Week 45, 2026: the week in amateur radio

AREG Radio & Electronics Car Boot Sale: Adelaide's Amateur Radio Community Comes Together!

The Amateur Radio Experimenters Group (AREG) in Adelaide holds a radio and electronics car boot sale, where local amateurs can buy and sell equipment and meet in person.

The Future of Amateur Radio: Four Presidents in Conversation

Die Zukunft des Amateurfunks: Vier Präsidenten im Gespräch

Presidents of the RSGB, IARU, DARC and IRTS discuss the outlook for amateur radio at the RSGB 2026 convention. Topics include spectrum sharing with military and satellite services, and why strong national societies matter for defending frequencies.

Single-letter callsigns: information on how applications are handled

Distintivos de una letra: información sobre su tramitación

URE has contacted the Spanish Secretary of State for Telecommunications about questions from amateurs who applied to change their authorization to obtain a single-letter suffix callsign. It shares information on how these applications are processed.

IARU Region 1 Conference

IARU R1 Konferencija

HRS reports on the 27th IARU Region 1 General Conference held in Vienna, 19–23 September 2026. Around 100 documents were handled, including a proposal to extend 40 m to 7300 kHz, WARC band use in contests, 23 cm band plan changes, and officer elections.

Ahead of ORARI's 12th National Congress, Chairman Donny YB0DX Speaks on Unity, Statutes and Organisational Assets

Menuju Munas XII ORARI, Ketua Umum Donny YB0DX Bicara Terbuka soal Persatuan, AD/ART dan Aset Organisasi

ORARI's national chairman, YB0DX, previews the organisation's 12th National Congress, set for 20–22 November 2026 in Bengkulu. The agenda includes electing a new chairman, amending the statutes, and forming a legal team to address organisational assets.

DARC members' meeting to be held on 14 November

DARC-Mitgliederversammlung tagt am 14. November

The DARC annual members' meeting takes place on Saturday 14 November in Baunatal, Germany. An open discussion for members starts at 9:00, and the formal meeting runs from 11:00 until about 18:00.

ORARI Maluku holds 2026 regional working meeting, aiming for a solid and professional organisation

ORARI DAERAH MALUKU GELAR RAKERDA 2026, PERKUAT KONSOLIDASI MENUJU ORGANISASI YANG SOLID DAN PROFESIONAL

ORARI's Maluku regional branch held its 2026 regional working meeting in Ambon on 31 October. Members reviewed programmes and set policy and work plans, with a theme of consolidating the organisation.

Open mechanical key activity

The Dog Day Telegraphy Club runs a one-hour CW activity for mechanical keys on 80 m, 3520–3560 kHz, on the first Friday of each month. The next session is 6 November; the call is CQ MK, and the exchange is RST, age and key type.

ORARI 12th National Congress to be held 20–22 November 2026 in Bengkulu

Munas XII ORARI Akan Digelar 20–22 November 2026 di Bengkulu, Agenda Strategis Organisasi Nasional

ORARI's 12th national congress is scheduled for 20–22 November 2026 at the Hotel Mercure in Bengkulu. Organisers say agenda items include aligning the bylaws and settling the organisation's assets and finances.

ORARI 12th National Congress, 20–22 November 2026 in Bengkulu: unity, governance and organisational mandate

Munas XII ORARI 20–22 November 2026 di Bengkulu, Persatuan Diperkuat, tata Kelola Dibangun, Amanah Organisasi Diperjuangkan

ORARI's 12th national congress takes place 20–22 November 2026 at the Hotel Mercure in Bengkulu. Officials describe it as a chance to strengthen the organisation, update its rules and resolve outstanding asset questions.

Report on Field Day and the start of the PH82LIB season

Verslag van de velddag en de start van het PH82LIB seizoen

VERON reports on the PH82LIB special event station's season opening, held on the same weekend as Field Day, 5–6 September 2026. The station marks 82 years since the liberation, with the opening based at a campsite near Groesbeek.

FunkWX - Solar activity slowly rising again

FunkWX - Sonnenaktivität nimmt langsam wieder zu

Solar wind has weakened, so geomagnetic conditions should stay quiet over the next day. Two sunspots are becoming more complex, raising flare risk to moderate, and the solar flux has risen to about 100.

Brugtgrej.dk opens up to the whole Nordic region

Brugtgrej.dk öppnar upp för hela Norden.

Brugtgrej.dk, a long-running Danish marketplace for used amateur radio gear, now serves all the Nordic countries. It adds a country filter and shipping options, charges no fees or commissions, and links listings to RigPix specifications.

AREC Manawatu Group support Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT)

AREC Manawatu ran its third radio training session for Massey University's Veterinary Emergency Response Team, a volunteer group that rescues animals during floods, cyclones and earthquakes. Several new members were learning radio use for the first time, and more regular training is planned.

Southland Training Camp at Lake Mavora

Southland AREC members spent a weekend at Lake Mavora training in remote-area communications, testing their vehicle, power systems, HF long-wire, portable repeater and cross-band gear. The practice prepares the team for the Southern District SAREX.

Mikulás Kupa 2026 Hármashatárhegy

MRASZ announces the Mikulás Kupa ARDF event for 5 December 2026 at Hármashatárhegy, featuring a sprint relay format with three-person teams. Registration by email closes on 29 November.

Amateur radio fees in Austria increase on 1 January 2027

Die Gebühren für den Amateurfunk steigen am 1.1.2027

Austrian amateur radio licence fees rise by about 3.2 percent on 1 January 2027 through an index adjustment, despite the finance minister's no-increase announcement. Applications decided before 31 December 2026 are charged at the old rates.

QuickSmith: A Free Online Smith Chart Tool for Amateur Radio Experimenters

The Wireless Institute of Australia highlights QuickSmith, a free web-based Smith chart tool aimed at amateur radio experimenters working on matching and transmission-line problems.

UT/WE9G in Ukraine

UT/WE9G в Україні

DX-peditioner Richard Lewis, WE9G, a retired USAF communications officer, met Ukrainian amateurs near Lviv on 1 November and is operating from Ukraine as UT/WE9G. His recent trips include Panama, El Salvador, Iceland and Antarctica.

RSGB Outreach Team Chair

The RSGB is looking for a volunteer to chair its Outreach Team, which leads a group of volunteers promoting amateur radio to the wider public.

WRTC 2030 – mailing list

WRTC 2030 – mailing lista

A mailing list for WRTC 2030 has been set up on groups.io, and the Croatian radio amateur society invites interested people to subscribe for discussion of the event.

Invitation to the VHF and Higher Day 2026

Uitnodiging voor de VHF en Hoger Dag 2026

VERON's VHF and above committee holds its VHF and Higher Day on Saturday 21 November 2026 in Eefde, Netherlands. The programme is set and first registrations have come in.

DK0WCY and FunkWX move to improved space weather data

DK0WCY und FunkWX setzen auf noch bessere Weltraumwetterdaten

DK0WCY now takes sunspot numbers from SILSO in Belgium and solar flux from DRAO in Canada, with flux shown to one decimal. The daily FunkWX report adopts these sources from 4 November.

FunkWX – continued calm

FunkWX - anhaltende Ruhe

Solar wind speed keeps falling and geomagnetic activity is quiet, with low flare risk and no visible CMEs. DX conditions are usable to good on 20, 17 and 15 m by day and 80 and 40 m at night.

Cassation Rejected by Supreme Court, Lawsuit Over ORARI Amendment Deed Not Accepted

Kasasi Ditolak MA, Gugatan Terkait Akta Perubahan ORARI Tak Diterima

Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected a cassation appeal in a lawsuit challenging ORARI's 2022 notarial deed amending the association's statutes. Lower courts in Tangerang had already declared the claim inadmissible. ORARI's public relations office shared the ruling with members.

Open house at Skeljanes on 29 October

OPIÐ VAR Í SKELJANESI 29. OKTÓBER.

Icelandic Radio Amateurs report 26 members and guests at the Skeljanes open house, with talk of DMR repeaters, antennas and band conditions. TF3CW's record Icelandic score in CQ WW DX SSB from TF3W was also discussed.

2027 Contest Manual

The South African Radio League has published the 2027 edition of its contest manual, which can be found in the Contest Resources section of its website. It includes updates based on member comments.

20m Club Contest Moved

The SARL has rescheduled its 2027 20m Club Contest to 13 November 2027, one week later than the originally planned 6 November date.

FOSDEM 2027

FOSDEM 2027 will again host an amateur radio DevRoom in Brussels on 31 January 2027. Technical talks on SDR, open hardware, satellites and related topics are invited, with proposals due by 23 November 2026 via Pretalx.

Talk: Matching Antennas with PASAN – Using the Smith Chart Intuitively

Vortrag: Antennen anpassen mit PASAN: Smith-Diagramm anschaulich nutzen

DARC hosts an online talk on 4 November at 19:00 about matching antennas with the PASAN tool and using the Smith chart in a practical way. Details and the participation link are on treff.darc.de.

Communicating With Noise! Stanford Researchers Turn Radio Static Into a Wireless Signal

Stanford researchers demonstrate a way to carry wireless information using radio noise itself rather than a conventional signal. The Wireless Institute of Australia passes the report on to hams interested in new communication techniques.

Membership renewal 2027

Rinnovo quota 2027

ARI, the Italian amateur radio association, announces that membership renewal for 2027 is now open.

Zoltán Németh - HA1ZH SK

Németh Zoltán - HA1ZH SK.

The Hungarian society reports the death of HA1ZH, Zoltán Németh, licensed in 1962. He was known for pioneering SSTV work in Hungary, building his own equipment, and helping found the Nagykanizsa radio club.

YOTA Subregional Camp 2026 in Belgium – Applications Open

YOTA Subregional Camp 2026 in Belgien – Bewerbung gestartet

Applications are open for the German team at the YOTA Subregional Camp, held 19–23 December 2026 at the Euro Space Center in Transinne, Belgium. DARC has three places: one team lead and two participants, aged 15 to 25.

A35TV: Tonga

A35TV : Tonga

A team will operate from Tonga (IOTA OC-049) as A35TV from 28 November to 4 December 2026. Operation covers 160 m to 6 m on SSB, CW and FT8, with QSL via Clublog.

3 December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities

IARU Region 1 marks 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, by recognising radio amateurs with disabilities. The Region 1 PDRA coordinator stresses that the hobby should remove barriers so everyone can take part.

The 40EUDXF activity month has started: November is all about DX

De 40EUDXF activiteitenmaand is gestart: november staat in het teken van DX

The European DX Foundation has named November the 40EUDXF activity month, marking the 40th edition of its yearly event. Radio amateurs and DX enthusiasts worldwide can take part throughout the month.

Current contests, week 45/2026

Aktuelle Conteste KW 45/2026

DARC's weekly overview covers contests from 2 to 8 November 2026. It includes the OK1WC Memorial, RSGB Autumn series, FIRAC, the 50th IPA Radio Club Contest and several VHF activity evenings, plus the IARU Region 1 Marconi Memorial CW contest.

FunkWX - quiet overall

FunkWX - insgesamt ruhig

Solar wind speed is slightly elevated but should slowly decline over the next day. Geomagnetic activity is expected to be quiet to unsettled, flare risk is very low, and DX conditions are mostly usable, at times good.

Transmitter masts in Beidweiler, Luxembourg to be demolished by explosives

Sendemasten in Beidler/Luxemburg werden gesprengt

The three former long-wave transmitter masts at Beidweiler in Luxembourg are to be demolished with explosives on Friday 6 November at about 15:00. They carried RTL's French-language programme to France from 1972 until January 2023, according to Luxembourg amateur society RL.