SADARS Takes to the Air in the IOTA Contest!!
This year, members of SADARS decided to take part in the RSGB IOTA Contest, providing an excellent opportunity to get members on the air while blowing the dust off the club’s Optibeam antenna.
Members arrived at the clubhouse at around 10:00 BST on Saturday morning to begin setting up the station. Starting early gave everyone plenty of time to ensure everything was working correctly and to resolve any issues before the contest officially began at 13:00 BST.
When the contest got underway, Royston (G4SWH) was first at the controls, making the opening contacts and getting the log underway. Tom (G4BYE) then took over, followed by Dave (M7WVX). By the end of Saturday’s operating, the team had logged around 56 QSOs and decided to call it a day, ready to continue on Sunday.
Sunday proved to be just as enjoyable. Martin (M0KNM) took over operating duties and was soon greeted by an impressive pile-up, steadily adding to the log before handing over to Tom (G4BYE) after reaching 116 QSOs. Tom completed the final operating session, bringing the club’s total to 126 QSOs before the contest came to a close at 13:00 BST on Sunday.
While this year’s entry wasn’t focused on achieving a top contest score, it proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. It gave members the chance to operate the club station, spend time together, and put the Optibeam through its paces once again. With 125 contacts in the log and plenty of smiles all round, the weekend was a great success, and everyone is already looking forward to the next opportunity to get the station on the air.
Watch the Action
A video of the weekend’s IOTA Contest operation is now available on our YouTube channel. If you’d like to see the station in action, the operators at work, and the Optibeam earning its keep once again, you can watch it here:
🎥 SADARS IOTA Contest 2026 Video
Thank you to everyone who helped set up, operated the station, and supported the weekend. We hope to see even more members taking part in future contests!