Fund raising with a difference

[Mackrick]

Was out and about this morning in the car shifting rubbish to the local recycle site while listening to my Amateur (ham) radio when I heard what is known as a special event station GB0VUL.

After a quick chat it turns out that the Newbury & District Amateur Radio Society club had activating the call GB0VUL for Vulcan to the Sky on from RAF Greenham Common. Their aim to raise funds for our favourite lady.

Now I know this is a rather specialist way of trying to raise more funds and highlight 558. With access to the world via radio they are doing a great job spreading the word of 558.


GB0VUL VULCAN BOMBER

The club will be activating the call GB0VUL Vulcan to the Sky on 16/17th May from the following address:-

We are running this on behalf of G8JIP who runs GB3NE and who has been contacted by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust which is keeping the plane flying. This promises to be a very large event with the club trying to get on as many bands as possible. All members of local clubs are welcome to attend.

[Saracenman]

sorry Mackrick, being blonde here - how does that work then?

[Mackrick]

Ok 2 ways ... people paying to see the radio station on the day and a thing called QSL cards. Basically radio stations round the world exchange cards with report information usually a special event station receives thousands of qsl cards in the hope of having one returned. In this case I understand from the guy I spoke to they are asking stations to donate and then they will return a special qsl card. I have just looked on something called a DX Cluster (A table showing radio activity by call sign) and they are making hundreds of contacts. This means that hopefully lots of donations to the cause.

[Saracenman]

i still don't fully understand, but i get the general idea - sounds like a ingenious plan with 558 - do we know who dreamt it up?

sm

[Mayfly]

pleased your having a blond moment SM coz I'm having a gray one

still dont understand it but if it helps to raise the profile & bring in donators the better

[Mackrick]

Nope sorry must be a Radio Amateur in TVOC somewhere .

MF think of QSL cards as our own Iconic cards but these are swapped one for one after talking to someone on a radio.

A special event station is as it says special and there for a reason so people want to talk to them and find out what it is all about.

[Saracenman]

pleased your having a blond moment SM coz I'm having a gray one

still dont understand it but if it helps to raise the profile & bring in donators the better

two nasties in one post!

[Mayfly]

why do think I put it bold italics

[Wedgy]

You seem to have gotten him angry Mayfly

[Saracenman]

yeah but the one NOT in bold italics..........

[RLN]

pleased your having a blond moment SM coz I'm having a gray one

still dont understand it but if it helps to raise the profile & bring in donators the better

[Mayfly]

hence the

[MadNaddy]

naughty chair? D cap? slapped wrist? ruller across the palm? what is the punishment?












Just so I know how badly to spell in the future

[Mayfly]

well at least Wedgy seem to get it

[Wedgy]

[Mackrick]

This is on the main TVOC site

Special Event Radio Station
Monday, May 18, 2009 - Dickon Dearman
On Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May 2009 a special amateur radio station was operating on behalf of The Vulcan To The Sky Club. This was to promote and celebrate the continual flying of The Vulcan Bomber and to give it world-wide publicity.When I first joined the VTTSC, I had just experienced seeing the Vulcan flying at Farnborough for the first time. It was an experience that I will never forget. At that time there was frantic activity to raise more funds and to get new members to join the club.

I am involved with Amateur Radio. This gave me the platform to see my idea come to fruition. When an amateur radio enthusiast (or “ham” as it is normally known) has made contact with another radio station, it is customary to send each other a QSL card. This is a card to give proof of contact and to provide details of the station. Other information can also be provided such as a picture for instance.My idea was now to set up an amateur radio station and try to make as many radio contacts as possible all over the world. What a coincidence that the special QSL card that was going to be used contained a picture of the Vulcan Bomber on the front and all web details of how to contact VTTSC on the back!

I put the idea to the VTTSC committee and once permission was granted to go ahead with the project, the wheels of motion started turning. My local amateur radio club were really eager to assist and agreed to commit themselves to be available for that week-end. We had to find a suitable venue to operate from and we eventually decided to operate from the old Greenham Common air base. The local media were also contacted and made aware of the event. Months of planning had taken place.

The week-end concerned eventually arrived and on Friday 15th May 2009 we erected all the aerials and a tower which supported a huge antenna.
On Saturday morning we started transmitting and our first contact was in the Caribbean! The USA was contacted from coast to coast and what we found amazing was that a lot of Americans either knew about the Vulcan or had seen it flying! We had relentless calls from stations over there as they wanted the web-site address of VTTSC as they could not wait to get their QSL card! Stations were also contacted in Canada and Mexico. Nearer home we contacted stations in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle Of Man and Ireland. The same demands were asked for the VTTSC web-site details and were given. We heard many stories from people who had either worked on the Vulcan or had happy memories seeing it flying when they were in their younger years. We contacted some other special event stations which were at Bletchley Park, Doncaster Air Museum and the Scottish Parliament Building! Over in the continent, all of Europe was covered including the eastern bloc countries. Stations in Iceland and Africa were also contacted.

The Mayor Of Newbury as well as members of the public showed great interest at the radio event and membership joining forms were handed out. DVD’s of the Vulcan Bomber were also shown through-out the two days of the event. We contacted approximately 600 radio stations and are VERY confident that there is going to be a lot of positive feed-back and new members will definitely be joining the club!! Once we start to receive cards from the other stations that we have contacted, it is proposed to forward them to the VTSSC to be used in their displays as there is often very complimentary comments made.

I would like to thank the VTTSC committee and the Newbury And District Amateur Radio Society for making this happen.

Regards, Graeme Miller G8JIP.

[Saracenman]

that makes a lot of sense

I'm guessing that there could be plenty of folk who'd get to hear about 558 that otherwise wouldn't have

I'm intrigued to see how this pans out

[Prometheus]

I read about this on the TVOC webby earlier and was not well pleased, purley from the point of view that it didn't appear to be publicised and being a Ham myself it would have been of interest to me.

[Mayfly]

must say my first thought was surprise at no prior announcement.

I'm not into 'ham' radio at all so is of no personal interest to me but I know it does have a large following. Would have been good for those who are interested do to known to listen out even if they didn't take part.

[Mackrick]

I read about this on the TVOC webby earlier and was not well pleased, purley from the point of view that it didn't appear to be publicised and being a Ham myself it would have been of interest to me.

It was in the RSGB news both online and on the Sunday broadcasts.
It was also covered in the Newbury Radio club news online.

I must admit it was pure coincidence I found out as I heard them on air so had a chat.

Rick (G7FCT)

[Prometheus]

I read about this on the TVOC webby earlier and was not well pleased, purley from the point of view that it didn't appear to be publicised and being a Ham myself it would have been of interest to me.

It was in the RSGB news both online and on the Sunday broadcasts.
It was also covered in the Newbury Radio club news online.

I must admit it was pure coincidence I found out as I heard them on air so had a chat.

Rick (G7FCT)

I don't tend to listen to the RSGB news and only occassionally visit the website, also not knowing anything about the event I would never have thought of looking at the Newbury Radio club news online

James (M0CMP)
Station manager for G3XRE

[Mayfly]

I was refering to why no mention on the TVOC [ooooh slap my wrists] web site, after all it was approved by the club committee so they must have known it was happening

[Mackrick]

I was refering to why no mention on the TVOC [ooooh slap my wrists] web site, after all it was approved by the club committee so they must have known it was happening

Well at least it made it on the site even if it was after the event