Radio Club At Blair Athol 2012
The GB0 BAJ Team was made up of members of the Greenock and District Scout and Guide Amateur Radio Club that is based in Inverclyde and the Kingdom Amateur Radio Society (KARS) which is based at Fordell Firs in Fife. One other operator joined the team, a Scout Leader from the Netherlands.
During the four days of operation the team managed some 450s QSO’s (radio contacts) to some 67 countries including Japan, Australia, South Africa, USA, a number of countries in South America and most countries in Europe. From a Scout point of view the best contact was with HB9 JAM, a Swiss Station also operating a Jamboree Camp. Scouts in both countries were able to discuss activities and the weather, while the weather in Scotland was wet and cool, at the Swiss Jamboree things were hot and sunny.
The GB0 BAJ main station at Blair Atholl used an Icom 7400, an Acom linear amplifier and an HF beam. Thanks to Icom for the loan of the 7400 and the GMDX Group for the loan of the HF Beam. Thanks also to individual members of the team bringing their own or local club equipment.
Would we do it again, the answer must be a resounding yes, the ability to tell a large number of young people about Amateur Radio was an opportunity not to be missed. The team members worked well together and soon built up a good team spirit, sharing the operating and activity bases. The team have received an enquiry to undertake a similar operation in 2013.
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