Welcome to the web site of the
Rhyl and District Amateur Radio Club
We are the 'Rhyl and District Amateur Radio Club' - (originally called The 'Flintshire Radio Society'). We are located in the seaside town of Rhyl, on the north coast of Wales, in the U.K.
Although the Rhyl and District Amateur Radio Club is not currently holding meetings, we have decided to keep this web site on-line, to provide a permanent record of some of the history and activities of the club, and also to allow members to keep in contact via the message board.
A brief history of the Club:
The club appears to have started as a result of a small 'Mobile Rally', arranged by a group of top band mobile enthusiasts, at the Nant Hall hotel, Prestatyn, on 30th Sept 1956. These were GW3CF, GW2CCU, GW2FVZ, GW3FJI, GW3FPF, & GW3JGA.
The first club meeting was held shortly afterwards, on 5th November 1956, at the Railway Hotel, Prestatyn. The club was initially called The Prestatyn & District Amateur Radio Club at this time. Meetings were held on the 1st Monday of each month.
At the 3rd meeting of the club, on 7th January 1957, which was called as a General Meeting,
the club was officially re-named
The Flintshire Radio Society.
The club officials at that time were:- Chairman Fergus Southworth GW2CCU, Secretary John Lawrence GW3JGA, Treasurer Peter Jones GW3FPF, committee DC Morris GW2FVZ, Bill Davies (later GW8AHI), and a Mr Chambers (not sure if he was licenced).
The subs were 5/- (5 shillings!) a year.
By the next A.G.M., in January 1958, the membership had more than doubled.
The club continued to meet at the Railway Hotel until 1960, when on the 9th May 1960, the venue changed to the Ffrith Hotel, still in Prestatyn.
By January 1961 the venue had changed again to the Bee Hotel in Rhyl.
(I'm not sure how long the club continued to meet in the Bee Hotel, but sometime prior to 1966 the club must have folded for a while.)
The Club was formally re-started again on 14th February 1967, with a General Meeting in the Rhyl Silver Band Room, Windsor Street, Rhyl. It was on this date that it was re-named The Rhyl and District Amateur Radio Club. The secretary at this time was Alan GW3UTG. The club continued to meet in the Silver Band Room until 9th October 1969.
On 23rd June 1970, a new venue, the Mona Hotel, Market Street, Rhyl, was used, and meetings continued here until at least May 1973.
(In November 1971, the main club callsign, GW4ARC, was obtained.)
Sometime later in 1973, the club moved again, to the Ambulance Station, in Rhyl. (I'm not sure how long the club lasted after this, but it eventually folded again.)
In 1977 or 1978 the Rhyl and District Amateur Radio Club was re-started yet again, meetings were again held in the ambulance station.
(In 1983, the second club callsign, GW1ARC, (then a class B call), was obtained.)
The club continued quite successfully, at various venues, until the late 90's, when due to diminishing membership numbers, and general loss of interest in radio, (due to the computer/internet boom!), it was decided to put the club on hold for a while.
A brief attempt was made in 1999 to re-start the club, but this failed after only a few months.
The Rhyl and District Amateur Radio Club is not currently holding meetings.
Pictures wanted:
If anyone has any old pictures of club activities or members, we would be pleased to add them to the pictures section of this site. Please contact us, if you have anything suitable.