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South Birmingham Radio Society Loc: IO92AJ45FS * WAB SP07 * Lat 52:23:59N * Lon: 1:57:48W * NGR: SP 025 779 |
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Contests Before I go in depth into how we participate in contests I will try to explain at least some of what amateur radio contests are about. So apologies to the seasoned contesters out there. Also please note you won't find any information about what equipment we use on this page, please visit our equipment page via the link on the left for full details on all our radios, antennas, amplifiers etc. Basically it's all about points, for each person you contact, (or 'work' as we actually call it), you get points, the greater the distance the more points you get. Generally it works out at 1 point per Kilometre. Although in some contests there are multipliers so a person that works ten stations 50Km away may get more points than somebody who works one station 600Km away. The scoring system and rules vary depending on which contest you are actually entering in one contest you may be restricted to using radio equipment that you can carry in a backpack, (often referred to as 'Backpackers' contests), to contests with no restrictions on location, equipment used or power you can transmit, (although in the UK we are restricted to a maximum of 400 Watts under the terms of our licence). The full details on all contests is way beyond this website so for further information why not visit the 'Sport Radio' page of the RSGB website at http://www.rsgb.org/operating/sportradio.php South Birmingham & Contesting It can be difficult to know where to begin on the what, where & when of the clubs contest activity so I will go through it them chronologically in the order they occur through the year. 432MHz (70cm's) AFS contest This is a four hour contest that takes place in early February and is a contest for members of or clubs and societies affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain. We usually participate as a club from our club headquarters in Birmingham. May UHF/SHF contest As the name suggests this takes place in May, usually the first weekend in May. This 24 hour contest sees many stations go out portable to temporary locations, (usually a hilltop where they can get a clear path to other stations free from obstructions like other hills, buildings etc). Activity takes place across a variety of bands from 432MHz to 248GHz. Although very few have equipment to communicate above 47GHz as it starts to get very difficult and costly by the stage as it is a very specialised area. It doesn't help that the higher in frequency you go the smaller the components get, (probably directly proportional to the wavelength as by the time you get to 248GHz the wavelength is just 1.2mm or 0.05 inches, (about the size of a full stop)! We have been regular participants in this contest for many years and usually operate from Shenlow Hill just outside the village called Huntington, near Banbury in Oxfordshire, (1082GB). This is a very interesting site as a lot of activity takes place in the surrounding area with a go cart track, airfield and even the local gun club meet in woods at the bottom of the hill. Over the years, thanks to a number of dedicated individuals, (most notably Bob G8GDZ, Ian G8IFT, Ian G8KQW, Steve G8KOS and the late Thomas M3CBZ), the number of bands we are active on has steadily increased from a mere 3, (432, 1296 & 2320MHz) to a staggering 9, (432MHz - 76GHz), with plans just over the horizon to increase this further, (we hope to add 138GHz to the itinerary in time for this years October UHF/SHF IARU contest), - so watch this space. VHF National Field day This 24 hour contest takes place over the first weekend in July. Activity usually takes place between 50 - 1296MHz. Although 50MHz operation is only allowed for the first 8 hours of the contest and operation on 70MHz is restricted to the final 6 hours! The club usually participate in this from Windmill Hill, which is in the heart of the Wasley Hills country park, near Rubery on the borders of Birmingham and Worcestershire, (IO82XJ). A very popular location for ramblers and dog walkers which often leads to folks asking "Excuse me, can you tell me what is going on here please?". We are usually active on 50, 70, 432 & 1296MHz for this contest. IARU UHF/SHF Contest Organised by the International Amateur Radio Union this is a 24-hour contest that takes place over the first weekend of October and follows a similar format to the May UHF/SHF contest. For this we operate from the summit of Abdon Burf or Brown Clee Hill just outside of Ditton Priors, near Bridgnorth, Shropshire (IO82QL). At 1800 feet, (approx. 550 Metres), above sea level it affords some excellent views of the surrounding countryside. It's only draw back is due to the altitude the weather can turn very rough, very quickly. UK Activity nights As well as the contests already mentioned above we take part in the monthly activity nights on 50MHz, 432MHz and 1296MHz from the club headquarters in West Heath. Now if it sounds all a lot of hard work well that's because it is! However we do still mange to have fun on these events and usually organise a social evening around the contests. For our two UHF/SHF contests we have a meal at a local pub and are often joined by members and friends and for July we have a large Buffet for contest operators, club members and friends. |
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© 2007 South Birmingham Radio Society RSGB Diamond Logo used with permission of Radio Society of Great Britain. © 2006 Radio Society of Great Britain, Lambda House, Cranborne Rd, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3JE, UK |
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