July 2026 is a big month for the United Kingdom and amateur radio. Here are a few highlights to mark on your calendar.
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After more than three years of planning, significant support from the amateur radio community, and enough volunteers to fill all the holes in Albert Hall, the 2026 World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) is set to take place July 8-13 in England, a place steeped in amateur radio history.
It’s where Michael Faraday constructed the famous cage that bears his name, Marconi’s team sent the first transatlantic radio transmission, and 1,500 civilian operators intercepted and decoded enemy Morse code messages during World II.
In a few days, Great Britain will host a gathering that shines a spotlight on the past, celebrates the best in amateur radio today, and looks to the future of the world’s best hobby.
This will mark the 10th edition of the WRTC, known as the Olympics (or FIFA World Cup, if you will) of on-air challenges. The event will feature 50 of the world’s top two-person teams competing from equal stations dotting Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire counties in East Anglia. Delayed by Covid, the previous WRTC was held in Bologna, Italy, in 2023.
The actual 24-hour competition runs from 12:00 UTC on Saturday, July 11 to 11:59 UTC on Sunday, July 12 during the IARU HF World Championship.
You can be part of the excitement by following the WRTC leaderboard in real-time (powered by the World Radio League-WRL) and getting on the air and making QSOs with competing stations. Visit the WRL website and sign up early for free to stay tuned when the scoreboard page for WRTC goes live.
Downloadable certificates will be awarded to operators based on how many contacts they make with the 50 teams. With QSOs possible across 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters in both SSB and CW, that’s a possible 500 QSOs with WRTC competitors. When you contact one of the special WRTC stations, you can see it on the World Radio League platform. Plus, you can check which of the 50 WRTC stations you still need to contact.
Click here for full details on the WRTC 2026 Awards Program and the different certificates available.
DX Engineering is a proud Gold Sponsor of the event. OnAllBands will have more about WRTC 2026 in our next post. Find full details at the WRTC 2026 website.
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Several weeks after the WRTC victors have been crowned, the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) will be hosting its popular Islands on the Air (IOTA) Contest: July 25, 1200Z to July 26, 1200Z.
The RSGB IOTA Contest is a great opportunity to celebrate the world’s well-known and lesser-traveled island groups (more than 1,200 of them). The contest is based on the RSBG IOTA awards program, established in 1964 to promote amateur radio and draw attention to the “widespread mystique surrounding islands.”
If you’re new to the RSGB IOTA Contest, which has been around since 1993, click here to read a guide for novices who wish to operate from an official IOTA spot or those who want to make contact with IOTA stations. Bands for the 24-hour contest are 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10M on CW and phone.
Read more about the RSGB below.
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The 18th Annual 13 Colonies Special Event kicked off yesterday and runs until July 7. In addition to the challenge of making contacts with stations in all the original 13 colonies, operators can try to reach three bonus stations, including GB13COL based near Durham, England.
A Belated Birthday
While we’re a month late on this, OnAllBands would be remiss not to recognize the birthdate of Scottish physicist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell (June 13, 1831), who in the 1860s mathematically predicted the existence of electromagnetic (radio) waves. Albert Einstein, who had a photo of Maxwell in his study, said that his Theory of Relativity was built upon Maxwell’s equations of the electromagnetic field. Heinrich Hertz, who referred to Maxwell as “Maestro,” would later perform experiments that would validate Maxwell’s theories of electromagnetism.
About the RSGB
Founded in 1913 and incorporated in 1926, the RSGB is the national membership organization for amateur radio enthusiasts in the UK. From the RSGB website, this group of highly active hams is dedicated to:
- Advancing the science and practice of radio communication
- Increasing awareness and understanding of amateur radio
- Making the service accessible to everyone
The RSGB is involved in licensing and education efforts, hosting contests, advocacy for amateur radio, youth and STEM outreach, publishing (e.g., “RadCom” magazine), and operating the RSGB National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.
The National Radio Centre is an educational showcase dedicated to the history, technology, and magic of wireless communications. It features the state-of-the-art GB3RS station, interactive hands-on exhibits (Morse code stations, wave experiments, et. al.), vintage equipment, and historical displays. One exhibit honors the aforementioned volunteer civilian amateur radio operators who intercepted Morse code messages during World War II.
Amateur Radio Products from the UK
You’ll find a great selection of amateur radio gear and accessories from UK-based providers available at DX Engineering. Here are a few:
RSGB Reference Books: Choose from a stellar selection of more than 90 RSGB books to enhance your amateur radio library, including the “Radio Today Guides” for popular transceivers, “NanoVNAs Explained,” “Amsats and Hamsats,” “Novel Antennas,” and many others.
Moonraker: Based in Buckinghamshire, Moonraker offers a wide range of amateur radio gear, including the SkyScan VHF/UHF Receive Antenna, SWR/Power Meters, Magnetic Antenna Mounts, Coax Switches, and much more. Moonraker is a Platinum Sponsor of WRTC 2026.
DX Commander: Proudly designed and manufactured in England’s Midlands region, DX Commander HF Multiband Vertical Antennas can be found in permanent and portable stations around the world. DX Engineering is the exclusive North American distributor of DX Commander products.
InnovAntennas: Based in Canvey Island, Essex, InnovAntennas designs an impressive lineup of precision-engineered, high-performance UHF, VHF, and HF Yagi antennas; loop-fed quad beams; loop-fed arrays; HF verticals; rotatable dipoles; log periodic dipole arrays; Moxon directional antennas; and others. These antennas are manufactured in Herxheim, Germany by WiMo and distributed exclusively in North America by DX Engineering.
And let’s take a moment to remember the designer of the Moxon antenna, Leslie A. “Les” Moxon, G6XN (SK) of Surrey, England. Read much more about his contributions to amateur radio in this OnAllBands article.
bhi: Headquartered in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, bhi specializes in Digital Signal Processing (DSP) noise-canceling equipment that eliminates background static, hiss, and interference from radio signals, leaving clear, intelligible audio. Devices include its DSP Dual In-Line Filter, ParaPro EQ20 Parametric Equalizers, Ground Breaker Audio Isolation Unit, and many others.
SOTAbeams: From Macclesfield, Cheshire, comes much-beloved equipment from SOTAbeams, including the Carbon-6 Compact Ultra-Light Telescopic Mast, 7000hds Compact Heavy-Duty Telescopic Mast, WOLFWAVE Advanced Audio Processor, and more. DX Engineering is the exclusive North American distributor of SOTAbeams products.
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Okay, now it’s time to pour a spot of your favorite English tea and enjoy a month of great contesting. Cheers!
- Venezuelan Independence Day Contest: July 4, 0000Z to 2359Z. This annual CW/SSB/FT4 contest hosted by the Radio Club Venezolano celebrates Venezuela Independence Day (July 5), which commemorates its history of becoming South America’s first independent country with the enactment of the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence in 1811.
- CQ Worldwide VHF Contest (SSB/CW/FM): July 4, 1400Z to July 5, 1400Z. Fans of 6M and 2M operating have this annual summer event marked on their calendars long in advance, anticipating the improved propagation and challenge of working the world while collecting VHF Maidenhead grid locations for award credits. The Digital portion of this contest takes place July 18, 1400Z to July 19, 1400Z.
- NZART Memorial Contest: July 4, 0800Z to 0859Z, 0900Z to 0959Z, and 1000Z to 1059Z. The nonprofit New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters has been proudly serving Kiwi amateur radio operators in The Land of the Long White Cloud since 1926. A founding member of Region 3 of the IARU, NZART sponsors a number of contests and activities throughout the year, including this 80M-only CW/SSB event.
- IARU HF World Championship: July 11, 1200Z to July 12, 1200Z. Open to all licensed amateurs, the International Amateur Radio Union’s HF World Championship encourages operators to make as many contacts as possible, especially with IARU member society HQ stations, on 160/80/40/20/15/10M.
- QRP ARCI Summer Homebrew Sprint: July 12, 2000Z to 2300Z. This HF CW-only event sponsored by the QRP Amateur Radio Club International rewards stations with multipliers based on how little power you use, from 5W down to 55mW or less. Add big bonus points if operating a homebrew transmitter, receiver, or transceiver. “Homebrew” is defined as equipment that you build, kits included.
- IARU Region 1 70 MHz CW/SSB Contest: July 18, 1400Z to July 19, 1400Z. Find all the rules here. From IARU Region 1, “The main objectives are to make as many contacts as possible and to have fun. Other objectives may include improving your operating skills, testing new equipment configurations and techniques, expanding your horizons by operating on the microwave bands, and exploring radio propagation.” IARU Region 1 covers Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and northern Asia.
- North American QSO Party, RTTY: July 18, 1800Z to July 19, 0559Z. Here’s a great opportunity for both RTTY aficionados and novices. Designed for contesting beginners and veterans, North American QSO Parties are low-power-only (no amplifiers allowed) contests that are fun and challenging.
- YOTA Contest: July 19, 1000Z to 2159Z. This is the second of three rounds of the annual Youngsters on the Air Contest. Per the YOTA website, the contest is designed to increase youth activity on the air, strengthen the reputation of the YOTA program, and demonstrate support for youngsters around the world.
- Alabama QSO Party: July 25, 1500Z to July 26, 0300Z.
The post Guide to July 2026 Ham Radio Contests: UK Edition appeared first on OnAllBands.
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