Also in GB2RS this week…
RSGB club insurance and beacon and repeater insurance has now been renewed for the year to April 2020. Club insurance certificates can be downloaded from the RSGB website—please use your Membership Services login to obtain a copy of your certificate. To ensure that your beacon and repeater is covered under the RSGB insurance a £10 admin fee is required and you may renew this at rsgb.org/repeaterinsurance. Please allow a couple of days after renewal for your certificate to be dispatched.
At the IARU Region 1 Interim meeting last week, a special Sunday morning session that focussed on enhanced VHF/microwave activities was kicked off by John Regnault, G4SWX, the RSGB VHF Manager. Joining the meeting by Skype, John explained how the UK had gained access to the experimental 71 and 146MHz bands for digital innovation. Among other things this had fostered ground-breaking developments in reduced bandwidth digital ATV by BATC, which has transformed activity on VHF/UHF. More recently this innovative work has supported the IARU WRC-19 case for 50MHz; and has also proved to be a popular mode on the new QO-100 geostationary satellite. More details on the Region 1 Interim meeting website.
SOS Radio Week has started and will continue until the end of May. This annual event raises awareness of the amazing work that the brave volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) perform and to honour the volunteer watchkeepers of the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), who provide eyes around the coast of the UK to observe and report potential disasters unfolding that technology cannot detect. For further information, see sosradioweek.org.uk.
The UK DX Foundation will be holding its convention, dinner and 2019 AGM at the Link Hotel, Loughborough, on Saturday, 11 May 2019. The programme includes the AGM in the morning, afternoon DX and technical talks, and an evening dinner—with plenty of time for socialising in between. Members, XYLs and non-members are welcome. Booking details at cdxc.org.uk.
New videos have been added to the RSGB website and YouTube channel. RSGB Members can view Troposcatter on the VHF Bands by Palle Hansen, OZ1RH and H44R and H40D: A Thrilling and Unforgettable IOTA DXpedition by Cezar Trifu, VE3LYC. And available for everyone on the RSGB YouTube channel are PI4 the Digital Mode for Beacons and Why It Is A Success by Bo Hansen, OZ2M and VHF baluns – Fact and Fancy by Ian White, GM3SEK. You can find these and many more interesting talks at rsgb.org/videos.
Category: GB2RS Headlines
