Caister Lifeboat, Saturday 27th April 2019 - this Saturday!
This Saturday (27th April 2019), the Norfolk Amateur Radio Club will be running a special event station with the callsign GB0CMS at Caister Lifeboat station as part of the International Marconi Day celebrations. Everyone is welcome.
On this day, the closest Saturday to Guglielmo Marconi's birthday, stations around the world will be set up at sites with historical links to the inventor's work.
Radio amateurs around the world will contact as many of these stations as possible to try and win an award. We therefore have to hand out GB0CMS to as many stations as possible on HF (VHF/UHF contacts do not count).
The station will run from approx. 9am to 5pm and we are looking for operators for both the 80m/40m station and the 20m station.
Both SSB and CW will be used, so you don't have to be a CW operator.
What time do I have to be there?
We will be setting up from about 8am with a view to getting the first station on the air by 9am. We will start to tear down at about 4.30-5pm. You can arrive whenever you want.
Do I have to operate?
No, there will be plenty of other things to do, including setting up the antennas, logging, making tea. Click here for the operating roster.
Is it only HF?
The focus of operation will be HF as that is what people will need to use to win the IMD award. Note VHF contacts cannot be used as part of an IMD award entry. We will be using an HF linear amplifier this year as conditions are likely to be quite bad. This year we will also have a network radio channel for all the IMD stations - Steve is bringing his Inrico TM7 and you are welcome to use it.
How well have you done in previous years?
We usually make more than 180 contacts and have got as far as Australia, US Virgin Islands, USA, the Arctic Circle and all of Europe. The best year (2013) we made 480 contacts in 40 countries.
Where is Caister Lifeboat?
At the end of Tan Lane, (off Beach Road) Caister. We are in the lifeboat shed nearest the sea, up a flight of stairs in the conference room. The postcode is NR30 5DJ. There is free parking near to the station on the grass - please do not park on the concrete right next to the station as this has to be left free for the lifeboat crew.
Is there anything else to do there?
We are next to the beach. There is a lifeboat museum and you can also view the current lifeboat. There is also a cafeteria nearby offering special rates for NARC members.
Where can I find out more?
See: http://www.qsl.net/gb0cms/ and www.gb4imd.co.uk
Steve G0KYA
26th April 2019