“The amateur radio club changed my life”

“Amateur radio has really changed my life, I now have friends all over the world.”

Brian Webb suffers from cerebral palsy and is dependent on a wheelchair.

Getting out and meeting new people had been a challenge for him for years.

This began to change when he joined the Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club.

“It has changed my life so much. It amazes me how far you can talk to people. Just this morning I spoke to someone in Brazil,” he said.

Amateur radio, also called ham radio, uses certain radio frequencies for the non-commercial exchange of messages.

For many, it is a technical hobby that can be pursued with relatively minimal equipment.

Davy Gregg of the Mid Ulster Club said what was special about it was the ability to broadcast from anywhere.

“You really need very little equipment, you can use it at home or on the go. Some people get out their golf clubs, these radios are our pastime,” he said.

“It’s amazing that with just a radio, a piece of wire as an antenna and some technical know-how, you can talk to anyone in the world.”

In their portable radio clubhouse, members place pins on a world map at all the places they have had contact with – from South America to Australia.

Conversations with astronauts

But the reach of this amateur club is not limited to countries.

In recent years, one of the members has even communicated with the International Space Station (ISS).

Davy Gregg said: “We have an app that tells us when the space station is passing overhead. And one of our members was tracking it. He took out his handheld radio, made the call and one of the astronauts answered him.

“He was very lucky. I’ve been trying to get to the space station for almost 15 years, but that’s what makes this hobby so special: you never know who will answer you.”

It was recently confirmed that NASA has selected Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to land the International Space Station at the end of its life in the next decade.

But while it is in orbit, contact with the ISS is considered rare and very special in the world of amateur radio.

The Mid Ulster Club even received a certificate card from NASA and the organization confirming the contact.

Unlikely connections

The club is full of stories from its members about the unusual connections they have made with their radios.

This includes assisting in rescuing an injured motorcyclist hundreds of kilometers away.

Esther Harper and her husband Ian Evans were holidaying in Fermanagh with their radio when they received an emergency call.

“We were on a mountain top and had our portable device deployed and the next thing I heard was ‘Mayday, Mayday,’ I couldn’t believe it,” Esther said.

“We had never heard that before. My first thought was that it might have been a ship or something in trouble,” Ian added.

In fact, the call came from another amateur radio operator in a rural area of ​​Wales where there was no cell phone reception.

The Welsh amateur radio operator had come across a person who had fallen from a motorcycle and was seriously injured.

Esther said it was quite a nerve-wracking situation.

‘Remote Location’

“The injured biker was found by someone who had a ham radio installed in his Jeep. He made the emergency call on his radio and found me,” she said.

“I was able to take her contact details and called 999, which then contacted the emergency services in Wales.

“Fortunately, the injured biker was treated in hospital and recovered,” Ian added.

“It’s amazing that we managed to find each other that day from a remote location in Wales to a mountain in Northern Ireland with just a small antenna.”

‘Friends for life’

The Mid Ulster Amateur Radio Club will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Numerous roadshow events are held each year, including at Navan Fort in County Armagh.

The club will take place on Coney Island from July 26th to 28th.

The club recently received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for equipment to reach new people and make activities easier for people with disabilities.

As part of the financing, numerous adjustments were made to the portable radio pendant.

For Brian Webb, who is wheelchair-bound on a daily basis, this provided the opportunity to become more involved in the club’s activities.

“It’s just another mainstay in my repertoire. The fact that I can spend days at Navan Fort and Coney Island makes me feel like I’m part of it all,” he said.

“The people from the club and those I speak to on the radio have now become friends for life.”