The Club meets on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm in The John Connolly Centre.
Our interests and specialities:
One of the main objectives of the radio club is to provide training for newcomers to amateur radio. This is to enable them to pass examinations and obtain the necessary licences. Part of the training is practically based, involving operating an amateur radio station. A radio station is available at the Centre to allow students to build up their operating experience. To provide the training we have a number of registered club instructors and assistant instructors who give up their time on a voluntary basis to ensure that there is a supply of qualified radio amateurs for the future.
History Of The Club
Lomond Radio Club has its origins in the Helensburgh Amateur Radio Club, which we believe was founded in 1978. During this period the club has met in various premises in the Helensburgh area including a community centre and John Logie Baird School.
In 1987 we moved to the Cairndhu House Nursing Home, which was then owned by the club chairmen. The ownership of the nursing home changed hands and after 20 years we were required to find alternative premises.
The Bellsmyre Advice Centre pointed us in the direction of the Resource Centre in Dumbarton where the staff has made us very welcome. The Resource Centre premises are ideal for holding meetings but we have encountered some difficulty with our need to erect a suitable aerial system in order to transmit and receive radio signals, which is fundamental to our club activity. To reflect the change in location and our aim to draw members from a wider geographic area we have changed our name from the Helensburgh Amateur Radio Club to the Lomond Radio club – a number of years ago there was a Loch Lomond Radio Club that met in the Dumbarton area.
We have successfully applied to Ofcom to transfer the old Loch Lomond Radio Club radio call sign GM4URZ to our club while retaining our original call sign GM4HEL.
Alas the Resource Centre closed down and we were once again seeking new premises, however we were lucky and the Renton Community Development Trust who own the Carman Centre made us very welcome, even better they allowed us to erect aerials so we now have a fully operational Amateur Radio station.
Again fate has intervened, and the Carman centre has closed, but thanks to the Renton Community Development Trust we have been made welcome in the John Connolly centre in Renton where we have antennas erected and quite a good radio shack.
Before transmitting on amateur radio a licence has to be obtained following an examination. The reason for licensing is that the authorities want to ensure that all operators of radio equipment are competent to operate on the airwaves without causing problems for other radio users. The structure of the examination is divided into three parts:
- Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced.
The Foundation is the basic level for those new to radio, but a number of restrictions are placed on the operator. The Intermediate is based on a large amount of practical work designed to ensure that the examinee knows how to carry out radio station basic maintenance. A pass at this level gives a few more privileges on the air. The Advanced is theoretically based and of a similar standard to a Scottish Higher Level examination. A pass at this level gives all the privileges that are available to radio amateurs in the UK.Training and examinations:Training level: Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced Training and examination information: Courses at all levels are held on a regular basis according to demand.Examinations: Lomond RC offers exams at all three levels
Lomond Radio Club GM4HEL 