Wythall Radio Club

23/07/2025

The World Radio Team Championship preparations:
G0MTN’s report

During the July 2025 IARU HF Championship 5 WRTC stations were tested under field conditions.

We used the same planned equipment for the 2026 event as a trial – a 12m telescopic mast, small HF triband yagi, and dipoles for 40m and 80m.

The operating location was a cluster of sites within the grounds of the Euston Estate, Suffolk.

This was a test of erecting the masts and antennas with some of our volunteers, ahead of training the full team of volunteers over the next year.

The weather was very hot which made the site build on the Thursday and Friday quite challenging. although it also became surprisingly chilly overnight on Saturday. We also tested the IT networking and our scoreboard system.

We had the callsigns GB0WR GB2WR GB5WR GB8WR GB9WR and made 9600 QSOs in the 24 hour period.

We learned a lot and it was a great (if tiring) experience meeting with our volunteer station builders and operators. There was also much positive feedback from the public as such as demonstration of real equipment from the agreed site locations helps to show we’re on track with our preparations for next year. The big challenge of course is scaling up from building 5 sites to 50, and looking after 100 international operators and 50 referees next year. Please visit https://www.wrtc2026.org/ for more details of WRTC overall, and this 2025 test run.

16/06/2025

We were approached by two very polite youngsters after our Foxhunt in the Park; they asked the question on the minds of many in the park that evening,dog walkers, footballers, children , walkers and many more!

“Excuse me but what exactly are you doing” We tried to explain.. they weren’t convinced “We thought you were looking for Aliens,” they said and left.

Neil’s report follows but it was another happy and enjoyable event in the park for Wythall Radio Club members and a really good buzz (not radio related) in the bar afterwards.

Neil the organiser reports as follow

Ian, M0LQY holds his DIY antenna aloft.. “is there anyone out there?”
“Having put the equipment in storage after the last event, there wasn’t too much to do. Debra did all the repairs and testing to the aerials that had been made last year. All I had to do was charge the beacon, load the car and we were ready.

At 18.30 BST the beacon was hidden in the grounds of the Wythall Community Centre, ready for the eager competitors. Club members started to congregate in the car park from about 19.30 BST.

There was much comparing of antenna designs! (see pictures!!) I had my antenna analyser available to check the home-made kit.

At a given signal the gang dispersed but unlike last year they mainly moved in the same direction!

It took about 20 minutes for David G7IBO and Ian M0LQY to locate the tree where the beacon was concealed, with David being the first to seize the Fox!

From feedback, it was a popular event and I have been asked to organise another one, maybe at the Lickey Hills. We can chat through this at the next committee meeting.

Thanks to everyone that took part in this club activity.” and welcome too to Ian and Nigel .

From feedback, it was a popular event and I have been asked to organise another one, maybe at the Lickey Hills. We can chat through this at the next committee meeting.

09/05/2025

08/05/2025

EASTER CONTEST 2025 The RESULTS

A healthy gathering of members gathered the other night , in person and. on Zoom to hear Lee, G0MTN organiser and driving force of this popular event ,report on recent activity and award the certificates.

The general post- contest feeling had been that this had been a close one and that there were a few surprises in store.

First the report on activity and Lee reminded members of the two cups awarded in the memory of two former members:

The David Dawkes G0ICJ award

The Colin Baker G6ZDQ award

First some trends and stats outlined by Lee:

1.There were hundreds of contacts this year: FM GB3WL ,GB3XO (echolink) SSTV HF CW SSB AM FT8 etc

2. There was much more activity away from 145.225 with successful stations showing the agility to switch between bands and modes.

3. New to the contest this year: SSTV via MB7TW 10m AM Echolink via GB3XO and some D star

4. TFMC (The Friday Morning Club!) on Good Friday provided a welcome activity boost on HF and VHF

5.MB7TW successes from G1TZC, G3YHF, 2E0EGP and G0MTN

Simon G4TVR the happy and surprised (?) winner of the 2m/70cm certificate
6. The GB3XO 70cm repeater station in Redditch was a great help.

7. There were 13 logs received and 18 members active







THE RESULTS

THE ALL BAND ALL MODE CATEGORY

3RD MARTIN M0XFI 2ND CHRIS G0EYO

FIRST PRIZE LEE G0MTN



THE 2m/70cm AWARD

3RD MARIE G7OKF 2ND IAN M0LQY

FIRST PRIZE AND OVERALL WINNER SIMON G4TVR

02/05/2025

A timely reminder TUESDAY 6TH MAY EASTER CONTEST RESULTS. 8.00 P.M. THE DARTS ROOM. With Lee G0MTN

Having owned a Vibroplex in the past, I was intrigued to see him clip a clothes peg on to the vibrating ‘dots’ arm during our qso.

01/05/2025

It’s always fun to receive a recording of one’s signals.

Even better is to receive a video!

So I was delighted to have an e-mail from Dimitris (aka Jim) SV8ANW with a video of our recent 10 minute CW QSO on 30m.

Click here to see the video of our QSO https://youtu.be/CNABsUQzEW4?feature=shared

I could tell that Jim was using a bug key as they have a distinctive sound.

Having owned a Vibroplex in the past, I was intrigued to see him clip a clothes peg on to the vibrating ‘dots’ arm during our qso.

He tells me that this increases the weight on the arm, so slowing the oscillations that produce the dots.

You can hear that the timing of the dots relative to the dashes is better once the clothes peg is used.

That’s high tech CW!

I wish I’d known of this trick when I had my Vibroplex bug, as I always found my dots being produced faster than they should have been – despite following lots of advice on how to set up the key.

01/04/2025

COMING SOON:

TUESDAY 1ST APRIL : OPEN COMMITTEE MEETING -8.00

THURSDAY 17TH APRIL-MONDAY 21ST APRIL: THE GREAT WYTHALL RADIO CLUB EASTER CONTEST

FRIDAY 18TH APRIL: FRIDAY MORNING CLUB 9.45-11.45 (OR POSSIBLY EXTENDED FOR WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY?)

17/03/2025

Wythall Radio Club is pleased to announce its new SSTV repeater is now live on-air.

Operating on 144.500MHz FM, this ‘store and forward’ repeater will give good coverage around the south Birmingham/north Worcestershire area.

Neil G1TZC and Derek G1INC have been working hard in the Club’s shack to get the repeater on air.

It uses a 2 FM meter mobile rig (kindly donated by John G3OIC) running 5 watts to the Club’s collinear mounted above the GB3WL 70cms repeater array on Wythall House chimney.

The system is controlled by a computer in the shack with remote management by repeater keeper Neil G1TZC.

A 1750 hz tone of 1 second is needed to open the repeater. It will respond with a fast morse ident.

Then you have 5 seconds to start uploading your frame.

After the frame is received, the repeater will re-transmit it on the same frequency

16/03/2025

Tuesday 18th March

MARCH 18TH

FROM 8.00 P.M. IN THE DARTS ROOM AT WYTHALL HOUSE.

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS EXCITING NEW VENTURE FOR THE CLUB

An introduction to SSTV and the new MB7TW repeater in the darts room.

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A powerpoint presentation and talk about the history of slowscan television and using the new repeater.

If you have an interest in this mode please feel free to come along.

Happy DXing
Neil - G1TZC