Travelling Wave Contest Group

Travelling Wave Contest GroupThe leading club in the RSGB Activity contests in 2013 and 2014 is the relatively new Travelling Wave Contest Group.

What is the secret of their success?

From the start the group set out to be a friendly and supportive group and at that time there was no intention to develop into a winning team, although, of course, the members are competitive or they wouldn’t be contesting.

The group is affiliated to the RSGB and have a set of principles which all members accept: not pressuring anyone to do something that they do not want to do, encourage participation in RSGB contests, improve equipment and skills of members by being supportive and above all, to have fun!

144 MHz activity map

This map showing the distribution of stations (within 50 km radius) worked by members in
recent 144 MHz UKAC sessions is an example of the support the group provides for members

The approach attracted members who didn’t have a local club or where the local club didn’t have any interest in contesting.

Within the group all members are treated with equal respect, so operators with smaller stations or less experience are just as welcome as the ‘big guns’.

As members of the group are located across the UK the main method of communication between members is via the internet with email, Skype and a private Yahoo group being the main channels.

Even committee meetings and the AGM are via Skype.

In addition there are occasional face to face meetings between groups of members at radio exhibitions and rallies or at pub lunches.

The group has its own simple website which contains basic information about the group and contact details.

At first the focus was on the RSGB 80m Club Contests but as the group expanded, mainly through personal contacts of existing members, there was a move towards adding the ACs to the portfolio.

The approach taken by the TWCG has been extremely successful with the group moving from 38th position in the ACs in 2011 to 3rd in 2012 to leading position trophy winners in both 2013 and 2014.

They also entered their first /P contest, VHF NFD, in 2013 winning the 144MHz restricted section and taking third place overall.

Along this journey they reactivated many operators’ interest in contesting, encouraged many station and skill improvements and certainly added to the activity in the ACs.

The group has a commitment to providing innovative technical and operational support to those who are new to contesting and to old hands through an informal exchange of ideas and information among members as well as offering the opportunity to be part of a winning team.