Swindon & District Amateur Radio Club – Every Thursday at the Reading Rooms, 32 Pinehurst Circle, Swindon, SN2 1RB!

Dec

Club competition for 2026 announced!

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For more information, see https://sdarc.net/scrabble-2026/

Dec

RSGB Brickworks Accredited Club

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The Swindon & District Amateur Radio Club is proud to announce that it is now a RSGB Brickworks Accredited Club.

The Brickworks scheme is an exciting and fun way to build on what you have learned on your Foundation Course. It enables you to learn more about your new hobby, build your confidence, gain a greater understanding of how to get the best out of your equipment and enjoy new experiences, but it does not need to be limited to Foundation Licence holders. The tasks can be enjoyed by all members of the club, no matter what licence level, as it encourages mentoring and training all, in the many different aspects of the hobby. Most of all, it encourages activities and getting on the air.

The Swindon & District Amateur Radio Club will be incorporating the various activities in to its usual busy schedule throughout 2026. If you want to find out more or get involved, then please do come along and join us at the club.

Please visit links below for more information about Brickworks and the club.

https://rsgb.org/main/beyond-exams-building-experience/brickworks/

Nov

Micro-Controllers & Micro-Computers – 3 Quick 10 Minute Projects By Dom M9WHQ

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SDARC – Micro Controllers & Micro Computer Projects Download

Nov

Website Issue

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There is currently an issue with calendars on the website. They have randomly stopped working. Despite some attempts to bring them back online, I have been unable to. Hoping this is an issue that will be fixed by Google (that is where the calendar is hosted) and it will start working on its own again.

If not, more investigation will be required.

Here are the next few events to tide you over.

04/12 @ 1930 – Christmas Dinner
11/12 @ 1930 – Christmas Quiz
18/12 @ 19030 – Activity Night
25/12 – No club
01/01 – No club
08/01 @ 1930 – Activity Night

Sep

Club Christmas Dinner 2025

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FYI .. CHRISTMAS !!!!
……Yes, no typo !! … Christmas !

I have just booked The Harvester in Blunsdon for our annual Christmas Dinner (as debated on WhatsApp and agreed last evening at Club).

The booking is for 19:45 on Thursday 4th December 2025.

Remember Station Managers, sons, daughters… also very welcome.

Please see Harvester website for menu details at:

www.harvester.co.uk/restaurants/southwest/harvesterswindonwiltshire/menus/festivemenu

Please email Den with your menu choices ([email protected]) and he will QSL that back to you.

Payment via BACS to SDARC’s account below – either a minimum £5 deposit or your cost in full.
SDARC Account details :
Sort Code: 20-84-58
Account Number: 80868728
Please add a reference of your call sign and “Christmas”.

It would help get acknowledgement of your payment sooner if you email [email protected] to tell Andy that you have paid (as the Bank doesn’t send him any notifications!) Please remember he too is a volunteer, so don’t expect a 20 minute reply confirming your payment!

Final payments please by Thurs 20th November .

Happy Christmas !!😂😂

Den

Jul

Activity Nights @ Barbury Castle

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Throughout July and August we will meet in the car park at Barbury Castle. If you don’t know where it is and you have a GPS… 51.483822, -1.777436

The council lock this gate at 7pm. Whilst we have a key to get out, if you want to get in without issue, arrive prior to 7pm or you can park outside and walk in.

Barbury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort situated in Wiltshire, England. It is one of several such forts found along the ancient Ridgeway route. The site, which lies within the Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has been managed as a country park by Swindon Borough Council since 1971. It is situated on Barbury Hill, a local vantage point, which, under ideal weather conditions, commands a view across to the Cotswolds and the River Severn. It has two deep defensive ditches and ramparts. The Old Ridgeway runs close by and the modern Ridgeway crosses through the castle. In the surrounding area are to be found round barrows, Celtic field systems and 18th-19th Century flint workings.

We will be back in the Reading Rooms from September

Mar

Members’ Construction Competition Rules 2025

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We are holding the Construction Competition on March 27th!

The aim of this annual contest is to encourage members to build either radio equipment or ancillary items which enhance their radio operations and to exhibit these to encourage others to follow their example.

Entries can include any radio-related equipment or software, for example, Morse oscillator, test unit, QRP rig, computer/radio interface, PSU, Tx/Rx, linear, antenna, ATU…..

Entries can have been built at any time, but to be accepted as an entry, they must not have been entered in any previous SDARC construction contest.

If YOU have built something that helps you operate, why not enter it? Remember it is not necessarily the most complex equipment that wins!

Provide sufficient details with your entry to help judges understand the purpose and operation of the entry…. ”Sell” the concept and its usefulness through your description, diagrams, circuits etc!

The contest will have five principal categories:-

Homebrew – This will be for equipment built completely by the club member. (If the equipment is a magazine project with a PCB available, then, the PCB may be used.)

Kit – This will be for equipment built from a kit. The kit should require some soldering to the component level.

Hybrid – This will be for homebrew equipment which also contains one or more kits.

Antenna – This will be for special homebrew antenna systems. For this type of contest entry, the member will just need to provide photographs of the antenna together with a specification, a drawing, and details of the construction. A list of countries worked with the antenna should also be provided.

Software – This category will be for radio-related software. This can be either, a new piece of “stand-alone” software, or a piece written to add extra features to some existing software.

In addition, three Constructor categories may be brought to bear:-

Novice – This will be for those members who have not previously built or exhibited any equipment.

General – This will be for those members who have built and entered previously.

Professional – This may be awarded to experienced constructors whose work is of an exceptional standard.

The number of Awards will reflect the scope of entries and may include awards made to deal with tie-break situations.

The judges’ decisions on all the awards are final.

Please complete an entry form beforehand so you can bring it on the night. You can download the entry form here.

Jan