GB3SR Foundation Net Helps Newcomers

The Worthing and District Amateur Radio Club have been running a dedicated Foundation Net on GB3SR (Brighton Repeater) for the past twenty-seven weeks. The brainchild of our senior training officer Roger Parish M1RPY, and chaired each week by me.

The ethos behind the net is to welcome new amateurs into the hobby by constructing a net where they can call in and not fear mike shyness, be amongst those they sat their exams, their tutors, and to have the net run by more
experienced amateurs who can answer all their technical set up queries, antenna discussions and to show and explain on air protocols, plus high levels of discipline on the air.

Each and every week I set two multi-choice questions obtained from the intermediate and advanced syllabus; which are either answered on the spot or carry over to the following week’s net encouraging self research.

We have a resident expert on-air each week in the shape of Denzil Roden G3KXF who answers the many queries raised instantly, or if further research is needed the answer is carried over to the next net and also circulated by email.

The net is open to all foundation licensees and is not simply open to Worthing members. Stations regularly join the net from Kent to the Isle of Wight and east to Eastbourne.
The net has a huge SWL following especially in Brighton and staff, tutors and students from Sussex University.

It has been a huge success and has produced some of the best radio operators in the region. On the twenty-fifth week we welcomed the twenty-fifth new foundation licence holder to have joined the net. Eight of the original M3’s have progressed through to intermediate licence holders, with three having taken all exams and now proudly hold full licences.

Many of the new stations have reported that had it not been for the net they may well have given up the hobby before they really got into it, which would have be a travesty. The drop out rate for the net and club currently stands at zero.

So perhaps the idea needs to be expanded to all regions; either using a simplex or repeater frequency?

Let us not forget our newly licensed amateurs until we meet them again on a further course, let us carry the training and friendly advice forward until they reach their full potential, this net have proved to be a huge success in doing just that.

The net draws up to fifteen stations per week and can be found on GB3SR 145:600:00/145:000:00 every Saturday evening, commencing at 20:00hrs local.

Food for thought.

Regards,

Geoff M0EKB

WADARC Website: http://www.wadarc.org.uk/

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