Earlier this month, the RSGB quietly announced something that has got the contesting community talking. From 1 January 2027, eligibility to enter RSGB contests will be open to all appropriately licensed radio amateurs, regardless of nationality or location. It’s a significant moment for the hobby, and one that got me thinking: if you hold a Foundation licence and haven’t yet tried contesting, there’s never been a better time to have a go.

What Is the RSGB Contest Policy Change?

On 7 August 2026, the RSGB Board approved an updated contest entry policy that removes nationality restrictions from RSGB contest eligibility. Previously, some contest categories were limited to UK-based or RSGB-member entrants. From the start of the 2027 contest season, any appropriately licensed operator anywhere in the world can enter, subject only to the relevant contest rules and any applicable RSGB membership requirements.

The Board described the move as reflecting “the long-established principles of amateur radio, including friendship, cooperation and goodwill between individual operators across national boundaries.” It’s a sentiment that resonates: amateur radio has always been an international pursuit, and contests are one of the clearest expressions of that global community.

For Foundation licence holders here in the UK, the practical impact is modest — you were already eligible for most RSGB contests. But the announcement is a useful nudge to ask: do you actually know how to enter one?

What Is Contesting, and Why Would I Bother?

Contesting (also called radio sport) involves making as many contacts as possible within a set time period, usually exchanging callsigns, a signal report, and sometimes a serial number or locator square. Contests run from just two hours to 24 hours or more, and they cover everything from 80 metres HF through to microwave bands.

If that sounds dry, here is the reality: contests are one of the most effective ways to rapidly improve your operating skills. The pace is brisk, the band conditions are unpredictable, and you quickly learn to copy callsigns cleanly, adjust your audio levels, and work a pile-up. Many experienced operators say contests taught them more in a weekend than months of casual operation. For a Foundation licence holder with a 25W limit, there is a genuine thrill in being heard across the country, or even into Europe, on a good evening on 40 metres.

Can a Foundation Licence Holder Actually Compete?

Yes, absolutely. Your Foundation licence (typically carrying an M7 prefix in England, or similar regional variants) allows you to enter RSGB contests in the same way as any other licensed operator. You can operate on all the bands your licence permits, at your maximum power level.

RSGB contests include low-power and QRP categories in many events, which level the playing field considerably. A well-located station running 25W into a simple dipole can make a respectable score, and the contest committees judge entries within their category, so you are not directly competing against someone running a kilowatt into a beam.

Good starting points for beginners include the RSGB 80m Club Championships, which run monthly on Tuesday evenings and last just 90 minutes. They are sociable, low-pressure, and the 80 metre band is forgiving of modest antenna setups. The RSGB AFS (Affiliated Societies) contests are another friendly option, where you enter as part of a club team.

Practical Steps to Enter Your First Contest

Getting started is simpler than it might seem. Here is what I would suggest:

• Check the RSGB contest calendar for upcoming events and pick something short, like the 80m Club Championship.
• Download free logging software such as N1MM Logger+ or FLDIGI — these handle duplicate checking and scoring automatically, so you can focus on operating.
• Listen to a contest before you enter one. Tune across 80 metres on a Tuesday evening when one is running and get a feel for the rhythm of exchanges.
• When you are ready, call CQ Contest, send your callsign, and give it a go. Your first contact will feel memorable.
• Submit your log after the event, even if it is a modest score. Submitted logs count towards adjudication for everyone else, and it is considered good practice.

An Aspirational Goal: The G5RP Trophy

While you are at it, keep an eye on the G5RP Trophy, for which nominations are open until 11 September 2026. It is awarded to someone who has recently discovered and made significant progress in HF DXing, the art of making long-distance contacts on the high-frequency bands. It is a lovely recognition of what a new licence holder can achieve, and it is a reminder that getting into HF operating, whether via contests or casual DXing, can open up the hobby in ways that a handheld on a local repeater simply cannot match.

The new contest policy coming in 2027 is a small but meaningful step towards a more open amateur radio community. If it has prompted you to look up the contest calendar for the first time, then it has already done its job. Find a short event, fire up the logging software, and make some contacts. You might be surprised how quickly you get hooked.

73 de M0LGI

September is just around the corner, and with it comes a welcome return for one of the most beginner-friendly initiatives in UK amateur radio. The RSGB Youth Committee’s DMR Youth Net is back after its summer break, meeting every first Tuesday of the month at 7pm BST — and if you’ve recently passed your Foundation licence and want to make your first digital voice contact in a welcoming environment, this could be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

What Is the DMR Youth Net?

Launched back in 2025, the DMR Youth Net was set up by the RSGB Youth Committee specifically to give younger and newer operators a space to build confidence behind the microphone. The net gathers on RSGB Youth Talk Group 23554, which is available on both the DVSPh and Brandmeister networks, and since it started, operators have joined from right across Europe.

The aim is simple: give you a chance to make real contacts with other people on the radio, without the pressure of jumping into a busy DX pile-up or a technical HF contest. You just check in, exchange a few words, and leave knowing you’ve actually done it. For many new Foundation holders, that first contact is the biggest hurdle, and a structured net like this really does help.

What Is DMR, and Why Should Foundation Licence Holders Care?

DMR stands for Digital Mobile Radio. Unlike the analogue FM you might be using on your first handheld or mobile transceiver, DMR converts your voice into a digital signal before transmitting it. The result is typically cleaner audio over longer distances, and crucially, it opens up the world of talk groups: virtual “channels” that link radio amateurs from different countries over the internet, using repeaters and hotspots.

Each talk group has a number, and RSGB Youth Talk Group 23554 is the one to know. Think of it like tuning to a specific station, except instead of listening to a broadcast, you’re joining an international conversation with other licenced amateurs.

Foundation licence holders are fully permitted to use DMR, and you don’t need any special endorsement or upgrade to get started. Your M7 or 2E callsign works just as well as any other on the digital networks.

Do I Need a Special Antenna or Lots of Power?

Here’s the good news: not necessarily. While DMR can absolutely be used via repeaters in the traditional sense, one of the most popular options for home operation is a hotspot. A hotspot is a small, low-power device, often about the size of a deck of cards, that connects to your home broadband and acts as a personal repeater, linking your handheld radio straight to the Brandmeister or DVSPh network.

This means you can participate in the DMR Youth Net even if you’re in a flat with no outdoor antenna space, or if you’re not yet confident about setting up HF equipment. You just need a DMR-capable radio (popular options include the Ailunce HD1 or the TYT MD-380, both available for well under £100) and a hotspot such as the MMDVM-based Pi-Star setups that many amateurs already run.

If you want to try before you buy, check whether there’s a DMR repeater in your area. The RSGB’s repeater finder can help, and you may be able to reach Talk Group 23554 directly from your existing radio without any extra kit at all.

Other News from the Shack This Week

It’s been an eventful few days for UK amateur radio more broadly. The RSGB has announced a leadership change, with Graham Smith, G4NMD taking over as Chair of the Board following the 22 August Board meeting, as part of what the Society describes as a planned and orderly transition.

There’s also a reminder that nominations for the annual RSGB G5RP Trophy close on Friday 11 September. If you know someone who has recently discovered HF DXing and made impressive progress, whether working a good number of new countries or taking part in DXpedition activity, you can nominate them by emailing RSGB HF Manager Ian Greenshields, G4FSU at hf.manager@rsgb.org.uk.

And in a result that made this Foundation holder smile, Steve Chalk brought home a Bronze Medal from the IARU Region 1 ARDF Championships in Romania last week, competing in the M60 category of the Sprint race. ARDF (Amateur Radio Direction Finding), sometimes called fox hunting, is a sport where competitors use directional antennas to track down hidden transmitters in a race against the clock. It’s a brilliant crossover between radio skills and the great outdoors, and well worth looking into if you fancy something a bit different from sitting in the shack.

What’s Next for You?

If you’ve been sitting on your Foundation licence and haven’t yet made your first contact, the DMR Youth Net on the first Tuesday of September is a brilliant opportunity to change that. Get your callsign registered on the Brandmeister network (it’s free and straightforward), borrow or buy a DMR-capable radio, and check in at 7pm BST. You don’t need to say much: a callsign, a signal report, and a 73 is more than enough to start.

Amateur radio has always been about community, and it’s genuinely heartening to see the RSGB Youth Committee creating spaces where that community can grow. Give it a go. You might just get the radio bug all over again.

73 de M0LGI

If you’re a Foundation licence holder looking for a reason to get off the sofa this August Bank Holiday weekend, the British Inland Waterways on the Air event might be exactly what you need. Running from Saturday 29 August through to Monday 31 August 2026, BIWOTA is one of the UK’s most distinctive amateur radio activities, and it’s wonderfully accessible for newcomers to the hobby.

What Is BIWOTA?

BIWOTA stands for British Inland Waterways on the Air, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Organised by John Rogers M0JAV, Lyndsay Latimer M6YMB, and Stefan Latimer M0OSL, the event encourages radio amateurs of all abilities and licence classes to get out to the waterways, set up a portable station, and make contacts. Canals, towpaths, rivers, lakes, reservoirs: as long as the body of water is accessible to the public and isn’t the sea, it counts. The idea is to combine the pleasure of being near the water with the joy of amateur radio, and to raise awareness of the UK’s fantastic network of inland waterways in the process.

There’s no complicated scoring system to worry about and no special software to install. You simply get yourself to a waterway, set up your radio, and get on the air. It’s portable operating at its most relaxed.

What Bands and Modes Are Used?

The primary frequencies for BIWOTA are 40 metres (7 MHz) on HF and 2 metres (144 MHz) using both SSB and FM. But all amateur bands are welcome, which means Foundation licence holders can absolutely join in. If you’ve got a handheld or a mobile VHF/UHF radio, you can operate on 2m FM from a towpath and make contacts with other BIWOTA stations. If you’ve stepped up to an HF rig, 40m is a brilliant band for portable operating in the summer months, particularly in the afternoon and evening when it opens up nicely across the UK.

For those who haven’t yet ventured into portable operating, this is a great low-pressure introduction. You don’t need a fancy antenna or a high-powered rig. A simple dipole slung between a couple of fishing poles, a battery, and your transceiver is all you need to get started on HF. On VHF, your handheld alone may be enough to reach other stations.

Why Portable Operating Is Worth Your Time

One of the things I love about events like BIWOTA is how they push you out of your comfort zone in the best possible way. Operating from a fixed home shack is lovely, but there’s something genuinely satisfying about making a contact while sitting on a canal bank with a flask of tea and a makeshift antenna. You learn a lot about your equipment and about propagation when you take radio out into the field.

As a Foundation licence holder, you’re permitted to operate up to 10 watts on most bands, and that’s more than enough for portable HF contacts. I’ve made contacts across the UK and into Europe on 40m with far less than that. The key is a decent antenna and a bit of patience. Portable operating teaches you to make the most of what you have, and those skills carry over into everything else you do in the hobby.

What Else Is Happening This Weekend?

If you fancy combining radio with a day out, there are also rallies taking place this weekend. The Huntingdonshire Amateur Radio Rally is running today, 31 August, at Ramsey Rural Museum in Cambridgeshire, with traders from 7am and doors open to visitors from 9am. Rallies are brilliant for picking up second-hand kit, chatting to more experienced operators, and generally soaking up the atmosphere of the hobby. If you haven’t been to one yet, they’re well worth a visit.

A Word on Spectrum: Something to Keep an Eye On

While we’re enjoying our Bank Holiday weekend on the water, it’s worth noting a story developing across the Atlantic that could eventually matter here too. The FCC in the United States has put forward a further proposal for new commercial satellite allocations that overlap existing amateur radio spectrum, this time covering the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.7 GHz bands. While this is a US regulatory matter for now, these conversations have a habit of influencing global spectrum policy through international bodies like the ITU (International Telecommunication Union). The RSGB keeps a close watch on these developments and represents UK amateurs at the international level. It’s a good reminder of why being an active part of the amateur radio community genuinely matters.

Getting Involved in BIWOTA

If you want to take part today or tomorrow, head to the RSGB BIWOTA page for more information, or search for BIWOTA on Facebook where the organisers post regular updates. Find yourself a canal or river, take the radio out of the shack, and get on the air. You might be surprised how much fun it is.

Events like this are a reminder of what makes amateur radio such a rich hobby. It gets you outdoors, it connects you with other people who share your passion, and it gives you a reason to experiment with your equipment in a new setting. Whether you manage to work a dozen stations or just one, you’ll come away having learned something.

73 de M0LGI

If you’ve got your Foundation licence and you’re looking for a fun, low-pressure way to get on the air this August, I’ve got just the thing for you. The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW) is coming up on 15 and 16 August, and it’s one of my favourite events on the amateur radio calendar. More than 500 lighthouse entries from over 40 countries get activated every year, which means there’s plenty to listen for, plenty to work, and a ready-made reason to get the radio out on what’s hopefully still a sunny weekend.

What Is the ILLW?

The ILLW has been running since 1998, which makes it one of the longest-established special event contests in the hobby. The idea is simple: operators set up amateur radio stations at or near lighthouses and lightships around the world, and the rest of us try to make contact with as many of them as possible over the 48-hour window. It runs from 0001 UTC on Saturday 15 August through to 2400 UTC on Sunday 16 August, so you’ve got plenty of time to dip in and out.

The event is completely free to enter and there’s no membership requirement. If you want to check who’s operating from where, the official website at illw.net lists all the registered activations ahead of time. You can spend a few minutes before the weekend checking which UK lighthouses are going to be on the air, and maybe even plan a day out if any of them are nearby.

What’s It Like to Chase Lighthouses?

For most Foundation licence holders, the easiest way to enjoy the ILLW is as a chaser. That means you’re at home (or portable, if you like) trying to work as many lighthouse stations as you can. The stations can be on HF, VHF, or UHF, so whatever kit you’ve got, there’s likely something to hear. If you’ve got an HF radio, 40 metres and 20 metres are usually the busiest bands during the event. If you’re VHF-only, keep an ear on the 2 metre calling frequency (144.300 MHz SSB) and you may well catch a portable lighthouse station fairly close to home.

There’s no complex exchange to learn. A typical ILLW contact is short and sweet: you give your callsign, signal report, and that’s more or less it. Perfect for anyone who’s still building their confidence on air.

Could You Actually Activate a Lighthouse?

This is the part that makes the ILLW genuinely exciting. Unlike some events where you need a lot of kit, activating a lighthouse for the ILLW is very much within reach of Foundation licence holders. You just need to operate from a location at or near a lighthouse or lightship, so even operating from the car park of a coastal lighthouse with a handheld or a simple portable HF rig counts.

If you fancy having a go, the process is straightforward: register your activation on illw.net, pick your lighthouse, and head out with your radio. Many UK lighthouse activations are done by small groups, so if your local club is involved, this could be a brilliant first portable operating experience. There’s something genuinely special about running a station from a historic lighthouse with the sea in the background.

Worth noting: the Association of Lighthouse Keepers runs their own International Lighthouse Heritage Weekend at the same time, so you might find some lighthouses hosting open days. That can make for a lovely combined trip with the family, even if you’re just listening rather than transmitting.

And Later in August: British Inland Waterways on the Air

If you get a taste for special event operating from the ILLW, there’s another event to look forward to right at the end of the month. British Inland Waterways on the Air runs from 29 to 31 August and encourages amateurs to get out of the shack and operate from the UK’s canals and rivers. Again, it’s a great excuse for a portable outing, and you don’t need any special equipment beyond your normal licence and a radio.

August is shaping up to be a cracking month for getting on the air. Between the ILLW and Inland Waterways, there are two very different reasons to try portable operating, explore a new band, or simply fire up the radio and see who’s about.

Getting Ready for 15 August

If you want to make the most of the ILLW this year, here’s what I’d suggest doing now:

• Head to illw.net and browse the list of registered activations, especially any UK ones
• Check your radio is working and you know how to operate on the bands you’re planning to use
• If you’re chasing on HF, have a look at which bands tend to be open at the times you plan to operate
• If you fancy activating, contact your local club to see if anyone is organising a group activation

The ILLW is one of those events that reminds you just how much fun amateur radio can be. Hundreds of stations on the air from historic locations around the world, all of it completely free to take part in, and no prior experience needed beyond a valid licence. I’ll be listening out, and I’d love to hear how you get on.

73 de M0LGI

With just over two months to go until the RSGB Convention 2026, tickets are on sale and the programme is taking shape — and if you hold a Foundation licence, this might be the best year to make your first trip to Milton Keynes.

I know what you’re thinking. “Isn’t the RSGB Convention for the seasoned operators with towers in their gardens and callsigns starting with G3?” Not at all. I went to my first Convention as a relatively fresh licensee and came home with a notebook full of ideas and a shopping list I definitely couldn’t afford. Here’s why it’s worth your time in 2026.

What Is the RSGB Convention, Exactly?

The RSGB Convention is the UK’s flagship amateur radio event — a long weekend of lectures, workshops, demonstrations, and general radio chatter held every October. This year it runs from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October 2026 at the Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. Think of it as a cross between a conference, a hamfest, and a very large radio club meeting where everyone brings their enthusiasm and nobody judges you for not knowing what a balun is (though you’ll probably know by the time you leave).

Tickets are available now via the RSGB website. The full weekend covers lectures across all licence levels, hands-on workshops, and plenty of opportunities to speak to experienced operators who genuinely want to help newcomers get more out of the hobby.

Free Entry If You’re Under 21

This is worth flagging specifically: if you’re under 21, entry to the RSGB Convention is free, with tickets issued on the door. The RSGB Youth Committee has put together a dedicated programme of youth-specific activities running across the weekend. If you’re a younger Foundation licence holder or you know one, this is a genuine no-barrier opportunity to immerse yourself in the hobby for a whole weekend.

The amateur radio community has been working hard to bring younger operators in, and seeing that effort reflected in the Convention programme is encouraging.

A Keynote Worth Listening To

This year’s keynote speaker is the President of the IARU — the International Amateur Radio Union, the global body that represents amateur radio to regulators and international organisations. The IARU does a lot of work most of us don’t think about day-to-day: defending spectrum allocations, negotiating frequency plans, and making sure that when Ofcom or the ITU sits down to review something that affects our licences, there’s a knowledgeable voice in the room making the case for amateur radio.

For a Foundation licence holder who’s still getting to grips with what the hobby actually involves, hearing directly from someone at that level about where amateur radio is heading can be genuinely useful context.

Practical Workshops, Including One on RFI

One of the most talked-about sessions this year is a members-only Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) workshop on the Friday, run using SDRPlay receivers. RFI is the bane of modern amateur radio — the noise floor in suburban areas has crept up considerably over the past decade, driven by everything from switch-mode power supplies to LED drivers and EV chargers. Understanding what it is, how to identify sources, and what you can do about it is genuinely practical knowledge for any licensee.

There will also be lectures covering propagation, FT8, and VHF and above. Propagation talks are always worth attending regardless of your licence level — understanding why signals travel the way they do is fundamental, and the explanations you get in person are usually far more accessible than reading about it online. As for FT8, if you’ve got HF privileges with your Foundation licence and haven’t tried it yet, a Convention lecture is a brilliant way to get oriented before you sit down at the radio.

What to Expect as a Newer Licensee

Going to your first RSGB Convention can feel a little daunting. My honest advice: don’t try to attend everything. Pick two or three lectures that genuinely interest you, wander the exhibition area, and talk to people. The hobby is full of operators who will happily spend twenty minutes explaining antenna theory or software-defined radio to someone who just wants to understand it better.

Bring a notepad. Seriously. You’ll leave with more ideas than you arrived with, and you won’t remember half of them if you rely on memory alone.

If you’re thinking about upgrading from Foundation to Intermediate, the Convention is also a good place to pick up information about courses, exam sessions, and what to expect — the RSGB exam team are usually represented and happy to talk.

How to Get Your Ticket

Tickets for the RSGB Convention 2026 are available now at rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/. Under-21s, remember, get in free on the day — but it’s worth checking the RSGB site for any registration steps. The venue is Kents Hill Conference Centre, Milton Keynes, and the event runs across all three days of the 9th to 11th October weekend.

If you’ve been on the fence about making the trip, consider this a nudge. The RSGB Convention is one of those events where you leave feeling more connected to the hobby than when you arrived — and that’s worth a day out to Milton Keynes.

See you there, hopefully. 73 de M0LGI

With just over two months to go until the RSGB Convention 2026, tickets are on sale and the programme is taking shape — and if you hold a Foundation licence, this might be the best year to make your first trip to Milton Keynes.

I know what you’re thinking. “Isn’t the RSGB Convention for the seasoned operators with towers in their gardens and callsigns starting with G3?” Not at all. I went to my first Convention as a relatively fresh licensee and came home with a notebook full of ideas and a shopping list I definitely couldn’t afford. Here’s why it’s worth your time in 2026.

What Is the RSGB Convention, Exactly?

The RSGB Convention is the UK’s flagship amateur radio event — a long weekend of lectures, workshops, demonstrations, and general radio chatter held every October. This year it runs from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October 2026 at the Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. Think of it as a cross between a conference, a hamfest, and a very large radio club meeting where everyone brings their enthusiasm and nobody judges you for not knowing what a balun is (though you’ll probably know by the time you leave).

Tickets are available now via the RSGB website. The full weekend covers lectures across all licence levels, hands-on workshops, and plenty of opportunities to speak to experienced operators who genuinely want to help newcomers get more out of the hobby.

Free Entry If You’re Under 21

This is worth flagging specifically: if you’re under 21, entry to the RSGB Convention is free, with tickets issued on the door. The RSGB Youth Committee has put together a dedicated programme of youth-specific activities running across the weekend. If you’re a younger Foundation licence holder or you know one, this is a genuine no-barrier opportunity to immerse yourself in the hobby for a whole weekend.

The amateur radio community has been working hard to bring younger operators in, and seeing that effort reflected in the Convention programme is encouraging.

A Keynote Worth Listening To

This year’s keynote speaker is the President of the IARU — the International Amateur Radio Union, the global body that represents amateur radio to regulators and international organisations. The IARU does a lot of work most of us don’t think about day-to-day: defending spectrum allocations, negotiating frequency plans, and making sure that when Ofcom or the ITU sits down to review something that affects our licences, there’s a knowledgeable voice in the room making the case for amateur radio.

For a Foundation licence holder who’s still getting to grips with what the hobby actually involves, hearing directly from someone at that level about where amateur radio is heading can be genuinely useful context.

Practical Workshops, Including One on RFI

One of the most talked-about sessions this year is a members-only Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) workshop on the Friday, run using SDRPlay receivers. RFI is the bane of modern amateur radio — the noise floor in suburban areas has crept up considerably over the past decade, driven by everything from switch-mode power supplies to LED drivers and EV chargers. Understanding what it is, how to identify sources, and what you can do about it is genuinely practical knowledge for any licensee.

There will also be lectures covering propagation, FT8, and VHF and above. Propagation talks are always worth attending regardless of your licence level — understanding why signals travel the way they do is fundamental, and the explanations you get in person are usually far more accessible than reading about it online. As for FT8, if you’ve got HF privileges with your Foundation licence and haven’t tried it yet, a Convention lecture is a brilliant way to get oriented before you sit down at the radio.

What to Expect as a Newer Licensee

Going to your first RSGB Convention can feel a little daunting. My honest advice: don’t try to attend everything. Pick two or three lectures that genuinely interest you, wander the exhibition area, and talk to people. The hobby is full of operators who will happily spend twenty minutes explaining antenna theory or software-defined radio to someone who just wants to understand it better.

Bring a notepad. Seriously. You’ll leave with more ideas than you arrived with, and you won’t remember half of them if you rely on memory alone.

If you’re thinking about upgrading from Foundation to Intermediate, the Convention is also a good place to pick up information about courses, exam sessions, and what to expect — the RSGB exam team are usually represented and happy to talk.

How to Get Your Ticket

Tickets for the RSGB Convention 2026 are available now at rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/. Under-21s, remember, get in free on the day — but it’s worth checking the RSGB site for any registration steps. The venue is Kents Hill Conference Centre, Milton Keynes, and the event runs across all three days of the 9th to 11th October weekend.

If you’ve been on the fence about making the trip, consider this a nudge. The RSGB Convention is one of those events where you leave feeling more connected to the hobby than when you arrived — and that’s worth a day out to Milton Keynes.

See you there, hopefully. 73 de M0LGI

If you’ve spent any time in UK amateur radio Facebook groups or forums lately, you’ve probably noticed a word appearing over and over again: Meshtastic. And more recently, MeshCore. These two pieces of open-source firmware are powering a quiet revolution in off-grid communications, and for Foundation licence holders, there’s a lot here worth understanding.

Let me explain what’s going on, why amateur radio operators are excited about it, and what you can actually do with it yourself.

What Is Meshtastic?

Meshtastic is open-source firmware that runs on small, affordable LoRa (Long Range) radio modules. The most popular hardware is based around the Heltec or LILYGO T-Beam boards, which you can pick up for somewhere between £20 and £50. Once flashed with Meshtastic, they form a decentralised mesh network — meaning every device acts as both a receiver and a repeater, passing messages across a chain of nodes even when there’s no mobile signal, no internet, and no infrastructure at all.

It’s essentially a text messaging system that runs on radio waves, needs no SIM card, and keeps working when everything else goes down.

Where Does It Operate in the UK?

Here’s where it gets interesting for anyone thinking about the regulatory side. In the UK, Meshtastic operates on 868 MHz — part of the ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band, which is licence-free. The default long-range channel sits at 869.525 MHz, with a maximum of 27 dBm ERP and a 10% duty cycle. That duty cycle restriction means devices can only transmit for around six minutes in every hour — a limitation worth understanding before you rely on a Meshtastic network in a time-critical situation.

No licence is required to use Meshtastic on 868 MHz. You don’t need your Foundation licence, your Intermediate, or your Full — anyone can buy one of these modules and start experimenting.

So Why Are Amateur Radio Operators So Interested?

The overlap with amateur radio comes from a few directions. First, there’s the emergency communications angle. RAYNET — the UK’s Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network — has been watching mesh networking with interest precisely because a Meshtastic network can be deployed rapidly without relying on any fixed infrastructure. Power cut, mobile mast down, internet gone: your Meshtastic nodes keep talking.

Second, there’s the pure experimentation factor. Working out how far a signal carries, how many hops a message takes across a chain of nodes, how a mesh self-heals when one node drops — this is exactly the kind of practical radio experimentation that the amateur licence exists to encourage.

And third, some operators are exploring whether LoRa mesh networking has a future on licensed amateur allocations rather than the ISM band. Running higher power, building dedicated gateways, and experimenting with different frequencies would all require a licence — and would open up a different set of possibilities entirely.

The Essex Ham Switch: Meshtastic Out, MeshCore In

One significant development in the UK community this year has been Essex Ham’s move from Meshtastic to MeshCore. Essex Ham had been running Meshtastic nodes since March 2024, but in 2026 they completed the switch — same hardware, different firmware.

MeshCore takes a different architectural approach to Meshtastic. Rather than a fully decentralised flood-routing model, MeshCore uses a more controlled packet routing system that its proponents argue is more efficient and scales better across large networks. It’s a more recent project and still evolving quickly, but the fact that a well-established UK amateur radio group has committed to it is worth paying attention to.

If you’re thinking of buying your first LoRa board and wondering which firmware to go for, the Essex Ham comparison page lays out the tradeoffs very clearly — it’s an excellent starting point before you spend any money.

What Can You Do as a Foundation Holder?

Whether or not you have a licence, you can get started right away:

• Buy a LoRa module — the Heltec V3 or LILYGO T-Beam are the most popular choices in the UK right now, typically £20–50
• Flash it with Meshtastic or MeshCore — both projects have step-by-step guides and active forums
• Connect the Meshtastic app on your phone via Bluetooth and start sending messages over radio
• Find your local mesh — there’s a growing UK network, and the app will show you nearby nodes

With your Foundation licence, the door opens further. You can experiment on amateur radio allocations, operate at higher power, and build infrastructure on bands that aren’t subject to ISM duty cycle restrictions. The licence gives you options the ISM band simply doesn’t.

For now, though, the barrier to entry on the licence-free side is refreshingly low. This is practical radio experimentation you can start for under £30 and a weekend afternoon — which, if you’re still working towards your Foundation licence, makes it a great way to get hands-on experience with radio propagation before your first HF contact.

The mesh revolution is just getting started. Get involved.

73 de M0LGI

This weekend, thousands of curious people descended on Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire for EMF Camp 2026 — the Electromagnetic Field event that brings together geeks, makers, and technologists for four days of talks, workshops, and experimentation. And right in the middle of it all, flying the flag for amateur radio, were three brilliant organisations: AMSAT-UK, the British Amateur Television Club (BATC), and the UK Microwave Group (UKuG).

Their joint village at EMF Camp was doing something that I think deserves a lot more attention in the Foundation licence community: showing that talking to, and through, satellites is not some exotic pursuit reserved for radio engineers with rooftop antenna farms. It’s something any licensed amateur can work towards, often with surprisingly modest kit.

What Was Happening at EMF Camp?

The AMSAT-UK, BATC, and UKuG village (operating on the special event callsign GB26EMF) was set up to demonstrate live satellite ground stations, amateur television, and microwave operating techniques throughout the weekend. The headline act, for many visitors, was making contacts and watching digital amateur television (DATV) through the QO-100 satellite — a geostationary transponder sitting 36,000 km above the equator that any licensed UK amateur can use, right now, from their garden.

There were also talks covering topics like building your own satellite ground station, LoRa from space, and even an ambitious session titled “An Internet for the Solar System.” It’s exactly the kind of thing that reminds you why you wanted to get into this hobby in the first place.

What Is QO-100, and Why Should You Care?

QO-100 (also known as Es’hail-2) is a communications satellite operated jointly with amateur radio transponders. Unlike the old-school Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites that zip overhead in a few minutes and require you to track them with a moving antenna, QO-100 is geostationary. It sits in a fixed position over the equator, visible from the UK at all times. Point your dish at it once, and it stays there.

The narrowband transponder on QO-100 accepts uplinks in the 2.4 GHz band and sends the downlink back on 10 GHz. Here’s the good news for Foundation holders: the 2.4 GHz (13cm) band is included in the Foundation licence, so you’re permitted to transmit there. You’ll need a small dish for the downlink side — many people repurpose an old Sky dish — and a suitable uplink transverter or dedicated setup. It’s a project, but not an impossibly expensive one, and the BATC’s WebSDR at eshail.batc.org.uk lets you listen in right now without any hardware at all.

What About LEO Satellites? Even Easier to Start

If the dish and microwave setup sounds like a stretch for now, LEO FM satellites are a brilliant place to begin. These are small satellites in low orbit that pass overhead several times a day, and many of them have simple FM voice repeaters on board — just like a terrestrial repeater, but 400 miles up.

The uplinks are typically on the 70cm band (around 435 MHz) and downlinks on 2m (around 145 MHz). Both bands are available to Foundation licence holders. You can make your first satellite contact with nothing more exotic than a dual-band handheld — the classic Yaesu FT-65 or Baofeng UV-5R that many of us started with — and a home-made Yagi or even a simple crossed dipole.

The key things to get right are:

• Doppler shift: as the satellite races towards you and then away, the frequency shifts slightly. You’ll need to retune during the pass, or use software like Gpredict to automate it.
• Pass prediction: apps like ISS Detector or websites like n2yo.com tell you exactly when a satellite will be overhead and at what angle — essential for pointing your antenna.
• Listen first: before you transmit, have a few passes just listening. You’ll hear the distinctive sound of SSB signals and — on FM birds — actual voice contacts. There’s nothing quite like that moment when you first hear someone talking through a machine in orbit.

Getting Started: Resources Worth Bookmarking

AMSAT-UK have put together some of the best beginner resources around. Their “How do I start with satellites?” page is well worth an evening’s reading, and they have specific guides on working FM satellites and even using your handheld transceiver for satellite work.

For QO-100, the BATC forum and the AMSAT-DL operating guidelines are your friends. And if you want to just dip your toes in before committing to any hardware, spend half an hour with the BATC’s QO-100 WebSDR and listen to what’s happening up there. I did exactly this when I was still M7RJJ, and it was one of those moments that made me want to upgrade and get properly active.

Mark Your Diary: RSGB Convention in October

If EMF Camp has whetted your appetite for this kind of experimentation, the RSGB Convention is taking place at Milton Keynes between 9–11 October 2026. It’s the biggest gathering of UK amateur radio operators of the year, and there’s always a strong satellite and space radio presence. Tickets are already on sale — worth considering if you want to talk to the people who were running that QO-100 ground station at Eastnor.

The Bigger Picture

What EMF Camp demonstrates every time is that amateur radio isn’t just about HF contacts and contest weekends. It’s a living, experimental hobby that stretches from the bottom of the bands all the way to geostationary orbit and beyond. As an M7 or newly upgraded M0, you already have the licence to participate in most of it.

The satellite side of the hobby has a bit of a reputation for being complicated and expensive, and there’s a grain of truth there for the full QO-100 station setup. But listening to QO-100 costs nothing. Working a pass on an FM LEO satellite costs the price of a handheld and an afternoon making a tape measure Yagi. The learning curve is real, but it’s genuinely one of the most rewarding corners of the hobby I’ve explored.

73 de M0LGI

Something rather special happened in the UK this week. Between 8 and 13 July 2026, the World Radiosport Team Championship — WRTC for short — touched down on British soil. If you have never heard of WRTC, you are not alone. But if you hold a Foundation licence and you are wondering what all the fuss is about, it is worth knowing about. This is effectively the Olympics of amateur radio contesting, and it came to our back garden.

What is WRTC?

The World Radiosport Team Championship is held every four years and brings together the best contesting operators on the planet to compete on an equal footing. Teams of two operators are each given identical antennas and equipment, set up in the same geographic area, and let loose on the HF bands at the same time. The only variable is operator skill. No fancy antenna farms, no high power — just the ability to work as many stations as possible in a set time period.

It is, in short, the purest form of competitive radio operating there is. Previous championships have been held in Slovenia, the United States, and Germany. In 2026, it was our turn. The RSGB served as an official partner throughout, with volunteers on site all week and coverage appearing on BBC News Online and local radio.

Why should a Foundation licence holder care?

Fair question. As an M7 holder you are probably not entering international contesting championships just yet. But events like WRTC matter to all of us for a few reasons.

First, they bring attention to amateur radio as a serious, skilled activity. One of the quiet frustrations of being a new operator is explaining to people that this is not CB radio. WRTC makes that case better than any shack conversation — international competition, years of training, mainstream media coverage. It legitimises the hobby in a way that sticks.

Second, contesting is one of the most accessible ways to get on the air when you hold a Foundation licence. You do not need to win. You do not need sophisticated equipment. I made my first contest contact as M7RJJ with ten watts and a wire strung out of a window. The goal for a beginner is simply to call CQ contest, exchange your callsign and a serial number, and log it. Every contact counts.

Getting started with contesting as an M7

The RSGB runs a packed contest calendar, and many events are perfectly approachable for a Foundation holder. The 70MHz Activity Contests, which run on Thursday evenings through the summer, are a relaxed starting point if you have any VHF capability at all. Simple rules, local contacts, manageable pace.

If you want to try HF, look out for the RSGB IOTA Contest at the end of July. Islands on the Air is one of the more forgiving formats — you are working stations associated with islands, which are plentiful around the British Isles, and even a handful of contacts feels rewarding. Foundation holders can operate on HF within their permitted power limits, and nobody expects a rate of 200 contacts per hour from someone who is new to this.

The key thing is simply to try it. Put in a few calls. Log what you work. You might be surprised how far ten watts gets you when propagation is on your side.

Following the results

If you want to find out who took the WRTC 2026 title, the official site at wrtc2026.org has the full coverage. The RSGB’s news pages at rsgb.org are also worth checking — they have been posting regular updates throughout the week.

It is genuinely good to see amateur radio making the mainstream news for the right reasons. WRTC in the UK is a reminder that this hobby spans everything from a nervous first QSO on two metres to a world championship on HF. There is a place in it for all of us.

73 de M0LGI

Something rather special happened in the UK this week. Between 8 and 13 July 2026, the World Radiosport Team Championship — WRTC for short — touched down on British soil. If you’ve never heard of WRTC, you’re not alone. But if you hold a Foundation licence and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, it’s worth knowing about. This is effectively the Olympics of amateur radio contesting, and it came to our back garden.

What is WRTC?

The World Radiosport Team Championship is held every four years and brings together the best contesting operators on the planet to compete on an equal footing. Teams of two operators are each given identical antennas and equipment, set up in the same geographic area, and let loose on the HF bands at the same time. The only variable is operator skill. No fancy antenna farms, no kilowatts of power — just the ability to work as many stations as possible in a set time period.

It is, in short, the purest form of competitive radio operating there is. Previous championships have been held in Slovenia, the United States, and Germany. In 2026, it was our turn.

The RSGB has been an official partner to WRTC 2026, with volunteers and staff on site throughout the week. Coverage appeared in BBC News Online and BBC Radio Shropshire, which is exactly the kind of mainstream visibility amateur radio does not always get. If you know someone who has been curious about the hobby, now is a good moment to point them at the headlines.

Why should a Foundation licence holder care?

Fair question. As an M7 holder you are probably not entering international contesting championships just yet. But events like WRTC matter to all of us for a few reasons.

First, they bring attention to amateur radio as a serious, skilled activity. One of the quiet frustrations of being a new operator is explaining to people that this is not CB radio. WRTC makes that case better than any conversation I could have — international competition, years of training, media coverage. It legitimises the hobby in a way that sticks.

Second, contesting is one of the most accessible ways to get on the air when you hold a Foundation licence. You do not need to win. You do not need sophisticated equipment. I made my first contest contact with ten watts and a wire strung out of a bedroom window. The goal for a beginner is simply to call CQ contest, exchange your callsign and a serial number, and log it. Every contact counts.

Getting started with contesting as an M7

The RSGB runs a packed calendar of contests, and many of them are straightforward for a Foundation licence holder to dip a toe into. The 70MHz Activity Contests, which run on Thursday evenings, are a relaxed starting point if you have any VHF capability at all. The rules are simple, the contacts are local, and the pace is manageable.

If you want to try HF contesting, look out for the RSGB IOTA Contest at the end of July. Islands on the Air is one of the more forgiving formats — you are working stations from islands, which are plentiful around the British Isles, and even a handful of contacts feels rewarding. Foundation holders can operate on the HF bands within their permitted power limits, and no one expects you to run a rate of 200 contacts per hour.

The key thing is just to try it. Put in a few calls. Log what you work. You might be surprised how far ten watts gets you when propagation is on your side.

Following WRTC 2026

If you want to read more about the championship — including finding out who won — the official site at wrtc2026.org is the place to go. The RSGB has also been posting coverage through their usual channels, and the BBC coverage is worth a read even if you are already familiar with the hobby.

It is genuinely nice to see amateur radio making the mainstream news for the right reasons. Long may it continue.

73 de M0LGI