Coding and amateur radio

National Coding Week is taking place from 14 September 2023 and the RSGB is dedicating the whole of September to amateur radio and coding activities. This forms part of the Society’s commitment to encourage youngsters into amateur radio and to support lifelong learning. 

Here are some great activities you could try yourself, with your club or arrange at a local school or community group. Click or tap on the activity titles to find everything you need to know to be able to run the activity or try it yourself…

Morse texting

Morse game

Networking with the BBC micro:bit

Radio control

Node RED

GNU radio

Digital VFO

John Hislop, G7OHO who is leading this activity says:

“We want to introduce coding to radio amateurs to encourage them to learn about new ways of looking at amateur radio. Young people are more inclined towards the opportunities of coding, so the activities would provide an entry for them into the world of amateur radio. Most of all, we want members to have fun exploring coding and electronics.

So whether you belong to a club or not, if you are an experienced coder we would like you to pass on your enthusiasm to a local school or STEM club with the help of our suggested activities. If you are new to coding and have no idea what Python is or a Raspberry Pi, then we hope the activities will set you on the path of discovery!”

Getting involved

Share what you’re planning and we can use that to inspire others!

In support of the RSGB’s coding and amateur radio activities throughout September, Jakub, M0KUK will be running a coding workshop based at Cray Valley Amateur Radio Society.

It will be held in the evening of 14 September 2023.

The workshop will focus on different types of coding and has two aims: firstly, to encourage radio amateurs either to try basic coding in a way that links with their amateur radio interests, and secondly to encourage non-radio amateurs to get involved for the first time.

The Hilderstone Radio Society G0HRS will be taking part with a local primary school and with club members.

We will be helping the primary school STEAMettes to teach their classmates how to use radio control on the BBC Micro:bit to make a virtual cat do tricks!

The older STEAMettes will be showing club members how to send Morse code on the BBC Micro:bit using Python to code it.

If you’ve got an idea, would like more information, or want to share details of an event you’re holding, please contact ESRG member John Hislop, G7OHO via g7oho@rsgb.org.uk

#NationalCodingWeek