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Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comLike many of you, I am an avid CQ DX Marathon participant. To help identify those stations that may not be rare, but also not common, I will bring it to your attention by announcing MARATHON ALERT. This will let you know that based on my experience, this activation is one that you will want to make part of your Marathon Chase! Let's get started.{Marathon Alert} OH0 – Aland Islands - OH0ERF is QRV until August 12, by a group of German hams operating holiday style. They are operating all bands from 160 m through 10 m, using CW, SSB, and FT8, with 6 m added as conditions allow. The equipment includes an IC-7610, two IC-7300 transceivers, and an ACOM 700S amplifier. {Marathon Alert} R1FJ – Franz Jozef Land - R7AL, Vasily, and his team should be QRV around August 15 for 15 days. Five hundred kilograms of gear is already in Murmansk, their departure point, with the ops bringing another 300 kg.{Marathon Alert} E5/S – South Cook Islands - ZL2KE, Steve, is QRV as E51KEE from the South Cook Islands until August 14th, mainly on CW with some SSB, likely focusing on 30 and 40 meters unless propagation improves. Another Steve, ZL4CZ, is QRV as E51CZZ until August 6th on SSB. Neither operator is using FT8 or other digital modes. {Marathon Alert} TU – Ivory Coast - F5HPE, Fredy, is underway to the Ivory Coast, where he has the TU5MM callsign. He will be joining TU5JZ, Mathruin. Fredy expects to be there until August 22nd , operating from the Motobé Radio Club on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10M SSB and FT8.{Marathon Alert} OJ0 - Märket Reef - OH6BG says a DXpedition is coming up August 15-22, with OJ0JR, Henri; and OJ0YL, Anne. He points out that the reef is the most exposed location in the Baltic Sea, “more rock than island, more sea than shelter.” To be dealt with before the first QSO is made is the weather, landing conditions, antennas, power and constant wind and waves, he says. They plan 80-10 CW, SSB and FT8.{Marathon Alert} YS – El Salvador - WE9G, Rikk, is QRV as YS/WE9G from El Sunzal, El Salvador, until August 14th. He will primarily use FT8, with some CW and SSB, on 6–160 meters using an SO3R setup, two vertical antennas, and a G5RV dipole. QSOs will be uploaded in real time to Club Log, QRZ, and LoTW, with QSL available via WE9G or Club Log OQRS.Contest Updates  August starts the contest season for me with two contests kicking things off. First is the Ohio QSO Party. I work every minute of this and have had some good rates the past few years. However, I have also been kicked off the air by lightning 3 of the last 4 years so I am hoping for good weather. I finished 7th overall in Ohio last year and #1 in Warren County. I could use your help if you are around the weekend of August 22nd. The contest period runs from 1200 EDT noon in Ohio (1600Z) to Midnight on the 22nd (0400Z Sunday).Secondly is the CQWW RTTY contest. This is the weekend of September 26th and 27th. This contest typically draws over 15,000 participants with over 3,600 logs submitted. If you can operate FT8, you can operate RTTY. Why not give it a try?

GB2RS News Sunday the 9th of August 2026 The news headlines: RSGB announces updated Contest Entry Policy Take part in solar eclipse experiments with the RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Improved RSGB Course and Exam finder is now available The RSGB Board has approved an updated Contest Entry Policy following a review, consultation and careful consideration. From the 1st of January 2027, eligibility to participate in RSGB contests will be open to all appropriately licensed radio amateurs, regardless of nationality or location. Entry will be subject only to the legal and regulatory obligations applicable to both the Society and the entrant, together with the relevant contest rules and any applicable RSGB membership requirements. The implementation date has been chosen to allow the Society's HF and VHF Contest Committees sufficient time to prepare contest administration and adjudication systems ahead of the 2027 contest season. The Board considers that this approach reflects the long-established principles of amateur radio, including friendship, cooperation and goodwill between individual operators across national boundaries. It is also consistent with the principles promoted by the International Amateur Radio Union, encouraging international understanding and cooperation through amateur radio. The policy also ensures that all RSGB activities continue to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations. The Board is grateful to the Board subgroup, the members of the HF and VHF Contest Committees, and everyone who contributed to the review of this policy, including the many members who took the time to submit their comments and observations. Full details of the updated Contest Entry Policy are available on the RSGB website. There will be a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday the 12th of August and the RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee would like your help with some radio experiments. There are three ways that RSGB members can get involved and support the Committee in investigating how the Sun's ultraviolet and X-ray output affects our ionosphere and how radio waves are propagated. If you are active on the lower bands, including medium wave, 80m and perhaps even 40m, you can report back on your findings on how transmissions are impacted during the eclipse. Alternatively, you could run WSPR on 160, 80 and 40m during the main eclipse period and then repeat the exercise, either the day before or the day after so comparisons can be drawn. Or you could take part in two specially organised RSGB contests on 80m CW and 40m FT8. These are open to non-RSGB members as well. For more details go to rsgb.org/psc  and select ‘Projects' from the right-hand menu. The Course and Exam finder page on the RSGB website is now back online at rsgb.org/examfinder  The application has been completely redeveloped, following major works on the Society's website this summer. It now features a fully responsive layout for mobile devices, plus a clearer and more accessible user interface. You'll find colour-coded banners for the exam levels offered by each club, plus useful and easy to read accessibility information for each venue. Training providers and exam centres are reminded that any updates need to be submitted to the RSGB Examinations Team via exams@rsgb.org.uk by 3.30pm each Friday, for them to appear the following week. You have one week left to secure your RSGB Convention ticket at early bird prices. Weekend tickets currently stand at £49 and are available until Sunday the 16th of August. Your weekend ticket gives you access to two days' worth of engaging and informative content from over 40 speakers, including the AMSAT-UK colloquium. Buy your ticket at rsgb.org/convention  Find out what else is going on during the weekend by selecting ‘What else is happening at the RSGB 2026 Convention?' from the right-hand menu of the Convention web pages. Ofcom and the RSGB have formally signed the Memorandum of Understanding under which the RSGB provides the amateur radio licence examinations currently and in the future. The main changes from the original relate to the confidentiality of examination questions and the replacement of the Examinations Audit Committee with 'independent' voting members of the ESC. You can read the latest document by going to rsgb.org/esc 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 And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 9th, Flight Refuelling Amateur Radio Society Hamfest is taking place at Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, near Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3DA. The doors are open from 9am to 3pm. Car-boot and field traders are welcome from 7am. Admission costs £5 and includes parking. Talk-in is on 145.550MHz. For more information visit frars.co.uk On Saturday the 15th of August, DX Commander Fest will be taking place at Holly Farm Business Park, Honiley, Warwickshire, CV8 1NP. More information is available at dxcommander.com On Sunday the 16th of August, the North Wales Amateur Radio Group Rally and Tabletop Sale will take place at the Bryn Cadno Community Centre. The doors open at 10am and the entry fee is £3. Light refreshments will be available. To book a table email secretary@nwarg.org Rugby Amateur Transmitting Society Radio Rally will be taking place on Sunday the 16th of August at Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby, CV23 9PY. The doors will be open to the public from 10am. More details are available at rugbyats.co.uk Also on Sunday the 16th of August, West Manchester Radio Club Red Rose Summer Rally will take place at Mather Hall, Mather Lane, Leigh WN7 2PJ. The doors open at 10am. For more information and bookings, contact rally@wmrc.co.uk Now the Special Event news Special callsign YR100RC is on the air until the 30th of September to celebrate 100 years of amateur radio in Romania. Look for activity on the HF bands using a variety of modes. For details of a certificate that is available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/romania1786 Marking the 70th anniversary of the DARC's weekly news broadcast, special callsign DB70DLRS will be on the air until the 31st of December. Look for activity on all bands and modes. QSL via DK5ON, Logbook of the World and the DARC Community Logbook. More information is available at QRZ.com Now the DX news Darek, SP9DLM and his 13-year-old son Greg, SN9GM are active as UK/SP9DLM and UK/SN9GM from Uzbekistan until Saturday the 15th of August. The stations have been worked recently on the HF bands using SSB. QSL via OQRS. Sands, VK4WXW has returned to Willis Island, OC-007, and will be stationed at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's weather monitoring facility until late October or early November. He expects to become increasingly active as VK9WX in the coming weeks. He operates using FT8 and SSB on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL via OQRS. Now the contest news Today, Sunday the 9th, the UK Microwave Group 25GHz Trophy contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 1.2cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB Machine Generated Mode Contest started at 1400UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 9th of August. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is report and your four-character locator. The Worked All Europe DX CW Contest started at 0000UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 9th of August. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 11th of August the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 11th, the RSGB UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 12th of August the RSGB Eclipse CW Contest runs from 1630 to 1930UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is report and serial number. Also on Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB Eclipse FT8 Contest runs from 1630 to 1930UTC. Using FT8 on the 40m band, the exchange is your report. On Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 12th, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 13th of August, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 6th of August 2026. The Sun was mostly settled last week with very little to report. The solar flux index declined to 108 by Thursday the 6th of August, with most of the sunspot activity being on one half of the solar surface. Geomagnetic conditions have also been settled with a Kp index mostly below 3 for the past few days. A coronal mass ejection impacted the Earth and pushed the Kp index to 5.67 on Sunday the 2nd of August, but conditions recovered within 24 hours. We've even been almost solar flare free with, at the time of writing, only seven minor C-class events over the past three days. So, this all bodes well for HF propagation. 24 and 28MHz are mostly only open to Sporadic-E. Some multi-hop paths are still opening up to the Far East especially, so don't write off 10m, even if you have to listen to noise for a lot of the day! F2-layer propagation still favours North-South paths on the 10m band. Next week, DX to be worked includes E51KEE from the Cook Islands; YS/WE9G in El Salvador; UK/SP9DLM from Uzbekistan; and OX3LX operating from Greenland. Later in the week look for A50QO in Bhutan; J68TT from St Lucia and OJ0JR and OJ0YL working from Market Reef. NOAA predicts that next week the Sun will remain pretty calm and be in the 105 to 110 range. The Kp index is forecast to be mostly around 2 to 3. So, conditions should remain fair but not disrupted. And don't forget the solar eclipse on Wednesday the 12th of August. The RSGB has lots of activities planned including two HF contests, WSPR activity and medium- and long-wave monitoring. See the August issue of RadCom for details. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The main theme of the weather during the coming week is one of some settled high-pressure with tropo options, especially early in the coming week. This is likely to be interrupted by occasional periods of low pressure with rain for north westerly areas. The summer weather patterns typically produce a more showery type of rain, even from fronts, giving a reasonable chance of rain scatter. However, activity may be low in the south and east. Of the two modes mentioned above, next week will probably be more biased towards tropo than rain scatter. The Kp index made a brief excursion to 5 last week but seems a bit quieter now. However, it's useful to check now and again in case we find some radio aurora. The meteor scatter options feature strongly this week as the Perseids meteor shower peaks around Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th of August. It's quite interesting to simply leave a receiver on a meteor scatter calling channel to hear the transient signals. The Sporadic-E season continues and, since meteor debris plays a role in providing the ionisation required, the Perseids week is always worth checking for a surprise opening. In terms of jet stream weather patterns, the stronger hints come from looking east towards the Baltic. However, other directions are not to be ignored since even quite small features, such as a slow-moving severe thunderstorm, can have an influence. For EME operators, Moon declination reaches maximum today, Sunday the 9th, when Moon window length and Moon elevation will be at their peak. Path losses are at their lowest at perigee tomorrow, Monday the 10th of August. 144MHz sky noise is low to moderate until Wednesday the 12th, when the Sun is close to the Moon in the sky due to the partial eclipse that day. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Amigos y amigas, sean bienvenidos al informe mensual de la Asociación Española de Radioescucha. Antes de las noticias, indicamos que las frecuencias se dan en kilohercios mientras que las horas son UTC, es decir, están referidas al Tiempo Universal Coordinado. Además, deletrearemos algunas direcciones usando el alfabeto internacional de deletreo. Comenzamos con RADIO TAMAZUJ, una emisora que emite programas en árabe dirigidos hacia el Sudan. Se la puede escuchar diariamente de 04.00 a 04.30 en 11.640. La transmisión se realiza desde Santa María de Galeira (en la Ciudad del Vaticano) con una potencia de 100 kilovatios. Los informes de recepción pueden enviarse al siguiente correo: contact@radiotamazuj.org Otra emisora que también transmite sus programas en árabe hacia Sudan es RADIO DABANGA. Las transmisiones se realizan diariamente de 04.29 a 04.57 en 11.640 desde Madagascar; y de 16.58 a 17.57 en 15.550 desde Santa María de Galeira (en la Ciudad del Vaticano). Ambas transmisiones son con una potencia de 250 kilovatios. Confirma los informes en la siguiente dirección: info@dabangasudan.org Actualmente RADIO TAIWAN INTERNACIONAL emite en español de 01.00 a 01.30 en 5.800 y 17.790 hacia América del Sur; de 02.00 a 02.30 en 5.010 hacia América Central y de 22.00 a 22.30 en dirección a Europa por 15.770 y 17.790. Los informes de recepción se pueden enviar al correo: esp@rti.org.tw LA VOZ DE INDONESIA continúa emitiendo en español de 17.00 a 18.00 por la frecuencia de 4.755 en dirección al sureste de Asia. No es muy buena verificadora, pero podemos enviar los informes de recepción a la siguiente dirección: voilisteners@gmail.com Y, desde Brasil, RADIO NACIONAL DA AMAZONIA anuncia que, debido a problemas técnicos y costes de energía, reduce sus horarios de transmisión de lunes a viernes, al menos hasta finales de este año 2.026. La frecuencia de 6.180 se utilizará de 20.00 a 03.00 y la frecuencia de 11.780 de 07.45 a 20.00. Los programas se emiten en portugués, aunque cuenta con un corto programa de 10 minutos de duración en español e inglés de martes a sábado. Recordemos una vez más, que RADIO NACIONAL DE AMAZONIA es muy buena verificadora pues confirma los informes de recepción correctos mediante tarjeta QSL-electrónica en el correo: ouvidoria@ebc.com.br Antes de despedirnos, recurrden que pueden oír y leer este informe en radio.aer.org.es; además, tienen disponibles todos sus programas diexistas favoritos en programasdx.com. Y, como no, pueden contactar con nosotros a través de info@aerclub.es, desde nuestra sitio web aer.org.es así como desde nuestro perfil en Facebook. ¡Hasta la próxima, muchos 73s y buenos DX!

  GB2RS News Sunday the 2nd of August 2026   The news headlines: Exciting opportunities within the RSGB Regional Team RSGB Examinations Standards Committee publishes annual report  Changes to the Youth Committee An exciting volunteer opportunity has arisen to lead the RSGB Regional Team following the decision by George Crawford, GM1DSV to stand down as Regional Forum Chair once the right candidate is appointed. The RSGB would like to express its thanks to George who will be focusing his time on serving Region 1 as its Regional Representative. The role of Regional Forum Chair is ideal for someone who is passionate about amateur radio, teamwork and empowering volunteers. This is a standout volunteer opportunity for someone who wants to make a meaningful impact across all regions, support our dedicated Regional and District Representatives, and strengthen the connection between members, volunteers and the wider organisation. The RSGB is also looking for a Regional Forum Secretary to support the smooth running of activity behind the scenes. This is a fantastic volunteer opportunity for someone who thrives on coordination, communication and teamwork, and wants to play a key role in supporting the Regional Team Chair and the entire Regional Forum. Find out more about both roles, along with details of how to apply, by going to rsgb.org/volunteers  You can use the same link to find out about District Representative roles in various regions around the country. The RSGB Examinations Standards Committee, or ESC, has published its annual report, relating to activities in 2025. The report shows that, although overall candidate numbers in 2025 decreased a little compared with 2024, they remain about 20% higher than predictions based on the extrapolation of pre-2019 trends. The ESC believes that this is largely due to the increased accessibility of training courses and examinations online. The ESC noted that the initial feedback received from candidates on the publication of the Full level question bank has been very positive. However, a few months of exam data are needed before the full impact of the measure can be assessed, and then consideration given to rolling it out at other levels. You can read the report by going to rsgb.org/esc  and choosing the ‘Minutes, papers and reports' tab on the righthand side of the web page. RSGB Board Director and Board liaison for the Youth Committee Nathan Nuttall, MM9OCC has announced that the RSGB Youth Chair Chris Aitken, MM0WIC has stepped down from his role as Chair. Chris, who is a teacher at Wick High School, has secured an ARISS contact for his school and will be using his time to focus on activities surrounding this. The current RSGB Youth Vice-Chair Leon Shaw, M0VUF will step up as Chair and the RSGB Youth Champion for Scouts Sam McCutchion, M0UEL will take on the Vice-Chair position. Sam will continue in his role as Scout Champion until a suitable replacement can be found. The RSGB is preparing to launch a new Training and Development Lead pilot role to help rebuild structured engagement with trainers, support new licensees, and strengthen the wider training environment. This 12-month pilot will focus on listening, mapping, evidence gathering and supporting the training community. Some initial information was outlined in the August RadCom strategy update and more details will be shared in August, including how trainers and providers can get involved. The July 2026 issue of RadCom Basics is now available in the RSGB mobile and web app for members to enjoy. RadCom Basics is aimed at newcomers to amateur radio and those who enjoy refreshing their skills and knowledge. The July issue includes articles on DMR for beginners, RF connectors and dummy loads. The full collection of RadCom Basics back issues can be found in the RSGB app or via rsgb.org/radcom Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.    And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 2nd, Part 1 of the 2026 British Amateur Television Club Convention 2026 is taking place at Midland Air Museum, Rowley Road, Coventry, CV3 4FR. The event is running from 10am to 4pm and includes show-and-tell, test-and-fix-it and bring-and-buy elements. There are comprehensive test facilities available for all bands from 144MHz to 24GHz. Non-members are welcome. For more information, visit batc.org.uk/events Also today, the 2nd, the Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day 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 today, the 2nd, Finningley Amateur Radio Society Rally is taking place at the Hurst Communications Centre, Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster, DN8 5SX. The doors are open from 10am. Entrance costs £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 today, the 2nd, at Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King's Lynn PE30 4EL. The doors open at 9am and the entrance fee is £2.50. For more information, email rally.klarc@gmail.com or call 0770 907 4951. On Sunday the 9th of August, Flight Refuelling Amateur Radio Society Hamfest will be taking place at Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, near Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3DA. The doors will be open from 9am to 3pm. Car-boot and field traders are welcome from 7am. Admission costs £5 and includes parking. Talk-in will be on 145.550MHz. For more information visit frars.co.uk   Now the Special Event news To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the Croatian Flora and Fauna Amateur Radio Club is active as 9A44FF until the 31st of December. For information about an award that is available for working the station, visit QRZ.com Special callsign LZ75HSC is active to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Radio Telegraphy Highspeed Club. The club was founded in 1951 and to date membership has grown to include more than 1,400 operators spanning every continent. For more information, visit highspeedclub.org   Now the DX news Rafal, SQ4O is a member of the 50th Polish Antarctic Expedition to the Henryk Arctowski  Station on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, AN-010. He will be working there until October. In his spare time, he will be operating as HF0PAS on the HF bands using CW and SSB. Rafal is also active on the 6m band using FT8. Jan, DL4XT is active as 4K/DL4XT from Azerbaijan until Saturday the 8th of August. Look out for activity using CW, FT8 and SSB on the 20 to 10m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World, OQRS and QRZ.com   Now the contest news Today, the 2nd of August, the RSGB 432MHz Low 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 today, Sunday the 2nd of August. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is your four-character locator. On Tuesday the 4th of August, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday the 4th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 5th, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. The RSGB Machine Generated Mode Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 1400UTC on Sunday the 9th of August. Using machine-generated modes on the 6 and 2m bands, the exchange is your report and four-character locator. The Worked All Europe DX CW Contest starts at 0000UTC on Saturday the 8th and ends at 2359UTC on Sunday the 9th of August. Using CW on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday the 9th, the UK Microwave Group 24GHz Trophy Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 1.2cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 30th of July 2026. We've had quite a reasonable period of HF propagation over the past seven days. The solar flux index remained quite high and conditions have been quite stable, apart from a geomagnetic disturbance on Thursday the 23rd of July that saw the Kp index rise to 5.33. The solar flux index has been in the 140s and 150s, which bodes well for HF. There have been reliable openings up to at least the 15m band. We are still around eight weeks away from the start of better Autumnal HF conditions, but it is looking promising. At the time of writing there were nine active regions visible on the Sun, bringing a solar flux index of 143 and a sunspot number of 123. However, for software prediction purposes you are better off using August's current smoothed sunspot number of 84. The sunspots we do have are mostly clustered around the Sun's equator, which is quite normal for this point in the solar cycle. We normally associate high-latitude sunspots with the beginning of a new cycle, which is still many years away. Paul, GM4ULS reported a contact suddenly vanishing on 5MHz SSB around 1530UTC on Sunday the 26th of July. This was caused by a sudden ionospheric disturbance, or SID, due to an M-class solar flare. A SID usually sounds like someone has just ‘switched off' the ionosphere, although recovery can be quite quick. DX to be worked next week includes E51KEE on the Cook Islands; YS/WE9G from El Salvador; C6AYM in the Bahamas; T2JK in Tuvalu; UK/SP9DLM from Uzbekistan and OX3LX working from Greenland. The Arctic Legends team is now operating as RI0BU from Uedineniya Island until Friday the 7th of August. The higher bands, such as 15 and 10m, currently favour north-south paths, for example UK to South Africa and South America. The 20m band should be more usable for paths to North America. NOAA predicts that the Sun's activity may decline slightly in the coming week. A solar flux index in the range 120 to 130 is predicted.  A geomagnetic disturbance is forecast for Tuesday the 4th of August, with a predicted Kp index of 4. This should recover over subsequent days, back to a more usual 2 to 3. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The current spells of very hot weather have set their own agenda for radio conditions when it comes to tropo.   We have a tick for the high pressure, but the extreme temperatures have meant that the tropo-producing temperature inversions seldom survive the daytime heating over the land. It is only coastal stations that remain in the lift conditions during the daytime.  The weather forecast models for the coming period suggest that the weather pattern is trying to become more unsettled but, as in recent weeks, it seems to take a while to materialise in some parts of the country.  However, it will bring two changes for radio activity. One is slightly cooler weather and some showery rain, so there is a chance of rain scatter. Secondly, there will perhaps be less reliable tropo as the high pressure weakens. Some potential tropo paths probably remain from the fragmented elements of high pressure, but it may be rather hit and miss. Meteor scatter is worth checking out during the next few weeks with two smaller showers, the Southern Delta Aquarids and the Alpha Capricornids peaking at the end of July before the lead-up to the Perseids in mid-August. The solar conditions are still in play for the effects of coronal mass ejections from the Sun and the potential for auroras. So that's another mode to keep on the list. Lastly, a mention for Sporadic-E which continues through August and produced daily North American openings for many last week. Jet streams are often the driving force for turbulence in the lower atmosphere, and can influence the location of Sporadic-E. In the coming week they will probably not help greatly due to a very weak pattern over Europe. It's still worth checking out during the two usual windows of activity in the mid-morning and late afternoon. For EME operators, Moon declination is increasing again with consequent northern hemisphere increases in Moon window length and peak Moon elevation. Path losses will decrease as the week progresses towards perigee on Monday the 10th of August. 144MHz sky noise is low to moderate all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.  

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com{Marathon Alert} OH0 – Aland Islands - OH0ERF willbe active from August 5 to August 12, operated holiday style by a group of German hams. The team plans to operate all bands from 160 m through 10 m, using CW, SSB, and FT8, with 6 m added if conditions allow. Equipment includes an IC-7610, two IC-7300 transceivers, and an ACOM 700S amplifier. Planned antennas include a 3-band delta loop, a 3-element 3-band Mosley beam, 40 m and 160 m verticals, and various wire antennas. {Marathon Alert} UZBEKISTAN – UK -  Darek, SP9DLM and his son Greg SN9GM will be operating as UK/calls from July 27 until August 15.  {Marathon Alert} 3B9 - Rodrigues Island – Sebastian, 3B8HR, is QRV from 3B9HR, Rodrigues Island, until July 28th. holidaystyle. Since it is a holiday/vacation trip with simple gear, he will only be on the air “from time to time.” He is running 100 watts to an end fed long wire on HF, SSB only. His operating times are towards the end of the local day, 03-07Z.Confirmation of QSOs is through LoTW only. 9A – Croatia - The Croatian Amateur Radio Association willoperate the special event station 9A170NT to celebrate the 170th anniversary of Nikola Tesla's birth, and the station will remain active until December 31, 2026. QSL via LoTW, Club Log or QRZ.com. VP5 - Turks and Caicos Islands - G0VJG is QRV from North Caicos (NA-002), until July 30, operating VP5G from a beach location for 14 days. He will be using an HF9V and an inverted V, a 6-element 6M Yagi, and a Juma PA 1000 amplifier. During the IOTA Contest he will operate single op. Activity will include SSB, CW, and FT4/FT8. QSL via M0OXO. {Marathon Alert} T2 – Tuvalu - The Rebel DX Group fired up T22TT Wednesday just before 1900Z. So far, they have been reported on 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters, all FT8. Listen for activity over the next 10 days in between work on the island. As always QSL only via Club Log, once they start uploading their QSOs. {Marathon Alert} T2 – Tuvalu - JK1JXZ, Masaaki “Aki” Iwasawa, will have the callsign T2JK from Funafuti July 30 to August 7, 80-6M. On weekdays he expects to be on the air after 5 PM local time, and on the weekend, he will be on all day long. It is possible his stay will be extended to August 14.  {Marathon Alert} TY5FR, Benin -  DL1BUG, Red, is QRV as TY5FR, operating from Cotonou until August 4. He will be using an ICOM IC-7300, running 100W into a G5RV (2 x 15M) antenna. His planned activity will be on 160-10M CW and SSB. QSL via Club Log (bureau or direct via OQRS), as well as bureau or direct via his home call, and LoTW.  {Marathon Alert} E5/S – South Cook Islands - ZL2KE,Steve, is QRV as E51KEE from the South Cook Islands until August 14th, mainly on CW with some SSB, likely focusing on 30 and 40 meters unless propagation improves. Another Steve, ZL4CZ, is QRV as E51CZZ until August 6th on SSB. Neither operator is using FT8 or other digital modes.  {Marathon Alert} OJ0 - Märket Reef - OH6BG says a DXpedition is coming up August 15-22, OJ0JR, Henri; and OJ0YL, Anne, operating. He points out that the reef is the most exposed location in the Baltic Sea, “more rock than island, more sea than shelter.” To be dealt with before the first QSO is made is the weather, landing conditions, antennas, power and constant wind and waves, he says. They plan80-10 CW, SSB and FT8.  Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

GB2RS News 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@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/@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@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  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 £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 £2.50. An outdoor trader's stall costs £8 and an indoor one is £10. To book, email rally.klarc@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 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, 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; TY5FR from Benin; E51CZZ and E51KEE on the Cook Islands; VU4R from the Andaman Islands; and VP5G operating from Turks and Caicos. 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.

Hello and welcome to episode 97 of TheDX Mentor – a discussion of the recently completed POTA expedition to the Dry Totugas islands off the coast of Key West. My guests tonight are Casey, KJ0NES, Mollie, W3NY, Ron, KC0ZPS, Julius, AK9IT, Elizabeth, N7MEB, and Dave, N9VFR. Here is the introduction as it was listed on the DXWorld website:   Look out for N4T team to be active from Dry Tortugas Island, NA-079 during February 17-25, 2026. Mainaim is 6m activity from rare grid EL84 and to QRV from various POTA parks throughout Florida Keys. QSL via KC3YQL.If this is the first time you are joining us, Welcome! We have a back catalog covering many aspects of DX in both podcast and YouTube format. Please check us out.  If you like what you find, please subscribe, like, and share to always be notified about upcoming events!     Another way to keep in touch and to see what we are up to is via the DX Mentor Facebook page. I will be posting aboutupcoming podcasts as well as other DX events so please follow us.    Real Time DX Info (DailyDX https://www.dailydx.com/Southwest Ohio DX Assoc. https://www.swodxa.orgDaily DX https://www.dailydx.com/DX Engineering https://www.dxengineering.com/Icom https://www.icomamerica.com/ IC-905 https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-905/ IC-9700 https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-9700/ IC-7610 https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-7610/ IC-7300 https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-7300/ Lets hear more.           

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com  {Marathon Alert} 3B9 - Rodrigues Island – Sebastian,3B8HR, will be QRV from 3B9HR, Rodrigues Island, July 22-28. holiday style. Since it is a holiday/vacation trip with simple gear, he will only be on the air “from time to time.” He will be running 100 watts to an end fed long wire on HF, SSB only. He thinks his operating times may typically be toward the endof the local day, 03-07Z. Confirmation of QSOs is through LoTW only. 9A – Croatia - The Croatian Amateur Radio Association willoperate the special event station 9A170NT to celebrate the 170th anniversary of Nikola Tesla's birth, and the station will remain active until December 31, 2026. QSL via LoTW, Club Log or QRZ.com. VP5 - Turks and Caicos Islands - G0VJG is QRV from North Caicos (NA-002), until July 30, operating VP5G from a beach location for 14 days. He will be using an inverted V and HF9V, a 6-element 6M Yagi, and a Juma PA 1000 amplifier. During the IOTA Contest he will operate single op. Activity will include SSB, CW, and FT4/FT8. QSL via M0OXO. {Marathon Alert} S7 – Seychelles - During the upcoming, July 25-26, RSGB IOTA Contest, members of the Seychelles Amateur Radio Association plan to be QRV as either S77HQ or S77SARA. No other details at the moment. {Marathon Alert} T2 – Tuvalu - The Rebel DX Group (3Z9DX, Dom) fired up T22TT Wednesday just before 1900Z. So far, they have been reported on 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters, all FT8. Listen for activity over the next 10 days in between work on the island. As always QSL only via Club Log, once they start uploading their QSOs. {Marathon Alert} T2 – Tuvalu - JK1JXZ, Masaaki “Aki” Iwasawa, will have callsign T2JK from Funafuti July 30 to August 7, 80-6M. On weekdays he expects to be on the air after 5 PM local time, and on the weekend, he will be on all day long. It is possible his stay will be extended to August 14. The flight arrival July 30 is at noon, so he may be able to get onthe air as soon as 3 PM local time there, he says.  {Marathon Alert} 8R – Guyana - 8R1TM, operated byPY1SAD, Aldir, is QRV from Guyana until July 26. He is active on 160 meters through 6 meters, including CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellite activity. On weekdays his expected activity from 23:00 UTC to 03:00 UTC on 6–160 metersusing CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellites. And during weekends he will have Full-time activity planned on 6–160 meters using CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellite operation. {Marathon Alert} TY5FR, Benin -  DL1BUG, Red Frenzel, is QRV as TY5FR, operating from Cotonou (grid locator JJ16FJ) until August 4. He will be using an ICOM IC-7300 with a CG Antenna CG-3000 autotuner, running 100W into a G5RV (2x 15M) antenna. His planned activity will be on 160-10M CW and SSB. QSL via Club Log (bureau or direct via OQRS), as well as bureau or direct via his home call, and LoTW.  {Marathon Alert} E5/S – South Cook Islands - ZL2KE,Steve, will operate as E51KEE from the South Cook Islands from 22/23 July to 14 August 2026, mainly on CW with some SSB, likely focusing on 30 and 40 meters unless propagation improves. Another Steve, ZL4CZ, will operate as E51CZZ from26 July to 6 August on SSB. Neither operator uses FT8 or other digital modes. E51CZZ will bring a ZS6BKW multiband DX antenna, and the operators will help repair E51JD Jim's damaged Hex Beam on Rarotonga.            If you have questions or need information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

GB2RS News Sunday the 19th of July 2026 The news headlines: Spy transmitter activities at the RSGB National Radio Centre Which RSGB partner museum will you be visiting this summer? RSGB Outreach Team supports the WINGS Jamboree Following last year's success, the ‘Find the spy transmitter' events are back for Summer 2026 at the RSGB National Radio Centre. This family-friendly activity will turn you into spy hunters as you explore Bletchley Park looking for hidden transmitters. The event will be running on Tuesday the 28th of July and Thursday the 30th of July.  Each date has two start times, one at 10.30am and another at 1.30pm. Spaces are limited to 12 groups per session and are available via rsgbspytransmitter.eventbrite.co.uk  The activity is free to take part in, however entry to Bletchley Park is required. Don't forget that RSGB members get free access to the historic site as a membership benefit. Download your voucher at rsgb.org/bpvoucher Last year, the RSGB introduced a new membership benefit offering its members discounted entry at six fascinating museums. Following positive feedback from members, this offer continues and RSGB members can receive between 20 and 50 percent off admission fees at Amberley Museum, Bawdsey Radar Museum, Internal Fire Museum of Power, PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications, the Royal Signals Museum and the National Museum of Computing. You can make the most of this offer by incorporating a visit to one, or all, of the museums this summer. Whether you are organising a club visit, looking to entertain the children over the summer holidays, or planning for a day out by yourself, there is lots to keep you busy. Visit rsgb.org/partner-museums  for details on how to receive your personalised discount voucher. Members of the RSGB Outreach Team will be attending the WINGS Jamboree in Windsor between the 26th and 30th of July. The team will be showcasing amateur radio to Scouts and Girlguiding members aged 6 to 14, who will have the opportunity to test their Morse skills through the ever-popular Morse Battleships game. The team will be activating special event callsign GB1WINGS over the period, and the youngsters will have the opportunity to make supervised on-air contacts across the UK and internationally. The team welcomes your support and encourages you to make QSOs on the HF bands and via the QO-100 satellite. Please check the DX Cluster for frequency details. QSL will be via QRZ, eQSL and Logbook of the World after the event. Revalidating your licence is required every five years, however Ofcom recommends doing it annually. The process requires licence holders to confirm or update their details on the Ofcom licence database. Whether you have recently moved, have a new email address, or all your details remain the same, use this as a reminder to log in and tick the job off your list. You can find guidance on the process by selecting ‘Licence Revalidation' at rsgb.org/licensing  As well as FAQs, you'll also find a link to a step-by-step video by Ofcom, which shows you the process of revalidating your licence using the online licensing portal. The first of this year's International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekends will run from 0001UTC on Saturday the 15th of August to 2400UTC on Sunday the 16th of August. The event usually attracts more than 500 lighthouse entries located in over 40 countries. Registration for the event is open at illw.net Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 19th, Lincoln Short Wave Club Summer Radio Rally is taking place at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. The doors open at 10am and admission costs £3. This in an indoor event and ample free car parking is available. For more information email m5zzz@outlook.com On Saturday the 25th, the Wiltshire Radio Rally Electronics Fair and Car Boot Sale takes place at Kington Langley Village Hall and Playing Fields, Church Road, Kington Langley, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 5NJ. The doors open at 7.30am for traders and at 9am for visitors. Hot and cold refreshments and ample parking are available on site. For more information visit chippenhamradio.club/rally Now the Special Event news Radio amateurs using Bawdsey Radar Museum's callsign GB2GRS will be on the air today, Sunday the 19th. Visit the museum to hear where in the world they are contacting. More information is available at bawdseyradar.org.uk Special callsign HF170TESLA is active to mark the 170th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla. Look for activity on various bands and modes until the 31st of July. For details of awards that are available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/teslaSES To celebrate the centenary of Romania's first amateur radio club, special callsign YR100RC is active until the 30th of September. Find out about awards that are available at tinyurl.com/yr100rc2026 Now the DX news Didier, F6BCW has been active as FO/F6BCW from Tikehau Atoll, OC-066, in French Polynesia until tomorrow, the 20th. He operates CW and SSB on the 80 to 6m bands. QSL via FO/F6BCW, Logbook of the World and OQRS. Aldir, PY1SAD is active as 8R1TM from Guyana until Sunday the 26th of July. He operates CW, SSB and digital modes on the 160 to 6m bands and via satellite. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ.com  or directly to Aldir's home call. The IP1X team will be active from Gallinara Island, EU-083, on Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of July. They will be operating using CW and SSB on the 80 to 10m bands. QSL via the Bureau, OQRS or directly to IU1JCZ. For more details and updates see QRZ.com Now the contest news Today, the 19th, the RSGB International Low Power Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using CW on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and transmitter power. On Tuesday the 21st, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 23rd, the RSGB 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. The RSGB IOTA Contest starts at 1200UTC on Saturday the 25th and ends at 1200UTC on 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. On Sunday 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. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 16th of July 2026. Last week was characterised by a falling solar flux index. Over the past week it has gone from 116 to 100, but the good news is that we have only had one M-class solar flare in that time and a multitude of lesser C-class flares that haven't amounted to much. As a result, the Kp index remained low, certainly below 4, other than one excursion to 4.67 on Sunday the 12th of July. This means propagation has been stable rather than outstanding. But as the winners of the World Radiosport Team Championship showed last week, it was still possible to make 5,800 QSOs in 24 hours. An analysis shows that the best scoring band was 20m, closely followed by 15m and 40m. The predominant mode was CW. Maximum usable frequencies, or MUFs, over a 3,000km path have been peaking at around 19 to 23MHz at midday, according to the Dourbes DigiSonde. Major DXpeditions to be worked this week include RT25AA, the Arctic Legends IOTA DXpedition; TY5FR from Benin; VP5G in Turks and Caicos; and HP1/LA5IIA operating from Panama. The 20m band remains good for contacts across the Northern Hemisphere during daylight, while the 15m band offers better opportunities for north-south paths. Next week NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may increase, perhaps to 135. Geomagnetic conditions are forecast to be good for the first half of the week, but a Kp index of 4 is forecast for Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd of July so expect declining MUFs and poorer HF conditions around that time. There are currently no coronal holes to worry about. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The coming period of weather feels very much like what we've been getting in the last week or so. High pressure dominates the chart and, since it's placed just west of Great Britain, this implies a north-westerly flow over the country, with a chance of tropo for many areas. Last week saw northerly paths worked from the UK up to the Faroe Islands, Norway and Sweden on both 144 and 432MHz. The high-pressure part of the story suggests not much, if any, rain to speak of and therefore rain scatter is unlikely. The auroral prospects are not especially great in radio terms. There are about three meteor showers currently giving a broad period of activity for meteor scatter operators and providing long-lived ionisation as fuel for sporadic-E. In view of the links between Sporadic-E and jet streams, the upper air jet stream patterns suggest favouring paths to the southeast into the Balkans round to the northeast and Scandinavia for Sporadic E. Don't ignore the options for multi-hop paths into the Far East in the morning on the 6m band and later in the day to the United States, which have been very good lately. For EME operators, Moon declination is falling again and passed perigee on Monday the 13th of July so Moon window lengths will shorten and path losses increase. 144MHz sky noise is low, increasing to moderate on Thursday the 23rd of July. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com{Marathon Alert} GD – Isle of Man - K3LR, Tim, and DL1QQ, Sandy, will operate CW and SSB on 80 through 10 meters from the Isle of Man during this weekend's IARU HF World Championship, including WRTC2026, thanks to host Bob, MD0CCE. QSL via their home calls, K3LR and DL1QQ.  {Marathon Alert} 3V – Tunisia - During this coming weekend's IARU HF World Radio Championship Tunisia's Association Des Radio Amateurs Tunisiens (ARAT) will be operating HQ station 3V8SS.  VP5 - Turks and Caicos Islands - G0VJG will be active from North Caicos (NA-002), July 17–30, operating VP5G from a beach location for 14 days. Nobby will use an inverted V and HF9V, a 6-element 6M Yagi, and a Juma PA 1000 amplifier. During the IOTA Contest he will operate single op. Activity will include SSB, CW, and FT4/FT8. QSL via M0OXO.  {Marathon Alert} SV – Greece - VK2IR, Tommy, continues on Paros Island, Greece, EU-067 until August 1. He says he is in “vacation mode,” all bands 80-6, with his Greek callsign, SV0XBF/8.  {Marathon Alert} 8R – Guyana - 8R1TM, operated by PY1SAD, Aldir, is QRV from Guyana until July 26. The operation is planned across 160 meters through 6 meters, including CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellite activity. On weekdays his expected activity from 23:00 UTC to 03:00 UTC on 6–160 meters using CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellites. And during weekends he will have Full-time activity planned on 6–160 meters using CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellite operation. TY5FR, Benin -  DL1BUG, Red Frenzel, has announced his upcoming activity as TY5FR, operating from Cotonou (grid locator JJ16FJ) July 7-August 4. He will be using an ICOM IC-7300 with a CG Antenna CG-3000 autotuner, running 100W into a G5RV (2 x 15M) antenna. His planned activity will be on 160-10M CW and SSB. QSL via Club Log (bureau or direct via OQRS), as well as bureau or direct via his home call, and LoTW.   CO – Cuba - OPDX reports the Grupo DX de Cuba (GDXC) will operate the special event station T40FRC to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Federación de Radioaficionados de Cuba (FRC), which was founded in Havana on July 15, 1966. The station is expected to be active on all HF bands using CW, SSB,  FT4, and FT8. However, activity may be limited because of frequent and widespread power outages in Cuba. Contacts will be confirmed through LoTW after the operation concludes. Operators who contact T40FRC on at least five bands will be eligible to receive a commemorative certificate. Exact dates of operation were not provided.  {Marathon Alert} T2 – Tuvalu - JK1JXZ, Masaaki “Aki” Iwasawa, will have callsign T2JK from Funafuti July 30 to August 7, 80-6M. On weekdays he expects to be on the air after 5 PM local time, and on the weekend, he will be on all day long. It is possible his stay will be extended to August 14. The flight arrival July 30 is at noon, so he may be able to get on the air as soon as 3 PM local time there, he says.  

GB2RS News Sunday the 12th of July 2026 The news headlines: Upcoming IARU Region 1 Conference WRTC 2026 is supported by the RSGB Have you enabled RSGB app notifications on your mobile device? The IARU Region 1 Conference is held every three years. The next one will be in September 2026 and will be hosted by the Austrian member society ÖVSV, which is also celebrating its centenary. Reports and proposals on a wide range of amateur radio topics are available from the conference website at conf.iaru-r1.org/documents  The scope includes the more regular topics such as band plans, spectrum matters, EMC and youth. This particular event will also consider updates for amateur radio development, operating and organisational matters. The RSGB has contributed several inputs. More about the event will be shared via the Society's comms channels and a future edition of RadCom. This year's World Radiosport Team Championship is taking place in East Anglia in the UK between the 8th and 13th of July. The RSGB is an official partner to the event and representatives from the Society have been on site throughout the week. The team has been supporting various activities including media liaison to raise awareness for WRTC 2026, the RSGB and amateur radio as a whole. You can see coverage of the event in a range of radio and online outlets including BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC News Online, Shropshire Live and the East Anglia Gazette. Links to the coverage are available on the RSGB website. Volunteers at the RSGB National Radio Centre have been busy welcoming competitors, referees, and supporters of WRTC to the Centre, with some enjoying time operating the GB3RS station. Keep up to date with more WRTC news, including the winners of the Championship, by visiting  wrtc2026.org Remember to enable RSGB app notifications on your mobile device to be the first to hear when the Society releases the latest edition of RadCom and its sister publications. You'll also be notified when new editions are added to the collection of back issues. For iOS devices, go to Settings then tap Apps. Locate the RSGB app in the list, and toggle to allow notifications. For Android devices, go to Settings, navigate to Notifications and then tap on App notifications. Locate the RSGB app in the list and toggle to allow notifications. If you haven't yet downloaded the RSGB app, get the links by going to rsgb.org/radcom RSGB General Manager Steve Thomas, M1ACB visited the RSGB National Radio Centre earlier this month. Steve was on site to deliver two awards to volunteers including the Norman Keith Adams prize and another for outstanding services to the Centre. The RSGB National Radio Centre Coordinator Martyn Baker, G0GMB is currently looking for friendly and enthusiastic radio amateurs to join this successful team. If you are able to volunteer a minimum of one, or preferably two, days per month, find out more about the role by visiting rsgb.org/volunteers  Don't forget to listen out for all of the stations that will be on the air today, the 12th, during the 145 Alive event. From 1100 to 1400UTC, many hundreds of operators will be on the air using 145MHz FM and 144MHz SSB. For more information, go to the 145 Alive Facebook page or email 145aliveuk@gmail.com Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.    And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 12th, McMichael Radio and Electronics Rally is taking place at White Waltham Airfield, Maidenhead, SL6 3LW. The doors are open from 8am for traders and to the public from 9am. The entry fee for visitors is £4 per person. More details are available at mcmichaelrally.org.uk On Sunday the 19th, Lincoln Short Wave Club Summer Radio Rally will take place at The Festival Hall, Caistor Road, Market Rasen, LN8 3HT. The doors open at 10am and admission costs £3. This in an indoor event and ample free car parking will be available. For more information email m5zzz@outlook.com Amateur radio will feature at the Electromagnetic Field EMF 2026 event taking place from the 16th to the 19th of July at Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Eastnor, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1EN. AMSAT-UK, the British Amateur Television Club and the UK Microwave Group are teaming up to showcase satellite communications, amateur television and microwave radio experimentation. Throughout the weekend, they plan to demonstrate how radio amateurs communicate via satellites in both low-earth orbit and geostationary orbit, including contacts and digital amateur television via the QO-100 satellite. They also hope to demonstrate microwave operating techniques and experimental radio systems used on the higher amateur bands. Visitors can see live satellite ground-station setups, microwave equipment, an amateur television demonstration and learn how hobbyists build and operate space-related radio technology. Special event callsign GB26EMF will also be active on site. If you are attending the event, drop by to explore satellites, video over radio and the microwave spectrum. More details are available at amsat-uk.org Now the Special Event news To mark the centenary of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters, special callsign ZL100C is on the air until Thursday the 6th of August. QSL via the Bureau and Logbook of the World. Special callsign DL0SOP is active until the 31st of July for the 68th edition of the Sea of Peace Award. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, Logbook of the World and eQSL. More information, including the rules and how to apply for an award, is available at dl0sop.darc.de Now the DX news Emil, DL8JJ is active as OX/DL8JJ/P from Greenland until Tuesday the 14th of July. He is operating CW from the main island, NA-018, as well as from Tasiilaq, NA-151. Aldir, PY1SAD is active as 8R1TM from Guyana until Sunday the 26th of July. He operates using CW, digital modes and SSB on the 160 to 6m bands as well as via satellite. QSL via Logbook of the World, eQSL, QRZ.com  or directly to Aldir's home call. Now the contest news Today, the 12th, the UK Microwave Group 24, 47 and 76GHz Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The GR2HQ Challenge and IARU HF Championship started at 1200UTC yesterday, the 11th, and ends at 1200UTC today, Sunday the 12th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and ITU Zone. The UK is in Zone 27. On Tuesday the 14th of July, the RSGB 432MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 14th of July, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 15th of July, the RSGB 80m Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Thursday the 16th of July, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Saturday the 18th of July, the RSGB 70MHz Trophy Contest runs from 1400 to 2000UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and your two-letter postcode. On Sunday the 19th, the RSGB International Low Power Contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. Using CW on the 80, 40 and 20m bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and transmitter power. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 9th of July 2026. We have had another week of mixed HF propagation. We started with a Kp index of 6.33 on Saturday the 4th of July which was caused by a coronal mass ejection, or CME. This caused a strong G3 geomagnetic storm and auroral conditions. A check on the bands on the 4th of July showed poor HF propagation with lower maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, and weak and watery signals from the NCDXF beacons on 14.100MHz. But conditions have since improved and we had a Kp index of less than 3 over the past few days which means the ionosphere has returned to normal. Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined from a high of 203 on Thursday the 2nd of July to a low of 116 on Wednesday the 8th of July. That's quite a change and means that HF propagation has declined somewhat. An Earth-facing coronal hole has now passed with few effects and currently there is nothing of significance rotating into view. Solar flare activity has also declined with only two M-class flares over the past three days. So, the big question is: what happens next? Active region 4482 on the Sun continues to be a major threat. A solar flare and accompanying CME could soon ruin our chances of good HF conditions. The declining solar flux index hasn't helped either. Again, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be in the 120 to 145 range over the coming week with a Kp index of 2 to 3. So, good news overall. DX to be worked this week includes D73G on Ch'ongsan Island; T22TT from Tuvalu; TY5FR in Benin; RT9K, the Arctic Legends IOTA DXpedition; JK1HFB/JD1 in Ogasawara, OX3LX from Greenland; and VP5G operating from Turks and Caicos. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather is becoming a talking point in terms of the heatwave developing over much of the country, but especially in the south. This has propagation implications too. It's all being driven by a large area of high pressure, which for much of the coming week resides to the north and west of the British Isles. This will give a north-easterly breeze over the south-eastern half of the UK which means it will be blowing in from the North Sea, possibly with areas of low cloud at times. The propagation implication is that this represents almost ideal tropo potential. This is especially the case when the low cloud moves inland and we find a marked contrast between the hot dry air above the inversion and the cool, moist and shallow cloud layer below. However, in high summer the daytime heating over the land degrades the lift during the morning as the temperature inversion gets broken down by the strong sunshine. Northern areas will see the occasional weakening front clip the northwestern fringes of the UK to offer up the only rain scatter prospects available at first. However, some models are starting to suggest a breakdown by the end of the week, so more rain scatter and an end to the tropo. The prospects for aurora depend upon the Kp index, which at the moment is mostly cycling between 1 and 3. This is not anything to generate radio interest, for which a Kp index of 7 is nearer the mark. Meteor showers are still in the random state with the next shower, the Delta Aquarids, coming late in the month. The Sporadic-E season is doing well this year, particularly for digital modes. There have also been events for CW and SSB up to 2m at times. However, not all parts of the country experience an opening, so watch the clusters for early notice of workable paths. EME now, and declination reaches maximum today, the 12th, so Moon window lengths will peak along with maximum Moon elevation. Path losses are still falling, until perigee tomorrow, the 13th. 144MHz sky noise is moderate until Tuesday the 14th when the Sun and Moon are close in the sky, then low for the rest of the week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

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Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.Registration is now open for W9DXCC 2026, with admission prices staying the same. The 73rd convention will take place September 11–12 at the Marriott in Naperville, Illinois, featuring Friday DX and contesting sessions, Saturday speakers, exhibits, QSL card checking, and an evening reception and banquet. More details and the developing program are available on the convention website.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comHere are some operations in the near future.9N- Nepal - DL4XT is planning an October DXpedition to Nepal, operating under the callsign 9N7XT. The operation will cover multiple HF bands with a mix ofvoice, digital, and CW activity. He will be active on SSB, CW and FT8 on 160, 80, 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10M. For antennas he'll be using 10–20m 1/4-wave vertical with radials; 40m delta loop; 80/160m EFHW. QSOs will beuploaded at least once daily on Club Log. QSL via QRZ.com, LoTW, anddirect via OQRS on Club Log.{Marathon Alert} BY – China - During the 2026 IARU HF World Championship, which is July 11 and 12, members of the Chinese Radio Amateurs Club will be operating HQ stations B8HQ and B9HQ from ITU Zone 43 and giving out the CRAC multiplier.{Marathon Alert} HS – Thailand - Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) will compete in the IARU HF World Championship on July 11–12, using the E2HQ callsign from Muak Lek District in Saraburi Province, about 150 km north of Bangkok. A team of operators will participate, and RAST will also hold a meeting at the contest location during the weekend.VP5 - Turks and Caicos Islands - G0VJG will be active from North Caicos (NA-002), July 17–30, operating VP5G from a beach location for 14 days. Nobby will use an inverted V and HF9V, a 6-element 6M Yagi, and a Juma PA 1000 amplifier. During the IOTA Contest he will operate single op. Activity will include SSB, CW, and FT4/FT8. QSL via M0OXO.Here are operations that are currently ongoing.{Marathon Alert} JT – Mongolia - The QO-100 Club says that R9LR, Vlad, QO-100 DX Club #362, is QRV from Mongolia, callsign JT0LR, on CW, SSB and the FT modes. He is attempting to activate different grids every day.{Marathon Alert} JD1/O – Ogasawara – Kou, JP1IHD, will again be on from Chichijima, as JD1BQP, until July 11. He will upload the log to LoTW and Club Log, or you may QSL direct to his home QTH in Japan.{Marathon Alert} SV – Greece - VK2IR, Tommy, continues on Paros Island, Greece, EU-067 until August 1. He says he is in “vacation mode,” all bands 80-6, with his Greek callsign, SV0XBF/8.{Marathon Alert} 8R – Guyana - 8R1TM, operated by PY1SAD, Aldir, is QRV from Guyana until July 26. The operation is planned across 160 meters through 6 meters, including CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellite activity. On weekdays his expected activity from 23:00 UTC to 03:00 UTC on 6–160 meters using CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellites. And during weekends he will have Full-time activity planned on 6–160 meters using CW, SSB, digital modes, and satellite operation.This week, the DX Mentor Podcast features a discussion with John, K9EL. John will give up all the details of how he became a member of the 3000-point club in the ARRL Challenge. We learned quite a bit listening to John. Check it out and let me know what you think.If you have questions or need information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comUntil next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week!

GB2RS News Sunday the 5th of July 2026 The news headlines: Don't miss the WRTC award opportunities New EMC workshop added to the RSGB Convention programme The RSGB has announced a new Legacy Committee Chair The World Radiosport Team Championship is nearly here! Fifty teams from around the world will come to the UK to compete in the prestigious event, and you have an opportunity to work these special stations and apply for your award. The WRTC contest will be live on a dedicated online platform provided by World Radio League. This is a live scoreboard where you can track your favourite team in real time. Also, when you contact one of the special WRTC stations, you can see it on the WRL platform. If you're an SSB operator, there are 250 possible QSOs across 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10m. Similarly, there are 250 possible QSOs if you are a CW operator. Certificates will be downloadable after the contest, and these will display your total number of QSOs made with the special callsigns. There are different award tiers depending on how many you contact. For full details go to wrtc2026.org  and under the competition tab on the righthand side of the page you will see the Awards section. If you want practical advice on identifying the source, and mitigating the effects of, Radio Frequency Interference, the Society's ‘Finding RFI workshop' is for you. Part tutorial, part hands-on workshop, the session is an opportunity for RSGB members to learn from RFI experts within the RSGB EMC Committee. Running on Friday the 9th of October at Kents Hill Park Conference Centre in Milton Keynes, the morning will cover sources and effects of RFI with examples of radiated and conducted emissions. In the afternoon, you'll be exploring radiated emissions by constructing a small loop antenna. Attendees will also see how to use SDR to identify signals and measure their strength. SDR hardware will kindly be provided by SDRplay. You will also be able to seek advice on any RFI problems you may have. You are welcome to join this workshop even if you are not attending the rest of the RSGB 2026 Convention. To find out more and secure your spot visit rsgb.org/convention-workshops The RSGB Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Nuttall, M5BAN as the new Chair of the RSGB Legacy Committee. Brian already has experience of the Legacy Committee having been a member for the last three years. He has been licensed since 2007 and brings extensive amateur radio experience to the role. The RSGB Honorary Treasurer Chris Wood, GD6TWF is the Board Liaison for the Legacy Committee. Chris says that he is looking forward to working with Brian to develop the role of the Legacy Committee and how it operates. You can find out more about the work of the Committee by going to rsgb.org/legacy The RSGB Youth Committee Chair, Chris Aitken, MM0WIC has announced that two new Youth Champions have joined the Committee. Angus Dare, M7NZM is the new Youth Champion for Cadets, whilst Katelyn How, M9KFH is the Youth Champion for Guides. Each has a good level of experience in leading in their respective fields and the Youth Committee is looking forward to seeing youth engagement progress in both areas. Sam McCutchion, M0UEL will continue as the Youth Champion for Scouts. You can contact each of the Champions via the email addresses shown at rsgb.org/youth RSGB representatives attended the Ham Radio exhibition in Friedrichshafen last week. They used the opportunity to talk to the wider amateur radio community, liaise with international colleagues and raise awareness and support for the Society and amateur radio in the UK. The team was delighted by the positive response to the RSGB app and international membership and were happy to welcome new members from around the world. GB2RS Newsreader Esther, GI0AZA also attended the event and read the Society's weekly broadcast from Germany. Look out for a fuller report on Friedrichshafen in the August issue of RadCom. The RSGB Board would like to thank Andy Talbot, G4JNT for serving as the Chair of the RSGB Technical Forum for 14 years. Andy has recently stepped down from that role and the post will be advertised through RSGB communications channels shortly. The RSGB is pleased that Andy will continue to contribute to the work of the Society through his role as a RadCom technical author. The next in the popular 145 Alive series of events takes place on Sunday the 12th of July from 1100 to 1400UTC. Many hundreds of operators are expected to be on the air using 145MHz FM and 144MHz SSB. For more information, go to the 145 Alive Facebook page or email 145aliveuk@gmail.com Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Barford Norfolk Radio Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 5th, at Barford Village Hall and Green, Barford, Norwich, NR9 4AB. The doors open at 9am for visitors. The event features trade stands, car boot sales, bring and buy, a charity raffle, repeater groups, catering and free car parking. Entry costs £3 per person but under 16s will be admitted free of charge. For more details visit tinyurl.com/Barford2026  or email David, G7URP at radio@dcpmicro.com Today, Sunday the 5th, The Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day 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 today, Sunday the 5th, Newbury Radio Rally is taking place at Newbury Showground, RG18 9QZ. The entrance fee for visitors is £4 per person but there is no charge for under 16s. Free parking is available on site. For more information visit nadars.org.uk/rally.asp On Saturday the 11th of July, the Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club Radio Rally will take place at Welwick Village Hall, Northfield Lane, HU12 0SH. The doors open at 10am and entrance costs £3.50 per visitor. Under-14s will be admitted free of charge. For more information or to book a table, email rally@hfdxarc.com Now the Special Event news Amateur radio operators across the USA, Canada and Mexico are activating a series of special callsigns to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Stations are active until the 19th of July from each of the cities hosting the tournament. Look out for activity on all bands and modes. For more information visit wc2026ses.org Members of Swissair Radio Amateur Club, HB9VC are active as HB200LF until the 31st of July. The special callsign is in operation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Favre. In 1872 the Swiss engineer built the first Gotthard railway tunnel – the longest railway tunnel in the world at that time. See QRZ.com for details of a certificate that is available for working the station. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World and Club Log. Now the DX news Franco, IZ5IUY is active as IL7/IZ5IUY from San Domino Island, EU-050, until the 9th of July. He is operating using SSB on the 40 to 6m bands, as well as on the 2m and 70cm bands. QSL via Franco's home call is preferred. Pierre, VK3KTB is active as VY0ERC from the Eureka Amateur Radio Club station on Ellesmere Island, NA-008, until Wednesday the 22nd of July. He operates CW, FT8 and SSB on various bands. QSL via Logbook of the World and OQRS. Now the contest news RSGB VHF National Field Day and the RSGB VHF Fixed Station Contest started at 1400UTC yesterday, the 4th, and run until 1400UTC today, Sunday the 5th of July. Using all modes on the 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, today, Sunday the 5th of July, the RSGB 3rd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Tomorrow, the 6th, the RSGB 80m CW Club Championship Contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using CW on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz FM Activity Contest runs from 1800 to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also, on Tuesday the 7th, the RSGB 144MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 8th of July, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 8th of July, the RSGB 432MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 70cm band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. On Thursday the 9th, the RSGB 50MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130UTC. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The GR2HQ Challenge and IARU HF Championship start at 1200UTC on Saturday the 11th and ends at 1200UTC on Sunday the 12th of July. Using CW and SSB on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and ITU Zone. The UK is in Zone 27. On Sunday the 12th, the UK Microwave Group 24, 47 and 76GHz Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on the 24 to 76GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 2nd of July 2026 Last week we warned you about some large sunspots about to turn into view. It turns out that regions 4478 and 4479 were even bigger than we thought! The result was that the solar flux index climbed into the low 200s, but we also had solar flares and coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, to contend with. As well as one X-class flare, the strongest, we also had 13 M-class flares. The X-class event inevitably led to a CME which could potentially affect the ionosphere today, the 5th. Expect the Kp index to rise with a corresponding fall in the maximum useable frequency, should the Bz swing south. Note that the solar wind speed has been at more than 400 kilometres per second for a few days, but so far its north-facing Bz field has saved us from more HF disruption. Daytime maximum useable frequencies have been peaking to around 21 to 22MHz, but blanketing Sporadic-E is often preventing signals from reaching the higher F2 layer. DX to be worked this week includes TJ1GD/P on Mondoleh Island; FO/F6BCW from French Polynesia; JD1BQP in Ogasawara; OX/DL8JJ in Greenland; TY5FR from Benin; FP/KV1J from St Pierre and Miquelon; FS/F4EQE in Saint Martin; and RT9K, the Arctic Legends IOTA DXpedition. This weekend also features the Marconi Memorial HF Contest; the Original QRP Contest; the PODXS 070 Club 40m Firecracker Sprint; and the FOC Old School Classic 1960s QSO Party. So, there's plenty to get your teeth into. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may decline to be in the 140 to 175 range. The Kp index is forecast to be unsettled on Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th of July, perhaps hitting 4. Otherwise, it should be around 2. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The bulk of the coming week will see high pressure centred to the southwest of the British Isles with a broad north-westerly wind across the UK. This will mean that tropo will remain a feature, especially for southwestern areas up the Irish Sea and down across Biscay to Spain, the Azores and Canaries. The presence of a weak frontal zone running southeast across the UK will provide some occasional patchy rain which is not particularly good for rain scatter. We're not expecting too strong a showing for aurora either. However, look out for a Kp index greater than 5, if that's your interest. There are no significant meteor showers at the moment so random activity favouring the early dawn period will probably be the best chance for QSOs. Sporadic-E has been outstanding recently, especially on digital modes, with long openings up to 144MHz. We are still very much in the main part of the season. The distribution of the jet streams during the coming week still appears to favour Scandinavia and the Baltic paths for Sporadic-E, but with possible extensions into the Balkans as the jet stream digs south. The coming period will continue to provide Sporadic-E and tropo on the same day but, due to different causes, should be separable by the direction of the opening. Tropo events will usually be longer in duration, whereas Sporadic-E is more fleeting. Remember, on a busy day, not all VHF DX will be the result of Sporadic-E and you could be dealing with a hybrid Sporadic-E and tropo day. EME now, and declination is rising, going positive tomorrow, the 6th, so Moon window lengths increase. Path losses are falling, but perigee, the Moon's closest point to Earth, is still over a week away on Monday the 13th of July. 144MHz sky noise is low all week. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com{Marathon Alert} VP0/H – South Shetland Islands - HF0PAS, Rafal, reports from the Polish “Arctowski” Antarctic Station on King George Island that poor weather and strong winds are delaying completion of the remaining antenna installations. Winds peaked at 38 meters per second Sunday. Last week, he assembled his third mast, mounted the 6-meter antenna, and completed several EME tests. Watch the spotting network for this one.{Marathon Alert} ZL7 – Chatham Islands - As of last week ZL7DX, Chris, is once again active from Waitangi in the Chatham Islands, returning to the air after being off since late February. He is operating FT8 on multiple bands with a DX Commander antenna, following damage to his Hexbeam during recent high winds. QSL via M0OXO.5H – Tanzania - A reminder, the NK8O (Charles) work trip to Chihoni, Tanzania, is QRV until July 2. Working around his job assignments, he will be on the air as 5H3DX. He will be using 100 watts to a dipole, vertical, and long wire antenna, CW, FT8 and FT4, 40-6M. He will upload the log to LoTW and Club Log. For a paper QSL, it's 5 USD through PayPal: https://www.qrz.com/db/5H3DX{Marathon Alert} C2 – Nauru - Phil, C21TS, confirms he will depart Nauru on July 22. Meantime, he will be working “a lot of new ones.” He has been doing some Club Log livestream and Club Log log search. He says 99.9% of the time Club Log has real time updates. PJ2 – Curacao -PJ2/PH2M, operator Frank, will be on the air until June 29, mainly FT8 and “some FT4 and SSB,” various bands. QSL using Club Log OQRS, or LoTW, or direct to his home QTH.{Marathon Alert} A6 – United Arab Emirates - A60PC is a special event callsign that is QRV until June 30th, in support of the UAE's Pledge and Commitment. This national initiative invites people to affirm their loyalty to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and their sense of belonging to the UAE, while promoting peace, coexistence, social unity, national responsibility, and the preservation of these values for future generations.VP2V – British Virgin Islands - Jonathan, W5GI, will operate from his second QTH in the British Virgin Islands until June 30th. He'll be active as VP2V/W5GI operating on 10–40 meters via SSB and FT8. You may also email him to arrange a Schedule.{Marathon Alert} EX – Kyrgyzstan - EX/KZ1R, Mike Chirkov, will operate vacation-style from Sergey's summer house in Tamga, Kyrgyzstan, from June 27 to July 4. He plans to be active mainly on 6 meters, with some HF operation on 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters using FT8. Antennas will include a 6-element Yagi for 50 MHz and a random wire or delta loop for HF. A possible second trip may take place in August, but dates are not yet confirmed. QSL confirmations will be available only via LoTW and Club Log, free of charge; no paper QSL cards will be issued. Logs are expected to be uploaded daily.{Marathon Alert} CE0Y – Easter Island - CE3YMR, Manu reports the 3G0YM DXpedition from Rapa Nui is continuing as planned despite heavy rain, strong winds, and minor antenna damage that was quickly repaired. They describe the island as an extraordinary destination, highlighting its landscapes, cultural heritage, moai statues, and warm hospitality. While 6-meter propagation has been very limited so far, he continues monitoring the band and working hard to give as many operators as possible a chance to make contact. If you have questions or need information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com

GB2RS News Sunday the 28th of June 2026 The news headlines: Join Tonight@8 in July to learn about this summer's solar eclipse and how you can take part New speakers confirmed for the RSGB 2026 Convention Send your nominations for the RSGB G5RP Trophy Did you know that a solar eclipse will be visible in the UK this Summer? It will be a total eclipse for areas west of the UK and at its maximum there will be about 90% totality. This lends itself to unique opportunities for HF propagation experiments, and you can get involved! In a special Tonight@8 on Monday the 6th of July, RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Chair Steve Nichols, G0KYA will explain how the Committee has been drawing up plans for RSGB members to participate. These include experiments with monitoring medium wave stations in the UK, Morocco and Algeria. An 80m CW contest is also being arranged and other radio amateurs are being encouraged to run WSPR on 80m during the eclipse. During the webinar, Steve will outline what you can expect and why, as well as how you can take part. You can join the webinar and ask questions live via the RSGB's YouTube channel or special BATC channel. You can view the latest Tonight@8 programme by visiting rsgb.org/webinars Are you up to date on the latest developments in the Microwave community? Or perhaps you'd like to learn about Low Earth Orbiting satellites? Maybe you'd like to improve your knowledge on the pioneering women of British amateur radio? Or are you interested in understanding your SDR through IQ visualisation? These are all topics that the RSGB is excited to have on the programme for its upcoming Convention between the 9th and 11th of October 2026. You can see the full speaker list by going to rsgb.org/convention  and selecting ‘RSGB 2026 Convention – speakers' from the righthand menu. The Society has confirmed that it has frozen ticket prices, and you can buy this year's ticket at last year's price! This means you can make the most of the early-bird pricing and buy your weekend ticket for just £49. Buy your ticket now and enjoy a weekend of learning, inspiration and making connections. The RSGB G5RP Trophy is an annual award to encourage newcomers to HF DXing. The award is open to anyone who has recently discovered and made significant progress in HF DXing. If you are an established HF DXer and want to recommend someone to be awarded the G5RP Trophy for 2026, now is the time to send in your nomination. Your nominee should be an up-and-coming HF DXer who has made rapid progress in the last year and has some real achievements to show, for example, a good total of new countries worked or some substantial HF DXpedition activity. Please send your nominations to RSGB HF Manager Ian Greenshields, G4FSU via hf.manager@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for nominations is Friday the 11th of September 2026. Are you studying for your Foundation or Intermediate level exam? Did you know that the RSGB recently released three new mock exams for each level? The new papers take into account all the changes to the syllabus and exam question bank that have been made since the last sets of mock exam papers were published. Make sure you are using these latest versions for your revision by going to rsgb.org/mock-exams The famous Grimeton Radio Station will be on the air on Sunday the 5th of July. The unique Alexanderson alternator, with the callsign SAQ, is scheduled for two transmissions on 17.2kHz using CW. At 0830UTC, the alternator will be started up and at 0900UTC the first transmission will take place. A second transmission is scheduled for 1300UTC. You can read more about the event and the historic transmitter at alexander.n.se And finally, don't forget to listen out for all the amateur stations that will be on the air for International Museums on the Air today, the 28th of June. For more information about the event visit tinyurl.com/imota2026 Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 28th, the Cornish Radio Amateur Club Rally is taking place at Penair School in Truro. The doors open at 10.15am and admission costs £3. Traders, bring and buy and refreshments are available on site. For more information email janluke1954@hotmail.co.uk Barford Norfolk Radio Rally will take place on Sunday the 5th of July at Barford Village Hall and Green, Barford, Norwich, NR9 4AB. The doors open at 9am for visitors. The event features trade stands, car boot sales, bring and buy, a charity raffle, repeater groups, catering and free car parking. Entry costs £3 per person but under 16s will be admitted free of charge. For more details visit tinyurl.com/Barford2026  or email David, G7URP at radio@dcpmicro.com The Broadcast Engineering Museum has an open day on Sunday the 5th of July, 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 5th of July, Newbury Radio Rally will be taking place at Newbury Showground, RG18 9QZ. The entrance fee for visitors is £4 per person but there is no charge for under 16s. Free parking is available on site. For more information visit nadars.org.uk/rally.asp Now the Special Event news Special callsign DQ40CNP is in use until the 11th of July to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The station has been worked recently on the HF bands using FT8. QSL via DL1EAL. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World, eQSL, the DARC Community Logbook, QRZ.com  and Club Log. Amateur radio operators across the USA, Canada and Mexico are activating a series of special callsigns to celebrate the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Stations are active until the 19th of July from each of the cities hosting the tournament. Look out for activity on all bands and modes. For more information visit wc2026ses.org Now the DX news Chas, NK8O is active as 5H3DX from Tanzania until Thursday the 2nd of July. He operates using CW, FT4 and FT8 on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to NK8O. Darek, TJ1GD is active from Mondoleh Island in Cameroon, AF-095, until Wednesday the 15th of July. See QRZ.com for QSL instructions. Now the contest news Today, the 28th, the UK Microwave Group High Band Contest runs from 0800 to 1700UTC. Using all modes on 5.7 to 10GHz frequencies, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, the 28th, the RSGB 50MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using CW on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Wednesday the 1st of July, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity four-hour Contest runs from 1700 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Also on Wednesday the 1st of July, the RSGB 144MHz FT8 Activity two-hour Contest runs from 1900 to 2100UTC. Using FT8 on the 2m band, the exchange is report and four-character locator. Stations entering the four-hour contest may also enter the two-hour contest. RSGB VHF National Field Day and the RSGB VHF Fixed Station Contest start at 1400UTC on Saturday the 4th and run until 1400UTC on Sunday the 5th of July. Using all modes on the 6m, 4m, 2m, 70cm and 23cm bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Sunday the 5th of July, the RSGB 3rd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 1000 to 1400UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Tuesday the 23rd of June 2026. Things have been quiet on the solar front but that may be about to change. The solar flux index has been sitting around the low 120s for a few days and the geomagnetic Kp index has been below 2. Other than a couple of M-class solar flares, activity has been rather quiet. One of the flares was the source of a faint, easterly-directed coronal mass ejection, or CME, with no Earth-directed component. But there are a number of solar features that could change all that. Firstly, a coronal hole on the Sun's surface became geoeffective on Wednesday the 24th meaning a solar wind stream could impact the Earth. Expect the Kp index to rise, perhaps to 4 as a result, and maximum useable frequencies to drop. Hopefully today, the 28th, this will clear. Meanwhile, a large sunspot group is due to appear from around the Sun's eastern limb. The cluster as observed by the ESA solar orbiter spacecraft shows arch-like structures known as coronal loops seen towering over the east limb. Quite what this will do for HF propagation is hard to say so keep an eye on solarham.com for updates. DX to be worked next week includes FP/KV1J from St Pierre and Miquelon; JD1BQP from Ogasawara; 5H3DX in Tanzania; CN2NQV from Morocco; FO/F6BCW in French Polynesia; and PJ2/PH2M operating from Curacao HF conditions have been relatively poor with many stations complaining that there is not much activity. A quick check revealed little action on 21MHz and higher, other than Sporadic-E openings. So, it looks like 14 and 18MHz are the main DX bands at the moment. NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may increase to 145 by Wednesday the 1st of July. Once we get over the effects of the coronal hole's high-speed solar wind stream the Kp index is predicted to go back down to 2. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The typical high summer patterns of jet streams take a step back in mid-summer. However, any that do crop up can give plenty of value for Sporadic-E since the ionosphere is well primed by meteor debris from the June Bootids. Multi-hop Sporadic-E paths to the US and Far East are likely to be a surprise at times, often short-lasting for individual stations, but overall it is a good time of the season to be optimistic. It can be a challenge at this time of year since tropo is also a strong player due to the hot air from the land moving out across the cooler sea water around the UK. This provides ideal duct conditions that persist over the waters throughout the day but may struggle for stations well inland. It can also cause confusion as to whether you are working Sporadic-E or tropo on occasions. If it is tropo, it will be much longer lasting and particularly good overnight on the high bands. If the path works on the 70cm band it is probably tropo. Meteor scatter is best around the random period maximum, which is just around dawn. Rain scatter is a good option. Watch for lightning activity as a clue for intense precipitation. If you are fed up with all that, the long-shot option might be aurora, but that is relatively rare in high summer and not visible easily. EME now, and path losses are high as the Moon is near apogee, its furthest point from Earth. Declination is also at a minimum. Sky noise is currently high but will improve as the week goes on. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com {Marathon Alert} CE0Y – Easter Island will be active from June 20–27. Manu, CE3YMR, will be active from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) under the callsign 3G0YM. The focus will be on the 6-, 30-, and 40-meter bands, with possible activity on 10, 20, and 60 meters depending on propagation. Operations will use FT8 and SSB modes. Although this takes place during a family vacation, the goal is to maximize contacts for the worldwide DX community during this second activation from the island. 5H – Tanzania - A reminder, the NK8O (Charles) work trip to Chihoni, Tanzania, is planned to start today and continue to July 2. Working around his job assignments, he will be on the air as 5H3DX. He will be using 100 watts to a dipole, vertical, and long wire antenna, CW, FT8 and FT4, 40-6M. He will upload the log to LoTW and Club Log. {Marathon Alert} C2 – Nauru - Phil, C21TS,  confirms he will depart Nauru on July 22. Meantime, he will be working “a lot of new ones.” PJ2 – Curacao -PJ2/PH2M, operatorFrank, will be on the air until June 29, mainly FT8 and “some FT4 and SSB,”various bands. QSL using Club Log OQRS, or LoTW, or direct to his home QTH. {Marathon Alert} FS – St. Martin – K9EL, John,operating as FS/K9EL, is now active on the air using an IC-7300MK2 and anExpert 1.3 amplifier. Antennas covering 6 through 80 meters are installed, and6 meters has been performing particularly well so far. Because his local noiselevel is very low, many stations may not realize he can hear them. Anyoneneeding a QSO is encouraged to contacthim through his QRZ email address. ClubLog Livestream was notfunctioning, so he uploads logs to LoTWand Club Log at the end of eachday. His grid square is FK88, but the FTsoftware cannot transmit thefull grid when using a compound callsignsuch as FS/K9EL. If conditions are favorable on 6 meters, operators mayalso hear K9EL on the air at thesame time, as he has remote access to hishome station. On Wednesdaynight, he enjoyed a good 6-meter openingto VE6 and VE7, thoughunfortunately, he was unable to get areply from any VE7 station despitethe promising three-hop path. {Marathon Alert} A6 – United ArabEmirates - A60PCis a special event callsign that is QRV until June 30th, in supportof the UAE's Pledge and Commitment. This national initiativeinvites people to affirm their loyalty toPresident His Highness SheikhMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and theirsense of belonging to the UAE,while promoting peace, coexistence, socialunity, national responsibility, and the preservation of these values for futuregenerations. VP2V – British Virgin Islands - Jonathan, W5GI, willoperate from his second QTH in the British Virgin Islands until June 30th.He'll be active as VP2V/W5GI operating on 10–40 meters via SSB and FT8. You mayalso email him to arrange aSchedule. Thisweek, the DX Mentor Podcast will feature a discussion with Robin, WA7CPA, aboutthe DXpedition to E51MWA, the North Cook Islands/Manihiki. Check it out and let me know what you think.             If you have questions or needinformation, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com  Contest Updates  There are a few contests thatI have found to be especially useful for DXers who are trying to fill bandslots or work an All Time New One.  Until next week, this isBill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. IHope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

GB2RS News Sunday the 21st of June 2026 The news headlines: The RSGB QSL Bureau issues final notice on the use of the old address The RSGB Intruder Watch team is looking for volunteers Join the RSGB in commemorating the closure of BBC Radio 4's Long Wave service on 198kHz The RSGB QSL Bureau has issued a final notice to those still using the old QSL Bureau address. A new system was introduced in January 2026 and users of the Bureau were advised that all outgoing QSL cards now need to be sent to RSGB QSL Bureau, PO Box 73, 20 St. Loyes Street, Bedford, MK40 1ZL. Anything sent to the old address from Wednesday the 1st of July 2026 will either be returned by Royal Mail, where the address is known, or otherwise is likely to be lost or destroyed. Details of the new RSGB QSL Service can be found at rsgb.org/qsl  The RSGB would also like to remind amateurs with G7 callsigns that the new sub-manager is Anthony Holles, G4AAV. Anthony has many cards waiting to be sent but has received very few stamped addressed envelopes, so please make contact with him if you wish to receive your cards. Contact details for all sub-managers can be found by selecting ‘List of QSL sub-managers' from the right-hand menu on the QSL Bureau web pages. The RSGB Monitoring System, more popularly known as Intruder Watch, is a service that monitors the primary amateur service allocations. The team reports any unauthorised transmissions to the IARU Intruder Watch team and, where appropriate, Ofcom. The RSGB Intruder Watch Coordinator Ian Suart, GM4AUP is looking for volunteers to assist the team with this important service. You would monitor the amateur allocations as required and pass any concerns to Ian. If you'd like to find out more, contact Ian at iw@rsgb.org.uk The RSGB, together with the BBC Amateur Radio Group, will be marking the closure of BBC Radio 4's Long Wave service on 198kHz. The Long Wave transmitting stations at Droitwich in Worcestershire, Westerglen near Stirling in Scotland and Burghead overlooking the Moray Firth also in Scotland, will all be closed down on Saturday the 27th of June 2026. The special event station GB1500M will be active from today, Sunday the 21st, until Sunday the 28th of June. Three radio clubs will also be commemorating the closure by activating special callsigns. A commemorative QSL card is available. You can find out more by going to rsgb.org/longwave-transmitters  You can also find out how to become a GB1500M activator using the same link. Ham Radio 2026 takes place in Friedrichshafen this week from the 26th to the 28th of June. For the first time ever, the event will bring together amateur radio and astronomy in a single platform as the Astro trade fair will take place alongside the Ham Radio exhibition. The opening event will provide information on current developments in amateur radio and the many connections between radio technology and astronomy, which are central to this year's trade show focus. RSGB President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX is one of the guest speakers at the opening event. He will speak about the collaboration between DARC and the RSGB in providing an updated QSL Bureau Service for RSGB members – an innovative project that brings amateur radio together across borders. If you're going to Friedrichshafen this year, why not come along to the RSGB stand and say hello – the team would love to see you! International Women in Engineering Day is on Tuesday the 23rd of June and has the theme of Engineering Intelligence. The day is an opportunity to recognise the women engineers who solve complex challenges and help drive change. STEM subjects, which include engineering, can be an effective way for the RSGB to introduce amateur radio to new audiences and young people. The RSGB has supported this day over a number of years and has interviewed women to find out how amateur radio has helped them in their STEM careers. You can read these profiles by going to rsgb.org/inwed The RSGB Youth Committee has announced that a fourth person will be joining the RSGB team at this year's YOTA Summer Camp in Austria. Henry, M0KUQ is an active radio amateur and was recently involved in re-forming the Imperial College London Wireless Society, of which he is President. You can find out more about Henry, as well as the rest of the team, by going to rsgb.org/yota-camp  and selecting YOTA Austria 2026 from the right-hand menu. And finally, don't forget to listen out for all the amateur stations that will be on the air for International Museums on the Air today, the 21st of June. For more information about the event visit tinyurl.com/imota2026 Please note that the submission deadline for the GB2RS News on Sunday the 28th of June is earlier than usual. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk by 12pm on Tuesday the 23rd of June. And now for details of rallies and events Today, the 21st of June, the East Suffolk Wireless Revival, also known as the Ipswich Radio Rally, will be held at Kirton Recreation Ground, Back Road, Kirton IP10 0PW. The doors open at 9.30am and the entry fee for visitors is £3. More details are available at eswr.org.uk On Sunday the 28th of June, the Cornish Radio Amateur Club Rally will take place at Penair School in Truro. The doors open at 10.15am and admission costs £3. Traders, bring and buy and refreshments will be available on site. For bookings contact James on 01209 716 351 or email janluke1954@hotmail.co.uk Now the Special Event news Herts and Essex Amateur Radio Society will be active with the callsign GB0MHF during International Museums on the Air on Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th of June. Operators at Much Hadham Forge will be waiting to take your call on 40m SSB and 2m FM. See QRZ.com  for more information. Special callsign YR100RC is on the air until the 30th of September to celebrate 100 years of amateur radio activity in Romania. Look for activity on the HF bands using a variety of modes. For details of a certificate that is available for working the station, visit tinyurl.com/romania1786 Marking the 70th anniversary of the DARC's weekly news broadcast, special callsign DB70DLRS will be on the air until the 31st of December. Look for activity on all bands and modes. QSL via DK5ON, Logbook of the World and the DARC Community Logbook. More information is available at QRZ.com Now the DX news Olafur, TF1OL is active as D4OL from Boa Vista Island, AF-086, in Cape Verde until tomorrow, the 22nd.  Look for activity using FT8 and FT4 on the 80 to 6m bands. QSOs will be uploaded to Logbook of the World and QRZ.com Chas, NK8O is operating as 5H3DX from Tanzania until Thursday the 2nd of July. He is active using CW, FT8 and FT4 on the 40 to 6m bands. QSL via Logbook of the World or directly to NK8O. Now the contest news Today, the 21st of June, the Worked All Britain 50MHz Phone Contest runs from 0800 to 1400UTC. Using SSB on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. The All Asian DX Contest started at 0000UTC yesterday, the 20th, and ends at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 21st of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and your age. The RSGB 50MHz Trophy Contest started at 1400UTC yesterday, the 20th, and ends at 1400UTC today, Sunday the 21st of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Tuesday the 23rd of June, 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 Thursday the 25th of June, the RSGB 80m SSB Club Championship runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using SSB on the 80m band, the exchange is signal report and serial number. On Sunday the 28th, 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. Also, on, Sunday the 28th of June, the RSGB 50MHz CW Contest runs from 0900 to 1200UTC. Using CW on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 18th of June 2026. We had a quiet week geomagnetically, but the solar flux has also declined. Over the past week, the Kp index never rose above 2 or 3, with only one three-hour excursion to 5 on Thursday the 11th of June. This bodes well for HF propagation, but the solar flux index has declined from its recent high of 148 on Thursday the 4th of June to be in the 110 to 120 range over the past week. As a result, the Sun is looking a little sparse when it comes to sunspots. This, coupled with the summer doldrums, has seen maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, drop and DX has been limited to 21MHz and below. The 10m band has been mainly open to Sporadic-E, with some multi-hop openings giving the appearance of F2-region propagation at times. DX to be worked over the coming week includes: D44EC from Cape Verde; PJ2/PH2M from Curacao; 3G0YM on Easter Island; FS/K9EL operating from St Martin; 5R8EC from Madagascar; and OX3LX working from Greenland. Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index may increase slightly to be in the 130 to 140 range, although this will need some new additional sunspots. Geomagnetic conditions are forecast to be quiet with a maximum Kp index of 2. We may see a slight upturn on Tuesday the 23rd of June, when the Kp index is predicted to rise to 4, mainly due to an enhanced solar wind. To recap, Summer is a time when paradoxically daytime maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, tend to be lower than in autumn and winter. However, nighttime MUFs can be higher, with the potential for the 30 and 20m bands to be open all night. ARRL Field Day will run from 1800UTC on Saturday the 27th of June to 2100UTC on Sunday the 28th of June. This may be an opportunity to work some US portable stations who will be very pleased to contact you. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO The weather models are a bit undecided about how the coming week will evolve. One option is for predominantly high pressure and a chance of some summer tropo, which may persist over the sea, but is limited inland by daytime heating.  Tropo operators should focus on nighttime conditions, unless located right on the coasts. The other weather model suggests that low pressure will probably win out over northern areas and occasionally in the south, so rain scatter may be likely and it would need some heavy thundery showers to get the best results.  High summer is not the best for aurora. The Kp index ideally needs to be at least above 5 before we can get excited. Meteor scatter operators have been making use of the decaying Arietids from earlier in June. The second shower of interest this month is the June Bootids. The window of activity will be from tomorrow, the 22nd, to Thursday the 2nd of July with the peak on Saturday the 27th of June. The Sporadic-E season is progressing with most days offering something from the 10 and 6m bands within Europe. However, there are limited possibilities on the 2m band. As usual, digital modes will be the first to see results, so use the FT8 paths as a guide for the other modes which should follow as the Sporadic-E intensifies. Multi-hop paths do happen regularly but require beams and a lot of luck for several Sporadic-E patches to align. This means the best policy will be listening at the right time. This is in the morning for the paths to the Far East and in the evening for those to the States and Caribbean. EME now and Moon declination is decreasing again, going negative today, the 21st, with path losses rising now the Moon is past perigee. This means shortening Moon windows and lower peak Moon elevation as the week progresses. 144MHz sky temperature is low, rising to moderate by Friday the 26th of June. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B. For the rest of this year, I am going to pass along a bit of extra information when I let you know what will be on the air in the next seven days. So many hams have joined in the annual CQ Marathon contest that I thought I would help them out, as well as anyone else who is involved in the Marathon. The great thing about the Marathon is that it truly is a marathon and not a sprint. You can join at any time and get credit for all the QSOs you have accumulated in the calendar year. So, when I come across an activation that I would recommend that you get in the log to help your score, I will announce it by starting off with Marathon Alert! I know that this seems corny, but you will know that the information that follows indicates an entity that is more rare than usual DX. If you are not as experienced with DX or the Marathon, you may not know what is common and what is not. I hope this helps you get key entities into the log to help your CQ Marathon score. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com TF1OL, Ólafur, and his wife will be on Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, from June 12 to June 23 for a 10-day stay. During this time, he will be active on FT8 and FT4 on 80 through 6 meters under the callsign D4OL. {Marathon Alert} CE0Y – Easter Island will be active from June 20–27. Manu, CE3YMR, will be active from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) under the callsign 3G0YM. 5H – Tanzania - A reminder, the NK8O (Charles) work trip to Chihoni, Tanzania, is planned to start today and continue to July 2. Working around his job assignments, he will be on the air as 5H3DX. He will be using 100 watts to a dipole, vertical, and long wire antenna, CW, FT8 and FT4, 40-6M. He will upload the log to LoTW and Club Log. {Marathon Alert} C2 – Nauru - Phil, C21TS, confirms he will depart Nauru on July 22. Meantime, he will be working “a lot of new ones.” He has been doing some Club Log livestream and Club Log log search. He says 99.9% of the time Club Log has real time updates. Heavy rain occasionally blocks his internet connection. Phil has now made 132,000 QSOs, 40,400 of those being uniques, 272 entities worked, 269 confirmed, saying “and I honestly thought 260 was going to be max for here.” He even worked 3Y0K, with 50 watts and homemade vertical. On 80 meters, a tuner problem is “making life difficult,” with SWR rising after five minutes of operating, so he will likely not be on 80 much more. He was hoping for five-band Worked All States but is still missing NH, NE and VT. Presumably he means on 80. PJ2 – Curacao -PJ2/PH2M, operator Frank, will be on the air until June 29, mainly FT8 and “some FT4 and SSB,” various bands. QSL using Club Log OQRS, or LoTW, or direct to his home QTH. FS – St. Martin – John, K9EL, will be active as FS/K9EL until June 24, focusing mainly on 6 meters while also operating on 80–10 meters. He'll upload logs to club Log in real time and to LoTW daily. He plans to answer all bureau cards, though bureau replies may take several months. His station includes an IC-7300MK2, Expert 1.3, an EFHW antenna for 80–10 meters, and a Yagi for 6 meters, located on a hill overlooking the Atlantic. {Marathon Alert} T8 – Palau - T88RR will be active until June 18 from Palau. The op plans to operate on 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 12, 10, and 6 meters using FT8, FT4, SSB, and FM on 10 meters. The operator is JA6UBY, Yas. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW and eQSL. For a paper QSL, requests should be sent directly with SASE. He also says he will respond to bureau requests. If you have questions or need information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com

GB2RS News Sunday the 14th of June 2026 The news headlines: IARU President announced as the keynote speaker for the RSGB 2026 Convention The RSGB has updated its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy Make use of the RSGB Full question bank Four years ago, IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA shared his thoughts on the changes and challenges to the amateur service and what the future held for amateur radio. On Saturday the 10th of October 2026, Tim will return to the RSGB Convention and in his presentation he will touch on whether the future turned out as expected! Tim is currently serving his fourth term as IARU President and the RSGB is delighted to welcome him back as the keynote speaker. Buy your ticket for the RSGB Convention by going to rsgb.org/convention  As well as the keynote, the Society has a speaker programme that will bring radio amateurs a wide-ranging selection of lectures. Whether you are keen to enhance your knowledge on propagation, FT8, or you want to learn more on VHF and above, there is something for everyone. You can keep up to date with the latest speakers by visiting the Convention speaker page. The RSGB Convention takes place between the 9th and 11th of October 2026 at Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. The RSGB is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and accessible amateur radio community in which all individuals can participate fully and safely. It aims not only to prevent discrimination, but to actively remove barriers to participation, promote equity, and create an environment where diversity is valued and inclusion is embedded in all that we do. The Society reviews all its policies regularly and this week it has published an updated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. The policy has clearer language to explain the responsibilities of Directors, staff, volunteers, RSGB members and affiliated clubs, as well as participants in RSGB events, training, and programmes. The policy also applies to all RSGB platforms and environments. The Society encourages all members and affiliated clubs to read the policy. You can find it on the RSGB website at rsgb.org/policies  The RSGB will review this policy at least annually and monitor its implementation to ensure continuous improvement. In April, the RSGB Exams Team published the entire Full licence exam question bank on the RSGB website. This means that anyone studying for their Full licence has this valuable resource at their fingertips. The interface also allows users to generate their own mock examinations from the question bank. Feedback by radio amateurs has said how useful the resource is and that anyone studying for their exam should take a look. To get started go to rsgb.org/exam-questions  The RSGB Examinations Standards Committee has also prepared some FAQs to support the publication of the question bank. You can access these on the Exam FAQs web page. Have you seen the ‘About the RSGB' playlist on the Society's YouTube channel? There are nearly 50 videos to choose from including a number of recently released videos with RSGB representatives. You'll be able watch RSGB Propagation Studies Committee Chair Steve Nichols, G0KYA talk about a range of propagation topics including the best months for propagation and the possible effect of AI on propagation forecasts. If you'd like to learn more about the work of the RSGB EMC Committee, you can watch Committee Chair John Rogers, M0JAV discuss some of the upcoming projects it has planned. You can watch the full playlist by going to youtube.com/thersgb  The next Bath Based Distance Learning Full Licence course will run between August and December 2026. The course will include weekly tutorials and work packages via an online classroom as well as access to a remote tutor. Applicants must work through pre-course material and complete a quiz to be eligible for a place. To request full details, and an application form, please email Bath Based Distance Learning's Team Leader, Steve, G0FUW via g0fuw@bbdl.org.uk If you're one of the nearly ten thousand HamClock users, please be aware that the original HamClock backend server will stop working sometime in June 2026 following the original developer passing away in January. To continue using HamClock after this date and to keep receiving updates, you must switch the HamClock backend server. To find out more about this and for links to guides for both Raspberry Pi-based HamClocks, or those using an Inovato Quadra, visit hamclockisnotdead.com  The replacement open-source HamClock backend server is called ‘OpenHamClock Backend' and more details can be found at ohb.works  Unlike the original, this is completely open source and is run by a team of developers so there is no one particular person responsible. The same team is also providing updates to the HamClock client itself which is now up to version 4.26. Please send details of all your news and events to radcom@rsgb.org.uk  The deadline for submissions is 10am on Thursdays before the Sunday broadcast each week.  And now for details of rallies and events The Junction 28 Radio Rally is taking place today, Sunday the 14th of June, at The Post Mill Centre, South Normanton, Derbyshire, DE55 2EJ. The doors open at 10.15am and admission is £4. For more information visit snadarc.com  or contact j28rally@snadarc.com Also today, Sunday the 14th, the Mendips Radio Rally is taking place at Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney BS39 6UA. The doors open at 7.30am for traders and at 9.30am for visitors. Entrance costs £3. For more information contact Luke on 07870 168 197 or email luke@mymixradio.co.uk On Wednesday the 17th of June, the Lincoln Short Wave Club Used Equipment Sale will take place at the Village Hall, Aisthorpe, Lincoln, LN1 2SG. Booking in will be open from 6pm and the auction starts at 7pm. On Saturday the 20th of June, Inverness and District Amateur Radio Society GM North Radio Rally will be held at Glachbeg Croft Centre, Allanglach Wood, North Kessock, IV1 3XD. The doors will be open from 10am. For more information email invernessradiosociety@gmail.com Also on Saturday the 20th of June, Rochdale and District Amateur Society Summer Rally will take place at St. Vincent de Paul's Hall, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7QR. The doors open at 10am and entry costs £3. For more information call 07587 709 006 or email rally.radars@hotmail.com On Sunday the 21st of June 2026, the East Suffolk Wireless Revival, also known as the Ipswich Radio Rally will be held at Kirton Recreation Ground, Back Road, Kirton IP10 0PW. The doors open at 9.30am and the entry fee for visitors is £3. More details are available at eswr.org.uk Now the Special Event news Special event station GB8GAW will be active from Monday the 22nd of June until Sunday the 12th of July to promote Glaucoma Awareness Week. Look for activity on the HF bands using FT8, FT4 and SSB. Special event station GB1SCW will be on the air on Sunday the 21st of June from the Shoreham by Sea National Coast Watch Station, BN43 5HY. The station will be operated by members of Rustington Amateur Radio Group and Worthing and District Amateur Radio Club to celebrate the work of coastal communities. Activity is expected to be mostly on the 40m band using SSB. See QRZ.com  for more information. Members of the Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society will be at this year's Military Vehicle Trust Show at Badsey Farm in Evesham. They will be operating special event station GB26WVE from Wednesday the 17th until Tuesday the 23rd of June. Several ex-Military Signals vehicles will be operating on the VHF, UHF and HF bands. The operators are keen to make lots of contacts so if you hear the station give it a call. Now the DX news Paul, MM0ZBH is active as 5Z4/MM0ZBH from Kenya until tomorrow, Monday the 15th of June. He operates using CW, FT8 and SSB. QSL via Logbook of the World and OQRS. Rafal, SQ4O is a member of the 50th Polish Antarctic Expedition to the Henryk Arctowski  Station on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, AN-010. He will be working there until October. In his spare time, he is operating as HF0PAS on the HF bands using CW and SSB. Rafal may also be active on the 6m band using FT8. Now the contest news The IARU ATV Contest started at 1200 UTC yesterday, the 13th, and ends at 1800UTC today, Sunday the 14th of June. Using TV on frequencies from 432MHz and up, the exchange is picture quality, serial number, four-digit code and locator. Today, Sunday the 14th of June, the RSGB 2nd 144MHz Backpackers Contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also today, Sunday the 14th of June, the Practical Wireless 2m QRP Contest runs from 0900 to 1600 UTC. Using AM, FM, SSB and CW on the 2m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. A maximum of 5W of power can be used in this contest. Tomorrow, Monday the 15th of June, the RSGB FT4 Series Contest runs from 1900 to 2100 UTC. Using FT4 on the 80 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is your report. On Tuesday the 16th of June, the RSGB 1.3GHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 23cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Thursday the 18th of June, the RSGB 70MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900 to 2130 UTC. Using all modes on the 4m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The RSGB 50MHz Trophy Contest starts at 1400UTC on Saturday the 20th of June and runs until 1400 UTC on Sunday the 21st of June. Using all modes on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The All Asian DX Contest starts at 0000 UTC on Saturday the 20th and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday the 21st of June. Using CW on the 160 to 10m bands, where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and your age. On Sunday the 21st of June, the Worked All Britain 50MHz Phone Contest runs from 0800 to 1400 UTC. Using SSB on the 6m band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and Worked All Britain square. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday the 11th of June 2026 Last week we warned you about a potential geomagnetic disturbance caused by a triple coronal mass ejection, or CME, from the Sun. As it turned out, the Kp index rose to 6.33 and poor HF conditions ensued, just in time for RSGB National Field Day. Luckily, Sunday the 7th wasn't quite so bad, but it did show how a Kp index rise can damage HF propagation. A further CME warning has since been cancelled, but we are not out of the woods just yet. A long-duration mid-level C-Flare was observed in the northeast quadrant of the Sun, peaking at just after midnight on Thursday the 11th of June. A CME with a possible Earth-directed component is possible, which could lead to a Kp index rise. Meanwhile, the solar flux index declined to 124 on Thursday the 11th, as predicted, but that's still enough for some DX potential. Sporadic-E has been providing lots of entertainment, so make the most of it during June, which is one of the best months for Sporadic-E activity. Settled geomagnetic conditions, with a low Kp index, appear to provide the best time for Sporadic-E. DX to be worked this week includes 5Z4/MM0ZBH in Kenya which is active until the 15th of June. The station has been spotted on the 10m band using FT8 and on the 20m band using CW and SSB. PJ2/PH2M is active from Curacao until the 29th of June using mainly FT8 and some SSB. D4OL from Cape Verde is active on FT8 and FT4 until Friday the 22nd of June. Finally, look out for the FS/K9EL station from St Martin which is active until Wednesday the 24th of June. While we are in this period of Summer thunderstorms, a reminder that it may be a good idea to unplug the antennas from your HF radios when not in use. But make sure you do this before any storm approaches! Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will be in the 120 to 130 range. Quiet geomagnetic conditions are forecast all week, with a maximum Kp index of 3. But be aware of CMEs which are not easily predicted. Any solar flare and subsequent CME could upset the apple cart, so keep an eye on solarham.com for up-to-date news. And now the VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO There have been some very good Sporadic-E conditions recently. This was particularly true at 50MHz with openings at lunchtime and into the evening towards the USA on Tuesday the 9th and Wednesday the 10th. There was also an opening into Japan during the morning of Thursday the 11th of June. 70MHz has seen openings, mainly to eastern Europe and Spain. Notably we haven't seen much in the way of 144MHz Sporadic-E yet, but QSOs have been made by a lucky few. All this Sporadic-E activity has probably been aided by the extra long-lived metallic ions from meteors of the daytime Arietids, an important shower in early June.  The other ingredient often associated with Sporadic-E is the presence of jet streams, which are very effective at generating turbulence that can propagate up to the E region and aid Sporadic-E formation. The coming week looks to be reasonably set up with jet stream activity. This is probably more relevant for the northern half of Europe so may favour Scandinavia and the Baltic, with the occasional opportunity farther south. As for meteor scatter, there is a gap in the calendar and it's probably a case of relying upon random activity which tends to peak around dawn. Rain scatter may fare better with a chance of showers, especially in northern parts of the country. The solar conditions have recently been at the low end of the scale, with a Kp index between 1 and 3 which is typical of high summer. This also reduces the chances of radio auroras. There will be a period of high pressure today, the 14th, before low pressure returns to northern Britain next week, although the south may stay close to higher pressure. This offers a chance of some tropo conditions. EME now, and Moon declination continues to increase to a maximum tomorrow, the 15th, with path losses falling towards minimum at perigee. 144MHz sky temperature is moderate, becoming high tomorrow, the 15th, with the Sun close to the Moon, before falling back to low again from Wednesday. And that's all from the propagation team this week.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com 9X – Rwanda - F8FUA, Alain Esquirol, is active holiday style as 9X5KM from Kigali, Rwanda, until June 13. He operates CW, SSB, and digital modes on all HF bands, with possible 160-meter activity depending on local conditions. His station has a hexbeam, dipoles, and a vertical. 3G0Z – Juan Fernadez Island – “Update Ten days after the start of the Dxpedition, I have reached 15K QSOs across thedifferent bands and modes from 160 to 10m. Keep an eye to the low bands, Robinson Crusoe 3G0Z is ONAIR!  VR2XAN, Alberto, is QRV as XX9TXN from Macao until June 9, SSB, CW and FT8, on all bands 160-6, “with a special focus on North America.” He says he will attempt SSB on 80M “and maybe 160.” QSL to IV3SKB. TF1OL, Ólafur, and his wife will be on Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, from June 12 to June 23 for a 10-day stay. During this time, he will be active on FT8 and FT4 on 80 through 6 meters under the callsign D4OL.  VK2CJR, Chris, operating as 3D2CJR, is operating holiday-style until June 9th, around the Nadi, Fiji Islands area with possible short visits to a few outlier islands. He is operatingmostly on 20 meters, probably using FT8 when time and conditions allow, with modest power of around 30–50 watts and a vertical or simple dipole setup depending on the location. As he is traveling light and prioritizing familytime, this will be a casual trip with some radio activity rather than a full DXpedition, and logs will most likely be uploaded after the trip due to limited internet access. DL2SBY, Kasimir, is QRV from Zanzibar as 5H1KB until June 12. He will use an ICOM IC-7300 with an amplifier and vertical antenna.We arrived here (LHI) safely on Monday 1st June and by 6pm we had all three stations up and running. Two x FlexRadio Aurora 520Ms and a trusty old IC7000 dedicated for FT8. Antennas are DX-Commander and an 80m Doublet, with a2nd short vertical for the IC7000. Bands will be as planned, 80 -10m, CW, SSB and FT8.And a first for our team: ClubLog Livestream. Check it out if you haven't used it before, it is a great way to see what bands we are on and who we are working, not to mention getting near real-time confirmation of your QSO. If you need (orjust want) Lord Howe Island in your log, continue to listen out for us; we're here until 14th June running three stations.SU8SOS is an Egyptian Amateur Radio Society (ERASD) activity focused on emergency communications, public demonstrations, and training for licensed operators and young volunteers to support relief, rescue, and community service during emergencies and disasters. The SU8SOS teamwill be active until June 10 on SSB and FT8 F/H across all HF bands, with QSL management by VE1AYM. 5H – Tanzania EA5JVW, Alex, isQRV as 5H3VW from Tanzania and Zanzibar Island until June 10. This will be a holiday-style portable operation from various locations around Zanzibar Island and Tanzania. Activity is expected daily between 15:30 and 17:00 UTC (18:30–20:00 local time), subject to travel plans and propagation conditions. Operation will be mainly on 20m, with possible activity on 40m, using SSB. QSL will be available via QRZ Logbook, eQSL, and bureau. 8Q – Maldives 8Q7ML will be active from Embudu Island, Maldives on June 7–14. Operator LU8MIL, Ivan, plans a holiday-style operation mainly on the 20–6 meter bands, with possible 40 meters, using FT8 and SSB.             If you have questions or need information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com  I have some details on the CP7DX DXpedition to Bolivia. They are QRV from Tarija until June 6, including the CQ WW WPX CW weekend. The rest of the time they will do SSB, CW and FT8, 160-6M and EME on 144 and 432 MHz. QSL direct to LU1FM and Club Log OQRS too.  WA7RAR, Chris, is QRV from Bonaire as PJ4CB until June 8, SSB and CW, 20-10M and from POTA sites on the island.   Alain, F8FUA, will be in Kigali, Rwanda, operating holiday style as 9X5KM from June 4 to 13. There will be activity on CW, SSB and Digital on all HF bands, and depending on local conditions, possibly 160 meters. QSO will be uploaded to LoTW and LoTW, but no OQRS. QSL direct or via the bureau to F8FUA.  OH1LEG and OH1MN, Juha and Markus, will again activate OJ0Z and OJ0MN respectively from Market Reef, until June 6. It will be the same gear as previously, a pair of IC-7300 radios and dipoles and other wire antennas. Modes will be SSB and FT8.  Juha says they do four meters down to 160 meters and “I like more low bands.”  They will not do Logbook of the World or eQSL.  3G0Z became QRV from Juan Fernandez using 17m SSB and FT8 with a single-element Delta Loop antenna. Felipe was still installing additional antennas and planned to bring a linear amplifier online to expand capabilities. Weather on the island was cool but manageable—around 15°C (59°F) with clouds, light rain, and mild wind. The antenna site, about 40 meters above sea level, offers strong propagation toward Europe, Africa, and the central U.S. The operation is expected to last about 20 days.  Mac, KC8CPK, is a flight nurse on temporary duty at Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands,  doing Medevac work and is operating as V7/KC8CPK while awaiting his Marshallese license. Because the ham shack and antennas are shared with DARPA and NASA, he can only operate when the equipment is not otherwise in use, though he is trying to get on the air as often as possible. He expects to remain for about three more weeks. Current equipment is an IC-7300 with an M² 7/10/30LP antenna, and 40 meters seems to be the best band for that setup. There are also experimental fan dipoles for lower bands, possibly including 60 meters, but 80 meters is not available.  VR2XAN, Alberto, will be on as XX9TXN from Macao June 2-9, SSB, CW and FT8, all bands 160-6, “with a special focus on North America.” He says he will attempt SSB on 80M “and maybe 160.” QSL to IV3SKB.  ZL3IO, Holger is back in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, using the callsign ZL7IO, today to June 4, including the CQ WPX CW weekend, a single operator all band. QSL to DK7AO.  VP0/H – South Shetland Islands SQ4O, Rafal Mazur, says “If everything goes well, I plan to start broadcasting at the end of May” as HF0PAS from the Polish Antarctic Station Arctowski on King George Island. He has installed a Yagi for 20, 15 and 10 meters as well one for 6 meters. Rafal still has plans to install a dipole for 80 and 40 meters. He is expected to be there until October.  TF1OL, Ólafur, and his wife will be on Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, from June 12 to June 23 for a 10-day stay. During this time, he will be active on FT8 and FT4 on 80 through 6 meters under the callsign D4OL.   If you have questions or need information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com  Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The Southwest Ohio DX Association (SWODXA)announced its 2025/26 DXpeditioner of the Year Award at the SWODXA DX DinnerFriday night of Hamvention, recognizing an operator who made an exceptionalcontribution to the DX community. The award was given to YL2GM, YurisPetersons, for his solo ZS8W operation from Marion Island. His expeditionlogged 31,672 QSOs and helped activate an entity that moved from #11 to #25 inranking. SWODXA praised the effort as well-organized and successfully carriedout under very challenging conditions. SWODXA alsoannounced the 2025/26 DXpedition of the Year Award honoring excellence inplanning and execution from Most Wanted entities. The award went to the RussianDXpedition Team for their 9U1RU expedition to Burundi, which logged 179,831QSOs and moved the entity from #60 to #106 in ranking. SWODXA recognized theteam for a well-organized operation carried out in a challenging environment.  The following DX informationcomes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your onlysource of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com ZC4 - UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus - G4WXJ, Dave, willoperate as ZC4RH from Dhekelia (KM64ux) between May 24 and 30, using 100watts with Yaesu 857D and Xiegu X6100 radios. He will be active on CW,SSB, FT8, and FT4 modes across 40 to 6 meters, using dipoles andEFHW antennas. 3B9 - Rodrigues I - UR9IDX, Ivan, isQRV until June 1st, as 3B9IDX from Rodrigues Island. His operationswill focus on HF bands, primarily using CW and some SSB, but not FT8. QSLdirect only to his address in Madeira Island, Portugal. 6Y – Jamaica - KQ4PGV, Bill, istraveling to Jamaica from May 31 to June 8 for an anniversary trip and willoperate as KQ4PGV/6Y on the radio when possible. Although experienced with POTAand SOTA, he is new to DXing and will be using an IC-705, tuner, and an amp(either 100W or 50W). He plans to activate parks for POTA using FT8 and Ham2kPortable Logger. CP – Bolivia - Team CP7DX hasreleased some details of the upcoming DXpedition. They plan to be QRV fromTarija May 26 to June 6, including the CQWW WPX CW weekend. The rest of the timethey will do SSB, CW and FT8, 160-6M and EME on 144 and 432 MHz. QSL direct toLU1FM and Club Log OQRS too. PJ4 – Bonaire - WA7RAR, Chris, asPJ4CB will be there again May 27 to June 8, SSB and CW, 20-10M and from POTAsites on the island. For a QSL it's  F8FUA,Alain Esquirol, will be in Kigali, Rwanda, QRV holiday style as 9X5KM from June4 to 13. There will be activity on CW, SSB and Digital on all HF bands, and dependingon local conditions, possibly 160 meters. QSO will be uploaded to LoTW andLoTW, but no OQRS. QSL direct or via the bureau to F8FUA. OH1LEGand OH1MN, Juha and Markus, will again activate OJ0Z and OJ0MN respectivelyfrom Market Reef, from May 30 to June 6, as they hope for good weather forlanding and the one week there.  It willbe the same gear as previously, a pair of IC-7300 radios and dipoles and otherwire antennas. Modes will be SSB and FT8. Juha says they do four meters down to 160 meters and “I like more lowbands.”  They will not do Logbook of theWorld or eQSL. Thisweek, the DX Mentor Podcast will feature an update of the CQ Marathon programby Mark, WC3W. Check them out and let me know what you think.             If you have questions or needinformation, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com

Foundations of Amateur Radio The other day I witnessed a fellow amateur attempting to guilt another into using LoTW with comments about how their QSO partner would appreciate confirmation via the service, even if they didn't care for it. Before I continue, if you're unfamiliar, when two amateurs make a contact, or a QSO, with each other, then there's generally a log entry at both ends to record the event. Some amateurs, myself included, save up these contacts and count how many continents, countries, states and other entities are recorded in the log. Several amateur radio organisations allow you to claim an award for such a record. However, before they accept your word for it, they require confirmation of the contact, something that the amateur community refers to as a QSL. To recap, a QSO is the contact, a QSL is the confirmation of that contact. Traditionally this was achieved with postcards, known as QSL cards, transported across the globe through various postal services, and coordinated by so-called QSL bureaus, often run by the amateur radio peak body in each country. With the advent of the Internet, much of this process has turned electronic. LoTW is an example of an electronic QSL service, run by the ARRL, the American Radio Relay League. It's not the only such service, but today I'm looking specifically at the Logbook of The World, or LoTW. As I said, LoTW is not the only service and anyone telling you that you must use it is selling you something. Now, that's not why I don't use it, and again, you're free to, but you're not required to. For me there are several issues with LoTW. Having used it for a period, I feel comfortable in expressing some of its shortcomings, but I note that the last time I used it was almost a decade ago. I'll acknowledge that things might have improved or changed, but I have no evidence to suggest that it did. Let's start with how it works. You create a log in a specified format, using an application called TQSL you sign that log, ostensibly linking your identity to that log, then you upload that signed log to LoTW and wait for confirmations of contacts with other LoTW users. Signing is a process where you add information to a file that proves to the recipient that the log was created by you and wasn't modified in transit, which requires that you have a file called a certificate, which is created and sent to you via email by the ARRL, after they've authenticated you. So, first of all, in my opinion, the level of security is absurd and exceeds that of my bank, or my tax department. In addition, proving your identity comes with hurdles if you're not in America where an amateur who registers receives a postcard with an authentication code, made possible by the central database held by the FCC. For everyone else, the ARRL requires that you: "must send a copy of his/her Amateur Radio operating authorization in addition to a copy of one other government-issued document indicating his/her identity", via the post, snail mail, stamp, envelope, the whole thing. I'd also like to observe that at no time has the ARRL linked your identity to your email address, since they haven't asked for it at any point in the verification process. If that's not enough of a security nightmare, in Australia and other parts of the world, amateurs no longer hold a personal license, instead they are members of a so-called class license. There's no public record stating my ownership of my callsign, just that it's allocated. With increased privacy concerns, this is happening elsewhere too. In other words, proving that you are who you say you are is getting increasingly difficult and even if you did, you're sending that information to the ARRL, who you might recall paid a ransom to hackers who infiltrated their network. I've asked and never received a response about what actually happened to the information they continue to hold in relation to me, well that and an email from 2013 which states that "Data is never removed from LoTW." Even so, let's say that you are comfortable sending your information to the ARRL, the process of signing a certificate requires renewal on a regular basis and if you manage to forget, you have the privilege of starting all over again. Let's move on. It's important to remember that this process is to confirm a radio contact between two radio amateurs in order to get a piece of paper to hang on your wall saying that you did so. How do you know that the person you made contact with on-air is the same person who confirmed your contact? Radio isn't authenticated in any way, why should the confirmation be? Remember, before the Internet, this was done with postcards. Security and authentication aside, there's plenty more issues. I hold the callsign VK6FLAB. Several times a year, that callsign is permitted to be AX6FLAB. I like to operate portable in many different locations. Sometimes I sign "/QRP" for low power, generally if the other station is very high power and they're struggling, adding QRP can sometimes act as an incentive to complete the contact. Sometimes I sign Portable, or Mobile, depending on the situation and when I'm moving, I'm not in a specific location. Why am I raising this you ask? Well, turns out that you need to make a new location for every single one you're operating from. You also need to register each callsign and each variation, since apparently VK6FLAB and VK6FLAB/QRP are two different stations and if I sign with AX6FLAB, I need to request another certificate. So, this is increased convenience .. apparently. Then there's the argument that you're missing out. Let's get this straight. As far as I can tell, the bulk of LoTW users are American. For me, a contact with America is a single log entry to add to my continent and country list. Tell me again why I should care about this when I'm not in America? There's a list of 340 DXCC entities, which you can buy from the ARRL for $5.95 plus shipping, because of course in this digital age there's a shipping charge. In other words, this is the ARRL attempting to own the notion of confirming contacts between radio amateurs and in my opinion, being obnoxious about it. Here's another issue. If this was really so marvellous, why hasn't any other peak body adopted the Logbook of The World for their system? Why is there not a WIA version, an RSGB one and for each of the various countries who have closed their local QSL bureau due to lack of funding, since the postal burden on them has exploded to become nonviable? I think that LoTW is a solution looking for a problem, peddled by people who have something to sell and while there was a time that it might have been bleeding edge, that ship has sailed. You're free to use it, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you have never stepped into this, alternatives to explore include ClubLog, eQSL, QRZ, OQRS and plenty of print on demand QSL card services. And if you're searching, apparently QSL is also Queensland Sugar Limited, so pay attention. I should also mention that there's SOTA, Summits, POTA, Parks and other On The Air services that will happily take your log and confirm contacts. Here's a thought, how about we use the fediverse to federate and decentralise the process, or perhaps we might use something as mundane as email. If you want to use LoTW, by all means, go right ahead, but I won't and if I knew how, I'd get the ARRL to remove all my records from it, mind you, I'd have to trust them at their word, because I can't log in to check. I'm Onno VK6FLAB

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comXT - Burkina Faso – Harald, DF2SWO,goes again to Burkina Faso using the callsign XT2AW, until May 19.  Harald plans to be on HF and the QO-100 satellite and he welcomes skeds.   CN – Morocco - CN2NQV is the call for F8NQV who is QRV until July 11.  The QTH is the town of Sidi Rahal Chatai, on the Atlantic Ocean, 70 kilometers south of Casablanca.   Pascal's gear runs 100 watts to a Diamond vertical on the rooftop, about 15 meters above ground level. 5Z - Kenya  - 5Z4/MM0ZBH is QRV Holiday Style until June 15, with 100 watts and wire antennas.  QSL via the MM0ZBH home QTH, but his first choice is Logbook of the World foryour request.  Direct is SAE, no USD or IRC needed.  Paul says"I am happy to pay return postage." A6 - United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Many A60PE/##calls will be on the air as part of a national campaign of pride,"Proud of the Emirates."  Flag Day and Union Day (National Day) are popular national pride days.  The current event goes through May 31.  A3 – Tonga - JH3QFL, Takio, will operate as A31AA from Tongatapu Island, Tonga between May 14–22, 2026, onthe 80m–6m bands. QSL cards are available via SASE, and QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW. T8 – Palau - T88IL, T88JH and T88KY will be an operation May 21-24, ops JF3PLF, JR3QFB and JA1MFR, from Koror.  Masa, Yoshi, and Masa will be on 160-6M SSB, CW and digital. QSL details are on QRZ.com.  ZC4 - UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus - G4WXJ, Dave, will operate as ZC4RH from Dhekelia (KM64ux) between May 24 and 30, using 100 watts with Yaesu 857D and Xiegu X6100 radios. He will be active on CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4 modes across 40 to 6 meters, using dipoles and EFHW antennas. 3B9 - Rodrigues I - UR9IDX, Ivan, is QRV until June 1st, as 3B9IDX from Rodrigues Island. His operations will focus on HF bands, primarily using CW and some SSB, but not FT8. QSLdirect only to his address in Madeira Island, Portugal. JW – Svalbard - G1VAQ, Tom, will be briefly operating as JW/G1VAQ from Svalbard in May, using portable QRP (5W)CW on 20 meters. He asks for patience with his CW and notes that QSOs will be confirmed via LoTW and QRZ.com after his return to the UK. OX – Gree nland - OZ1DJJ, Bo, will be active as OX3LX from Aasiaat Island until May 22nd. This activity is part of a work trip, not a DXpedition, so limited radio contacts are expected. 6Y – Jamaica - KQ4PGV, Bill, is traveling to Jamaica from May 31 to June 8 for an anniversary trip and will operate as KQ4PGV/6Y on the radio when possible. Although experienced with POTA and SOTA, he is new to DXing and will be using an IC-705, tuner, and an amp (either 100W or 50W). He plans to activate parks for POTA using FT8 and Ham2kPortable Logger. CP – Bolivia - Team CP7DX has released some details of the upcoming DXpedition. They plan to be QRV from Tarija May 26 to June 6, including the CQ WW WPX CW weekend. The rest of the time they will do SSB, CW and FT8, 160-6M and EME on 144 and 432 MHz. QSL direct to LU1FM and Club Log OQRS too. PJ4 – Bonaire - WA7RAR, Chris, as PJ4CB will be there again May 27 to June 8, SSB and CW, 20-10M and from POTAsites on the island.  4K – Azerbaijan - The first ever POTA activation from Absheron National Park, AZ-0004 is May 28. The 4K0T“DXpedition and Contest Team” is going, joined by the ARAS, the Azerbaijan Radio Amateurs Society. They say the park is remarkable, on the Caspian Sea. It is grid LN50eg. They plan HF SSB and will have live updates, photos, logs and QSL info as things unfold.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comXT - Burkina Faso – Harald, DF2SWO, goes again to Burkina Faso using the callsign XT2AW, until May 19. Harald plans to be on HF and the QO-100 satellite and he welcomesskeds.  CE0 - Juan Fernandez - 3G0Z is the call for XQ7IR, Felipe, when he goes later this month.  His call will be XR0Z when he's on Alejandro Selkirk Island, SA-101, a possible side trip for 24-36 hours.  His gear has been sent ahead successfully, from Valparaiso to Juan Fernandez Island. CN – Morocco - CN2NQV is the call for F8NQV who is QRV until July 11.  The QTH is the town of Sidi Rahal Chatai, on the Atlantic Ocean, 70 kilometers south of Casablanca.Pascal's gear runs 100 watts to a Diamond vertical on the rooftop, about 15 meters above ground level. 5Z - Kenya  - 5Z4/MM0ZBH is QRV Holiday Style until June 15, with 100 watts and wire antennas.  QSL via the MM0ZBH home QTH, but his first choice is Logbook of the World foryour request.  Direct is SAE, no USD or IRC needed.  Paul says"I am happy to pay return postage." A6 - United Arab Emirates (UAE) - Many A60PE/##calls will be on the air as part of a national campaign of pride,"Proud of the Emirates."  Flag Day and Union Day (National Day) are popular national pride days.  The current event goes through May 31.  TF – Iceland - TF/WE9G, Rikk,will again be traveling, this time to Borg, Iceland, May 10-19, IOTA EU-021 and grid HP94ob.  He will have three radios on, a pair of IC-7300 radios and an IC-705, to a homebrew vertical, a tunable vertical, and a G5RV-E.  He will do 160-6, mostly FT8/4/2 "with some SSB and CW."  A Park on the Air, POTA, is a possibility, depending on his local transportation there.  QSL direct or bureau to WE9G and TF/WE9G on Club Log OQRS, QRZ and LoTW.  He plans real time log uploads and also Club Log livestream.    T8 – Palau - T88IL, T88JH and T88KY will be an operation May 21-24, ops JF3PLF, JR3QFB and JA1MFR, from Koror.  Masa, Yoshi, and Masa will be on 160-6M SSB, CW and digital. QSL details are on QRZ.com.  ET – Ethiopia - DL9WVM, Ulli, says he has two more weeks in Addis, and is QRV on CW from ET3AA as time permits.  He is there visiting family.  W9XY, Bob, say he may do some remote operating from that station, when DL9WVM is not operating.  K4ZW, Ken, will also be there, next weekend.  QSLs for K4ZW operations will go to N2OO as usual. ZC4 - UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus - G4WXJ, Dave, will operate as ZC4RH from Dhekelia (KM64ux) between May 24 and 30, using 100 watts with Yaesu 857D and Xiegu X6100 radios. He will be active on CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4 modes across 40 to 6 meters, using dipoles and EFHW antennas. TK – Corsica - F4FTV, Fabrice, will operate as TK/F4FTV from Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, from May 9 to 16, using SSB and digital modes. QSL is available via F4FTV and LoTW after three months.OX – Greenland - TF1OL, Olafur, plans to be QRV from Nuuk, Greenland from May 10 to 17. 3B8 - Mauritius & 3B9 - Rodrigues I - UR9IDX, Ivan, recently operated from Reunion Island (FR/UR9IDX, Mayotte (FH/UR9IDX)  and Comoros (D60DX), is QRV as 3B8IDX until May 16 from Mauritius and as 3B9IDX (May 18-June 1) from Rodrigues Island. His operations will focus on HF bands, primarily using CW and some SSB, but not FT8. QSL direct only to his address in Madeira Island, Portugal.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comVK9/C - Cocos (Keeling) – Mark, VK9BSA, and Deena, VK9DEE, have received their radio equipment at Cocos (Keeling) and are now active on the air until May 17th, with operations mainly on weekends and after work, as they balance family life on the island. This Sunday will be a dedicated radio day, and Deena (VK9DEE) is interested in connecting with other women on air. Frequency and timing details will be shared via email, with SSB as the chosen mode and plans for regular after-work activity on the 20-meter band.CT3 - Madeira Island - CT9/DL1BU is QRV and continues until May 2. Marc says for his holiday he took his IC-7300, 10-meter-tall fiberglass mast, and an off center fed dipole, the "Aerial51." His first day was devoted to setting it all up and testing. CN – Morocco - CN2NQV is the call for F8NQV who is QRV until July 11. The QTH will be the town of Sidi Rahal Chatai, on the Atlantic, 70 kilometers south of Casablanca. He plans 40, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10M, with target frequencies 7155, 14345, 18140, 21165 and 28575. Pascal's gear runs 100 watts to a Diamond vertical on the rooftop, about 15 meters above ground level.5Z - Kenya - 5Z4/MM0ZBH is QRV Holiday Style until June 15, with 100 watts and wire antennas. QSL via the MM0ZBH home QTH, but his first choice is Logbook of the World for your request. Direct is SAE, no USD or IRC needed. Paul says "I am happy to pay return postage."PJ4 – Bonaire - PJ4TB is QRV again by TJ, PE1OJR, TJ (short for Theerd), until May 4, holiday style, 40-6M SSB and FT8/FT4. TJ has an IC-7300, a "PAC-12" vertical that he's modified to cover 40-6, and an end fed wire antenna. He says he only uses LoTW (and Club Log, but he also mentions QRZ.com) for e-confirmations, no eQSL or traditional cards by mail. His LoTW and QRZ uploads are once a week.FO/M – Marquesas - TX9W, "Team Marquesas," arrived on Hiva Oa and made their way to their site to begin their setup. The team leader, K5WE, Jeff, had "a medical emergency" the night before the departure early Saturday, he spent the night in the hospital, and the decision is being made when and whether he can join the team. Setup is underway and they are QRV.Z6 – Kosovo - Z66SP with his Polish teammates will be QRV from near Pristina, April 23-28, CW, SSB and FT8, 160-10. They will be in the "SP DX RTTY Contest" weekend, and will also do some 6M and QO-100. QSL using Club Log OQRS and LoTW. https://z66sp.spdxc.org/7P, LESOTHO - 7P8WR will be QRV until May 1 by IZ0EVI, IZ0EWJ and IZ6DSQ. For antennas, they will have a spiderbeam covering 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10, a three-element "Skipper" for 10, loop for 20-10, another loop for 40-15, and a 40M vertical. For radios, it's three IC-7300s and an IC-706MKIIG, plus amplifiers. QSL via IZ0EWJ, bureau or direct, LoTW, QRZ.com, but no eQSLAll QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW, Club Log, and QRZ.com. https://www.mdxc.support/7p8wr/JT, MONGOLIA - Vladimir R9LR and Denis R8LCM will be QRV as JT0LR from rare grids NN49, NN48, NN58 and perhaps NN59. Activity between April 25 and April 30 on various bands using CW, SSB and digi. Satellite QO-100 also. QSL via R9LR. 4W - Timor-Leste - DX World reports 4W/EA2TA, Christian, has the licenses in hand now. He, 4W/EA3NT and 4W/IZ7ATN are now on the air from Timor Island. Their operation continues to April 28, 80-6M CW, SSB and FT8. 60M is not allowed in Timor-Leste, so no 60M for them. QSL all of them via IZ7ATN or use Logbook of the World.Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week!

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of theDailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com 3X – Guinea – Elvira, IV3FSG, is QRV from3X3A on Roume Island (AF-051), Republic of Guinea, until April 25. Thisself-funded, single-operator DXpedition will focus on making contacts across HFand 6m bands using SSB, CW, and FT8/4/2 modes, utilizing two Icom IC-7300radios and multiple antennas. Roume Island is historically known as the"Treasure Island" of West Africa. https://www.qrz.com/db/3X3A   Z8 - South Sudan - The International DX Pressand OM3JW report that Diya, Z81D, aka YI1DZ, has had his World Food Programcontract extended by eight months and returns to Juba this week.  He will be on the air in his spare time, FT8and SSB, mostly on weekends.  QSL toOM3JW through OQRS.   C5 – Gambia - The 425 DX News reportsthat F4AGG and F5RAV will be on the air as C5D on digital modes RTTY, PSK andFT8 and as C5C on SSB and CW, between April 24 and May 8.  They plan a side trip to the Bijol Islands,AF-060, as well.  From the island thecallsign will be C5B, and on the RS-44 satellite.  C5D's QSL is through LoTW only.  C5C and C5B are both via LoTW or direct viaF5RAV.  4W6DA, Timor-Leste - VK4MAP, DarrenJohnston, has been active holiday-style since April 2 as 4W6DA. Heis mostly on 10M SSB, but is also on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 12M, using an ICOMIC-7300 at 100W into two wire antennas. QSL via VK4MAP and include four U.S.dollars or four Euros.   3B9N, Rodrigues Island - VU3OPT (akaOM0GA), Suvarna, has just completed the first week of a seven-week DXpeditionto Port Mathurin, Rodrigues Island (grid square MH1Øqh), where he is operatingas 3B9N. He will be there until May 20. He plans a trip to Lakshadweep (VU7) inthe second half of this year and is also considering a trip to Sri Lanka (4S)or Bangladesh (S2).D6 -Comoros -After completing his FH/UR9IDX operation from Mayotte Ivan will continues his journeyin the Indian Ocean with a month-long stop in the Comoros as D60DX. Listenfor him on CW and SSB S0 - WesternSahara – Naama, S01A, and Azman,S01AH, will be QRV as S09S until May 31st, operating from the Sahrawi Republic.Theyare running 100 watts to dipole antennas and multiband beams. They will beoperating QO-100, from several grids. Look for S09S to also be QRV duringthe CQ WPX CW Contest, May 30-31. QSL via Club Log and LoTW. 8R –Guyana - 8R1TMis QRV until May 10, weekdays between 2300-0300Z on 160-6M CW,SSB, digital and satellite.  PY1SAD, Aldir, says on the weekends it's"full time" on 160-6, the same modes. OX – Greenland- Bo, OZ1DJJ, isQRV as OX3LX from Aasiaat Island (NA-134), Greenland until April 25th. He isthere on a work assignment and will be QRV in his spare time.VK9/C - Cocos (Keeling) – Mark, VK9BSA, and Deena, VK9DEE, are QRV fromCocos-Keeling. Band conditions have not been favorable, and Mark willmainly be operating on weekends and some evenings. There is no fixedoperating schedule yet. FO/M - Marquesas Islands- The TX9W teamheading to the Marquesas Islands report they will depart in eleven days.They plan to be active from Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands on April 19.

Marty Young, W4MY, is a lifelong amateur radio operator whose 50-year journey began with a simple shortwave receiver as a child and grew into a deep passion for CW operation, homebrewing, and portable radio in the outdoors. From building his first Heathkit HW-16 as a teenager to leading roles in clubs, contesting, and Parks on the Air, Marty represents the classic self-taught ham who never stopped learning. His story reflects persistence, curiosity, and a hands-on approach to radio that has carried him from the early days of Morse code and QSL cards to modern portable operations and mentoring new operators today.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com3B9 - Rodrigues Island - VU3OPT, aka OM0GA, Suvarna, is QRV as 3B9N from Port Mathurin, Rodrigues until May 20. FO - French Polynesia - On Monday, FO/F6BCW, Didier, reported that the island's internet network had been down for approximately 1.5 hours and may remain unavailable until Tuesday. Severe weather, including heavy squalls and violent thunderstorms with lightning, caused significant damage to temporary antenna setups. The 30m and 40mbands are currently unusable, and the Vertical Dipole Arrays (VDA) nearly collapsed. The main station itself remains operational. Monitoring of beacons showed zero EU signals, and no European opening was expected Monday.  -4W - Timor-Leste – On April 1st, VK4MAP, Darren, arrived in Temor-Leste and on April 5 got on the air with the 4W6DA callsign, "holiday style." He should now be QRV from AtauroIsland in the East Timor Coastal Islands Group.  He willhave callsign 4W6DA/P then.  Darren says he will mostly be on 10M but also 80, 40, 20, 15 and 12, and it is "voice only."  He hasan ICOM IC-7300, two wire  antennas to choose from, and 100 watts.  QSL via VK4MAP with 4 USD or 4 EURO to cover the postage. D6 - Comoros - After completing his FH/UR9IDX operation from Mayotte Ivan will continues his journey in the Indian Ocean with a month-long stop in the Comoros as D60DX. Listen for him on CW and SSB S0 - Western Sahara – Naama, S01A, and Azman, S01AH, Azman, will be QRV as S09S until May 31st, operating from the Sahrawi Republic, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sahrawi Republic. They are running 100 watts to dipole antennas and multiband beams. They will be operating QO-100, from several grids. Look for S09S to also be QRV during the CQ WPX CW Contest, May 30-31. QSL via Club Log and LoTW. A little bit in the future, we will see 3XFSG, the Republic of Guinea, activated by Elvira, IV3FSG, from April 11 to the 25. She will operate HF and 6M, “all modes,” with two “lowerpower” stations and vertical antennas. Elvira expects a couple of daily power outages that will force her off the air.TN - Congo - "Father Darek", HF3GD,  is now in Brazzaville on a new "pastoral and humanitarian mission."  In West Africa he also has the callsigns TJ1GD, TL8GD, and TT1GD.  In The Congo he will be TN8GD, HF and 6, "FT modes," CW and SSB.  He is waiting for his Logbook of the World certificate.  Darek is also hoping  to set up remote operation capability when the infrastructure there can support that.  QSL using Club Log OQRS or direct to SP3EOL.8R – Guyana - 8R1TM is QRV until May 10, weekdays between 2300-0300Z on 160-6M CW, SSB, digital and satellite.  PY1SAD, Aldir, says on the weekends it's "full time" on 160-6, the same modes. OX – Greenland- OZ1DJJ, Bo, is QRV as OX3LX again from Aasiaat Island (NA-134), Greenland until April 25th. Heis there on a work assignment and will  be QRV in his spare time.VK9/C - Cocos (Keeling) - VK9BSA, Mark, and VK9DEE, Deena, QRV from Cocos-Keeling. Band conditions are currently not favorable, and Mark will mainly be operating on weekends and some evenings. There is no fixed operating schedule yet. FO/M - Marquesas Islands- The TX9W team heading to the Marquesas Islands report they will depart in eleven days.They plan to be active from Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands on April 19. This week, the DX Mentor YouTube episode will feature CE3/N5NU & K0MD discussing POTA and DXing from Chile. Give it a watch and let me know what you think. 

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com CY0S DXpedition Update - The CY0S DXpedition started operations from Sable Island on March 18 at 2140Z. Although they intended to use Super Fox mode on FT8, technical issues led them to operate in Fox and Hound mode instead. All five stations are now active, and a livestream is available via Club Log.  A2 – Botswana - HB9SHD, Remo, is currently operating from Botswana under the callsign A255HD (yes A 2 5 5 HD), having previously been active as ZS2/HB9SHD earlier in March. He expresses gratitude to A2NEW, John, for assistance with his license renewal. Remo operates in casual holiday style using an FT-891 radio and an end-fed antenna for 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. So far, he has been reported on FT8 on 20, 15 and 10 meters. QSL cards can be sent via bureau or direct (no money needed, just a self-addressed envelope). S2 – Bangladesh - The guys are currently off air as the team is further investigating a noise problem at their QTH. They might have found the issue and are addressing it at this minute. They say QRX, and hope to be back on shortly – with better RX.  XX9 - Macao - The XX9W team began operations on 3/22  just before 0900Z. They have been reported on FT8 on 15 and 30 meters and 20 CW. They have 8 rigs.   T31 - Central Kiribati - The Rebel DX Group announced that their T31TTT DXpedition to Kanton, Central  Kiribati, will involve two weeks of operations with a possible plan to establish a permanent remote station at the government site on T31. The main focus will be on digital modes, especially to give operators with less powerful stations a good chance to make contacts and get logged. Duplicate  QSOs are not a concern-participants are welcome to call repeatedly until their  contact is confirmed. The team will also have one CW and one SSB station  active.  The digital operation plan includes running up to 14 radios simultaneously,  with two radios per band. Multiple frequencies will be active at once, using both MSHV multistream and Super Fox modes. As traffic decreases, all stations will return to MSHV multistream operation only. https://www.qrz.com/db/T31TTT   HR – Honduras - KN2P, N7VZ and W7UM are now QRV using callsign HQ9UM until March 31.  They are on 160-10 SSB, CW and FT8 and use LoTW for QSLing.  And they have the HQ9X callsign for the CQ WPX SSB weekend.  Otherwise, they will be holiday style.  CE0Y - Easter Island - Change of plans for DJ4EL, Markus's, Easter Island Trip as his expected 3G0YE callsign will not be used. He now expects to use CE0Y/DJ4EL. Despite these licensing challenges, Markus's Starlink equipment is prepared for Club Log live streaming during the trip March 28-April 11.  9J – Zambia - DM7XX, Robert, is QRV as 9J2RO from the Fountain Gate Crafts & Trades School until March 30.   YJ – Vanuatu - VK2YUS, Chris Ayres is QRV as YJ0CA from Vanuatu until April 2, SSB only, the same gear as previously, an IC-7300 to small amplifier, and simple wire antennas, 40-10.  He says his main operating times are likely to be between 2100-1000Z.    YJ - Vanuatu - JK1JXZ, Aki, is also QRV from Vanuatu as YJ1JXZ until April 3, active on 80-6 meter bands after 5 PM (local time) on weekdays and all day on weekends.   E5/S - South Cook Islands DJ5NQ, Frank, will be operating as E51ANQ from Rarotonga, South Cook Islands, until the end of March. He will operate on CW and SSB in a holiday style operation, running 100 watts and a short G5RV antenna at 15 meters height. QSL cards can be sent via DJ5NQ, either through the Bureau or direct.  VK9/c - Cocos (Keeling) - From the Daily DX, VK9BSA on Cocos Keeling Island will be activated by Mark, VK6BSA, along with Deena, VK9DEE,  (aka VK6DEE), until May.    

TX5EU - update March 14 - We finally made it to our new TX5EU QTH on Austral Island Raivavae and started setting up antennas and equipment. So far, 5 of 9 antennas are already set up: VDAs 20m, 15m, 12m, the DX Commander, and the 40m vertical. The rest will follow tomorrow morning after sunrise (and a quick coffee...). Operation will start around 6 a.m. GMT (at our far end of the world, it is still the evening of March 13...). Watch out for our first signals! 73 from TX5EU   T31 - Central Kiribati - The Rebel DX Group say their upcoming T31TTT activity (Starting around March 25) on Kanton Island will likely be their last operation for "some considerable time," similar to their 3D2/C Conway Reef ops.  They say they are joining government officials and a ministry of fishery and environmental delegation, and note the rules there are changing soon, including likely a lockdown of access for visitors for environmental protection reasons.  We have a second update - The Rebel DX Group's upcoming T31TTT operation, scheduled to start around March 25, the update:  Preparations are complete with their ship loaded with supplies, fuel, and generators.  They are now leaving Fiji for Samoa, to be joined by seven Kiribati government officials who will part of the trip to Kanton Atoll.   HR – Honduras - KN2P, N7VZ and W7UM have gotten their callsign for their Honduras DXpedition,  from the new government and new commissioner for telecoms there.  The callsign is HQ9UM and the dates are March 24-31.  They will be on 160-10 SSB, CW and FT8 and use LoTW for QSLing.  And they have the HQ9X callsign for the CQ WPX SSB weekend.  Otherwise, they will be holiday style.  3B8 - Mauritius - G3TXF, Nigel, will participate in the RSGB Commonwealth Contest as 3B8XF on March 14-15 and continue CW activity on HF until March 25. G3WVG, Ian, now 3B8VV, will also be active on HF for a week until March 19. Both are operating from a small islet previously used by the successful 3B8M contest team.  9J – Zambia - DM7XX, Robert, will be operating as 9J2RO from the Fountain Gate Crafts & Trades School from March 16 to 30, participating in the CQ WPX SSB Contest  (March 28-29)    YJ – Vanuatu - VK2YUS, Chris Ayres, plans an operation, YJ0CA.  He will be at Port Vila March 18 to April 2, SSB only, the same gear as previously, an IC-7300 to small amplifier, and simple wire antennas, 40-10.  He says his main operating times will likely be between 2100-1000Z.  Chris logs on to paper and then has "a high quality physical card for confirmation."  Cards will be sent out air mail in  April from Australia.  Check QRZ.com for the details on QSL address, etc.  YJ - Vanuatu  JK1JXZ, Aki, will operate as YJ1JXZ from Port Vila, Vanuatu, between March 15  and April 3, active on 80-6 meter bands after 5 PM (local time) on weekdays  and all day on weekends.    FJ - St. Barthelemy –Andreas, DK6AS, is now active from St. Barts as FJ/DK6AS for the month of March. He is QRV on CW, FT4 and FT8 on 3.5 through 50 MHz, including participation in the ARRL International DX CW Contest. QSL via DK6AS either direct or via the bureau.  VP2E – Anguilla – Jack, M0PLX, SP9FIH and SQ2RAD, will be QRV from Anguilla until March 22nd. They will use the callsigns VP2ELX, VP2EWE, and VP2EAD, respectively. Their activities will cover the 160-6 meter bands, with each operator focusing on specific frequencies; Jack will concentrate on 15m, 40m, and 80m SSB. Operations will take place on SSB and CW, utilizing multiple transceivers, amplifiers, and both vertical and directional antennas. During the three-week stay, Jack also plans short sightseeing and possible radio activities from St. Maarten (FS), Saba (PJ6), and St. Barthelemy (FJ).  V5 - Namibia – Gunter, DK2WH, is currently operating as V51WH from a farm near Omaruru, Namibia, and will remain active until March 24, covering frequencies from 160 to 6 meters, including 60 meters. 

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comLet's start with on update on the 3YØK DXpedition from Bouvet Island: Bouvetøya, March 10th 2026 While the previous days weather has been good, thecurrent weather at Bouvetøya has strong winds at 25 m/s and rain and we have difficulties to walk and stand up while outdoor. The 160m antenna broke today and the 20M Yagi is also damaged and not in use. We have spare parts ready forthe antennas, but currently it is deemed unsafe to raise the Yagi in this strong wind. We will get it up as soon as the weather allows it.We currently have 6-7 stations up and running and willkeep this until the weekend. It is likely we will see a partial tear down if there is a weather window this weekend or early next week. We still plan to stay as long as possible next week, but the weather window will dictate when wemust return to vessel. We have currently logged more than 70.000 contacts, and we thank everyone for being in the pileup! - 73, 3YØK. J5 - Guinea-Bissau –As of Monday, they had made 164,500 QSOs with 31,600 different callsigns in 10.9 days of operation. (As of this writing, at 1930 UTC, the number of QSOs logged had increased to 168,085.) There are still nine days to go. They experienced a 30-minute generator outage yesterday, but“apart from that, operation is going on smoothly.” They also reported that they would be on 80M SSB, but not 160M or 60M SSB.   YJ – Vanuatu - VK2YUS, Chris Ayres, plans an operation, YJ0CA.  He will be at Port Vila March 18 to April 2, SSB only, the same gear as previously, an IC-7300 to small amplifier,and simple wire antennas, 40-10.  He says his main operating times will likely be between 2100-1000Z.  Chris logs on paper and then has "a high quality physical card for confirmation."  Cards will be sent out air mail in  April from Australia.  Check QRZ.com for the details on QSL address, etc. FJ - St. Barthelemy –Andreas, DK6AS,is now active from St. Barts as FJ/DK6AS for the month of March. He is QRV on CW, FT4 and FT8 on 3.5 through 50 MHz. VP2E – Anguilla – Jack, M0PLX, SP9FIH and SQ2RAD, will be QRV from Anguilla until March 22nd. They will use the callsigns VP2ELX, VP2EWE, and VP2EAD, respectively. Theiractivities will cover the 160-6 meter bands. ZC4 - UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus The planned (ZC4C and ZC4Z) trip to Cyprus was canceled by the travel company just 12 hours before departure, leaving the group deeply disappointed. Attempts to rebook flights were unsuccessful due to limited availability and  ongoing travel restrictions. The team, who had remained determined to travel  despite recent safety concerns, is now seeking an extension to theirlicense to reschedule for a later date. After a year of preparation, the sudden cancellation is a significant letdown. VP0/O - South Orkney Islands - Sergeant RamonAlberto Matinez, will operate as LU1DMZ/Z from the LU1ZA station at Orcadas Antarctic Base on Laurie Island, South Orkney Islands, throughout 2026. The South Orcadas Base, established in 1904, is the oldest Antarctic base. In 1927, the first all-Argentine crew led by JosÇ Moneta arrived,and the first official radiotelegraph station in Antarctica was opened.Since 1951, the Orcadas Observatory has been under the Argentine Navy as the South Orcadas Naval Detachment. QRX for more details.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.5N – Nigeria – Bodo, DF8DX, will be in Abuja, Nigeria, working at the Voice of Nigeria broadcasting station from March 1-10,. Operating under his new callsign 5N7QBR he plans to be active on the air as time allows and will participate in the ARRL DX SSB Contest. J5 - Guinea-Bissau – 124,600 QSOs and 23,800 different callsigns after 7.24 days of operation. Still 13 days to go.YJ – Vanuatu - JK1JXZ (also known as A35JK, T2JK), Aki, is QRV from Port Vila, Vanuatu as YJ1JXZ until April 3, 2026. He  will operate on the 80-6m bands, with activity after 5 p.m. Vanuatu time on weekdays and all day during weekends. The web page https://www.qrz.com/db/YJ1JXZ will beupdated  once the specific dates are confirmed. FJ - St. Barthelemy –Andreas, DK6AS, is now active from St. Barts as FJ/DK6AS for the month of March. He is QRVon CW, FT4 and FT8 on 3.5 through 50 MHz, including participation in the ARRL International DX CW Contest. QSL via DK6AS either direct or via the bureau.3B8 - Mauritius & 3B9 - Rodrigues - So far reported as 3B8G on 20, 15 and 10 CW, and the operator is VU3OPT, akaOM0GA, Suvarna.  This is a 48-day trip will end on March 30. The Rodrigues portion, callsign 3B9N, will run from April 3 to May 20.  It appears he also plans visits to Sri Lanka (4S) and Bangladesh (S2) in the second half of 2026. JD1/M - Minami Torishima – Take, JG8NQJ, will be working again on Minami Torishima as JG8NQJ/JD1 now to mid-May, operating with 50 watts and a  HB9CV style 17/15M 2-element antenna. QSL via JA8CJY.  VP2E – Anguilla – Jack, M0PLX, SP9FIH and SQ2RAD, will be QRV from Anguilla until March 22nd. They will use the callsigns VP2ELX, VP2EWE, and VP2EAD, respectively. Theiractivities will cover the 160-6 meter bands, with each operator focusing on specific frequencies; Jack will concentrate on 15m, 40m, and 80m SSB.Operations will take place on SSB and CW, utilizing multiple transceivers, amplifiers, and both vertical and directional antennas. During the three-week stay, Jack also plans short sightseeing and possible radio activities from St. Maarten (FS), Saba (PJ6), and St. Barthelemy (FJ).ZC4 - UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus - The ZC4C and ZC4Z team are scheduled to depart Edinburgh, Scotland Wednesday morning heading for Cyprus and will probably begin operations early Thursday.  VE – Canada - It's VO2LAB/VY0 from Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Nunavut  Territory, where Jim, WB2REM, is operating remotely from the VY0IRC station.  QSL via Club Log, QRZ, LOTW but no paper confirmations. V5 - Namibia – Gunter, DK2WH, is currently operating as V51WH from a farm near Omaruru, Namibia, and will remain active until March 24, covering frequencies from 160 to 6 meters, including 60 meters. FO/A - Austral Islands - "The excitement is mounting, just over a week to go until departure!" – from the TX5EU group.  A lot of the prep work is done, extensive radios, antennas, spare parts, etc., "everything has been planned in detail, tested, and packed."  The German and Dutch ops have been meeting regularly, mostly on video conferences.  On March 11, the six ops from Germany and The Netherlands will meet at the airport in Paris and fly to San Francisco and onward to the Austral Islands.  They expect to be on the air March 13, with operations  continuing to March 25.  

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comTo say that the world has been waiting on this would be an understatement. We have an update on the Bouvet DXpedition, 3Y0K - They have left Cape Town!The 3YØK team has departed Cape Town aboard the Danish registered vessel Argus from Icetugs, beginning the 1,500‑nautical‑mile transit to Bouvetøya. Argus completed scheduled maintenance and survey work prior to her arrival in Cape Town, ensuring full readiness for the voyage. Earlier this week, the expedition helicopter was loaded, inspected, and secured on deck. Both the vessel and the aircraft have successfully passed all required inspections. We appreciate the strong commitment demonstrated by the pilots, mechanics, expedition guides, and vessel crew as we move forward together as one team to make this a successful expedition. The captain and crew are performing excellently, and the team is enjoying good meals prepared by the ship's chef. Despite encountering rough seas during the first day at sea, preparations continue onboard as we expect to arrive atBouvetøya on February 26th at 08:00 local time. We extend our sincere thanks to all contributors for your continued support! 73, 3YØK Team  5N – Nigeria – Bodo, DF8DX, will be in Abuja, Nigeria, working at the Voice of Nigeria broadcasting station from March 1-10,. Operating under his new callsign 5N7QBR he plans to be active on the air as time allows and will participate in the ARRL DX SSB Contest. Using 100 watts and possibly Voice of Nigeria's large curtain antenna (about 19dB gain), he will operate CW, SSB, and FT8 on 10-80m bands. QSLs are accepted via LoTW, direct, bureau, or OQRS after the activity. For more information, see his QRZ.com profiles for 5N0OCH and 5N7Q.9G – Ghana – Arno, DL1CW, is QRV until March 3rd. He ismostly on CW with some RTTY possible through March 3. He is running 100 atts to a dipole and plans to be active on 3.5 through 50 MHz. QSL via LoTW and via the bureau to DL1CW. J5 - Guinea-Bissau – We have over 25.000 QSOs in the log after the first 24 hours of operation. We already logged more than 5.000 QSOs in CW. Only some 100+ SSB QSOs yet. Manymore CW and SSB to come in the coming days, don't worry... We have an Update on KP5/NP3VI, Desecheo Island- Asreported last week, KP5/NP3VI, the Desecheo Island DXpedition, has been extended to March 3. As of February 25th, they had exceeded 97,000 QSO milestone, “all generated using our fully solar-powered, unattended RemoteDeployment Unit.”  FJ - St. Barthelemy – On February 12, Andreas, DK6AS, began his February/March 2026 FJ/DK6AS operation from St. Barts. He'll be QRV on CW, FT4 and CT8 on 3.5 through 50 MHz,including participation in the ARRL International DX CW Contest. QSL via DK6AS either direct or via the bureau. This week, the DX Mentor YouTube episode will feature Hal, W8HC. Hal will be discussing the 9U1RU DXpedition that logged almost 180,000 QSOs. Give it a watch and let me know what you think.Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week!

Víte, co znamená zkratka QSL? Radioamatéři vědí, že jde o potvrzení příjmu. Když posluchač krátkovlnné stanici napíše, že slyšel její vysílání, a přidá podrobnosti o místě poslechu i kvalitě signálu, dostane jako poděkování pohlednici zvanou QSL karta. Tyto karty se staly fenoménem spojeným se zahraničním vysíláním. Vydává je i Radio Prague International, které letos slaví 90. let a k výročí připravuje speciální edici.

Víte, co znamená zkratka QSL? Radioamatéři vědí, že jde o potvrzení příjmu. Když posluchač krátkovlnné stanici napíše, že slyšel její vysílání, a přidá podrobnosti o místě poslechu i kvalitě signálu, dostane jako poděkování pohlednici zvanou QSL karta. Tyto karty se staly fenoménem spojeným se zahraničním vysíláním. Vydává je i Radio Prague International, které letos slaví 90. let a k výročí připravuje speciální edici.Všechny díly podcastu Zápisník zahraničních zpravodajů můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com5X - Uganda – Richard, HB9FHV,is currently in Uganda for a brief visit with basic radio equipment until February 28, 2026. He plans limited activity as 5X4TA almost daily on the 10, 15, and 20 meter bands between 1500Z and 1600Z.  TZ - Mali - Ulmar, DK1CE, should be QRV as TZ1CE until March 1.  He will be doing mostly FT8 and SSB and says when he's on FT8 he gives stations outside Europe precedent at alltimes.  He plans special attention to 160M FT8, 80M FT8 and 6M and will update daily on Club Log, the LoTW log will be after the operation. FJ - St. Barthelemy – On February 12, Andreas, DK6AS, began his February/March 2026 FJ/DK6AS operation from St. Barts. He'll be QRV on CW, FT4 and CT8 on 3.5 through 50 MHz, including participation in the ARRL International DX CW Contest. QSL via DK6AS either direct or via the bureau.VP5 - Turks and Caicos Islands - The Russell family (WD5JR, N5VOF and KJ5CMP) are in the Turks and Caicos Islands until February 23. They have an IC-7300 and KX2 running 5 to 100 watts into a 17 foot whip with coil and EFHW. They are active as VP5/HC on 7 through 50 MHz on SSB and CW. They areuploading videos to their YouTube channel Radio Roamers and Facebook page Radio Roamers.  QSL via their home calls with SASE.  J5 - Guinea-Bissau - The J51A DXpedition team, heading for Bijagos Archipelago (AF-020) in the February-March time frame giving the following update.  "J51A on QO-100: We were asked to be active on QO-100 satellite, too. We learnt that J5 has NEVER been active on QO-100 before.So, we decided to give it a try for a lot of ATNO contacts on SSB, CW and FT8. However, none of us has operated over  satellite before. Please bear with us if we do something stupid or unexpected. Just let us know by E-Mail ( j51a@gmx.de ) and we'llfix any misbehavior  A.S.A.P. Technically; we will use 50 MHz as the IF band. It means that we  cannot do 50 MHz when on QO-100, and vice versa. QO-100 operation will start a  couple of days after the other bands. Please watch the "News" sectionon  www.qrz.com/db/J51A for more info." OX – Greenland - From February 17th to March 9th, 2026, Bo, OZ1DJJ, will be active as OX3LX from Aasiaat City/Island (GP38NQ, NA-134) during this period. Please note, this is nota DXpedition but rather a business trip, so activity may be limited. 8Q - Maldives – Alex, OE5AUH, is planning a holiday operation as 8Q7AH from Rasdhoo Atoll March 1-10.  RI1F - Franz Jozef Land - The Russian DX Team is preparing a major DXpedition to Franz Josef Land (RI1FJL), The Arctic Ocean archipelago, ranked 44th globally and 26th in North America. The operation will feature at least five high-power radio stations running continuously on all HF bands for 15 days in September 2026, aiming to contact as many stations as possible, including those in distant areas.The total budget for this trip is close to $80,000, making it their most expensive expedition yet, and financial support from DX clubs and individuals is crucial for its success. Donations are encouraged and can be made through the team's website - https://www.rudxt.org/ri1fjl or directlyvia PayPal un7jid@mail.ru. In addition to the previously mentioned KP5/NP3VI interview, the DX Mentor podcast will be with Hal, W8HC. Hal will bediscussing the 9U1RU DXpedition that logged almost 180,000 QSOs. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

We have two operations from J5 - Guinea-BissauFirst - DA1DX, Ben, the organizer of the J51A DXpedition to Guinea-Bissau in February/March 2026, shares several updates. The ARRL has approved the J51A license for DXCC, and the LoTW certificate has been received. After clarifying frequency and mode permissions with the national authority and confirming alignment with IARU Region 1 Band Plans, all standard bands and modes-including 160m, 60m, WARC bands, and 50 MHz-are confirmed valid for DXCC, IOTA, and other awards. The DXpedition is entirely privately funded, with RF-POWER lending five amplifiers and all other equipment privately owned. Ben invites donations via Club Log OQRS and provides a link for more information. https://www.qrz.com/db/J51A Secondly, J52EC is on until February 28th by operator IZ3BUR, Livio. He has an IC-7410, 100 watts, to a 3-element Yagi on 20, 15 and 10.TL - Central African Republic & TT – Chad - TJ1GD, Darek, has established permanent amateur radio stations in the Central African Republic and in Chad, which are maintained locally. These stations (TL8GD and TT1GD), licensed to Darek, operate periodically-often remotely using FT8, CW, and SSB. QSL confirmations are available via LoTW and Club Log.KP5/NP3VI, Desecheo Island - KP5/NP3VI is now 2 weeks into its planned 30-day operation. Their latest published statistics are as follows: Over 55,000 QSOs are in the log, with 91.1 percent of the QSOs with North American and Europe. CN - Morocco - F6FYD, Yannick, expects to return to Morocco next week. In early March he also has plans to go to Mogador Island (AF-065), Agadir, and El Jadida and has the callsign CN2YD.FG – Guadeloupe - TF1OL, Olafur, will be live from Guadeloupe starting Wednesday next week for approximately seven days. No word on what callsign he will be using. Following the stay in Guadeloupe, plans to visit other islands are pending permission to operate.TZ - Mali - The next TZ1CE by DK1CE, Ulmar, is February 10 to March 1. He will be doing mostly FT8 and SSB and says when he's on FT8 he gives stations outside Europe precedent at all times. He plans special attention to 160M FT8, 80M FT8 and 6M and will update daily on Club Log, the LoTW log will be after the operation, and in Mali 60M operation is not allowed.FG - Guadeloupe - FG/F6HMQ, Tildas, and FG/F6GWV, Mike, are there for another week or so, with a pair of IC-7300 radios, to vertical wires. "Holiday style," they are 60-10M SSB, FT4 and FT8. LoTW confirmations will be available within a few days. YU – Serbia - This year is the 170th anniversary of Nikola Tesla's birth. Stations in the Amateur Radio Union of Serbia are authorized to use callsign YT170TESLA through the end of this year.XU - Cambodia - DL7BO, Tom, will once again be QRV as XU7O from February 7-21, reports DX News.S9 - Sao Tome & Principe – S53BV is QRV as S9BV until February 20, holiday style "from a quiet location," Borut, will be on with an IC-7000 to verticals and dipoles. He plans to be on 60, 40, 30 and 15 CW and SSB. On 30, 40 and 60M CW, target frequencies are 10110, 7005 and 5351.5. Direct QSLs will be answered when he's back home. Club Log OQRS will be available, with limited internet access while there and "postal challenges." He will apparently give special instructions later.Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week!

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comV4 - St. Kitts - The 425 DX News reports that V47JA by W5JON is QRV from the island until February 3, SSB andFT8 on HF.  QSL direct to W5JON, or  use Logbook of the World. TL - Central African Republic & TT –Chad - TJ1GD, Darek, has established permanent amateur radio stations in the Central African Republic and in Chad, which are maintained locally. These stations (TL8GD and TT1GD), licensed to Darek, operate periodically-often remotely using FT8, CW, and SSB. QSL confirmations are available via LoTW and Club Log.J5 - Guinea-Bissau – Livio, IZ3BUR, is once again QRV as J52EC starting January 24. He has been reported on SSB on 10 and 15 meters. Numerous sources report he is there until March. QSL direct only via IZ3BUR. C2 - Nauru – Phil, FK1TS, is back on Nauru Island and expects to be active as C21TS on FT8 by the weekend, after setting up his vertical antenna. He will operate until July 2026, and Club Log Livestream will indicate when he is on the air. KP5/NP3VI, Desecheo Island - KP5/NP3VI is now 2 weeks into its planned 30-day operation. Their latest published statistics are as follows: 29,418 QSOs with 8,291 unique callsigns; ATNO for 1,66 stations. Six continents are represented in the log, with 91.1 percent of the QSOs with North American and Europe. However, North America contacts continue to decrease in percentage as they increase activity with other regions.  C5 - The Gambia - C5SP, Przemyslaw and C5MB, Magdalena are QRV from Sanyang, Gambia (Grid Square IK13pf) until March 2026. QSL cards are available via SP3PS Direct, but not through LoTW.H4 - Solomon Islands - DL2GAC, Bernhard now in the Solomon Islands as H44MS until mid-May.  He departed India last Wednesday, arriving in the Solomons' capital on Friday.  He is renewing his H44MS license, which was scheduled to expire in early February.  He will move to his "usual QTH" there tomorrow or Wednesday.  He has taken with him a Hexbeam that covers 20-6, to replace his old tri-bander that covered 20-10.  He says the weather is poor, lots of rain, no sunshine.  He plans to mostly be on 40M this time, with a dipole 20M high in a palm tree near the ocean.

Guerra abierta entre el presidente Pavel y el ministro de Exteriores Macinka, el conflicto nunca visto. Científicos checos brindan su aporte para poner fin a las pruebas médicas con animales. Radio Praga Internacional cumple 90 años y lo festeja con una nueva serie de tarjetas QSL.

Czech foreign policy at a crossroads, Radio Prague International's 90th anniversary QSL cards, The Last Peasant War with historian Jakub Beneš

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.I mentioned previously that I would be addressing two issues, as I do at the beginning of each year. The first is my goals for 2026. We accomplished that last week. The second issue was to share those contests that I have participated in over the years. I have found them to be excellent opportunities to improve your skills, garner you some new band slots and potentially some ATNOS. The dates that I am referring to include the State QSO Parties, international DX contests, and regional DX contests. I have worked many normally difficult entities during contests and found it very easy (sometimes) to get them in the log. I have about 90 dates that I would suggest that you keep in mind. However, you don't need to write them down. I have created two items to make it easy for you. There is a list of dates andcontests in both .pdf and Excel format. Both files can be found at www.aj8b.com/files. Let me know if you have any questions. If you are somewhat skilled with Excel, you can create a CSV file from the Excel workbook and import it in to your personal calendar.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comKP5/NP3VI, Desecheo Island, makes history  - At its four-day mark, KP5/NP3VI has made over 10,000 QSOs on all continents. Their goal is to make over 100,000 QSOsduring their 30 days on the air. J5 - Guinea-Bissau - Bavarian Contest Club members will be operating J51A from Guinea-Bissau in February/March 2026. The location is on the island's northern shore with an unobstructed view over water, using generator power 24/7 due to lack of public electricity. Their  main goal is to provide contacts from Guinea-Bissau, which is ranked as number  85 worldwide, and number 53 in Asia. QSL cards and LoTW confirmations will be managed through Club Log OQRS, and donations are welcome via Club Log.H4 - Solomon Islands - DL2GAC, Bernhard now in the Solomon Islands as H44MS until mid-May.  He departed India last Wednesday, arriving in the Solomons' capital on Friday.  He is renewing his H44MS license, which was scheduled to expire in early February.  He will move to his "usual QTH" there tomorrow or Wednesday.  He has taken with him a Hexbeam that covers 20-6, to replace his old tri-bander that covered 20-10.  He says the weather is poor, lots of rain, no sunshine.  He plans to mostly be on 40M this time, with a dipole 20M high in a palm tree near the ocean. V6 - Federated States of Micronesia - Yesterday afterarriving on Chuuk (OC-011), JA1XGI (Haru) reports his amplifier was likely damaged during airport transport. Nevertheless, he has been active as V6CU25, operating FT8 and CW on 160, 40, 30, 20, and 15 meters. S21WD – Bangladesh 2026: Project Update - The NextGeneration DX Club is pleased to announce a major milestone for its upcoming Bangladesh DXpedition: the callsign S21WD has been officially issued for the project. The DXpedition will be active for 12 days and operate on 160 through 10 meters, including 5 MHz (60 m), using CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8. In addition, activity via the QO-100 satellite is planned using CW, SSB, and FT4. I mentioned that the KP5 DXpedition to Desecheo was racking up record numbers and they were working all continents. If you would like to learn more about this DXpedition, check out the DX Mentor podcast and YouTube channel. AJ8B and W8GEX had a great discussion with team leader, Otis, NP4G, about all aspects of the DesecheoDXpedition. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!  Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. IHope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week! 

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comKP5 - Desecheo Island – On Monday, KP5/NP3VI began operations from Desecheo Island, the first time KP5 has been on the air since 2009. NP4G, Otis, and several other team members were on the island setting up the antennas, stations and solar panels. We have an update from the KP5 team - Desecheo DXpedition 2026 Update“Please be patient—this is only Day Two of a planned 30-day activation. This DXpedition represents a completely new operating concept designed specifically for environmentally sensitive, highly regulated, and restricted locations. As with any first-of-its-kind effort, refinements are ongoing. Our team leaders, along with electrical and software engineers, are actively fine-tuning operating schedules, band and mode selection, RF power levels, and overall system performance to optimize results as conditions evolve. Due to Desecheo's geographic location, North American stations are currently dominating propagation. That said, our operators have been explicitly instructed to listen for DX stations and to give them priority whenever possible in order to broaden log coverage. We ask for your patience as we work through the pileups and strive to put as many stations as possible into the log.A primary goal of this DXpedition is to deliver as many ATNOs as we can worldwide. Thank you for your understanding, your support, and your cooperation.Good luck in the pileups—and we'll see you in the log!73,Steve N2AJMedia Officer & PilotDesecheo DXpedition 20265H - Tanzania - Dr. Charles, NK8O, is QRV from Tanzania as 5H3DX until February 9 with limited radio activity due to other commitments. He plans to operate mainly 20 to 10 meters, possibly 6 meters if conditions allow, using simple antennas. A more extensive operation is expected in April, and he is exploring remote operation, though limited Internet access is currently a challenge.VP0/H - South Shetland Islands - LZ0A (LZ1AAW), Ivo, continues his activity from the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island. He is QRV in his spare time and has been reported on FT8 on 20 and 15 meters. QSL via LZ1KDP.3X, Guinea - Herman, YB3GIH, is QRV from Boff as 3X/YB3GIH and plans to remain there until about June while working on a contract. His station setup includes an ICOM IC-718 at 100W and a homebrew vertical antenna. He is operating on 20 and 15M SSB. QSL options are eQSL, Club Log, and LoTW.TY - Benin - Gerard's, F5NVF, flight to Benin was delayed by snow in Paris, but he plans to be active on CW as TY5GG later this week where he is scheduled until April 6.PJ2 - Curacao – Jeff, K8ND, operating as PJ2ND, is QRV in Curaáao and will stay until January 30. He will participate in the CQWW 160 Meter CW Contest as PJ2T later in the month and will be active on the bands as PJ2ND until then. QSL for PJ2ND goes via K8ND or Logbook of the World, and for PJ2T via KU9C or Logbook of the World.6W – Senegal – Rudi, 6W/DB1RUL, is QRV and will continue to January 20. He plans to upload the log to LoTW. Other routes are the bureau to his home callsign, or direct with 2 USD. 4S - Sri Lanka – Peter, 4S7KKG, says everything is the same as in previous years. "I'll be here in 4S until the end of March!" His other call is DC0KK. QSL direct or bureau through Club Log OQRS or, he calls it "direct-direct," with SASE and 2 USD to his German home QTH. Until next week, this is Bill, AJ8B saying 73 and thanks to my XYL Karen for her love and support. I Hope to hear you in the pileups! Have a great DX week!

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comVP2V - British Virgin Islands - W5GI, Jonathan,has returned to Anegada Island in the British Virgin Islands and is QRV as VP2V/W5GI until January 20th. He is hopeful to work 1000 stations from POTA VG-0021. Listen for him on SSB and FT8 from both the park and his living QTH. He will be mainly on 20 meters but can also operate on 40, 17, 15, 12and 10 meters.ZD7 - St. Helena Island - AC1GQ, Casey,will be on St. Helena Island from January 10-24. He plans to operate with a QRP rig (QMX from QRP Labs) and an end-fed antenna (QRP Guys) on the 40m and 20m bands, if possible. Casey  will bring a copy of his home amateur radio license and is seeking advice on applying for a ZD7 license.  This one is right around the corner. “In collaboration with the Vieques Island Amateur Radio Club (NP3VI) and theManyana DXFoundation, we are proud to announce KP5/NP3VI, a landmark DXpedition to Desecheo Island (KP5), currently ranked by Club Log as the 14th most wantedDXCC entity worldwide. Located approximately 13 miles off the west coast of Puerto Rico, Desecheo Island has not been activated since 2009. This operation represents the first Puerto Rican-led DXpedition to Desecheo in 48 years,following the historic KP4AM/D activation in 1978. The primary mission of this DXpedition is to provide an All-Time New One (ATNO) to as many amateur radio operators worldwide as possible. Operators from Puerto Rico and international locations will participate to maximize coverage, band availability, and global accessibility. To ensure continuous, global on-air presence, two self-sustainedRemote Deployable Units (RDUs) provided by the Manyana DXFoundation will be deployed on the island. These stations will operate 24 hours per day for 30 consecutive days,utilizing state-of-the-art remote operating infrastructure from Remote Ham Radio (RHR). Operations will be livestreamed, and there will be real-time activityupdates via Club Log. NP4G, Dr. Otis Vicens, is DXpedition leader, and N2AJ, Stephen Hass, is media officer and pilot. DK6SP, Philipp, and DJ4MX, Sven, have announced the next adventure of the Next Generation DX Club. “This time, ouryoung and ambitious team will travel to the People's Republic of Bangladesh, better known as S2 to the amateur radio community…After bringing you 8R7X, Guyana in 2024 and V73WW, Marshall Islands last year, we are ready to make waves from one  Asia's most exciting and under-activated locations.” More information about callsign, dates, andoperators will follow. XU - Cambodia - DL7BO, Tom, who is QRV until January 18, is using the callsign XU7O. He will be active on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8, with a focus on the lower bands. QSLinformation remains direct to DJ4WK, or via LoTW, Club Log, or eQSL. FY - French Guiana - F4GPK, Peter, is QRV as TO2FY until January 15 from Kourou. C5YK, The Gambia – Andre, ON7YK, is QRV from The Gambia as C5YK until January 25. He is operating on SSB, RTTY, PSK,FT8, FT4, and some CW on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10M. QSL only via LoTW, eQSL, or direct to ON7YK. He posts his logbook on his website.   Z6 – Kosovo - HB9TSW, Gab, isQRV as Z68BG from Slatina Air Base, Kosovo, until January 28 using CW only. For direct QSL, send an SAE  with 3 green stamps via HB9TSW.

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.comLZØA, South Shetland Islands - LZ1AAW, Ivo, is onhis way to the South Shetland Islands where he will be working during the 34thBulgarian Antarctic expedition. He plans to be QRV in his spare time as LZØA. The dates are from December 28 to February 16, plus or minus two days. Ivo expects to be on 20M, and possibly other bands, on SSB and FT8/FT4. Theactivation is registered under IOTA reference AN-010 and WAP reference WAP BUL-01, and falls within CQ Zone 13, ITU Zone 73, and the DXCC entity VP8, LU -South Shetland Islands (#67 on the Club Log DXCC Most Wanted list). CE0X - San Felix and San Ambrosio - Felipe, XQ7IR, ispreparing for his upcoming 3G0XQ DXpedition to San Ambrosio, scheduled from January 12 to February 15.  He recently drove 14 hours to the Port of Valparaiso to oversee his equipment being shipped to Juan Fernandez.  Once all necessary paperwork is completed, Felipe and his gear will continue on to San Ambrosio by charter vessel in the coming weeks. This update is courtesy of DX World. XU - Cambodia - DL7BO, Tom, who is QRV until January 18, is using the callsign XU7O. He will be active on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8, with a focus on the lower bands. QSL information remains direct to DJ4WK, or via LoTW, Club Log, or eQSL. FO - French Polynesia - FO/JI1JKW is QRVuntil January 6 from Tikehau and Tuamotu islands.  The band plan is to operate 7, 14, 18, 21, 24, 28 and 50, and SSB, CW and FT8.  QSL to his home QTH or use LoTW. FY - French Guiana - F4GPK, Peter, is QRV as TO2FY until January 15 from Kourou. C5YK, The Gambia – Andre, ON7YK, is QRVfrom The Gambia as C5YK until January 25. He is operating on SSB, RTTY, PSK, FT8, FT4, and some CW on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10M. QSL only via LoTW, eQSL, or direct to ON7YK. He posts his logbook on his website.   VP8 - South Shetland Islands - LZ1AAW, Ivo, is heading to the Bulgarian Antarctic Base "St. Kliment Ohridski" on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands (IOTA AN-010). He plans tooperate as LZ0A during his free time from late December 2025 to mid-February 2026. The base, located at 62¯38'S, 60¯21'W in the eastern part of Livingston Island, has been permanently staffed since December 11, 1993. 5Z – Kenya- Not an expedition but on the air casually, "holiday style," will be OZ6ABL/5Z4, Michael Johansen, January 15-28.  He says he will try to get on the air as much as possible.  It is his 14th trip to Kenya but the first time taking a radio along. Michael will be on 80-6 but did not get permission for60.  QSL to his home call, OZ6ABL, and LoTW and Club Log will also work. Z3 - Republic of North Macedonia - The specialevent callsign Z380CEF is being used to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Ham Radio Club "STEVO PATAKOT" in Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia. The club, formerly known as YU5CEF and currently Z37CEF, has been active since 1946. Operations will continue until December 31, 2026. XT - Burkina Faso – Max, DK1MAX, will be in Burkina Faso from January 4th to January 11th, 2026, operating as XT2MAX. He plans to use an IC-7300 rig with up to 100W of power, working mostly on 20m to 6m bands, and possibly lower bands if conditions allow. Modes will include CW, SSB, and FTx (MSHV, no F/H). QSLs will be handled via EA5GL and Club Log, with daily free LoTW uploads. 

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for yourweekly Dose of DX. I'm Bill, AJ8B. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com LZØA, South Shetland Islands - LZ1AAW, Ivo, is onhis way to the South Shetland Islands where he will be working during the 34th Bulgarian Antarctic expedition. He plans to be QRV in his spare time as LZØA. The dates are from December 28 to February 16, plus or minus two days. Ivoexpects to be on 20M, and possibly other bands, on SSB and FT8/FT4. This initiative continues the long-standing tradition of Bulgarian presence and activity in Antarctica.  XU - Cambodia – DL7BO, Tom, will be on the air as XU7GNY, December 22 to January 18.  Tom will be on 160-6 CW, SSB and FT8, concentrating on the lower bands.  QSL direct to DJ4WK or use LoTW, Club Log or eQSL. 4K – Azerbaijan – 4K/DL4XT, Jan, will on 40 and 20-10M SSB, CW and FT8 December 26 to January 3.  He will be on the air casually, aka "holiday style."  For a QSL it's LoTW, Club Log OQRS and QRZ. TL - Central African Republic -  CR7BNW, João Salvador Correia, is set for his six-month TL8BNW operation in Bangui. His first activity has already begun using SSB and FT8 on 40, 20, 15, and 10M. QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW, QRZ Logbook, and via the Portuguese QSL bureau.FY - French Guiana - F4GPK, Peter, will be on as TO2FY December 22 to January 15 from  Kourou. C5YK, The Gambia – Andre, ON7YK, is QRV from The Gambia until January 25. He is operating as C5YK on SSB, RTTY, PSK,FT8, FT4, and some CW on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10M. QSL only via LoTW, eQSL, or direct to ON7YK. He posts his logbook on his website.   VP8 - South Shetland Islands - LZ1AAW, Ivo, isheading to the Bulgarian Antarctic Base "St. Kliment Ohridski"on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands (IOTA AN-010). He plans to operate as LZ0A during his free time from late December 2025 to mid-February 2026. The base, located at 62¯38'S, 60¯21'W in the eastern part of Livingston Island, has been permanently staffed since December 11, 1993. Darren, K4DMN will be active in ‘holiday-style' from December 23 until January 1 from St. George Island, NA-085. Activity from 80 to 10 metres using mainly FT8. Side trip to Dog Island and St Vincent is possible. QSL via LoTW, Club Log.TG, GUATEMALA -   Todd, AF4CZ, will once again be operating as TG9/call from December 7 until January 5, 2026. Operation during his spare time from 40 to 10 metres using mainly FT8 and FT4. QSL via LoTW.3A, MONACO -  Col MM0NDX and Steve MM0SAJ will once again be QRV as 3A/MM0NDX and 3A/MM0SAJ during December 30 and January 3. QRV on various bands and modes. Main focus on low bands in their evenings. QSL both calls to EB7DX (LoTW also).D4 - Cape Verde Islands – Beni, HB9HNT, will operate under the call sign D4NT until January 1, 2026. OX - Greenland - Michael,call sign OX3MC, operates out of Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland. His upcoming assignment runs from December 29, 2025, to February 25, 2026. Michael is most active on weekends starting around 0400Z and sometimes works radio in the evenings after 2100Z. Michael works HF SSB (160-10 meters). QSL is via the Danish OZ Bureau, and he does not use electronic  logging.  4K - Azerbaijan - The 4K0T DX-Pedition and Contest Team, with the Azerbaijan Radio Amateurs Society (ARAS), will conduct the first Parks on the Air (POTA) activation from Shahdagh National Park (AZ-0006) in Azerbaijan. The event takes place from December 29 to 31, 2025, on the 17-meter band (SSB) from grid square LN41CH.

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How's DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, justdrop me a note at thedxmentor@gmail.com First, the bad news S2 – Bangladesh - S21AM and S21RCsay their planned IOTA AS-127 operation has been postponed until sometime next year.  Cited are logistical challenges  and operational constraints in the region and "adequateresource availability concerns." Now, the Good News U.S. amateurs to receive expanded 60-meter privileges - TheU.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authorized expanded use of the 60-meter band for U.S. amateur radio operators, following rules adopted at the World Radiotelecommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15). The new regulations, including a 15-watt effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) power limit (not effective radiated power, or ERP), will take effect 30 days after they are published in the Federal Register. Use of this band remains on a secondary basis. The full FCC Report and Order is available online, and ARRL provides more details on its website.  XU - Cambodia – DL7BO, Tom, will be on the air as XU7GNY, December 22 to January 18.  Tom will be on 160-6 CW, SSB and FT8, concentrating on the lower bands.  QSL direct to DJ4WK or use LoTW, Club Log or eQSL. 4K – Azerbaijan – 4K/DL4XT,Jan, will on 40 and 20-10M SSB, CW and FT8 December 26 to January 3.  He will be on the air casually, aka "holiday style."  For a QSL it's LoTW, Club Log OQRS and QRZ. A6 - United Arab Emirates – A60QATAR will be December 18-22 to join in Qatar's celebration.  Some Individual ops in UAE may use that call and add /1, /2, and similar. TL - Central African Republic -  CT1END, Carlos, reminds us CR7BNW, Joao, will be operating as  TL8BNW from Bangui, Central African Republic, for six months starting in December 2025. His first activity will take place from December 20-25, 2025, using SSB and FT8 on 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW, QRZLogbook, and via the Portuguese QSL bureau.FY - French Guiana - F4GPK, Peter, will be on as TO2FY December 22 to January 15 from Kourou. TG – Guatemala - TG9/AF4CZ willbe on the air "holiday style," December 7 to January 5, mostly digital modes on 40-10.  He will upload his log to LoTW, eQSL and Club Log. Z8 - South Sudan - YI1DZ (akaZ81D), Diya's, contract with UN-WFP in South Sudan runs until March 10, 2026, with a possible 11-month extension pending approval. Due to frequent travel and a rotating work schedulethat includes leave every six weeks, radio activity is limited tofree time, mostly on weekends. The author is currently in Istanbul and will return to Juba on December 15 and could be very active as Z81D the following weekend.C5YK, The Gambia – Andre, ON7YK, is QRV from The Gambia until January 25. He is operating as C5YK on SSB, RTTY, PSK, FT8, FT4, and some CW on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10M. QSL only via LoTW, eQSL, or direct to ON7YK. He posts his logbook on his website.  “may be a little unreliable.” Manual log upload will be every several days. Borut says to not send cards through the bureau “as they will not find my home.” He will send direct cards once he is home in Slovenia, “via OQRS only.”  OQRS.   YU – Serbia - In celebration of IARU Region 1 Young Radio Operators Month, Serbian amateurs may use the special callsigns YT25YOTA and YU25YOTA throughout December 2025.

01. CCSDS Competition 02. Dying Satellite 03. Boeing Next Starliner 04. TUBIN Re-entry 05. TUBIN Re-entry QSL cards 06. SkyRoof 07. Zenith web based tracking 08. CubeSat Simulator budget version 09. WRC-25 10. Chinese astronauts onboard Tiangong 11. Below are recurring links that normally do not change 12. AMSAT Awards 13. Donate to AMSAT 14. FO-29 Schedule 15. FO-99 Schedule 16. AMSAT Keps Link 17. AMSAT Distance Records 18. AMSAT Membership 19. AMSAT President Club 20. Satellite Status Page 21. Satellite Status Page 2 22. FM Satellite Frequencies 23. Linear Satellite Frequencies 24. ISS pass prediction times 25. AMSAT Ambassador Program 26. AMSAT News Service 27. AMSAT GOLF Program 28. AMSAT Hardware Store 29. AMSAT Gear on Zazzle 30. AMSAT Remove Before Flight Keychains 31. AMSAT on X (Twitter) 32. and more.

Here is what will be QRV this week:TG – Guatemala - TG9/AF4CZ will be on the air "holiday style," December 7 to January 5, mostly digital modes on 40-10.  He will upload his log to LoTW, eQSL and Club Log. Z8 - South Sudan - YI1DZ (aka Z81D), Diya's, contract with UN-WFP in South Sudan runs until March 10, 2026, with a possible 11-month extension pending approval. Due to frequent travel and a rotating work schedule that includes leave every six weeks, radio activity is limited to free time, mostly on weekends. The author is currently in Istanbul and will return to Juba on December 15 and could be very active as Z81D the following weekend. We have a new prefix from Trinidad and Tobago. WA3DX,Earl Markey, will be on as 9Y9DX from Arouca December 17-29, 40-10M FT8 and FT4. This is the first known issuance of the 9Y prefix. Earl says to QSL direct only to WA3DX or use LoTW. U.S. stations who want direct QSLs should include a self-addressed stamped envelope. He will also upload his log to Club Log.  C5YK, The Gambia – Andre, ON7YK, is QRV from The Gambia until January 25. He is operating as C5YK on SSB, RTTY, PSK,FT8, FT4, and some CW on 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10M. QSL only via LoTW, eQSL, or direct to ON7YK. He posts his logbook on his website.   4X – Israel - 425 DX News reports that as part of celebrating Hanukkah, the Israel Association of Radio Communications will have special callsigns 4X8NER and 4Z8NER on the air December 14-22.  QSL using LoTW or direct to 4Z5MU, and there will be an online certificate as well.  VK - Australia - From now until December 24, VK2SANTA will be on the air,  allowing children and others to talk to the North Pole on various radio frequencies. Updated times and frequencies are available online at https://www.qrz.com/db/VK2SANTA T8 - Palau - Koh, JA1ADT plans to be active from Palau as T88AC until December 17, 2025. Participation in the ARRL 10m contest. Focus on low bands before / after the contest. QSL via LoTW. Paper QSL will be available if needed – send with enough return postage.  The DX Mentor features a new YouTube episode this coming weekend – a discussion with Joe, W8GEX, offering Tips and Hints for DXers to get more into the logbook.  Between Joe, and AJ8B, the host, they have almost 100 years of chasing DX. Check it out and let me know what you think!  If you want to follow all the latest DX Podcasts and YouTube releases, you should check out the DX Mentor Facebook page and subscribe to be kept up to date on all of the DX activities.