Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society (MKARS)

Contest Station

 

What is Amateur Radio ?

A hobby for technically minded people to experiment with and operate radio systems.

What are you doing right now ?

We are taking part in a contest to contact as many other stations as possible, as far away as possible in a limited time frame.

Why ?

Because it’s fun, challenging, we get points individually and as a club and compete in a league table nationally, a bit like a football league.

How far can you reach ?

It depends on many things, for VHF/UHF (like the picture to the right) a contact to Scotland, Northern Ireland or into Germany is considered a good distance. For HF (Shortwave) the whole world.

Isn’t this old-technology in these Internet days?

Radio technology continues to evolve and there is a sense of achievement being able to make a contact using equipment put together yourself.

The hobby uses (and continues to develop) new digital modes, operate via satellites, bounce signals from the moon, or meteor showers as well as conventional methods like CW (Morse Code) which still proves one of the most reliable forms of contact.

What sort of people do this?

The hobby attracts people of all age, sex, race and technical abilities. Our (MK Club) youngest member is about 10 years and our eldest is 80+.  They all generally have an interest in technology.

How do I find more about this ?

Google is your friend. Search for MKARS or Amateur Radio. There are contact details on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MiltonKeynesARS/) if you want to find out more.