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G4FVG > NEWS 26.07.26 08:02l 264 Lines 12535 Bytes #999 (0) @ EU
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Subj: RSGB Main News 26 July 2026
Path: DB0FFL<OE2XZR<OE6XPE<DB0RKB<DK0WUE<GB7CIP<G4FVG
Sent: 260726/0555Z 55080@G4FVG..#44.GBR.EU LinBPQ6.0.25
It appears as though the forwarding has been interrupted today,
so here is a backup copy of the [same] RSGB news. This might be
duplicated later via the normal route, but at least two copies are
better than none!
So here is the GB2RS Main News for 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<at>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/<at>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<at>rsgb.org.uk The deadline for submissions is 10am on
Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.Â
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 GBP 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
GBP 2.50. An outdoor trader's stall costs GBP 8 and an indoor one is
GBP 10. To book, email rally.klarc<at>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 [KOW-TUH-NOO] 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 [CAP-OH-MULL], 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 [SINT-MAHR-TUHN]; TY5FR from Benin [BEH-NEEN]; E51CZZ and
E51KEE on the Cook Islands; VU4R from the Andaman Islands; and VP5G
operating from Turks and Caicos [TUHKS-AND-KAY-KUHS].
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 land stations have to
make the best of nighttime operations.
That said, the main change in the weather pattern this coming week
will be that the high pressure, which has been over the Atlantic just
west of Britain, shifts into the continent and eventually out of
reach by the end of next week.
So, the message is to get into the tropo while it's here and use the
latter part of the week for perhaps meteor scatter, with the Delta
Aquarids peaking in the coming week. There is reserved optimism for
this since it's primarily a southern hemisphere event.
Rain scatter has been very hard to find recently but looks like
making a comeback as the weather turns more unsettled with sequences
of fronts crossing the country. Maybe only patchy weak fronts, but
still worth considering.
The summer aurora prospects are staying on the marginal side but
watch out for Kp index values creeping above 5 before turning your
beams north.
Sporadic-E, which is rolling along in main summer season fashion, has
been very good lately and was producing a full set of bands, up to
2m, last Thursday the 23rd of July.
As the weather turns a bit more unsettled, this could help with
Sporadic-E. This could happen if the fronts move into the continent
and weak jet streams, and possibly thundery cold fronts, create
turbulence at the right sort of range over Europe. This will probably
favour paths to Scandinavia and to the Balkans.
For EME operators, Moon declination reaches minimum today, the 26th,
so Moon window lengths and peak Moon elevation are at their lowest
value. With apogee yesterday, the 25th, path losses will decrease as
the week progresses. 144MHz sky noise is high to start the week,
peaking at over 2800 Kelvin today, the 26th, before slowly decreasing
in the coming 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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