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,” “
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