The Active Club!
Welcome to Fort Purbrook Amateur Radio Club (FPARC). We’re the enthusiastic people to join when interested in the exciting, challenging, and educational hobby of amateur radio.
Setting up a VHF Mast for Field Day
FPARC is the active local amateur radio club that hosts frequent activities & events, values and encourages members’ talents & abilities, and shares knowledge through teaching, demonstration & mentoring.
Are We for You?
Amateur Radio Club Member: Peter G4NKX, operating during a Summer Field Weekend.
Our home (QTH) is within Fort Purbrook, the most easterly of the forts along the ridgeline of Portsdown Hill. We welcome visitors seeking amateur radio clubs in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Surrey, and West Sussex.
You don’t need to be an (OFCOM) licensed amateur radio operator to join us; shortwave listeners† and complete novices are welcome to join us for club meetings, presentations, natter-nights and field days (contests, special events, personal experiments, etc), all of which make good use of valuable hobby time as a member of an active club.
FPARC Amateur Radio: a hobby offering more features than CB (Citizens Band) Radio; affiliated with the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), RNARS (No. 4976) and FISTS (No. 17010), with World Castles Award (No. G-00394).
ℹ️ Interested in paying us a visit? Come to a monthly Friday evening 🗓️ club meeting (🌍 Deverell Hall, Purbrook) or come to a 🗓️ field event (🌍 Fort Purbrook, Portsdown Hill). Later, you might like to become a member of our Amateur Radio Club.
Club Features
Part of our Club Shack
- From an RF perspective, the roof of our home at Fort Purbrook (which is positioned at 100m / 330ft above sea level (ASL)) boasts outstanding potential for amateur radio. We have a visual line of sight panoramically from Chichester Cathedral in the east to Fawley oil refinery in the west.
- Our club has a collection of working transceivers, antennas, and other equipment for loan to members. When using this equipment, members may use their own call-sign or the club call-sign G3CNO.
- We have our own fully kitted Club Shack with a selection of transceivers, computer equipment, and an antenna connection point for members’ own equipment.
- Club meetings are on the last Friday of each month (click for club meetings), plus we host regular and varied field events.
🚗💨 There’s free car parking outside both fort entrances, with bus stops #7 and #20 on the main road.
Fort Purbrook (our club's QTH) - pictured from above, facing North West. Attribution: TimSC, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (original image).
Club Activities
Monthly Club Meets
The last Friday of the month is our club meeting evening. Sometimes it's a "natter night," sometimes it's a presentation by a guest or club member, and sometimes it's a theme night. Visitors & guests welcome.
📡 See Monthly Club Meetings…
Optional, but for those interested, some of us meet for a social lunch once a month.
📡 Details available to members only.
Summer Field Days
In warmer months, we set up gazebos, equipment & refreshments on the western fort ramparts and enjoy activity days, operating field-style. Visitors welcome!
Using temporary antennas along with club and member equipment, we see who we can contact. Attendees are welcome to bring their equipment.
Contesting
We take part in contesting (e.g. making as many contacts within a contest's definition and rules). Contests can last anywhere from an afternoon to 24 hours (or more), and some of us choose to camp out overnight. For us, contesting is about the fun rather than winning, but we wouldn't say no to a trophy 🏆.
Club Shack
For club members, we have a shack where you can use our transceivers, antennas, & computers. Club members may connect their own equipment.
Special Events
We operate special events, including the Special Events Station: GB1PF. representing Palmerston Forts. We make contact with operators around the world, sharing information on the event's topic.
Experimenter Days
We call this type of field day an Experimenter Day. Club members, at all stages of their learning, work with others or alone on radio experiments, testing new equipment (commercial or homebrew), trying out new things ("Does it Antenna...") and maybe becoming inspired by others' projects.
Practical Events
The Practical Evening & Field Events cater to members interested in construction, kit-building and experimentation. Ask questions and receive support from experienced mentors. Our monthly evenings at Deverell Hall are now transferred to summer field days.
📡 See The Practical Evening…
Upcoming Events
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Experimenter’s Field Day
Your New Hobby
Imagine a hobby that connects you with a global community of friendly enthusiasts and offers opportunities for learning and contributing, all from the comfort of your home. You could connect with people across the globe using just a radio and your ingenuity!
Amateur radio offers a fascinating blend of technology, communication, and community, inviting you to explore the airwaves and even provide vital communication during emergencies. If you’re looking for a fulfilling way to fill your time, combat feelings of loneliness, and even make a real difference during emergencies, amateur radio could be the perfect hobby to begin a new adventure.
Begin today, and you could be transmitting by next month!
FPARC Field Marquee at Dusk (2019)
Visitors Welcome
Visitors and guests are welcome to come to any of our meetings, field events and other activities. There’s free parking outside of the fort, with two bus routes passing by.
We make a nominal £1 attendance charge to all attendees (both visitors and club members). This helps with our room hire costs, field location rental, and hosting expenses.
Hot refreshments and biscuits are usually available at no additional charge (but please bring your own mug as we have a green policy of no plastic cups).
Come down for a visit! Contact our Membership Secretary: Peter G4NKX or our Examination Secretary: Graham M0CYX via our Contact Us Page to let us know when to welcome you.
The Scoop on FPARC
QTH: Portsmouth.
Locator: IO90LU.
WAB Square: SU60.
Postcode: PO6 1BJ.
Address: Fort Purbrook, Peter Ashley Lane, Cosham, Hampshire, PO6 1BJ. (Open Google Maps)
Club Call-sign: G3CNO.
Special Event Station Call-sign: GB1PF.
Weekly Net: See our 2m Club Open Net Information page for further details.
Weekly 2m Net (IO90)
Thursday Evening Open Net.
We run our open club net weekly on the 2m band.
All licensed amateurs are welcome to join in, regardless of whether they reside in the area or are just passing through.
Shortwave listeners (SWLs) are welcome to listen in, too – tune to the frequencies show on the accompanying page.
We would be delighted if you would join our Open 2m Net this Thursday @ 1930.
Club Address
Fort Purbrook Amateur Radio Club (FPARC).
c/o Peter Ashley Activity Centres (Fort Purbrook),
Peter Ashley Lane, Portsdown Hill Road,
Portsmouth, Hampshire,
PO6 1BJ, United Kingdom.
🚗 Free car parking outside of the Fort.
🚌 Bus stops on Crookhorn Lane for #20 and #7 theSTAR.
Contact 📧: https://fparc.uk/contact/
Note 🌐: field events are held at the fort, and club meetings are held at Deverell Hall. The location for an event will be displayed on the event's page.
Peter Ashley Activity Centres, which manage Fort Purbrook, offer a variety of activities for people of all ages, such as air rifle shooting, archery, and climbing.
* Fort Purbrook Amateur Radio Club supports the DX Code of Conduct.
Contents
- 1 The Active Club!
- 2 Club Features
- 3 Club Activities
- 4 Upcoming Events
- 4.1 Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- 4.2 Monthly Lunchtime Social
- 4.3 Experimenter’s Field Day
- 4.4 Monthly Friday Night Club Meeting
- 4.5 Monthly Friday Night Club Meeting
- 4.6 Annual Christmas Club Meeting 🎄
- 4.7 Monthly Friday Night Club Meeting
- 4.8 Monthly Friday Night Club Meeting
- 4.9 Monthly Friday Night Club Meeting
- 4.10 Monthly Friday Night Club Meeting
- 5 Your New Hobby
- 6 Visitors Welcome
- 7 Weekly 2m Net (IO90)
