Special Events
QSL Cards available via the Bureau or DIRECT with an SAE to Mark Hill G0GFG QTHR. Contact us for more information.
We, as a club try to activate Special Event Stations when ever possible and take part in many throughout the year, including Raynet.
Please click on the event callsign below for more information on each event.
Killhope Lead Mine
Each year for this special weekend, the club run a station from the Killhope Lead Mine in the far reaches of Weardale. We only run the station on the Sunday and are usually very busy when it comes to contacts.
There have been occasions when the antenna has hit the floor just as a QSO is being finished to prevent us being locked in!!
Prison of War Camp, Harperley
This is a new event we were invited to put on at a local Prisoner of War camp at Harperley, near Crook, in County Durham. The weekend saw a new military vehicle show, much needed in the area and we had fun putting on GB0POW, as well as looking around at the exhibits.
Eden Valley Railway
A brass earthrod between the metals at Warcop Station, an earthwire connected to a HF Radio Transceiver in the BG van and a radio transmitting licence GB2EVR issued by the UK Radio Communications Agency via the Radio Society of Great Britain to Mike Butler (G0NRK), an EVR member and a member of the Bishop Auckland Radio Amateur Club along with another member Tim Bevan (M0ACV), had the Eden Valley Railway's own radio station on the air for five hours.
The transmissions could be heard over the whole of the UK, Ireland and North Western Europe. Nearly fifty radio amateurs called back to GB2EVR to hear more about the EVR and it's aims for the future. WWW page details were announced so people could look the Eden Valley Railway up.
One short wave listener from Norwich had a card at my home three days later saying he had heard our station loud and clear.
At intervals the members of the working parties who were going to have their 'snap' joined us in the BG van. They wanted to listen into the two-way conversations and heard the encouragement that they were being given to get 'Steam Up'.
One of the conditions of our licence is that members of the general public must have access to the radio station. They are allowed to send and receive messages and greetings to other radio stations. So if we ask you to talk to a person that has called, just tell them what you have been working on. We consider this experiment at Warcop to have been huge success and will be on the air again soon, when we will be experimenting with a different aerial.
Looking to the future we hope that the Eden Valley Radio Society will be prepared to take over the permanent radio station GB2EVR, so that more local radio amateurs will be involved. They would have a permanent base station at Warcop for the foreseeable future.
Mike Butler (G0NRK)
North East Aircraft Museum
A permanent special event callsign held by the club for the North East Aircraft Museum, Sunderland.
We operate from here a few times each year. For the Museums on the Air Weekend, The Battle of Britain Memorial Weekend and we are able to activate the callsign whenever required.
Roker Lighthouse, Sunderland
Each year we run a special event station from the Roker Lighthouse in Sunderland for the Lighthouses on the Air weekend. We run the station for as long as we can over the weekend, especially if band conditions are good.