Also in GB2RS this week…

Are you making the most of the new amateur radio licence conditions already? Or are you still discovering what has changed and how it applies to you? The RSGB website has a range of resources about the Ofcom consultation, the new licence conditions and where to find help and guidance. You’ll find videos, summaries and links to Ofcom’s documentation. This is also a good time to revalidate your licence. Go to the website to find out more and remember to be part of the RSGB AGM if you have a question you’d like to ask.

A reminder that registration is open for Maritime Radio Day 2024 which takes place annually on the 14 and 15 of April. The event is held to commemorate the almost 100 years of wireless telegraphy service for seafarers which ended with the closure in the UK of Portishead Radio on the 30 April 2000. Commencing at 1200UTC on the 14 April 2024, and finishing at 2300UTC on the 15 April 2024, this event is a great opportunity to have a QSO with ex-Marine Radio Officers and Coast Station professionals who exchange details of their previous ships and coast stations. The mode of operation is CW and all of the HF bands are used, including the WARC bands. A certificate of participation will be issued to everyone who submits results. Amateur licence holders are invited to register to take part as Friends of Maritime Radio Day. Shortwave listeners may also submit logs. For more information and to register, visit the website

Lots of stations are on the air today to join in with this year’s Airfields on the Air event. Amateurs are invited to contact as many of the stations as possible. To learn more about the event, and read a list of registered stations, visit the website.

On Sunday, 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse will head toward the UK from the west. While not visible over the UK, it will likely affect transatlantic VLF and HF radio propagation. RSGB Propagation Committee associate member Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL has a particular interest in the effect of reduced ionisation during the eclipse on second and third hops on 15 to 10m paths from the UK to North America. He encourages occasional WSPR users to dust off their transmitters to operate on those bands from Sunday, 7 April through to Tuesday, 9 April—not just on the 8 April—so as to provide results on undisturbed days.

Category: GB2RS Headlines