NEWS
Autumnal Equinox
22 - 23 September 2024
MX0YHA
Station details below
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Autumnal Equinox
Aries is planning to be on the air with callsign MX0YHA on 22nd & 23rd September 2024 - subject to all sorts of variables.
The radio station will be located in Gargrave, N. Yorkshire and operated by Kevin M0XLT. Coverage from here depends totally on propagation conditions, which are variable at best.
Find us on the 40m and 20m bands, usually mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
If there is time, we'll put up a 2024 Autumnal Equinox EeZee-QSL design (there's a network upgrade under-way here and connectivity is patchy.
Our values, our mission and our intention is always to do more diverse activities and do them differently (and better). That has proved difficult since 2020 due to the pandemic, personal circumstances and an ever-changing and uncertain world - and lousy HF propagation. In reality, it isn't getting any easier.
We would like to see HF propagation improve to give us an opportunity to operate on the 40m band across the British Isles and northern Europe, and to give other radio amateurs an opportunity to do new and interesting things – much like we did in 2015 to 2020, but Solar Cycle 25 is proving to be a bit of a mess so far. FT8 is not the answer.
In the present circumstances of highly variable propagation the best we can do is to have ad-hoc ‘pop-up’ activities which have typical Aries content, but which cannot be satisfactorily planned long beforehand.
Tempus Fugit & Tempus Romanus re-shaped
Events such as Easter, Solstices and Equinoxes will continue when circumstances permit as a background Tempus Fugit activity, but there will be fewer of these. Important Romano-British festivals, previously undertaken as Tempus Romanus activities, will now be done under the Tempus Fugit 'banner', but there will be fewer of these too.
Tempus Patria the mainstay
The one rolling 'pop-up' activity that we will feature highly is a spin-off: Tempus Patria which translates very loosely as Homeland Times. This will commemorate and celebrate “owt from up North”, encompassing historical events, places, people and things that relate to the North of England. The geographical coverage is loosely defined as north of the Trent and Mersey and south of the Solway and North Tyne (but more diverse stuff will also be included ‘on merit’).
Beyond that, plans have to take account of many factors which will inevitably change. "Tempus Fugit" is the key: Time Flies, and "time and tide wait for no man" - so, we will take what we can, and give what we can, when we can. When we are on-air please join in and help us to do something interesting and, hopefully, worthwhile.
Stay in touch
The best way to find out what we are doing is come to the website. X/Twitter is proving rather unsatisfactory for our type of operation, and there are ethical issues: so we have dumped it. We don’t have a Facebook, Instagram, Telegram or Whatsapp presence and, frankly, can’t see that ever happening (“life is too short”).
Finally, health and wellbeing are becoming increasingly important - and sometimes critical. These impede radio activities as well as outdoor activities, and there are tasks like fixing roofs and household maintenance that never seem to go away. We will do what we can, and won't do what we can't. The world is changing. Amateur Radio is changing rapidly too: we will try to make the best of it, but may not be able to make the most of it.
Kevin M0XLT, Alan G7HZZ
As usual, the Aries 'Anchorman' will be Kevin M0XLT. If any of you reading this would like to give a hand as a 'guest presenter' we'd be very happy to give you an audition . . however, we don't pay and you'd need to provide your own tea and biscuits!
Activities will usually be from SD95 / IO83WX, near Skipton, North Yorkshire via Kevin M0XLT.
The Aries ARC is an amateur radio club with a difference. Our aim is to bring interesting and innovative activities into the hobby, including topics such as archaeology, history and many others.
Many activities are undertaken in collaboration with the Phoenix Amateur Radio Club (MX0PHX).
Aries ARC operates in 'Yoredale' which encompasses the south-western portion of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The Aries ARC was formerly known as the Youth Hostels ARG which was formed in 2013 by a small group of people who were active hostellers.
YHARG evolved into a much more innovative programme of activities, going far beyond the original aims, and now encompasses all sorts of amateur radio activities that are of interest to us. We continue to use and support (but do not represent) hostelling organisations, including Independent Hostels UK, Hostelling International, YHA England & Wales and the Scottish YHA.
Proud to be associated with the Dalesman Magazine