wythall radio club

by Chris Pettitt, G0EYO

Wythall Radio Club is one of the most active clubs in the Midlands.

We meet every Tuesday evening from 8pm onwards at Wythall Community Association, Wythall Park, Silver Street, Wythall where we have been able to build a permanent shack.

We also have an HF to UHF antenna system mounted on a 60ft Versatower, as well as a 240′ long wire antenna hidden in the grounds of the House.

We currently have a membership of around 80 members including overseas members in Italy, USA and Holland.

The club’s mission statement is “Having Fun with RF”. We do all the things you would expect any other club to do but we try to do it differently. Our VHF NFD is not only another chance to come half way down the league tables yet again but an opportunity to play around with strange designs of 80m loop antennas, or have an FT817 contest to see who can work the farthest on a miracle whip. We also do special events and support local events like the Wythall Fun-Run and Wythall Carnival.

In 2018, we were runners-up in the RSGB ‘Club of the Year’ competition, and we have also been the Regional Club of the Year.

We are strong on social events too with Club Contests at Easter and Christmas. We hold at least one Radio Fox Hunt each year (which usually ends up in a pub somewhere!).

Wythall House also has a well stocked bar which adds to the “social ambience”. 

We have a Contest Group within the club and participate in RSGB club contests, field days and other international contests. The club and contest group hold four callsigns between them G1WAC, G4WAC, G7WAC and G0WRC.

Throughout its history, getting people into the hobby has been an important objective of the club and we have run regular classes in each of the exams that have come along over the years. In 2008, thanks to a Lottery Awards for All grant, we started running the full set of training courses for Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced licenses too.

Over the Xmas holiday the club runs the Christmas contest for members who will try and work each other every day from Xmas eve until the New Year and each member worked being a multiplier for the number of members worked over the best five days. The winner is presented with the “G7OJO Reg Brown Cup”.  We have a similar easter Contest.