Radio Society of Great Britain

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Radio Society of Great Britain



Lambda House, the RSGB headquarters in Potters Bar prior to their move to Bedford in April 2008
Abbreviation RSGB
Formation 1913
Type Non-profit organization
Purpose/focus Advocacy, Education
Headquarters 3 Abbey Court, Fraser Road, Priory Business Park, Bedford MK44 3WH
Region served UK
Membership 22,600
President Colin Thomas G3PSM
Main organ Board of Directors
Affiliations International Amateur Radio Union
Website http://www.rsgb.org/

First founded in 1913 as the London Wireless Club, the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) is the UK's recognised national society for amateur radio operators. The society's patron is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and it represents the interests of the UK’s 60,000 licensed radio amateurs. Long recognised as one of the leading amateur radio organisations in the world, the society is a member organization in the International Amateur Radio Union representing the UK. It also acts as a medium for communication between the enthusiasts and the UK Government.

Contents

[edit] Role of the RSGB

The RSGB has traditionally acted as the organisation through which amateur radio enthusiasts interact with the official UK Government body, Ofcom, for regulating radio usage. However, Ofcom has recently used its website to solicit opinions directly from the interested parties. However, the RSGB continues to advise and to seek to influence Ofcom on the likely impact of proposed changes in many areas – from decisions on licensing and bandwidth controls through to the use of Broadband over Power Lines PLT (which it is thought would cause large amounts of electromagnetic noise).

RSGB also acts as a parent organisation to many smaller groups and societies. Some of these societies unite local areas (such as repeater groups) or groups of individuals (such as Forces service groups, or old timer groups) or even people interested in a particular bandwidth (such as 2m groups).

The society publishes a monthly magazine called RadCom along with a range of technical books.

[edit] History of the RSGB

The RSGB made the first radio transmission across to the United States, but failed to have any receiving equipment. Many members were slightly annoyed by this fact and so formed other sections of the RSGB which were later absorbed into the RSGB itself.

During World War II the entire RSGB Council and many of its members were recruited into MI8, also known as the Radio Security Service. Its mission to was to intercept clandestine enemy transmissions. [1][2]

In 2006 the RSGB co-operated with Ofcom to revise the amateur radio licence. Changes included removing the annual licence fee and requirement to log all transmissions, permission to operate one's amateur radio station remotely, and increasing the spectrum available to the lower classes of licencee.[3].

[edit] Future of the RSGB

The RSGB has to contend with declining popularity in Amateur Radio. This is partly accredited to the rise in interest in computers and the internet being accessible to all. Also, ever changing technology has caused some knowledge that was once required for the use of a radio no longer to be applicable, and new knowledge required for incoming technologies.

There also are competing demands from more and more non-amateur uses of radio (for example mobile operators and wireless devices). Despite this the RSGB has been able to maintain existing amateur radio allocations and negotiate some new ones.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Publications

[edit] Books

  • Brown, Chris (ed) (2001) Radio & Electronics Cookbook Radio Society of Great Britain. ISBN 0-7506-5214-4
  • Dennison, Mike and Lorek, Chris, eds. (2006). RSGB Radio Communication Handbook. 8th Edition. Radio Society of Great Britain. ISBN 0-905086-09-1.
  • Dodd, Peter (1996) Antenna Experimenter's Guide, The Radio Society of Great Britain. ISBN 1-872309-36-4
  • Fielding, John (2006) Power Supply Handbook Radio Society of Great Britain. ISBN 1-905086-21-0
  • Fielding, John (2006) Amateur Radio Astronomy Radio Society of Great Britain. ISBN 1-905086-16-4
  • Hawker, Pat (2002) Antenna Topics Radio Society of Great Britain. ISBN 1-872309-89-5
  • Poole, Ian (2004) Radio Propagation -- Principles & Practice Radio Society of Great Britain. ISBN 1-872309-97-6

[edit] Magazines

  • RadCom The official journal of the Radio Society of Great Britain.

[edit] References

  1. ^ West, Nigel. GCHQ: The Secret Wireless War 1900-1986. ISBN 0-340-41197-X. 
  2. ^ Radio Security Service. CLUTCH Club.
  3. ^ RSGB AGM report. RSGB.