RadCom April 2024, Vol. 100, No. 4

News www.rsgb.org 14 April 2024 Help required for research during total solar eclipse on 8 April 2024 On 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse will head toward the UK from the west. While the eclipse will not be visible over the UK, as the Sun will have set over the Atlantic, it will likely affect transatlantic VLF and HF radio propagation. The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSci) is holding a “Festival of Eclipse Ionospheric Science” and welcomes participation from the amateur radio community. HamSci has several events planned on the HF bands. There’s a Solar Eclipse QSO Party for CW, SSB, FT8/4 and other digital modes and the Gladstone Signal Spotting Challenge for CW, WSPR and FST4W. Reception reports from the UK of VLF transmitters from North America, especially NAA at 24kHz, are also encouraged. Full details are at hamsci.org/eclipse HamSci community volunteer and RSGB Propagation Committee associate member Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL has a particular interest in the effect of reduced ionisation during the eclipse on the second and third hops on 15 to 10 metres on paths from the UK to North America. He encourages occasional WSPR users to dust off their transmitters to operate on those bands from 7 to 9 April, not just on 8 April, so as to provide results on undisturbed days. This is a rare opportunity to study the effects on propagation of a total eclipse on paths to and from regions with substantial digital modes activity. The map pictured here shows the west-to-east path of the total eclipse on 8 April 2023 and the area with the Sun at least 80% obscured. The ray trace for 21MHz from G3ZIL to K6RFT, Missouri, suggests that the second and third refractions by the ionosphere would be affected by the eclipse. Also shown are locations of several top US WSPR spotters likely to receive transmissions from the UK on 15m to 10m. Map credit: Google Earth and data providers. Ray trace made using PyLap, available at github.com/hamsci/pylap Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL gwyn@autonomousanalytics.com GB0CHC In 2024 I will again be running GB0CHC. This station will run from 1 April for twenty eight days. I plan to be active on all bands from 80m to 70cm using SSB, FM and DMR. This marks my 33rd year of fundraising for the Cornwall Hospice Care since my first project back in 1991 and I plan to be on the air each day. I have also set up a fundraising page online at Justgiving.com and during April I hope to make many contacts locally and around the world. Dennis, G7AGZ  DX Commander has a new European distributer DX Commander has appointed Martin Lynch and Sons Ltd as European distributor of the whole DX Commander product range. Callum McCormick, M0MCX, owner of DX Commander explained, “I am particularly delighted for our EU customers because ML&S are geared up for collecting sales taxes/ VAT at the point of sale so that EU customers won’t have any duties or VAT to pay at the point of delivery.” He continued, “Customers now have a choice of DX Engineering for North America and ML&S for the EU and UK – as we also ship worldwide from our factory.” Based on an idyllic remote farm location in the heart of Warwickshire, DX Commander employs four staff and has recently doubled its factory space to cope with increased demand. See dxcommander.com for more information. Dr Bob Heil, K9EID Silent Key The man who defined the sound of live rock and roll music and brought audio engineering principles into mainstream amateur radio use, Dr Bob Heil, K9EID, has passed away at the age of 83. Bob founded Heil Sound in 1966. His audio engineering products have been featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he was honoured in 2007 with the Parnelli Audio Innovator Award for his impact on the live sound industry. Parallel to his commercial and artistic success in live music, was his passion for amateur radio. He was a generous donor to amateur radio organisations and recently he donated a host of new audio gear to the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station, W1AW. Bob is pictured here on the day that he became an RSGB member. International Marconi Day, 27 April 2024 We would like to let everyone know that we will be running this year’s International Marconi Day on 27 April 2024. This year we shall also be celebrating the birth of Guglielmo Marconi 150 years ago.  If you register as an official station but are unable to continue closer to the time please let us know so we can update our records.  We will be updating our website over the coming weeks so, if you have already registered or are about to, please be patient with us. It will be updated as soon as possible. For more information visit gb4imd.co.uk  and facebook.com/gb4imd Steve, G7VOH International Marconi Day Organiser/ Chairman Cornish Radio Amateur Club