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G4TNU > NEWS 03.10.26 23:45l 285 Lines 14227 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News - 04 Oct 2026
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GB2RS Main News for Sunday the 4th of October 2026
The news headlines
* Less than a week until the RSGB 2026 Convention
* RSGB Spectrum Forum Chair wins international award
* New RSGB Regional Forum Chair and Secretary announced
You have less than 24 hours left to buy your advance ticket for the
RSGB Convention, which takes place next weekend at Kents Hill
Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. Online ticket sales will close at
9am tomorrow, Monday, the 5th of October, so book your tickets online
to guarantee your place and save money compared to prices on the
door. If you are coming to the Convention make sure you have your QR
code ready to collect your badge at the conference centre. You can
either bring this on your phone or printed out. This system was
introduced last year and was extremely successful in speeding up
access to the Convention. If it is your first time at the event, pop
along to the ‘Welcome desk' that will be in the bar on the Friday
evening. You can view the most up-to-date version of the programme
before and during the event by going to rsgb.org/convention and
downloading the Convention programme and speaker information. You'll
also be able to view the menus, as well as see which forums and
drop-in sessions you can attend. Click on ‘What else is happening at
the Convention?' to find details on the AMSAT-UK Colloquium, RSGB
Committees and Special Interest Groups. You'll also find information
on Friday's activities including the RSGB National Radio Centre, The
National Museum of Computing and the amateur radio quiz, which takes
place in the evening. If you have tickets for the Gala Dinner on
Saturday and wish to reserve a table with friends, send your name and
callsign details to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk If you are unable to
travel to the Convention this year, the Society will be livestreaming
a selection of lectures. You can find out more about this on the RSGB
website from tomorrow, Monday, the 5th of October.
If you're an RSGB member and are planning to visit The National
Museum of Computing, based at Bletchley Park, on Convention Friday,
the 9th of October, please ensure you email
membership<at>rsgb.org.uk in advance to request your personalised
30% discount voucher. Please state your name, callsign and RSGB
membership number. This applies to visits at any time, read more at
rsgb.org/partner-museums
The RSGB Spectrum Forum Chair Murray Niman, G6JYB, has been awarded
the Roy Stevens, G2BVN Memorial Trophy. Murray was one of two
recipients to receive the award at the IARU R1 Conference last month.
The trophy is awarded to radio amateurs who have best exemplified
Roy's work and dedication in international amateur radio. The RSGB
congratulates Murray and thanks him for the huge amount of time and
effort he gives as a volunteer to this important work. You can read
more about the Conference in the December edition of RadCom.
Philip Hosey, MI0MSO has been appointed the new RSGB Regional Forum
Chair. Philip is well known to many having previously served in the
role and he is currently the RSGB Special Interest Group Manager.
With more than a decade of volunteering with the Society, Philip has
a strong understanding of both the organisation and the community it
serves. Stephen Purser, GW4SHF has been appointed as the new Regional
Forum Secretary. Stephen brings a wealth of experience to the role,
having served the Society in a wide range of volunteer positions over
many years, including on the Regional Team and more recently as
Deputy Company Secretary. You can read the full announcements by
viewing the RSGB Notices web pages on the Society's website.
Next Sunday, the 11th of October, two GB2RS News broadcasts will be
coming from the RSGB Convention. At 11am, Esther, GI0AZA and Ian,
GI0AZB will transmit an 80m bulletin on 3640kHz using a remote link
to their station near Dungiven in Northern Ireland. At 3pm, Brian,
G4BIP will read the RSGB News via the QO-100 satellite on a frequency
of 10489.855MHz. Brian will use the uplink facilities provided by
AMSAT-UK in the Special Interest Group room. Our volunteer
Newsreaders are happy to receive calls following the formal
broadcast, so do listen out for them and call in to let them know how
their signals were received.
The next RSGB Tonight<at>8 webinar takes place tomorrow, Monday, the
5th of October and is presented by the Society's Maker Champion
Tom Wardill, M9TWM. Tom will deliver an overview of what is available
to the average home user, from SMT components and PCB fabs to
3D-printed cases, or to test equipment that was only available to IBM
and HP just a few years ago. He'll discuss where to source help and
advice on the tools you need to complete your project. Join the
livestream via the RSGB YouTube channel and special BATC channel.
Find out more by going to rsgb.org/webinars
Are you a newcomer to Morse, or perhaps you are a seasoned Morse
operator looking for support in developing your skills? If so, you'll
want to take a look at the updated Morse web pages on the RSGB
website. You'll find a page on RSGB resources that you can use; from
Morse battleships to GB2RS in Morse, from the Morse Certificate of
Competency to GB2CW. It also includes a series of links to additional
RSGB video content that you can watch at your own pace. Other new web
pages include a look back at the history of Morse, as well as a list
of places to help you find the right equipment and further training
resources. You can start viewing all this great content at
rsgb.org/morse
The RSGB QSL Bureau Service has three important reminders for radio
amateurs using the service. This includes ensuring that your RSGB
membership record includes all your allocated callsigns and that you
are following Royal Mail's postage criteria. The third is for radio
amateurs that have recently acquired an M8 or M9 callsign. You can
read the full details of all these important reminders by going to
tinyurl.com/qsl-reminder
The RSGB has updated the Youth Committee web pages. On the main page
you'll see an overview of the Youth Committee's strategy for the next
year. On other pages you'll find information about Committee members,
what projects they are working on and how you can get in touch with
them. To find out more go to rsgb.org/youth-committee
Please send details of all your news and events to
radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions this week is 10am
on Wednesday. GB2RS will be broadcast as usual on Sunday.
And now for details of rallies and events
The Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day today, Sunday the
4th of October 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 4th, the Welsh Radio Rally will take place at
Llanwern [HLAN-WERN] High School, Hartridge Farm Road, Newport,
NP18 2YE, South Wales. The doors open to traders at 7am and to the
public at 9.30am. Admission costs GBP 3. The rally will include
technical talks, a bring-and-buy area and a raffle. For more
information, email welshradiorally<at>icloud.com
The annual Hornsea ARC Rally takes place next Sunday, the 11th of
October at Driffield Showground, YO25 9FB. For more information, call
Les on 01377 252 393.
Now the Special Event news
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Belgian National Railway
Company, special callsign OT26B is active until the 31st of December.
The line between Brussels and Mechelen [MEH-KUH-LUHN] opened in 1835
and was the first steam-powered public railway in continental Europe.
QSL via OR4K.
Now the DX news
Atsu, 5W1SA and Jacel, 5W0AF are active from Upolu Island, Samoa
OC-097 until the 12th of October. They are operating using SSB on the
10 to 40m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World. More information is
available via qsl.net
9H6C will be active from Malta, IOTA EU-023 from Saturday, the 10th
to Monday, the 12th of October. They will operate on all HF bands.
QSL via Logbook of the World.
Now the contest news
The RSGB and IARU October 432MHz to 245GHz Contests started at
1400UTC yesterday, Saturday the 3rd of October and end at 1400UTC
today, Sunday the 4th of October. Using all modes on 432MHz to 245GHz
frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Also today, Sunday, the 4th of October, the UK Microwave Group
Millimetre Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on
24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number
and locator.
Tomorrow, the 5th of October, the Autumn Series CW Contest runs from
1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal
report and serial number.
On Tuesday the 6th of October, the RSGB 144MHz FMAC Contest runs from
1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
The RSGB 144MHz UKAC Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC on Tuesday,
the 6th of October. Using all modes on 144MHz, the exchange is signal
report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 7th of October, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 four hour
Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on 144MHz, the exchange
is signal report and four-character locator. The RSGB 144MHz FT8 AC
Contest also takes place on Wednesday from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8
on 144MHz, the exchange is signal report and four-character locator.
Also on Wednesday the 7th of October, the UKEICC 80m Contest takes
place from 2000 to 2100UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band the exchange is
your six-character locator.
On Thursday the 8th of October the RSGB 50MHz UKAC Contest runs from
1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is
signal report, serial number and locator.
The Oceania DX CW Contest runs from 0600UTC on Saturday, the 10th of
October to 0600 on Sunday, the 11th of October. Using CW and SSB
modes, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO
on Thursday the 1st of October 2026.
As we enter October, I think it's time to get excited about HF again.
Some of the best HF conditions can occur this month as MUFs rise. It
might take a couple of weeks to get going but it will, we promise –
there's a good reason why the CQ Worldwide SSB contest is held in
October after all.
Solar conditions have been surprisingly calm. The solar flux index
has been ranging from 90 to 100 but geomagnetic conditions have been
quiet, with the Kp index usually around one to two.
We had a brief excursion to a Kp index of 4 on September the 26th and
27th, but this was relatively short-lived.
Daytime Maximum Usable Frequencies, or MUFs, over a 3,000km path have
been touching 25 to 28MHz at times but we can expect this to improve
over the next few weeks. As long as the Solar Flux Index can stay
around 100 we should see some transatlantic paths opening up on
28MHz, but they may not be as good as previous years. Ten-metre
openings at the start of this month may be fleeting and unreliable.
What we do have is a massive coronal hole on the Sun's equator, which
could send the Kp index up this weekend as solar plasma impacts the
Earth. Keep an eye on solarham.com for updates. If this comes to
pass, expect lower MUFs and poor DX for a day or two.
DX to be worked this week include 5W0AF from Samoa; 9T0MD from the
Democratic Republic of Congo; JW6VM, JW7XK and JW9DL on Svalbard;
7P8JL, 7P8LZ and 7P8TR in Lesotho; 6O2M (Somalia), C5R from The
Gambia and FW1P from Wallis and Futuna.
NOAA predicts that the SFI this coming week may bottom out at around
90, before rising again, perhaps reaching 100 to 102 by next weekend.
As mentioned earlier, we can expect the Kp index to rise, perhaps
hitting four on October the 5th to the 7th. After this, it should
settle to a more reasonable Kp index of 2 for the rest of the week.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO.
The autumn season is typically a mix of still, quiet weather with
high pressure on the charts and, in contrast, a few days later deep
Atlantic lows roll by with wind and rain. The coming ten days or so
will follow that script and offer a mix of propagation modes for the
VHF/UHF fraternity.
The Tropo conditions will dominate in the south and should probably
be in control up to the middle of next week. Northern Britain will
have activity from weather fronts and possible rain scatter for the
GHz bands, which becomes more general from midweek onwards.
The autumn season is also a prime time for aurora, so keep that mode
on the 'to do' list and be aware of changes in the Kp index to values
higher than Kp index 5. Meteor scatter is mostly in the realms of
random activity.
Lastly, a surprise mention of Sporadic-E, which for CW and SSB modes
is pretty much done, but last week on Thursday the 24th of September
there was some activity for FT8 within Europe. This was mixed in with
Tropo paths, so it was difficult to pinpoint the exact mode being
used without looking at detailed measurements from radiosondes and
ionosondes.
The end result is that ‘out of season' may still produce Es for
digital modes, but it's probably a rare occurrence.
EME now, and the Moon is at maximum declination on Friday the 2nd of
October, so Moon windows are at their longest and peak Moon elevation
is at its highest. Path losses are low after perigee on the 1st of
October but will start to increase. 144 MHz sky noise starts the week
moderate, dropping back to low for the rest of the week.
And that's all from the propagation team this week.
And that's the end of the main news for this week prepared by the
Radio Society of Great Britain. Items for inclusion in subsequent
bulletins can be emailed to radcom<at>rsgb.org.uk to arrive by
10:00 on the Thursday before transmission.
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