Tag Archives: RSGB

Jun 16 2017

Syllabus consultation for UK amateur radio exams

A syllabus consultation is being held for the new Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced RSGB amateur radio exams.

Surprisingly 7B1 Band Plans on page 56 of the consultation document proposes not teaching Foundation candidates that “transmissions on satellite frequencies should be avoided for terrestrial contacts.”

Instead it is suggested that teaching this Basic Information is delayed until Intermediate. Fewer that half of all Foundation licence holders ever do Intermediate and even those that do may take several years to get there.

The RSGB says:

A complete review of the syllabus for all three levels of the amateur radio examinations has been completed.

The draft of the new syllabus is now available for consultation together with a survey to capture any comments you may wish to make.

Please visit http://rsgb.org/syllabus_review to access the syllabus draft document and how to make your comments.

The section of syllabus relating to the Amateur Satellite Service can be seen on page 60 of the consultation document.

Jul 13 2016

RSGB Board Chair to address AMSAT-UK Colloquium

RSGB Chair Steve Hartley G0FUWThe RSGB Board Chair Steve Hartley G0FUW will address the AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium at the Holiday Inn, Guildford on Sunday, July 31.

He will give an insight into the RSGB support given to the schools involved in the Principia ARISS contacts and how the Society plan to build on those successes. He will also outline the Schools Link project which aims to show schools how they can use amateur radio to deliver ‘core’ science in a practical way to enrich the learning experience, and hopefully generate some new radio amateurs (and maybe radio communication engineers) in the process.

The Colloquium takes place July 30-31 and is open to all, admittance is £10 per day.

Libby Jackson, Astronaut Flight Education Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency will be speaking during the Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening, book your place via http://shop.amsat-uk.org/

Further information can be found at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/

Sep 27 2015

Ofcom clarifies position on SES call signs

Ofcom-logo-col-tOfcom had said NO to Special Event Station (GB) callsigns being used in the bands above 440 MHz for Amateur Satellite or Terrestrial operation.

The RSGB intervened and Ofcom have now issued revised clarification – Operation above 440 MHz with SES (GB) calls is permitted, so is operation in the 5 MHz segments.

It appears the SES call sign application form OfW287 is rather old and doesn’t list all the available bands. Fortunately that doesn’t matter since the NoV issued for the SES call sign is not band specific.

Well done RSGB !

September 22 – Special Event Callsigns and Microwave Bands
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/september/special_event_callsigns_and_microwave_bands.htm

UK Microwave Group Yahoo Reflector http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ukmicrowaves

The Radio Society of Great Britain is inviting all radio amateurs in the UK and Crown Dependencies to complete an online questionnaire. You can find the survey at http://www.rsgb.org/ar-survey

Essex Ham interviewed RSGB President John Gould G3WKL about the 2015 Amateur Radio Survey. Listen to the interview at http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/rsgb-survey-2015.html

Jul 23 2015

Project DX15 – RSGB Young Members DXpedition to Wales

Three Northern Ireland participants traveled to Brecons for ProjectDX15

Three Northern Ireland participants traveled to Brecons for ProjectDX15

The Radio Society of Great Britain’s Youth Committee are running a Kenwood-sponsored Youth DXpedition and will be active as MC0RYC from the Brecon Beacons in Wales from July 23-30. They’ll be on all bands HF through VHF, including satellite operations

This is the first young person’s DXpedition that the Society has organised and therefore we are keen to publicise it as much as we can.

Chair of RSGB Youth Committee Mike Jones 2E0MLJ

Chair of RSGB Youth Committee Mike Jones 2E0MLJ

Throughout the course of the week, the young Members will be taking part in an array of activities including operating SOTA summits Pen-y-fan (SOTA reference GW/SW-001) & Waun-Fach (SOTA reference GW/SW-002). Provided the weather isn’t too bad, SOTA activations will be taking place on the following dates and times:

• Saturday 25 July – afternoon

• Sunday 26 July – afternoon

• Tuesday 28 July – noon UTC

• Wednesday 29 July – noon UTC

These are approximate times, and we will keep you up to date via our Twitter.

We will be doing many other activities including ARDF, antenna-building workshops and encouraging good radio operation. As well as having fun, we want to help train the young Members to be competent and confident radio amateurs.

You can support us by:

• Following our progress on Twitter @theRSGByouth

• Working the first RSGB Youth DXpedition in the UK – we will keep you updated on frequencies via our Twitter channel and the DX spots.

• Listening for the call sign MC0RYC during the IOTA Contest over the weekend 25-26 July. Please work the young team if you can, so they can experience the full flow of a big contest

A special QSL card will be available for those who wish to receive one, both direct and via the Bureau. The team are keen to encourage responsible QSLing and OQRS will be available via Club Log.

DX15 has been made possible by generous sponsorship from Kenwood as principal sponsor and other prime sponsors SOTA, the RCF and the RSGB Legacy Fund.

Please pass this information on to fellow amateurs, local clubs and any other amateur radio contacts you may have. Thanks for your support for the future of amateur radio.

We also have a dedicated email address set up for the DXpedition where you can email us if you have any questions or would like to set up a sked: m0ryc<at>rsgb.org.uk

Kind Regards,

Mike Jones, 2E0MLJ
Youth Committee Chairman
Leadership Team Member
Radio Society of Great Britain
M: +44 (0) 7577 447754
E: youth.chairman<at>rsgb.org.uk

Nov 24 2014

RSGB Spectrum Forum meeting minutes released

The RSGB Spectrum Forum meeting minutes and reports from the annual meeting held on November 1, 2014 are now available.

The Spectrum Forum, chaired by Murray Niman, G6JYB, brings together the RSGB spectrum managers with other stakeholders, including committee chairs, special interest groups and other specialists that share an interest in spectrum management.

Read the minutes and reports at
http://rsgb.org/main/blog/spectrum-forum-posts-overview/spectrum-forum-meeting-minutes/2014/11/24/spectrum-forum-meeting-minutes-2014/

Spectrum Forum http://rsgb.org/main/about-us/committees/spectrum-forum/

Sep 28 2014

RSGB Inspire – Best practice in promoting Amateur Radio

Michael Sansom G0POT brings news of a RSGB focus group seeking best practice when promoting Amateur Radio at special events open to the public. The group aim to share and discuss ideas and experience running Special Events and Demonstrations to members of the public to identify successful approaches to promoting Amateur Radio in the UK.

If you have read page 8 of this months Radcom you will be aware that I am leading an investigation into the experiences and approaches of UK Clubs and Societies when it comes to attracting newcomers to Amateur Radio with a particular focus on running public events.

I am looking for ideas and approaches that are proven to be successful in attracting new Amateurs both young and old. These may include targeting specific events, targeting specific age groups, using specific demonstrations or just the way you engage with the public.

I’ve contacted you as I believe you are a Committee Member with your local club and I would like to publicise the work I’m doing and invite all interested parties to come and join the discussion. I have created a Yahoo group to act as a focal point for sharing thoughts and critiquing ideas. I would be grateful if you could share these details with your Club Members and encourage those with experience and ideas to come and join.

The group can be found by searching Yahoo Groups for rsgb_inspire or following this link:

https://groups.yahoo.com/groups/rsgb_inspire/info

The research is due to conclude in about 6 months at which time I will report to the RSGB on a portfolio of best practice which can then be shared with Clubs and Societies across the UK. It will also act as a guide to the RSGB where they may be able to support our endeavours to promote Amateur Radio.

If you would like further information including the Terms of Reference for the Working Group then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many thanks for your support,
Michael (GØPOT)
g0pot@metalkettle.co.uk

PDF of Alex Discovers Amateur Radio available at
http://rsgb.org/main/get-started-in-amateur-radio/alex-discovers-amateur-radio/

You can also join the RSGB_Inspire Yahoo Group by following these steps:
• Send a blank email to RSGB_Inspire-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
• Yahoo will send you an email in response, you may need to check your SPAM folder
• Click on the link in the email, this will bring up a Yahoo page in your browser
• On the Yahoo page ignore the big Join link in the middle and click on the link at the bottom of the page instead, it says: “As an alternate option, you may join the mailing list instead.”
• You should then be a member of the group.