As part of SOS Radio Week, special event station GBØCLB was successfully activated by IVARC club members on 19 May 2024 from Calshot Lifeboat Station, on Calshot Spit overlooking Southampton Water.
SOS Radio Week is an annual event supporting the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), Independent Lifeboat Stations and Coastal Rescue Teams through amateur radio, helping to raise awareness of the invaluable lifesaving work of the volunteer crews. This year, the event was named “SOS Radio Week 200”, as 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI.
Our special event station was set up just outside RNLI Calshot lifeboat station, using the club’s TS570S transceiver and a doublet antenna at around 8m. Operation was SSB on HF bands 40-10m.
Many thanks to club members Martyn 2E0OGR, Chris G7LWV, Steve G8XEV, Peter G4JHC, Edgar M7FEW and Ken G4DKH for their assistance setting up, manning the station. Our first contact was at 09:20, and we continued until about 15:00. The Calshot lifeboat crew had been called out to an incident at 05:30 in the morning, and as a result were stood down earlier than usual at about midday – at that point we moved on to battery power.
Although radio conditions weren't great due to the recent solar activity, this was more than compensated by the fine weather for most of the day. In the end we managed 34 contacts, across 12 DXCC's, including the home nations and Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Finland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Bulgaria and Austria. Most of these were on 40m & 20m, with occasional forays on to 17m & 10m. Best DX heard was Indonesia (YB0IBM) on 10m, but unfortunately we just couldn't break through the mega pile-up. Appropriately our very last contact of the day was with OI1AY/MM, on a Finnish Navy ship in the North Atlantic off the coast of Portugal.
Despite only making 34 contacts, our QRZ.com page has had over 165 lookups so far!
Overall a very enjoyable special event, raising awareness of, and supporting the work of, the RNLI. Many thanks again to everyone from the club who participated.
SOS Radio Week is an annual event supporting the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), Independent Lifeboat Stations and Coastal Rescue Teams through amateur radio, helping to raise awareness of the invaluable lifesaving work of the volunteer crews. This year, the event was named “SOS Radio Week 200”, as 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the RNLI.
Our special event station was set up just outside RNLI Calshot lifeboat station, using the club’s TS570S transceiver and a doublet antenna at around 8m. Operation was SSB on HF bands 40-10m.
Many thanks to club members Martyn 2E0OGR, Chris G7LWV, Steve G8XEV, Peter G4JHC, Edgar M7FEW and Ken G4DKH for their assistance setting up, manning the station. Our first contact was at 09:20, and we continued until about 15:00. The Calshot lifeboat crew had been called out to an incident at 05:30 in the morning, and as a result were stood down earlier than usual at about midday – at that point we moved on to battery power.
Although radio conditions weren't great due to the recent solar activity, this was more than compensated by the fine weather for most of the day. In the end we managed 34 contacts, across 12 DXCC's, including the home nations and Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Finland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Bulgaria and Austria. Most of these were on 40m & 20m, with occasional forays on to 17m & 10m. Best DX heard was Indonesia (YB0IBM) on 10m, but unfortunately we just couldn't break through the mega pile-up. Appropriately our very last contact of the day was with OI1AY/MM, on a Finnish Navy ship in the North Atlantic off the coast of Portugal.
Despite only making 34 contacts, our QRZ.com page has had over 165 lookups so far!
Overall a very enjoyable special event, raising awareness of, and supporting the work of, the RNLI. Many thanks again to everyone from the club who participated.
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