wythall radio club

Much seems to be going on at Wythall Radio Club just at the moment – but then news does seem to come in fits and starts…

Better D-STAR coverage for our local area!

The latest snippet for you is that we have yet another repeater cleared for operation.

This time it is GB7SO, the new D-STAR repeater for Solihull & Wythall.  Based half-way between the two towns, it should provide good coverage of the area and also the M42/M40 links. GB7SO is an update of the simplex gateway we have been running for the past year but will soon provide talk-through coverage as well as links to the wider D-STAR world via the Internet.

We will, of course, let you know when this and its sister D-STAR box GB7DG in Bromsgrove is on the air. Hopefully it won’t be too long away now…

Meantime, keep an eye on the pages for GB7SO and GB7DG by clicking the links…

Wythall Radio Club is now the proud owner of a new trophy.

Chairman Mike G4VPD receives the trophy from Martyn G3UKV

Last night, RSGB Region 5 Manager, Martyn Vincent G3UKV presented our Chairman Mike G4VPD with the “Club of the Year” trophy for our area.

This is the third time we have won this title since it began… and indeed only the third time we have entered the competition, so you could say it’s a 100% record.

It is good to see our club recognised outside of our immediate circle for the hard work that so many members put into making the hobby of Amateur Radio accessible.

Here’s to another great year coming up – will you be part of it?

(Back) Simon G4TVR, Roger M0GWM, Ian M0IDR, Mike G4VPD, Dave M6HPD (Front) Tim M0URX, Chris G7DDN, Phil 2E0WTH

A good time was had by all – well, that was the verdict from yesterday’s Wythall Radio Club trip to the new Martin Lynch Hamstore in Staines.

In true Wythall tradition, food played a major role in the day…

Starting with a visit for a quick breakfast at the local McDonald’s in Staines, (where no-one seemed to be able to understand a good Brummie accent(!)) to pastries and drinks supplied by the store themselves – and ending, of course, with a pint or two in our home of Wythall House once we got home.

Oh yes, and there was plenty of radio gear to play with too.

We are now looking forward to the official lunch (sorry, launch) date of June 6th when a return down the M40 beckons…

More piccies below..

Get ready for a full frontal Wythall assault on the brand new MLS Store!

Friend of Wythall Radio Club, Martin Lynch G4HKS, owner of one of the best-known Ham Stores in the UK, has recently moved premises.

Now based in Staines, nearer to Heathrow Airport, Martin still offers the widest range of Amateur Radio gear available.

Quite a few Wythall Radio Club members have visited Martin’s old shop in the past, (mostly for bacon sandwiches and pork baps it should be said) though there has been a rumour or two that money has indeed changed hands!

And tomorrow (Saturday 28th March) a few members are going down to London to visit Martin’s new premises and give them the once over.

No bacon or pork this time, but quite a few folk can’t wait to see the new larger premises Martin has got for himself!

We are told that the car drivers are readying themselves for more weight on the return journey however – make of that what you will…

The good news keeps coming thick and fast at the moment at Wythall Radio Club. 

We have heard this week that our latest repeater project has been licensed by Ofcom.

GB7DG is a D-STAR repeater located just outside Bromsgrove. It will give better coverage of both the town of Bromsgrove and the M5 motorway from the Lickey Hills down towards Worcester.

It will also fill in coverage gaps between the Bewdley D-STAR repeater GB7WF and the Wythall Simplex Gateway MB6IWL (also soon to be upgraded to Repeater status, we hope!)

Read more about GB7DG here and visit it’s page on this website here.  Club member and repeater keeper John M1JSS will let us (and in turn, you) know just as soon as it is operational.

Jamie M6GDI will soon hold a 2E0 callsign – exciting!

Wythall Radio Club member Jamie M6GDI is celebrating on several fronts at the moment.

Last night he became one of our youngest members to pass his Intermediate exam – at the age of 14, he is now impatiently awaiting his new callsign! (UPDATE 01/04/2015 – Jamie is now 2E0SDV)

Imagine operating from the top of this in high summer!

And on top of that, he is particularly excited to be part of the YOTA (Youngsters On The Air) movement.

Jamie is one of only a few young people chosen to be part of an RSGB DXpedition to Wales in July.

Come the 23rd of that month, he will be off to the Brecon Beacons for a mix of hiking and operating.

A whole week to play radio? What fun! We eagerly await more news on that front – well done Jamie!

For many members of Wythall Radio Club, passing their Amateur Radio exams is something that happened, well…  too long ago! For others however, it is a more recent experience.

However all members benefit from being in touch with what is expected of new entrants to the hobby, so with that in mind…  this Tuesday evening sees a departure from the norm…

Training Co-ordinator Chris G0EYO, aided and abetted by Chris G7DDN, will be presenting a kind of “quiz” evening.

There will be ten typical questions from each of the three Amateur Radio Examinations – each participant will have their own answer sheet – and, in true fun Wythall style, we will see just who can still pass their ham exams!

We expect plenty of laughter as well as a few contentions moments – in the preparation phase for this evening for example, your scribe managed to get three Intermediate level questions wrong, redeemed somewhat by only getting one incorrect answer in the Advanced…

Visitors are welcome of course (just be prepared to be surprised!) – this Tuesday 24th March in the Darts Room at Wythall House, Silver Street, Wythall B47 6LZ. Note the earlier start time of 20:15 – there’s a lot to cram in!

We hope to see you there.

A 20m QRP Transceiver by Barry M0DGQ built mostly using common components from a junk box – click the photo for more information

In the ranks of Wythall Radio Club there are several members who have an interest in QRP work. QRP is a recognised radio Q-code for using low power.

You might wonder why anyone would deliberately want to use lower power than necessary to make radio contacts, but there is a kind of inverse pleasure in trying to see if you can maintain a contact with less power than a kids’ nightlight!

This Tuesday at Wythall Radio Club, one of our own QRP aficionados, Barry M0DGQ, who has written several construction articles for the G-QRP Club, will be taking us through what appeals to him in using low power, particularly as it pertains to using Morse Code. QRP is very close to the original spirit of Ham Radio in that it uses Morse Code and home-built equipment.

Expect some very practical stuff and quite a few examples of QRP gear and tips on how easy it is to build your own QRP equipment.

This Tuesday 17th March at 2030 in the Club Shack, Wythall House, Silver Street, Wythall. B47 6LZ and visitors are welcome, as always.

Thank you one and all! We had a fantastic day today at the 30th Wythall Radio Rally.

Around 500 or so visitors joined with our trader friends to make it a brilliant day out at our new venue of Wythall House.

Many traders and visitors have already commented to us on the special friendly atmosphere that the Wythall Rally creates. When our traders tell us they want the same spots next year, we know they are happy!

Visitors also took advantage of the great bacon and burgers available(!) and Roger G4ROJ was on the field to give both a practical demonstration and talk on flying kite antennas.

It was a great day out. We hope you enjoyed it too. See you next year?

Photos below – enjoy!

Park Hall – ready for visitors!

As the sun sets on the penultimate day before Wythall Rally 2015, we are pleased to let you know that everything is ready to roll!

Pete M5DUO hiding amongst the clutter on the club stall

This afternoon, members finished laying out the three halls we have this year, Park Hall, the Britannia Room and the Scout Hut. Click on the photos for a closer look… (and click on what comes up a second time if you want supersize images!)

Remember we are at a new venue – Wythall House, Silver Street, Wythall B47 6LZ. If you get lost, just call for the talk-in station on 145.550 (S22) or on the 70cms GB3WL repeater.

We are looking forward to seeing you all, traders and visitors – have a great day!