wythall radio club

A cold misty mid-December afternoon.. an undisclosed destination on the fringes of South Birmingham (a safe house?).  Three mature males from Wythall Radio Club stagger their arrivals (to avoid suspicion?) and are ushered into a radio operating room the likes of which this scribe (John M6KET) has never experienced before. **

After the understated 40-watt light bulb atmosphere of last week’s QRP operation, here we are confronted with a console of modern DX and contesting equipment: Yaesu FTDX5000, keyboards, morse keys, headsets, linear amplifiers, Optibeam OB6-3M antenna rotator, computer screens showing automatic logging programmes, the global grey line and much else besides.

Yes, it was the second day of the ARRL 10m SSB/ CW contest and Lee G0MTN had kindly invited Chris G3YHF, Clive M7OCB and John M6KET into his beautifully designed ‘shack’ to operate the specially allocated call G5AT, celebrating the first European Amateur contact with the USA back in 1922.

No such challenge with contacts this afternoon as on a busy band QSO’s with our USA cousins flowed.  DX contacts included Chris making an effortless contact with Aruba and John had no trouble in reeling in Halesowen!

Clive was soon into the action with SSB and when both John and Clive faltered in the white hot heat of contest pressure Lee was on hand to keyboard us out of panic from a back seat!!

On one occasion scrambling for his usual pencil and paper on the desk in front of him, John was surprised and spooked to hear his contest CW QSO completed with his hands nowhere near the key- magic indeed.

Watching the skill with which Lee worked was an education in itself as he reeled off a string of points and contacts at astonishing speeds and I believe by the end of the afternoon some 150 contacts had been made.

The beam and power obviously helped but the legerdemain of the operator’s fingers on the keyboard is impressive (particularly if you are a one finger keyboard typist!).  One can only imagine the levels of concentration and endurance required when operating a full contest over 36/48 hours.

Our thanks to Lee and family for their hospitality, mince pies and coffee and this much appreciated opportunity to dip  into the contesting world on one of the major weekends of the season.

** Apologies this week to John le Carre

How can you put out the best signal on HF? And make a good score in HF contests? 

This was the theme for Wythall Radio Club member Lee G0MTN’s talk at the RSGB Convention 2022 and at an evening session for Club members.

What can we do with a modest sized garden?  

Is it only possible to achieve a good contest score with multiple multi-element beams? 

How can antenna theory help us? 

Lee covers these questions and more.

You can watch his talk by clicking on the picture.  

Warm weather, good company and lots of RF were on hand for Wythall Radio Club’s ‘Plug and Play’ field day last Saturday.

The advance party of Phil 2E0WTH and Kev 2E0NCO collected the pop-up gazebos from the club room at 8.30am, Martin G8VXX delivered his generator, and Ian M0LQY had the first station on the air by 9.15. 

12 members and Brambles the spaniel joined in the fun. 

We had 6 stations on the air on HF and VHF, using SSB, CW and FT8. 

Antennas included long wires, a delta loop, multi-band dipoles, a Moxon, vehicle-mounted HF and VHF verticals, and colinears for 2m.  Unfortunately, the wind was too light for the 5/8ths on 80m kite vertical.

We used a large field in Wythall Park, where our Club is located.  There was considerable debate about the best method to get cord over the oak tree branches to support the long wires. 

We used a fishing catapault and reel as well as a weight, both being successful (see photo)

We chose this Saturday to coincide with the IARU HF Contest so there would be lots of activity on SSB and CW, although we weren’t entering the contest and had lots of time to chat with stations on 2 meters FM and non-contest stations on HF. 

Lee G0MTN had several spells working contest stations on both modes.  He made over 100 qsos despite Brambles wanted him to throw a stick!(see photo).

Meanwhile, Ian M0LQY was busy on FT8 – especially on 20m and 17m – with DX highpoints working VP2EIH in Anquilla and Club member Chris G0EYO in nearby Redditch! 

He was using the new Xiegu600 – reviewed in a recent RadCom by Wythall Club’s own Dave G(M)3YXM – with a Xiegu linear and 124.5′ long wire with a 17′ counterpoise. 

PSK spots show he was getting worldwide coverage – nice!!

We were delighted to be joined by Jim 2E0BLP, and were able to present him with the Colin Baker G6ZDQ Easter Contest VHF/UHF Shield for winning this section in our Easter contest.

All field days rely on a good supply of nourishment, and some members brewed-up and cooked bacon and eggs.  Our fun day together ended with a fish and chip supper.

We packed up and left the field about 12 hours after we arrived – having had lots of fun with RF!

Besides those mentioned above, the Club’s field day also attracted:  Les 2E0LRV, Warwick G4WMH, Stu M0NYP, Milo 2E0YZW, Chris G3YHF and visitors Mike 2E0ILX and spaniel Brambles.

MORE PHOTOS

Wythall Radio Club’s eagerly awaited Easter Contest Results are out!!

Keeping up his excellent track record, Jim 2E0BLP is the winner of the 2m / 70cm FM Section and the G6ZDQ Shield with 800 points, well clear of Simon G4TVR in second place. 

Clive M7OCB was the leading Foundation operator in the 2m/70cm section, and third equal with Pete M5DUO.

In the All Bands/Modes section, Chris G3YHF is the winner of the G0ICJ Shield with 364 points.  Ian M0LQY was second (only 12 points short!) and Chris G0EYO in third place.

During the contest, Stuart M0SRZ, Clive M7OCB and Chris G3YHF scaled Walton Hill – a local highpoint – and activated it for SOTA (Summits on the Air) points.  

It was a lot warmer than their previous activation, and contacts were made with Club members as well as other stations.

The picture shows Clive on 2m FM using his wire J-pole slung from a 7m SOTA mast, and Chris trying to get some cw qsos on 40m using an FT817 and 40m inverted V dipole from an 8m SOTA mast.

Sadly, Jim 2E0BLP has announced that he is going to retire from serious club contest efforts.

We thank Jim for his enthusiasm over many years. 

Jim has won the Easter contest more than any other member, is a joint leader of the Christmas Contests with Kev 2E0NCO, and overall has won more club contests (11) than any other member – ever!!

The photo shows Jim receiving the Trophy for winning the Christmas Contest 2m/70cm section from Kev.

We hope Jim will continue to be on the air during future contests with his reliable signal, even if he’s not making a serious entry! 

Jim 2E0BLP won the ‘Voice of the Midlands’ 2E0BLP Trophy in the Wythall Radio Club’s Christmas Contest 2021!

The Trophy was named for Jim’s longstanding involvement in Wythall Radio Club, and until recently he often topped the 2meter/70cm section of the contest.  This time, his 96 QSOs with 30 Club members over the 7 day contest knocked Kev 2E0NCO in to second place after several years at No. 1!  Miles 2E0YZW was in third place.

In the ‘all bands and modes’ section, Don G0NES made a spectacular charge to first place.  He secured this with 75 contacts with Club members and a clean sweep of the band, operating and mode bonuses.  

Don secured the maximum 450 band bonus points by working Club members on 160m, 80m, 40m, 10m, 6m, 4m, 2, 70cm and 23cm!  The 23cm qso was achieved at the last minute with a borrowed handheld, and saw Don gradually driving closer and closer to David G7IBO’s qth to bring him in to range to secure those elusive 50 extra points!

He also gained the maximum 300 bonus points with QSOs on all modes – FM, SSB, CW, FT8, Network Radio and Digital Voice – and the maximum 100 by operating portable and mobile!

David G7IBO and Chris G0EYO came second and third.

In our ‘Top Scoring Foundation Licencee’ section, Sylwia M3SSP came first in the 2 and 70 category and Clive M7OCB in the ‘all bands and modes’ section.

Some Wythall Club members braced themselves for the cold, and operated portable and mobile.  

Clive M7OCB (photo left) and Chris G3YHF spend a chilly 40 minutes at the top of Lickey Hills using handhelds and a 3 element SOTA beam.  Lee G0MTN and Sylwia M3SSP visited the site a few days later and grabbed some QSOs (photo right).

Chris G3YHF was out ‘bicycle mobile’ around Wythall on several mornings, while other members operated /M from the comfort of their cars! 

QSOs between Club members averaged over 100 per day, with over 30 members active, demonstrating the Club’s motto of ‘having fun with RF’! 

Attention now turns to a February activity weekend and the Easter Contest in April.

Over 400 squares were worked by Lee G0MTN and Mike G4VPD on 50 MHz during Wythall Radio Club’s 2021 ‘6 meters and up’ Challenge!

The map shows contacts as far apart as Japan and central America!  

Lee achieved 461 squares, just pipping Mike on 447, both making great use of FT8.

Impressive results were also achieved on the other bands.

Mike G4VPD worked 94 and 87 squares on 4 and 2 meters respectively, while Simon G4TVR achieved 18 and 12 squares on 70cms and 23 cms respectively.

Keep tuned to those higher bands during 2022 and see what can be worked!

Over 100 countries worked by Wythall Radio Club’s operators in the annual DXCC Challenge 2021!

Tim M0URX came top in the ‘full licence’ section with 148 countries – all on SSB – just ahead of Chris G0EYO, Mike G4VPD and Ian M0LQY with 141, 139 1n 135 countries, all using FT8.

On the left is the map of Tim’s contacts.

So on this occasion, snappy SSB operation got the better of FT8’s weak signal advantages!

There were impressive results in the intermediate and foundation licence sections. 

Kev 2E0NCO caught 72 countries using FT8.

Meanwhile, confirmed QRP and CW op. John M6KET worked 76 countries on the key with a maximum 10 watts to a doublet.  Nice work!

Leading scores this year were lower than in 2020.  Then, the top ‘full licence’ section score was 160 and both foundation and intermediate top scores were 100 or more.  

The difference seems to be that in 2020 leading scorers were often using multiple modes, while in 2021 they stuck to one mode.

With conditions on the higher HF bands improving, lets see what the 2022 challenge can achieve!

“How low can you go?” was a theme of Wythall Radio Club’s Easter Contest 2021.

Chris G7DDN made his 37 contacts with other Club members using his trusty FT817 running 5 watts into a 2m/70cm collinear, and achieved 3rd place in the VHF/UHF category.

Not to be outdone, Allen M0PPX made a 0.3 watt QSO with Kev 2E0NCO whilst en route to the Lickey Hills using his new Yaesu FT3D.

Meanwhile, Lee G0MTN connected his Kenwood handheld to his EME antennas (normally used for moon-bounce contacts), wound the power down to 50 milliwatts, and also made a contact with Kev 2E0NCO!

On the space theme, Chris G3YHF send a greetings message via the International Space Station digipeater – 00:00:01:40 : G3YHF]CQ,NA1SS*,qAR,CT1EBQ3::NWS :Happy contest Wythall RC g3yhf via ISS 

This didn’t count for the contest, which requires QSOs with any of the Club’s 80 or so members, but is in the spirit of our motto – ‘Having fun with RF!’.

John 2E0XET also tried some novel QSOs.  Normally found on CW and often using QRP, he was tempted to have an HF SSB QSO and also try out his new Baufeng handheld on 2m to have his first contact with Kev 2E0NCO!

First place in the 2m/70cm section was Kev, 2E0NCO. 

Although a big signal from home, he also spent several afternoons on the Lickey Hills and managed a contact with Rob 2W0MEX in South Wales – one of several members spread across the UK and abroad.  This was no mean feat on 2m FM!

Kev wins the Colin Baker G6ZDQ Shield.

Miles 2E0YZW was a close second and Tim M6OTN and Clive M7OCB tied for the highest placed foundation licencee in this category.

In the ‘all modes and bands’ category, David G7IBO amassed a huge lead over second and third placed Chris G3YHF and Lee G0MTN.  He made 71 contacts over the 5 days of the contest and worked 28 members for a score of 1344, more than double the second place score!  He wins the David Dawkes G0ICJ Shield.

Juliet M6RSC was the highest placed Foundation licencee in this category.

With May approaching, Club members now turn their attention to their annual More Appreciation Month and the Lew Williams Shield.

Wythall Radio Club are proud to unveil the newly named ‘Voice of the Midlands’ Jim Tonge 2E0BLP Trophy.

The Trophy will be awarded to the winner of the Club’s Christmas Contest 2m/70cm section.

Jim is a longstanding member of Wythall Radio Club, and has been a great supporter of our events and social activities.

Like many other members, he arrived in amateur radio from CB.

Jim has won the Club’s Christmas and Easter contests several times.  The photo shows him receiving the David Dawkes G0ICJ Easter Contest all bands/mode section shield. 

He has also proved particularly hard to displace from the top spot in the 2m/70cm sections of these contests – and although still keen to score points, it’s his son Kevin 2E0NCO who now regularly tops the score board! 

And as you can see from the photo below, one of his duties is brewing up at the Club’s field day (with Tim M6OTN).

It is because of his commitment to the Club and amateur radio – and hearing his distinctive Brummie accent on air – that we are delighted to name the ‘Voice of the Midlands’ trophy after him.

There was keen competition between Wythall Radio Club members over the festive period in the Club’s annual Christmas Contest. 

Over 1500 QSOs were made between the 46 members who were ‘on air’ for the 7 day event. 

Contacts were made using FM, SSB and CW as well as various digital modes including FT8 and D-Star, and the Club’s Zello channel.  There was even a RTTY (radio teletype) QSO!  

Chris G7DDN’s brand new RGO ONE rig also made an appearance (photo)!

And all bands from 160m to 23cm were activated. 

The contest brought together local members with those in Wales, Devon and Scotland.  Unfortunately, band conditions didn’t allow the hoped for 23cm contact with Darren GW0HOC.

However Mike G4VPD did reach Australia and New Zealand on 10m using FT8 (photo)!

Even the snowy weather didn’t discourage Kev 2E0NCO and Ian M0LQY (photo) from operating /P (socially distanced) from the Lickey Hills , and Chris G3YHF conducted some pushbike /M QSOs.

In the 2meter/70cm (VHF/UHF) section, Kevin 2E0NCO repeated last year’s success ahead of Miles 2E0YZW and Ian M0IDR.  Kevin retains the 2m/70cm Trophy – now renamed the ‘Voice of the Midlands’ Jim Tonge 2E0BLP Trophy.

In the ‘all bands/modes’ section, Simon G4TVR was first, and following close behind were Don G0NES and Ian M0LQY.  Simon receives the Reg Brown G7OJO Trophy.

The leading Foundation licencees received awards: Clive M7OCB in the 2m/70cm section, using a handheld, and Juliet M6RSC in the all modes section.  

Don G0NES received a certificate for making the most contacts using digital voice modes and John 2E0XET for making the most Morse contacts.  

Cheers to all participants (I’m told it’s just water!)!