ICQPodcast Episode 494 - Q and A 2026

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is Q and A 2026

We would like to thank Daryll McCaffery (VK6DMC) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast ad-free. To donate, please visit: http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

News stories include: 

• Will RADE Be the Next SSB?
• New Azores Collective Brings School Amateur Radio Clubs Together
• UN Agencies Warn: Spectrum Interference Is Putting Early Warning Systems and Climate Science at Risk
• Summit Activator's 12th Contact of the Day Wasn't on the Radio — It Was a Rescue
• On This Net, Etiquette Is No Trivial Matter
• Nearly 1,000 QSOs Made From a 12,000-Year-Old Archaeological Site in Turkey
• Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test Set for 17th November — As AM Radio Bill Awaits Senate Vote
• RSGB 2027 Construction Competition Is Open
• RSGB Adds Another Decade of RadCom to the App
• Two New Federal Inquiries Put RF Exposure Back Under the Microscope

The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com

ICQPodcast Episode 493 - What makes a Radio Antenna Fail?

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB)  to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is What makes an Antenna Fail?

We would like to thank Daryll McCaffery (VK6DMC) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit: http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

News stories include: 

• AMSAT Youth Initiative Launches Its Fifth Course: Satellites and Astronomy
• Remote FT8, No VPN Required: Say Hello to HamRadioWeb
• Two Years After Helene, Western North Carolina Builds a Radio Network That Won't Go Dark
• Route 66 Takes a Detour Onto the HF Highway
• North Dakota Hams Run a Full Communications Blackout Drill
• Icom Releases Firmware Update 1.03 for the IC-7300MK2
• 100 Years of the Yagi: Contest University Marks a Milestone Antenna Design

The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com

ICQPodcast Episode 492 - Which Hotspot

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Dan Romanchik KB6NU, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG and Ed Durrant DD5LP  to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is Which Hotspot.

We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast ad-free. To donate, please visit: http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

News stories include: 

• Amateur Radio technologies help in Canadian Cave Rescue.
• $1 Million and Counting: Contester and Engineer Dr James Galm Makes Historic Gift to ARRL
• AST SpaceMobile's 800 MHz Trial Wraps Up — But the 70cm Interference Story Isn't Going Away
• South African Regulator Closes In on Repeater Interference in Gauteng
• When the Networks Go Down: Bangladesh Runs Nationwide Radio Drill for Quakes, Floods, and Worse
• Wildfire Scorches Vital Nevada Repeater — Repairs Racing to Beat Labour Day
• Bangladesh Wants a Ham Radio Payload on Its Next Satellite — And They Need Your Voice

The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com

ICQPodcast Episode 491 - The Science of Making Distant Contacts

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Frank Howell (K4FMH) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is The Science of Making Distant Contacts.

We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert-free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

News stories include: 

• Colombian Hams Answer the Call After Deadly Earthquake
• 10 Years Old, Freshly Licensed, and Already Rocking a Yaesu FT-857D
• FCC Cracks Down on "Largest GMRS Network in the US" Over Linked Repeater Violations
• Pennsylvania Hams Step Up for the Red Cross
• NASA's PUNCH Mission Cracks Solar Storm Forecasting
• POTA Pulls the Plug on 85% of French Parks — And a Volunteer Resigns Over It
• From Morse to Micropython: RSGB Marks National Coding Week 2026
• Solder, Circuits, and a Radio to Take Home: RSGB's Build Your Own Radio Workshop Returns
• 25 Years On: K4A Takes to the Airwaves for "9/11 We Do Remember"

The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com

ICQPodcast Episode 490 - Ham Radio ATU’s

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Ed Durrant DD5LP and Frank Howell K4FMH to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is Ham Radio ATU’s.

We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert-free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

News stories include: 

• Father-And-Son Dxpedition Team Adds An APRS Mission
• Space Station Logs Historic First ARISS Contact with Kenya
• UK's Leading Observatory Earmarked for Shutdown
• An Incredible Experience. In the Austrian Alps, no less!
• HamSCI Meteor Scatter QSO Parties Target the Perseids
• Examinations Standards Committee Annual Report
• International Dog Day and International Cat Day Special Event

The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com

ICQPodcast Episode 489 - STEM and Radio for a Brighter Future

In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is STEM and Ham Radio Works.

We would like to thank our Chris Carini, (GW4RER), Walter Washburn, (KT0D), Constantine Papas (KL0S) and monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert-free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate

News stories include: 

• HAMgpt Launches as an AI Assistant Built Around Your Station
• Keeping Teams Connected Where the Network Isn't
• Scientists Building Massive Deep Synoptic Array in Nevada Desert
• FCC Clears Orbital Mirror Satellite Despite Widespread Objections
• aprs.world — A Free, Modern Live APRS Map in 11 Languages
• RSGB Club Finder Back Online After Redevelopment
• Peter the First Island DXpedition Seeks Operators
• Icom RS-BA1 Version 2 (Version 2.81) & RS-R8600 (Version 1.02) Software Updates

The ICQPodcast can be downloaded from http://www.icqpodcast.com

ICQPodcast Episode 488 - World RadioSport Team Championship (WRTC) 2026

In this special episode, Martin Butler (M1MRB), Chris Howard (M0TCH) and Colin Butler (M6BOY) attended and brought you a flavour of the World Radiosport Team Championship 2026 taking place in the UK.

We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription donors for helping keep the podcast advert-free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate