SOS Radio Week: An event held every year in. May, during which amateur radio operators from all around the British and Channel Isles come together to celebrate the work of the volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) and National Independent Lifeboat Association (NILA).
These SOS Radio Week stations operate from anywhere (home, club, lifeboat station, coast watch station, etc.), using any callsign (personal, club, or special event), at any time and for any period of time between 00:00 on the 1st May and 23:59 on the 31st May. There are few rules, it’s just an opportunity to highlight the work the folk of these organisations do to keep people around our coasts, and out to sea, safe.
Latest figures indicate that in 2023, the RNLI launched lifeboats on 9,192 occasions, aided 10,734 people and saved 269. In 2024, NILA’s members attended 1,841 incidents and assisted 2,014 folk (and 44 animals). 2024 also saw the NCI report 378 incidents and participate in a further 449 supporting local rescue units (lifeboats, coastguards, etc.). Don’t forget, these incidents were attended by mainly volunteer crew and team members (the RNLI does employ some crew members at the Thames stations).
You’ll find amateur radio stations from all the England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands calling CQ using any mode available. If you do, please go back to them.
Further details of the event, and how you can get involved, can be found on the SOS Radio Week website.