<![CDATA[Itchen Valley Amateur Radio Club - News]]>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:08:46 +0100Weebly<![CDATA[IVARC helps Winchester Scouts with Communicator Badge activities]]>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:04:22 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/ivarc-helps-winchester-scouts-with-communicator-badge-activitiesOn Wednesday 4th February 2026, a team from IVARC supported members of 11th Winchester Scout group working towards their Communicator badge.  Ken G4DKH and Bob G3ZHV set up and operated an HF station at the Scout’s HQ, using Bob’s 40m dipole and the club's TS570 transceiver.  Although conditions were far from ideal, with poor band conditions and a high level of ambient noise (!) we did manage to get 5&9 reports from a few European stations.  Fortunately Colin G4GBP came prepared with a range of alternative communications-themed activities, morse practice buzzers and even a small telephone exchange!  Chris G7LWV also participated remotely from Romsey via the local DMR repeater.

All the activities proved very popular with the Scouts – it was fascinating to watch the levels of concentration they showed in the morse practice, and it was really enlightening to see how alien the concept of a landline phone (especially the rotary dial phone!) was to 11-14 year olds!  

Thanks especially to Colin G4GBP for bringing the telephone exchange, morse buzzers and the crib sheets;  to Bob G3ZHV for providing the dipole antenna & balun, and for setting up & dismantling the mast & antenna; and to Chris G7LWV in for bravely fielding contacts with more than 15 Scouts on 70cms via GB3CW, the Winchester DMR repeater.  

The scout leaders, Leigh and Matt, both expressed their gratitude to the Club and were impressed by the level of engagement we achieved with the scouts in all of the activities we ran throughout the evening.  

Another very successful IVARC special event - a good evening, time well spent with the youngsters enjoying every part of it and learning into the bargain!.]]><![CDATA[IVARC supports JOTA 2025 for Eynsham Scouts GB1ESG]]>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 12:04:06 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/ivarc-supports-jota-2025-for-eynsham-scouts-gb1esg
Once again Itchen Valley Amateur Radio Club supported the Jamboree On the Air weekend at Eynsham Scout Hall, near Oxford.  Colin G4GBP organised the very successful event over the weekend of 18/19th October, which was enjoyed by over 50 youngsters and their parents.  

Bill G8HHV ran the special event station GB1ESG, mainly on 40m, contacting 11 other JOTA stations, which allowed the Scouts to pass greetings messages to each other and practice their use of the phonetic alphabet over the air.

Bob G3ZHV demonstrated and operated a data station, using a Raspberry Pi and QRP transceiver to working 20 FT8 stations across across Europe on 20m.
​Colin also organised a series of other communications / science related activities over the weekend, including:

    • a telephone switchboard system
    • a ‘what does sound look like?’ with oscilloscope, signal generator and microphone
    • morse buzzer practice
    • lighting LEDS using potato batteries
    • testing acidity / alkalinity of common household liquids
    • extracting DNA from strawberries & bananas !
​Well done to Colin, Bob and Bill for running such an interesting and enjoyable event for the youngsters.  Club members – please keep the JOTA weekend dates for next year free in your diaries and come along and help / join in the fun!
]]><![CDATA[IVARC visit to Amberley Museum]]>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 08:56:43 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/ivarc-visit-to-amberley-museum
On Saturday 20th September 2025, five IVARC members participated in the club visit to Amberley Museum, near Arundel in West Sussex.

Located in the South Downs National Park, the museum was once a working chalk quarry and limeworks from the 1840s to the 1960s.  The site is quite large, and many of the original buildings and lime kilns remain.  There are over 40 exhibit areas, including a radio and television hall, narrow-gauge railway, historic buses and fire engines, rural crafts and extensive communications displays, including amateur radio station GB2CPM.

We also discovered the site had be used in the filming of the James Bond film "A View To A Kill", replicating a mine which (of course) was blown up at the end of the film!  There were some very interesting details of the pyrotechnics used and the reaction of the locals from the the time of the filming.

We all agreed the museum visit exceeded our expectations, was excellent value - especially as we benefited from the 50% discount to the admission price as RSGB members.

​Another Grand Day Out for IVARC......



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]]><![CDATA[IVARC activates GBØSR from Solent Rescue Lifeboat Station]]>Mon, 19 May 2025 19:40:36 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/ivarc-activates-gbosr-from-solent-rescue-lifeboat-station​During the weekend of 17/18th May, IVARC club members participated in SOS Radio Week 2025, operating special event station GBØSR on behalf of Solent Rescue from their lookout station on the clifftop at Lepe Country Park, overlooking the Solent.

Tim Pettis 2E0CXQ, Launch Advisor with Solent Rescue, approached the club in early March asking if we would be interested in activating a special event station for Solent Rescue as part of SOS Radio Week in May.  Tim had previously given a talk on resilience and emergency communications planning to IVARC, so we were of course happy to get involved.  After confirming there were no objections from Lepe Country Park, we obtained the special event callsign GBØSR (Solent Rescue) and set about planning the activation. 

Our station was set up adjacent to the Solent Rescue lookout station, using the club’s TS570 transceiver running 80 watts to a doublet antenna at about 8 metres above ground.  Operation was SSB on the HF bands (mainly 40m & 20m).

Radio conditions were quite challenging, especially on Saturday, with very little activity evident on bands above 20m, and with high levels of QSB present.  However the fine weather lasted throught the weekend and made for a very enjoyable activation.

Over the weekend we achieved a total of 206 contacts in 24 DXCCs – a fantastic result!  We contacted stations in England, Wales, Scotland, N. Ireland, Austria, Azores, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.   Best DX was CU7BC on Faial Island, in the Azores, at 1579 miles (2527 km).

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Lots of operators were looking out for SOS Radio Week stations, and we had several pile-ups lasting 20-30 minutes each to contend with – a great learning experience for all our club operators!  As an indication of the level of interest, our QRZ.com page has had over 830 look-ups so far!

Many thanks to club members Chris G7LWV, Peter G4JHC, Martyn 2E0OGR, Edgar M7WEF and Ken G4DKH for their support in setting up and operating the station.  Thanks also to Tim and Linda from Solent Rescue for hosting us and providing much needed refreshments throughout the day.

A very enjoyable weekend raising awareness and supporting the work of the volunteers at Solent Rescue Independent Lifeboat Station.
]]><![CDATA[SOS Radio Week 2025]]>Fri, 02 May 2025 09:01:48 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/sos-radio-week-2025
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On 17th & 18th May 2025, in support of SOS Radio Week 2025, Itchen Valley Amateur Radio Club will activate special event station GBØSR (Solent Rescue) on behalf of Solent Rescue from their lookout on the clifftop at Lepe Country Park, Hampshire.  Operation will be mainly SSB on the HF bands (40m / 20m / 15m / 10m).  

We are participating in SOS Radio Week 2025 in May to help promote & raise awareness of the work of the RNLI, NCI, Independent Lifeboat Stations and Coastal Rescue teams through amateur radio.  If you haven’t heard of SOS Radio Week, find out more at www.sosradioweek.org.uk  
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Volunteer crew operating Solent Rescue 1 inshore lifeboat
​Photo:  Solent Rescue

​​Established in 1971, Solent Rescue is an independent rescue charity run entirely by volunteers, and funded by charitable donations.  Operating from their lookout station on the clifftop at Lepe Country Park, Solent Rescue works alongside the RNLI and NCI, and operates two inshore lifeboats providing a 24/7 response as an emergency service to HM Coastguard.   

To find out more about Solent Rescue, or to make a donation, click here

The station will run from approx 10am – 4pm each day, and we will be looking for operators for the HF station, plus help to set up the station (starting from 9am).  If you are able to help out please contact Ken G4DKH directly or via the club forum.
]]><![CDATA[Postponed DMR talk rescheduled for Friday 9th May]]>Mon, 24 Feb 2025 09:32:58 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/postponed-dmr-talk-friday-28th-februaryUnfortunately Steve 2E0DUJ is unable to give his talk on Setting Up a DMR Repeater at our meeting on 28th February, which will now be a normal Club meeting.

When we have agreed an alternative date with Steve we will communicate this via the Club Forum.

​** UPDATE **  Rescheduled for Friday 9th May  
]]><![CDATA[Club visit to Bletchley Park]]>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 19:43:14 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/club-visit-to-bletchley-park
On Saturday 18th October, seven IVARC members embarked on a club visit to Bletchley Park, the home of code-breaking during the Second World War, in particular the German Enigma and Lorenz ciphers.

After a short wander through the visitor centre, we took the 1 hour guided orientation tour around the site.  This helped us appreciate the sheer scale of the activities that took place at Bletchley Park, and provided us with a lot of useful information for the rest of our visit.  (Steve G8XEV’s excellent Enigma presentation at our last club meeting was also invaluable in preparing us for the visit - see the "Documents" section of this website).
 
After the tour, we set off round the various buildings and exhibits on the Bletchley estate, before meeting up again at the very impressive RSGB National Radio Centre exhibition.  

A very enjoyable day out, and we all took advantage of free admission to Bletchley Park as a benefit of our membership of the RSGB.
]]><![CDATA[IVARC supports Jamboree On The Air]]>Tue, 22 Oct 2024 18:43:08 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/ivarc-supports-jamboree-on-the-airItchen Valley Amateur Radio Club has a long history of supporting Jamboree On The Air for local Scout groups, and this year was no different – except that we set up and operated stations for not one but two different Scout Groups!

On Friday 18th October, Ken G4DKH, Chris G7LWV, Martyn 2E0OGR and George M7FYO operated HF and VHF stations from the HQ of 12th Winchester Scout Group.  After a short introductory talk about amateur radio, the over 40 Cubs and Scouts visited the stations and spent some time listening to the contacts.  During the evening we contacted stations in all of the home countries (including the Channel Islands), as well as stations in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Slovenia, Norway and Denmark. We also contacted 4 other JOTA stations.  The Cubs and Scouts were each given an opportunity to pass a short message and practice their use of the phonetic alphabet over the air.  All in all, a very successful evening, and many thanks to all involved in organising, setting up and operating the station.  Judging from the interest and questions asked by the Scouts, there may well be a few more Foundation licencees in Winchester in the next few years!

Colin G4GBP also organised a very successful event over the whole weekend, running special event station GB1ESG for the 1st Eynsham Scout Group, near Oxford (see Colin’s separate report in the “Club” section on the forum).  Not only did Colin set up and operate the JOTA station, he also organised a series of communications related activities over the weekend, including laptops for JOTI (Jamboree Over The Internet), morse buzzer practice, a telephone switchboard with extension phones (one of which was an old-style rotary dial phone!), secret cypher coding and decoding, secret writing with invisible ink, cup-and-string phones, and designing QSL cards.  Over 70 youngsters (and their Leaders) thoroughly enjoyed the event, which was a great success.

There can’t be too many radio clubs in the country running separate JOTA activities for two different Scout Groups!  I’m sure that there will be plenty of interest next year, so keep the third weekend in October 2025 free and join in the fun!]]><![CDATA[Another successful QRP day!]]>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 10:52:34 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/another-successful-qrp-dayIVARC's annual "QRP day" event was held at Roke Manor, near Romsey on 21st September 2024.  Initially there were some concerns due to the weather, with thunderstorms the previous night, however the day turned out to be fine with only a few spots of rain around midday.

The Roke site again proved to be an ideal venue for this event, set in a rural environment with plenty of space for multiple stations and different antenna configurations.

​Previous years have seen a variety of stations using different modes and bands, and this year was no exception.
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​Chris G7LWV operated mainly on HF CW with his QMX transceiver and end fed half wave antenna.
Paul M1CNK also used an end fed half wave on the HF bands, with SSB from his K2 and data (FT8) from his QMX.
Will 2E0HAI and Christian M0UOS were busy receiving WEFAX satellite images, including some amazing shots from NOAA-18
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​Andy G4JNT took advantage of the Roke location to receive downlink signals from the geostationary QO-100 satellite - no doubt preparing for his imminent talk to the club on QO-100 this Friday!
Simon M0KFQ also used an end fed half wave antenna with his IC705 on HF SSB, whilst Ken G4DKH used a 44 foot doublet and FT817, mainly on 28MHz SSB (which was wide open on the day with strong signals heard from Australia, Indonesia, Africa and USA).

Unfortunately Alan G8IPQ, a keen participant at previous club QRP days, was unable to attend this year - however he did manage to join the event remotely via 28MHz SSB.  Hopefully Alan will be able to join us at next year's event!
]]><![CDATA[National Field Day 2024]]>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:51:19 GMThttps://www.ivarc.org.uk/news/national-field-day-2024National Field Day has been a highlight of the IVARC calendar for many years and 2024 was no exception. Using the Club's G6IVR/P callsign, 2024 turned out to be a bumper year, the club smashing it's previous record of 806 contacts in 24 hours with a new all time high of 897. Contacts were to 45 different countries mostly in ITU Region 1 but also included Japan, The Falklands, Zambia and Australia.
National Field Day is an annual radio contest held over the first weekend in June and coordinated across the national radio societies in International Telecoms Union Region 1. This includes all countries in Europe, the Middle East as far as Iraq, Russia and Mongolia. Teams set up portable stations in fields (no existing infrastructure is allowed to be used – stations must be completely self contained) with the objective of contacting as many other stations as possible in a specified 24 hour period. All contacts are made using Morse Code.
IVARC's field was kindly loaned by John G8FMQ. Situated on the edge of the New Forest at Canada Common near West Wellow in Hampshire it proved ideal: electrically quiet and most importantly big enough to accommodate the long dipole antenna required for topband.
The team operated in pairs, taking shifts and covering the full 24 hours; thanks to Chris G7LWV, Graham G3XSD, Ken G4DKH, Peter G4JHC, Richard G3OTK and Steve G8XEV. All the gear performed flawlessly, the weather was dry and sunny, there was an endless supply of bacon butties and tea and a great time was had by all!
​IVARC's station G6IVR/P in the field at Canada Common on the edge of the New Forest
​Steve G8XEV in mass bacon buttie production
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​Ken G4DKH (L) and Graham G3XSD (R) at the operating table, Richard G3OTK in the background
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