Hastings Electronics and Radio Club - HERC
Join Our Club Today!
About our club
G2LL G1HHH G6HH
HERC brings you amateur radio and electronics in the seaside town of Hastings and surrounding villages.
Please feel free to send an email for more information.
Skeds:
CW - Mondays 8pm 144.575Mhz - this may change so check in regularly to confirm.
2m - Every day at 10am on 144.575Mhz. If nothing heard check in to repeater GB3ES as this is now reliably operational and makes it easier for members to join the sked.
Club meet - check the 'Notice Board' calendar below.
We also hold twice weekly zoom nights - Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm - members only. Zooms are for the free 40mins.
You are most welcome to join in on our on-air skeds, no membership required although members benefit from a monthly newsletter. You are also very welcome to come along to any of the outdoor/indoor meetings to find out what goes on and after a little persuasion maybe join up and join in.
Membership details for 2025
Annual membership £15.00
Under 18 years & students £6.00
Family, where two or more people reside at the same property £18.00
Ordinary members will receive a copy of our monthly newsletter 'Vital Spark' by email.
Send an email to herc.hastings(at)gmail.com for more information. Note! Please put @ in the email address instead of (at).
HERC brings you amateur radio and electronics in the seaside town of Hastings and surrounding villages.
Please feel free to send an email for more information.
Skeds:
CW - Mondays 8pm 144.575Mhz - this may change so check in regularly to confirm.
2m - Every day at 10am on 144.575Mhz. If nothing heard check in to repeater GB3ES as this is now reliably operational and makes it easier for members to join the sked.
Club meet - check the 'Notice Board' calendar below.
We also hold twice weekly zoom nights - Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm - members only. Zooms are for the free 40mins.
You are most welcome to join in on our on-air skeds, no membership required although members benefit from a monthly newsletter. You are also very welcome to come along to any of the outdoor/indoor meetings to find out what goes on and after a little persuasion maybe join up and join in.
Membership details for 2025
Annual membership £15.00
Under 18 years & students £6.00
Family, where two or more people reside at the same property £18.00
Ordinary members will receive a copy of our monthly newsletter 'Vital Spark' by email.
Send an email to herc.hastings(at)gmail.com for more information. Note! Please put @ in the email address instead of (at).
Notice Board
Happy New Year Everybody
Weekly meetings are at the venues as shown.
March
Wed. 5th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Sat. 8th - Fairlight. 13:00
Wed.12th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Wed. 19th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Wed. 26th - Taplin Centre. 18:30 - Details in Peter's Taplin page further down.
Sat. 29th - Fairlight. 13:00
Check website for any changes or additions.
Venue addresses:
Bexhill Garden Centre (Blackbrooks). Head for Freshfields TN38 8FB then, immediately after turning into the road turn left into Lewis Avenue. It's a dead-end at the garden centre although Lewis Avenue continues as a footpath round to the big roundabout at Ravenside. Don't get confused! If open we'll be in the overflow carpark to the right at the end.
Hastings Country Park The carpark with the Bale House Café, Lower Coastguard Lane, at the top of Battery Hill. Postcode TN35 4AD.
The Taplin Centre 3 Upper Maze Hill, St. Leonard's-on-Sea, TN38 0LQ
Look out for the little black Mini clubman - reg. ending TVJ
Will HERC members keep an eye out for any prospective new members please.
Remember to check this website before leaving your house as sometimes there is a last-minute problem and we have to change venue and or the day, or, if there is a catastrophe, cancel.
Weekly meetings are at the venues as shown.
March
Wed. 5th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Sat. 8th - Fairlight. 13:00
Wed.12th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Wed. 19th - Bexhill Garden Centre. 13:00
Wed. 26th - Taplin Centre. 18:30 - Details in Peter's Taplin page further down.
Sat. 29th - Fairlight. 13:00
Check website for any changes or additions.
Venue addresses:
Bexhill Garden Centre (Blackbrooks). Head for Freshfields TN38 8FB then, immediately after turning into the road turn left into Lewis Avenue. It's a dead-end at the garden centre although Lewis Avenue continues as a footpath round to the big roundabout at Ravenside. Don't get confused! If open we'll be in the overflow carpark to the right at the end.
Hastings Country Park The carpark with the Bale House Café, Lower Coastguard Lane, at the top of Battery Hill. Postcode TN35 4AD.
The Taplin Centre 3 Upper Maze Hill, St. Leonard's-on-Sea, TN38 0LQ
Look out for the little black Mini clubman - reg. ending TVJ
Will HERC members keep an eye out for any prospective new members please.
Remember to check this website before leaving your house as sometimes there is a last-minute problem and we have to change venue and or the day, or, if there is a catastrophe, cancel.
Special Events
Railways on the Air - ROTA
GB1FUN
Many thanks for those HERC members who took the time and made the effort to join in with this Special Event.
club history
The Hastings Radio Club was originally formed back in the 1920s and, apart from a couple of short breaks, has been around ever since.
Month on the Air
Phil G3MGQ prepares a monthly round-up of what's happening on the bands. Click on the link below to open Phil's latest document.
MOTA January 2025.pdf
MOTA February 2025.pdf
MOTA March 2025.pdf
Many thanks to Phil for keeping us updated each month for this year.
MOTA January 2025.pdf
MOTA February 2025.pdf
MOTA March 2025.pdf
Many thanks to Phil for keeping us updated each month for this year.
Parks on the Air - POTA
Parks on the Air (POTA), Mixing Amateur Radio with the great outdoors.
To begin with, POTA is not a competition, it is an event.
Parks on the Air (POTA) began in early 2017 as a continuation of the ARRL’s National Parks on the Air special event. When the year-long event concluded, a dedicated group of volunteers decided to keep the event alive, leading to the creation of POTA.
So, what is POTA?, It encourages amateur radio operators to explore the great outdoors while enjoying their hobby. Whether you’re an “activator” setting up a station in a park or a “hunter” making contact from anywhere, POTA offers flexibility and fun.
Getting Started as a Hunter (Work from anywhere)
Remember to follow the rules: ensure that you comply with legal requirements, comply with the DX Code of Conduct, and follow the Golden Rule!.
Visit the Spotting Page, head to POTA’s website and explore the spotting page https://pota.app/#/, It lists active stations, their park locations, frequencies, and modes. tune around and respond if you hear an activator, making a contact officially starts your POTA journey!.
Sign up for your free account, create an account on the website to track your progress, certificates, and awards. POTA operates on a system based on park activator logs.
Getting Started as an Activator:
Follow the Rules: As an activator, adhere to legal requirements, the DX Code of Conduct, and the Golden Rule!.
Set Up in a Park, pack-up your portable gear and head to a designated park. respect the park boundaries, leave everything how you fount it, and follow any instructions from park wardens, the list of parks can be found at https://pota.app/#/map.
It can also be helpful to notify others of your planned activation in advance, this will help the hunters plan their hunting, this can be done on the scheduled activations page https://pota.app/#/activations.
Remember to spot yourself while calling CQ, visit POTA’s map to add a spot. Hunters will soon find you!
Log Your QSOs, Using any logging method that generates a valid ADIF file. Upload your logs on the website to track your stats and earned awards, as the activator, you are responsible for logging all the contacts, the hunter does not need to do anything, if you do not upload your logs then neither you or the hunter will get the points.
By now you must be wondering what the Golden Rule of POTA is?, Well it is to have fun and keep it simple!.
To begin your Journey, sign up here: https://pota.app/#/signup
A getting started video can be found here: https://youtu.be/odegfaGczAc?si=klJslL7IIkyyjjn7
Rules can be found here: https://docs.pota.app/docs/rules.html
CW guide can be found here: https://docs.pota.app/docs/cw_guide.html
To begin with, POTA is not a competition, it is an event.
Parks on the Air (POTA) began in early 2017 as a continuation of the ARRL’s National Parks on the Air special event. When the year-long event concluded, a dedicated group of volunteers decided to keep the event alive, leading to the creation of POTA.
So, what is POTA?, It encourages amateur radio operators to explore the great outdoors while enjoying their hobby. Whether you’re an “activator” setting up a station in a park or a “hunter” making contact from anywhere, POTA offers flexibility and fun.
Getting Started as a Hunter (Work from anywhere)
Remember to follow the rules: ensure that you comply with legal requirements, comply with the DX Code of Conduct, and follow the Golden Rule!.
Visit the Spotting Page, head to POTA’s website and explore the spotting page https://pota.app/#/, It lists active stations, their park locations, frequencies, and modes. tune around and respond if you hear an activator, making a contact officially starts your POTA journey!.
Sign up for your free account, create an account on the website to track your progress, certificates, and awards. POTA operates on a system based on park activator logs.
Getting Started as an Activator:
Follow the Rules: As an activator, adhere to legal requirements, the DX Code of Conduct, and the Golden Rule!.
Set Up in a Park, pack-up your portable gear and head to a designated park. respect the park boundaries, leave everything how you fount it, and follow any instructions from park wardens, the list of parks can be found at https://pota.app/#/map.
It can also be helpful to notify others of your planned activation in advance, this will help the hunters plan their hunting, this can be done on the scheduled activations page https://pota.app/#/activations.
Remember to spot yourself while calling CQ, visit POTA’s map to add a spot. Hunters will soon find you!
Log Your QSOs, Using any logging method that generates a valid ADIF file. Upload your logs on the website to track your stats and earned awards, as the activator, you are responsible for logging all the contacts, the hunter does not need to do anything, if you do not upload your logs then neither you or the hunter will get the points.
By now you must be wondering what the Golden Rule of POTA is?, Well it is to have fun and keep it simple!.
To begin your Journey, sign up here: https://pota.app/#/signup
A getting started video can be found here: https://youtu.be/odegfaGczAc?si=klJslL7IIkyyjjn7
Rules can be found here: https://docs.pota.app/docs/rules.html
CW guide can be found here: https://docs.pota.app/docs/cw_guide.html
Taplin Programme
This section is run by our Programme Manager - Peter G0FUU
Please download the .pdf below for a full appraisal of events at the Taplin Centre meetings which take place on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Last year's is still there to remind you of what you might have missed !
HERC program for 2024.pdf
Please download the .pdf below for a full appraisal of events at the Taplin Centre meetings which take place on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Last year's is still there to remind you of what you might have missed !
HERC program for 2024.pdf
Band Conditions
For an up-to-date review on band conditions - courtesy Paul N0NBH
training videos
This section has information about training videos available on the internet.
Find a topic in which you are interested and click on the associated link.
SWR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWmx1_-V1-o&ab_channel=DavidCasler
Logging - https://youtu.be/QAyfL9hIfiU
Find a topic in which you are interested and click on the associated link.
SWR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWmx1_-V1-o&ab_channel=DavidCasler
Logging - https://youtu.be/QAyfL9hIfiU