Peter King Ofcom has announced a consultation which seeks to simplify the licensing of amateur radio visitors to the UK from a specified list of countries. The consultation also covers the proposed simplification of other wireless equipment usage. Ofcom says: “We propose to introduce a new licence exemption for short-term use of radio amateur equipment by radio … Read more
On the 15th of February, Girlguiding members will celebrate World Thinking Day on the Air. The aim of this event is to encourage Girlguiding members to make friendships with those in other units, using amateur radio as the means of communication. On this day, Crawley Amateur Radio Club and RSGB volunteers will be hosting special … Read more
Don’t forget that the next event in the popular 145 Alive series will take place on Sunday the 26th of January 2025. It will run from 12pm to 3pm and there will be nets operating in most Maidenhead Squares across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. To take part in the event, which is designed to … Read more
Do you like making things? Or are you interested in creating software for use in amateur radio? Have you thought about entering the RSGB’s Construction Competition? This annual competition is judged online to allow RSGB members from the UK and across the world to participate and demonstrate their creativity. In line with the Society’s strategic priority … Read more
British Railways Amateur Radio Society is running special event station GB0LMR during 2025 to celebrate 200 years of train travel. Operation will be mainly focussed on the 40 and 10m bands. QSL via the Bureau. More information about the station is available at QRZ.com
In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the GB2RS News service, special callsign GB70RS will be on the air from the 1st of January. Listen out for operators on all modes and all bands. QSL via the Bureau, eQSL or Logbook of the World. For more information, please visit the GB70RS page at QRZ.com
Sweden’s Alexanderson alternator station SAQ has scheduled a transmission to send out a traditional Christmas message to the world. The century-old 200kW transmitter will start up and begin tuning at 0730UTC on Tuesday the 24th of December using CW on 17.2kHz. Transmission of the Christmas message will take place at 0800UTC. The event will be … Read more
The weekly shortwave broadcast from the Deutsche Amateur Radio Club, or D.A.R.C as it is also known, will be aired from Woofferton in England for the first time from January 2025. The broadcast will be made from an existing BBC broadcasting complex that is operated by the subsidiary company Encompass Media, where there is a … Read more
The next in the series of 145 Alive events is taking place on Sunday the 26th of January 2025. The organisers are looking for volunteer Net Controllers to help cover as many Maidenhead squares in the UK as possible. Whether you’ve been a Net Controller before or not, the team would love to hear from … Read more
The historic VLF transmitter at Grimeton Radio Station in Sweden is celebrating one hundred years since it was put into commercial operation. The unique Alexanderson alternator operates using callsign SAQ. To mark the centenary a special transmission will take place at 1000UTC on Sunday 1 December using CW on 17.2kHz. The event will be livestreamed … Read more
With just two weeks to go until Youngsters on the Air Month, operating slots for GB24YOTA are fast filling up. The special call sign will be active throughout December and is a fantastic opportunity to get youngsters active on the amateur bands. Whether you are part of a school, university, youth group, a club or … Read more
The RSGB Contest Club is excited to announce that the second World Wide Award event will be taking place in January 2025 and it is looking for volunteers to take part. Last year’s event included 28 RSGB members who made in excess of 109,000 contacts. The Society’s Contest Club has confirmed there are currently special … Read more
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, also known as ARISS, will be conducting Slow Scan TV operations from the International Space Station between the 11th and 18th of November. There will be 12 images to catch during the week-long experiment, which will be on the theme of the 40th anniversary of amateur radio in … Read more
The VARC Satellite group have been making big strides to completing the system up at the cabin. They have been meeting regularly on a Wednesday evening and have installed a rotator with azimuth and elevation functionality. Ambrozy (M7MLU) made the first contact through the system steering the antenna manually. More recently they have aquired a … Read more
The Memorial Day QSO Party is an activity providing participants with an opportunity to honour amateur radio operators who are now Silent Key. The event is being sponsored and managed by the First Class CW Operators’ Club and is open to all licensed amateurs. The eventbegins at 0900 UTC on the 1st of November 2024 … Read more
grid.radio is a web application born out of the frustration that Rose, 2E0RXO and many others experienced during spontaneous, often unplanned, Parks on the Air activations. During busy moments, someone would inevitably ask for a Worked All Britain square or another reference that she wasn’t prepared for. There wasn’t a single, simple resource to quickly … Read more
Jamboree on the Air, also known as JOTA, is taking place between the 18th and 20th of October. The event promotes friendship and global citizenship and is a brilliant celebration of amateur radio among the groups within the Scout Association. Some groups have already shared details of activities that will be taking place over the … Read more
1940s Weekend! 21st / 22nd Sept’ Fun for all the family, this two-day event in September is a chance to step back in time and enjoy a marvellous weekend of vintage entertainment. Why not dress to impress and visit us in 1940s attire? Enjoy live music throughout the weekend and visit the market stalls and … Read more
Ofcom has released a new step-by-step video on its YouTube channel to assist radio amateurs in the process of revalidating a UK amateur radio licence using the online licensing portal. Ofcom does note that whilst it is a requirement to revalidate your licence every five years, it is recommended to do it annually. Make sure … Read more
The RSGB Youngsters on the Air representative Rhys Williams, M0WGY, arrived in Prague, Czechia on Friday the 16th of August for this year’s YOTA summer camp. The camp is organised by the IARU Region 1 Youth Working Group together with the Czech Radio Club and finishes on Friday the 23rd of August. These camps offer … Read more
Don’t forget to listen out for all the stations that will be on the air during International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend on Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th of August. This is one of the most popular amateur radio events in the calendar and in past years there have been more than 500 entries … Read more
From the 27th of July to the 3rd of August, the Essex International Jamboree is welcoming around 10,000 scouts and guides, including 2,000 supporting volunteers from around the world, to Boyton Cross near Chelmsford. As part of the programme, amateur radio station GB24EIJ will be running a wide range of communications and electronics activities. The … Read more
There are vacancies for licensed radio amateurs to volunteer for the RSGB at the National Radio centre at Bletchley Park. Expenses paid. Interested? Please email Martyn Baker G0GMB at martyn.baker@rsgb.org.uk
Don’t forget you can get involved in the new GR2HQ Challenge next weekend, the 13th and 14th of July, as part of the IARU HF World Championship contest. You can take part as individuals but also benefit your club, so why not encourage your club members to take part whether they are regular contesters or … Read more
TX Factor is marking its ten-year anniversary by launching its 30th episode. It looks at how radio technology has advanced since Marconi conducted some of his early transmissions. The episode includes the first of a two-part feature on operating via the QO-100 geostationary satellite with a look at the hardware and software needed to achieve … Read more
The RSGB’s National Radio Centre will be operating special event callsign GB2DAY to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings during World War Two. The station will be active between the 6th and 9th of June. In addition, volunteers will be hosting the special demonstration station GB1SOE on Saturday the 15th of June. Don’t … Read more
Guisborough and District Amateur Radio Club is organising a mini DXpedition to Scotland, on the Isle of Lewis from the 22nd to the 29th of September. The team has a couple of spaces left and is welcoming amateurs from other clubs who would like to join in. For more information email m.dutton@virginmedia.com
A reminder now that International Museums Weekend will be taking place on the third and fourth weekends in June. This year, those weekends are the 15th and 16th, and the 22nd and 23rd of June. Special event stations will be operating from a wide variety of museums from many different countries. To read more about … Read more
The activity is open to all amateur radio operators worldwide and membership of the Group is not required.The objective is to work as many four-digit grid squares as possible between the 4th of May and the 4th of August on the 6m band.Logs can be submitted until the 18th of August 2024. You can find out more at … Read more