Hastings Electronics and Radio Club - HERC

Weekly meetings are at the venues as shown.

May
Wed. 7th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Sat. 17th - Fairlight 13:00
Wed. 21th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Wed. 28st - Taplin 18:30 for 7pm start (We have to make the most of our evening).  Details in Peter's Taplin page further down
Sat. 31st - Fairlight. 13:00




Check website for any changes or additions.

Venue addresses:
Bexhill Garden Centre (Blackbrooks). Head for Freshfields TN38 8FB then, immediately after turning into the road turn left into Lewis Avenue. It's a dead-end at the garden centre although Lewis Avenue continues as a footpath round to the big roundabout at Ravenside.  Don't get confused! If open we'll be in the overflow carpark to the right at the end.

Hastings Country Park  The carpark with the Bale House Café, Lower Coastguard Lane, at the top of Battery Hill. Postcode TN35 4AD.

The Taplin Centre  3 Upper Maze Hill, St. Leonard's-on-Sea, TN38 0LQ

Look out for the little black Mini clubman - reg. ending TVJ

Will HERC members keep an eye out for any prospective new members please.

Remember to check this website before leaving your house as sometimes there is a last-minute problem and we have to change venue and or the day, or, if there is a catastrophe, cancel.

The Hastings Radio Club was originally formed back in the 1920s and, apart from a couple of short breaks, has been around ever since.

Parks on the Air (POTA), Mixing Amateur Radio with the great outdoors.

To begin with, POTA is not a competition, it is an event.

Parks on the Air (POTA) began in early 2017 as a continuation of the ARRL’s National Parks on the Air special event. When the year-long event concluded, a dedicated group of volunteers decided to keep the event alive, leading to the creation of POTA.

So, what is POTA?, It encourages amateur radio operators to explore the great outdoors while enjoying their hobby. Whether you’re an “activator” setting up a station in a park or a “hunter” making contact from anywhere, POTA offers flexibility and fun.

Getting Started as a Hunter (Work from anywhere)

Remember to follow the rules: ensure that you comply with legal requirements, comply with the DX Code of Conduct, and follow the Golden Rule!.

Visit the Spotting Page, head to POTA’s website and explore the spotting page https://pota.app/#/,  It lists active stations, their park locations, frequencies, and modes. tune around and respond if you hear an activator, making a contact officially starts your POTA journey!.

Sign up for your free account, create an account on the website to track your progress, certificates, and awards. POTA operates on a system based on park activator logs.

Getting Started as an Activator:

Follow the Rules: As an activator, adhere to legal requirements, the DX Code of Conduct, and the Golden Rule!.

Set Up in a Park, pack-up your portable gear and head to a designated park. respect the park boundaries, leave everything how you fount it, and follow any instructions from park wardens, the list of parks can be found at https://pota.app/#/map.

It can also be helpful to notify others of your planned activation in advance, this will help the hunters plan their hunting, this can be done on the scheduled activations page https://pota.app/#/activations.

Remember to spot yourself while calling CQ, visit POTA’s map to add a spot. Hunters will soon find you!

Log Your QSOs, Using any logging method that generates a valid ADIF file. Upload your logs on the website to track your stats and earned awards, as the activator, you are responsible for logging all the contacts, the hunter does not need to do anything, if you do not upload your logs then neither you or the hunter will get the points.

By now you must be wondering what the Golden Rule of POTA is?, Well it is to have fun and keep it simple!.

To begin your Journey, sign up here: https://pota.app/#/signup 

A getting started video can be found here: https://youtu.be/odegfaGczAc?si=klJslL7IIkyyjjn7

Rules can be found here: https://docs.pota.app/docs/rules.html

CW guide can be found here: https://docs.pota.app/docs/cw_guide.html