Plans for 2024

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.