UK's Leading Observatory Earmarked for Shutdown

/

The home of the UK's largest radio telescope is facing shutdown after its funding was pulled for a major project.

The Jodrell Bank Observatory, which gathers data about the galaxy from seven radio telescopes across England, has lost government funding for the project and faces closure. The network, known as e-Merlin, is earmarked for shutdown following an announcement by UK Research and Innovation that it was ending financial support for the research and that all scientific work at Jodrell will be halted on the 1st April 2028.

The observatory in Cheshire has also been home for seven decades to the massive 76-metre Lovell radio telescope. Jodrell Bank has been a foremost figure among astronomy centres worldwide and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

An Incredible Experience. In the Austrian Alps, No less!

/
An Incredible Experience. In the Austrian Alps, No less!

Few amateur radio experiences are higher than even a SOTA summit in the Austrian Alps - and the youthful participants in the recent Youngsters on the Air camp in Region 1 got to experience both.

By bus, by hiking and even by cable car, young campers representing 29 countries enjoyed a view from the Austrian Alps and a taste of activating Summits on the Air on the 31st of July, after almost a full week of a Youngsters on the Air camp. They field-tested the QRP rigs they had built in a workshop, and they simply took in the panorama, some 2,000 metres above sea level.

Although they found the vistas breathtaking, the highest-altitude experience during their week at the camp was already behind them: Two days earlier, the 94 campers made contact with astronaut Sophie Adenot, KJ5LTN, aboard the International Space Station with the help of the VK1 ISS telebridge station in Australia.

Read More

Examinations Standards Committee Annual Report

/

The RSGB Examinations Standards Committee (ESC) has published its annual report, relating to activities in 2025.

The report shows that, although overall candidate numbers in 2025 decreased a little compared with 2024, they remain about 20 per cent higher than predictions, based on the extrapolation of pre-2019 trends.

The ESC believes that this is largely due to the increased accessibility of training courses and examinations online.

The ESC noted that the initial feedback received from candidates on the publication of the Full level question bank has been very positive.

However, a few months of exam data are needed before the full impact of the measure can be assessed, and then consideration given to rolling it out at other levels.

More Information - https://rsgb.org/main/blog/news/gb2rs/headlines/2026/07/31/rsgb-examinations-standards-committee-publishes-annual-report/