![\"Gillian](\"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/files\/2025\/06\/IMG_4855-225x300.jpg\")
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Gillian Sandell, M0OVW – Professional Transmitting Engineer, Woofferton Transmitting Station<\/strong><\/p>\n Why were you interested in a STEM career?<\/strong><\/p>\n I was always interested in how things worked, I liked to repair things whether it was an alarm clock or a bicycle. I enjoyed physics and computer programming at school. I did a degree in Computer Programming, but after a year of working as a digital mapper I wanted something less desk bound. I then applied for a job as an engineer for the BBC transmitter group.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the best thing about your job?<\/strong><\/p>\n The variety. Today I was programming fault reporters, tomorrow I may be repairing a broken transmitter. Sometimes, I get to travel to other countries to help with an installation or a repair. The technology of broadcasting changes all the time. We never stop learning.<\/p>\n How has amateur radio contributed to your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n I always wanted to be a radio amateur. I was a radio operator in the Territorial Army in the late 80\u2019s and loved it. I didn\u2019t know how to get into amateur radio but an interest in radio is how I got my current job at the Woofferton Transmitting Station. My colleagues at work then got me involved with amateur radio.<\/p>\n What challenges do women face in STEM careers and what tips can you give to overcome them?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have occasionally encountered \u2018dinosaurs\u2019 who make life difficult for a woman in a traditional male job. Thankfully, other men that I have worked with have been supportive. I have found that most people in the workplace really don\u2019t care if you are a woman as long as you pitch in and work hard.<\/p>\n What advice would you give to girls who are thinking of pursuing a career in engineering?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are so many different types of engineering. From bridge building to electronic design. All of it has a practical use in the world today. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions. Don\u2019t be afraid to do a course that your friends are not doing. Be yourself and play to your own strengths.<\/p>\n What\u2019s your favourite part of amateur radio?<\/strong><\/p>\n I mainly do SOTA, partly because we can put our 40m antenna up somewhere electrically quiet and talk to people from all over, and partly because I love walking in the hills. It combines two hobbies. I have been involved in Scouting for 30 years and we run a JOTA station nearly every year. The kids love it. They are often quite shy to start with, but they love hearing foreign stations. We have encouraged quite a few Scouts to get their Foundation licence.<\/p>\n Gillian Sandell, M0OVW – Professional Transmitting Engineer, Woofferton Transmitting Station Why were you interested in a STEM career? I was always interested in how things worked, I liked to repair things whether it was an alarm clock or a bicycle. I enjoyed physics and computer programming at school. I did a degree in Computer Programming, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20395,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[410],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inwed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40459"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40742,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40459\/revisions\/40742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsgb.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
“Be yourself and play to your own strengths”<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"