Archive › October 2026 › Week 43
Friday, 23 October 2026
29 stories published this day (UTC).
Societies & IARU 21
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Be Ready
RAYNET-UK points to the UK Cabinet Office's Be Ready campaign, which aims to help the public prepare for national emergencies. It is relevant to emergency communications volunteers who support their communities in such situations.
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Association premises closed on 28/10/2026
Κλειστά Εντευκτήρια την 28/10/2026
The Radio Amateur Association of Greece says its meeting venues will be closed on Wednesday 28 October 2026 for a public holiday. Members can pay their subscriptions by bank transfer or PayPal in the meantime.
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Class B Radio Amateur Licence Exams 2026
Εξετάσεις Απόκτησης πτυχίου ραδιοερασιτέχνη Β’ 2026
The Radio Amateur Association of Greece lists the status of 2026 amateur radio licence exam announcements for regional units of Attica. Eastern Attica's announcement is out, while other districts are still awaiting theirs. Applications in Attica can be filed digitally.
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Essential planned maintenance: Possible website downtime
The RSGB is carrying out server maintenance over the weekend, so its online publications and Band Plans pages may be briefly unreachable. Members can still read publications through the RSGB mobile app.
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Maker Faire Luxembourg 2026 on 24 and 25 October 2026 with amateur radio participation
Maker Faire Luxembourg 2026 am 24. und 25.10.2026 mit Amateurfunkbeteiligung
Maker Faire Luxembourg runs 24 and 25 October 2026 in Rosport, with free entry. Luxembourg's amateur radio society RL, AATiS and DARC take part alongside electronics, robotics and coding exhibits.
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Tasmania Takes a Leading Role in Space Surveillance: New Opportunities for Amateur Radio and Satellite Experimentation
The Wireless Institute of Australia reports on Tasmania's growing role in space surveillance and what it could mean for amateur radio and satellite experimentation.
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Rallies and Events News – 25 October 2026
RSGB's weekly listing of upcoming UK rallies and events opens with a vintage wireless swapmeet in Golborne, near Warrington, on 1 November. That one is restricted to British Vintage Wireless Society members. Further club events follow.
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Special Events News – 25 October 2026
Special event stations include GB50PUNK, active until 31 December for 50 years of punk rock, and five DARC special callsigns, among them DA100LH, DL100LH and DK100LH marking Lufthansa's 100th anniversary.
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DX News – 25 October 2026
Team 7P8GE is on the air from Lesotho until 29 October on 80 to 10m, and Team S9R operates from Sao Tome until 31 October. Both work CW, SSB and digital modes.
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Contest News – 25 October 2026
This week's contests include the UK Microwave Group EHF Band Contest on 25 October, covering 76 to 241GHz, and the RSGB HF FT4 Contest number 10 on the evening of 26 October.
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RSGB opens nominations process for three AGM trophies
The RSGB is accepting nominations for three trophies presented at its AGM: the Calcutta Key for international friendship, the Founders' Cup for service to the Society, and a third trophy sponsored by Kenwood.
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Tonight@8 in November
Thomas, K4SWL presents the next RSGB Tonight@8 webinar on Monday, 2 November, covering how to assemble a flexible QRP portable kit and pack it for varying conditions.
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RSGB VHF and HF contest trophy presentation photos now online
Photos and a winners list from the RSGB VHF and HF contest trophy presentations at the 2026 Convention on 11 October are now on the RSGB website. Ian Fugler, G4IIY received the ROTAB Trophy for DX work.
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Finnish Radio Amateur League office bulletin 41/2026, 24 October 2026
Suomen Radioamatööriliiton toimiston tiedote 41/2026, 24.10.2026
The Finnish radio amateur society's bulletin covers its autumn meeting on 21 November in Tampere, where two board members are elected, plus a new Contest Club of Finland board and continued exam sessions.
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Finnish Contests 2027
OH-kilpailut 2027
The Finnish radio amateur society SRAL lists the 2027 national HF championship series, with six rounds running from January to December. Hosts include Pusulan Radistit, TETRA Tekniikan Ystävät and Contest Club Finland, and each round has a fixed date.
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FT8 Championship Series 2027
FT8 SM-sarja 2027
SRAL publishes the 2027 schedule for the Finnish FT8 championship series. Twelve rounds take place on Wednesday evenings from 18:00 to 19:00, starting on 13 January 2027 and ending on 8 December 2027.
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DARC solar funding for independent power supply completed
DARC-Solarförderung für autarke Stromversorgung abgeschlossen
DARC has closed its solar funding programme, which spent 50,000 euros on about 75 projects. Solar panels and batteries now let repeaters and HAMNET sites keep running for hours or days during power cuts.
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Election committee notice: two board members to be elected at the autumn meeting
Vaalivaliokunta tiedottaa – syyskokouksessa valitaan kaksi hallituksen jäsentä
Three candidates, OH2TH, OH7JANI and OH3BHX, are standing for two SRAL board seats. Online voting opens 4 November 2026 and closes 18 November, and in-person voting follows at the 21 November autumn meeting in Tampere.
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Special callsign OR82CLM for the liberation of Knokke-Heist
Speciale roepnaam OR82CLM voor de bevrijding van Knokke-Heist
Radio club ONZ Oostkust in Knokke-Heist, Belgium, operates the special callsign OR82CLM this year. It marks the Canadian Liberation March on 8 November and commemorations of the town's 1944 liberation.
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FunkWX - slight weakening in the weekend sprint
FunkWX - leichtes Schwächeln beim Wochenendspurt
Geomagnetic activity starts unsettled to active and then eases, while solar activity stays low to moderate with a small flare risk. DX conditions are usable to good, with a slightly lower MUF than early in the week.
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Hawkesbury Canoe Classic: Amateur Radio Volunteers Keeping Paddlers Safe 24–25 October 2026 | Hawkesbury River, New South Wales
Amateur radio volunteers provide communications support for paddlers in the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic on the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, on 24–25 October 2026.
DX & contests 4
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Z66IPA, Z68MU & Z68MW – Kosovo
S58MU and S50X plan to operate from Gjilan, Kosovo, as Z68MU and Z68WW during November 1-8, 2026, on 160-10m. They will also enter the IPARC contest on November 7-8 as Z68IPA, with QSL via S58MU.
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C50A – The Gambia
Darko, E70A, is on the air from Banjul, The Gambia, as C50A, using HF bands and 6m on SSB, CW and FT8, with QO-100 also planned. He is joining the CQWW SSB contest, and QSL goes via his home call.
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The 2027 French Polar Team Expedition
Mehdi, F5PFP, reports that sailing, landing and amateur radio licence authorisations are in place for a French polar expedition. It plans to depart in early January 2027 on a four-week Antarctic cruise, with one berth still available.
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5X7W – Uganda
Anders SM0HPL plans another stay in Kampala, Uganda, operating as 5X7W from mid-November to the end of the year. He will work HF with a vertical and a Carolina Windom, including the CQWW CW contest. Logs go online weekly.
Community & news 4
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A new keyboard
A contest-oriented operator describes replacing a worn computer keyboard whose keys had begun failing to register. Heavy logging during contests puts the keyboard under strain, making it a practical station-reliability topic.
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Ham Radio 2.0 Hits 200,000 Subscribers
Jason, KC5HWB, whose Ham Radio 2.0 YouTube channel started in 2015, has passed 200,000 subscribers. The blogger notes this is nearly double the ARRL's membership and sees it as a sign of demand for his equipment reviews and POTA tips.
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A First Look at the New POTA Website
A hands-on look at the redesigned Parks on the Air website, available for testing at next.pota.app. The author highlights improvements to the spotting page, including marking parks a logged-in hunter has not yet worked.
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1 out of 18 Hams Fail to Renew at the Payment Point
An analysis of FCC weekly archive data finds about one in 18 US hams who apply to renew their licence fail to complete the $35 payment. Over two years, roughly 79% renewed successfully and about 16% never applied.