The Eden Valley Railway has it's own amateur radio station,
GB2EVR, situated on the old loading dock at Warcop and operated by
one of our volunteers, Mike (G0NRK). It is an established station
capable of world wide communication, and it has been invaluable in
giving out information about the Eden Valley Railway.
Members of the public may pass their greetings to a responding
radio contact.
GB2EVR is also involved with Railways on the Air (ROTA),
co-ordinated by the Bishop Auckland Radio Amateurs Club: my thanks
to Bob Dingle for providing a brief description of the event.
National Railways on the Air
Weekend
The Railways On The Air (ROTA) weekend celebrates the anniversary
of the first steam powered passenger railway which took place on
27th September 1825, on a line in the North East of England from
Darlington to Stockton. Bishop Auckland Amateur Radio Club is
coordinating this event. The Club operates a special event station
at the Eden Valley Railway every year, which runs over part
of the Stockton to Darlington.
This celebration is not a contest. We organise this so that radio
hams can have a good time and promote Amateur Radio while helping
to celebrate the unique position railways hold in our national
heritage. Radio amateurs take part by running a radio station,
approaching their nearest preserved railway, asking if they are
celebrating the birth of passenger railways in this country and
would they like to have an Amateur Radio Station as part of their
event to promote awareness of their railway. They then apply for a
special radio license with OFCOM.
34 groups registered for the 2011 event. Other groups who had not
registered were also involved, as registration is not compulsory,
although for registered groups a certificate is provided for
display at their railway to commemorate this important event.
The event went off very well; it is now a well established date in
the radio calendar, and the number of contacts made nationally
over the weekend were more than last year. A German railway group
joined in this year, although the Eden Valley Railway group did
not make contact with it.
Fewer radio amateurs on site at Warcop compared to last year as
there was a call out on the Sunday for RAYNET members to attend an
event in Sunderland which needed close radio contact with a group
of walkers over a 10K route and the emergency services. RAYNET is
a group of Radio Amateur volunteers who offer their services free
of charge to the community, when called out by the County
Emergency Planning Officer.
For anyone planning ahead, this year’s Railways on the Air Event
will be on the 22nd and 23rd of September
