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.
Recent contacts with Australia delighted Wythall Radio Club members.
Using the 40 meter short wave band, Tim M6OTN and Chris G0EYO both made their first two-way contacts with Norman – call sign VK7AC (see picture).
Norm is located in Tasmania island, almost 11,000 miles from Wythall.
Tim and Chris were using FT8 – a digital mode that enables effective low power communication under poor propogation conditions.
Tim only received his licence in 2018, so this was a great achievement!
The photos below show the equipment used for the contacts. Chris uses (Yaesu 847 transceiver to left of photo), and Tim’s Yaesu 450d on the left of the operating desk and his 40 year old Hy Gain AVT40/WB-S vertical (on the left).
11,640 miles – that’s the distance between Wythall and Nelson, on New Zealand’s South Island.
On Saturday night Wythall Radio Club member Lee G0MTN and Roger ZL2RX made contact using amateur radio on the 40 meter band.
The surprise was that Roger (see photo) used to be a local!
“I am a blown-away Black-country person having been born in Walsall. I have been in New Zealand since 1968, but was raised in Alvechurch and schooled at Woodrush in Wythall.”
You can see their Morse Code contact here….
Roger was using a K2 transceiver (see photo below) and an Ameritron AL-811 linear amplifier putting out 500 watts. The antenna is a centre loaded 7.5 meter vertical with one counterpoise earth wire.
“I learned some Morse ability at Woodrush School in the early 1960s” says Roger “when Harry Clay our woodwork teacher started the “key clickers” lunch time club. It would be interesting to hear from any of the old timers like myself who remember that!”
Roger and Lee were taking part in the Commonwealth Contest, an annual 24-hour event in which radio amateurs in Commonwealth countries contact each other – scoring points for the number of contacts and different Commonwealth countries worked.
March 24, 2020By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Fun, News
Wythall Radio Club’s members don’t just live in the Midlands!
Kev, G4XLO, who lives in Torbay, sent us news of his exploits.
“I’ve had a good weekend on the air – I logged 43 contacts, most of them on FT8 and FT4 (digital modes). Also the odd one on Fusion and 2m FM with a local station in Exmouth that I got really chatty with as he is a dedicated QRP operator using no more than 10 watts on any band / mode.
I logged one new one for the DXCC ladder at the weekend – Romania, not fantastic DX but another EU station I was after, that brings me upto 40 now for the year so far.
On Saturday evening I head Argentina and Cuba coming in on FT8 on 20m and on Sunday morning Japan as well as China were audible but really weak.
West Coast USA was coming in quite strong over the weekend for me and I had 2 qso’s that were in the range of 4200 miles from my location.
I was out portable on Thursday as I left work early – I went to Daddyhole Plain and parked up for an hour, called CQ on 2m and 70cms FM but nothing came back.
On the marine VHF channels it was all rather quiet in the Bay!! There were a couple of ships moored in the area for shelter with a bit of general chit chat between them – that was about it!”
March 21, 2020By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Fun, News
It’s been a great month for awards won by Wythall Radio Club members!
Lee G0MTN had a nice surprise! In the post were two plaques from the ARRL – the US amateur radio association – commemorating his radio achievements.
The ‘5 band DXCC’ plaque is in recognition of having confirmed contacts with radio amateurs in 100 countries on each of five different amateur radio bands.
Lee also received the DXCC Challenge 2000 Award. Lee received the initial award which is earned by working and confirming 1,000 DXCC band-points. One band-point is scored each time a new country is contacted and confirmed on each of the global amateur bands from 160 meters to 6 meters.
It’s taken a lot of hard work! And still plenty to do to get to 3,000!
Meanwhile Chris G0EYO – who leads our Club’s training programme – was the leading Wythall RC entrant in the Midland Inter-Club GMT competition, organised by Solihull Amateur Radio Society. Full details of the competition and awards are available here.
March 17, 2020By: Chris G3YHF Category: Club, Fun, News
Jamie M0SDV – a keen amateur radio operator and member of Wythall Radio Club – had a long chat ‘on air’ with Brian, call sign 9J2BO, in Lusaka Zambia. Jamie (photo below) and Brian used Morse code on the 12-meter amateur radio band.
Following this, Brian personally delivering a QSL card confirming the contact to Jamie’s friend Phillipp (aged 21).
Phillipp is a German radio amateur – callsign DK6SP – who also operates from Chisamba Zambia at the DXpedition station 9J2LA. The DXpedition station was set up to activate Zambia, a country with few radio amateurs.
Jamie comments: “It never seizes to amaze me how we are connected in the hobby not only on the airwaves, but by friendships that are built for a lifetime.”
The picture left shows Brian 9J2BO handing M0SDV’s QSL card to Philipp 9J2LA.
The list of traders at the popular Wythall Hamfest has been updated – click here for the ‘2020 Trader List‘ or see the Hamfest side panel on our web site.
Wythall Hamfest on Sunday 15th March always attracts large crowds to view and buy from our many traders.
Whether it’s small components, second-hand equipment or a brand new antenna or rig – you’ll find them all at the Hamfest.
We also have our popular ‘bring and buy’ stall.
Don’t forget to make a date in your diary! Doors open 9.30 for disabled visitors and 9.45 for general entry.
Upgrade your Foundation licence through study at home with Wythall Radio Club.
Our new FREE on-line Intermediate level training course under the new syllabus starts this Spring.
The course will run over 10 weeks, from 2nd March until 11th May, with two lessons per week. The examination will be around 23rd May.
You now need to register your interest.
You study this course at home in your own time from lessons you download from the internet, as you did at Foundation level.
In addition there will be one practical assessment session, usually on a Saturday, where you will learn soldering, digital measuring and other skills. This will require you to be available for ONE Saturday in April, but there will be a choice of dates.
The course is FREE but there will be an exam fee of £32.50, an exam room hire fee of £6 and a project kit and materials fee for the practicals of £12. You will not need to pay this until the course starts.
You will also need to purchase the RSGB Intermediate Licence Manual from them at £9 plus postage – or visit the RSGB Bookstall at Wythall Hamfest on the morning of Sunday 15th March.
IF YOU WISH TO SIGN UP FOR THIS COURSE YOU MUST CONFIRM YOUR INTEREST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO OUR Training Coordinator Chris G0EYO via G0EYO@blueyonder.co.uk
PLACES WILL BE LIMITED AND WE WILL WORK ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS
Ok so you have got your licence, congratulations, but you know you still have a great deal to learn to get the best out of this hobby. Traditionally these experiences were learnt by being part of a club with members who can help you learn new things. Not all of us have easy access to a club but these days the Internet offers a huge variety of videos and websites which show many aspects of amateur radio. We have put together a long list of URLs you can access, under our TRAINING & BEYOND header menu, covering:
The club’s motto is "Having Fun with RF" and our mission is to have FUN with RF in everything we do.
Club Culture
Wythall Amateur Radio Club provides a friendly environment to discuss radio-related topics, seek advice and participate in Club events. These include contacting other radio amateurs around the world using the Club’s equipment, portable operation outdoors, demonstrating amateur radio at public events, participation in contests, social activities, and experimenting with low power, satellite, and other forms of communication.
Club Call Signs
Currently, Wythall Amateur Radio Club manage the following callsigns:
– G1WAC
– G4WAC
– G7WAC
– G0WRC
What is Amateur Radio
Amateur Radio is a world-wide technical hobby which allows people of all nationalities, religions, age groups and abilities to communicate with each other and have a lot of fun at the same time. It has a strong volunteer public service content. Go to Header Menu and read more under Amateur Radio
Training
Reluctantly, Wythall Radio Club has had to close its classroom and online training programmes after nearly 20 very successful years. There are many reasons for this and these are explained elsewhere on the website. Chris G0EYO still continues to act as Training Co-ordinator for the Club. If anyone wants advice on where to go, then please contact him via e mail g0eyo@blueyonder.co.uk. Go to Header Menu and read more under Training
Contesting
Wythall Contest Group is an informal group of Wythall Radio Club members - they organise participation in (and training for) monthly and annual contests including in-house, portable (using club equipment) and Field-Day style operations. Wythall Amateur Radio Club is affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain.
Using the 40 meter short wave band, Tim M6OTN and Chris G0EYO both made their first two-way contacts with Norman – call sign 
12 noon, Archery Hut (Hall 4), Sunday 15th March 2020
The overall winner will receive a radio, kindly donated by Martin Lynch and Sons Ltd.
Foundation operator.
Full details at: 
Please SHARE CARS where you can.
In addition there will be one practical assessment session, usually on a Saturday, where you will learn soldering, digital measuring and other skills. This will require you to be available for ONE Saturday in April, but there will be a choice of dates.
The course is FREE but there will be an exam fee of £32.50, an exam room hire fee of £6 and a project kit and materials fee for the practicals of £12. You will not need to pay this until the course starts.