2024 – a year in numbers

Despite continuing challenges nationally and across the world, the amateur radio community has stayed strong and the RSGB has supported it. In this feature we bring you some great things to celebrate, in which RSGB HQ staff have often led the way.

The video below shows the highlights whilst the fuller story and numbers are shared underneath it. You can also read the feature and see the infographic in the March RadCom.

Next month’s RadCom will show in detail the work of the committees and other specialist volunteers.

RSGB 2024 Convention

The build up to the RSGB 2024 Convention focused on the tagline “Your Convention, your way’ and was centred around offering people more flexibility in the booking process and how people chose their accommodation. As part of our build up to the Convention, the Comms team released four previously unpublished ‘Convention Chat’ videos from 2023. These included one focused on RSGB representatives and RSGB services, another showing the diversity of Special Interest Groups that attend the event each year, and two of our chats with Convention attendees in the bar.

As the Convention Chair, I also led the planning that created a much more practical programme that included workshops, clinics and more practical presentations. I was delighted that the MCU Workshop run by Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX had to be extended to cope with demand, and the feedback that my team collected showed that 39 out of the 40 attendees would recommend the workshop to a friend or colleague. We saw a direct link between our online publicity for these events and people looking at the web page and booking to take part, which shows how important our online channels are for reaching radio amateurs.

Over the course of the weekend, we welcomed 450 people to the Convention in person, but we also continued the hybrid model used for the last few years, in which we provided a selection of content for free via a livestream on our YouTube channel.

A dedicated team of HQ staff and technical volunteers produced 15 hours of livestream content, including 25 live and pre-recorded interviews, some lively video chats with people in the bar on Friday evening, and presentations for the online attendees to enjoy. Preparing this level of engaging content both for those attending the Convention and those watching online took months of preparation.

Reports show us that 69% of views were from the United Kingdom but the remaining percentage of radio amateurs came from a wide range of countries across the world, including the United States, Germany, Sweden, Czechia and Australia.

Since the Convention, we have released 11 presentations which were either on the livestream or which fit our strategic priorities of membership, growth, spectrum and licensing. We have also shared three videos and a new YouTube short, the latter to help reach new audiences as part of our growth strategic priority. All these resources have received great feedback, and other presentations will be released later this year as a member benefit.

Videos

Radio amateurs from across the world continue to enjoy our YouTube channel and we curate our videos into different playlists to enable people to find content more easily. In 2024, a selection of 380 videos were available for people to choose from, including 53 new releases.  The combination of videos, livestreams and shorts amounted to over 111,658 views throughout the year. We also gained a further 1.2k subscribers to our YouTube channel, which is a 13.35% increase year on year, and we now have over 10k subscribers.

In 2024, the most popular group of content was our live Tonight@8 webinars, which amounts to over 27,699 views. The “QMX+ Multimode 160-6m transceiver kit design and features” by Hans Summers, G0UPL was the most watched Tonight@8 presentation with 7,823 views. Other popular content included the Saturday 12 October Livestream for the RSGB Convention which, to date, has had over 4.5k views.

We also continued to use our online channels to support radio amateurs through changing times. Building on the series of videos and interviews we provided on the Ofcom licence changes, our AGM presentation was also on this topic and remains on our YouTube channel for people to refer to.

One of the new additions to the platform this year was the introduction of ‘shorts’. During the last two months of 2024, we released four shorts which are all less than 60 seconds. Topics were all aimed at promoting amateur radio to new audiences and featured the MCU workshop, practical skills, SOTA and youth. These four videos have had a combined 1.7k views and 68 ‘likes’. These videos have also demonstrated the popularity for this type of content amongst younger audiences with 42.7% being under the age of 44, compared to only 6.3% for Tonight@8 webinars. More short videos are being produced by the RSGB Comms Manager and her technical team, and we are confident that these will help to support the strategic priority of growth as we reach the new audiences shown in the statistics above.

Being social

Our social media channels continue to engage with the amateur radio community. Our Facebook channel has grown significantly with a 229.4% increase, amounting to over 16k people now following our page. Our posts have reached over 2.5 million people, including over 108k interactions (likes, shares, comments, saves or replies), and is a 69.8% increase on 2023.

One of the reasons behind this increased engagement is the type of content we have been sharing. For example, our regular ‘Photo Friday’ feature continued to gain interest and followers during 2024, and each month was focused on a particular area of amateur radio. In March, we shared stories about radio amateurs, including one highlighting Sue Jacob, GW7YLS who progressed from no knowledge of the hobby to obtaining her Full licence within 18 months. This post reached over 94k people and had over 1.3k likes. We can see that people appreciate authentic, relatable stories about radio amateurs of all ages.

The landscape on social media continues to change and develop, and we are preparing our response to that as we move into 2025. However, we continue to support active schools, clubs and individuals wherever they share their news, including on X. On that platform we have seen our followers increase by just under 1k. Engagement has also been effective, with users making 35,885 interactions with the content we have shared.

Amateur radio in the media

Our media monitoring agency helps us to keep track of mentions in the mainstream media on amateur radio, the RSGB or our special campaigns. In 2024 there were 433 mentions of the RSGB on TV, Radio, digital/print news, podcasts, personal blogs and other online news. This amounts to a potential audience reach of 1,149,211,441 people.

A significant percentage of this audience reach was as the result of the RSGB attendance at the Dayton Hamvention in May. RSGB President John McCullagh, GI4BWM was interviewed by a local media outlet which was then shared on wider news outlets, including on the main Yahoo.com newspage. I sought out Josh, KI6NAZ who streams live to YouTube at events, and his interviews and interactions with us were shared on his channel ‘Ham Radio Crash Course’, and many others also came to chat to us. This does demonstrate the importance of attending international events and the exposure it can give the RSGB. Other mentions of the Society in the news have come from a wide variety of sources, including autobiographies, podcast interviews, ARISS contacts, local events and local news articles.

Encouraging clubs and societies to work with their local media to help grow the hobby has been a focus of the RSGB Comms Manager for many years and it is great to see that many clubs are now taking up those opportunities. As they share their stories, and we then share those with our extensive online networks, we increase the reach significantly. This is all part of the way in which the Society can support clubs to find new members and to inspire people to get involved in amateur radio.

Events and campaigns

As part of the Society’s strategic priorities, the HQ team members were very involved in several campaigns through the year, either spearheading activities themselves or supporting volunteers and teams. These included British Science Week (BSW), National Coding Week, YOTA Month and JOTA, to name but a few.

As part of National Coding Week, the RSGB shared seven worksheets with different ideas that radio amateurs could try. This included two new activities: one a LoRa tracker board; and the other using the Raspberry Pi Pico. The social media campaign to encourage people to get involved with the week reached over 24k people and helped lead to 480 page views of the dedicated rsgb.org/coding web page. Not only did this interest demonstrate the appetite for coding and programming amongst radio amateurs, but we gathered some great reports of activities that took place. You can see the report in the December 2024 issue – why not take a look and be inspired!

For British Science Week (BSW) in March, further resources were developed under the leadership of the Outreach Team and the new RSGB British Science Week Coordinator Ian Neal, M0KEO, including sample lesson plans and template risk assessments. The RSGB Comms Team supported this campaign across all our channels and we were pleased to see that local media outlets shared news about local activity. This included North East Connected media who shared news of an amateur radio initiative at UTC South Durham. This article had a reach of up to 22,824 people and opened up amateur radio to new audiences.

The biggest outreach event of the year was, of course, the ISS contact that HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh attended in October. As one of the five organisers of this event (with ARISS, the Royal Household, Girlguiding and Brooklands Museum), the RSGB had an integral role in making the event happen from the beginning. As well as creating a range of amateur radio activities for the Girlguiding members to try on the day, we shared content across our online channels before, during and after the event. We have since created three videos of the day to suit different platforms and to help us reach diverse audiences. Our reach on Facebook alone was 32k with 536 reactions and likes. In terms of highlighting an amateur radio contact with the International Space Station to the general public, the Royal Household’s media and social media activity shone a light on the event in a way that no other organisation could. Their social media posts had a reach of 107.3k (at the time of writing) and mentions in the mainstream media had a reach of just under 1.25 billion.

RSGB National Radio Centre

The RSGB National Radio (NRC) based at Bletchley Park (BP), was open for 356 days last year and welcomed 84,690 visitors. This was a 6.1% increase on 2023 and 825 of those visitors chose to leave fantastic feedback in the visitors’ book. The team of NRC volunteers gave 9,555 hours between them across a combined 1,274 volunteer days which demonstrates their commitment to bringing amateur radio to the general public.

RSGB members can download a free entry voucher for Bletchley Park and the NRC, and 683 members made the most of this benefit.

The NRC team is led by HQ staff member Martyn Baker, G0MGB. As well as welcoming the public each day, they also took part in a variety of events throughout the year. These included the BP 1940s weekend, the Enigma Reloaded event and two events for the Arkwright Scholars. The NRC hosted three private evening visits for clubs and five for youth groups, as well as multiple club visits during the normal opening hours. They also put on a special tour for 50 radio amateurs who visited the RSGB Convention in October.

Martyn and his team are always keen to support youngsters to get on the air and, as part of that, they hosted GB24YOTA for two days during YOTA Month and took part in two ‘Build a radio’ events sponsored by the Radio Communications Foundation (RCF) to encourage young people to try practical amateur radio activities.

Licensed radio amateurs can use the GB3RS radio station and now, under the new licence conditions, non-licensees can also operate under supervision. The NRC team has made the most of this and encouraged many visitors to get on the air and experience a taste of amateur radio. Overall, during 2024, 3,844 QSOs were made from the NRC.

RadCom 

During 2024, RadCom continued to provide a diverse range of content covering almost all facets of amateur radio. A total of 245 features were published including 44 technical features.

New products are always of interest to our readers, and we highlighted 39 new products in our ‘New products’ page and included 24 detailed product reviews by independent reviewers. As usual, the magazine continued to provide its readers with reviews of books. The 25 books that were reviewed in 2024 included some technical publications and others of general or historical interest.

We welcome letters from readers on the topics covered in the magazine, and we published 120 of those last year.

RadCom gets sent to members around the world, and in 2024 it was delivered to 60 countries in the following areas: Europe, North America, Central and South America, Middle East, Africa and Asia, Far East and Australasia.

RadCom is just one of our suite of three publications. RadCom Basics continued to be popular with amateurs who wished to brush up their skills or increase their knowledge. During 2024, six issues of RadCom Basics were published, and email alerts were sent to the 5,421 members who have opted to receive these.

For more technically minded amateurs, two issues of RadCom Plus were published last year. A total of 4,272 members have subscribed to receive notification of RadCom Plus in their inbox, showing their appreciation of this part of the RadCom suite.

GB2RS

GB2RS is the Society’s news service. It has been on the air since 1955, and 2025 marks its 70^th anniversary. By the time we get to the actual birthday in September 2025, over 3,500 weekly bulletins will have been produced and broadcast. In 2024, 95 Newsreaders from all corners of the UK made 75 broadcasts every Sunday, spanning 10 different amateur bands from HF to SHF and in eight different modes. The podcast at gb2rs.podbean.com continues to be popular, with 350 listeners on average each week and around 1,300 downloads per month.

The RSGB HQ staff produce 51 scripts a year and, in addition to the ‘on-air’ listenership, nearly 4,500 members are signed up to receive the bulletin by email.

Membership

It was great to see nearly 2,000 people joined or rejoined the RSGB in 2024. In addition, 12 new clubs affiliated with the RSGB and one club returned to affiliation.

The RSGB Membership Secretary is the key point of contact for membership enquiries, and she deals with a wide variety of questions and requests every day.

Books and products

By the end of the year, the RSGB shop had shipped 290 different products to 58 countries, fulfilling over 10,500 orders. This combines to a total of nearly 25,000 product movements.

Members can take advantage of an array of benefits, including discounts on products. Over 6,100 members chose to sign up to receive notification of these offers and 500 people took advantage of them. In addition, over 800 vouchers were redeemed by members over a large array of RSGB books.

Exams

In 2024 the number of people taking amateur radio exams rose significantly from the 2023 figure, with a total of 3,005 candidates booking either an online or paper exam. The Direct to Full level exam is only available online. Of those 3,005 candidates 2,508 were successful and 58 candidates did not attend their exam.

Single-handedly the RSGB Exam Secretary administers the whole exam process for each candidate. She covers everything from the first exam enquiry, through to the booking process, entering of candidate details and the creation of exams. She is also involved in the smooth communication between candidates, remote invigilators and club exam officials where required, as well as the issuing of results. In addition, she also answers exam enquiries on a large range of topics, including special assistance and those with disabilities.

Behind the scenes

Making all of this happen have been our 18 very busy staff members, many of whom work part-time. They’ve made and received large numbers of phone calls, sent and received far more emails than we can count, and been the friendly voice to thousands of new and existing Members, as well as radio amateurs seeking help and advice, both in the UK and across the world. Our team also handled hundreds of IT Helpdesk support tickets on a range of topics and also answered hundreds of calls asking for amateur radio technical advice. Our finance team were also kept very busy, and as part of their work they processed 106,256 customer payments – these include exams, RadCom advertising and trade sales, as well as monthly direct debit membership payments.

Our website had almost one million unique views and we continued to update and streamline information as our activities grew. A particular focus last year was on outreach and youth activities so our pages on British Science Week and National Coding Week were developed, and we shared more information about JOTA and TDOTA activities. These all link to RadCom features on these topics, so everyone can see how we report and promote things across all our communication channels.

The HQ team work closely with, and support, the hundreds of RSGB volunteers without whom the Society would be unable to provide its range of expert amateur radio services. We were delighted to recognise the volunteers’ contribution by sending out 655 volunteer badges and letters at the end of the year.

Looking ahead

There are so many great things to celebrate and there are many more that happen, quietly, each day. I would like to thank the RSGB staff for the fantastic work they do and for the positive spirit in which they do it.

As the RSGB strategic priorities continue to develop and extend, we will focus our work over the coming year to ensure that they underpin everything we do – and we look forward to working with you all to develop amateur radio.

Steve Thomas, M1ACB

RSGB General Manager

gm.dept@rsgb.org.uk

Category: Front Page News, RSGB Notices, RSGB Strategic Priorities