If you’ve only just got your Foundation licence in your hands, the amateur radio calendar can feel like it’s suddenly speeding up. This week it certainly has: tickets for the RSGB Convention are down to their last few days, the AMSAT-UK Colloquium is gearing up alongside it, GB2RS’s Tonight@8 slot is back on the air, and there’s a run of VHF and microwave contests that are far more approachable than they sound. Here’s what’s actually worth your attention if you’re new to the hobby.

The RSGB Convention is nearly here

The RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) Convention takes place from 9 to 11 October 2026 at the Kents Hill Conference Centre in Milton Keynes, and at the time of writing there’s only around a week left to buy a ticket. If you’ve never been, it’s essentially a weekend of lectures, workshops and forums covering everything from antenna theory to artificial intelligence in the shack, plus plenty of informal chat with people who were all beginners once too. This year’s opening address comes from IARU President Tim Ellam (VE6SH/G4HUA), and there’s an expanded youth programme aimed at engaging newer and younger licensees. You don’t need years of experience to get value from a weekend like this: the workshops are pitched at a genuinely wide range of abilities, and the special interest group stands are a brilliant way to find your niche, whether that’s satellites, contesting or homebrew.

AMSAT-UK’s Colloquium and an easy way into satellites

Running alongside the main Convention is the AMSAT-UK Colloquium, the annual gathering for the amateur satellite community. If space radio sounds like something only advanced operators do, it’s worth knowing that QO-100 (Qatar-OSCAR 100) has quietly made geostationary satellite operating accessible to almost anyone. Because it sits in a fixed position over the Indian Ocean, you don’t need tracking equipment or a rotator: a small dish, an LNB and an SDR receiver will get you listening to a beacon and other stations working through the transponder. Full transmit access needs more kit and a bit more know-how, but simply receiving QO-100 traffic is a genuinely satisfying weekend project for a Foundation licence holder, and it’s a great taster before you consider a transmit setup.

Tonight@8 returns to GB2RS

The RSGB’s regular Tonight@8 feature has come back as part of the weekly GB2RS news broadcast. If you haven’t come across GB2RS yet, it’s the RSGB’s news bulletin, read out on air by volunteer newsreaders across the country on Sundays, and also available as text and audio online. For new licensees it’s one of the easiest habits to build: ten minutes a week keeps you up to date with contests, special event stations, rallies and society news, all in plain language, without having to trawl multiple websites. Tonight@8 adds an extra evening slot, so it’s worth checking your local repeater or the RSGB website for the latest broadcast times in your area.

Contests you can actually enter this week

Contesting has a reputation for being a bit intimidating, all fast exchanges and serious-sounding call signs, but several of the events running over the next fortnight are perfectly suited to a Foundation station and modest kit. The UK Microwave Group High Band Contest and the RSGB’s 1.2GHz and 2.3GHz Trophy contests, along with the October VHF/UHF and microwave series, all reward accurate logging and a friendly operating manner rather than a huge station. The exchange in most of these is simply a signal report, a serial number and your locator, which you’ll already be comfortable giving from your training. If microwaves feel like a step too far for now, the RSGB FT4 Series Contest is a gentler introduction: FT4 is a digital mode that runs happily on low power and a simple antenna, and it’s a good way to get a feel for contest logging software without the pressure of a live voice pile-up.

Making the most of a busy few weeks

None of this requires anything beyond what most Foundation stations already have. If you can get to Milton Keynes, even a single day at the Convention is worth it for the people you’ll meet. If you can’t, following GB2RS and Tonight@8 keeps you in the loop from your armchair, and QO-100 or a VHF contest gives you something concrete to try over a weekend. Pick one thing from this list, have a go, and let me know how you get on.

73 de M0LGI