RadCom April 2024, Vol. 100, No. 4

Report 36 April 2024 T he services providedby theRSGB Committees, Honorary Officers and other RSGB volunteers are central to the operation of amateur radio in the United Kingdom as we know it. Between them they touch every aspect of amateur radio and provide much of the organisational infrastructure on which everyday amateur radio depends. As you will see from the reports below, the RSGB Committees and Honorary Officers are a core resource who play a key role in delivering the RSGB strategy (rsgb.org/strategy ). One of the RSGB’s four key strategic priorities concerns spectrum and licensing. I write this overview on the eve of the most significant changes to the UK amateur radio licence that many of us have ever seen. This is on top of a year that has seen the RSGB address significant threats to the amateur radio spectrum. We must thank the work of the RSGB Spectrum Forum and in particular its Chair, Murray Niman, G6JYB who has worked with Ofcom to ensure an excellent outcome for the UK amateur radio community. We also need to thank the Microwave Manager Barry Lewis, G4SJH for his work in defending our continued access to the 23cm band. The new licence will result in an increased workload for the ETCC committee, and I am pleased to report that they have preparations in hand for an increase in the number of co-ordination requests that they need to address. Another of the four key strategic priorities is the growth of amateur radio. One of the teams that brings amateur radio to the attention of the public is the volunteers at the RSGB National Radio Centre. Another team working to introduce amateur radio to a wider audience is the Regional Team. In each case, please see their reports for further information. There can be no such growth without the important work of the RSGB Examination teams. Here I would like to make a particular call out to the remote invigilation team members who have enabled so many to take their examinations at a time and place of their choosing. Of course, there is much more work to do in growth and I direct you to the report on the RSGB Growth Workshop, on page 73 of this issue of RadCom , for more information on our activities in that area. Whilst currently we focus on four strategic priorities, we must not forget the validity of the other objectives, of which participation is one. As you will see, the contest committees have been working hard to provide a large series of popular events that encourage operation using as many amateur radio modes as possible, both at a personal and at a club level. Part of the joy of contest participation is being presented with a winner’s trophy and we must thank Jacqui Goodey, G6XSY for her excellent work in that role, and take a moment to note that so far no one has come forward to replace her in her retirement. Hopefully someone will step into her shoes so that we can continue the long- standing RSGB trophy tradition. Another strategic objective concerns technical innovation and I hope that you will be as impressed as I am at the scientific understanding of propagation that the Propagation Studies Committee (PSC) is developing to the benefit of us all. There is of course too little space to highlight all the important work that has happened this past year. I therefore ask you to read the reports below and the relevant committee web pages for more details of the work that the RSGB committees have undertaken. I hope that you will join me in thanking the RSGB Committee Chairs, Committee members and Honorary Officers for their work on behalf of the RSGB membership and the amateur community at large, and when you meet them either in person or electronically, I know that they would appreciate a personal thank you. RSGB Board Chair, Stewart Bryant, G3YSX ARDF Committee The ARDF Committee is a group of committed volunteers who have been driving forward the development of this aspect of ‘sport radio’ in the UK. ARDF is still recovering very slowly from the effects of the Covid Pandemic. In 2023, competitions in the English Midlands were least affected by the pandemic, with the Region 13 summer series taking place. Nationally, events were staged at Reynold and Holcote, Bagworth and Bradenham. 2023 was a year of upheaval in IARU Region 1 when the Executive Committee took the very unusual step of removing the Chairman of the ARDF Working Group from office. This all happened against the background of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As a result, the ARDF Working Group lost a long-serving and much respected Chairman who will be very much missed. 2023 was also a year for the triannual meeting of the Region 1 General Conference which was held in Serbia. The RSGB submitted three papers in an attempt to mitigate the worst of the fall-out from the above decision of the Executive Committee (EC). Also, a second candidate stood for the election of the ARDF Working Group Chairman, in addition to the EC candidate. We received excellent support from Murray Niman, G6JYB who was a member of the RSGB delegation. Our papers met with some success with postponing the ARDF Youth Championships, originally scheduled to be held in Russia in 2024, and obliging the EC to adopt a positive attitude to the links between ARDF and Orienteering. The candidate for Chairman, supported by the Working Group (the much-respected Rainer Floesser of Germany), failed to be elected, largely because half of the Region 1 member Societies have no interest in ARDF and they preferred to support the candidate nominated by the Executive Committee. With the war in Ukraine showing no sign of ending, this issue looks likely to continue into 2024. The cancellation of Hamfest in 2023 acted against ARDF in that we were denied the opportunity to attract interest from many recently-licensed individuals. In the past this event has been a very valuable way to attract amateurs to ARDF. The task facing the Committee in 2024 is to get ARDF in the UK back to the position it had prior to the pandemic. We are seeking to find individuals prepared to coordinate ARDF in RSGB Regions 3 (England North West) and Region 4 (England North East). We wish to establish a much wider number of events and need individuals in these regions prepared to co-ordinate simple half-day competitions with equipment, expertise and support provided by the ARDF Committee. In addition, we seek to re-establish ARDF with a vibrant programme in the south of central England. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the enthusiasm and contributions of the Committee members in running events and promoting the sport. R G Titterington, G3ORY ardf.chairman@rsgb.org.uk ARISS What is ARISS? ARISS stands for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. It is an internationally-coordinated activity amongst the five ‘Space Regions’ (North America, Europe, Canada, Russia and Japan) that contribute to, and support, the International Space Station. The primary goal is to increase the level of interest in RSGB 2023 Committee Reports