RSGB GB2RS News Bulletin for September 6th 2026

GB2RS News Sunday the 6th of September 2026 The news headlines:

Learn about HF propagation studies at the RSGB Convention Which coding activities will you be trying? WRTC 2026 results have been rescored

Are you aware of the GB0PSC Baldock space weather station? The RSGB Propagation Studies Committee recently installed a HamSCI HFRx at Ofcom’s spectrum monitoring site at Baldock. The station is part of HF propagation studies that will allow the Committee to learn more about space weather and its effects including radio blackouts, Doppler flashes and travelling ionospheric disturbances. You can find out how the Committee is progressing with its studies by joining Gwyn Griffiths, G3ZIL on Saturday the 10th of October at the RSGB Convention. If amateur radio construction is something you’d like to find out more about, then join RadCom Plus Editor Paul Marks, G8FVK on Sunday the 11th of October to learn about his approach to modular design of amateur radio equipment. In particular, he’ll be looking at QRP HF and VHF gear, using readily available circuit boards and modules such as the AD831 RF mixer module. You can attend both lectures at the Society’s annual Convention at Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes between the 9th and 11th of October. Secure your place via rsgb.org/convention National Coding Week is back this month! To support radio amateurs in building their digital skills and explore the world of programming, the RSGB has shared three new activities for you to try. The first builds on the Python Pocket Morse activity developed last year and guides radio amateurs to use a BBC Micro:bit to send Morse code either on a telegraph wire or wirelessly. The second is ‘Ener-G use’ which is great for unlicensed and younger radio amateurs and allows them to compare increasing forces and energy use with a fun Micro:bit activity. The third activity is based on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2W. It is a demonstration of Pulse Width Modulation and uses just a couple of components, including an LED and a resistor, and will give you a better understanding of the concept of duty cycle. All three activities are available via rsgb.org/coding You can try them at home, set up a practical club night or use them as an activity with a youth or school group. Let the Society know how you get on by sending photos and a summary to [email protected] by the 30th of September. Following the conclusion of the on-site WRTC 2026 adjudication process at Wyboston, UK on the 13th of July 2026, significant new information became available resulting in necessary further work by the Judging Committee. In order for the WRTC event to be reflective of the most accurate assessment of contesting conduct and ability, the Organising Committee and Sanctioning Committee agreed collectively to support this work and have now published revised scores. This report voids and replaces the previously announced results. To read the full report visit wrtc2026.org Don’t forget that the RSGB Tonight@8 webinar series is back tomorrow night, Monday the 7th of September. Join RSGB Board Director Patrick Wood, 2E0IFB live for a presentation on amateur radio and the future of satellite communication. You’ll also be able to hear how you can get involved with World Space Week, which takes place from the 4th to the 10th of October. The webinar will contain lots of useful information on how your club can host an event and show that amateur radio is part of space exploration, education and communication. Watch the webinar and ask questions via the RSGB YouTube channel or special BATC channel. Find out more at rsgb.org/webinars The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station programme is an opportunity for educational organisations to host an amateur radio contact with a crew member on board the International Space Station. The window to submit an application is now open and ends on the 23rd of October 2026. This is for a contact to take place between July to D