Calling all Radio Amateurs
Transmission 2004

‘Transmission' is the annual amateur radio fund-raising event for the British Wireless for the Blind Fund. This year, ‘Transmission 2004' takes place over the weekend of 25/26 September. All radio amateurs are encouraged to take part in order to raise funds for this very worthwhile charity.

The idea is that you ask your friends, family, workmates -anyone in fact - to sponsor you for contacts made during the weekend of 25/26 September. This year is slightly different as trophies will be awarded to the individuals and clubs / groups who make the most contacts or raise the greatest amount of money for the charity.

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Certificates will be sent to all individuals and groups/clubs who either raise more than £10 for BWBF or who make a donation of at least £10 to BWBF. In order to qualify for one of the trophies you must be a current member of the RSGB and resident in the UK. However, overseas amateurs and non-members of the Society are also invited to join in the fun and raise funds for BWBF (they simply do not qualify for the trophies, although they are eligible for the certificates).

You can start to help us for 2004 by reading our competition rules and applying for a sponsorship form - you can download one in Microsoft Word format from BWBF the website.

The help we receive every year from our friends in the world of amateur radio cannot be underestimated. Please help us again in 2004.

Transmission 2004 - The Rules

1. Obtain an official sponsorship / pledge / donation form from:
‘Transmission 2004',
British Wireless for the Blind Fund,
Gabriel House,
34 New Road,
Chatham,
Kent ME4 4QR
Tel: 01634 832501; fax: 01634 817485; e-mail: info@blind.org.uk
or download one in Microsoft Word format and print it out by clicking here

2. Ask as many people as you know - family, friends, workmates, other radio amateurs - to sponsor you for contacts made during ‘Transmission 2004' on 25 / 26 September. Sponsorship can be for either a certain amount per contact or for a single sum, irrespective of the number of contacts made.

3. Sponsored contacts can be made at any time between 0000UTC on Saturday 25 September and 2400UTC on Sunday 26 September.

4. The definition of a “contact” for the purposes of ‘Transmission' is a two-way exchange of callsign and signal report. Each station may only be contacted once per frequency band per day . In other words, every station contacted on 25 September may be contacted again, on the same frequency band(s), on 26 September and that second contact may also be counted towards the overall number of contacts made.

5. This is not an amateur radio contest, so sponsored contacts can be made on any band for which you are licensed, including 10, 18 and 24MHz.

6. Sponsored contacts may be made with your own callsign, a club callsign or a GB special event callsign. (Applications for GB special event callsigns must be made in the normal way at least 28 days prior to the event.)

Full details from AR Dept, RSGB, Lambda House, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar EN6 3JE
T tel: 0870 904 7373 or e-mail: ar.dept@rsgb.org.uk

7. Trophies will be presented to:
(a) the individual raising the most funds for BWBF;
(b) the group or club raising the most funds for BWBF;
(c) the individual making the greatest number of contacts during ‘Transmission 2004';

and

(d) the group or club making the greatest number of contacts during ‘Transmission 2004'.

Certificates will be awarded to all stations raising at least £10, or making a donation of £10 or more to BWBF. Please send cheques made payable to ‘British Wireless for the Blind Fund' to the address in 1. above.

All donations are gratefully received, no matter how small, but the minimum amount to be raised to qualify for any trophy is £50. The minimum number of contacts to qualify for an award in category (c) or (d) is 50 contacts.

8. An “individual” is when only one person operates a station callsign, whether that callsign is a personal callsign, club call or GB special event station. The definition of a group or club is any operation of a callsign by more than one individual. Groups and clubs are invited to operate on more than one frequency band simultaneously.

9. To qualify for the trophies, you must return the sponsorship form and a cheque for the amount raised , made payable to ‘British Wireless for the Blind Fund', to arrive not later than Friday 15 October 2004 .

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To qualify for the trophies for the greatest number of contacts you must state how many contacts were made during ‘Transmission 2004' and enclose a copy of the log. Either a photocopy of a hand-written log or a hard-copy print-out of a computerised log is acceptable. Please do not send the original of hand-written logs as they cannot be returned, and do not send computerised logs on disk. The minimum information required is the date, time, frequency band, and callsign of station contacted. The log should be signed by the licence-holder (or NoV-holder in the case of GB special event callsigns) as follows: “I certify that this is a true copy of the log-book entry for (callsign) during the period 25 / 26 September 2004. (signature).” Sponsorship forms and cheques returned without log copies will only qualify for the trophies for raising the most funds for BWBF.

To qualify for any trophy you must be a current member of the RSGB on 25 September 2004 and be resident in the UK. (However, special certificates will be sent to all stations raising more than £10.)

10. The trophies will be presented at the RSGB HF and IOTA Convention which this year takes place at the Europa Hotel, Gatwick, Sussex over the weekend of 22 - 24 October 2004. The trophies may be taken home by the winners but must be returned as arranged with BWBF for presentation to the winners of ‘Transmission' next year.

CONGRATULATIONS & THANKS TO THE WINNERS

First place for most money raised by an individual in Transmission 2003 went to Mr B Murray of Angus who received a Worldband R9914 radio supplied by Roberts Radio. He raised £180.

First place for most money raised by a club went to
Foyle & District ARS of Londonderry who received a drive on wheel mount supplied by Tennamast Scotland.
They raised £294.71

Well done and thanks to all who took part in this national event.

And Transmission 2004 is already off to a flying start - thanks to the RSGB.

The Radio Society of Great Britain is providing massive support for 2004’s Transmission. They have helped us re-write and standardise our rules and provided generous editorial coverage through their own publication RadCom.

The dolphin? He’s also playing his part – by helping us advertise the event!

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