To the Radio Amateur, any event is an event worth celebrating or commemorating; be it historical or current affairs, of international or local importance - a Radio Amateur somewhere will want to set up a Special Event Station.
A Special Event Station is, quite simply, a temporary Amateur Radio station set up to publicise an event. For example, groups of Radio Amateurs around the UK established special event stations throughout 2001 to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee and in 2000 there were thousands of special event stations running around the world to commemorate the new millenium. Other Amateur Radio operators set up Special Event Stations to help raise money for charities; each year hundreds of Radio Amateurs raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) through SOS Radio Week, and British Wireless for the Blind (BWFB) to name just a couple.
Special Event Stations are our way of introducing the Amateur Radio hobby to the general public. Located inside a building, or outside in a tent, Radio Amateurs set up antennas and connect to them the neccessary radio and computer equipment and then demonstrate their use, allowing visitors to the station to pass messages to the distant operator - sometimes on the other side of the world.
Here at the Southport & District Amateur Radio Club (SADARC) we run two Special Event Stations every year; GB5BDS - Bishop David Sheppard Primary School's Summer Fair (Southport) and the GB5MGA / GB5MGB - West Lancs MG Owner's Club Festival of Transport. 2008 will see us run a third special event station at the Ormskirk Park Praise Fun Day (GB5PPF).
If you have an event that you think would benefit from having a Special Event Station present please contact us and we will be happy to meet with you and discuss your requirements. All our special event stations are fully insured for public liability and we can produce Health & Safety Risk Assessments if required.
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