Bad weather delays Belgian amateur radio Rockall expedition

BBC News reports that bad weather has prevented a team of Belgian amateur radio enthusiasts from landing safely on the North Atlantic islet of Rockall. The skipper of their chartered yacht has decided to head for the islands of St Kilda to seek shelter from the poor conditions.

The Belgians are planning to make thousands of contacts from Rockall, a volcanic rock that is 100ft wide and 70ft high and a 250-mile boat trip from Stornoway on the Western Isles.

• Official DXpedition website

Andy Sennitt of Radio Netherlands Worldwide comments: BBC news makes the common mistake of referring to the planned transmissions as “broadcasts”. This inaccurate terminology is something that has irritated me for years.

These are not “broadcasts”, but two-way contacts between amateur radio stations. The content of the transmissions is only officially of interest to those participating in the contact. Of course, others are allowed to eavesdrop on the conversations, but that doesn’t make them broadcasts.

I would have thought that after nearly 90 years in the business, the BBC should know what a broadcast is.

Source: Media Network