Norfolk Amateur Radio Club wins prestigious award training

Norfolk Amateur Radio Club (NARC) has won a prestigious national award from the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) for its amateur radio and electronics training programmes.

The club was presented with the RSGB’s Kenwood Trophy for outstanding contribution to amateur radio training at the society’s AGM in Newcastle.

NARC holds its meetings at Eaton CNS School in Norwich on Wednesday evenings and runs Foundation, Intermediate and Advance courses for prospective radio hams, typically 5-6 a year.

It also runs a “Bright Sparks” programme to teach youngsters to solder and build electronic circuits, and many have gone on to get their full amateur radio licences.

The RSGB were so impressed with Bright Sparks that they may use it as a model for a nationwide initiative.

Other activities include direction-finding “foxhunts”, where members have to track down hidden transmitters with equipment they have built themselves, special event stations where contacts are made with other radio amateurs around the world and an annual two-day Radioactive Weekend with lectures, hands-on sessions, a barbecue and participation in a 24-hour contest.

Norfolk Amateur Radio Club chairman David Palmer said: “We were honoured to receive the award and glad that our efforts have been recognised.

“We have a really successful training programme with very high success rate for those taking their radio amateur examinations. But it really is a collaborative effort, with many members pitching in to help.

About Norfolk Amateur Radio Club:

The club has more than 100 members, a strong history dating back to the 1950s and has a very active calendar of talks, events, runs amateur radio special event stations, contests and courses.

It meets at 7.00pm on Wednesdays at the Sixth Form Common Room, City of Norwich School, Eaton Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 6PP, with formal proceedings starting at 7.45pm. The club programme alternates weekly between talks or club challenges, and informal meetings with Morse tuition, electronic construction and Bright Sparks events.