wythall radio club

Tim M0URX (in relaxed mode!)

RadCom, the journal of the Radio Society of Great Britain is dropping through the doors of UK amateurs this week and once again a Wythall Radio Club member features prominently in it. This time it is the turn of Tim Beaumont M0URX.

Tim runs United QSL Management and through this organisation services DXpeditions and others who want assistance with QSLing especially at large scale events.

So who better for the RSGB to ask to write an article on the subject than our very own Tim? Entitled “Getting Started in QSLing” it appears on page 31 of the November edition of RadCom.

Bet you are all rushing to have a look now!

What a weekend! 7 members of Wythall Radio Club have been joining with radio amateurs from all over the world at the Radio Society of Great Britain’s Annual Convention.

Wythall Radio Club’s “Magnificent Seven”?

Since this is the RSGB’s 100th year of existence, this a was a very special event and those who represented Wythall Radio Club were very honoured to be there.

The highlight for many was a lecture given by Nobel Prize winner Joe Taylor K1JT. Many amateurs have heard of (and use!) his JT65 and WSPR software, but he opened our eyes to other digital worlds out there too!

Other fascinating lectures included an historical stream, complete with dips into the RSGB archives and a fascinating talk by Dr Elizabeth Bruton from Leeds University on the role of Radio Amateurs in World War 1. Many of us did not realise what an important part the earliest radio enthusiasts played in the 1914-18 conflict.

Ofcom, the UK regulators, were also welcome visitors, kicking off lively discussion on a forthcoming licence review that will affect all of us. But of course, lots of food and drink were enjoyed with friends old and new, notably Laurent F1JKJ, who travelled from the south of France on his own to visit the Convention and became an honorary WRC member for Saturday night!

It all ended on a happy note for Tim M0URX – he won a Yaesu Desk Mic in the raffle!

Enjoy the photos below and see if you can catch some of the flavour of the weekend.  We are looking forward to going back next year, almost certainly in greater numbers!

It’s that time of year again, when the members of Wythall Radio Club start thinking of having another go at learning Morse Code!

Our weekly Morse Code learning class started up again last Tuesday and a record number of members attended the introductory session. It seems that in these days of noisy HF locations and short gardens with restricted antennas, radio enthusiasts are instead turning to more efficient modes like Morse and PSK31 Data to help them make contacts.

Using Morse Code can give you up to a 20dB advantage on transmit (depending on who you listen to!)  That’s like running full legal power into a beam in comparison to using a standard G5RV antenna that so many hams use…. (and you can keep your G5RV too with no need for a tower and costly amplifiers!)

If you are interested in learning the code and want to see what the fuss is about, the Morse class is on every Tuesday (usually!) at 1945 in the shack at Wythall House, Silver Street, Wythall. B47 6LZ.  Visitors are always welcome.

Traders outside the hall

A grand total of 7 Wythall Radio Club members have been having great fun (with just a little RF involved!) today at the RSGB National Hamfest.

Dave G3YXM acted as driver for Ian M0IDR, David G0ICJ (sporting his 50 years of RSGB membership badge!) & Chris G7DDN. Making their own way there were David G7IBO, Tim M0URX and Chairman Mike G4VPD.

It was great to be able to welcome Eric Swartz WA6HHQ to the event and get his signed QSL card too!

Bargains were seen everywhere and there is no doubt that those who went had a great time, even if their wallets were lighter upon the return journey.

Check out the photos below – the weather was fantastic too!

Today is a big day in the UK Amateur Radio calendar and it’s one that Wythall Radio Club members will be enjoying too!

At 1000 this morning, special guest Eric Swartz WA6HHQ, founder of Elecraft Radio (on his first visit to the UK)  opens the doors to the RSGB National Hamfest at Newark in Nottinghamshire.

A team of Wythall Radio Club members is spending today (Friday) at the event and will probably be “having fun with ££” which we hope will lead to more “having fun with RF” as our club motto states!

We look forward to meeting many friends at this event, and doubtless a bacon sandwich (or three!) will be swilled down with a beer or two…

Since Wythall Radio Club dates back to the very early 1980’s, there is a lot of history to the club. Just this week for instance, more pieces of the past have come to light and like an archaeological dig, some cataloguing has to take place to record those artefacts for posterity.

This time, the past treasures have taken the form of some rare photos from 1984. They show some of the hard work involved in clearing the cellar area of Wythall House, where we now meet and have our radio shack.

Perhaps they will jog a few memories for some of our older members, as we still have quite a few “founding fathers” who are regulars.

Have a look and see what you think…

The results of the RSGB’s VHF Field Day are out and it’s good news for Wythall Radio Club.

Members achieved a creditable 7th place finish in the overall Mix and Match section of this large summer radio contest. 50MHz and 70Mhz saw the best showings but that came as no surprise on the basis of antennas used and manpower available.

Since VHF Field Day is also an excuse for our summertime BBQ and social, the contest station was not manned all the time – there was superb food and drink and great company to enjoy.

Perhaps next year we should stop eating meat and drinking beer and wine and get on the air even more – or maybe not!

CW on the beach!

Wythall Radio Club member Barry M0DGQ has arrived back from the Cape Verde Islands and does he have some tales to tell!

From August 27 until September 11 together with wife Ann, he took the holiday of a lifetime to the Isle of Sal. While planned as a special birthday treat for Ann, Barry knows that, for a Radio Amateur, no holiday is complete without some form of radio! So also along for the ride came a home built 3-band Morse Code transceiver, 10m fishing pole, antennas and battery!

Operation was from both the beach and the hotel apartment. Of all the bands used however, 20m was by far the most successful. Europe, Japan, Africa, Ukraine and Brazil were all worked with ease. Even more exciting was that Barry was heard and worked here in Wythall by quite a few other club members – quite an achievement given the huge pile-ups Barry had to handle.

For more details on Barry’s operation, why not visit his own account here?

G7DDN’s 40m antenna in South Devon

Members of Wythall Radio Club have been busy operating holiday style this summer and tonight we will find out more about exactly what they have been up to!

Whether it is Barry M0DGQ operating low power morse code with his home-built transceiver from the Cape Verde Islands or Callum M0MCX playing with high power and vertical antennas by the sea in Cornwall, or even Chris G7DDN trying out his new Icom radio from the South of France, there has been plenty going on “away from home”.

Callum M0MCX will lead us tonight in an interactive interview/presentation to discover exactly what Wythall Club Members  have been up to over the summer. Lots of photos and even audio recordings are on the menu. Callum also promises some hints on developing your operating style which will enable that precious DX station to be snagged!

2030 tonight in the Club Shack at Wythall House, Silver Street, Wythall B47 6LZ. Not to be missed!

Members of Wythall Radio Club had a fabulous time at SSB Field Day 2013 as G4WAC/P.  A photo gallery upload appears below but a full write up will appear in our next Club Newsletter.