GB1500M Activator Instructions

GB1500M Activation – Sunday 21 June 2026 until Sunday 28 June 2026

If you would like to be an activator you need to be an RSGB or BBCARG member with a Full Licence*. You will have to be able to link your radio to computer logging, typically using a contest logging program such as DXLog or N1MM. This will be able to store your QSOs in a local log which can then be exported as an ADIF file to be emailed, so that it can be added to the complete log for the callsign. The log will be sent to our QSL manager and also uploaded to Logbook of the World (LoTW).

QSOs can be SSB, CW, FM (VHF only), RTTY/PSK, FT8 or FT4.

Activation is open to individuals from their own homes and to clubs who may operate from members’ homes or from club stations. We welcome operators who are Foundation or Intermediate licensees who may operate under the supervision of a Full licensee.

The bands in use at HF will be 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m. At VHF we will use 6, 2 and 70cms. Operating can be booked in 2-hour long slots which is explained below.

If you would like to register as an individual or you are the representative of a club who would like to operate please follow the instructions below. We only need one club representative to register.

*Licence conditions in the UK permit only Full Licensees to activate, or supervise the activation of Club Callsigns.

(Top of the South Mast at Droitwich 29 May 2026 – Photo from Nick Totterdell G4FAL, used with their kind permission)

GB1500M Activation – How you or your club can take part.

You will need to be an RSGB or BBCARG member and a member of the RSGB Contest Club, to activate GB1500M. There is no need to have a substantial station you just need to be able to make some QSOs. It is surprising how successful a simple station can be in an event of this kind.

Please send an email to contestclub@rsgbcc.org if you wish to take part. Your name and call sign will be added to our list of registered activators and if you are not already a Contest Club member, you will be added to the membership list:

  • Full Name (plus Club Name if you are representing an RSGB Affiliated Society who wish to activate the call sign)
  • Your Call Sign (not a Club call sign). Please use a prefix that identifies the country from which you will operate.
  • Email address – one that you use for logging into google so we can send you a “share” for the schedule
  • RSGB membership number
  • RSGB region
  • Country from which you will operate (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey). This is important so that we can keep keep logs with others from the same country, for QSLs and LoTW.

Please address any queries to the same address.

You can check here that your name and call sign are listed for taking part:

These are sorted by operating country.

How to book slots to operate GB1500M

When you have signed up for operating, you will be sent a “share” so that you can edit the Operating Schedule which is on a Google Spreadsheet, where you can type your call sign into slots where you want to operate.

For log management and for those who wish to work GB1500M it is important that entries in the schedule include the identity of the country that you will be activating.

Please do not “hog” the schedule, if it is obvious that other people want to operate. Please remove your call sign if you have finished operating before the time period has expired. You may QSY to another band or mode but please change the schedule when you do this. Do not delete the pages for days that are complete as we want to keep a record of who has operated where possible.

Here you can find the schedule:

– note that each day is selected from a Tab at the bottom of the page.

When you have operated, please send your log as an ADIF file, including your call sign in the filename, so that we can sort the logs by country – for example GB1500M@G4FAL 21 June 2026.ADI.

Whatever logging software you use, your ADIF file output must include the following minimum fields. Please check that these are all selected.

  • CALL
  • QSO_DATE
  • TIME_ON (QSO start time)
  • BAND
  • MODE
  • RST_RCVD
  • RST_SENT

Please ensure that your call sign identifies the country from which you have been activating GB1500M.

Please email your log as an attachment to contestclub@rsgbcc.org. If you are operating on many bands and modes, please only send one email each day.