Friday brings a tidy mix of housekeeping and adventure: Ofcom's five-year revalidation reminder rubs shoulders with a rove through the Appalachians and a fresh Section Manager taking the reins. Add contest antennas, shortwave nostalgia, and a satellite designed to bounce sunlight, and there's plenty to chew on before the weekend rally.

In today’s roundup

• Also in GB2RS this week… — RSGB
  A timely nudge that UK licences need revalidating every five years, though Ofcom would rather you tidy up your database details annually.
• Rallies and Events News – 19 July 2026 — RSGB
  Lincoln Short Wave Club's Summer Radio Rally lands this Sunday at Market Rasen, with doors at 10am, £3 admission, and free parking to sweeten the deal.
• Contesting 101: Basic Antennas for Contesting — OnAllBands (DX Engineering)
  K4RO kicks off a contesting series with the fundamentals of antennas, a welcome primer for anyone eyeing their first serious effort in the log.
• W2TEF: A POTAcycle Rove Through the Appalachians — QRPer
  Todd (W2TEF) blends motorcycling and activations on a Blue Ridge Parkway rove, proving a POTAcycle trip is as much about the journey as the parks.
• Shortwave Memories — Who’s Out There? — The SWLing Post
  Karl Forth's reflection on wondering who else was tuned to Radio Portugal captures that universal shortwave feeling of solitary listening across a shared band.
• Sharp SG-220 all-in-one stereo system — The SWLing Post
  As Brazil migrates AM stations to FM, the freed-up medium-wave spectrum is becoming friendlier ground for DXers hunting distant signals.
• Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2542 for Friday, July 17th, 2026 — Amateur Radio Newsline
  - FCC OKS LAUNCH OF "MIRROR" SATELLITE TO REFLECT SUN - GMRS REPEATER PROVIDES SAFETY NET IN UTAH - SILENT KEY: ATLANTA RADIO CLUB'S JOHN TALIPSKI, N3ACK - AMSAT SOUTH AFRICA FOCUSES ON FUTURE SATELLITE TECH…
• New ARRL Santa Clara Valley Section Manager — ARRL News
  Tony Dowler, K6BV, steps up as the new Santa Clara Valley Section Manager, a leadership handover worth noting for California hams.

Read this roundup on HamDaily →

HamDaily Digest · Live band conditions · hamdaily.com