Name: RSGB Tonight @ 8 - Transceiver performance for the HF DX & contest operator with Rob Sherwood, NC0B @TheRSGB
Uploaded: 2024-10-16T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: RSGB Tonight @ 8 - Transceiver performance for the HF DX & contest operator with Rob Sherwood, NC0B

RSGB Tonight @ 8 - Transceiver performance for the HF DX & contest operator with Rob Sherwood, NC0B

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-10-16 | RSGB Tonight @ 8 - Transceiver performance for the HF DX & contest operator with Rob Sherwood, NC0B

RSGB 2024 AGM livestream: Saturday 13 April

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-04-13 | The RSGB 2024 AGM was held live on Saturday 13 April at 10am. Thanks to everyone who joined us live either just to watch or ask questions. If you missed it, you'll find some time codes below to help you find particular places in the event.

13:32 Formal AGM business
37:26 Presidential review of 2023
58:04 Presentation of trophies and awards
1:18:10 Board Q&A
2:30:53 Thank yous
2:32:00 Ofcom licence consultation RSGB video
2:34:39 Recorded message from Ofcom Group Director, Spectrum, David Willis
2:38:05 Ofcom video: New amateur radio licensing framework
2:42:33 Licensing Q&A with four senior RSGB representatives answering questions: President, John McCullagh, GI4BWM; Board Chair, Stewart Bryant, G3YSX; General Manager, Steve Thomas, M1ACB; and Spectrum Forum Chair, Murray Niman, G6JYB
3:33:44 Closing remarks

RSGB Tonight@8 - HF Aurora Reflections Observed at Anchorage, Alaska USA by Whitham Reeve

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-04-09 | The presentation

Many interesting phenomena can be observed in the high frequency radio band including aurora reflections, meteor trail reflections, radio blackouts, sudden frequency deviations, aircraft reflections, and propagation anomalies due to ionospheric patches and blobs. Detections of all these phenomena at Anchorage involve a terrestrial transmitter and terrestrial receiver separated by a distance great enough to result in sky wave propagation between them.

The focus of this presentation will be aurora reflections. The terms radio aurora, aurora scattering, aurora echoes, aurora radio reflections and aurora reflections are used interchangeably to describe transmissions that originate at a distant transmitter, are reflected by high-electron-density regions associated with the aurora, and are detected by a receiver that, with the distant transmitter, form a bistatic radar. The transmissions originate at the WWV and WWVH time-frequency stations approximately 4000 km away, and the reflections are thought to occur 500 to 1000 km north of Anchorage.

This presentation follows a paper on HF meteor trail reflections and includes an overview of early investigations and concepts that underlie the observations of aurora reflections, instrumentation, and a selection of spectrum images from 2020 showing aurora reflections.

About the presenter

Whitham Reeve obtained B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering at University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA. He worked as a professional engineer and engineering firm owner/operator in the airline and telecommunications industries for more than 40 years and now manufactures electronic equipment used in radio astronomy and does design work on the Long Wavelength Array. He also is a part-time space weather advisor for the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) and a member of the HAARP Advisory Committee. He is a member of RSGB and Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers and a Life Member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He has lived in Anchorage, Alaska his entire life.

First Shown 8 April 2024

RSGB 2024 Elections - Nominated Director interviews

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-03-13 | This year in the RSGB elections there are three Nominated Directors who are being put forward by the Nominations Committee for membership endorsement. Their answers are combined in a single video so you can see each candidate’s thoughts on the same question. We wanted to give the candidates the opportunity to share more about themselves as a person than they can do in their written statements and to explain their thoughts on the issues facing amateur radio and the RSGB.
The interviews were pre-recorded separately, and each candidate was asked the same set of questions. They were not told the specific questions in advance, other than the first one which asked about their amateur radio experience and interests.
There are three Nominated Director vacancies so the candidates are being put forward for endorsement.

RSGB 2024 Elected Director interview - Mark Jones, G0MGX

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-03-13 | This year in the RSGB elections there is one Elected Director who has already been elected unopposed. Whilst RSGB members don’t need to vote on this candidate, we still invited them to have a video interview. This is an opportunity for them to share more about themselves as a person and to explain their thoughts on the issues facing amateur radio and the RSGB.

The candidates were not told the specific questions in advance, other than the first one which asked about their amateur radio experience and interests.

RSGB Tonight@8 - VHF NFD challenges and fun

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-03-05 | Have you wondered what happens at a VHF National Field Day (VHF NFD)? Would you like to take part in one?

In this month’s webinar, we offer two different perspectives:

1. Firstly, RSGB VHF Contest Committee member Richard, G4HGI will talk about how the RSGB VHFCC uses the VHF Survey and other tools to formulate the rules and calendar for all VHF Contests, with specific emphasis on VHF NFD

2. Secondly, we take a closer look at the VHF National Field Day through the eyes of Lothians Radio Society, GM3HAM and hear from its team about how they organise and operate these hilltop events in the Scottish borders. Andy, Brian, and John will discuss their experience of VHF NFD and their motivation to organise and compete in these events. They have made a short film capturing their 2023 VHF NFD weekend and they will use this, as well as a an old cine-film to show how this looked from a technical standpoint at much earlier club competition events in the 1970s

About Richard:
Originally licensed as G8MME back in the 1970s, after taking the CW test at Anglesey Radio Nebo Station he became G4HGI. Richard’s interests in operating have always been weak signal VHF/UHF EME & Terrestrial propagation. He was very active in VHF/UHF contesting for 40+ years, concentrating on low power operation. For six years Richard was the VHF/UHF columnist in RadCom. He is a current member of the RSGB VHF Contest Committee and is also Chairman of Bolton Wireless Club.

About Lothians Radio Society:
The Lothians Radio Society, GM3HAM was formed in 1947 covering the geographic area of Edinburgh and the East Coast of Scotland. The membership ranges from founding members to the newly licensed with typical meeting numbers growing and now attracting 30 or more attendees. The core of our activities are the twice-monthly meetings at a local hotel, where we have an excellent series of lectures on amateur radio subjects by experts in their field. We also have outdoor activities, including portable contests from a site near Gatehouse of Fleet, working with other clubs and related charity activities plus regular social events. Many of our members are very active in SOTA and VHF/UHF/Microwave.

The GM3HAM presenters are all 2023 National Field Day competitors: Andy Sinclair, MM0FMF; Brian Flynn, GM8BJF; and John Taylor GM4JRT.

Find out more:
Want to contact the RSGB VHF Contest Committee with a question or an idea? Email vhfcc.chair@rsgbcc.org

Interested in watching the full videos that were shown in part during this Tonight @8 talk? The first is VHF NFD 2023 (9 minutes) which was made by Lothians Radio Society. The second is VHF NFD 1966 with old cine film (20 minutes). Head over to: youtube.com/channel/UC0Dq1131Za8GmDa0wvyoRqA

Get in touch with the club: lothiansradiosociety.com

First Shown 4 March 2024

RSGB 2023 - a year in numbers

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-02-22 | During a year when the global landscape shifted once more, with conflicts across the world and economic difficulties touching the lives of individuals, we were pleased to see that the amateur radio community continues to thrive. It may have changed shape and adapted with the times, but the RSGB has been there not only to support its members but to defend the spectrum and provide information for all radio amateurs.

The April RadCom will show in detail the work of the RSGB committees and other specialist volunteers, but in this video we bring you some great things to celebrate, in which RSGB HQ staff have often led the way. This video contains the highlights, but the RSGB's March RadCom and the RSGB website have the fuller story...
rsgb.org/main/blog/rsgb-strategic-priorities/2024/02/22/2023-a-year-in-numbers

RSGB Tonight@8 - Propagation HF What can we learn using digital WSPR & FST4W? Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-02-06 | The presentation

Gwyn says:

“This presentation is a story of learning-as-I-went-along with the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) mode within the WSJT-X digital communications package. It begins with building a simple, but successful, 7 MHz WSPR transceiver.

My next WSPR receiver went to the Arctic on an icebreaker, receiving three spots in eight days. Why? We’ll delve into how the ionosphere affects narrowband signals like WSPR. We’ll see why frequency spread, as in auroral flutter, is important. How do we measure it? Enter the FST4W mode. Frequency spread is not just a useful measure on auroral paths. I’ll show how to identify one-hop and multi-hop signals, where the path was likely a chordal hop or a Pedersen ray, or when my 14 MHz signal from Southampton reached London via two ionospheric refractions and the Mediterranean.

To convince you that’s quite likely we’ll look at ray trace model predictions and results of a rotating-beam experiment. To close, I’ll use these tools to show effects on the ionosphere of the 14 October 2023 annular eclipse over the USA.”

About Gwyn

I was raised on Anglesey (WAB: SH28) and it was listening to the Coastguard that first triggered a passion for things radio. Licensed as GW3ZIL aged 15, amateur radio, especially benevolent and patient locals, gave me a decent grounding in practical electronics. The ionosphere, sunspots, refraction, even aircraft scatter were concepts I began to grasp.

But, in a career more concerned with sound waves – underwater, I was inactive until retirement. Modern amateur radio was a world of seemingly endless topics. I was looking for something that combined my interests in low power and making measurements, and would develop my knowledge on how signals propagated. The answer was the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) mode within the WSJT-X digital communications package.

The last seven years with WSPR, and lately its stable mate FST4W, have been a joy: yes, for the technical side, but primarily for the enduring friendships along the way.

Gwyn is a corresponding member of the Propagation Studies Committee.

First Shown 5 February 2024

RSGB 2023 Convention - VHF airborne radar

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-01-26 | Professor Simon Watts, G3XXH
At the start of WWII there was an urgent need for airborne radar to detect U-boats and surface ships. The systems that were rapidly developed were known as ASV (Air to Surface Vessel) and operated at VHF, with wavelengths close to 1.5m. The first system, ASV Mk.I, was quite experimental, but this was quickly followed by a better engineered and higher performance system, ASV Mk.II. By 1942, ASV was starting to make a significant contribution to the battle against the U-boats.

This talk describes the design and performance of these early systems, which preceded the advent of the magnetron, and discusses the technology used, including the development of high-power pulsed transmitters, broadband receivers using television technology and CRT displays.

Simon Watts was a deputy Scientific Director and Technical Fellow in Thales UK until 2013. He has published many papers and two books on airborne maritime surveillance radar research and also two books on the history of ASV. He was Chairman of the Examination Standards Committee from 2006 to 2016, first with the RCF and latterly with the RSGB. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was appointed MBE in 1996 for services
to the defence industry.

RSGB 2023 Convention - WRTC 2022 from a referee perspective

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-01-26 | John Warburton, G4IRN
WRTC, held every four years, is considered to be the 'Olympic Games' of radio contesting and pitches qualifying teams of two from around the world against each other in a 24-hour SSB/CW contest. Operating sites are selected, and antennas provided to create a level playing field and each station's identity is hidden behind a random call sign allocated 15
minutes before the contest.

This year's event in Bologna, Italy, was delayed by a year due to the pandemic, then threatened by floods and more lately challenged by world events. It nearly didn't take place, but the Italians pulled it off and hosted 58 teams of two over 58 sites with identical antennas, each with a referee and site manager.

John describes the event, the role of the referee and shares his experience of the week in Italy - how the Italians planned and organised the event; how referees, sites and call signs were allocated to stations and how he worked with his allocated team during the contest.

John’s passion has always been for HF contesting and DXing, especially on CW. Over the years he has completed many DXpeditions, operated from all over the world in the annual CQ Worldwide CW contest and is a previous operator on the RSGB's contest team in the annual IARU HF Championship. Having visited the World Radio Teamsport Championship (WRTC) in Germany five years ago to simply 'live the experience', when the opportunity arose to be a referee at this year's delayed WRTC 2022 event in Italy, John was quick to apply and was delighted to be selected.

RSGB 2023 Convention - WRTC 2026 is coming to the UK

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-01-26 | Mark Haynes, M0DXR
The WRTC 2026 presentation explains what WRTC is about and provide an overview of what the UK’s Organising Committee are planning for the 2026 event. Find out how you can be part of this once in a lifetime event - either as a spectator, volunteer, competitor or referee.

First licensed at the age of 12, Mark is a keen HF and VHF contester. He has operated from around 40 DXCCs in DXpedition and Contest style including D68C (2001), 8Q7ZZ (2002), FT5XO (2005) and TI5W, K3LR & P3F (multiple years). He currently holds many CQWW country records.
He founded Contest University UK following the establishment of the USA CTU. He was RSGB Young Amateur of the Year 1999/2000. Mark is a member of many clubs such as FOC and the CQWW Contest Committee. In 2014 he joined G0CKV as a competitor at WRTC Boston. Professionally, Mark works in the ground transportation industry as a Senior Project Manager providing rail signalling solutions on London’s urban rail network.

RSGB Tonight@8 - WRTC 2026 by Mark Haynes, M0DXR and the WRTC team

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-01-16 | The WRTC 2026 presentation will explain what WRTC is about and provide an overview of what the UK’s Organising Committee are planning for the 2026 event. Find out how you can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event – either as a spectator, volunteer, competitor or referee.

Following the presentation at the RSGB 2023 Convention, this Tonight@8 webinar will bring you up to date with everything that has been happening since.

About the presenters

Mark Haynes, M0DXR – Chairman and Project Manager

Lee Volante, G0MTN – Vice Chairman and Director of Rules

Steve Thomas, M1ACB – Director of Volunteers

Andy Cook, G4PIQ – Director of Sites and Stations

Fred Handscombe, G4BWP – Director of Finance

Chris Danby, G0DWV – Director of Sponsorship

Georgina Haynes, M6YGL – Director of Hospitality

First Shown 15 January 2024

Updating the amateur radio licensing framework: RSGB overview of key changes

Radio Society of Great Britain 2024-01-12 | In this RSGB video, RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB chats to RSGB Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB. Murray recaps some of the headline results of the Ofcom consultation, including where changes have occurred to Ofcom’s proposals. They also talk about what this could mean for radio amateurs in the future.

00:00 Introduction by David Palmer, G7URP
00:59 RSGB General Manager, Steve Thomas, M1ACB sets the context
03:28 RSGB Spectrum Chair, Murray Niman, G6JYB recaps key changes
20:33 Discussion of the effects for radio amateurs
36:54 WRC-23 update

This is a great example of how the RSGB is working not only to defend the spectrum, but also to support all radio amateurs to understand and make use of the privileges they enjoy through their amateur radio licence.

All RSGB updates on the licence review can be seen on our website: rsgb.org/licencereview

Background: Following Ofcom’s consultation on the amateur radio licence last year, it released a statement in December 2023. The statement outlined its decision to update the amateur radio licensing framework to ensure the policies and licences meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s radio amateurs, while streamlining the licensing process. It also published a General Notice, giving notice of its proposal to vary all amateur radio licences.

RSGB 2023 Convention - RSGB EMC Committee investigations into sources of RF electrical interference

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-12-30 | David Lauder, G0SNO
David gives a presentation on RSGB EMC Committee investigations into EMC problems and their solutions including electric vehicle charging - wireless and wired; electric bicycles and scooters; 12 volt battery chargers; Solar Photovoltaic systems; Air source heat pumps; LED lighting; Wind turbines; VDSL and g.fast.

David Lauder first obtained his Class B amateur radio licence about 40 years ago followed by Class A in 1992. He has been a member of RSGB EMC Committee for over 30 years and has written the EMC column in RadCom since October 1996. He is a member of the Investigations Group of the RSGB EMC Committee and he is also Chair of the Noise Measurement Campaign (NMC) Subgroup of the IARU Region 1 EMC Committee

RSGB 2023 Convention - Rockall DXpedition

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-12-26 | Nobby Styles, G0VJG
Nobby describes the challenging and hazardous DXpedition to Europe’s rarest IOTA, Rockall Island. One of the most inhospitable islands in the UK, arranging activation of this IOTA came with many unique problems. Nobby discusses how the Rockall Island team planned their DXpedition - their choices of personal survival equipment, location, radios, computer and power source. Given its remote location, this was anything but standard, involving small boats and rescue helicopters. Nobby shares the lessons he and the team came away with.

Nobby, G0VJG has been licensed 34 years and enjoys working and chasing DX. He likes activating IOTA and rare DXCC. Nobby was part of the M2000a team (Millennium station) which was his first experience of working a pile up, which gave him the bug for this style of operating. Nobby also enjoys contesting on his own, as part of the M6T contest station and for his local club M8C Cray Valley Radio Society.

RSGB National Radio Centre snippets - Enigma Reloaded event with explanation and CW translation

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-12-21 | In response to requests for more information about the Enigma process and a translation of the Morse message, this is an update to the video we released on 9 October 2023 - watch to find out more!

RSGB National Radio Centre (NRC) volunteers were delighted to participate in the seventh Enigma Reloaded event, working in conjunction with the Bletchley Park Learning Team.

Organised by the amateur radio club of the Italian Naval College, a Morse Code message, previously encrypted by Enigma, was transmitted on the 80m, 40m and 20m amateur band to participating museums around the world, with each museum in turn acknowledging receipt of the message, again using CW.

At the NRC, a team of five CW operators took down the message being transmitted from Italy and then compared the characters written down. This process is similar to how members of the Radio Security Service (RSS) may have done it in WWII when intercepting a message. The five radio operators were, seated (far left to far right) Derek, M0YAW; Peter, M0PJD; Ed, G3ZLX; John, G4FZA; Derek, G4VWI. John, G4FZA was the main operator, using the Morse key sending the CW

The Bletchley Park Learning Team provided a genuine WWII Enigma machine and invited members of the public to press keys on the Enigma machine, enabling the original plain text message to be read.

RSGB 2023 Convention - The UK Meteor Beacon project

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-12-14 | Brian Coleman, G4NNS

Phase 1 of this project was completed in 2022 when the UK meteor beacon GB3MBA went on the air enabling studies of meteor events over the UK using simple equipment and making possible a range of STEM projects featuring radio and astronomy. Phase 2 of the project, which is described in the presentation, is to develop a network of receivers 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. In particular this is with members of the Fireball alliance, which in the UK is led from the Natural History Museum, with the aim of studying meteors and, when possible, recovering meteorites. Both project phases have been supported by the RSGB Legacy Fund and beacon running costs
for three years are being met by the British Astronomical Association.

First licensed as G8AZU in 1967, Brian has always been interested in UHF and microwave activity and construction. He is active on 3.4, 5.7, 10 and 24GHz EME using a 3.7m dish antenna and is interested in radio astronomy. Recently he has developed an interest in making meteor observations using radio and has assembled a team to build the GB3MBA beacon to provide UK coverage and to develop a receiver network for the study of meteor events over the UK.

RSGB Tonight@8 - Amateur radio construction

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-12-12 | Do you enjoy amateur radio construction? Or would you like to try making something for the first time?

The RSGB recognises the importance of construction as a key element of amateur radio, whether that is using traditional construction skills or a software or systems engineering project.

In this presentation we looked at some of the projects that were entered into the RSGB Construction Competition over the last couple of years, and heard from the people behind them. We hope it inspires you to try something new!

RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB also presented the new Beginners' category trophy which has been created in memory of Gavin Nesbitt, MM1BXF.

About the presenters:
Jenny Curtis, M7JNY – 2023 Beginners winner and awarded the MM1BXF Trophy for her Emergency Vertical Antenna
Colin Murray, GM4EAU – 2022 Software winner for his WATT – WSPR Analysis and Traffic Tool
David Law, G0LBK – 2023 Construction Excellence winner and given the Pat Hawker G3VA Award as overall winner for his 23cm band EME dish antenna

First Shown 11 December 2023

RSGB 2023 Convention presentation - 23cms updates

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-12-01 | This is three presentations in one!
1. Barry Lewis, G4SJH talks about "Amateur/RNSS coexistence in the 23cm band"
2. John Worsnop, G4BAO considers "How will the possible RNSS changes affect narrow band DX operation and EME?"
3. Dave Crump, G8GKQ looks at "The future of ATV in 23cms"

These presentations were given before the WRC23 conference, and final arrangements will depend on the WRC23 outcome. You can read more about that on the RSGB website - rsgb.org/main/blog/category/news/special-focus/wrc-23

RSGB 2023 Convention presentation - Ofcom and beyond

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-11-21 | Murray Niman, G6JYB
RSGB Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB provides another informative session on the Ofcom consultation as well as looking ahead to other changes in prospect across HF to microwaves from IARU and the ITU World Radio Conference this autumn. He outlines the RSGB’s response to the Consultation and takes questions about the next steps.

Murray is the chair of RSGB Spectrum Forum which leads on licensing matters with Ofcom as well as IARU and band planning. He is no stranger to the area having previously held the post of Microwave Manager, during 2007-2016, whilst also busy with activity at his local clubs. Murray also has a seat on the Exam Standards Committee.

RSGB 2023 Convention - Taking amateur radio into schools

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-11-17 | Lyall Smith, GM4XID; Chris Leviston, M0KPW; and Simon Harris, G4WQG

From soldering to coding, from Morse to satellites, and from propagation to electronics, there is so much in amateur radio that links with the school STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) curriculum. It gives young people skills that could help their future careers and enables them to understand how many things in everyday life actually work.

This presentation shows how three different radio amateurs have inspired school pupils to explore and have fun with amateur radio. Lyall set up an amateur radio club in his school; Chris set up an afterschool club at his daughter’s primary school; and Simon, with the help of friends at his amateur radio club, created links with his son’s technical college that have
snowballed to other schools in the area.

The presentation shows how individual radio amateurs and clubs can make positive and productive links with schools and will give you tips and encouragement for getting involved in schools where you live!

RSGB 2023 Convention - Discussion with the Board

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-11-10 | At this year's Convention there was a special session with the RSGB Board where the Directors presented the four strategic priorities that the Society will be focusing on until the 2024 AGM. After that the audience had the chance to ask questions.

It was an opportunity for those at the Convention to discuss with the Board how the Society, and its members, can meet the challenges facing amateur radio today. There were a few issues with the microphones for which we apologise.

The discussion was hosted by Don Beattie, G3BJ, who is a former RSGB President. For thirteen years he held the post of Secretary, and then President, of the International Amateur Radio Union (Region 1).

Don is active on HF and LF bands, both under his own call and his contest call G5W, where he has had considerable success in international contests over the years. Although now retired from IARU, he continues to represent the amateur service in discussions in CEPT, European Commission and ITU on the threat from Wireless Power Transmission.

RSGB 2023 Convention: What did the RSGB do for me and what can it do for you?

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-11-10 | RSGB President John McCullagh MBE, GI4BWM

John will be speaking about his experience of 50 years of RSGB membership and then talking about the wide range of services that are offered to members.

John was licensed as GI4BWM in 1973 and became very active on HF, although in recent years his interests have been mainly in the VHF and UHF bands. He became involved with the repeater scene in the late ‘70s and he has continued that interest over the years. His interests are currently in the digital voice area although he is interested in all aspects of the amateur scene. He is also an active RAYNET member and controller of his local group in NI. John has been a member of the RSGB for 50 years and served at committee chair level for twelve years. In April 2023 he was installed as President of the RSGB.

RSGB 2023 Convention Keynote: Life in RF Spectrum during the last 60 years – is this a life for you?

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-11-10 | Colonel John Doody FBCS FCMI CITP ACIIS MIOD

The RF spectrum covers a wide range of everyday capabilities that affect our daily life and it is an exciting environment that includes amateur radio. John will discuss his radio communication experiences across the frequency spectrum from VLF, LF, HF, VHF and SHF to satellite communications from 1965 to today. The talk will focus on his early days in the Middle East with a Paramilitary Army in 1968; utilising Operational HF communications in a barren desert environment; the use of LUF, OWF and MUF projections; the deployment of a range of Antenna Systems; and then establishing an amateur radio station using Military High-Power HF equipment. The communications theme will be developed from those days to large Military Communication Systems in the mid-80s, cellular radio for commercial and emergency service use in the 90s and Command and Control Systems in the military domain in the 21st Century. He will touch upon the development of cryptographic modules to secure both military and commercial systems.

Colonel Doody is a retired officer of the UK Royal Corps of Signals, the author of “From Stripes to Stars” and he served at GCHQ and the former Communications-Electronics Security Group for ten years as Head of Information Assurance Customer Services. He has the unique experience of having held appointments in Defence, the Intelligence Services and Industry. John has a wealth of knowledge across the whole spectrum of cyber security, information assurance, cryptography and radio communications. John was awarded the CESG/GCHQ Directors Medal in 2003, elevated to the Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame in 2012, and nominated “Godfather of Cyber Security 2021” at the Unsung Cyber Heroes Award Ceremony in the city of London in October 2021.

RSGB Tonight@8 - An entry-level talk on End Fed Half Wave antennas by Colin Summers, MM0OPX

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-11-07 | The presentation

Aimed at newcomers to amateur radio, this presentation will be an entry-level talk which will touch on antennas generally but will focus on the End Fed Half Wave Antenna (EFHW) – transformers, construction and performance.

About Colin

“I first became interested in radio around 12 years old when my cousin showed me an FM CB radio where we would use these to talk to each other. We would regularly stay at our grandparents at the weekend where we would listen to shortwave radio and local FM non commercial stations. I started building CB antennas like dipoles and even once built a 3 element wire Yagi on fencing slats for the summer Sporadic E! I had a break from radio from the age of 17 to 29. I then discovered the 3-tier licence system which allowed HF access from the get-go. I soon enrolled in a weekend Foundation course which ran in May 2011 and by the end of November the same year I had my Full licence. Particular thanks go to John, GM1BSG & Stirling Amateur Radio Society in which I gained so much initial experience in contesting and field setups.

Radio took a back seat again when my daughter arrived in 2015 but I got interested again in 2019. From 2019 till now my passion is designing and building efficient HF field portable antennas deployable by one person. This was driven by the fact I have a small garden and cannot have antennas set up all the time. In the autumn of 2012, I was lucky enough to operate as VE4/MM0OPX deep in the Boreal Forest of Northern Manitoba on at lake on the Nelson River. My aim was to work back into Europe on SSB which I did several times and have a QSL card to prove it!”

RSGB 2022 Convention - Sprinkles or Mirrors

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-30 | Chris Deacon, G4IFX
Chris was the recipient of the 2022 RSGB Les Barclay Memorial Award for his research into sporadic-E propagation at 50 MHz. Perhaps surprisingly, sporadic-E is once again becoming a hot topic in professional circles and Chris has shown that it is possible to do real science with amateur equipment, resulting in two academic papers so far. In this talk, he explains his experimental approach, describes his latest results, and discusses some of the outstanding questions.

Chris Deacon was first licensed in 1971 as G8EUB, upgrading to G4IFX in 1979. In the early 80s he got interested in Band I DX TV, which led him to six metres and one of the early transmitting permits. Chris joined the UK Six Metre group and in mid-90s became the editor of its magazine, Six News. After 11 years in that role, he switched to being the secretary of the group, and is currently the chairman. Chris is also the secretary of the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee and, since 2018, has been engaged in a part-time PhD at the University of Bath, focused on sporadic-E propagation.

RSGB 2022 Convention - Input impedance of a feeder

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-30 | Peter Duffett-Smith, GM3XJE
Most of us know already that the input impedance of a feeder at the transmitter end, connected to an antenna at its far end, depends on the length of the feeder, the antenna impedance, the frequency and so on. But why is this? Not being entirely sure himself, Peter wrote a software simulation application which reveals the interaction between the forward and reflected waves on a feeder. This is used to see how the resulting voltage and current at the input end defines the impedance and discover some surprising properties in the process.

Peter Duffett-Smith acquired the very old, large but defunct, family radio when he was eight, and found that he could give himself an electric shock when he disconnected a nine-volt battery from across the mains plug. From then on he was hooked! His grandfather taught him the basics and he gained his class A radio amateur licence aged seventeen. Peter completed a PhD at Cambridge and joined the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory at the Cavendish Laboratory under Nobel prize winners Professors Martin Ryle and Antony Hewish. He spent his working life tinkering with antennas and teaching Physics to undergraduates until retirement in 2013. Peter now lives in Scotland, continuing to tinker with antennas and delving into other interesting radio projects. He is the editor of RadCom Plus and a member of the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee.

RSGB 2022 Convention - VHF Equipment to get you going

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-29 | James Stevens, M0JCQ
How to get started on the VHF bands for the newcomer or even the most ardent HF enthusiast. This talk covers the reasons you should give these bands a go, practical tips and the equipment to get you started, without breaking the bank. It will also include where James, M0JCQ has taken VHF radios to; from the lowlands of IO91, to the highest SOTA mountain peaks in the UK.

James, M0JCQ is the co-author of the RadCom VHF/UHF column and obviously a VHF enthusiast. Despite this, he entered the hobby as a shortwave listener, thinking HF DXing would be his niche! He enjoys taking part in VHF contests, utilising digital modes and using VHF radios from the highest mountains in the UK.

RSGB 2022 Convention - RadCom HF predictions - now and the future

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-29 | Steve Nichols, G0KYA
Steve looks at the history of the RadCom HF predictions and how they have developed. He also looks at an alternative way of presenting the data and asks, "which do you prefer?"

Steve Nichols, G0KYA has been licenced since 1981 and is the chairman of the RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee. He is a regular contributor to RadCom and has also authored several books for RSGB including "Radio Propagation Explained", "Stealth Antennas" and "Getting Started in Amateur Radio".

RSGB 2022 Convention - DXCC and IOTA DXpedition planning and operation

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-27 | John Warburton, G4IRN
Remote island or 'holiday style', the key to a successful DXpedition is in the planning. John, G4IRN has years of DXpedition and travel experience from simple 'holiday style' to large group operations requiring months of planning and negotiation. He would like to encourage others to try DXCC or IOTA DXpeditioning and relates to real-life experiences to take you through planning considerations, tips for licensing, travelling with equipment, operating locations, antennas, preparing for the unexpected and more. For anyone aspiring to travel with their radio, this is a must-see presentation.

John started listening to shortwave DX radio broadcasts in his teenage years and soon became hooked on the idea of obtaining a radio licence and contacting DX himself. Having to learn Morse code to gain access to the HF bands was never an obstacle and it has been his favourite mode ever since. Although out of the hobby for 20 years, when he came back in 2002, John decided to fulfil his dream of being on the DX end of pileups and has embarked on many one-man and team DXpeditions since then. John's last overseas operations were a solo effort from the Andaman Islands (VU4G) in 2019 and a group contesting effort from Costa Rica (Ti7W) in 2020. He plans another DXpedition in 2023.

RSGB 2022 Convention - Using the right tools to work more 144MHz DX

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-27 | John Regnault, G4SWX
A lot of amateurs who chase DX learn the many tricks of the trade as they go along. There are now many software tools and websites that can assist with VHF station optimisation and propagation prediction. John G4SWX, has been chasing DX on 144MHz for 50 years and has tested, and indeed regularly uses, many software tools and websites to ensure he is ready for DXpeditions and extreme propagation. This presentation gives a comprehensive guide to a range of software packages and websites that John recommends, to assist others develop their VHFD DXing skills.

John Regnault, G4SWX was first licenced in 1972 after a few years of youthful 'testing' a number of LF, HF & VHF radio bands. From his first day on the air with an all-homebrew station, John was chasing more distant and rarer stations, on 144MHz, ie DXing. He took the Morse test in early 1983 in order to extend his DXing capability to work moon-bounce on 144MHz. His third CW QSO as G4SWX was a 144MHz moon-bounce one with W7. Since then, he has remained active on 144MHz chasing DX by both terrestrial modes and moon-bounce.
In the past few years John has pioneered remote operation of a very comprehensive, world-class 144MHz station. He remains an active homebrewer including the design and construction of Yagi antennas, VHF transverters, linear amplifiers and remote station technology. John has published several articles in RadCom, presented at a number of RSGB and other amateur conventions and clubs, and for the past ten years has been RSGB VHF Manager.

RSGB 2022 Convention - VHF Transverters revisited

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-26 | Sam Jewell, G4DDK

In this presentation Sam discusses why he believes VHF transverters are still a good solution for the VHF bands.

Sam Jewell is now retired from a large telecom company where the last 17 years were spent in a research environment. He has developed and published a number of transverter, converter, signal source and low noise preamplifier designs over the last 50 years. Some of these designs, such as the Meon transverter, are now regarded as classic designs.

RSGB 2022 Convention - VHF Contesting trends and tips

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-26 | Andy Cook, G4PIQ
Contesting at VHF has been a popular part of the hobby for many years and an area where things are always changing. This lecture looks at some of the techniques which have developed over the years and how you can take advantage of them to help you grow your score. The lecture looks at what you really needed in hardware and software to make them work for you, what a state-of-the-art contest setup looks like now, and perhaps de-bunks a few commonly held myths with some data.

Andy Cook, G4PIQ has been wrapped up in radio contesting for over 40 years on both HF and VHF, both as a single operator, and as part of multi-operator teams. He’s been lucky enough to have had a fair bit of success at both ends of the spectrum and he’s represented the UK in two WRTCs. Over the past few years, activity has been patchier due to the demands of a family, but he still tries to sneak as much operating in as he can. As penance for all this, he’s served two long stints separated by 10 years, on the RSGB VHF Contest Committee, and is currently Chair of that Committee.

RSGB 2023 Convention Chat - RSGB and IRTS Presidents

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-20 | At this year's Convention we spoke to RSGB President John McCullagh MBE, GI4BWM and IRTS President Enda Broderick, EI2II about their views on the opportunities, challenges and great things happening in amateur radio at the moment...

Enigma Reloaded event at the RSGB National Radio Centre

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-09 | RSGB National Radio Centre (NRC) volunteers were delighted to participate in the seventh Enigma Reloaded event, working in conjunction with the Bletchley Park Learning Team.

Organised by the amateur radio club of the Italian Naval College, a Morse Code message, previously encrypted by Enigma, was transmitted on the 80m, 40m and 20m amateur band to participating museums around the world, with each museum in turn acknowledging receipt of the message, again using CW.

At the NRC, a team of five CW operators took down the message being transmitted from Italy and then compared the characters written down. This process is similar to how members of the Radio Security Service (RSS) may have done it in WWII when intercepting a message. The five radio operators were, seated (far left to far right) Derek, M0YAW; Peter, M0PJD; Ed, G3ZLX; John, G4FZA; Derek, G4VWI. John, G4FZA was the main operator, using the Morse key sending the CW

The Bletchley Park Learning Team provided a genuine WWII Enigma machine and invited members of the public to press keys on the Enigma machine, enabling the original plain text message to be read.

RSGB Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML ends his current SOTA challenge with the summit of Clisham

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-04 | Ben had hoped to activate the summit of Pabbay but the weather has brought those plans to an end. He finishes his SOTA challenge with the summit of Clisham on the Isle of Lewis - SOTA ref GM/SI-012. He explains in this video why SOTA is a great activity for radio amateurs to try and why people who like hiking should get involved in amateur radio

RSGB Tonight@8 - Introduction to Contesting by Lee Volante, G0MTN

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-03 | The presentation

Aimed at newcomers to contesting, this presentation will explore how contesting began, explain why it is rewarding and fun, and demonstrate how anyone can take part in their first contests with equipment they have today. We’ll look at what are suitable events to start off with, both on VHF and HF, whether you prefer to operate using voice, data modes and/or Morse code.

About Lee

Lee, G0MTN has been an active contester for over 35 years on both HF and VHF, operating at home and with groups in the UK and abroad. He has presented several times at RSGB Conventions to help spread positive messages about contesting.

First shown on 2 October 2023

RSGB Dir Ben Lloyd, GW4BML about to activate the summit of Beinn Mholach - his ninth remote summit

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-01 | Both Ben and his partner Martha MM3MBL qualified the summit - Martha did one contact on HF and three contacts on 2m FM. Martha is newly-licensed and this was her second summit in a week. They cycled/walked 4.5 miles and encountered deep peat bogs where you could fall in up to your waist! Ben said it was the toughest summit they'd done.

RSGB Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML on his way to activate Beinn Mholach with his family

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-01 | This is the ninth summit in Ben's SOTA challenge on the remote Scottish islands. Today he is activating Beinn Mholach and Ben's partner, Martha, will do her second ever activation. In this video Ben explains which bands they will be using and what their plans are next.

RSGB Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML about to activate the summit of Beinn Mheadhonach

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-10-01 | Ben's SOTA challenge continues and today he was activating the summit of Beinn Mheadhonach on the Isle of Lewis and Harris. This is the eighth in his SOTA challenge

RSGB Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML gives an update about the summits happening over the weekend

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-29 | A hitch in the boat transfer for his next SOTA challenge means that Ben won't be out activating summits tomorrow, but he gives an update on what the plans are for the next few days...

RSGB Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML activating the summit of Caiteshal GMSI 088 on CW

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-29 | Ben activated his seventh summit today and had many contacts via CW. If you're a CW fan, this one's for you!

RSGB Board Dir Ben Lloyd, GWBML at the summit of Caiteshal GMSI 088

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-29 | Just before completing his sixth SOTA activation of remote Scottish islands that haven't been activated before, Ben shares his view of the summit. This is his first for today and he heads for the next one straight after!

RSGB Board Dir Ben Lloyd, GW4BML on his way very early to Caiteshal GMSI 088 in his SOTA challenge

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-29 | This video was filmed at 6.50am as Ben made his way towards Caiteshal after a 'lift' by a local fisherman. He talks about how much he is enjoying his SOTA challenge and the bands he will be on today. The video that shows him at the summit is youtu.be/PfBThprzg0s

This is the first of two summits he will be activating today so watch out for the next videos

RSGB Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML activating the summit of Muirneag GM/SI-182 on Isle of Lewis

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-28 | This video shows Ben on the summit of Muirneag, working a 40m SSB pile up. He cycled and then hiked to the summit with his partner Martha and his two-year-old daughter Lyra. Martha MM3MBL/p was the first to activate this summit and it was her first SOTA summit too! Muirneag has never been activated for Summits on the Air (SOTA) before due to its remote location and dangerous bogs.

RSGB Board Dir Ben Lloyd, GW4BML and family heading towards Muirneag to activate as SOTA together

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-28 | Ben and his family are right at the top of the Isle of Lewis, heading towards the summit of Muirneag - the SOTA code GM/SI-182. They are cycling then hiking and Ben will carry two-year-old Lyra in a backpack for the hike. He hopes to be on 60m for CW and also 40m and 2m FM on the summit.

RSGB Board Dir Ben Lloyd, GW4BML after activating Uisenis and Gormol summits in his SOTA challenge

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-26 | After activating both Uisenis and Gormol summits in one day on the Isle of Lewis, Ben talks about his plans for the next part of his SOTA challenge...

RSGB Board Dir Ben Lloyd, GW4BML activating Gormol summit and making QSOs with local radio amateurs

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-26 | Ben's SOTA challenge continued with two summits activated in one day on the Isle of Lewis: Uisenis GM/SI-126 and Gormol GM/SI-078. This video shows him chatting to local radio amateurs on the air at the summit of Gormol.

Board Dir Ben Lloyd, GW4BML activating summit of Uisenis and explaining his SOTA equipment

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-26 | Ben is on the Isle of Lewis activating his first of two summits today. In this video he shows how he sets up the amateur radio equipment he uses for SOTA.

RSGB Board Dir Ben Lloyd, GW4BML activating Uisenis and Gormol summits today in his SOTA challenge

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-26 | RSGB Board Director Ben Lloyd, GW4BML is activating two more new summits today – Uisenis (GM/SI-126) and Gormol (GM/SI-078) - on the Isle of Lewis. In this video he explains the times and bands he hopes to be available on the air if you want to get him in your log during his SOTA challenge!

RSGB National Radio Centre Coordinator Martyn Baker, G0GMB operating GB3RS for 1940s weekend

Radio Society of Great Britain 2023-09-24 | Bletchley Park held its annual 1940s weekend on 23-24 September 2023. The RSGB National Radio Centre (NRC) volunteers got into the swing!