At the start of October, I was fortunate to attend the RSGB Convention for the whole weekend. I’ve now been going for quite a few years and don’t like to miss it! This year did prove a little different in the fact that I was asked to give a talk on the Raspberry Pi and how it can relate to amateur radio. I was a little unsure how popular the talk was going to be but 15mins before the talk was about to start the room was pretty much full and by the time it had start the room was full with standing room out the door!

The talk was well received with some interesting questions at the end and throughout the convention, to my surprise I was asked to repeat the talk Sunday morning, now I have to admit I’m definitely not a morning person! but again at 9am the lecture room was 85% full and I was repeating it to those who couldn’t attend the day before and people visiting for Sundays lectures.

Outside of my talk I attended.

  • Developing Ideas on IOTA by John Gould G3WKL & Roger Balister G3KMA. Demonstration of the new ADIF log application route by Dominic Smith M0BLF
  • VP6T DXpedition to Pitcairn – Nigel, G3TXF
  • John Worsnop – The GB3WGI transatlantic 144MHz beacon, Planning and progress
  • Rockall DXpedition by Patrick Godderie, ON4HIL
  • Rob Chipperfield on his trip to Tristan du Cuna, ZD9UW, the previous few weeks

You’ll spot that over the whole weekend, I didn’t sit in that many talks – I far more enjoy sitting in the ones that really take my interest and spend the rest of the time sitting around the public areas chatting, you can learn a great deal just by having a conversation with someone new.

By the end of the convention I’d met old friends and made some new ones and also got roped into a few projects, which I hope to be able to disclose in the coming weeks, but until then keep checking the blog!