MILLS ON THE AIR 2026
The Isle of Wight Radio Society was busy over the weekend 9-10 May activating Calbourne Mill – a unique place that has two MOTA entities: X59675 (a windmill) and X59210 (a water mill) on the same site. The Club station G3SKY made 200 QSOs in all, including 41 registered mill stations and 9 POTA stations. HF SSB contacts were made all over Europe, on 40m, 20m, 17m, and 15m; and Australia and Japan were reached using FT8. There was also a couple of local contacts on 2m, one CW, the other FT.
A bespoke shack‑in‑a‑van, provided by newly-elected Events Manager, John M9OPD, made the G3SKY MOTA station comfortable and effective on both Saturday (when the weather was glorious) and on Sunday (when it wasn’t). This rig was complemented by an end-fed wire antenna, and a gazebo at the van’s large side door – the latter being greatly appreciated by the 20 or so club members and XYLs who visited the station.
All in all, a successful and thoroughly enjoyable weekend.
