RADIO CLUBS

MULTIPLE CHOICE

When it comes to joining a radio club, there's usually a few to choose from (in the UK at least) and it's important to remember that you don't have to limit yourself to just one.

I wanted to join BURY RADIO SOCIETY because I could see from their FaceBook pages that they were an extremely active club with lots of interesting stuff going on all the time. Sadly, there's a great big hill between my QTH and theirs. My car can drive over the hill, but my radio transmissions cannot, so it means that I can't hear any of their members on the weekly net. There's not much point joining if you can't even communicate with those involved. Such a shame.

Closer to home is BOLTON WIRELESS CLUB and they too are quite active and rather than weekly, they opt for fortnightly meetings, which suits me perfectly. They're a friendly bunch and the club works from a well lit, heated community center. Every time I've visited so far, they've had something going on, be it a Table-Top-Sale or an Educational Talk. Joining was an easy decision.

About 12 miles away from my QTH is the WEST MANCHESTER RADIO CLUB and it is here that I took my Foundation exam. The club meets every Thursday at a working man's club where the drink flows freely, lol. Again, another nice bunch of people, but the weekly meets are more of a social night than a radio night. That's nice too for a change now and again, but as a newcomer, I'm obviously keen to learn more about radio stuff. The WMRC have a very well equipped shack and some great antennas erected at the site.

Whether the club's regular meets are to educate, experiment or socialise, all the clubs still have Field Days, Rallies, Contests and other interesting stuff to do throughout the year, so you can join as many as you like and cherry-pick the best parts from each club. 

Needless to say, if you join a club, you will be expected to be a fairly active member and show some interest in club activities and help out when there's a bit of physical work to do (assuming you're able-bodied). All too many people join a club (any type of club) and avoid giving anything back. While not everyone can afford to bear the responsibility of being on the Committee or taking on a role such as Treasurer, everyone can do something to be a productive and helpful member.

So I'm a member of two clubs and enjoy both of them for different reasons. I don't think people should restrict themselves to one club if it doesn't meet all their needs. Join two and that way you're not only getting what you want from club membership, but you're also meeting more people, making more friends and benefiting from a wider range of knowledge.