This Week at KE2YK — October 4, 2026

Catch up on last week’s KE2YK post and Daily Briefs, then look ahead at DX activity for the coming week.

This roundup has three parts. The KE2YK posts and Daily Brief sections look back from Monday, September 28, at 00:01 UTC through Saturday, October 3, at 23:59 UTC. The DX section looks ahead from Monday, October 5, at 00:01 UTC through Saturday, October 10, at 23:59 UTC.

Part 1: KE2YK Posts From the Past Week

Here is the new article published on KE2YK during the completed Monday-through-Saturday week.

Wednesday, September 30 — How to Plan a Stealth HF Antenna for a Small Yard

This practical guide looks at ways to get on HF when space or neighborhood rules limit your choices. It covers flagpole verticals, roofline wires, and compact inverted-L antennas, plus feed-line routing, radials, tuners, safety, and simple testing.

Part 2: The Daily Brief — September 28–October 3 in Review

Here is the week’s amateur-radio news in review. Each link opens the source report or reference used in that day’s Daily Brief.

Monday, September 28 — New Satellites and Better Satellite Operating

Transporter-18 was scheduled to carry several amateur-radio payloads, including projects with voice, packet, images, telemetry, and message-relay features. The brief also introduced OrbitDeck for iPhone and iPad, which combines pass predictions, Doppler help, logging, and station control. A final operating tip explained why full-duplex satellite operationhelps a ham hear whether a signal is passing through the satellite.

Tuesday, September 29 — Packet From Space and Pressure on 70 Centimeters

ARICA-2 opened its amateur message-relay service using AX.25 store-and-forward operation on 436.830 MHz. The day’s second major topic was growing commercial pressure on the 430–440 MHz amateur allocation. The issue matters because hams use 70 centimeters for repeaters, satellites, weak-signal work, and digital communication.

Wednesday, September 30 — Contest Logs Move Online

ARRL’s move toward online-only HF contest log submission was the key item. Contest logs must be uploaded in Cabrillo format instead of being mailed or emailed. Hams who still keep paper logs should plan a simple way to create and check a Cabrillo file before the deadline.

Thursday, October 1 — ISS Images, OrbitDeck, and Congo DX

ARISS announced an October 2–6 SSTV event using 437.550 MHz and Robot 36, making Doppler correction important. OrbitDeck offered satellite tracking, radio control, logging, SSTV decoding, and station tools in one iOS app. The brief also followed 9T0MD from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, planned on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8.

Friday, October 2 — RF Safety, Digital Voice, and Icom Firmware

New FCC and HHS proceedings brought RF exposure back into the news, but they did not change today’s amateur-radio rules. FreeDV RADE showed how narrow digital voice may stay useful under weak-signal conditions. Icom also released IC-7300MK2 firmware Version 1.03, which addressed a signal-quality issue and made changes tied to clock backup operation.

Saturday, October 3 — College Radio, JTTY, and Jamboree on the Air

The Collegiate QSO Party put college and university radio clubs on the air using CW, phone, and digital modes. A new experimental mode called JTTY aimed to mix RTTY-style keyboard conversation with modern weak-signal performance. The brief also looked ahead to Jamboree on the Air, October 16–18, when hams can help Scouts and Guides make radio contacts.

That is the Daily Brief recap for September 28 through October 3. Now let’s look ahead at the DX activity announced for the coming week.

Part 3: DX Activity for October 5–10

Several announced DX operations overlap this week’s window. These dates are plans, not promises of nonstop activity. Travel, power, weather, equipment, and propagation can change a schedule.

• 9T0MD — Democratic Republic of the Congo: Planned through October 11 on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB, FT8, and RTTY.
• 5W0AF — Samoa: Planned through October 12, mainly SSB on 40 through 10 meters, with possible 80-meter activity.
• FW1P — Wallis and Futuna: Planned through October 17 on HF, including 60 meters, using SSB, RTTY, FT8, and FT4.
• 8Q7JH — Maldives: Planned through October 10 on 20, 15, and 10 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8.
• V51WH — Namibia: Planned through October 10 on 160 through 6 meters, including 60 meters.
• V61GSE — Micronesia: Planned through October 7 on 80 through 6 meters using FT8, SSB, and CW.
• XR0Z — Juan Fernández Islands: A ten-day operation is planned during October on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8. Check the team’s site for exact dates.
• C5R — The Gambia: Planned during this week as part of a longer HF operation.
• H44MS — Solomon Islands: Planned on 80 through 10 meters, mainly FT8 with some SSB.
• 6O2M — Somalia: Planned to begin October 5 with spare-time CW and SSB activity on 40 through 10 meters.
• JW5X and team calls — Svalbard: Planned from October 7 on HF using CW, SSB, and FT8.
• H49A — Solomon Islands: Planned to begin October 7 on HF and 6 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8.
• TF/VA3ITA — Iceland: Planned from October 8 on 40 through 10 meters using SSB and digital modes.
• ZA/AE5X — Albania: Planned from October 8 with 10-watt CW activity on 20 through 10 meters.
• 9H6C — Malta: Planned to begin October 10 on 80 through 10 meters using CW, SSB, FT8, and FT4.

For late changes, operator details, and QSL information, check the NG3K Announced DX Operations list. Thanks for reading, good luck with the coming week’s DX, and enjoy your time on the air. 73!

The KE2YK post list and Daily Brief topics cover the completed Monday-through-Saturday period. DX schedules were checked October 4, 2026, using NG3K and the linked operator or team pages. Plans, software, firmware, and event details can change.