Also in GB2RS this week…

The UK Meteor Beacon project is now in its second phase, and both phases have been supported by the RSGB Legacy Fund. At the RSGB 2023 Convention, Brian Coleman, G4NNS outlined the plan for the second phase. A network of receivers will be developed, streaming their data via a central server for detailed study of individual meteor events. This is a cooperation between the ‘worlds’ of amateur radio and astronomy. You can now watch Brian’s presentation on the RSGB YouTube channel.  The RSGB Legacy Fund supports a wide range of amateur radio projects. You can find out more and download an application form on the RSGB website

The RSGB election process has begun and there are eleven roles to fill. These include eight Regional Representatives covering a wide range of regions, as well as an elected Director and two Nominated Directors. Bob Beebe, GU4YOX is the new Chair of the Nominations Committee and he is keen to see people volunteer. He says that being a Director of the RSGB is a great opportunity to contribute to the future direction of the Society and the RSGB needs the best people to come forward to play their part. If you don’t feel you can volunteer, do you know someone who would make a good Director? Do you know someone committed to amateur radio, in touch with the leading thinking in amateur radio today, and capable of contributing to the Society’s work in a team environment? If so, ask them to stand for election or as a Nominated Director. Find out more about the RSGB election process, and all the available roles, on the RSGB website

Following feedback from the amateur radio community, the RSGB’s Learning Team is launching a revised Discovery Scheme in the New Year. This will be a revamp of the Individual Scheme from the Beyond Exams initiative and consists of three levels of participation. The ‘Explorer’ level is aimed at newcomers to amateur radio and will run from January to March 2024. The ‘Adventurer’ level, which will run from April to June 2024, is targeted at those who have been involved with amateur radio for a while and wish to progress. Requiring more significant experience, the ‘Master’ level will run from July to December 2024. For more information, contact Beyond Exams Coordinator Mark Burrows, 2E0SBM? via be.coordinator@rsgb.org.uk

As the 2023 year draws to a close, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank all the newsreaders who read the RSGB news on a variety of platforms for their service to their fellow amateurs throughout the year. We respectfully ask amateurs to check carefully before using 145.525MHz on a Sunday as there are many GB2RS broadcasts throughout the day on this frequency. Thank you to all those who listen on Sunday mornings, and the other times that the news is read, to those who call in afterwards to speak to the newsreaders, and to everyone who listens via various other platforms.

RSGB HQ will be closed for Christmas and New Year from 4.30pm on Friday 22 December until 8.30am on Tuesday 2 January 2024. Next Sunday, the 24 December, the GB2RS News script will be prepared as usual and read at the discretion of individual news readers. There will be no GB2RS broadcast on Sunday 31 December 2023 but many newsreaders will be holding informal nets in their usual broadcasting slots. During the holidays, if you need information about amateur radio, exams or RadCom you’ll find lots of pages on the RSGB website

The RSGB National Radio Centre 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. Following the seasonal closures, the RSGB National Radio Centre will also be closed for essential maintenance works between the 2 and 5 January 2024. 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

GB2RS News on the Isle of Man is delivered by a team of four Newsreaders and is widely heard thanks to the extensive GB3IM UHF repeater network. Please note that, from the 7 January 2024 onwards, the transmission is moving to the new time of 4pm. For a complete list of GB2RS broadcasts, please download the Broadcast Schedule from the website

Category: GB2RS Headlines