wythall radio club

Thanks to the internet, it’s possible to listen on amateur radio frequencies without a special short wave receiver.

There are many WebSDR (Software-Defined Radio) receivers connected to the internet, allowing multiple users to listen simultaneously.  

A list of WebSDR receivers and links to them is at  http://www.websdr.org/   

To use WebSDR…

1. Navigate to a receiver like Hack Green, Cheshire (one of the closest WebSDRs to Birmingham) or KFS WebSDR in California (where you can listen in to the US amateurs).
2. Once on a WebSDR site, enable ‘allow keyboard’, which permits you to tune the receiver using mouse wheel or keyboard arrows.
3. You may have to enable audio settings on your browser – see the advice on each webSDR site; eg for listening to Hack Green using Chrome: Click the Lock in the address bar of your Chrome browser. Click Site Settings. Under Sound, select Allow.
4. Select the band you want to listen on – you will find most stations on 80, 40 and 20 meters, in the frequency ranges in the table below.
5. When listening on 80 and 40 meters, select LSB (lower side band); when listening on 20 meters, select USB (upper side band).
6. Once you hear a station, it may sound like ‘Donald Duck’ – tune slowly and the voices will become clear
7. Once you become proficient at tuning in stations, try some of the other receiver functions – e.g. narrow IF bandwidth and IF passband can be used to reduce interference.

Over the next few months, you can expect the following radio conditions:

CALL SIGNS

You can identify the countries from which stations are operating by comparing their call sign prefix (the first one or two letters/numbers) with those on the list of international call sign prefixes e.g. the Wythall Radio Club call sign is G4WAC – G means the station is in England. 

Q CODES AND OTHER SHORTHAND YOU MAY HEAR

You may hear the following…

CQ, CQ – I am calling for a contact; please reply to me

DX – long distance (normally, outside the operator’s continent)

QRZ? – is anyone there?

QTH – location of the station

QRM – interference on the signal

QSB – fading on the signal

QSL – confirmation of the contact or information passed

73s – best wishes and goodbye

GAINING AN AMATEUR RADIO LICENCE

The ‘Foundation licence’ is not difficult to obtain.  There is some simple electronics and radio operating to study.  You can find details of the licence levels and courses on the Wythall Radio Club web site and there is more information at the RSGB.

Visitors welcome at Wythall Radio Club’s famous ‘Plug and Play’ event on Saturday 9th Sept. between 10 and 3.

We’ll once again be operating various radios from Wythall Park, using a variety of antennas – and hopefully we’ll have some contacts via a satellite!

You can find us on the far side of Wythall Park, furthest from the car park.  Follow the tarmac footpath on the right hand side of the small playground, and keep going bearing right at any junction!

You’ll see vehicles, antenna masts and flags – that’s where we are. 

Here’s a report on a recent ‘Plug and Play’.

We are also holding an open evening for anyone interested in becoming a member of our Club, or in obtaining an amateur radio licence so you can transmit and make new friends locally and around the world.

The open evening is on Tuesday 5th Sept. from 8-9pm in the Darts Room, on the ground floor of Wythall House.  Follow the signs.

We’ll have some radios operating making contacts outside the UK, as well as members who can chat with you.

If you can’t make these dates, there are members at the Club most Tuesday evenings – email us to fix a date to visit at:  wythallradio@gmail.com

Beaver Scouts from Wythall chatted with radio amateurs on the west coast of the USA during their communications evening. 

Fifteen 6-8 year-olds talked with Doug KK7BRS and Olivia KK7HDO from Lake Washington Ham Club in Seattle.  This radio club is very focussed on young radio hams, one of whom is Olivia.

The QSOs were hosted by Les 2E0LRV from Wythall Radio Club (photo left).  He used a Yeasu FT8800 mobile radio with a patch lead as an antenna into an All Star node tethered to his mobile phone, using the phone data to connect to the internet.

Matt KN4ZXV in Florida kindly stood-by in case of any difficulties getting through to the Washington repeater.

The Beavers – from 1st Tidbury Green (Wythall) Scout Group – also sent and received simple messages using  Morse code buzzers, helped by John M6KET and Chris G3YHF, two of the Club’s CW enthusiasts.

And Roger M0GWM ran a session in which groups of Beavers used licence-free handhelds to exchange messages via the phonetic alphabet.

This communications evening is a regular event for Wythall Radio Club.  We held similar ones in 2018 and 2019.

At the end of the evening, each Beaver received a certificate confirming the communication skills they had gained. 

They went away buzzing, and several were overheard excitedly telling their parents about speaking across ‘the pond’ – and right across the American continent too!

We’d like to thank our friends in the US for assisting with the QSOs – they showed the real Ham Radio spirit!

We have paused our Foundation and Intermediate Training Programme due to recent RSGB syllabus changes that require major updates to our training materials.

There is an update from Chris G0EYO, our Training Coordinator, and suggestions for alternative providers on our training page (click here).

New Foundation licence holders will hopefully soon be on the air, reports Chris G0EYO, our Training Coordinator.

“In our last on-line Foundation course, which finished in May, 9 students completed the course. 

Seven have let us know their results, and 5 passed – the youngest was 10 and the oldest was 80.   Most of our candidates were Midlands based.

We send our congratulations and hope to contact you ‘on the air’ with your new call signs!”

Our next online Foundation Course will start in August 2021.

Please contact Chris G0EYO at  g0eyo@blueyonder.co.uk  if you would like to take the course – more details on our Training pages.

Stuart M0SRZ is the 2021 recipient of Wythall Radio Club’s Lew Williams Shield.

This annual award recognises a member’s progress with CW (Morse Code), and is in memory of Wythall Radio Club’s former CW tutor and President. 

Stuart obtained his Foundation Licence in 2016, followed by Intermediate and Full in the same year.  He took the CW Academy Beginner Course in spring 2019, and has been making great progress ever since. 

Stuart won the Lew Williams Shield in 2020, but his commitment to continuing with the CW Academy course since then means he holds the award for another year.

Stuart tells us: “The CW Academy courses have been instrumental in my progress. However, the vital element is the support, encouragement and example of a club such as our own.

The gentle introduction to the mysteries of Morse, and the inspiring, consistent example of John 2E0XET, began my present endeavour to learn and, hopefully, attain some degree of proficiency.  And that banner is now carried on by the Club’s current CW tutor David G0HVN.  

A history of CW teaching that started with Lew Williams, long before I joined this Club, continues to this day. 

Reading about the CW exploits of many club members provides further encouragement.

I shall try to earn that honour during this year by taking the CW Academy Intermediate course during September/October – and that is going to demand a lot of practice between now and then! ” 

Stuart commends the free CW Academy courses: “They are quite intensive – two online hour-long sessions each week – and you really have to put in the practice every day. If you’re interested take a look at https://cwops.org/cw-academy/“

Latest News from Training Co-ordinator, Chris G0EYO is that the next on-line Intermediate Course is planned for a 28^th June 2021 start and will last for 10 weeks and the next on-line Foundation course is expected to start in August.

Please register your interest now with Chris G0EYO at g0eyo@blueyonder.co.uk

The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) is now offering remote invigilation in people’s own home for online examinations at Foundation, Intermediate and Full Licence level. You can read further information on the RSGB website here. 

We are not yet in a position to offer paper examinations at the Radio Club.

The RSGB have also permanently removed the need for practical assessments for the Foundation course at this time. Practical assessments at Intermediate level are currently suspended until such time as the Covid lockdown regulations permit their resumption. We hope that they will remain suspended for the duration of the next Intermediate course.

CURRENT COURSES

ONLINE INTERMEDIATE COURSE starting 28^TH JUNE 2021 TAKING NAMES NOW

FUTURE COURSES PLANNED

ONLINE FOUNDATION COURSE starting AUGUST 2021 TAKING NAMES NOW

ONLINE FULL LICENCE COURSE.  We will not be running our own Wythall Radio Club online Full Licence course but I am a tutor on the Bath Based Distance Learning Group’s Full licence course, run by Steve Hartley. Steve will run two courses per year, March and September. Contact me Chris G0EYO on g0eyo@blueyonder.co.uk for up-to-date training news

Wythall Radio Club is pleased to announce a new section to our website.

Training & Beyond can be found here or from the Training menu at the top of our homepage.

Divided into 3 sections, General, Training and Operating Resources, there is a veritable cornucopia of web links to really useful resources and information – all to help you in your Ham Radio journey.

Compiled with care by Chris G0EYO & our training team, we hope you enjoy them.

Wythall Radio Club will be running their next online Foundation Training course starting on March 1st 2021.

The course lasts 8 weeks and candidates can book their own online, remotely invigilated, examination direct with the RSGB.  There is no charge for the course but there will be a limit to how many candidates we can accommodate.

The Foundation course is delivered via a virtual learning experience (VLE) software called EDMODO which is free to use and has gained world-wide acceptance as a safe and easy way for tutors to connect with their students at home via the internet.

Basically you sign up for the course and you get notifications via e mail that the course material and quizzes are available for you to download.

This will take place over an 8 week period with two lessons per week in the comfort of your own home and in a time of your choosing. We will deliver all the course material you need to complete the course but you will have to purchase the RSGB book “The Foundation Licence Manual” from the RSGB shop https://www.rsgbshop.org/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Training_19.html

You will also have to book and pay for your remotely invigilated examination (£27.50) direct with the RSGB but we will advise on how to do this when you register to do the course.

So, if you or someone you know wants to do this course then contact Chris G0EYO our training co-ordinator on g0eyo@blueyonder.co.uk as soon as possible to get your name on the list.

UPDATE:  We’ve had a very swift response and we are now FULL with 22 keen trainees.

We look forward to hearing them with their new 2E0 call signs later in the year!!

Wythall Radio Club will be continuing its online Training courses in 2021.

Wythall Radio Club will be running their next online Intermediate Training course starting on January 25^th 2021.

The course lasts 9 weeks and candidates can book their own online, remotely invigilated, examination direct with the RSGB.  There is no charge for the course but there will be a limit to how many candidates we can accommodate.

The Intermediate course is delivered via a virtual learning experience (VLE) software called EDMODO which is free to use and has gained world-wide acceptance as a safe and easy way for tutors to connect with their students at home via the internet.

Basically you sign up for the course and you get notifications via e mail that the course material and quizzes are available for you to download.

This will take place over a 9 week period with two lessons per week in the comfort of your own home and in a time of your choosing. We will deliver all the course material you need to complete the course but you will have to purchase the RSGB book “The Intermediate Licence Manual 2^nd edition” from the RSGB shop https://www.rsgbshop.org/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Training_19.html

You will also have to book and pay for your remotely invigilated examination (£32.50) direct with the RSGB but we will advise on how to do this when you register to do the course.

So, if you or someone you know wants to take this unexpected opportunity then contact Chris G0EYO our training co-ordinator on g0eyo@blueyonder.co.uk as soon as possible as there is not much time before the course commences.

We plan to also run an online Foundation course starting in February but will publish details when they become firmed up.

Chris Pettitt G0EYO