Bill's Weekend Update for 9/25/2026

By: Bill (KC3FOX)

Drum Roll, Please!! It is time for all the news that is the news for your Weekend Update, on everything that will keep your radio humming, and your antennas tuned.

Weather

Some minor news about a Nor’easter hitting New Jersey and the surrounding states aside, the weather today will be nice at a high of 74°F to a low of 57°F, and the temperature dropping throughout the weekend to a high in the mid 60s. Weather should start getting distinctly wetter towards Saturday with showers expected from Saturday evening throughout Sunday. So if you are going to do some outdoors fun, do it tonight or early tomorrow.

The solar conditions show:

• An SFI of 112 (solar flux index (SFI) is the intensity of solar radio emissions. Higher the better up to about 300, so not great, and a raise from 97 last week)
• A index of 16 ( daily numerical average of the K Index of Earth’s geomagnetic field and activity. The lower the better from 0-400, and a rise from 9 last week)
• K index of 3 (lower is better, 3= unsettled and weak Earths magnetic field activity, a rise from 1 last week).
• 10-12m are poor, with the rest of the bands being fair to good, with the exception of 40m-80m during the day.

Events

• 26 Sep 0000 UTC through 27 Sept 2026 2359 UTC - CQ WW RTTY Contest

  • I will give RTTY a pass and say that it is a real digital mode, not like that FT4/FT8 thing…. :D However one of the largest RTTY contests is happening this weekend. I am POSITIVE that you will see Brian (N3BMC) on there. More information could be found on the CQ WW RTTY Site.

Special Events Stations

• Sep 26-Sep 27, 1400Z-1900Z Historic Soldiers Weekend Fort Mott State Park, W2M, Pennsville, NJ. Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club. 7 14 21 28. Certificate. Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 370, Pitman, NJ 08071. POTA US-1617. Certificate available via email on request to [email protected]. Multiple stations on SSB, CW, and FT8 to run through the event with primary bands 7, 14, 21, and 28 MHz and specific frequencies listed on the POTA Spots web page during the event. Hours of operation may extend to 2100Z on Saturday.
• Sep 26, 0900Z-1600Z, Liberty Ship Remembrance Special Event Station K8JWB, Baltimore, MD. SS JOHN W BROWN Radio Club. 14.150 - 14.350 7.125 - 7.300 3.600 - 4.000. QSL. Scott Corsano, 108 Old Landing Ct, Fredericksburg, VA 22405.
• Sep 26, 1400Z-2000Z, Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club America 250 Ft. Steuben Special Event K8F, Steubenville, OH. Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club. 20M, CW, FT8, SSB 40M, CW, FT8, SSB. Certificate. Polly Givens, 8890 County Road 53, Bergholz, OH 43908. Contacts may download a special event certificate once contact is confirmed.
• Sep 26-Sep 27, 1400Z-2350Z, Tri-states Special Event: Where SD, ND, MN meet W0JH, Stillwater, MN. Stillwater (MN) Amateur Radio Assoc. (SARA). 3.860 7.260 14.260 21.360. Certificate. Shel Mann - N0DRX, 1618 Pine St W, Stillwater, MN 55082. QSL Certificates will ONLY be sent via e-mail in PDF. Send QSO Contact Info ; [email protected] Certificate at W0JH Stations will be operating from the corners of South Dakota, North Dakota & edge of Minnesota (Grid Square: EN15). Encampment: White Rock, SD.
• Sep 26-Sep 27, 1230Z-0300Z, Villa Rica Gold Rush Special Event W4G, Temple, GA. West Georgia Amateur Radio Society. 3.85 7.30 14.26 21.32. Certificate & QSL. West Georgia Amateur Radio Society, POB 102, Bowdon Junction, GA 30109.
• Sep 26, 1400Z-2000Z, Volcano Days W8PAR, Parkersburg, WV. Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub. 14.225 SSB 14.125 CW 7.200 SSB 7.100 CW FT* ON 20/40. Certificate & QSL. Jerry Wharton, 1722 20th. St., Parkersburg, WV 26101. Honoring the days when oil was a booming industry in Volcano, WV, before a destructive fire destroyed the town in 1879. First oil field in the US to employ the “endless cable pumping system” First regular gauge railroad built in the state of WV. First pipeline to be built in WV.
• Sep 26, 1700Z-2100Z, White Trail Grange Car Show W7TT, Ephrata, WA. Central Washington Amateur Radio Club. 7.250 14.250 21.350. Certificate. Steven A Adler W7STV, 12548 Dodson Rd NW, Ephrata, WA 98823-9568. [email protected]
• Sep 27-Sep 29, 1200Z-0200Z, Bolton Mansion / Phineas Pemberton House W3B, Levittown, PA. PENN WIRELESS ASSOCIATION. 7.200 14.250 18.135 146.79 -0.6 131.8PL. Certificate. PENN WIRELESS ASSOCIATION, PO BOX 925, Levittown, PA 19058. The Phineas Pemberton House, also known as Bolton Mansion, built between 1687 and 1790 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1971. Pemberton was a Quaker and close associate of William Penn who served as Register of Wills, Recorder, and Clerk of the Court — integral to early colonial and county government. The house later served as the Sales and Engineering Headquarters for the construction of Levittown, making it a unique bridge between the area’s colonial roots and its 1950s reinvention.

Contests

STATE QSO CONTESTS

ARRL Contests

NO ARRL contests this weekend, but plenty of worldwide contests.

Other Contests

For a more complete listing of upcoming contests, check out the Contest Calendar.

• K1USN Slow Speed Test: 2000Z-2100Z, Sep 25 Rules
• CQ Worldwide DX Contest, RTTY: 0000Z, Sep 26 to 2400Z, Sep 27 Rules
• Bill Windle QSO Party: 0000Z-2359Z, Sep 26 Rules
• YU DX Contest: 1200Z, Sep 26 to 1159Z, Sep 27 Rules
• Maine QSO Party: 1200Z, Sep 26 to 1200Z, Sep 27 Rules
• AGCW VHF/UHF Contest: 1400Z-1700Z, Sep 26 (144) and 1700Z-1800Z, Sep 26 (432) Rules
• Masonic Lodges on the Air: 1400Z-2200Z, Sep 26 Rules
• AWA Amplitude Modulation QSO Party: 2000Z, Sep 26 to 2400Z, Sep 27 Rules
• UBA ON Contest, 6m: 0700Z-1000Z, Sep 27 Rules

• 2026 10