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Recreation & Leisure Radio
Welcome to Fort Purbrook Amateur Radio Club. We’re the people you meet when interested in an exciting, fascinating, educational, and interactive world of amateur radio! Licenced operators, shortwave listeners† and complete novices are welcome to join us for meetings, presentations, natter-nights, contests, special events, and activities that make good use of your valuable hobby time.
FPARC is an enthusiastic amateur radio club; we are an active group, embracing our members’ talents, skills, and abilities, sharing knowledge and teaching skills, plus hosting regular events up on the Fort Purbrook’s grounds and inside the buildings.
Besides our social get-togethers and presentations, we have our own club shack, along with working radio equipment that club members may borrow.
Amateur Radio Club Member Peter G4NKX operating during a Summer Field Weekend
We welcome visitors seeking amateur radio clubs near me across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Surrey, and West Sussex. Join us for an event, attend a meeting, and later you might like to become a bona fide club member!
Our home is Fort Purbrook, the most easterly of the forts along the ridgeline of Portsdown Hill.
Offering more features than CB (Citizens Band) Radio, we’re affiliated with the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), RNARS (No. 4976) and FISTS (No. 17010), with World Castles Award (No. G-00394).
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 radios, 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 at Fort Purbrook (click for our club’s address and map).Visitors welcome. Free car parking outside of the Fort.
Our QTH: Fort Purbrook (Portsmouth).
Image (c) TimSC, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Meetings
Monthly club meetings – sometimes a “natter night”, sometimes a presentation by a guest or club member. Interesting subjects. Visitors 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 on the western Fort ramparts and enjoy club 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 own equipment.
Contesting
We involve ourselves in contesting (e.g. making as many contacts as we can within a contest’s definition and rules). Sometimes a contest lasts an afternoon, sometimes 24 hours (or more), and some of us camp out overnight. For us, contesting is much more about the fun of participating than actually winning trophies, but we wouldn’t say no 🏆,
Club Shack
For club members, we have a shack where you can use our transceivers, antennas, & computers. Club members may connect their own equipment.
📡 Visit us for a free viewing…
Special Events
We operate special events, including the special events station GB1PF. A special event is to make contact with operators around the world, sharing information according to the event. Special Events are held at least annually.
Experimenter Days
A type of field day we call Experimenter Days. Club members, at all stages of their learning, can work with others or alone on radio experiments, testing new equipment (commercial or homebrew), trying out things (“Does it Antenna…”) and maybe becoming inspired by others’ projects.
Practical Events
The Practical Evening lets construction, kit-building, and homebrew enthusiasts ask questions and build their own. Events are monthly, with knowledgeable mentors on hand. You do not need to be a club member to attend.
📡 See The Practical Evening…
Upcoming Events
Field Weekend (Activating G3CNO with 4m Contest)
Fellow Amateurs
Visitors Welcome
Visitors and guests are welcome to come to any of our meetings, field events and other activities. There’s no obligation to join our club.
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).
Why not get in contact to learn more…
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.
Thursday Evening 2m Open Net
We run our open club net weekly on the 2m band.
All licenced amateurs are welcome to join us, whether resident in the area or passing through. Shortwave Listeners are welcome to listen-in, too.
Why not join us this Thursday?
Club Address
c/o Peter Ashley Activity Centres (Fort Purbrook),
Peter Ashley Lane, Portsdown Hill Road,
Portsmouth,
Hampshire,
PO6 1BJ,
United Kingdom.
Nearer than you think: 4 miles north of near Portsmouth. 20 miles east of near Southampton. 12 miles south of near Petersfied.14 miles west of near Chichester. FREE car parking outside of the Fort’s two entrances.
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.
† Shortwave listeners – SWLs: people who listen to radio transmissions through public Web SDRs, their own SDRs and other home equipment but who otherwise do not transmit.
