Local amateur radio club wins prestigious award

Bryan Turner, Mike Capper & Dave Wilson

The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Society (R.A.D.A.R.S.) fought off other clubs around the UK to win the G5BY trophy for a second time.

The President of the Radio Society of Great Britain visited the Norden based club to present the award on Wednesday evening (5  December. As far as we are aware, RADARS is the only club to have been so honoured, as the awards are usually presented at the RSGB AGM.

President Dave Wilson congratulated the club on their achievement, and handed the trophy to contest Manager Bryan Turner, G3RLE, to the applause of the many members present.

The contest took place over the weekend of the 7 July in atrocious weather conditions.

To succeed, the club has to operate for 24 hours at a remote location and contact as many other amateur stations as possible in that period. RADARS operated from Scout Moor, having obtained permission from the wind farm operator. Several other clubs around the country gave up because of the conditions, but RADARS stayed the course and won their section! 

Other members of the team included Mike Capper, M0MSC, Dave Hornby, G7UCP, Chairman Dave Carden, G3RIK and Andy Jackson, G3DTP.

The club is also publicising Rochdale's World Centre of Co-operation by contacting many other amateur radio stations around the world and telling them about how the Co-operative movement originated here. They have had several contacts in Japan, where the Co-op is widely supported.