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Amateur radio buffs ride high for Airfields on the Air event


By David G Scott

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Caithness Amateur Radio Society (CARS) held its first event of 2023 for the event Airfields on the Air over the Easter weekend.

Working from the Air Cadets hut adjacent to Wick airfield, members attempted contact with other enthusiasts operating at airfields and radio enthusiasts on the air.

Radio mast set up at the event.
Radio mast set up at the event.

Nigel Mansfield, CARS club secretary, said: "This was not a competition event so there was time to chat about the location and history. The club used two HF radios, taking it in turn to operate the radio or log the incoming station."

Members made 106 contacts over the two days including one from Alaska despite the poor conditions. The station also had a visit from Wick High School pupils who had shown an interest in amateur radio.

Harry Leith and Les Thomas operating radio and logging.
Harry Leith and Les Thomas operating radio and logging.

Wick was originally a grass airfield, for Scottish Airways Ltd. from 1933 until 1939. Requisitioned by the Air Ministry during World War II, the airfield was extended with hard runways, hangars, and other buildings. It was administered by RAF Coastal Command known as RAF Wick (Royal Air Force Wick).

The airport now provides commercial air travel connections for Caithness, with scheduled services to other airports. It remains regularly used by helicopters servicing local offshore oil operations and the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm


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