RadCom April 2024, Vol. 100, No. 4

Report 42 April 2024 contests, satellite communications, ATV and Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) activities. Digital mode experimentation continues to grow especially in the higher frequency bands. Active microwave band user groups in the UK include data and repeater groups, the UK Microwave Group (UKuG), BATC and Amsat-UK. The RSGB and the UKuG have continued to schedule contest events encouraging activity in all bands up to 248GHz. The most popular continue to be those in the 1.3GHz and 10GHz bands. The RSGB UKAC events continue to be popular, encouraging activity in the lower microwave bands at 2.3, 3.4 and 5.6GHz, on a monthly basis. The BATC arranges TV contesting that includes operation in these bands. This year saw a consultation issued by Ofcom to review and update the amateur radio licensing framework that included new privileges, enabling increased transmitter powers for Intermediate licence holders and additional access to the lower microwave bands from 2.3GHz (13cm) up to 5.7GHz (6cm). The aim is to encourage newcomers to these bands. Other proposed changes simplify the beacon transmitter licensing process for lower-power beacons and streamline the process for higher- power beacons. Towards the end of 2023, the ITU-R World Radio Conference (WRC-23) took place which tackled the 23cm band agenda item (WRC- 23 Agenda Item 9.1 topic b – adopted at the previous conference in 2019). This agenda item triggered four years of study on the use of the secondary 23cm band by the amateur and amateur satellite services in the same frequency range as the primary radio navigation satellite service (RNSS) users across the band. The outcome identified a new footnote in the Radio Regulations that mentions a new ITU-R Recommendation, M.2164, that provides guidance to administrations. This ended four years of uncertainty about how amateurs can continue to use the band, although regulations in the European region will continue to evolve throughout 2024 based on the WRC outcome. The amateur community was represented by a global International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) team of which the RSGB is an active member. During the year, presentations on the developments, as they unfolded, were provided to UKuG meetings as well as at the RSGB Convention. Unexpected users in any of our bands can be troublesome especially when disruptive interference occurs preventing amateur operation. Such a case troubled 23cm band operators in the Midlands area but it was successfully resolved following negotiation between the RSGB and Ofcom. The offending signals were moved to a less densely used part of our band away from the amateur weak signal operations. The pressures on our valuable microwave spectrum bands for commercial and governmental usage is not letting up. For example, mobile cellular technology proponents have eyes on bands around 10GHz and even the millimetre-wave bands at 76GHz and above are increasingly coming under the spotlight for new technology developments (especially sensing and radar applications). The RSGB Spectrum Forum and the Microwave Manager collaborate with the IARU to monitor and directly contribute to UK and international spectrum discussions. If operating in the bands above 1GHz is of interest to you then the UKuG has a growing range of loan equipment available to encourage newcomers onto the bands. As ever, it remains vitally important to demonstrate and publicise any experimentation and use of the microwave and millimetre-wave bands to ensure their retention by the amateur service. Finally, a thank you to the RSGB HQ staff, contributors to RadCom and the Spectrum Forum members for their collaboration and support throughout the year. Barry Lewis, G4SJH microwave.manager@rsgb.org.uk RSGB National Radio Centre (NRC) at Bletchley Park The NRC, located within the grounds of the Bletchley Park Museum, remains an ideal venue to introduce and demonstrate amateur radio, enabling volunteers to engage with many visitors. With its flagship amateur station, GB3RS, it is able to demonstrate both the traditional aspects of amateur radio (such as CW and SSB QSOs on the LF and HF bands) through to the newer modes including FT8, D-Star, DMR and communication via both polar-orbiting and the QO-100 geostationary satellites. As a visitor attraction, the NRC has continued to see increasing footfall over the past three years and in 2023 had welcomed over 79,800 visitors. The International AI Summit hosted at Bletchley Park meant that the NRC was closed for nine days in late October and early November 2023 and, as a result, fell just short of its predicted 80,000 visitor target. The NRC is primarily intended to introduce amateur radio to those who have little previous awareness of this technical hobby. However, it also enables volunteers to engage with visiting radio amateurs and those who previously had held a licence but let it lapse. The volunteers inspire interested newcomers to gain a Foundation licence whilst encouraging many lapsed licensees back into the hobby. In addition, the volunteers are always keen to discuss the importance of wireless The GB3MCB beacon. UK Activity Contest, SHF portable (image courtesy of G1DFL).