Icom Set To Broadcast From Unique WWII Army Sea Fort
This summer, Icom UK is to sponsor a unique radio station. This special station called Red Sands Radio will be 7 nautical miles offshore from Whitstable on the North Kent coast in a set of former WWII Army Sea Forts on the Red Sands. The radio station, which will be on-air from early July, will be broadcasting to 1,000's of listeners in Kent on 1278kHz and via the Internet at www.redsandonline.co.uk.
As part of the sponsorship agreement, Icom UK are planning to operate an Amateur Radio special event station. Ofcom has issued GBORSR the special call sign for this occasion. Icom will be broadcasting on HF using an IC-756PROIII in the evening and on VHF/UHF in the day. Icom UK also plan to conduct D-Star transmissions into a repeater system & the Internet. A vertical antenna will be affixed to the stanchions on the Southern Gun Tower roof to support the communications.
Project-Redsand is a Registered Charity that aims to preserve the Red Sands Army Fort as they are the last complete set of its kind in the world. Red Sands Radio is part of that initiative but in addition has the ambition to provide a proper 'Local Radio station for Local People'. Programme Director, Bob Le-Roi said, “Icom have a mutual interest in what we are doing & we’re delighted they’re aboard. We’re offering Icom UK an opportunity to broadcast world-wide during this summer transmission period.”
He added, “Preparing the Fort for broadcasting is a mammoth task. We have a new MF antenna system to erect, generators, studios, & a newsroom to install to get the radio station on-air, and make the Fort habitable. It’s be a big job for everyone involved.”
Icom UK Managing Director Phil Hadler said, “ We very much enjoyed the programmes from Red Sands Radio last year, it was a breath of fresh air hearing something different, that was topical & local, that played a wide range of music. We as a specialist organisation realised how difficult it was to pull off the initiative & are pleased to be supporting the project hereon ”
Radio Red Sands launches in early July 2008. For the history of the Forts photographs & audio from Red Sands Radio & the latest news on this years programmes visit www.bobleroi.co.uk
For more on the preservation of Red Sands Fort visit www.project-redsand.com & for Ham Radio transmissions & more details of Icom’s unique station including operating times and frequencies stay tuned to this website
Icom UK Marketing -
marketing@icomuk.co.uk
21/06/2008
