Week 41, 2026: the week in amateur radio
5 Oct – 11 Oct · 48 stories · Mon · Tue · Wed
Manufacturers & gear
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13 Years Running: Icom Takes Top VHF Honor Again with the IC-M510 EVO
Icom America reports that the IC-M510 EVO marine VHF transceiver has again taken a top VHF honor, marking 13 years in a row for the company.
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Take Part in the D-STAR QSO Party 2026
Icom and JARL authorise an international D-STAR on-air event running over the year-end holidays, from 27 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 UTC. Operators worldwide can make D-STAR contacts throughout the period.
Societies & IARU
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STÓRU SÝNINGARNAR ÞRJÁR 2027.
The Three Big Ham Shows in 2027
The Icelandic society lists dates for the three big 2027 ham shows: Dayton Hamvention on 21–23 May, Ham Radio Friedrichshafen on 25–27 June, and Tokyo Ham Fair on 27–29 August. It suggests booking travel early.
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Collectieve abonnementen en tijdschriften 2027
Collective subscriptions and magazines 2027
VERON members can order collective subscriptions to foreign amateur radio magazines for 2027 through the society's webshop. Titles include QST, Funkamateur and RadCom. The service is open only to VERON members.
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Bendigo RadioFest This Sunday: Hamfest, Community and a Special Look at “Operation Breakout”
The Wireless Institute of Australia previews the Bendigo RadioFest, a hamfest running this Sunday. The event also features a presentation on Operation Breakout.
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Регламент Експериментального Кубку України з цифрового радіозв’язку на КХ малою потужністю «Кубок Незламності»
Rules of the Experimental Ukrainian Low-Power HF Digital Cup "Cup of Indomitability"
UARL publishes the rules for an experimental Ukrainian low-power HF digital contest, the Cup of Indomitability. It runs on 1 November 2026 using FT8, with a 40 m session at 11:00 UTC and an 80 m session at 17:00 UTC, each lasting one hour.
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POLJANA FM CONTEST 2026.
Poljana FM Contest 2026
The Croatian society announces that the Poljana FM Contest takes place on 18 October 2026, during the 9A Activity Contest. Logs go to the organizers in EDI format, and rules match the 2025 edition.
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Vorstand im Dialog mit den Mitgliedern
Board in Dialogue with Members
DARC members can put questions to the board in an online session on 15 October at 19:30. Access is through the calendar entry on Treff.DARC.
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AMSAT-Symposium 2026 startet in Jacksonville (USA)
AMSAT Symposium 2026 Starts in Jacksonville (USA)
The 44th AMSAT Space Symposium and Annual General Meeting runs 8 to 11 October in Jacksonville, Florida, with talks streamed live. Topics include CubeSatSim, ARISS, FUNcube+, Jovian-1 and 25 years of ISS amateur operation.
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Belgium Outdoor Shack (BOS!)
Belgium Outdoor Shack has launched a new website that combines logging, statistics and award tracking for several Belgian portable-operating programs, including castles, mills, lighthouses and towers.
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FunkWX - weitere M-Flares möglich
FunkWX - more M-flares possible
The DARC propagation report describes mostly quiet but locally unsettled geomagnetic conditions and moderate solar activity with two minor M-class flares. Further flares are possible, and the ionosphere is slowly returning to normal.
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Watching the Gulf
The Hurricane Watch Net is tracking Invest 92L, a system expected to strengthen into a tropical storm within a day. It could threaten the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Florida. The net is not activated yet but will start if officials request it.
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LRAL turpina augt: līgā jau 125 biedri
LRAL keeps growing: league now has 125 members
The Latvian Radio Amateur League admitted three new members at its October 5 board meeting, bringing membership to 125. The new members hold the callsigns YL3ARI, YL3APY and YL3LJ.
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Nieuwe coördinatoren voor de IARU Intruder Watch Service (IWS)
New coordinators for the IARU Intruder Watch Service (IWS)
Harald Geier, DL9NDW, and Paulo Teixeira, CT2IWW, become the new coordinators of the IARU Intruder Watch Service. They succeed Gaspar Miró, EA6AMM, who announced his resignation in March 2026 for personal reasons.
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One Month to Go: Tassie Ham-E-Con 2026 Is Ready to Hack the Ether
The Wireless Institute of Australia says the Tassie Ham-E-Con 2026 event in Tasmania is one month away.
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Merca-Radio 2026 San Vicente
URE announces the Merca-Radio hamfest in San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, on 25 October, starting at 9:00 at the Colegio La Huerta. Members can buy, sell and meet.
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Nu startar vi upp inför SSA Årsmöte 2027 i Sundsvall.
Preparations begin for the SSA Annual Meeting 2027 in Sundsvall
The Swedish amateur radio society begins announcing plans for its 2027 annual meeting in Sundsvall, set for 23–25 April, with Quality Hotel Sundsvall as base. Further details will appear monthly in QTC.
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Kup Jadrana – neslužbeni rezultati
Adriatic Cup – unofficial results
Unofficial results of the Adriatic Cup contest are posted on the HF robot. Objections can be filed within seven days of publication, until 12 October 2026.
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Hrvatska dx-expedicija na Solomonske otoke H49A
Croatian DXpedition to the Solomon Islands, H49A
A six-member Croatian team travels to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on 7 October 2026 to operate as H49A, using three IC-7300 transceivers, ACOM amplifiers and generator power. The callsign also marks a Croatian nuns' mission on Malaita.
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Međimurski ARG festival
Međimurje ARDF Festival
The 3rd Međimurje ARDF festival takes place 10–11 October in Mali Mihaljevec, Croatia, as part of the national fox-hunting league. Events include 80 m classic and foxoring on Saturday, and 2 m classic on Sunday. Registration closes 7 October.
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FunkWX - neuer Sonnenfleck mit Flare-Potential
FunkWX – new sunspot with flare potential
Solar wind speed is elevated at about 510 km/s but expected to ease, with geomagnetic activity mostly quiet to unsettled. A new, increasingly complex sunspot facing Earth could raise flare activity.
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De Orlando Amateur Radio Club viert het 80-jarig bestaan van Orlando HamCation
Orlando Amateur Radio Club celebrates 80 years of Orlando HamCation
The Orlando Amateur Radio Club marks the 80th anniversary of Orlando HamCation, to be held 12–14 February 2027 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park. First held in 1946, it is described as the world's second-largest ham convention.
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ZR1WT Cubesat for BACAR14
The South African Radio League reports on the ZR1WT CubeSat, linked to the BACAR14 event.
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AWA News Oct 2
The South African Radio League shares issue #243 of AWA News, dated October 2026, as a downloadable file.
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BACAR 14
The South African Radio League posts an item about BACAR 14.
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Het is deze week Ruimteweek!
It's World Space Week this week!
World Space Week runs from 4 to 10 October 2026, a United Nations-designated observance of space exploration and its value to humanity. VERON points to it as a theme for amateur radio activity.
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Coming Up in Amateur Radio Magazine: Measure Your EMR, Build a Rig and Celebrate Six Metres
The next issue of the WIA's Amateur Radio magazine covers measuring electromagnetic radiation exposure, building a rig, and a six-metre band celebration.
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Formation B-EARS le samedi 12 décembre 2026
UBA announces a B-EARS training day on 12 December 2026. B-EARS volunteers support the authorities during network outages and practise directed-net operation across the five rescue disciplines.
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Compte rendu formation B-EARS 2026/1
UBA reports on the first B-EARS training of 2026, which drew nearly twenty participants from Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region.
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60° Convegno Romagna 2026
60th Romagna Convention 2026
ARI publishes the programme for the 60th Romagna Convention in 2026, available as a downloadable PDF.
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80 Jahre "Orlando HamCation"
80 Years of the Orlando HamCation
The Orlando Amateur Radio Club marks 80 years of the Orlando HamCation, to be held 12–14 February 2027 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. The 2026 edition drew 24,890 visitors, and over 100 vendors and organisations exhibit each year.
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ERMINAZ-2 sendet – nach Bochum und in die ganze Welt
ERMINAZ-2 transmits – to Bochum and the whole world
Three AMSAT-DL PocketQube satellites from Bochum, launched on 1 October, were released from their carrier earlier than planned. ERMINAZ-2U and -2V have sent telemetry, while signals from ERMINAZ-2X are still being searched for.
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SlowscanTV.com brengt wereldwijd ontvangen SSTV-beelden samen op één platform
SlowscanTV.com brings SSTV images received worldwide together on one platform
SlowscanTV.com gathers SSTV images received by amateurs worldwide and shows them online almost immediately. It keeps a rolling 30-day archive of more than 34,000 images from 148 monitored receiving stations.
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FunkWX - Sonnenwind hochgestuft
FunkWX - Solar wind upgraded
Solar wind from a coronal hole is rated strong, with speeds above 500 km/s, and should ease from 6 October. Geomagnetic activity is active to stormy, solar flux is moderate, and HF conditions are disturbed.
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Aktuelle Conteste KW 41/2026
Current contests, week 41/2026
DARC lists the contests running from 5 to 11 October 2026, covering CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 events from HF to VHF. Entries include the Makrothen RTTY Contest, the Oceania DX Contest and several regional activity evenings.
DX & contests
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VP2MAW – Montserrat
A German group of six operators, led by DL8LAU, travels to Montserrat on October 9/10 and plans to be active as VP2MAW from soon after arrival until October 20.
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VE9MY/P & VE9GLF/P – IOTA NA-068 activity
Len, VE9MY/P, and Linda, VE9GLF/P, operate portable from two New Brunswick islands, Miscou on October 9 and Lameque on October 11. Each island counts as IOTA NA-068. POTA and WWFF contacts are also planned.
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VK9XY – Christmas Island
N4ML and W6IZT discuss VK9XY, a planned DXpedition to Christmas Island. The 12-person team is led by N4ML and includes 10 operators under 26 from six countries, aiming to put younger operators in charge.
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XR0Z – Alexander Selkirk Island, SA-101
The XR0Z DXpedition to Alexander Selkirk Island (SA-101) has been rescheduled. Storm systems linked to El Niño are bringing heavy rain to the Chilean coast, affecting the team's current plans.
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Tales from a Serial Sniper
A profile of Bob Locher, W9KNI, licensed at 15 and a lifelong DXer who tops the ARRL Mixed and CW Honor Rolls. He co-founded Bencher Inc and has written many articles and two books on DXing.
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XU7X – Cambodia
The XU7X Cambodia DXpedition adds N6ACL and VK6DX to its team, helping run seven stations at once. Following an earlier operator departure, the team also notes that its website has moved to a new address.
Space & satellites
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ERMINAZ-2 Satelliten senden erste Signale!
ERMINAZ-2 Satellites Transmit First Signals
Three ERMINAZ-2 small satellites from AMSAT-DL in Bochum launched on 1 October and were released from their deployer about a week earlier than planned. Two have been heard by the Bochum observatory ground station; the third has not yet reported.
Community & news
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Take a Look at FlexRadio 8400 Transceivers (Video)
DX Engineering shares a video interview with FlexRadio's Michael Walker, VA3MW, recorded at the 2026 Huntsville Hamfest, covering the FlexRadio 8400 HF and 6 m SDR transceiver. The write-up outlines its direct-sampling design, dual receivers and SmartLink remote operation.
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DX Engineering Equipment to Be Used on Upcoming Youth-Focused Christmas Island DXpedition
The VK9XY Christmas Island DXpedition, staffed by young operators, is planned for Nov. 16 to Dec. 4, 2026, on 160-6 m in SSB, CW and FT8. It overlaps the CQ WW DX CW contest, and 30 to 40 young hams will also operate remotely.
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LHS Episode #633: 18 Years of LHS
Episode 633 of the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast marks the show's 18th anniversary with a special guest, along with personal news from the hosts.
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A Media Guide to Amateur Radio
KB6NU has produced a PDF guide that explains amateur radio terminology and the hobby to journalists, prompted by frequent errors in press coverage such as confusing transmitting with broadcasting. It is being sent to ARRL officials and media outlets.
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DX Engineering is the Exclusive Main Sponsor of the Youth WWA 2026 Award
DX Engineering becomes the main sponsor of the Youth World Wide Award 2026, which runs October 5 to 11 for operators aged 25 and under. It will supply plaques and prizes for the Hunters and Youth Activators categories.
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TX Factor Visits National Hamfest
TX Factor covers the UK National Hamfest at Newark, featuring a QO-100 demonstration with Camb-Hams, talk of an upcoming Icom rig and a Yaesu repeater upgrade, and RSGB plans for engaging members at large shows.