PW-2-2026

Focus on the SIGs – Amateur Radio Section

IPA - UK Amateur Radio Section By James Bertram (GM0GMN) The IPA has had an Amateur Radio section for as long as I can remember, as have many other countries around the world, including France, Germany, Finland and the United States, who are all very active. I am honoured to have been asked to take on the running of the UK section. A mateur radio is a popular technical hobby and volunteer public service that uses designated radio frequencies for the non- commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self training, and emergency communications. Amateur Radio is the only hobby governed by international treaty. As a radio amateur you are able to transmit radio signals on a number of frequency bands allocated specifically to the radio amateurs. There are also many different aspects to the hobby. For instance, you might have a handheld radio operating on VHF/UHF and enjoy local contacts or, like me, you might enjoy worldwide contacts either speaking to other stations or using Morse code. Amateur Radio also links to your computer, so some stations communicate via digital programs running very low power. Listening to these signals on the air just sounds like some noise being transmitted but once you connect your computer the message is decoded on the screen and you simply enter your message back.

Radio amateurs make use of their frequencies in a number of ways: • T o contact people all over the world by radio, which often leads to developing international friendships • T o compete in international competitions in order to test how effective your equipment is, and how good you are as an operator • F or technical experimentation — many of the leaps forward in radio technology have been initiated by radio amateurs • T o communicate through amateur space satellites or with the International Space Station (which carries an amateur radio station) • T o provide communications at times of emergencies and undertake exercises to ensure you maintain the capability to do so. There is no better way to explore the fascinating world of radio communications than by becoming a radio amateur. A 1910 announcement by the then HM Postmaster General, licensed “experimental wireless”, which still uniquely gives radio amateurs the ability to innovate without commercial or statutory controls, even in the closely regulated environment of the 21st century. We already have a web page and a Facebook page and the links to both of these are shown below. Membership is gradually increasing and I am keen to hear from individuals who would like to become Radio Amateurs, as well as those already licensed. In these modern times there are online courses to help you gain your licence, which is issued by Ofcom. It’s fairly straight-forward to get on the air and it doesn’t need to be expensive. Amateur Radio equipment comes in a variety of forms and can cost just a few pounds up to many thousands of pounds, depending on what you want to do and what you would like to spend.

Another aspect of Amateur Radio that has been in the news a lot in recent years is working via Satellites and also communicating with the International Space Station. Many of the astronauts are licensed and operate during any spare time that they have and it is remarkably simple to communicate with the space station, normally only requiring a simple set-up with a handheld radio. As a group we hope to link with other IPA Clubs on the air and also organise regular catch-ups for UK members. If anyone would like further information on the IPA UK Amateur Radio Section, please contact me at radio@ipa-uk.org or via Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/784563675559747

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POLICE WORLD Vol 71 No.2, 2026