G1RCD AND DARTMOOR

THE DARTMOOR RADIO CLUB IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN VARIOUS EVENTS IN THE DARTMOOR AREA.

09 Jun 2008

Dartmoor Radio Club provides radio support for two Dartmoor based community events:
· The Dartmoor Discovery 'Ultra Marathon' 32 Mile Road Race is held in June, with about 120 runners. It starts and finishes at Princetown and goes on the roads across the moor as far as Ashburton. The winner takes about 4 hours to complete it.
· The Abbotsway Walk is held in October with about 120 teams of up to 6 walkers. Starting from Buckfast Abbey at 0900 hrs, the teams progress across the Southern Moor to Tavistock College, aiming to arrive before 1830 hrs.

The Dartmoor Radio Rally is held on the first May Bank Holiday Monday. It enables amateurs to meet up with each other. With the small number of amateur retailers in the area and the long distances they are apart, the rally provides an opportunity for amateurs to obtain equipment and components to meet their individual requirements. The rally also is an excellent public goodwill exercise, bringing amateur radio to the attention of people who might not previously have considered it as a hobby.

Field Days are held at various places across the Moor.

Initially, Field Days were for 2m and 70cm only and had been held at:
· Holming Beam on Dartmoor
· Little Mis Tor
· Top of Ivybridge Lane, Princetown
· Brentor Village
More recently, Field Days have provided an opportunity for members to develop their HF DX skills and has encouraged them to experiment with different types of aerials. These Field Days have been held at:
· Long Plantation, on Prison land by kind permission of the Governor of Dartmoor Prison
· Postbridge Village Hall
· Lamerton Village Hall.
These indoor locations are used mainly during the winter months, as they are warm, hot and cold water is available and, since electricity is laid on, no generator is necessary. During summer months, it is intended to hold these Field Days outdoors, mainly on high ground on Dartmoor, with a large tent and generators. This type of Field Day appeals to many members – just beautiful high moorland, plenty of room for aerials and, hopefully, nice pileups. The Treasurer is happy also – no cost to the Club, no halls to hire!