ARRL Headquarters Closing Early on Friday, October 9, 2026

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® will close our headquarters at 12 PM Eastern time on Friday, October 9, 2026, for a staff event.

The ARRL Headquarters lobby and store, as well as W1AW, will be open to visitors from 8 AM to 12 PM EDT. Members are reminded that many transactions may be completed on our website at www.arrl.org. 

There won’t be any interruptions to the W1AW bulletin ...

09-Oct-2026, 14:00:00 (www.arrl.org)

Also in GB2RS this week…

TX Factor has released a National Hamfest 2026 edition of its popular amateur radio show. In this special episode, Bob McCreadie, G0FGX chats with Dominic, M0BLF from Camb-Hams while operating QO-100. Bob discovers more about the proposed new rig release from Icom and updates you on a future repeater upgrade from Yaesu. He also meets […]
09-Oct-2026, 12:33:33 (https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/headlines/2026/10/09/also-in-gb2rs-this-week-540/)

Rallies and Events News – 11 October 2026

The annual Hornsea ARC Rally takes place today, 11 October at Driffield Showground, YO25 9FB. Doors open at 10am. For full details, call Les on 01377 252 393. Essex CW Amateur Radio Club’s Boot Camp and CW Conference is on Saturday, 24 October at the 3rd Witham Scout and Guide HQ. If you are interested in attending […]
09-Oct-2026, 12:25:04 (https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/rallies-and-events/2026/10/09/rallies-and-events-news-11-october-2026/)

Special Events News – 11 October 2026

Members of the Cray Valley Radio Society are operating special callsign GB80CV until 28 October to celebrate the club’s 80th anniversary. Visit cvrs.uk/cvrs80 for detailed information on the Oak Anniversary Award. QSL via Logbook of the World. 8J7SPO is the special callsign commemorating the Japan Sport Association’s 80th Japan Games and the 25th National Sports Festival for People with Disabilities. Look out for activity until […]
09-Oct-2026, 12:19:48 (https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/special-events/2026/10/09/special-events-news-11-october-2026/)

DX News – 11 October 2026

Jacek, SP9FIH is active as FW1P from Wallis Island, OC-054 until Saturday, 17 October. He operates mainly FT8, on the 80, 20, 15 and 10m bands. QSL via Club Log’s 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 operates SSB and FT8 on the 40, 20, 15 and 10m bands with a vertical antenna. QSL via M0OXO’s OQRS. […]
09-Oct-2026, 12:16:43 (https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/dx-news/2026/10/09/dx-news-11-october-2026/)

Contest News – 11 October 2026

The RSGB 432MHz FMAC Contest on Tuesday, 13 October runs from 1800UTC to 1855UTC. Using FM on the 70cm band, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also on Tuesday, 13 October, the RSGB 432MHz UK Activity Contest runs from 1900UTC to 2130UTC. Using all modes on 432MHz, the exchange is signal report, serial […]
09-Oct-2026, 12:14:26 (https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/contest-news/2026/10/09/contest-news-11-october-2026/)

Radio Amateurs Prepare for Hurricane Isaias

Updated Friday, October 9, 2026 @ 10 AM EDT

Update - Oct. 9, 1330 UTC

 

The Hurricane Watch Net is up and running on both 14.325 and 7.268 MHz due to propagation conditions. Hurricane Isaias has increased in strength to Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour, making it a major hurricane as it continues to head toward the Florida panhandle and Alabama coast. Landfall is expec...

07-Oct-2026, 20:55:00 (www.arrl.org)

Watching the Gulf

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is closely monitoring Invest 92L, which is expected to become Tropical Storm Isaias in the next 24 hours. According to HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, the potential area of concern for this storm is a wide swath of the Gulf coast, extending from Louisiana to Florida. Graves says there is no HWN activation at this time, but the net will go into operation if offici...

06-Oct-2026, 17:52:00 (www.arrl.org)

2026 Collegiate QSO Party is October 3 – 4

Get ready to contact college and university radio clubs during this weekend’s Collegiate QSO Party, 0000 UTC October 3 through 2359 UTC ImageOctober 4 (Friday evening through Sunday in the US). Students, faculty, staff, and alumni will be on the air using the call sign of a college, university, or other post-secondary academic institution. Look for stations on CW, phone, and digital modes on an...

02-Oct-2026, 18:18:00 (www.arrl.org)

Remembering Four Silent Keys

We are saddened to report this week on the passing of four well-known amateurs, including two members of the extended “ARRL family.” 

Longtime ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager Robert George “Bob” Beaudet, W1YRC, became a Silent Key on September 10, 2026, at age 88. An ARRL Life Member, Gold-Level Diamond Club member, and Maxim Society member in the President Class, Beaudet served as Rhode Islan...

27-Sep-2026, 16:00:00 (www.arrl.org)