In June 1980 we held a special 24 hour non-stop Amateur radio station over our school Sports/Open day using the callsign GB2HC. This was operated by two members of staff, Richard Horton G3XWH, then Head of Physics and David Andrews G4CWB, Director of Music. We continue the tradition by using GB2HC every year for 24 hours over this event.
This generated much interest amongst the girls and the following year we started a class leading to the Radio Amateurs' Examination. This has continued every year since and we have had over 45 girls licensed over this period.
The photograph right (taken in 1982) shows (left to right) two of the original class, Dione G4OOV and Sarah G6GGH together with Nora G6RHO and Danielle G6RHN who qualified the following year.
Over the years we have built up a very comprehensive 'shack' of equipment and details of our activities follow. |
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100th Radio Amateur
Since 1981, 100 radio amateurs have been trained and licensed through the College.
Pictured left is the 100th - Katherine M3MTK with Marcus G8HDN who very kindly gave the Kenwood TS-950SDX to the College station.
Thank you very much Marcus. |
Pictured right is Dr Sarah Thompson G6GGH (with Richard Horton G3XWH) who was our first radio amateur in 1981. Sarah studied A level physics under Richard and is now senior lecturer in physics at York University, specialising in magnetic materials. |
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Radio contact
with
International Space Station
7 March 2002
Harrogate Ladies' College was the
first UK school to make amateur radio contacts with Mir and the Space
Shuttle. |
This photograph of the members of the Amateur Radio Club was taken in May 1998. Two licensed members are missing taking A levels at the time! Of the twelve girls shown, nine have their own licences and callsigns whilst the remaining three had taken the Radio Amateurs' Examination and were awaiting their results.
By May 1999, another nine girls had gained 'B' licences and four others their novice licences.
The equipment includes a TS530SP, TS950SDX, IC746 and IC970H for topband to 70cms, plus a KW1000 linear. We have four antennas at the new site above the main building - VHF/UHF collinear, helical beam for satellite work, 80/40 metre trap dipole and Optibeam OB9-5 beam for 20 to 10 metres. |
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Richard Horton G3XWH (Director of Applied Physics and Computer Network) with Svetlana Faerberg and YL operators during one of the MIR contacts with the all-Russian crew in 1999. |
New OB9-5 beam in October 2002
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Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) AGM held at College in December 2000. Great day, great food! |
The First British Astronaut
Helen Sharman
The picture (right) shows Helen Sharman receiving her special Amateur Radio license GB1MIR from Richard Horton G3XWH, to operate from the Soviet Mir Space Station. The photograph was taken in Star City (the training base for Cosmonauts outside Moscow) one month prior to launch of the mission. |
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Here (left) is Helen in the 'shack' of G0HCA at Harrogate Ladies' College after her return to earth. She is talking to Anna-Karin G7IRR (left) and Katy G7NST. Katy was the winner of our competition to ask Helen the first school's question from Mir -
"If you had no clock on board Mir, what would give you sense of time in space?" |
 
QSL Cards Used by Harrogate Ladies' College and Helen Sharman during the JUNO mission
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Revised: 08/01/2006
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