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Archive for the ‘Contest’

Wythall Easter Contest approaching fast!

April 08, 2020 By: Chris G7DDN Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

If you are tuning around in the next few days on the 2 metre band or on GB3WL in the Birmingham area (or even further afield) and hear some stations exchanging numbers, you just might have stumbled upon the Wythall Radio Club Easter Contest. 

Just as at Christmas, we hold an event to get our members on air and working each other.

Points are given for each member worked and each discrete member worked across the period also counts as a multiplying factor (or multiplier) to attain a final score.

It sounds complicated but we have a clever Excel spreadsheet which keeps score for us!

The best 3 days of the 5 days of Easter are adjudicated and the top 3 winners in each category get Easter Eggs as prizes. With 6 chocolate prizes, it’s a short but highly contested event.

Watch this space for the results!

Wythall’s radio signals span the world!

January 31, 2020 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News, Training

Radio signals from Wythall Radio Club members reached remote parts of the world – including New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Mali, Seychelles, Guinea-Bissau, British Virgin Island and South Korea.  

The Club’s annual DX Table involves members logging their two-way radio contacts with other countries.

In 2019, Tim MoURX was top of the Table with 165 countries. He was closely followed by Jamie M0SDV and Lee G0MTN with 145 and 142 respectively.  These are all in the Full licence category where operators are allowed to use higher power.

John M6KET won the Foundation licence category with 78 countries contacted, using QRP (low power) – no more than 10 watts output and a simple wire antenna. 

During the year he passed the exams for the Intermediate licence, and also won that category with 63 countries – but continued to use low power and a wire antenna.   He operated 100% CW (Morse Code) rather than using voice transmissions.

It shows what can be achieved with simple equipment despite the poor radio conditions.

Special awards were made to several Wythall members for achievements during the year.

Tim M6OTN (photo) contacted A73A in Qatar – a small country in the Arabian peninsular – with his basic antenna, a short mobile whip.  He won the ‘piece of wet string’ award – so named as wet string can be used as a very basic antenna to transmit radio waves!

Chris G0EYO won the ‘midnight oil’ award for contacting 50 countries on Top Band (160 meters), again using low power and a simple wire antenna.  The award is called ‘midnight oil’ because Top Band contacts can normally only be made during nightime, due to propogation conditions.

And Neil M0LUH won the ‘pipped at the post’ award for achieving 99 countries by 31 December (the closing date for the DX Table competition) – but then contacting what would have been his 100th the next day!

The competition is also open to short-wave listeners who don’t have a transmitting licence. 

If you don’t have an amateur radio licence, but would like to gain one, then come along to our Club one Tuesday evening or see the ‘Training’ section of the web site.  A warm welcome awaits you.

 

Celebrating radio awards at Wythall Club

January 30, 2020 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Wythall Radio Club’s annual Christmas Contest results ceremony attracted a big turn-out of members.

Operating from Colorado USA, Mark M0LXQ – who also holds the US call sign K0YC – made contacts with 8 Club members and was first in the Digital Voice category.  His Christmas operating was at 8,000 feet in the mountains, with guaranteed snow (see photo)!

There was intense competition in the ‘all modes/all bands’ section and little to separate the top three places.  Success went to David G7IBO, who won the G7OJO Trophy (photo left).  Ian MoLQY and Chris G0EYO were in second and third places.

A cold and misty evening operating from the Lickey Hills assured Kevin 2E0NCO of success in the 2meter/70cm (VHF/UHF) FM section, and award of the FM Trophy (photo right).  Winston 2E0EGP came second and Juliet M6RSC was third and also the leading Foundation licence competitor.

The Christmas contest is one of many Wythall Radio Club activities.  The Club meets Tuesday evenings at Wythall House, with its own dedicated meeting room and fully equipped shack, and welcomes visitors and new members.

   

Awards Night at Wythall Radio Club

February 07, 2019 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Awards for Wythall Radio Club contests attracted a big turn-out of members this week.

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

Only 30 points separated the winner of the 2meter/70cm (VHF/UHF) section, with Kevin 2E0NCO (photo below) repeating last year’s success ahead of Jim 2E0BLP.  Stu M0NYP came third, a great result as he was less active during the contest than many other entrants. 

One point was awarded for contacting another Club members on each day of the contest, and a multiplier for the first contact with each member.  Operating mobile or portable gained bonus points.

Entrants in the ‘all bands/modes’ section were not restricted to operating on VHF and UHF.  They could also gain bonus points by using the many short-wave bands available for amateur radio and by using different modes such as voice, Morse code or digital. 

The top places were separated by only a few points, with Chris G3YHF (photo below) wining the G7OJO Trophy for the first time, and Don G0NES and Ian M0LQY in second and third place.  

There were several special awards.  Tim M6OTN received a certificate for making the most contacts using digital voice (D-Star/DMR) modes.  He also won the ‘Out of Town’ award for operating in the contest while on holiday in Somerset! 

Awards were given for the leading Foundation licencees  – Maz M6NKO in the 2m/70cm section, and Miles M7ACN (photo below) in the all modes section.  Miles had an impressive entry – he received his licence 2 months ago and made all his contacts using a hand-held radio and antenna! 

Some members used Zello – a mobile network-linked radio mode – and Mark M0LXQ received a certificate for making the most contacts.   John M6KET and Chris G3YHF were equal first in making contacts using Morse code.  

Photos of all award winners are in the gallery below.

 

Fun weekend at Wythall Radio Club!

July 17, 2018 By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Wythall Radio Club was in full swing ‘on the air’ last weekend!

Members braved the hot weather to operate all manner of portable radio equipment and antennas and contact other stations around Europe on Sunday morning.  Operating from the field near our Club HQ, this ‘Plug and Play’ event is one of many activities Wythall Radio Club offers to its members.

Cool drinks and a camping grill kept the group hydrated and energised!

At the same time, two Club members were contacting stations around the world in an international radio competition – making over 13,000 contacts in a 24 hour period!  

Lee G0MTN and Jamie M0SDV used powerful radios and antennas on 60 foot towers, as part of the UK national radio society’s ‘M6T’ team based in Suffolk.  

Christmas Contest Winners

January 17, 2018 By: Chris G7DDN Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Lee G0MTN presents Kevin 2E0NCO with the FM Trophy

Last night at Wythall Radio Club, it was celebration time! It was results night for our annual Christmas Contest. 

As is normal, the competition for the top slots is always very intense, but this year we had a new winner of the G7OJO Trophy.

Dave M0IFT, one of our relatively newer members, snatched the top spot by one QSO and one Multiplier from long-time contest stalwart and many-times winner, Jim 2E0BLP.

In the 2m/70cms FM only section though, the trophy was won by Jim’s son Kevin 2E0NCO, thus keeping it in the family, at least! Runner-up in this section was our club Treasurer Ian, M0IDR with an excellent effort from his home location near to Evesham.

As always, our members had lots of fun and several of our more recent additions to the WRC “family” appear to have caught the “bug”, as threats of antenna improvements and power increases have already been made!

We have our next Club Contest over the Easter weekend, so that will be the time to see if the threats become reality…

More pictures below…

8 years old & on the air!

December 13, 2017 By: Chris G7DDN Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News, Training

Leanne & Sam present Harry with his new radio

Meet Wythall Radio Club Member Harry Bacon. 

At the tender age of 8, Harry is currently the youngest member we have. Along with his dad, he recently passed his Foundation Exam and is now the proud holder of the shiny new callsign M6NKW. 

A few days ago, Harry was congratulated by our friends (and Wythall Hamfest sponsors) from Radioworld.

On a trip up to their shop near Cannock, a very excited young man was presented with a new dual-band Handheld transceiver. (Click the photo for a larger picture).

Now Harry is looking forward to getting on the air and getting more experience before tackling the Intermediate License.

He is already learning Morse Code at our club Morse class and learning it very quickly, so we hear. We at Wythall Radio Club wish him all the best.

Listen out for Harry in our Club Christmas Contest from 26th December – you might even have a contact with him via our repeater GB3WL.

Easter Contest Winners

May 02, 2017 By: Chris G7DDN Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

Overall winner Simon G4TVR

This evening the winners of the Wythall Radio Club Easter Contest were revealed. 

And it’s a big congratulations to our two winners, Simon G4TVR and Jim 2E0BLP.

For Simon it means two wins on the trot in this event – clearly the lure of a large chocolate egg is too much to resist!

FM winner Jim 2E0BLP

For Jim it marks a return to form – his son Kevin 2E0NCO took the title of Christmas Contest winner and there is nothing like family rivalry to bring out the competitive nature.

Congrats too to Phil 2E0WTH, Chris G7DDN, David G7IBO and Stu M0NYP who also won chocolate eggs for second and third places.

Les M6IOI and Juliet M6RSC also won certificates for highest placed Foundation Licencees.

Most importantly, we all had a lot of fun with RF with entrants and QSO numbers up on last year.

Our thanks to Lee G0MTN and Chris G7DDN as the organising team behind the event. 

See you all in December for the next Christmas Contest!

May = Morse

April 30, 2017 By: Chris G7DDN Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News, Training

It’s that time of year again! Wythall Radio Club has an annual initiative during the month of May to appreciate Morse Code (CW), in memory of past club president and long-time CW teacher, Lew Williams.

Kev G4XLO won the shield in 2016

During the month we encourage all in the club to either a) have a first go at learning the code or b) improve on your rusty skills. :)

 
At the end of May we collect reports and anecdotes for how members have used, or learned the mode during the month. Sometimes people nominate themselves, other send reports in about other members’ achievements.
 
At the end of the month we have a presentation and summary of the reports received, and award the Lew Williams Shield to the club member who it’s felt has shown the most progression. 
 
It’s often easier for new learners to do well in this event, so why not have a go at learning and using Morse Code?

Christmas Contest Cartoon

February 21, 2017 By: Chris G7DDN Category: Club, Contest, Fun, News

For regular followers of the Wythall Radio Club Christmas Contest, you will know that Stu M0NYP produces an annual cartoon to capture the essence of the event.

2016/17 is no exception and here it is!

Normally Stu gets it out in time for the results evening but due to circumstances beyond his control, it has only just been completed.

Click on the image to see it in its full glory… and enjoy!

For the results, check out the earlier post on this website here.