How GB#MMH Started

The GB#MMH Men’s Mental Health Awareness event first began shortly after the
COVID lockdown period, when it became increasingly clear just how badly both
men and women had been affected by isolation, loneliness, anxiety, and the
long-lasting impact of lockdowns.

Within amateur radio clubs and communities, many people had struggled through
periods of isolation and reduced social contact. While the effects were felt by
everyone, it was widely recognised that many men often found it far harder to
openly talk about mental health struggles or ask for support.

Following discussions within the Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club,
Andy 2E1TAP and John G6LNV came up with the idea
of using amateur radio and a special event station to help raise awareness for
men’s mental health and encourage conversation within the hobby.

The idea was simple — create something that would help people talk, bring
members together, encourage conversation both on and off the air, and use the
worldwide reach of amateur radio to spread a positive message.

What started as a small club idea quickly gained support throughout the
Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club, with members fully getting behind the
project and helping turn it into something much bigger.

Four years later, GB#MMH has grown into a recognised nationwide amateur radio
awareness campaign involving operators, clubs, streamers, organisations,
manufacturers, retailers, and supporters from across the UK and beyond.

The continued success of GB#MMH reflects the fantastic support shown by the
amateur radio community and demonstrates how powerful friendship, communication,
and community spirit can be.

Four Years Of Growth

Each year the event has continued to expand, gaining more participating stations, greater worldwide reach, increased public awareness, stronger operator involvement, and greater visibility across QRZ, YouTube, and social media.

What started with a handful of operators has now grown into a coordinated nationwide amateur radio awareness event involving clubs, streamers, manufacturers, retailers, microwave operators, digital systems, and supporters from across the UK.

RSGB Support

We are extremely grateful for the continued support shown by the Radio Society of Great Britain.

Having the support and recognition of the RSGB has helped give further visibility to the campaign and helped spread awareness of men’s mental health throughout the wider amateur radio community.

Event Overview

The 2026 GB#MMH special event stations operated during:

23rd – 24th May 2026

Stations were active across multiple amateur radio bands using:

• SSB
• FT4
• FT8

GB0MMH Headquarters Station

The Mill — Home of the Humber Fortress DX ARC
Patrington Haven
Near Hull
HU12 0PS

Throughout the weekend, operators made contacts across the UK, Europe, and around the world, helping raise awareness for men’s mental health through the global amateur radio community.

View GB0MMH on QRZ

Community Spirit At The Mill

Alongside the radio operation itself, the GB0MMH headquarters station at The Mill became a fantastic meeting point for operators, supporters, visitors, and friends throughout the weekend.

The Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club hosted a BBQ  and social gathering across the event weekend which helped create a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere for everybody attending.

We were especially pleased to welcome guests and fellow amateur radio operators from the Hull and District Amateur Radio Society (H.A.D.A.R.S), helping strengthen the already excellent relationship between local amateur radio clubs.The weekend perfectly demonstrated what amateur radio is truly about — not just making contacts around the world, but friendship, community, conversation, and bringing people together.Between operating, logging, antenna discussions, radio demonstrations, food, and plenty of conversation, The Mill had a brilliant atmosphere throughout the event and gave visitors a real taste of modern amateur radio operating at its best.

Event Statistics

The response from the amateur radio community was simply outstanding.

These figures show just how far the message travelled in such a short period of time. More importantly, they represent thousands of conversations, interactions, and moments where awareness for men’s mental health was shared worldwide.

Most Active GB#MMH Stations

Band & Mode Breakdown

Band Activity

Mode Activity

The results clearly show that voice operation played a huge part in the event, perfectly fitting the campaign’s purpose of encouraging communication and conversation.

Worldwide Reach

The event reached operators in an incredible 83 countries worldwide.

Top participating areas included England, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, United States of America, France, Spain, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

This demonstrated the true worldwide reach of amateur radio and how powerful the hobby can be when used to support an important cause.

Supporting Organisations & Contributors

This event would not have been possible without the support and involvement of many people and organisations throughout the amateur radio community.

• The RSGB
• 
• Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club
•  
• 
• Martin Lynch & Sons
•  
• 
• Station Master Radio Logging Technology
•  
• 
• DX Commander
•  
• Amateur Radio YouTube streamers
•  
• Clint M0OPV
•  
• Darren M0DCX
•  
• James M0GQC
•  
• All participating operators and volunteers
•  
• Every station worldwide that called in and supported the event

Behind The Scenes Support

A massive thank you goes out to Stuart from Station Master and Chris G0URG this year for the enormous amount of work carried out behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.

• Synchronising QRZ pages
• Managing logging systems
• Integrating Station Master and QSL systems
• Coordinating station information
• Ensuring operators had a smooth and reliable operating experience

The automated QSL card system proved especially popular and added a modern, professional touch to the event, receiving fantastic feedback throughout the weekend.

More Than Just Radio

While the statistics were impressive, the true success of GB#MMH cannot simply be measured in QSO totals.

This event showed how amateur radio can bring people together, reduce isolation, encourage conversation, support wellbeing, build friendships, and create community.

For many people, amateur radio is more than equipment and antennas — it is companionship, communication, and support.

Supporting Men’s Mental Health

Too many men still suffer in silence. If this event encouraged even one person to speak up, check in on a friend, or ask for help, then it achieved something truly worthwhile.

We are proud to confirm that donations raised throughout the GB#MMH event will
be supporting mental health organisations including:

Andy’s Man Club

A peer-to-peer support group helping men across the UK through conversation, support, and community.

Mind

Together, we are a strong and caring community, standing up for better mental health for everyone.

Looking Ahead

Following the incredible support received during the first weekend, we are already looking forward to the next GB#MMH operating weekend:

27th – 28th June 2026

As the event continues to grow year after year, we hope even more operators, clubs, organisations, and supporters will join us in helping spread awareness throughout the amateur radio world.