The Essex Ham website is here to help promote and support the amateur radio hobby in Essex. We offer information on radio-related events in Essex.
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Press Releases
Here, you’ll find a copy of press releases issued by Essex Ham:
PRESS RELEASE: St Michaels’ School Tunes In To Astronaut Tim Peake
Date: 29 February 2016
Pupils from St Michael’s Preparatory School in Hadleigh Road, Leigh-on-Sea, had the chance to tune in live to British astronaut Tim Peake on board the International Space Station on Friday the 26th of February.
As part of the Principia space mission, ten lucky schools across the country have been selected to have the chance to talk to Tim Peake. The contact on the 26th of February saw pupils from the City of Norwich school asking their questions, and it was a golden opportunity for St Michaels to tune in to the historic radio contact.
Staff and pupils from Years 4 and 5 gathered in the school playground to listen to the voice of British Astronaut Tim Peake as the International Space Station passed overhead at a speed of over 17,000 miles an hour and at a height of 250 miles. A crystal-clear radio signal from space was received with just a radio receiver and a home-made aerial.
The contact was made using special frequencies used by the network of “radio hams” who experiment with sending radio signals around the world… and beyond. Tim Peake became a radio amateur last year, so that he would be able to talk to school children during his time aboard the ISS.
Jacqueline Atkinson, Deputy Head of St. Michael’s School said: “Our pupils have been fascinated by Tim Peake’s mission to the International Space station. This was a wonderful opportunity for them to find out more about what his life is like in space and also to learn about communicating using different technologies. Perhaps it might even inspire some of them to consider amateur radio as a new hobby!”
Pete Sipple from Leigh-on-Sea is part of the amateur radio group Essex Ham, and said: “This is the first time that a British astronaut has been aboard the International Space Station, and pupils at St Michael’s have been following Tim’s mission with interest for several months. It’s very rewarding being able to help the pupils tune in to hear their first live message from space using a simple radio receiver. Hopefully, this will inspire pupils to learn more about space, technology and radio.”
Amateur radio is a hobby that lets you experiment with radio and electronics and is fun for all ages. An introduction course starts in Benfleet in May and you can find more details about how to get started at www.essexham.co.uk
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
Full Press release: St Michaels Tunes In To ISS (PDF)
PRESS RELEASE: Brownies and Guides from Leigh-on-Sea On The Air
Date: 24 February 2016
The 22nd of February is an important date for Brownies and Girl Guides everywhere. Known as “World Thinking Day”, this takes place annually on the birthday of founder Lord Baden-Powell, and is an opportunity to think about others around the world.
In support of this year’s event, Brownies and Girl Guides from the 17th A Leigh-on-Sea unit met at Hadleigh Methodist Church on the theme of “communication”.
With the help of the local amateur radio group Essex Ham, around twenty Brownies, Guides, Seniors and Team Leaders sent greetings messages over special radio frequencies to other amateur radio enthusiasts across Essex. The experience helped youngsters of the 17th A Leigh-on-Sea unit to get their “On The Air” communicators badges.
Pete Sipple (46) from Leigh-on-Sea was one of the team from Essex Ham who helped the youngsters with the radio contact. He said:
“It was great to work with such enthusiastic youngsters, and to help them to send their first radio messages. Radio was invented here in Essex, and today’s smartphones, digital TVs and wi-fi all rely on radio technology. Having the chance to introduce radio to youngsters early is important, and hopefully some of the girls who had their first experience of radio today will go on to be tomorrow’s tech-savvy pioneers.”
Amateur radio is a hobby that lets you experiment with radio and electronics and is fun for all ages. An introduction course starts in Benfleet in May and you can find more details about how to get started at www.essexham.co.uk
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
PRESS RELEASE: Tim Peake Radio Signal in Essex
Date: 08 January 2016
British ESA astronaut Tim Peake took off to the International Space Station in December. Friday the 8th of January was the first time that the UK’s network of radio amateurs were able to hear Tim sending messages live over the amateur radio airwaves.
As part of the mission, named Principia, Tim made contact with pupils from Sandringham School in St Albans. The radio signal was audible over Essex as the station passed over the county at a height of 250 miles (400km), travelling at over 17,000mph (27,600 km/h)
Radio amateur Pete Sipple, aged 46, Leigh-on-Sea, was able to hear Tim answer two questions – the first was asked by Philip, aged 15, who asked about the cooling of liquid metals, followed by Jess, aged 12, asking about the benefits of using space as a scientific platform.
Other radio amateurs across Essex were glued to their radio receivers between 8:50 and 9am on Friday to hear the first amateur radio message from Tim Peake on the International Space Station.
Pete said: “During Tim’s time on the ISS, he’s set to make contact with several schools to help encourage science and technology studies. It was great to hear a live signal from the International Space Station and to know that, for the youngsters asking their questions, it was a once in a lifetime chance to talk to a British Astronaut”
Amateur radio is an excellent hobby for helping to teach about radio and electronics. Anyone interested in becoming a radio amateur can find information about courses in Essex at www.essexham.co.uk
Tim Peake is set to make his first space walk on Friday the 15th of January – the first British astronaut to do so.
Note for editors:
Background Information: http://rsgb.org/main/blog/front-page-news/2015/12/23/tim-peake-school-contacts/
Tim Peake Press Images: http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/content/search?SearchText=%22Timothy+Peake%22&img=1&SearchButton=Go
PRESS RELEASE: Christmas Day Radio Commemoration
Date: 26 December 2015
Christmas Day was extra-special for one Leigh-on-Sea family, who used radio signals to connect four generations together.
Amateur Radio is a hobby that dates back over 100 years, and each radio experimenter has a unique “callsign”. World-renowned radio amateur Gordon “Dicky” Bird was responsible for the design and development of a number of radio antennas from the 1950s onwards, and was a keen radio amateur sending signals around the world for many decades. Dick passed away in 2005, aged 86, but by way of commemoration, his old radio callsign of ‘G4ZU’ was revived with the permission of his family and the Government’s radio regulator Ofcom.
On Christmas Day 2015, three generations of Dick’s descendants sent radio messages using the historic radio callsign. Dick’s son, Chris Bird, sent Christmas greetings to his daughter Sarah Sipple in Leigh-on-Sea, who in turn received a message from Dick’s Great-Granddaughter Kathryn Sipple, aged 8.
Sarah Sipple, 42 of Leigh-on-Sea, said: ”It’s great that we were able to do something special in memory of Dick’s passion for amateur radio – a nice Christmas present, and one for the family scrapbook!”
The messages were sent using the radio callsign of G4ZU with the help of the amateur radio group Essex Ham. If you want to find out more about amateur radio, and for details of courses available across Essex, go to www.essexham.co.uk
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
Note for editors:
Amateur Radio is a non-profit hobby activity that uses special radio frequencies to allow those with a special licence to communicate and experiment with radio. The hobby dates back over 100 years, originally using Morse code, but now using the latest digital technology for sending voice, data and images without the aid of the Internet. Tim Peake, currently aboard the International Space Station is set to talk to schools around the country using amateur radio in 2016.
There are around 20 amateur clubs in Essex. More on amateur radio in Essex at www.essexham.co.uk , or nationally, refer to the Radio Society of Great Britain (www.rsgb.org)
PRESS RELEASE: Essex schools Pi in the Sky
Date: 29 June 2015
Three pocket-sized Raspberry Pi computers were launched on high altitude balloons as part of the schools ‘Pi In The Sky’ project.
These were launched from Cambridgeshire on the afternoon of Monday the 29th of June on behalf of Prospects College of Advanced Technology in Basildon, Stewarts Academy in Harlow and Boswells School in Chelmsford. All three landed in Suffolk a few hours later, with one reaching a height of 130,000 feet.
Raspberry Pi computers cost around £30 and can be modified to allow pictures to be transmitted from high altitudes when attached to helium-filled balloons.
School children are able to track the progress of the balloon flights, and a network of amateur radio operators pick up the weak signals from the radio transmitters attached to the Raspberry Pi, allowing the images and positioning information to be received.
High-altitude balloons are often launched as a STEM initiative – STEM stands for Science, Education, Technology & Maths and is network of volunteers who share their technical expertise with schools around the UK.
Signals from all three balloons were picked up by radio amateur Pete Sipple in Leigh-on-Sea. Pete is from the amateur radio group Essex Ham and is also a STEM Ambassador: “The Pi In The Sky scheme is a great way to get children engaged with computing, radio and technology. By helping to receive the radio signals from today’s balloon flights, radio amateurs have been able to help the schools track the progress of their projects as well as receiving images transmitted back from onboard cameras”
More about amateur radio in Essex: https://www.essexham.co.uk
More about STEM in Essex: http://www.explorestem.co.uk
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
PRESS RELEASE: Amateur Radio at Southend Raspberry Jam
Date: 01 June 2015
Saturday the 30th of May 2015 was the sixth Raspberry Jam event in Southend. This was an all-day event at the Tickfield Centre in Tickfield Avenue, and was run by SOSLUG, the Southend-on-Sea Linux User Group. Southend Raspberry Jam events are free, and give people of all ages the chance to interact with technology and computers.
A team of local radio enthusiasts from Essex Ham has been invited along to promote amateur radio at the event. Amateur radio is a hobby that dates back to the pioneering radio days of Marconi but the hobby has moved with the times and now makes use of computers, the Internet and cutting edge technology to send radio signals around the world, and beyond.
With British Astronaut Major Tim Peake set to fly to the International Space Station later this year, radio amateurs have a unique chance to make contact with Major Tim on the ISS, and Essex Ham gave a short talk on how it’s possible to communicate with the Space Station using voice, data and images. Essex Ham also gave visitors to the May Raspberry Jam the opportunity to send messages in Morse via the Internet, and to try their hand at sending radio messages over amateur radio.
If you’d be interested in find more about the amateur radio hobby, local training courses take place in South Essex and Chelmsford. You can find out more details at www.essexham.co.uk
Note to editors:
About Essex Ham: Essex Ham is made up of a group of keen radio enthusiasts who promote the amateur radio hobby in Essex. Based in the South of the county, the group has over 300 members around the world.
About Amateur Radio: The hobby dates back over 100 years from the days of Morse code but now uses data, images, voice and satellites to allow communication around the world. Radio amateurs get a licence from Ofcom to communicate around the world and experiment with radio
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
PRESS RELEASE: Leigh-on-Sea Brownie Takes To The Air
Date: 22 February 2015
Sunday 22nd of February was World Thinking Day – an annual day of friendship for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world.
Leigh-on-Sea Brownie Kathryn Sipple (aged 7) took part in two events to celebrate World Thinking Day. After attending her local group’s morning of activities at Southend High School for Girls, Kathryn took to the airwaves as part of a link-up with a group of brownies and guides in South Ockendon.
Kathryn is the youngest member of the ‘Essex Ham’ radio club, and under the guidance of her mum and dad, both of whom are licensed radio amateurs, she helped to send greetings to 15 guides and brownies from the Ockendon district who were taking part in Thinking Day On The Air.
Kathryn is a member of the 17th Leigh Brownies, and is the great granddaughter of renowned amateur radio antenna designer Gordon ‘Dicky’ Bird, who designed a series of antennas in the 1950s that are still in use around the world today.
Kathryn also completed her first electronics project this weekend, at Southend’s ‘Raspberry Jam’, where the team from Essex Ham were demonstrating how to send and receive radio messages from the International Space Station.
Amateur Radio is a communication hobby that helps make friends around the world using radio. A new course for budding radio amateurs starts on the 17th of April 2015 in Thundersley. Details of this and other courses in the area can be found at www.essexham.co.uk
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
PRESS RELEASE: Essex Ham at Raspberry Jam
Date: 23 November 2014
Saturday the 22nd of November 2014 saw the fourth Raspberry Jam in Southend. The Raspberry Jam is an all-day mix of talks, workshops and demonstrations showing technical innovations using small computers such as the popular Raspberry Pi. The event included coding workshops, robots, wearable technology, programming for children and beginners, plus 3D printing. For the first time, the hobby of amateur radio was also represented with a team from local amateur radio group Essex Ham demonstrating how radio, technology and the Internet are all interconnected.
Amateur radio is a technical hobby that allows you to make contact with others around the world using radio, as well as helping local community groups and charities with radio communication.
The Southend Raspberry Jam is run by SoSLUG (The Southend Linux Group), and is held at the Tickfield Centre, Tickfield Avenue, Southend.
For details of future Raspberry Jams, go to www.soslug.org
For more on amateur radio in Essex, go to www.essexham.co.uk
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
PRESS RELEASE: Basildon Cubs and Scouts On The Air
Date: 20 October 2014
As part of the annual “Jamboree On The Air”, cubs and scouts from Basildon, Laindon & Pitsea troops enjoyed a two day radio event at Kingston Ridge Camp Site, near Basildon. As well as sending amateur radio messages around Essex, the UK and Europe, scouts watched a balloon launch and tracked its progress, using radio receivers, to Sweden. The weekend also included some electronic kit building and a Skype call with famous explorer James Ketchell.
The event was organised by local radio amateur Mike Lynn, with the help of Canvey-based antenna designers Innovantennas and the amateur radio group Essex Ham.
Hi-res Images available on request – contact Essex Ham
PRESS RELEASE: On The Air with Essex Air Ambulance
Date: 06 October 2014
In support of International Air Ambulance Week, Essex amateur radio operators contacted “radio hams” from across Europe in September & October to raise awareness of the costs of keeping the service flying. An Essex Air Ambulance Paramedic and Doctor took to the airwaves to spread the word.
Press release: Essex Air Ambulance On the Air (PDF)
High-resolution image gallery:
PRESS RELEASE: Radio Presenter becomes an Essex Ham
Date: 22 February 2013
Kelly Atkins, co-presenter on the technology programme FrequencyCast obtained her amateur radio licence in Essex in February 2013.
Kelly’s amateur radio callsign is M6KFA, and you can hear her at www.frequencycast.co.uk
Press release: Presenter Becomes Radio Ham (PDF)
More Information
For more information on these stories, or for a quote regarding amateur radio in Essex, please contact Essex Ham
Related Links
- What is Amateur Radio (Essex Ham)
- Radio Society of Great Britain
