Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club, Neath (2025)

26/02/2025

Tom McNamara GW3FXZ, was licensed in 1949 and although not a member of the Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club was well known to many amateurs throughout the area as a local stockist of radio valves and other components. Tom owned a radio repair shop at 30 Dillwyn Street, Swansea and also traded in surplus radio and scientific equipment. Tom went SK in November 1963 but his widow Phyllis continued to run the business until the premises were demolished for redevelopment in the late 1970’s.
The photograph below is of an original painting of Tom’s shop by South Wales artist Julie Davies and is available for purchase. Email [email protected] for further details.

http://www.philogmore.co.uk/TyEglwysArt/Tea.html

20/02/2025

Denzil (Denny) Evans GW3CDP, was a former member of the Royal Signals Regiment and served in Burma during World War II aged just nineteen. Prior to joining the Port Talbot club, Denny had been a member of the Rhigos amateur radio club as he lived in the nearby village of Resolven where post war he played rugby for the local team. Denny was part of the Rhigos entry that won the Short Wave Magazine’s 1948 Top Band MCC contest using the callsign GW3FFE. Upon marriage in 1966 to his wife Ann, a native of Skewen near Neath, he moved there and subsequently joined the Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club that was now local to him. Denny subscribed to both the RSGB and ARRL and being an avid DXer was also an initial member of the UK based CDXC foundation - see link below.

He was one of relatively few radio amateurs worldwide to have been awarded the prestigious ‘ARRL Number One DXCC Honor Award’ for his confirmed working of 348 ITU countries. For many years Denny ran a phone DX Net on 15 metres, referred to as ‘Snooky’s net’ named after his pet cat, he being well located geographically to coordinate QSOs between USA and Eastern Europe & Asia stations. By way of an obituary following Denny’s passing in 2007, Ron Notarius W3WN posted;

This is sad news. I remember Denny from my DXing days in the early to mid 1980's, back when he was the usual NCS (net controller station) for the 15 meter "Snooky's Net." Always no-nonsense, as I recall, but always a gentleman, and always willing to lend a hand if needed. It saddens me to realize that it's been over 15 years since I heard him on the air. One of the “good guys" in the DX World. He will be missed.

Denny sometimes competed in the ARRL CQ World Wide Contest and as a Single Operator/Single Band entrant for the 1969 competition, attained a score of 38,514 points by working 69 countries on 15 metres in just 24 hours. In support of fellow amateurs he would also act as their QSL Manger and did this for stations including EK4JJ, EW6WR, EY8XX and 4J4GK. In the early/mid 1970s, Denny was one of the Members within the Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club who actively supported the establishment of the GB3WW and GB3SP repeaters. Denny went SK in 2007 aged 81 years.

https://www.cdxc.org.uk

16/02/2025

Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club - GW3EOP was back on the air last weekend after a break of twenty five years. The Club entered the Radio Society of Great Britain’s Top Band Contest and was the only station operating portable (/P). The location chosen was near the Nash Point lighthouse, Llantwit Major the former home of GW3UUZ and from where the Club had entered many previous competitions. Band conditions were poor and it was a bitterly cold evening and even though finishing 23rd out of 24 entrants in the ‘unassisted phone category’, it was still a worthwhile endeavour. The Club’s callsign GW3EOP can be available on a rotational basis for use by any UK based license holders (e.g. G3EOP/A, GM3EOP/A etc) who have at any time been a Member of the Club. Email [email protected] for further details.

12/02/2025

Tom Davies GWBVN, often affectionately referred to as ‘Tommy Trouble’, lived in Aberavon, Port Talbot. Tom was first licensed as a ‘GW8’ but after becoming disappointed with the lack of local VHF/UHF activity, sought CW tuition from Alan Glassford GW3ACF so he could pass the Post Office morse test and gain a full license. (GW3ACF successfully tutored a number of aspiring amateurs in learning morse.) Tom was a native of Aberdare and was well known in the local community through the second hand car dealership he had established there. Tom subsequently moved to Port Talbot where he secured employment as a maintenance engineer at the docks of the Port Talbot Steel Works, continuing to work there until his retirement. Tom was a keen and successful DXer, particularly on the forty and eighty meter bands and regularly adopted the ‘brute force’ method of operating, especially to break through ‘pile ups’ etc. Early morning amateurs on forty and eighty meters would often hear Tom barking out “CQ DX from GW4 Baker Victor Nan!”, deploying his Drake L4B amplifier or Hallicrafters SR-2000 Hurricane transceiver to maximum effect. Tom was also a keen amateur organist and had several Hammond type electronic organs at the home he shared with his partner Beryl. Tom never lost his aptitude for dealing and would often buy and sell equipment with fellow amateurs, an unforgettable experience for many. One of the Club’s most memorable characters, and sadly missed. RIP ‘Baker Victor Nan’. SK 1997

https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=5516

09/02/2025

RSGB Newsreader Reg Woolley joined Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club as a teenager in the mid 1970’s and progressed quickly from an SWL to obtain his first callsign, GW8VHI, aged just seventeen. He was a regular attendee at meetings, enthusiastically supported many of the Club’s activities and attended the Club reunion in 2008. Upon embarking on an engineering career with the Royal Air Force, Reg was subsequently posted to a number of overseas locations and whilst serving his Country secured a series of local callsigns so he could continue to pursue his hobby whilst away from ‘G’ land. These callsigns being DA4RG Germany, ZD8GW Ascension Island, VP8BPZ Falkland Islands, as well as EI3VPO in a civilian capacity. Following his retirement from the RAF, Reg and his wife settled in Warwickshire where he regularly operates VHF/UHF. He has made many DX contacts on these bands having an impressive antenna array and enjoying an exceptionally good location. (See link below for a panoramic sweep from the top of Reg’s tower.) Reg’s current antenna stack comprises of a Moxon on 10m, 4 element on 6 metres, 10 element on 144 MHz and a pair of phased 23 elements for 432 MHz, these being ‘topped off’ with a dual band vertical for 144/432 MHz complete with Union Jack! Reg is a longstanding RSGB newsreader and can be heard most Sunday evenings all across central England on both 2 metres and 70 centimetres reading the latest amateur radio news. Keep up the good work Reg’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw531H-JNMw

05/02/2025

The First Class Operators Club (FOC) is an exclusive international community of radio amateurs who have demonstrated their competence in morse code communications (CW) and, as importantly, their technical professionalism and support for less experienced practitioners of the CW mode. It was established in 1938 by Bob Webster G5BW, and John Hunter G2ZQ, and has members from over fifty different countries. The first post-war member of the FOC was the British amateur Austin Forsyth O.B.E., G6FO, who for many years was the editor of the Short Wave Magazine; an amateur radio publication that sponsored numerous CW competitions. Of the relatively small number of amateurs worldwide who have attained entry to this exclusive club, only 2242 as of February 2025, there have been 5 who were members or close associates of the Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club. These being Ron Edwards GW3BQY, Cyril Jay GW3KSQ, Lionel Watts GW3MOP, Dewi Davies GW3FSP and Steve Bleaney GW3VPL. Below is a link to the FOC website:

https://www.g4foc.org

05/02/2025

For most of his life Cyril Jay ,GW3KSQ, lived in Margam near Port Talbot which was within walking distance to the Club’s last meeting venue, the British Steel Sports & Social Club. Cyril was a skilled CW operator helping the Club to win the Eighteenth Short Wave Magazine MCC contest in 1963 in a team comprised of himself, Dewi Davies GW3FSP and Ron Edwards GW3BQY. (The Club also used his callsign to enter the MCC contest in 1956 finishing eleventh out of a total of thirty five entrants.) Cyril was a longstanding member of the First Class Operators Club (FOC), an amateur radio organisation that recognises professionalism amongst the international CW fraternity.

04/02/2025

Handel Bluer, G(W)3UUZ, was a Trinity House lighthouse keeper and the first in the United Kingdom to be allowed to operate from his place of work, Nash Point lighthouse on the South Wales coast. Known affectionately by his fellow amateurs as ‘Andy the Lamp’ or ‘Andy the Light’, Handel was based at Nash Point for some six years and during that time was a great friend to the Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club. He had an extensive wire antenna array which helped him become widely known across the UK, Europe and North America and on multiple occasions allowed the Club use of his station to enter competitions. Operating from the Nash Point lighthouse and using Handel’s callsign the Club won the Short Wave Magazine top band Magazine Club Contest, ‘MCC’, in 1970. Sadly, ‘Andy the Lamp’ went SK in 2021 at the age of 92 but his son, Elgar ‘redders’ Bluer (M5ACT), helps maintain his father’s legacy in the amateur radio world. Trinity House colleagues recorded an interesting and entertaining video with Handel some years after his retirement that documented his extensive career, see link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZsIMUNwXNM

03/02/2025

GW3WWN - Gerallt (Wynne) Evans was a prolific CW operator and longstanding member of the Club. He was a regular entrant of many single operator CW competitions and a dependable ‘QSLer’. Apart from his CW skills, Wynne was also an accomplished clarinetist and with a few of his fellow musicians would often provide the musical entertainment at Club social events; invariably ending the evening with his rendition of ‘Stranger on the Shore’. Sadly SK as of 2012.

03/02/2025

Special QSL Card issued by the Club following the winning of the RSGB ‘CW Field Day’ competition in June, 1970. Two stations were entered for the competition with the ’B’ station securing the win using the callsign GW5VX/P. This was the callsign of Arthur Hollingsworth who was the Club‘s Chairman at that time.

03/02/2025

Welcome to the page of GW3EOP. The Neath, Port Talbot & District Short Wave Club was established in 1946, changing its name from time to time and eventually becoming the Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club. This page celebrates the past achievements of the Club and its Members, as well as reporting on recent activities. Club and Member related information for potential inclusion on the page can be submitted via email.

Port Talbot Amateur Radio Club

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