Rye News reporter Heidi Foster attended an open day at Fairlight Country Park last Sunday, June 12, organized by the Hastings Electronic and Radio Club. There she found Robert Beck, who lives at Greatstone, in his car, wired up with earphones, a radio connection and an intriguing antenna rigged up from the vehicle. He was happy to talk about his hobby which gets people communicating through radio signals right across the world.
“Amateur radio is a hobby that attracts people from all walks of life and not necessarily from a technical background. They may communicate using speech, morse code, television and many digital techniques that rely on computer technology. In cases of national or local emergency, they are required as part of their licensing conditions, to assist various organisations by providing communication facilities. Some radio amateurs provide communication facilities for community events. You may have seen them at the Hastings half marathon or similar events.”
“We all have to be licensed to prove to the authorities that we have sufficient technical and operating knowledge so as to operate in a manner that will not cause radio interference to other transmissions such as marine, aircraft, commercial radio stations, emergency services and military communications. To ensure that these conditions are met, all radio amateurs must pass written and practical examinations to obtain a licence.
“The beginner is taught to operate using low power equipment which must be commercially produced. After passing this exam, there is the Intermediate Licence, which allows the amateur to use significantly higher powered equipment, and to construct and use his or her own equipment. Lastly, there comes the Full Licence, which allows even more powerful transmitters to be used. Each one of us has a unique callsign which denotes the country of issue and the type of licence. This callsign must always be used to identify the originator of the transmission”.
Hastings Electronic and Radio Club holds meetings, generally every month, at the Taplin Centre, Upper Maze Hill, St. Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 0LQ commencing at 7:30 pm. Visitors are very welcome. The club has training facilities to pass all three examinations. For further information see the club’s website. or email: gordonsweet2000@yahoo.co.uk.
photo: Heidi Foster