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The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs until July 19, so there’s still plenty of time to get your fill of the planet’s most popular sport and enjoy some fun on the air while you’re watching your favorite team.

Soccer, or football, stands as the giant of global sports, with a fanbase close to four billion. Its worldwide reach is as jaw-dropping as a Pele bicycle kick. The current World Cup being held in cities around the United States is projected to reach an audience of over 5 billion viewers.

Second place on the sports-popularity list goes to cricket (2.5 billion enthusiasts), and then basketball. America’s pastime, baseball, settles for eighth position—350 million fans below table tennis— and American football just cracks the list at number 10.

Be Part of the WRTC Excitement!

For amateur radio contesting fans, the World Cup coincides with the 2026 World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) being held for the first time in the UK, July 8-13. This will mark the 10th edition of the WRTC, which will feature 50 of the world’s top two-person teams competing from equal stations dotting Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire counties in East Anglia.

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) and getting on the air and making QSOs with competing stations. Downloadable certificates will be awarded to operators for making contacts 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.

World Cup Operating Event

You can combine your love of soccer and amateur radio by making QSOs with 16 special event stations that will be on the air until July 19 in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. U.S. special event stations are located in cities hosting World Cup matches: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Find complete details about each station’s operating schedules here.

Looking Back at the First FIFA World Cup

Scott, N3RA, DX Engineering sales manager, made CW and SSB contacts with CX2AQ and CX9AU, both located in Montevideo—Uruguay’s capital and largest city. The CX9AU card features the historic Estadio Centenario, a stadium that was built in 1929-30 to host the first FIFA World Cup, which took place July 13-30, 1930.

Uruguay had won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in soccer in 1924 and 1928, making the country a logical choice to host the first World Cup. The inaugural 13-team event was won by the Uruguayan team, which defeated Argentina 4-2. Uruguay won its second World Cup 20 years later, upsetting the host Brazilian squad 2-1 before a massive crowd of around 200,000.

Visit DXEngineering.com for everything you need to upgrade your station to make sure you’re ready for the WRTC and when special event stations and entities like Uruguay are on the air.

You’ll find transceivers, antennas, amplifiers, CW keys and paddles, headsets and speakers, reference books like “Ham Radio DX: A Complete Guide,” and much more.

Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. To highlight upcoming DXpeditions, we’ll be displaying a few of our favorite cards along with details about what it took to make these contacts. We’re excited to share some of the special cards pulled from the thousands we’ve received over the years. We look forward to seeing your cards as well!

The post It’s All in the Cards—FIFA World Cup & WRTC Edition appeared first on OnAllBands.

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June 2026 is busting out with fresh amateur radio gear at DX Engineering! Today, we’re featuring a product that makes it incredibly simple to securely mount a mobile antenna for all your on- and off-road communication needs.

Comet Antennas No-Hole Fender Brackets

DX Engineering offers nearly 30 of these vehicle-specific truck and SUV mobile antenna brackets that mount without drilling. Comet makes brackets covering popular Chevy, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Jeep, RAM, and Toyota rigs. Unlike lip-mounts that use set screws and penetrate the paint, these brackets use bolts that already exist on your fender.

What do mobile operating enthusiasts say about these Comet brackets?

“Works very well on my 2015 GMC Sierra pickup. Mounted a dual-band antenna and cable using this mount on the fender.”

Frank, DX Engineering customer

“The Comet no-hole antenna mount is an excellent product. It’s well made and eliminates the need to drill holes in any vehicle. Plus, it leaves a professional appearance. It’s great!”

Albert, DX Engineering customer

“I did not want to drill any holes, use a mag mount or other type of mount. This one fit perfectly, no changes to the vehicle were required, and it does the job perfectly. It is exactly what I was looking for.”

David, DX Engineering customer

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Due to the particular vehicle-specific angles necessary to form these brackets, almost all are designed for the driver’s side only. By using an existing fender bolt, the bracket extends between the hood and fender gap. The mounted antenna sits vertically, along the side of the hood.

A 3/4-inch hole in the bracket accepts the standard NMO connector and cable assembly. You may also use these brackets to attach an antenna that has a UHF mount. Simply choose a Comet UHF mount cable assembly; they include a large washer and jam nuts to keep the 5/8-inch diameter UHF connector from falling through the 3/4-inch hole in the bracket.

Here are three new Comet No-Hole Fender Brackets available at DX Engineering:

• Toyota 4Runner, 2010-24, Driver’s Side
• Ford Raptor, 2017-27, Driver’s Side
• Jeep Wrangler, 2018-26; Jeep Gladiator, 2020-26, Driver’s Side

Also, check out the diverse range of Comet Antennas products at DX Engineering, including:

• Mobile Antenna Mounts, including magnet mounts, mobile mount cable assemblies, adjustable lip mount assemblies, and more
• VHF/UHF Mobile Vertical Antennas
• Duplexers and Triplexers
• VHF/UHF Base Vertical Antennas
• Handheld and Scanner Antennas
• Mobile Whip Antennas
• 500MARKII Antenna Analyzer

Click on “What’s New” at DXEngineering.com to check out all the latest gear available at DX Engineering!

The post New Products Spotlight: More Models of Comet No-Hole Fender Brackets for Mounting Mobile Antennas appeared first on OnAllBands.

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The federal legislation prevents HOAs from enacting restrictive antenna rules. Use the link in the article to send your letters of support. It’s quick, easy, and will make a difference. And please watch the video and spread the word!

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Don’t miss this important opportunity to let your representatives in Washington, D.C. know how homeowner’s association (HOA) antenna limitations negatively impact the vitality of amateur radio and could have serious consequences when emergency communication is needed during a disaster.

ARRL’s nationwide letter-writing campaign supports the passage of the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act, which was reintroduced in February 2025 by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn., and Representatives August Pfluger, R-Tex., and Joe Courtney, D-Conn.  

We strongly encourage you to watch the video below featuring John Robert Stratton, N5AUS, ARRL West Gulf Division Director, being interviewed by DX Engineering CEO Tim Duffy, K3LR. N5AUS discusses where the legislation stands today, its importance to the amateur radio community, and how you can make a difference in a matter of minutes.

“The biggest things that we have are voices and votes,” N5AUS said. “In order to get across to Congress that there is a substantial amount of support in the amateur radio community for relief from these private land restrictions, we started a letter writing campaign.”

He noted that the campaign has generated 156,000 letters from amateur operators asking Congress to support the two bills, but your letters and calls to your representatives are very much needed at this critical stage.

“As the old saying goes, keep the cards and letters coming,” N5AUS said.

The bipartisan House and Senate bills would prevent restrictive HOA rules that currently prohibit or severely limit the installation of amateur radio antennas, even when these antennas are hidden in trees, placed in attics, mounted on vehicles, or look like flagpoles, per the ARRL. The passage of the legislation would grant amateur radio operators the same rights to install antennas on their property as those enjoyed by users of TV antennas, wireless internet, and flagpoles.

Click on these links to read the bills:

• H.R.1094 in the House
• S.459 in the Senate

From the ARRL, passage of the bill would:

• Prohibit HOAs from outright banning amateur radio antennas
• Establish an approval process for installation
• Create a federal right of action for hams in disputed cases

Read much more about the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act here, including frequently asked questions and how amateur radio clubs can get involved in the campaign.

Let Your Voice Be Heard—5 & 9!

The ARRL is encouraging every radio amateur in the U.S. to send letters to Washington via this form: https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/.

You do not have to be an ARRL member to use the form. Just enter your call sign, name, address, and email address, and click “Send My Letters” to add your voice to this important issue. The letters will automatically be sent to your elected officials, encouraging them to support the bills.

The post Your Voice Matters! The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act Still in Need of Your Support (Video) appeared first on OnAllBands.

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