Animation of Walschaerts valve gear reversing in a steam locomotive

This celebration is not a contest. It is organised so that radio amateurs can:

  1. Have a good time
  2. Promote Amateur Radio
  3. Help to celebrate the unique position railways hold in our national heritage

Railways on the air (ROTA) weekend takes place every year on the weekend closest to the 27th September. This date celebrates the anniversary of the first steam powered passenger railway which took place on 27th September 1825 – the first passenger train ran on a line in the North East of England from Darlington to Stockton. Bishop Auckland Amateur Radio Club coordinates this event.

The following are suggested frequencies for the event: 3.65, 7.15, 14.25.

As an additional activity the organisers propose to camp on DMR talk group 23560 for the duration so that stations can talk with BARAC and other special event stations to check on activity on the bands. That Talk Group is actually the one for North East England and is appropriate given the history of our railways.

As with all of the pages dedicated to our club activities, there are subsidiary pages to this one detailing the different approaches over time.

If you are operating, casually or otherwise, over a ROTA weekend please check the ROTA frequencies and try to work a few ROTA stations. We look forward to meeting you on air.