68DA052 Bertie, in Northern Ireland, joins our Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) in late November 2016. A highly experienced Freeband DXer, Bertie has been involved in radio comms for more than 30 years and checks off DA-RC membership requirements in the ‘DX Hunter’ class with more than 200 DXCC worked and confirmed to his name.
Part of the United Kingdom, Bertie’s country is known for its picturesque Norman castles, glacial valleys and mountains, Celtic and Christian monuments, and coastal links golf courses. Of course it’s population of highly motivated DXers as well!
His home QTH too, Newtownards, on the RSGB referenced island EU-115, contains similar attention-grabbing places of interest…
Situated in County Down, Newtownards is a large town, townland and civil parish at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 16 km east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula.
Known colloquially by locals as “Ards”, Newtownards is overlooked by the 41 m high Scrabo Tower which was erected as a memorial to Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, in recognition of his concern for the plight of his tenants during the great potato famine.
This famous landmark is open to the public and now stands tall in Scrabo Country Park with its scenic woodland walks and parkland through Killynether Wood. While it’s not known if an antenna can be installed at its summit, it is confirmed that it houses a historical and local environment exhibition!
The Somme Heritage Centre, which is situated a little north of the town, is a unique visitor attraction of international significance showing the reality of the Great War and its effects on the community at home. It’s said to provide displays and information on the entire Irish contribution to the First World War.
Another landmark in 68DA052 Bertie’s QTH is Mount Stewart. On the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside Newtownards and near Greyabbey, this is an 18th-century house and garden.
The house and its contents reflect the history of the Londonderry family who played a leading role in British social and political life, while the 90 acre garden contains many wonderful unique and fascinating plants.
When he’s not out and about taking in some of these wonderful local sights, or in the shack chasing DX on one of his high end Yaesu or Kenwood rigs, 68DA052 Bertie enjoys the natural science of astronomy. While a 5 element yagi and Sirio Vector perched high in the sky might be enough to whet the appetite of most sky gazers, Bertie purportedly finds the study of celestial objects such as stars, galaxies, planets, moons, asteroids, comets and nebulae and processes such as supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic microwave background radiation a fascinating pastime.
The effects of solar activity on propagation no doubt too, is of similar interest and one of many topics worth broaching with Bertie if and when the conditions permit.
A big welcome to Bertie 68 DA 052 in the DA-RC. 73’s from 104 DA 102