GB2RS 70th anniversary

GB2RS 70 years logo

 “To me GB2RS provides an excellent service to the amateur fraternity, and deserves all the support it can get”

GB2RS Newsreader, John, G0NAJ

GB2RS is the weekly RSGB news broadcast that is delivered by over 100 volunteers every Sunday. In 2025, the Society celebrated its 70th anniversary.

Tonight@8

In January 2025, a Tonight@8 webinar commenced the celebrations with a special webinar about the weekly broadcast. The presentation looked back at the pioneering days of the early broadcasts, before coming right up to date with how today’s news is prepared and broadcast every week.

The presentation also explained how the script is compiled, as well as giving a Newsreader’s perspective by Pete, G0PNM.

Catch up with the webinar via our YouTube channel.

Special event stations

As part of the celebrations, special call sign GB70RS was active throughout the year. The call sign was operated by Newsreaders who help to deliver GB2RS each week, as well as RSGB Headquarters staff.

Special one-off broadcasts from the RSGB National Radio Centre

On Sunday 28 September three special one-off broadcasts were held from the RSGB National Radio Centre. Three Newsreaders broadcast GB2RS from the Centre on three different modes:

  • 10489.855MHz via QO-100 satellite, read by Brian, G4BIP

  • 7128kHz LSB, read by Troy, G7LHK

  • 144.250MHz USB, read by Paul, G1GSN

Each Newsreader started the broadcast with a special message from the RSGB President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX. The special event station GB70RS was used for the pre- and post-News nets.

If you missed out on hearing the broadcasts, watch a 60-second video of the event on our YouTube channel.

You can also watch a full-length video of Troy G7LHK reading the full GB2RS script and welcoming RSGB President Bob Beebe, GU4YOX to the post-script net.

Awards

QSL card of 70 years of GB2RS

Four special awards were available for logging several GB2RS news broadcasts between 1 August and 30 September 2025.  These awards were for hearing the GB2RS broadcast, not for QSOs with GB70RS. They included:

  • Basic Listener Award

  • Regular Listener Award

  • International Listener Award

  • International Regular Listener Award

Find out more via the GB70RS page at QRZ.com

“I feel this sums up the newsreading, and hobby as a whole: no matter who you are, where you are or when, there is always a voice to talk to and a pair of ears that are willing to listen”

GB2RS Newsreader, Danny Morrison, MM3YHA