Once you have
logged into the voting site, you can select your two preferred
Elected Director Candidates, endorse the Nominated Director
candidates and vote on the other resolutions. Online voting is
available 24 hours a day and closes at 9am on Thursday the 16th of
April 2026.
This year's Youngsters on the Air Summer Camp takes place between the
25th of July and the 1st of August in Wagrain [VAHG-GRINE], in the
Austrian Alps. This is a chance of a lifetime for young RSGB members
to represent their country and their national society. To be part of
this fantastic event, you need to be an RSGB member, aged between 16
and 30, and passionate about all things radio. This year's camp is
being organised by the IARU Region 1 Youth Committee, together with
the Austrian National Amateur Radio Society. The camp is an
opportunity for exciting experiences, to make new friends and to
learn how to encourage other young people to get involved in amateur
radio. You can apply to be part of the team or to be the Team Leader.
Find out more and download the application form at rsgb.org/yota-camp
Applications must be submitted by Friday the 1st of May.
The RSGB EMC Committee has released a new leaflet explaining how to
build a portable loop antenna to help radio amateurs find sources of
EMF interference. Pair it with a portable receiver, and you can walk
around an area, watching for changes in signal strength to pinpoint
where interference is coming from. The antenna itself is easy to make
from a short length of coaxial cable formed into a loop and a handful
of coax connectors. Despite its small size, the antenna has
directional properties making it useful for locating the sources of
interference. This is Leaflet 19 in the series of leaflets produced
by the Committee and is called ‘A simple loop antenna for use in
identifying sources of interference'. You can download it and all the
other EMC leaflets in the series, from the RSGB website at
rsgb.org/emc
The next Tonight<at>8 webinar is on Monday the 13th of April. During
the presentation Mark Foreman, G7LSZ will be looking at what happens
when your rig goes to the shack in the sky. He will look at what
recycling is, its purpose and the basics of recycling waste
electronic and electrical equipment. The Tonight<at>8 webinars are
livestreamed via the RSGB YouTube channel and special BATC channel,
which means you can join the live chat and ask Mark any questions you
may have on the topic. Find out more about this and other upcoming
webinars at rsgb.org/webinars
If you are a fan of digital voice modes, check out the 235 Alive DMR
net. This weekly event takes place on TGIF Talk Group 235 on Sundays
from 1830 to 1930UTC. All amateurs are welcome to join in. For
details of how to connect visit 235alive.com or the 235 Alive
Facebook page.
Please send details of all your news and events to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions is 10am on
Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.
And now for details of rallies and events
On Sunday the 5th of April, from 11am, the Broadcast Engineering
Museum is holding an open day. The museum has one of the largest
collections of historic broadcasting equipment in the world,
including outside broadcast vehicles, TV cameras, videotape and
telecine machines, audio equipment, transmitters, TV lighting and
public address systems. The open day will include an exhibition of
offshore pirate radio memorabilia from the 1960s and 1970s. The
museum is located at 41 Capper Avenue, Hemswell Cliff, near
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5XS. For more information visit
becg.org.uk/events
On Saturday the 11th of April, the 40th annual QRP Convention takes
place at Digby Hall, Sherborne DT9 3AA. The doors will be open from
9.30am and admission costs GBP 3. The event will include traders, a
bring and buy area and club stalls. More information is available at
yeovil-arc.com
On Sunday the 12th of April, Holsworthy Amateur Radio Club Spring
Radio Rally is taking place at Holsworthy Livestock Market, New
Market Road, Holsworthy, Devon EX22 7FA. Traders can gain entry from
8am. The doors open to the public at 10am and entry is GBP 3 per
person. There will be a bring and buy area and catering on site. More
details are available via the ‘Rally' tab at m0omc.co.uk
The Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Rally, also known as
both the ‘NARSA Rally' and the ‘Blackpool Rally', will take place
on Sunday the 12th of April. The venue will be Norbreck Castle
Exhibition Centre, Blackpool, FY2 9AA. For more details contact Dave,
M0OBW on 01270 761 608, email dwilson<at>btinternet.com or visit
narsa.org.uk
Now the Special Event news
Godalming Museum in Surrey is hosting special event station GB2MGY on
Saturday the 11th of April from 11am to 2pm. The station is operating
to celebrate the birthday of Jack Phillips, one of the Morse
operators on the Titanic. Visitors to the museum can learn Morse code
and send a message to earn a certificate. Find out more at
godalmingmuseum.co.uk/whatson
Special callsign YR100RC is active until the 30th of September to
celebrate the centenary of Romania's first amateur radio club. Look
for activity on the HF bands using FT8 and SSB. For details of a
certificate that is available for working the station visit
tinyurl.com/YR100RC
Now the DX news
The Ramsbury Amateur Radio DX Group will be active as GB1RY during
the first two weekends in April from the disused USAAF Ramsbury for
Airfields on the Air. The team will be operating using CW, FT8 and
SSB on the 40 to 10m bands.
Paul, WA4PAW is active as C6APS from Great Abaco, A-080, in the
Bahamas until Sunday the 12th of April. He operates using CW, FT8 and
SSB on the 20 to 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, OQRS or via
Paul's home call.
Now the contest news
The SP DX CW and SSB Contest started at 1500UTC yesterday, the 4th,
and ends at 1500UTC today, Sunday the 5th of April. Using CW and SSB
on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange
is signal report and serial number. Polish stations also send their
province code.
Today, Sunday the 5th, The UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs
from 0900 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies,
the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from
1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs
from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 8th, 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 8th, 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 Thursday the 9th, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity runs from 1900 to
2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The RSGB FT4 International Activity Day starts at 1200UTC on Saturday
the 11th and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 12th of April. Using FT4
on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange
is your report.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Wednesday the 1st of April.
Over the last week we have had a fair sprinkling of sunspots, along
with some enormous coronal holes, including one almost rectangular
hole. Coronal holes are lower energy areas on the Sun with open
magnetic field lines, allowing solar plasma to flow out.
Geomagnetic conditions have mainly been settled, with the Kp index
hitting a maximum 3.67 over the past five days.
We had a long M1.3 solar flare at 0415UTC on Saturday the 28th of
March and an X1.5 class solar flare on Monday the 30th of March.
Active region 4405 erupted at 0318UTC and launched a halo coronal
mass ejection, or CME, into space that hit the Earth on Wednesday the
1st of April.
Meanwhile, the solar flux index has remained above 140 for a few
days, which bodes well for HF propagation.
NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will start at 145 at the
beginning of the coming week and fall to 112 by Saturday the 11th of
April. Geomagnetic conditions are set to be unsettled from Thursday
the 9th to Sunday the 12th of April, with a potential Kp index of 5
or even 6. If this comes to pass expect lower maximum useable
frequencies, or MUFs, and disrupted HF conditions, especially on
polar paths.
HF DX to look out for this week includes T31TTT in Central Kiribati
[KI-REE-BAS], which is active until Tuesday the 14th of April;
FO/F6BCW in French Polynesia, which is operating until Friday the
10th of April; CE0Y/DJ4EL on Easter Island until Saturday the 11th of
April; and TJ1GD/P on Mondoleh Island, Cameroon, which is available
until Monday the 20th of April.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
The equinoxes are a time of the year when the Atlantic jet stream
typically blows across the UK, as it migrates north from the
Mediterranean in the winter to near Iceland in the summer.
The weather for the coming week is going to see a succession of lows
driven by the Atlantic jet stream crossing the UK with bands of rain
and scattered blustery showers. These may represent chances of some
rain scatter for those on the upper GHz bands, but this pattern
suggests limited tropo options.
The prospects for meteor scatter are no better since we remain some
way short of the next major meteor shower in late April. In these
situations, your best chances are from random meteors, which tend to
peak in the early pre-dawn hours. The equinox also gets credit as
being a preferred time for auroras since there is a better coupling
between the Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind.
It is too early in the year for much Sporadic-E activity, but keep a
check on the Sporadic-E graphs on propquest.co.uk for signs of brief
upticks. Incidentally, some maintenance work is currently under way
on the website, so apologies for any interruptions.
For EME operators, Moon declination is now negative, reaching its
minimum on Wednesday the 8th of April. At this point, the Moon is up
for only six hours and gets to a mere nine degrees elevation in the
UK. The Moon is also furthest away, or at its apogee, on Tuesday the
7th of April so path losses are at their highest. 144MHz sky noise
starts low but quickly climbs to a high of more than 2,700 Kelvin on
Wednesday the 8th of April.
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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