GB2RS News
Sunday, the 9th of November 2025
The news headlines:
The RSGB launches its Construction Competition for 2026
RSGB exam shutdown over the festive season
The Society appoints a new volunteer Brickworks Champion
Whether you have only recently soldered your first wire in a kit build or you have experience in designing an advanced software or systems engineering project, the RSGB Construction Competition is for you! As part of the RSGB’s strategic growth priority, it wants to inspire people from different communities to find out more about amateur radio. That is why the Society has introduced a new category this year called “Reimagination”. If you think your project could be interesting to the maker community, or you have an idea that could encourage people from groups such as Men’s Sheds to try amateur radio, this is the category for you. If it is radio-related but motivates non-radio amateurs to find out more, the RSGB welcomes your entry! There are six other categories, which means there really is something for everyone. You must be an RSGB member to enter, but you can live anywhere in the world, as entries will be judged online to allow you to participate and demonstrate your creativity remotely. The deadline for entries is the 1st of March 2026, and you have an opportunity to win a cash prize. For full details of the competition, including the other categories, visit rsgb.org/construction-competition
If you’re thinking of taking an amateur radio exam before Christmas, be aware that the last date you can take an online exam, either at a club or at home, is Monday, the 22nd of December. The RSGB Exams Team will, where possible, post out exam results before HQ shuts over Christmas and New Year. Exams will resume on Monday, the 5th of January 2026 and the booking system will be available during the festive season, so you can book exams for January onwards. You can book your exam online at rsgb.org/exampay
RSGB Board Director, Ben Lloyd, GW4BML, is delighted to announce Derek Hughes, G7LFC as the new volunteer RSGB Brickworks Champion. The Brickworks scheme consists of 23 tasks that give an insight into different aspects of amateur radio. Derek brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role, having previously been involved in the development and running of the Brickworks scheme. He currently serves as Chairman of the Quantum Amateur Radio & Technology Society. Derek is committed to building strong relationships with clubs across the UK, including those already engaged with RSGB initiatives. Individuals and clubs are encouraged to contact Derek via
[email protected] with their suggestions about how to develop the reach of the RSGB’s Brickworks programme. Find out more about the programme by going to rsgb.org/brickworks
The RSGB has continued to release content from its recent Convention. Watch the ‘Meet the Board’ session and hear an update on the Society’s strategy, as well as an outline of next steps and some important RSGB roles that need the right volunteers to step forward. These include four Board Directors and three Regional Representative vacancies, for which nominations open next week. An in-depth interview about polar modulation is also available to watch; listen to Hans Summers G0UPL, Mike Walker VA3MW and Stewart Bryant G3YSX sharing their thoughts about how this exciting technology is being applied within amateur radio. You can see both in the ‘RSGB 2025 Convention’ playlist on the RSGB YouTube channel at youtube.com/theRSGB
If you’ve been involved with Jamboree on the Air this year, the RSGB would love to hear from you. You have until this Thursday, the 13th, to submit your report and photos to
[email protected] and be included in the special JOTA feature in the January 2026 edition of RadCom.
Essex CW Activity Week starts today, the 9th, and runs until Saturday, the 15th of November. This is a friendly, non-contest style event to encourage both experienced and new Morse operators. Slow-speed Morse operators are especially welcome. Whilst the aim is to contact as many radio amateurs as possible in a week, it is hoped that a QSO goes beyond just an exchange of signal reports and becomes a CW chat for as long a duration as you wish. Anyone who works at least 25 other stations qualifies for a free award certificate. Lots more information, including preferred operating frequencies, can be found via the ‘Activity Week’ tab at essexcw.uk
Please send details of all your news and events to
[email protected]. The deadline for submissions is 10 am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.
And now for details of rallies and events
Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Society Winter Rally is taking place on Saturday, the 15th of November at St Vincent de Paul’s Hall, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7QR. The doors open at 10 am and entry costs £3. Traders, catering and plenty of free parking will be available on site. For more information, email
[email protected]
On Sunday, the 30th of November, Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur’s Club Rally is taking place at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, County Durham. Traders, catering, ample parking and disabled facilities will be available. For more information and downloadable trader forms, visit barac.org.uk
Now the Special Event news
Members of the Tarragonès Radio Club in Spain are active with special callsign AO25TWHS until the 30th of November. The station is often spotted on the HF bands using FT4. More information, including DX Cluster spots and a link to a diploma that is available for working the station, is available at QRZ.com
Special event station V84SRU is active from Brunei on all bands and modes until the 26th of November to mark the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union. Recently, the station was spotted on the 15m band using SSB. For more information, visit QRZ.com
Now the DX news
Members of the Italian DXpedition team are active as 5R8TT and 5R8XX until Wednesday, the 12th of November, from Nosy Be, AF-057 in Madagascar. Four stations are active on the 160 to 6m bands using CW, FT8, SSB and RTTY. QSL directly to I2YSB. To find out more, visit i2ysb.com/idt
Members of the Yaguarete DX Group are active as CP7DX from Tarija in Bolivia until tomorrow, the 10th of November. They are operating FT8 and SSB on the 160 to 6m bands, as well as via EME. QSL via OQRS or directly to LU1FM. More details are available via QRZ.com
Now the contest news
The Worked All Europe DX RTTY Contest started at 0000 UTC yesterday, the 8th, and ends at 2359 UTC today, Sunday, the 9th of November. Using RTTY on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
Today, the 9th, the UK Microwave Group Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1400 UTC. Using all modes on 1.3 to 3.4GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Tuesday the 11th, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 1955 UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
Also on Tuesday the 11th, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB Autumn Series SSB Contest runs from 2000 to 2130UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number.
On Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is a report and a four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest.
On Thursday the 13th, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 2000 to 2230 UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.
On Saturday the 15th, the 2nd RSGB 1.8MHz Contest runs from 2000 to 2300 UTC. Using CW on the 160m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and district code.
Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 6th of November 2025
Last week was a mixed bag in terms of HF propagation. Earlier in the week, the 10m band was working very well, with Australia romping into the UK by mid-morning. But later in the week, everything had changed.
Solar activity was high with multiple X-class and strong M-class solar flares. At least three coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, were expected to graze or directly hit Earth, sparking strong geomagnetic storms on the 6th and 7th of November.
The X-ray flare on the 4th of November was the first seen since June and came from active region 4274 – a large sunspot group which helped push the solar flux index to 147.
The Kp index climbed to 6.67 in the early hours of the 6th of November. Later that morning, maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs, were badly affected, with a maximum of 18MHz over a 3,000km path as a strong G3 geomagnetic storm was in progress. So, it looks like good DX on the higher bands may be off the cards for a few days.
However, one interesting contact was noted on the CDXC Slack chat group when ZL7/LZIGCC was spotted on 14.005MHz using CW at 10.30 am on Thursday, the 6th.
Interestingly, the current solar activity is nearly all in the Sun’s northern hemisphere, so are we heading for a second peak in Cycle 25?
Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may decline to the 130 to 145 range. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to remain unstable until around the 12th of November.
With active region 4274 rotating to be more Earth-facing, we may expect more solar activity, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, before things quieten down.
And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO
We are becoming well acquainted with mild, unsettled weather, and as a result, there were plenty of rain scatter options on the GHz bands in the last week. These are likely to continue through the coming week.
Tropo is not completely out of the frame in the extreme south and east, albeit fleetingly, but for most of the UK, it is unlikely to be a strong feature.
As in recent weeks, a few auroral alerts are coming through, but so far, nothing too dramatic is showing up on the VHF bands. Meteor scatter looks more interesting as we move into mid-November. The Leonids, one of the more important meteor showers in the calendar, peaks just after next weekend on Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th, so we should expect to see some increasing activity as we progress through the coming week.
The UK Activity Contest events feature 432MHz on Tuesday 11th, when the eastern side of the UK may have one of the fleeting moments of tropo to the east and south. Later in the week, on Thursday the 13th, it’s the turn of 50MHz.
Conditions look weaker for tropo for the 50MHz UK Activity Contest, but still favour the extreme east of England, if there is any left by then. Meteor scatter or even aurora might come to the rescue for this one.
For EME operators, the Moon’s declination is at its highest this weekend, ending today, the 9th, so Moon window lengths and peak elevation are also at their greatest. Path losses are now increasing as we passed perigee on the 5th of November. 144MHz sky noise is low and at its lowest midweek.
And that’s all from the propagation team this week.
UK