wythall radio club

The Easter  Contest 2024 Awards Evening

The David Dawkes G0ICJ Shield

The Colin Baker G6ZDQ Shield

Welcome  to visitors Andrew and son  Harvey  who came along to see what made Wythall Radio Club tick.

Gremlins (or a cyber attack from an unfriendly hostile state!!) did their best to disrupt proceedings but the results shone through and two of our most experienced Contest operators triumphed yet again.

Chris G0EYO won the David Dawkes  G0ICJ shield  for all band operation.

Keeping it in the family Kevin 2E0NCO triumphed again in the G6ZDQ Shield in the 2m/70cm  contest .

Martin M7FXD got a certificate for being the leading Foundation Licence operator.

A huge thanks to Lee G0MTN for yet again organising and encouraging: undoubtedly the contest weekend succeeds in boosting activity on the bands and getting folks to have fun with RF.

(It is hoped to publish the full results on the website very soon)

COMING SOON….. SOTA day on Titterstone Clee Hill on Thursday May 2nd (details from Clive M0KNP….Ask the Experts (a question and answer hour) on Tuesday  8th May …..GB0BUS activation at Wythall Transport Museum on Saturday June 15th and on Tuesday 18th June Neil G1TCZ leads a 70cm Foxhunt Evening in Wythall Park.

Interested visitors very welcome at all these events

THE WYTHALL RADIO CLUB EASTER CONTEST IS ANNOUNCED

SPRING IS HERE!!

“ONLY CONNECT”

Calling all 52 members of Wythall Radio Club !!!

Get active .. get on the air.. talk to folk.. communicate..exchange greetings..meet up on the air with old friends… …only connect….. and have fun with RF!!

G0ICJ All Band Easter Contest Shield

G6ZDQ 2m/70cm Bands Easter Contest  Shield

 This contest is in recognition of two dedicated members of Wythall Radio Club:

COLIN  BAKER:  THE G6ZDQ The EASTER VHF CONTEST SHIELD (pictured left above)

DAVID DAWKES:  THE G0ICJ EASTER HF CONTEST SHIELD (pictured right above)

Where does the time go? It seems only yesterday that we were taking down the decorations , disposing of the tree, watching the rain and preparing to receive the Xmas Contest Results

Now the Wythall Radio Club 2024 Easter Contest is upon us..it’s still raining  but there are trophies and certificates to be won 

The aim of the Contest is quite simply to promote activity amongst members of the Club and of course is open to all members.. especially our new members!

The contest starts 1000 local Maundy Thursday (28^th March 2024)

The contest ends 2000 local Easter Monday (1^st April 2024)

Full details have been posted on the Club reflector as per usual but one new initiative  this time:

MEMBERS CAN MAKE CONTACT WITH TWO DIFFERENT NON-CLUB  MEMBERS EACH DAY FOR AN EXTRA POINT PER QSO.

THE ONLY STIPULATION IS THAT IT IS A ‘MEMORABLE’ QSO EXCHANGING AT LEAST A NAME AND SIGNAL REPORT AVOIDING THE QUICK FIRE 599/PILE UP QSO’s (SO FT4/FT8 QSO’S ARE NOT VALID!)

 Maundy Thursday ..1000 local time ..’Only Connect !!’

G7OJO All Band and 2E0BLP 2m/70cm FM Christmas Contest 

Wythall Radio  Club held their 2023 Xmas Contest Awards evening recently , hosted as ever by Lee G0MTN. The event was well supported with some 24 members attending through Zoom and in person.

The aim of the Contest is quite simply to have fun and boost band activity amongst members (and has absolutely nothing to do with getting away from family for a while during the stressful festive period.)

Anyway the above aims were achieved with most activity taking place on the Club frequency 145.225 and using GB3WL.

HF activity was evident with SSB, FT8 and even CW QSO’s recorded.

Lee also reported an increase in digital voice activity but the seasonal bad weather meant little portable and mobile activity!

Bravery Awarded -2E0NCO out in the Lickey Hill during the 2023 Xmas Contest!

Kevin 2E0NCO did however brave the elements (and was rewarded for his efforts).

Other highlights included the bonus multipliers provided by Allen M0PPX, Dave GM3YXM on 1942kHz (160m) and the very welcome involvement of our two newest members Martin M7FXD and John G7PIR.

Log checking was occasionally  a challenge (guilty as charged) as a few failed to cope with the electronic logging system kindly provided by organiser Lee , but neatly written copies are always welcome. (2E0XET should take note in the future!)

AND SO TO THE RESULTS: 

THE 2E0BLP 2M/70CM TROPHY

           CONGRATULATIONS TO KEVIN 2E0NCO    HONOURING    A LONGSTANDING FAMILY TRADITION

The leading Foundation member award went to Martin M7XFD

The All Modes Section:  THE G7OJO TROPHY:

 CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS G3YHF

       John G7PIR received the Newcomer’s Award

                    (The full result board will be published here in the coming week)

Lee was thanked for his fantastic work in organising and running  the event and we now look forward to Neil’s G1TZC  Satellite Presentation on Tuesday February 6^th in the Darts Room at Wythall House (8.30 p.m.)

Was the break for sustenance (a sausage roll?) the crucial lost few minutes  the moment that Lee (G0MTN) just lost out to M0RYB/P  (Loxlot Club) in the QRP Unassisted Portable Station Section in the recent National Field Day Contest??

Lee endured extremes of heat and cold in his one man 24 hour operation

Lee writes:

“NFD results are out and  G4WAC/P *almost* won the QRP shield… I came second. I had more QSOs than the second placed entrant (and previous winner) but couldn’t find / work enough multipliers.  All the Russians that called are worth zero points too currently. Have a look at the attached chart to show how close the race was. It does show there’s no time for sleeping!  

I submitted the log to the German DARC society for their (and the IARU) Field Day – let’s see if it’s the same result there.

https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/hfresults.pl?Contest=NFD&year=2023

A magnificent performance  and please see the previous report on Lee’s extraordinary marathon

Chris G0EYO has participated in every Easter Wythall Radio Club Contest since its inception 25 years ago but this is the first time he has won the All Bands section and is the happy recipient of the G0ICJ shield (see pic).

This contest, and its older companion, the WRC Christmas contest (37 years old as of 2022) is a great way of getting members on the air over a holiday period and getting points for working each other.

Winning often takes stamina, determination and ingenuity, none of which Chris possesses, so he puts his success purely down to luck!

Although this year’s contest had its sadness due to the passing of its most successful participant; Jim 2E0BLP a short while after the contest finished, it was inspiring that despite his deteriorating health condition, Jim actually won the FM section for the 7 th time.

Chris says he was “honoured to share the winner’s platform with the manwho was known to all as the “Voice of the Midlands”

Coming soon ..

the sun is out .. the sky is blue and is that the sound of  young  birds twittering in the  green foliage?.. no .. it’s members of Wythall  Radio Club warming up for the national CW Field day on the Weekend  of June 3rd-4th. 

Watch this space!

Wythall Radio Club Easter Contest 2023: Tears and Fond Memories

The Award ceremony was held recently for the 2023 Easter contest .

This annual  competition , held to simply stimulate Club activity on the bands , ran from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday and is always fiercely contested!

There were a few tears and some lovely memories  shared as Lee G0MTN  presented the results  and , to no one’s surprise,  Jim 2E0BLP,  comfortably won the G6ZDQ Shield for the 2m/70cm  Contest 

 In a moving tribute Kevin 2E0NCO,  revealed  that despite Jim’s failing health,  how determined  his dad had been to take part and succeed in this Easter competition.

Maz , M6NKO, had been on hand to help Jim record his many contacts (see photo left) but sadly this was to be Jim’s final  competition for he died a few days later.

Jim’s record over the years in the Christmas and Easter competitions is simply astonishing with 12 wins: he can truly be hailed as Wythall Radio Club’s ‘Greatest of All Time’ 

Les  2E0LRV was second with 130 points and third place was held by Ian M0IDR with 80 points.

In the HF All Bands section  for The G0ICJ trophy,  Chris G0EYO  (pictured below) was a comfortable winner  followed by Chairman Chris G3YHF and Ian M0LQY.

Although numbers participating were smaller this year many other members submitted check logs  and there was certainly a flurry of activity over the Easter weekend

Our many thanks go to Lee G0MTN for yet again organising the Competition.

Future events won’t seem  quite the same without the much loved Voice of the Midlands.

PHOTO: https://www.pauloxmanpublishing.com/On-The-Antenna-Again,12804.html

Twenty-four members were active during Wythall Radio Club’s 7-day Christmas Contest.

Our members operated on all bands from 160m to 23cms, from home, mobile and portable.

We used SSB, CW, FM, FT8, Zello and digital voice modes, including the Club’s GB3WL repeater when necessary.

Martin G8VXX/M made lots of QSOs from his canal barge moored at Wootton Wawen, while Clive M7OCB was active /P while walking his dogs.

Ian M0IDR won the Jim 2E0BLP ‘Voice of the Midlands’ Trophy for his top score in the 2m/70cm FM section.  Great work from his QTH near Evesham – not an easy path to Club members who are mostly located in Redditch and south Birmingham.

However, he alone worked Simon G4TVR/P who was on his handheld in Ross-on-Wye, and Kev G4XLO/P on his day-trip to south Worcestershire.

Miles 2E0YZW and Sylwia M3SSP came second and third in the 2m/70cm section, and Sylwia was also the leading Foundation licencee is this category!

In the all-modes and bands section, Don G0NES retained the Reg Brown G7OBO Trophy helped by picking up all the band, operating and mode bonus points (left, receiving trophy from Mike G4VPD, Club President). 

As happened last year, Don G0NES made a special trip by car to make his 23cms FM contact for those extra 50 bonus points!

Chris G3YHF and David G7IBO were second and third, separated by only 5 points!

The leading Foundation licencee in this category was Clive M7OCB, who came fifth – an excellent result with his 10 watts and limited antenna.

The Club’s DX members were also active during the contest.  Kev G4XLO in Torquay provided valuable points on 40m FT8.  Dave GM3YXM was worked on Top Band SSB by several members.

50% of the Club’s members made Contest QSOs – 2E0BLP 2E0EGP 2E0LRV 2E0NCO 2E0XET 2E0YZW G0EYO G0HVN G0MTN G0NES G3YHF G(M)3YXM G4TVR G4VPD G4XLO G7IBO G8VXX M0IDR M0IFT M0LQY M0PPX M3SSP M6OTN M7OCB

Click here for the full results.

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.