This Week at KE2YK — October 25, 2026

Catch up on three practical KE2YK posts and six Daily Briefs, then look ahead at the DX activity announced for the coming week.

This KE2YK weekly ham radio roundup uses two date windows. Parts 1 and 2 cover Monday, October 19, at 00:01 UTC through Saturday, October 24, at 23:59 UTC. Part 3 looks ahead from Monday, October 26, at 00:01 UTC through Saturday, October 31, at 23:59 UTC.

Part 1: KE2YK Posts From the Past Week

Tuesday, October 20 — How Much Radio Do You Really Need for POTA?

Two small QRP radios offer a useful way to think about what belongs in a portable station. The article looks at simple controls, digital capability, operating style, and the value of carrying only the features that earn their weight in the pack. Read How Much Radio Do You Really Need for POTA?

Thursday, October 22 — QRP and POTA After Solar Maximum: How to Keep Making Contacts

Changing solar conditions do not mean the end of QRP fun. This practical guide explains why portable operators should keep 20 meters available, make more room for 30 and 40 meters, watch the clock, and give the antenna as much attention as the radio. Read QRP and POTA After Solar Maximum.

Saturday, October 24 — POTACAT: Free POTA, SOTA & DX Spotting Software

POTACAT puts POTA, SOTA, DX spotting, maps, logging help, and radio control into one free program. The article explains what the software can do and why it may be useful at home or in a portable station. Read the POTACAT guide.

Part 2: The Daily Brief — October 19–24 in Review

Here is the completed Monday-through-Saturday news record. Every individual item links to the source used in that day’s Daily Brief.

Monday, October 19 — CubeSats, Linear Transponders, and Meteor Scatter

NASA reported the launch of two student-built CubeSats using open-source technology for amateur-radio experiments. AMSAT outlined plans to place more linear-transponder modules in orbit and shared a practical introduction to six-meter meteor-scatter contacts.

Tuesday, October 20 — São Tomé DX, JTTY, and Better HF Conditions

The S9R team reported nearly 18,000 contacts from São Tomé only a few days after starting. WS Digital Mode Suite 3.2.1 added experimental JTTY support. The ARRL Solar Update pointed to improving HF conditions that could help QRP and CW operators.

Wednesday, October 21 — SDR Tools, a CFT1 Upgrade, and Pacific CW

SDR– 2.3.0 added antenna modeling and expanded radio features. A speaker and replacement-case upgrade made the original CFT1 more convenient for portable operation. A newly announced FK/KD6XU operation from New Caledonia offered another CW and POTA target.

Thursday, October 22 — WSJT-X Beta, Off-Grid Spotting, and Lesotho

WSJT-X 3.3.0-beta4 brought digital-mode improvements and fixes, while remaining test software. A field report showed how SOTACat and SOTAmat can send a self-spot without cell service using only two watts. The 7P8EA Lesotho operation was announced for CW and SSB on 20 through 10 meters.

Friday, October 23 — Antenna Rights, North Cook Islands, and County Lines

HOA advocates renewed attention to their opposition to federal amateur-radio antenna legislation. E51MWA returned from the North Cook Islands, initially reported on 17-meter FT8. A County Names & Lines app update gave mobile operators another way to identify county crossings.

Saturday, October 24 — FCC Renewals, Youth DX, and the Zombie Shuffle

An independent study reported that hundreds of amateurs may fail to finish the FCC license-renewal payment step. Young operators will lead the VK9XY Christmas Island DXpedition, with remote operating available to additional participants. The Zombie Shuffle returns October 30 for an easygoing evening of QRP CW.

Part 3: DX Activity for October 26–31

These announced operations overlap the coming Monday-through-Saturday window. Dates are plans, not promises of nonstop activity. Travel, setup, propagation, and local conditions can change a schedule.

• 7P8EA — Lesotho: Planned from October 26 on 20 through 10 meters using CW and SSB.
• 7P8GE — Lesotho: The team operation remains scheduled through October 29 on HF, including 60 meters.
• 9N7XT — Nepal: Planned through October 31 on 160 through 10 meters using CW, SSB, and FT8.
• 9X5KM — Rwanda: Holiday-style HF activity is planned to begin October 31, with an emphasis on the low bands.
• 3DA0GY — Eswatini: Planned on 40 through 10 meters using CW and SSB.
• 5H3MB — Tanzania: Planned on 80 through 10 meters using CW.
• 6W/I2YSB and 6W/IK2HKT — Senegal: Planned from October 28 on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8.
• C5R — The Gambia: The longer HF operation remains scheduled throughout the week.
• C5A — The Gambia: Planned through October 31 on HF and 6 meters using SSB, CW, and FT8.
• E51MWA — North Cook Islands: Activity from Manihiki Island is planned on HF.
• H44MS — Solomon Islands: Planned on 80 through 10 meters, mainly FT8 with some SSB.
• JD1BQP — Ogasawara: Planned through the week on 160 through 6 meters from Chichijima Island.
• S9R — São Tomé and Príncipe: Planned through October 31 on 160 through 6 meters, including 60 meters, using CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8.
• TZ4AM — Mali: Planned on 80 through 6 meters using CW and SSB.
• V47JA — St. Kitts and Nevis: Planned from October 28 on 160 through 6 meters using SSB and FT8.
• V26JJ — Antigua: Planned from October 30 on HF using CW, SSB, and FT8.
• KH8A — American Samoa: Planned from October 30 on 160 through 6 meters using CW, SSB, FT8, and RTTY.
• YJ0SP — Vanuatu: Planned from October 30 from Port Vila on HF.

For last-minute changes, QSL details, and new announcements, check the NG3K Announced DX Operations list. Thanks for reading, good luck with the week’s DX, and enjoy your time on the air. 73!

KE2YK posts and Daily Brief topics cover October 19–24. DX schedules were checked October 25, 2026, against NG3K and the linked operator, team, or QRZ pages. Plans, software, event details, and propagation can change.