GB2RS

Weekly RSGB News Broadcast read by Jeremy G4NJH.
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Hobbies
  • Updated Weekly

This is the weekly RSGB GB2RS broadcast. Please send any news items to radcom@rsgb.org.uk.

  1. 5d ago

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for August 9th 2026

    GB2RS News Sunday the 9th of August 2026 The news headlines: RSGB announces updated Contest Entry Policy Take part in solar eclipse experiments with the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Improved RSGB Course and Exam finder is now available The RSGB Board has approved an updated Contest Entry Policy following a review, consultation and careful consideration. From the 1st of January 2027, eligibility to participate in RSGB contests will be open to all appropriately licensed radio amateurs, regardless of nationality or location. Entry will be subject only to the legal and regulatory obligations applicable to both the Society and the entrant, together with the relevant contest rules and any applicable RSGB membership requirements. The implementation date has been chosen to allow the Society's HF and VHF Contest Committees sufficient time to prepare contest administration and adjudication systems ahead of the 2027 contest season. The Board considers that this approach reflects the long-established principles of amateur radio, including friendship, cooperation and goodwill between individual operators across national boundaries. It is also consistent with the principles promoted by the International Amateur Radio Union, encouraging international understanding and cooperation through amateur radio. The policy also ensures that all RSGB activities continue to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations. The Board is grateful to the Board subgroup, the members of the HF and VHF Contest Committees, and everyone who contributed to the review of this policy, including the many members who took the time to submit their comments and observations. Full details of the updated Contest Entry Policy are available on the RSGB website. There will be a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday the 12th of August and the RSGB’s Propagation Studies Committee would like your help with some radio experiments. There are three ways that RSGB members can get involved and support the Committee in investigating how the Sun’s ultraviolet and X-ray output affects our ionosphere and how radio waves are propagated. If you are active on the lower bands, including medium wave, 80m and perhaps even 40m, you can report back on your findings on how transmissions are impacted during the eclipse. Alternatively, you could run WSPR on 160, 80 and 40m during the main eclipse period and then repeat the exercise, either the day before or the day after so comparisons can be drawn. Or you could take part in two specially organised RSGB contests on 80m CW and 40m FT8. These are open to non-RSGB members as well. For more details go to rsgb.org/psc  and select ‘Projects’ from the right-hand menu. The Course and Exam finder page on the RSGB website is now back online at rsgb.org/examfinder  The application has been completely redeveloped, following major works on the Society’s website this summer. It now features a fully responsive layout for mobile devices, plus a clearer and more accessible user interface. You’ll find colour-coded banners for the exam levels offered by each club, plus useful and easy to read accessibility information for each venue. Training providers and exam centres are reminded that any updates need to be submitted to the RSGB Examinations Team via exams@rsgb.org.uk by 3.30pm each Friday, for them to appear the following week. You have one week left to secure your RSGB Convention ticket at early bird prices. Weekend tickets currently stand at £49 and are available until Sunday the 16th of August. Your weekend ticket gives you access to two days’ worth of engaging and informative content from over 40 speakers, including the AMSAT-UK colloquium. Buy your ticket at rsgb.org/convention  Find out what else is going on during the weekend by selecting ‘What else is happening at the RSGB 2026 Convention?’ from the right-hand menu of the Convention web pages. Ofcom and the RSGB have formally signed the Memorandum of Understanding under which the RSGB provides the amateur radio licence examinations currently and in the future. The main changes from the original relate to the confidentiality of examination questions and the replacement of the Examinations Audit Committee with 'independent' voting members of the ESC. You can read the latest document by going to rsgb.org/esc The first of this year’s International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekends will run from 0001UTC on Saturday the 15th to 2400UTC on Sunday the 16th of August. The event usually attracts more than 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. To register for the event, and view a list of participating stations, visit illw.net And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 9th, Flight Refuelling Amateur Radio Society Hamfest is taking place at Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, near Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3DA. The doors are open from 9am to 3pm. Car-boot and field traders are welcome from 7am. Admission costs £5 and includes parking. Talk-in is on 145.550MHz. For more information visit frars.co.uk On Saturday the 15th of August, DX Commander Fest will be taking place at Holly Farm Business Park, Honiley, Warwickshire, CV8 1NP. More information is available at dxcommander.com On Sunday the 16th of August, the North Wales Amateur Radio Group Rally and Tabletop Sale will take place at the Bryn Cadno Community Centre. The doors open at 10am and the entry fee is £3. Light refreshments will be available. To book a table email secretary@nwarg.org Rugby Amateur Transmitting Society Radio Rally will be taking place on Sunday the 16th of August at Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby, CV23 9PY. The doors will be open to the public from 10am. More details are available at rugbyats.co.uk Also on Sunday the 16th of August, West Manchester Radio Club Red Rose Summer Rally will take place at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh WN7 2PJ. The doors open at 10am. For more information and bookings, contact rally@wmrc.co.uk Now the Special Event news Special callsign YR100RC is on the air until the 30th of September to celebrate 100 years of amateur radio in Romania. Look for activity on the HF bands using a variety of modes. For details of a certificate that is available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/romania1786 Marking the 70th anniversary of the DARC's weekly news broadcast, special callsign DB70DLRS will be on the air until the 31st of December. Look for activity on all bands and modes. QSL via DK5ON, Logbook of the World and the DARC Community Logbook. More information is available at QRZ.com Now the DX news Darek, SP9DLM and his 13-year-old son Greg, SN9GM are active as UK/SP9DLM and UK/SN9GM from Uzbekistan until Saturday the 15th of August. The stations have been worked recently on the HF bands using SSB. QSL via OQRS. Sands, VK4WXW has returned to Willis Island, OC-007, and will be stationed at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's weather monitoring facility until late October or early November. He expects to become increasingly active as VK9WX in the coming weeks. He operates using FT8 and SSB on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL via OQRS. Now the contest news Today, Sunday the 9th, the UK Microwave Group 25GHz Trophy contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 1.2cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB Machine Generated Mode Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 9th of August. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is report and your four-character locator. The Worked All Europe DX CW Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 9th of August. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 11th of August the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 11th, the RSGB UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 12th of August the RSGB Eclipse CW Contest runs from 1630 to 1930UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is report and serial number. Also on Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB Eclipse FT8 Contest runs from 1630 to 1930UTC. Using FT8 on the 40m band, the exchange is your report. On Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 13th of August, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 6th of August 2026. The Sun was mostly settled last week with very little to report. The solar flux index declined to 108 by Thursday the 6th of August, with most of the sunspot activity being on one half of the solar surface. Geomagnetic conditions have also been settled with a Kp index mostly below 3 for the past few days. A coronal mass ejection impacted the Earth and pushed the Kp index to 5.67 on Sunday the 2nd of August, but conditions recovered within 24 hours. We’ve even been almost solar flare free with, at the time of writing, only seven minor C-class events over the past three days. So, this all bodes well for HF propagation. 24 and 28MHz are mostly only open to Sporadic-E. Some multi-hop paths are still opening up to the Far East espec

  2. Jul 31

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for August 2nd 2026

    GB2RS News Sunday the 2nd of August 2026   The news headlines: Exciting opportunities within the RSGB Regional Team RSGB Examinations Standards Committee publishes annual report  Changes to the Youth Committee An exciting volunteer opportunity has arisen to lead the RSGB Regional Team following the decision by George Crawford, GM1DSV to stand down as Regional Forum Chair once the right candidate is appointed. The RSGB would like to express its thanks to George who will be focusing his time on serving Region 1 as its Regional Representative. The role of Regional Forum Chair is ideal for someone who is passionate about amateur radio, teamwork and empowering volunteers. This is a standout volunteer opportunity for someone who wants to make a meaningful impact across all regions, support our dedicated Regional and District Representatives, and strengthen the connection between members, volunteers and the wider organisation. The RSGB is also looking for a Regional Forum Secretary to support the smooth running of activity behind the scenes. This is a fantastic volunteer opportunity for someone who thrives on coordination, communication and teamwork, and wants to play a key role in supporting the Regional Team Chair and the entire Regional Forum. Find out more about both roles, along with details of how to apply, by going to rsgb.org/volunteers  You can use the same link to find out about District Representative roles in various regions around the country. The RSGB Examinations Standards Committee, or ESC, has published its annual report, relating to activities in 2025. The report shows that, although overall candidate numbers in 2025 decreased a little compared with 2024, they remain about 20% higher than predictions based on the extrapolation of pre-2019 trends. The ESC believes that this is largely due to the increased accessibility of training courses and examinations online. The ESC noted that the initial feedback received from candidates on the publication of the Full level question bank has been very positive. However, a few months of exam data are needed before the full impact of the measure can be assessed, and then consideration given to rolling it out at other levels. You can read the report by going to rsgb.org/esc  and choosing the ‘Minutes, papers and reports’ tab on the righthand side of the web page. RSGB Board Director and Board liaison for the Youth Committee Nathan Nuttall, MM9OCC has announced that the RSGB Youth Chair Chris Aitken, MM0WIC has stepped down from his role as Chair. Chris, who is a teacher at Wick High School, has secured an ARISS contact for his school and will be using his time to focus on activities surrounding this. The current RSGB Youth Vice-Chair Leon Shaw, M0VUF will step up as Chair and the RSGB Youth Champion for Scouts Sam McCutchion, M0UEL will take on the Vice-Chair position. Sam will continue in his role as Scout Champion until a suitable replacement can be found. The RSGB is preparing to launch a new Training and Development Lead pilot role to help rebuild structured engagement with trainers, support new licensees, and strengthen the wider training environment. This 12-month pilot will focus on listening, mapping, evidence gathering and supporting the training community. Some initial information was outlined in the August RadCom strategy update and more details will be shared in August, including how trainers and providers can get involved. The July 2026 issue of RadCom Basics is now available in the RSGB mobile and web app for members to enjoy. RadCom Basics is aimed at newcomers to amateur radio and those who enjoy refreshing their skills and knowledge. The July issue includes articles on DMR for beginners, RF connectors and dummy loads. The full collection of RadCom Basics back issues can be found in the RSGB app or via rsgb.org/radcom Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.    And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 2nd, Part 1 of the 2026 British Amateur Television Club Convention 2026 is taking place at Midland Air Museum, Rowley Road, Coventry, CV3 4FR. The event is running from 10am to 4pm and includes show-and-tell, test-and-fix-it and bring-and-buy elements. There are comprehensive test facilities available for all bands from 144MHz to 24GHz. Non-members are welcome. For more information, visit batc.org.uk/events Also today, the 2nd, the Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day from 11am. The museum is located at 41 Capper Avenue, Hemswell Cliff, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5XS. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of historic broadcasting equipment in the world. For more information, visit becg.org.uk/events Also today, the 2nd, Finningley Amateur Radio Society Rally is taking place at the Hurst Communications Centre, Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster, DN8 5SX. The doors are open from 10am. Entrance costs £5 per person but under-16s will be admitted free of charge. For more information, visit g0ghk.com  Kings Lynn Amateur Radio Club Rally is also taking place today, the 2nd, at Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King’s Lynn PE30 4EL. The doors open at 9am and the entrance fee is £2.50. For more information, email rally.klarc@gmail.com or call 0770 907 4951. On Sunday the 9th of August, Flight Refuelling Amateur Radio Society Hamfest will be taking place at Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, near Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3DA. The doors will be open from 9am to 3pm. Car-boot and field traders are welcome from 7am. Admission costs £5 and includes parking. Talk-in will be on 145.550MHz. For more information visit frars.co.uk   Now the Special Event news To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the Croatian Flora and Fauna Amateur Radio Club is active as 9A44FF until the 31st of December. For information about an award that is available for working the station, visit QRZ.com Special callsign LZ75HSC is active to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Radio Telegraphy Highspeed Club. The club was founded in 1951 and to date membership has grown to include more than 1,400 operators spanning every continent. For more information, visit highspeedclub.org   Now the DX news Rafal, SQ4O is a member of the 50th Polish Antarctic Expedition to the Henryk Arctowski  Station on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, AN-010. He will be working there until October. In his spare time, he will be operating as HF0PAS on the HF bands using CW and SSB. Rafal is also active on the 6m band using FT8. Jan, DL4XT is active as 4K/DL4XT from Azerbaijan until Saturday the 8th of August. Look out for activity using CW, FT8 and SSB on the 20 to 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, OQRS and QRZ.com   Now the contest news Today, the 2nd of August, the RSGB 432MHz Low Power Contest runs from 0800 to 1200UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your two-letter postcode. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon started on the 2nd of May and ends today, Sunday the 2nd of August. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. On Tuesday the 4th of August, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 4th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The RSGB Machine Generated Mode Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 9th of August. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is your report and four-character locator. The Worked All Europe DX CW Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 9th of August. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday the 9th, the UK Microwave Group 24GHz Trophy Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 1.2cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 30th of July 2026. We’ve had quite a reasonable period of HF propagation over the past seven days. The solar flux index remained quite high and conditions have been quite stable, apart from a geomagnetic disturbance on Thursday the 23rd of July that saw the Kp index rise to 5.33. The solar flux index has been in the 140s and 150s, which bodes well for HF. There have been reliable openings up to at least the 15m band. We are still around eight weeks away from the start of better Autumnal HF conditions, but it is looking promising. At the time of writing there were nine active regions visible on the Sun, bringing a solar flux index of 143 and a sunspot number of 123. However, for software prediction purposes you are better off using August’s current smoothed sunspot number of 84. The sunspots we do have are mostly clustered around the Sun’s equator, which is quite normal for this point in the solar cycle. We normally associate high-latitude sunspots with the beginning of a new cycle, which is still many years away. Paul, GM4ULS reported a contact suddenly vanishing on 5MHz SSB around 1530UTC on Sunday the 26th of July. This was caused by a sudden ionosp

  3. Jul 24

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 26th 2026

    GB2RS News Sunday the 26th of July 2026 The news headlines: Youth activity at the RSGB 2026 Convention Keep up to date with the YOTA camp in Austria RSGB Club Finder back online Are you a young radio amateur? Have you secured your RSGB Convention ticket yet? This year’s Convention at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton Keynes will include a wider range of youth-specific activities. This is being arranged by the RSGB Youth Committee in tandem with the main Convention organising team. You’ll find a youth forum with ten-minute lightning talks on youth-focused topics, as well as an opportunity to share your practical projects. There will be a youth panel discussion on how the radio amateur community can encourage and support young people coming into amateur radio. To top that off there will be a chance to get involved with a POTA activation and join an informal youth dinner on the Saturday night. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to meet with like-minded people, develop your network and have lots of fun. If you’re under 21, you will receive free admission to the RSGB Convention. Tickets do not need to be pre-booked and are given on the day. If you’re under the age of 16 you will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. If you are aged over 21, buy your ticket at rsgb.org/convention This year’s Youngsters On The Air summer camp is taking place in the Austrian Alps from the 25th of July to the 1st of August. A team of four young radio amateurs has been selected by the RSGB Youth Committee to represent the Society. The group will be spending six days engaging with like-minded youngsters and learning more about amateur radio. They’ll be taking part in a range of activities including Summits on the Air and also experimenting with underground propagation. From tomorrow, the 27th, you will be able to see regular updates from the group by going to rsgb.org/yota-camp  and selecting ‘YOTA Austria 2026’ from the right-hand menu. You can also see updates via the Society’s Facebook, Instagram and X pages. The Club Finder on the RSGB website is now back online at rsgb.org/clubfinder  This has been completely redeveloped and now features a fully responsive layout for mobile devices, plus a much clearer and more accessible interface. Clubs are reminded to check their data and to submit any required updates via their club’s Membership Services portal or by emailing membership@rsgb.org.uk  Data in Club Finder is updated at 3.30pm every Friday, so please submit updates by then, so that they appear the following week. RSGB members and non-members alike can read the report on this month’s World Radiosport Team Championship in the RSGB’s August publications. The report, written by WRTC Organising Committee member Keith Haynes, G3WRO is available to members via RadCom and to non-members via the Affiliated Clubs Newsletter in the RSGB app. This can be viewed online, on a tablet or mobile phone. Also, you can catch up on all the WRTC livestream videos and additional content at youtube.com/@WRTC2026 The first of this year’s International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekends will run from 0001UTC on Saturday the 15th to 2400UTC on Sunday the 16th of August. The event usually attracts more than 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. To register for the event, and view a list of participating stations, visit illw.net Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events On Sunday the 2nd of August, Part 1 of the 2026 British Amateur Television Club Convention 2026 will be held at Midland Air Museum, Rowley Road, Coventry CV3 4FR. The event will run from 10am to 4pm and include show-and-tell, test and fix-it and bring-and-buy elements. There will be comprehensive test facilities available for all bands from 144MHz to 24GHz. Non-members are welcome. For more information visit batc.org.uk/events The Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day on Sunday the 2nd of August from 11am. The museum is located at 41 Capper Avenue, Hemswell Cliff, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5XS. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of historic broadcasting equipment in the world. For more information visit becg.org.uk/events Also on Sunday the 2nd of August, Finningley Amateur Radio Society Rally is taking place at the Hurst Communications Centre, Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster, DN8 5SX. The doors will be open from 10am. Entrance costs £5 per person but under-16s will be admitted free of charge. For more information visit g0ghk.com Kings Lynn Amateur Radio Club Rally is also taking place on Sunday the 2nd of August at Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King’s Lynn PE30 4EL. The doors open at 9am and the entrance fee is £2.50. An outdoor trader’s stall costs £8 and an indoor one is £10. To book, email rally.klarc@gmail.com or call 0770 907 4951. Now the Special Event news To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the German DX Foundation is active with special callsign DQ30GDXF until the end of the year. QSL via OQRS and Logbook of the World. For details of an award that is available for working the station visit tinyurl.com/gdxf2026 To celebrate his 50th anniversary in amateur radio, Nick, US8AR is active throughout 2026 using special callsign EM50AR. Electronic QSL cards can be downloaded from em50ar.pp.ua Now the DX news Red, DL1BUG is active as TY5FR from Cotonou in West Africa until Tuesday the 4th of August. He is operating using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World or via Red’s home call. The CG2C Group is active on various bands and modes from Cap-aux- Meules, in the Madeleine Islands, NA-038, until Friday the 14th of August. QSL via Logbook of the World and F5JYD. Now the contest news Today, the 26th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB IOTA Contest started at 1200UTC on Saturday the 25th and ends at 1200UTC today, Sunday the 26th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and IOTA reference. Tomorrow, the 27th, the RSGB FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Tuesday the 28th, the RSGB SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 1st of August, the EU HF Championship runs from 1200 to 2359UTC. Using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and the last two digits of the first year you were licensed. Also, on Saturday the 1st of August, the RSGB 4th 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1400 to 1800UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your two-letter postcode. Also, on Saturday the 1st of August, the RSGB 144MHz Low Power Contest runs from 1400 to 1800UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your two-letter postcode. On Sunday the 2nd of August, the RSGB 432MHz Lower Power Contest runs from 0800 to 1200UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your two-letter postcode. The UK Six Metre Group Summer Marathon started on the 2nd of May and ends on Sunday the 2nd of August. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 23rd of July 2026 We said last week that there were no coronal holes to worry about. Yet two days later a massive crack appeared on the Sun, stretching over one million kilometres. Luckily, this didn’t amount to much and it had little effect on HF propagation, but it does go to show that solar events can rapidly develop and that long-term forecasts can be tricky. The solar flux index has increased over the past week, and was sitting at 150 as this report was being written. As we suggested earlier, geomagnetic conditions have been quiet with the Kp index generally below 3.5, which bodes well for HF. Solar conditions have been good with only four M-class solar flares and no X-class events. Any coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, have been directed away from Earth. We are still in the summer doldrums, so D-layer absorption remains high and maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, are generally lower than in the autumn and winter. However, we have the IOTA contest this weekend, which is a great opportunity to work some far-flung DX. So why not dust off your radio and get on the air? With mainland Great Britain being an island, you might find you are in demand as EU-005! Other DX to be worked this week includes RI0BW, the Arctic Legends IOTA DXpedition; 3B9HR from Rodrigues Island; PJ7/LA5IIA on St Maarten; TY5FR from Benin; E51CZZ and E51KEE on the Cook Islands; VU4R from the Andaman Islands; and VP5G operating from Turks and Caicos. In the coming week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may fall back to 125 at first, and then down to around 108. Luckily, the Kp index is predicted to remain low, with a predicted Kp of 2, at least until the end of the month. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO There have been good examples of both tropo and Sporadic-E in the last week and there are reasons to continue with some optimism for the coming week. This is still a good period for summer tropo. However, remember that hot days are the enemy of tropo over land and it tends to be sea paths that survive throughout the day, whereas

  4. Jul 17

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 19th 2026.

    GB2RS News Sunday the 19th of July 2026 The news headlines: Spy transmitter activities at the RSGB National Radio Centre Which RSGB partner museum will you be visiting this summer? RSGB Outreach Team supports the WINGS Jamboree Following last year’s success, the ‘Find the spy transmitter’ events are back for Summer 2026 at the RSGB National Radio Centre. This family-friendly activity will turn you into spy hunters as you explore Bletchley Park looking for hidden transmitters. The event will be running on Tuesday the 28th of July and Thursday the 30th of July.  Each date has two start times, one at 10.30am and another at 1.30pm. Spaces are limited to 12 groups per session and are available via rsgbspytransmitter.eventbrite.co.uk  The activity is free to take part in, however entry to Bletchley Park is required. Don’t forget that RSGB members get free access to the historic site as a membership benefit. Download your voucher at rsgb.org/bpvoucher Last year, the RSGB introduced a new membership benefit offering its members discounted entry at six fascinating museums. Following positive feedback from members, this offer continues and RSGB members can receive between 20 and 50 percent off admission fees at Amberley Museum, Bawdsey Radar Museum, Internal Fire Museum of Power, PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications, the Royal Signals Museum and the National Museum of Computing. You can make the most of this offer by incorporating a visit to one, or all, of the museums this summer. Whether you are organising a club visit, looking to entertain the children over the summer holidays, or planning for a day out by yourself, there is lots to keep you busy. Visit rsgb.org/partner-museums  for details on how to receive your personalised discount voucher. Members of the RSGB Outreach Team will be attending the WINGS Jamboree in Windsor between the 26th and 30th of July. The team will be showcasing amateur radio to Scouts and Girlguiding members aged 6 to 14, who will have the opportunity to test their Morse skills through the ever-popular Morse Battleships game. The team will be activating special event callsign GB1WINGS over the period, and the youngsters will have the opportunity to make supervised on-air contacts across the UK and internationally. The team welcomes your support and encourages you to make QSOs on the HF bands and via the QO-100 satellite. Please check the DX Cluster for frequency details. QSL will be via QRZ, eQSL and Logbook of the World after the event. Revalidating your licence is required every five years, however Ofcom recommends doing it annually. The process requires licence holders to confirm or update their details on the Ofcom licence database. Whether you have recently moved, have a new email address, or all your details remain the same, use this as a reminder to log in and tick the job off your list. You can find guidance on the process by selecting ‘Licence Revalidation’ at rsgb.org/licensing  As well as FAQs, you’ll also find a link to a step-by-step video by Ofcom, which shows you the process of revalidating your licence using the online licensing portal. The first of this year’s International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekends will run from 0001UTC on Saturday the 15th of August to 2400UTC on Sunday the 16th of August. The event usually attracts more than 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. Registration for the event is open at illw.net Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 19th, Lincoln Short Wave Club Summer Radio Rally is taking place at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. The doors open at 10am and admission costs £3. This in an indoor event and ample free car parking is available. For more information email m5zzz@outlook.com On Saturday the 25th, the Wiltshire Radio Rally Electronics Fair and Car Boot Sale takes place at Kington Langley Village Hall and Playing Fields, Church Road, Kington Langley, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 5NJ. The doors open at 7.30am for traders and at 9am for visitors. Hot and cold refreshments and ample parking are available on site. For more information visit chippenhamradio.club/rally Now the Special Event news Radio amateurs using Bawdsey Radar Museum’s callsign GB2GRS will be on the air today, Sunday the 19th. Visit the museum to hear where in the world they are contacting. More information is available at bawdseyradar.org.uk Special callsign HF170TESLA is active to mark the 170th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla. Look for activity on various bands and modes until the 31st of July. For details of awards that are available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/teslaSES To celebrate the centenary of Romania's first amateur radio club, special callsign YR100RC is active until the 30th of September. Find out about awards that are available at tinyurl.com/yr100rc2026 Now the DX news Didier, F6BCW has been active as FO/F6BCW from Tikehau Atoll, OC-066, in French Polynesia until tomorrow, the 20th. He operates CW and SSB on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via FO/F6BCW, Logbook of the World and OQRS. Aldir, PY1SAD is active as 8R1TM from Guyana until Sunday the 26th of July. He operates CW, SSB and digital modes on the 160 to 6m bands and via satellite. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ.com  or directly to Aldir’s home call. The IP1X team will be active from Gallinara Island, EU-083, on Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of July. They will be operating using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via the Bureau, OQRS or directly to IU1JCZ. For more details and updates see QRZ.com Now the contest news Today, the 19th, the RSGB International Low Power Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using CW on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and transmitter power. On Tuesday the 21st, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 23rd, the RSGB 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The RSGB IOTA Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 25th and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 26th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report, serial number and IOTA reference. On Sunday the 26th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 16th of July 2026. Last week was characterised by a falling solar flux index. Over the past week it has gone from 116 to 100, but the good news is that we have only had one M-class solar flare in that time and a multitude of lesser C-class flares that haven’t amounted to much. As a result, the Kp index remained low, certainly below 4, other than one excursion to 4.67 on Sunday the 12th of July. This means propagation has been stable rather than outstanding. But as the winners of the World Radiosport Team Championship showed last week, it was still possible to make 5,800 QSOs in 24 hours. An analysis shows that the best scoring band was 20m, closely followed by 15m and 40m. The predominant mode was CW. Maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs, over a 3,000km path have been peaking at around 19 to 23MHz at midday, according to the Dourbes DigiSonde. Major DXpeditions to be worked this week include RT25AA, the Arctic Legends IOTA DXpedition; TY5FR from Benin; VP5G in Turks and Caicos; and HP1/LA5IIA operating from Panama. The 20m band remains good for contacts across the Northern Hemisphere during daylight, while the 15m band offers better opportunities for north-south paths. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may increase, perhaps to 135. Geomagnetic conditions are forecast to be good for the first half of the week, but a Kp index of 4 is forecast for Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd of July so expect declining MUFs and poorer HF conditions around that time. There are currently no coronal holes to worry about. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The coming period of weather feels very much like what we’ve been getting in the last week or so. High pressure dominates the chart and, since it’s placed just west of Great Britain, this implies a north-westerly flow over the country, with a chance of tropo for many areas. Last week saw northerly paths worked from the UK up to the Faroe Islands, Norway and Sweden on both 144 and 432MHz. The high-pressure part of the story suggests not much, if any, rain to speak of and therefore rain scatter is unlikely. The auroral prospects are not especially great in radio terms. There are about three meteor showers currently giving a broad period of activity for meteor scatter operators and providing long-lived ionisation as fuel for sporadic-E. In view of the links between Sporadic-E and jet streams, the upper air jet stream patterns suggest favouring paths to the southeast into the Balkans round to the northeast and Scandinavia for Sporadic E. Don’t ignore the options for multi-hop paths into the Far East in the morning on the 6m band and later in the day to the United States, which have been very good lately. For EME operators, Moon declination is falling again and passed perigee on Monday the 13th of July so Moon window lengths will shorten and path losses increase. 144MHz sky noise is low, increasing to moderate on Thursday the 23rd of July. And that’s all from the propagation team this week.

  5. Jul 10

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 12th 2026.

    GB2RS News Sunday the 12th of July 2026 The news headlines: Upcoming IARU Region 1 Conference WRTC 2026 is supported by the RSGB Have you enabled RSGB app notifications on your mobile device? The IARU Region 1 Conference is held every three years. The next one will be in September 2026 and will be hosted by the Austrian member society ÖVSV, which is also celebrating its centenary. Reports and proposals on a wide range of amateur radio topics are available from the conference website at conf.iaru-r1.org/documents  The scope includes the more regular topics such as band plans, spectrum matters, EMC and youth. This particular event will also consider updates for amateur radio development, operating and organisational matters. The RSGB has contributed several inputs. More about the event will be shared via the Society’s comms channels and a future edition of RadCom. This year’s World Radiosport Team Championship is taking place in East Anglia in the UK between the 8th and 13th of July. The RSGB is an official partner to the event and representatives from the Society have been on site throughout the week. The team has been supporting various activities including media liaison to raise awareness for WRTC 2026, the RSGB and amateur radio as a whole. You can see coverage of the event in a range of radio and online outlets including BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC News Online, Shropshire Live and the East Anglia Gazette. Links to the coverage are available on the RSGB website. Volunteers at the RSGB National Radio Centre have been busy welcoming competitors, referees, and supporters of WRTC to the Centre, with some enjoying time operating the GB3RS station. Keep up to date with more WRTC news, including the winners of the Championship, by visiting  wrtc2026.org Remember to enable RSGB app notifications on your mobile device to be the first to hear when the Society releases the latest edition of RadCom and its sister publications. You’ll also be notified when new editions are added to the collection of back issues. For iOS devices, go to Settings then tap Apps. Locate the RSGB app in the list, and toggle to allow notifications. For Android devices, go to Settings, navigate to Notifications and then tap on App notifications. Locate the RSGB app in the list and toggle to allow notifications. If you haven’t yet downloaded the RSGB app, get the links by going to rsgb.org/radcom RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB visited the RSGB National Radio Centre earlier this month. Steve was on site to deliver two awards to volunteers including the Norman Keith Adams prize and another for outstanding services to the Centre. The RSGB National Radio Centre Coordinator Martyn Baker, G0GMB is currently looking for friendly and enthusiastic radio amateurs to join this successful team. If you are able to volunteer a minimum of one, or preferably two, days per month, find out more about the role by visiting rsgb.org/volunteers  Don’t forget to listen out for all of the stations that will be on the air today, the 12th, during the 145 Alive event. From 1100 to 1400UTC, many hundreds of operators will be on the air using 145MHz FM and 144MHz SSB. For more information, go to the 145 Alive Facebook page or email 145aliveuk@gmail.com Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.    And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 12th, McMichael Radio and Electronics Rally is taking place at White Waltham Airfield, Maidenhead, SL6 3LW. The doors are open from 8am for traders and to the public from 9am. The entry fee for visitors is £4 per person. More details are available at mcmichaelrally.org.uk On Sunday the 19th, Lincoln Short Wave Club Summer Radio Rally will take place at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. The doors open at 10am and admission costs £3. This in an indoor event and ample free car parking will be available. For more information email m5zzz@outlook.com Amateur radio will feature at the Electromagnetic Field EMF 2026 event taking place from the 16th to the 19th of July at Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1EN. AMSAT-UK, the British Amateur Television Club and the UK Microwave Group are teaming up to showcase satellite communications, amateur television and microwave radio experimentation. Throughout the weekend, they plan to demonstrate how radio amateurs communicate via satellites in both low-earth orbit and geostationary orbit, including contacts and digital amateur television via the QO-100 satellite. They also hope to demonstrate microwave operating techniques and experimental radio systems used on the higher amateur bands. Visitors can see live satellite ground-station setups, microwave equipment, an amateur television demonstration and learn how hobbyists build and operate space-related radio technology. Special event callsign GB26EMF will also be active on site. If you are attending the event, drop by to explore satellites, video over radio and the microwave spectrum. More details are available at amsat-uk.org Now the Special Event news To mark the centenary of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters, special callsign ZL100C is on the air until Thursday the 6th of August. QSL via the Bureau and Logbook of the World. Special callsign DL0SOP is active until the 31st of July for the 68th edition of the Sea of Peace Award. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World and eQSL. More information, including the rules and how to apply for an award, is available at dl0sop.darc.de Now the DX news Emil, DL8JJ is active as OX/DL8JJ/P from Greenland until Tuesday the 14th of July. He is operating CW from the main island, NA-018, as well as from Tasiilaq, NA-151. Aldir, PY1SAD is active as 8R1TM from Guyana until Sunday the 26th of July. He operates using CW, digital modes and SSB on the 160 to 6m bands as well as via satellite. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ.com  or directly to Aldir’s home call. Now the contest news Today, the 12th, the UK Microwave Group 24, 47 and 76GHz Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The GR2HQ Challenge and IARU HF Championship started at 1200UTC yesterday, the 11th, and ends at 1200UTC today, Sunday the 12th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and ITU Zone. The UK is in Zone 27. On Tuesday the 14th of July, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 14th of July, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 15th of July, the RSGB 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 16th of July, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 18th of July, the RSGB 70MHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400 to 2000UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your two-letter postcode. On Sunday the 19th, the RSGB International Low Power Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using CW on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and transmitter power. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 9th of July 2026. We have had another week of mixed HF propagation. We started with a Kp index of 6.33 on Saturday the 4th of July which was caused by a coronal mass ejection, or CME. This caused a strong G3 geomagnetic storm and auroral conditions. A check on the bands on the 4th of July showed poor HF propagation with lower maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, and weak and watery signals from the NCDXF beacons on 14.100MHz. But conditions have since improved and we had a Kp index of less than 3 over the past few days which means the ionosphere has returned to normal. Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined from a high of 203 on Thursday the 2nd of July to a low of 116 on Wednesday the 8th of July. That’s quite a change and means that HF propagation has declined somewhat. An Earth-facing coronal hole has now passed with few effects and currently there is nothing of significance rotating into view. Solar flare activity has also declined with only two M-class flares over the past three days. So, the big question is: what happens next? Active region 4482 on the Sun continues to be a major threat. A solar flare and accompanying CME could soon ruin our chances of good HF conditions. The declining solar flux index hasn’t helped either. Again, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the 120 to 145 range over the coming week with a Kp index of 2 to 3. So, good news overall. DX to be worked this week includes D73G on Ch’ongsan Island; T22TT from Tuvalu; TY5FR in Benin; RT9K, the Arctic Legends IOTA DXpedition; JK1HFB/JD1 in Ogasawara, OX3LX from Greenland; and VP5G operating from Turks and Caicos. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather is becoming a talking point in terms of the heatwave developing over much of the country, but especially in the south. This has propagation implications too. It's all being driven by a large area of high pressure, which for much of the coming week resides to the north and west of the British Isles. This will give a north-easterly breeze over the south-eastern half of the UK which means it will be blowing in from the North Sea, possibly with areas of low cloud at times.

  6. Jul 3

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for July 5th 2026

    GB2RS News Sunday the 5th of July 2026 The news headlines: Don’t miss the WRTC award opportunities New EMC workshop added to the RSGB Convention programme The RSGB has announced a new Legacy Committee Chair The World Radiosport Team Championship is nearly here! Fifty teams from around the world will come to the UK to compete in the prestigious event, and you have an opportunity to work these special stations and apply for your award. The WRTC contest will be live on a dedicated online platform provided by World Radio League. This is a live scoreboard where you can track your favourite team in real time. Also, when you contact one of the special WRTC stations, you can see it on the WRL platform. If you’re an SSB operator, there are 250 possible QSOs across 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m. Similarly, there are 250 possible QSOs if you are a CW operator. Certificates will be downloadable after the contest, and these will display your total number of QSOs made with the special callsigns. There are different award tiers depending on how many you contact. For full details go to wrtc2026.org  and under the competition tab on the righthand side of the page you will see the Awards section. If you want practical advice on identifying the source, and mitigating the effects of, Radio Frequency Interference, the Society’s ‘Finding RFI workshop’ is for you. Part tutorial, part hands-on workshop, the session is an opportunity for RSGB members to learn from RFI experts within the RSGB EMC Committee. Running on Friday the 9th of October at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton Keynes, the morning will cover sources and effects of RFI with examples of radiated and conducted emissions. In the afternoon, you’ll be exploring radiated emissions by constructing a small loop antenna. Attendees will also see how to use SDR to identify signals and measure their strength. SDR hardware will kindly be provided by SDRplay. You will also be able to seek advice on any RFI problems you may have. You are welcome to join this workshop even if you are not attending the rest of the RSGB 2026 Convention. To find out more and secure your spot visit rsgb.org/convention-workshops The RSGB Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Nuttall, M5BAN as the new Chair of the RSGB Legacy Committee. Brian already has experience of the Legacy Committee having been a member for the last three years. He has been licensed since 2007 and brings extensive amateur radio experience to the role. The RSGB Honorary Treasurer Chris Wood, GD6TWF is the Board Liaison for the Legacy Committee. Chris says that he is looking forward to working with Brian to develop the role of the Legacy Committee and how it operates. You can find out more about the work of the Committee by going to rsgb.org/legacy The RSGB Youth Committee Chair, Chris Aitken, MM0WIC has announced that two new Youth Champions have joined the Committee. Angus Dare, M7NZM is the new Youth Champion for Cadets, whilst Katelyn How, M9KFH is the Youth Champion for Guides. Each has a good level of experience in leading in their respective fields and the Youth Committee is looking forward to seeing youth engagement progress in both areas. Sam McCutchion, M0UEL will continue as the Youth Champion for Scouts. You can contact each of the Champions via the email addresses shown at rsgb.org/youth RSGB representatives attended the Ham Radio exhibition in Friedrichshafen last week. They used the opportunity to talk to the wider amateur radio community, liaise with international colleagues and raise awareness and support for the Society and amateur radio in the UK. The team was delighted by the positive response to the RSGB app and international membership and were happy to welcome new members from around the world. GB2RS Newsreader Esther, GI0AZA also attended the event and read the Society’s weekly broadcast from Germany. Look out for a fuller report on Friedrichshafen in the August issue of RadCom. The RSGB Board would like to thank Andy Talbot, G4JNT for serving as the Chair of the RSGB Technical Forum for 14 years. Andy has recently stepped down from that role and the post will be advertised through RSGB communications channels shortly. The RSGB is pleased that Andy will continue to contribute to the work of the Society through his role as a RadCom technical author. The next in the popular 145 Alive series of events takes place on Sunday the 12th of July from 1100 to 1400UTC. Many hundreds of operators are expected to be on the air using 145MHz FM and 144MHz SSB. For more information, go to the 145 Alive Facebook page or email 145aliveuk@gmail.com Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Barford Norfolk Radio Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 5th, at Barford Village Hall and Green, Barford, Norwich, NR9 4AB. The doors open at 9am for visitors. The event features trade stands, car boot sales, bring and buy, a charity raffle, repeater groups, catering and free car parking. Entry costs £3 per person but under 16s will be admitted free of charge. For more details visit tinyurl.com/Barford2026  or email David, G7URP at radio@dcpmicro.com Today, Sunday the 5th, The Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day from 11am. The museum is located at 41 Capper Avenue, Hemswell Cliff, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5XS. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of historic broadcasting equipment in the world. For more information visit becg.org.uk/events Also today, Sunday the 5th, Newbury Radio Rally is taking place at Newbury Showground, RG18 9QZ. The entrance fee for visitors is £4 per person but there is no charge for under 16s. Free parking is available on site. For more information visit nadars.org.uk/rally.asp On Saturday the 11th of July, the Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club Radio Rally will take place at Welwick Village Hall, Northfield Lane, HU12 0SH. The doors open at 10am and entrance costs £3.50 per visitor. Under-14s will be admitted free of charge. For more information or to book a table, email rally@hfdxarc.com Now the Special Event news Amateur radio operators across the USA, Canada and Mexico are activating a series of special callsigns to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Stations are active until the 19th of July from each of the cities hosting the tournament. Look out for activity on all bands and modes. For more information visit wc2026ses.org Members of Swissair Radio Amateur Club, HB9VC are active as HB200LF until the 31st of July. The special callsign is in operation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Favre. In 1872 the Swiss engineer built the first Gotthard railway tunnel – the longest railway tunnel in the world at that time. See QRZ.com for details of a certificate that is available for working the station. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World and Club Log. Now the DX news Franco, IZ5IUY is active as IL7/IZ5IUY from San Domino Island, EU-050, until the 9th of July. He is operating using SSB on the 40 to 6m bands, as well as on the 2m and 70cm bands. QSL via Franco’s home call is preferred. Pierre, VK3KTB is active as VY0ERC from the Eureka Amateur Radio Club station on Ellesmere Island, NA-008, until Wednesday the 22nd of July. He operates CW, FT8 and SSB on various bands. QSL via Logbook of the World and OQRS. Now the contest news RSGB VHF National Field Day and the RSGB VHF Fixed Station Contest started at 1400UTC yesterday, the 4th, and run until 1400UTC today, Sunday the 5th of July. Using all modes on the 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, today, Sunday the 5th of July, the RSGB 3rd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Tomorrow, the 6th, the RSGB 80m CW Club Championship Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 8th of July, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 8th of July, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 9th, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The GR2HQ Challenge and IARU HF Championship start at 1200UTC on Saturday the 11th and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 12th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and ITU Zone. The UK is in Zone 27. On Sunday the 12th, the UK Microwave Group 24, 47 and 76GHz Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 2nd of July 2026 Last week we warned you about some large sunspots about to turn into view. It turns out that regions 4478 and 4479 were even bigger than we thought! The result was that the solar flux index climbed into the low 200s, but we also had solar flares and coronal

  7. Jun 24

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for June 28th 2026

    GB2RS News Sunday the 28th of June 2026 The news headlines: Join Tonight@8 in July to learn about this summer’s solar eclipse and how you can take part New speakers confirmed for the RSGB 2026 Convention Send your nominations for the RSGB G5RP Trophy Did you know that a solar eclipse will be visible in the UK this Summer? It will be a total eclipse for areas west of the UK and at its maximum there will be about 90% totality. This lends itself to unique opportunities for HF propagation experiments, and you can get involved! In a special Tonight@8 on Monday the 6th of July, RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Chair Steve Nichols, G0KYA will explain how the Committee has been drawing up plans for RSGB members to participate. These include experiments with monitoring medium wave stations in the UK, Morocco and Algeria. An 80m CW contest is also being arranged and other radio amateurs are being encouraged to run WSPR on 80m during the eclipse. During the webinar, Steve will outline what you can expect and why, as well as how you can take part. You can join the webinar and ask questions live via the RSGB’s YouTube channel or special BATC channel. You can view the latest Tonight@8 programme by visiting rsgb.org/webinars Are you up to date on the latest developments in the Microwave community? Or perhaps you’d like to learn about Low Earth Orbiting satellites? Maybe you’d like to improve your knowledge on the pioneering women of British amateur radio? Or are you interested in understanding your SDR through IQ visualisation? These are all topics that the RSGB is excited to have on the programme for its upcoming Convention between the 9th and 11th of October 2026. You can see the full speaker list by going to rsgb.org/convention  and selecting ‘RSGB 2026 Convention – speakers’ from the righthand menu. The Society has confirmed that it has frozen ticket prices, and you can buy this year’s ticket at last year’s price! This means you can make the most of the early-bird pricing and buy your weekend ticket for just £49. Buy your ticket now and enjoy a weekend of learning, inspiration and making connections. The RSGB G5RP Trophy is an annual award to encourage newcomers to HF DXing. The award is open to anyone who has recently discovered and made significant progress in HF DXing. If you are an established HF DXer and want to recommend someone to be awarded the G5RP Trophy for 2026, now is the time to send in your nomination. Your nominee should be an up-and-coming HF DXer who has made rapid progress in the last year and has some real achievements to show, for example, a good total of new countries worked or some substantial HF DXpedition activity. Please send your nominations to RSGB HF Manager Ian Greenshields, G4FSU via hf.manager@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for nominations is Friday the 11th of September 2026. Are you studying for your Foundation or Intermediate level exam? Did you know that the RSGB recently released three new mock exams for each level? The new papers take into account all the changes to the syllabus and exam question bank that have been made since the last sets of mock exam papers were published. Make sure you are using these latest versions for your revision by going to rsgb.org/mock-exams The famous Grimeton Radio Station will be on the air on Sunday the 5th of July. The unique Alexanderson alternator, with the callsign SAQ, is scheduled for two transmissions on 17.2kHz using CW. At 0830UTC, the alternator will be started up and at 0900UTC the first transmission will take place. A second transmission is scheduled for 1300UTC. You can read more about the event and the historic transmitter at alexander.n.se And finally, don’t forget to listen out for all the amateur stations that will be on the air for International Museums on the Air today, the 28th of June. For more information about the event visit tinyurl.com/imota2026 Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 28th, the Cornish Radio Amateur Club Rally is taking place at Penair School in Truro. The doors open at 10.15am and admission costs £3. Traders, bring and buy and refreshments are available on site. For more information email janluke1954@hotmail.co.uk Barford Norfolk Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 5th of July at Barford Village Hall and Green, Barford, Norwich, NR9 4AB. The doors open at 9am for visitors. The event features trade stands, car boot sales, bring and buy, a charity raffle, repeater groups, catering and free car parking. Entry costs £3 per person but under 16s will be admitted free of charge. For more details visit tinyurl.com/Barford2026  or email David, G7URP at radio@dcpmicro.com The Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day on Sunday the 5th of July, from 11am. The museum is located at 41 Capper Avenue, Hemswell Cliff, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 5XS. The museum is home to one of the largest collections of historic broadcasting equipment in the world. For more information visit becg.org.uk/events Also on Sunday the 5th of July, Newbury Radio Rally will be taking place at Newbury Showground, RG18 9QZ. The entrance fee for visitors is £4 per person but there is no charge for under 16s. Free parking is available on site. For more information visit nadars.org.uk/rally.asp Now the Special Event news Special callsign DQ40CNP is in use until the 11th of July to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The station has been worked recently on the HF bands using FT8. QSL via DL1EAL. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, eQSL, the DARC Community Logbook, QRZ.com  and Club Log. Amateur radio operators across the USA, Canada and Mexico are activating a series of special callsigns to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Stations are active until the 19th of July from each of the cities hosting the tournament. Look out for activity on all bands and modes. For more information visit wc2026ses.org Now the DX news Chas, NK8O is active as 5H3DX from Tanzania until Thursday the 2nd of July. He operates using CW, FT4 and FT8 on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to NK8O. Darek, TJ1GD is active from Mondoleh Island in Cameroon, AF-095, until Wednesday the 15th of July. See QRZ.com for QSL instructions. Now the contest news Today, the 28th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 28th, the RSGB 50MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using CW on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 1st of July, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 1st of July, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. RSGB VHF National Field Day and the RSGB VHF Fixed Station Contest start at 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th and run until 1400UTC on Sunday the 5th of July. Using all modes on the 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 5th of July, the RSGB 3rd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Tuesday the 23rd of June 2026. Things have been quiet on the solar front but that may be about to change. The solar flux index has been sitting around the low 120s for a few days and the geomagnetic Kp index has been below 2. Other than a couple of M-class solar flares, activity has been rather quiet. One of the flares was the source of a faint, easterly-directed coronal mass ejection, or CME, with no Earth-directed component. But there are a number of solar features that could change all that. Firstly, a coronal hole on the Sun’s surface became geoeffective on Wednesday the 24th meaning a solar wind stream could impact the Earth. Expect the Kp index to rise, perhaps to 4 as a result, and maximum useable frequencies to drop. Hopefully today, the 28th, this will clear. Meanwhile, a large sunspot group is due to appear from around the Sun’s eastern limb. The cluster as observed by the ESA solar orbiter spacecraft shows arch-like structures known as coronal loops seen towering over the east limb. Quite what this will do for HF propagation is hard to say so keep an eye on solarham.com for updates. DX to be worked next week includes FP/KV1J from St Pierre and Miquelon; JD1BQP from Ogasawara; 5H3DX in Tanzania; CN2NQV from Morocco; FO/F6BCW in French Polynesia; and PJ2/PH2M operating from Curacao HF conditions have been relatively poor with many stations complaining that there is not much activity. A quick check revealed little action on 21MHz and higher, other than Sporadic-E openings. So, it looks like 14 and 18MHz are the main DX bands at the moment. NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may increase to 145 by Wednesday the 1st of July. Once we get over the effects of the coronal hole’s high-speed solar wind stream the Kp index is predicted to go back down to 2. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The typical high summer patterns of jet streams take a step back in mid-summer. However, any that do crop up can give plenty of value for Sporadic-E since the ionosphere is well primed by meteor debris from the June Bootids. Multi-hop Sporadic-E paths to the US and Far East are likely

  8. Jun 19

    RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for June 21st 2026

    GB2RS News Sunday the 21st of June 2026 The news headlines: The RSGB QSL Bureau issues final notice on the use of the old address The RSGB Intruder Watch team is looking for volunteers Join the RSGB in commemorating the closure of BBC Radio 4’s Long Wave service on 198kHz The RSGB QSL Bureau has issued a final notice to those still using the old QSL Bureau address. A new system was introduced in January 2026 and users of the Bureau were advised that all outgoing QSL cards now need to be sent to RSGB QSL Bureau, PO Box 73, 20 St. Loyes Street, Bedford, MK40 1ZL. Anything sent to the old address from Wednesday the 1st of July 2026 will either be returned by Royal Mail, where the address is known, or otherwise is likely to be lost or destroyed. Details of the new RSGB QSL Service can be found at rsgb.org/qsl  The RSGB would also like to remind amateurs with G7 callsigns that the new sub-manager is Anthony Holles, G4AAV. Anthony has many cards waiting to be sent but has received very few stamped addressed envelopes, so please make contact with him if you wish to receive your cards. Contact details for all sub-managers can be found by selecting ‘List of QSL sub-managers’ from the right-hand menu on the QSL Bureau web pages. The RSGB Monitoring System, more popularly known as Intruder Watch, is a service that monitors the primary amateur service allocations. The team reports any unauthorised transmissions to the IARU Intruder Watch team and, where appropriate, Ofcom. The RSGB Intruder Watch Coordinator Ian Suart, GM4AUP is looking for volunteers to assist the team with this important service. You would monitor the amateur allocations as required and pass any concerns to Ian. If you’d like to find out more, contact Ian at iw@rsgb.org.uk The RSGB, together with the BBC Amateur Radio Group, will be marking the closure of BBC Radio 4’s Long Wave service on 198kHz. The Long Wave transmitting stations at Droitwich in Worcestershire, Westerglen near Stirling in Scotland and Burghead overlooking the Moray Firth also in Scotland, will all be closed down on Saturday the 27th of June 2026. The special event station GB1500M will be active from today, Sunday the 21st, until Sunday the 28th of June. Three radio clubs will also be commemorating the closure by activating special callsigns. A commemorative QSL card is available. You can find out more by going to rsgb.org/longwave-transmitters  You can also find out how to become a GB1500M activator using the same link. Ham Radio 2026 takes place in Friedrichshafen this week from the 26th to the 28th of June. For the first time ever, the event will bring together amateur radio and astronomy in a single platform as the Astro trade fair will take place alongside the Ham Radio exhibition. The opening event will provide information on current developments in amateur radio and the many connections between radio technology and astronomy, which are central to this year’s trade show focus. RSGB President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX is one of the guest speakers at the opening event. He will speak about the collaboration between DARC and the RSGB in providing an updated QSL Bureau Service for RSGB members – an innovative project that brings amateur radio together across borders. If you’re going to Friedrichshafen this year, why not come along to the RSGB stand and say hello – the team would love to see you! International Women in Engineering Day is on Tuesday the 23rd of June and has the theme of Engineering Intelligence. The day is an opportunity to recognise the women engineers who solve complex challenges and help drive change. STEM subjects, which include engineering, can be an effective way for the RSGB to introduce amateur radio to new audiences and young people. The RSGB has supported this day over a number of years and has interviewed women to find out how amateur radio has helped them in their STEM careers. You can read these profiles by going to rsgb.org/inwed The RSGB Youth Committee has announced that a fourth person will be joining the RSGB team at this year’s YOTA Summer Camp in Austria. Henry, M0KUQ is an active radio amateur and was recently involved in re-forming the Imperial College London Wireless Society, of which he is President. You can find out more about Henry, as well as the rest of the team, by going to rsgb.org/yota-camp  and selecting YOTA Austria 2026 from the right-hand menu. And finally, don’t forget to listen out for all the amateur stations that will be on the air for International Museums on the Air today, the 21st of June. For more information about the event visit tinyurl.com/imota2026 Please note that the submission deadline for the GB2RS News on Sunday the 28th of June is earlier than usual. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk by 12pm on Tuesday the 23rd of June. And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 21st of June, the East Suffolk Wireless Revival, also known as the Ipswich Radio Rally, will be held at Kirton Recreation Ground, Back Road, Kirton IP10 0PW. The doors open at 9.30am and the entry fee for visitors is £3. More details are available at eswr.org.uk On Sunday the 28th of June, the Cornish Radio Amateur Club Rally will take place at Penair School in Truro. The doors open at 10.15am and admission costs £3. Traders, bring and buy and refreshments will be available on site. For bookings contact James on 01209 716 351 or email janluke1954@hotmail.co.uk Now the Special Event news Herts and Essex Amateur Radio Society will be active with the callsign GB0MHF during International Museums on the Air on Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th of June. Operators at Much Hadham Forge will be waiting to take your call on 40m SSB and 2m FM. See QRZ.com  for more information. Special callsign YR100RC is on the air until the 30th of September to celebrate 100 years of amateur radio activity in Romania. Look for activity on the HF bands using a variety of modes. For details of a certificate that is available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/romania1786 Marking the 70th anniversary of the DARC's weekly news broadcast, special callsign DB70DLRS will be on the air until the 31st of December. Look for activity on all bands and modes. QSL via DK5ON, Logbook of the World and the DARC Community Logbook. More information is available at QRZ.com Now the DX news Olafur, TF1OL is active as D4OL from Boa Vista Island, AF-086, in Cape Verde until tomorrow, the 22nd.  Look for activity using FT8 and FT4 on the 80 to 6m bands. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World and QRZ.com Chas, NK8O is operating as 5H3DX from Tanzania until Thursday the 2nd of July. He is active using CW, FT8 and FT4 on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to NK8O. Now the contest news Today, the 21st of June, the Worked All Britain 50MHz Phone Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using SSB on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. The All Asian DX Contest started at 0000UTC yesterday, the 20th, and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 21st of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and your age. The RSGB 50MHz Trophy Contest started at 1400UTC yesterday, the 20th, and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 21st of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 23rd of June, the RSGB SHF UK Activity Contest runs from 1830 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 2.3 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 25th of June, the RSGB 80m SSB Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday the 28th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 and 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on, Sunday the 28th of June, the RSGB 50MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using CW on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 18th of June 2026. We had a quiet week geomagnetically, but the solar flux has also declined. Over the past week, the Kp index never rose above 2 or 3, with only one three-hour excursion to 5 on Thursday the 11th of June. This bodes well for HF propagation, but the solar flux index has declined from its recent high of 148 on Thursday the 4th of June to be in the 110 to 120 range over the past week. As a result, the Sun is looking a little sparse when it comes to sunspots. This, coupled with the summer doldrums, has seen maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, drop and DX has been limited to 21MHz and below. The 10m band has been mainly open to Sporadic-E, with some multi-hop openings giving the appearance of F2-region propagation at times. DX to be worked over the coming week includes: D44EC from Cape Verde; PJ2/PH2M from Curacao; 3G0YM on Easter Island; FS/K9EL operating from St Martin; 5R8EC from Madagascar; and OX3LX working from Greenland. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may increase slightly to be in the 130 to 140 range, although this will need some new additional sunspots. Geomagnetic conditions are forecast to be quiet with a maximum Kp index of 2. We may see a slight upturn on Tuesday the 23rd of June, when the Kp index is predicted to rise to 4, mainly due to an enhanced solar wind. To recap, Summer is a time when paradoxically daytime maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, tend to be lower than in autumn and winter. However, nighttime MUFs can be higher, with the potential for the 30 and 20m bands to be open all night. ARRL Field Day will run from 1800UTC on Saturday the 27th of June to 2100UTC on Sunday the 28th of June. This may be an op

See All (20)

About

This is the weekly RSGB GB2RS broadcast. Please send any news items to radcom@rsgb.org.uk.

Information

  • Creator
    Weekly RSGB News Broadcast read by Jeremy G4NJH.
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright of original owners acknowledged and respected.
  • Show Website
    GB2RS

You Might Also Like