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FAQ
At Maidstone Amateur Radio Society, we've done our best to create a Web site that anticipates and satisfies potential members needs. With that goal in mind, we've compiled a list of frequently asked questions. If you do not find an answer to your question here, contact us at g3trf at btopenworld.com
Meetings
We meet every Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the YMCA outstation, Barfreston Close, Maidstone
Membership
Anyone interested in Radio or Electronics is welcome to join us.
Costs
What does it cost to join?
At present there is no annual joining fee, although this may change as directed by the committee and membership. We do charge £3.00 per week if you do attend. This is to defray the costs of using the meeting facility.
Joining
We can prepare you to take an approved course for the Foundation Amateur Radio License. Courses are run by Bredhurst (BRATS) Club, and Maidstone act as an examination centre. It is necessary to take a formal course, and these are usually held over 2 consecutive weekend days (Total learning time around 16 hours). However, you will get much more from the BRATS training if you have some background to Amateur Radio. This is where we can help. We also follow up on basic training by providing practical help and experience once you have your license.
How much does it cost once I am qualified?
You can set up your own amateur radio station for a few tens of pounds. There is a good amount of entirely useable second hand equipment on the market that will allow you to set up a VHF or UHF station for contacts of about 150 miles or so. This can help you gain much valuable experience. If you are interested in world wide communication, a suitable HF radio is likely to cost at least £100.00 You will also need an aerial, but they are usually simple to make and help with this kind of exercise is exactly what Maidstone ARS is all about.
Amateur Radio Activites
As well as regular weekly meetings, we hold a club “net” where some members meet on air. Monitoring this net on a Thursday evening can provide more valuable insight to amateur operating techniques. We also participate in some international contests, often from field locations. We assist local Scouts with events such as Jamboree on the Air, and run public events like Mills on the Air weekend, where radio amateur operate from Mill sites around the world. Individual members also have specific interests. In particular we have members extremely well informed about space and satellite communications, experts on radio wave propagation, morse code users, home constructors, real engineers, computer experts and much more.
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