Members of the Meirion Amateur Radio Society, Simon (MW0CSR), John (MW0VTK) and Derek (G7LFC), operated from Black Rock Sands on the 12th May) as SOS Radio Week stations.
Black Rock Sands is a long flat stretch of beach at the northern end of Cardigan Bay, close to Porthmadog and is an ideal location to run an amateur radio station from. Derek and Simon both commented on the amazingly low noise levels on the band being, as it is, several miles from man-made interference (QRM).
Derek, operating under his own callsign, G7LFC, used a simple Snowdonia Radio Company vertical HF whip on a mag-mount to work 60 stations and 5 continents on all bands above 20m using the FT-8 digital mode. Simon and John used a doublet to contact stations around the UK and on the near continent using the lower HF bands.
Derek was, predictably, very happy with the performance of the antenna mounted on the roof of his car, “It did an amazing job considering the simplicity of the setup”.
SOS Radio Week
SOS Radio Week was established in 2008 by Derek and his son David (M3LFC) after David raised £300 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) by making over 100 unique contacts in three months having just gained his Foundation Licence. Since then SOS Radio Week has gradually expanded to become what it is today; approximately 30 stations operating throughout the month of May (during the RNLI’s own Mayday fund-raising month) to raise awareness of the RNLI.
The Meirion Amateur Radio Society have supported SOS Radio Week since it was conceived.
Register for SOS Radio Week
It’s not to too late to take part in SOS Radio Week as a registered station. Simply pop along to the web site and register – it’s that easy. You can be a club, or an individual, operating a special event station, or operating from home.
Apply for the Worked SOS Radio Week Award
If you’ve worked any of the registered stations then you can apply for the Worked SOS Radio Week Award from the 1st June. Everyone who has worked one of the stations will receive a certificate.