Listen out for RSGB President operating as GB5CC

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The RSGB President, Bob Beebe, GU4YOX, will be operating as GB5CC for this year’s Commonwealth Contest, which takes place on 14 to 15 March 2026.

He will be doing so in memory of former RSGB President, Bob Whelan, G3PJT who sadly became a Silent Key at the end of last year.

Bob Beebe looks forward to making contacts across the Commonwealth and sharing time on the amateur bands to reflect the fellowship, tradition and sense of community that Bob Whelan valued so deeply.

More Information - http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf

British Science Week: What Are Your Plans?

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British Science Week starts this Friday, 6 March, and finishes on Sunday, 15 March 2026. The annual event celebrates science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), and is the perfect opportunity to share amateur radio with new audiences. A number of clubs are hosting events that are open to the public, ranging from a practical skills night with Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society through to the Lincolnshire Portable Radio Group, which is delivering a youth event with the International Bomber Command Centre.

Several groups and organisations are looking to arrange skeds during the week. These include Crowthorne and Wokingham Without Men’s Shed with Bracknell Amateur Radio Club, and also South Derbyshire and Ashby Woulds Amateur Radio Group. Get involved with British Science Week by attending an event, or by arranging a sked with one of these groups. Find out more by going to rsgb.org/bsw and selecting ‘Events happening near you’ from the right-hand menu.

If you haven’t planned anything yet, you can still get involved by doing the RSGB ‘Riding the wave’ activity with your friends and family. Find this worksheet, along with numerous other ideas and resources by going to the main RSGB British Science Week web page at rsgb.org/bsw

Astro Pi Mission Zero Challenge Offers Youth Chance to Run Code Aboard ISS

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Astro Pi Mission Zero Challenge Offers Youth Chance to Run Code Aboard ISS

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and amateur radio operator Sophie Adenot, KJ5LTN, is now aboard the International Space Station following her launch on the SpaceX Crew-12 mission on 13th February 2026 and docking on 14th February 2026. With about one month remaining before submissions close for the Astro Pi Mission Zero coding challenge on 23rd March 2026, her mission highlights ongoing opportunities for young people to run their own code aboard the space station.

Astro Pi Mission Zero, organised by ESA in partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO), gives young people the chance to have their code run in space. Participants write a short Python program that reads data from the Astro Pi colour and luminosity sensor aboard the ISS and uses it to set the background colour of a personalised image displayed for astronauts as they go about their daily tasks inside the Columbus laboratory module.

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