Norbreck Rally 12th April 2026

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Ladies & Gentleman, Boys & Girls…

The Norbreck Rally takes place at Norbreck Castle, Blackpool on Sunday 12th April 2026. This is exactly 6 weeks today.

This is one of the largest amateur radio rallies in the UK and for most of SOTA’s life has been a premier event to meet with other SOTA people. Once again there will be a SOTA stand with SOTA merchandise for sale.

At present we are not 100% certain who will be manning the stand, myself and John G3WGV are sure but Tom M1EYP may be unavailable due to work commitments. As usual we are looking for SOTA participants who can help with manning the stand for part of the day. You can help out for a short period or sty as long as you like. Or help for several sessions. Normally we setup before 10am so we are ready for the opening and pretty the rally is over by 3pm. If you can help out, drop me a PM and I’ll make a list.

We’ll have a variety of SOTA merchandise for sale. As I will be getting some items sent down by Barry, you can order some items now for collection on the day and save yourself some shipping costs.

So if you can spare 30mins to hour, let me know ASAP.

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Put me on the list please Andy. I’ll be arriving about opening time for the rally. If you need help setting up I could be there earlier.

73 Gerald

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I know that you don’t necessarily want a list of ‘I’m not’ but as a person who has helped in the past, I’m stating that I won’t be available this time around. I’ve had my domestic card stamped for a trip to Wales that weekend, I daren’t ask for another stamp for the Sunday too.

73, Colin

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I’m planning on being there and quite happy
to help out!

Cheers Mark. M5TEA

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Will you be in charge of the hot drinks?

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I can bring my JetBoil if that helps?

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Not heard of this rally before and looked it up for more information. I am coincidentally in the UK that weekend too, though I’ll be at Carrow Road watching Norwich (hopefully) beat Ipswich to oblivion on the Saturday and back to EI after.

Blackpool is a bit too far for me to go even if I stayed over the extra day. Will keep the 2027 rally in mind though!

P.S I’ve phoned ahead early and reserved any FT-290R mobileholsterystickytogethercageylookingmetalthings and a shoulder strap that might show up for sale.

Also any FT-207R’s, FT-208R’s, FT-202R crystals etc please! :star_struck:

Enjoy the rally everyone who attends. Wish I could go. :+1:

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Thanks to everyone who helped out and who visited the stand. In no particular order (and I hope I don’t miss anyone) thanks to the stand helpers
John G3WGV
Ian G7ADF
Mark M5TEA
Gerald MW0WML
Martyn M1MAJ
Caroline M3ZCB
Adrian G4AZS

I have a short form signing in list, I just need to find it with names of everyone who visited the stand after about 1130.

Special thanks to Ian who liaised with Tom M1EYP to bring the techo-banner supports as Tom could not make the venue this year. Attendance by punters and stall holders was down this year no doubt fuel prices were partly to blame.

Also it was lovely to meet Audrey XYL of now SK Rob G4RQJ, who came to say hello to everyone.

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Thanks and well done everyone. And yes, especially Ian who got me out of a hole by agreeing to meet me on a joint activation of Winter Hill G/SP-010 a few weeks ago in order to get the banner supports there in my absence. Gutted to miss it this year, but gigging the night before in Aberdeen made it difficult!

Band accommodation was 90 minutes back down the road in Dundee, and Peter - the guitarist who was travelling with me - lives in Lytham, AND was keen for an early getaway on the Sunday morning. So I figured I might just make the last hour of the rally and surprise everyone!

All such plans were thwarted when I exited the stage door at the Tivoli in Aberdeen to find a completely flat rear tyre on my car. I was able to pump it up every 30 minutes and make it back to the digs in Dundee. But Sunday morning had to be spent at Kwik Fit in Leven instead of on the M74, M6 and M55!

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Sorry that I couldn’t make it. It was fun to activate Upper Park GW/MW-032 on the day previous. I didn’t want to then request a domestic pass for the following day too - I think three days away from home for amateur radio shenanigans would be pushing it a bit.

I actually ending up working on Sunday, doing deliveries across the northern Yorkshire Dales.

73, Colin

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I enjoyed the rally, it was good to meet up in person with other SOTA folk, and pick up a few bits and pieces. Thanks to Andy, John and Ian for organising.

Having driven up from Shrewsbury, I decided to stay over and activate Ingleborough g/np-005 on Monday, walking up from the car park in Ingleton.

The weather was ideal, with sunshine and a light breeze. I made two errors, which happily cancelled out - first, I underestimated the climb, and arrived at the summit an hour later than my alert. But then, I realised that I had forgotten about daylight saving, and alerted with local time in mind - so I appeared to be bang on!

Eleven in the log on 2m FM, and a welcome but very unlikely 70Cm S2S with Viki MW6BWA/P on Y Golfa GW/NW-061. Unlikely, because I was using a 2m wire Jpole fed with 10m of RG58, and the poor FT817 was seeing a horrendous SWR. I dropped power to 2.5 Watts and tried not to notice, but I guess the loss in the coax absorbed some of its pain!

At that point, a man and his son came over to see what I was up to, and we had a chat about radio in the modern world for 15 mins or so. I had thought of HF, but by now it was clouding over and I was getting chilly so it was time to pack up and head for home.

A very successful couple of days for me, I wasn’t at all sure that I could make it up Ingleborough, but SOTA talk on Sunday encouraged me to try :grin:.

Hoping to spend a bit more time in the Dales this year.

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Not a problem, I go to the rally every year, so it would have been a bit bad of me to not do it considering that we live relatively close and it was easy to arrange the handover (if you don’t count my total lack of fitness on G/SP-010 of all places).

I’m not going to refuse the credit but I really didn’t do much (see above) :slight_smile:

Always good to see people in person (Sota or otherwise) and its one of the main reasons I go each year.

Seconded, I’m glad she is still keeping in touch with the radio community and proudly sporting the SOTA top. Although, she was about to throttle the next person who asked her about cakes :slight_smile:

Early on, it looked like there would be a good crowd, but after the first influx it really did die down and the afternoon was really quiet. Yes fuel prices, and also I wondered if £8 entrance might just be a little over the top of what people want to pay.

I personally think that new location for the Sota stand was better than in previous years. Literally the first one as people entered.

Only a couple of the main traders (Lamco and Canny Components) and a few of what I would say are “second tier” , not that they are bad, just limited range or very specialised. Absent (and have been a few years now) were someone like Moonraker as an antenna retailer. Whatever you think about their antennas, they also stock a good range of fixtures and fittings (which personally I was looking for).

The club stands were as good as ever with some very professional layouts as well as the chance to rummage through boxes of junk.

Oh and Andy, my wife says thankyou for selling the 290 to someone else :slight_smile:. Adrian, my wife thanks you too for the non purchase of either the FTx1 or IC-705 :slight_smile:. I don’t need either at the moment. (need as opposed to desire)

I also heard we had an expert on linked dipoles on the stand this year too :smiley:

All in all a good day. Hopefully the rally can continue for a few more years yet.

Ian

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