Radio Day at Crowthorne & Wokingham Without Men’s Shed Proves a Success

Regular listeners to the GB2RS News on GB3BN were recently alerted to a British Science Week event at the Crowthorne and Wokingham Without (CCW) Men’s Shed. Norman G8EYM had organised a Radio Day, designed to introduce the members of the Men’s Shed to the world of Amateur Radio, with the intention of conducting supervised QSOs on the HF bands, conditions permitting.

Given the local nature of the event and its Amateur Radio link, representatives from Bracknell Amateur Radio Club contacted Norman and were kindly invited to participate. Club member Paul G4HLF, with his extensive experience in portable HF operations, offered to provide a short talk and demonstration for the attendees.

The CCW Men’s Shed provided an excellent venue, offering ample space and connectivity. Norman set up his ICOM IC-705, while Paul positioned and tuned his vertical HF antenna in the adjacent field.

Paul delivered a well-received presentation on HF portable operating, drawing on examples from the club’s recent Parks on the Air (POTA) activation at Frost Folly in Bracknell. Additionally, Colin M0XCA established a VHF station using the club’s ICOM IC-821 and a homemade 2m Slim-Jim antenna.

The event generated considerable interest among the Men’s Shed members, who asked numerous questions about various aspects of Amateur Radio, including callsigns, frequencies, operating modes, and licensing. A particular highlight was the opportunity to examine a helical antenna, designed and constructed by the Shed members for satellite communications. The quality of the design and construction was particularly impressive.

Bracknell Amateur Radio Club hopes to arrange a return visit to the Men’s Shed in the near future to learn more about the members’ ongoing projects.

We would like to extend our thanks to Norman G8EYM, John Fletcher and all at the Men’s Shed for their hospitality and for organising this successful British Science Week event.

Men’s Sheds are about meeting like-minded people and having someone to share your worries with. They are about having fun, sharing skills and knowledge with like-minded people and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. As a by-product of all of that they reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness, they allow men to deal with mental health challenges more easily and remain independent, they rebuild communities and in many cases, they save men’s lives.