wythall radio club

Last night at Wythall Radio Club, there was a proud moment for one of our members.

Chris G0EYO was presented with the latest club trophy, the Lew Williams Shield. Lew was a former President of our club, who, although not a licensed radio amateur himself, was an expert in Morse Code. Many longer standing members have him to thank for passing their, then mandatory, morse test.

Wythall Radio Club decided to honour Lew’s memory after he sadly passed away last year with a memorial shield, this to be awarded to the member who, in the opinion of the judges, had made the most progress in Morse proficiency during the year. Chris’ entry was an excellent submission and a story of how he overcame his nerves to start making contacts on air using the code.

With the engraving complete, Chris is seen in the photo receiving the trophy from the Chairman of the judges, Lee G0MTN, who himself is a very well known Morse Code contester and fast sending/receiving expert! Congratulations, Chris!

Wythall Radio Club will be running their annual Advanced Class starting Monday 3rd September and every Monday until 3rd December with the exam being taken on Wednesday 5th December.

The classes run from 8-10pm and there is one Saturday morning session which covers measurements with practical demonstrations.

The cost of the course including exam fees, course book, course materials and exam room hire is £60.

We have just a few spaces left on this course so if you know of anyone who is interested, please contact Chris G0EYO on g0eyo at blueyonder dot co dot uk.

Rob M6HCS, James M6BXG, Darren M6LPD and James J (awaiting callsign)

We are proud to announce the birth of four new members into the Radio Amateur & Wythall Radio Club Community!

Following an intensive Foundation License Course guided by Lead Instructor Chris G0EYO, Rob, James, Darren and James J all passed their Foundation Exam last Sunday with flying colours and, it has to be said, some impressively high marks!

Callsigns have been quickly issued by OFCOM, so look out for M6HCS, M6BXG and M6LPD on the air.

Their course represented something of a departure from the norm for Wythall Radio Club.  It took place over two weekends in the middle of the Summer Holidays; Saturday and Sunday for 3 hours each day.  It ended on the second weekend with the Foundation Exam; Sunday lunchtime must seem like an odd time to sit an exam, lads!

The happy hams are pictured right with their pass certificates. All the members of Wythall Radio Club congratulate you! Now is it true that we are already hearing rumbles about when the next Intermediate Course is likely to take place?

Any club or organisation has a pleasant problem when new members introduce themselves. How you do get information to them so they can fit in and feel at home as quickly as possible?

Wythall Radio Club have been trying to address that issue recently. One of our members who is pretty handy with Desktop Publishing, Colin M0GJM, has put together an excellent introductory booklet – in essence a Guide to Wythall Radio Club. Designed for enquirers or relatively new members, it covers all aspects of our club life together, from how the club is structured to when we meet and who to contact when advice is required and so on.

Judging by the initial response, quite a few of the established members think they should have one too! However, in truth, it is another useful tool to help welcome new members into our throng.

Who knows? You might be the next!

Wythall member G3YXM - 144MHz portable

August is probably the month of the year when most of us in the UK go on holiday. Wythall Radio Club members are no exception of course; we are all to some extent tied by when the children or grandchildren find themselves off school.

One thing that many of us enjoy however is the chance to engage in a little “holiday portable” operation. Whether it be a handheld transceiver, a Yaesu FT-817 or a larger radio with a hefty Power Supply, most amateur operators enjoy the opportunity to make a few contacts wherever they go.

Many Wythall members will be heard throughout August and September “on the air” from more exotic locations; Ireland, Spain, France, to name but a few. Doubtless some will also be trying to “make the trip” back to contact other members in Wythall.  Either way, holidays are another great opportunity to “play radio” in the open air (hopefully in the sunshine!) once again.