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The history of the English School Radio Club - 5B4ES
   
Officially the English School Radio Club (known most commonly as 5B4ES from its callsign) was founded in 1969. However, students in the school were engaged with radio electronics much earlier before that. Donald wood in particular was very interested about the hobby of Amateur Radio and enjoyed talking out of school with people having deep knowledge about the subject. This led him in helping his fellow classmates getting knowledge about the whole idea. The result of this initiative of his was the foundation of the English School Radio Club in 1969.
 Before 1963 15 Amateur Radio stations existed in Cyprus . In 1963 however the government of Cyprus called in all the existing licences and did not gave any more. These forced these fifteen stations to stop transmitting or transmit illegally. Only 5B4ES managed to obtain a 60 hour license during contests from the government. Here the members worked continuously using shifts for 21/2 days. For a period of time 5B4ES and 20 stations from the British bases were the only ones existing (legally) in Cyprus . Gradually and as more and more people were interested in the hobby in Cyprus , the Cypriot government started issuing proper full year licenses (which 5B4ES holds today) putting in charge the Ministry of Communication and Works.
 From the beginning, for its transmitting place 5B4ES obtained the shack next to the headmaster’s house that was previously occupied by the English School Scout Troop. For a period of time after 1974 the shack was shared with the School’s foreman Mr. Kostakis. Half of the shack was used by 5B4ES and the other half served as a henhouse for Mr. Kostakis. In the late 1980’s however the whole of the shack was occupied by 5B4ES. Unfortunately, due to lack of maintenance the conditions of the shack were heartrending by 2007. After a lot of effort by the club’s members, ex-members and school staff the shack was renovated in 2009 under the Headmaster Mr. Stuart Haggett. As the headmaster described it himself ... the club’s shack looks now palatial!
 Throughout its history the club has changed its callsign several times to reach the legendary 5B4ES callsign and the special contest callsign P39P which it holds at present.
 

Special callsigns used from 5B4ES with year first used in parenthesis:

5B30ES (1990)
5B5E (1992)
C40R(1992)
H2FP (1993)
H25Z (1993)
P30ES (1993)
P39P (1994 – first used in 1994 CQ WW DX SSB contest)
 

Today, 5B4ES is one of the school’s most successful clubs and one of the most well known amateur radio clubs worldwide. It engages itself in a very wide spectrum concerning electronics. This includes amateur radio contests, practicals in physics, electronic equipment projects and lectures over the HAREC examination syllabus. Its activities also include the infamous “souvlaki days” were the members gather together at the club’s shack and make their own “souvlaki”. Here is a brief contest history for 5B4ES:  

 

Year

Contest

Mode

Category

Power

Call

Score

QSOs

QTCs

Mults

Zones

Countries

Operators

1973

CQWW

SSB

MS

 

5B4ES

746200

1408

N/A

N/A

49

133

Ops

1983

CQWW

SSB

MS

 

5B4ES

1094620

1670

N/A

N/A

52

177

5B4MF, 5B4NK, 5B4NN, Achilleoudis, Papadopoulos, Eugeniou

1984

CQWW

SSB

MS

 

5B4ES

1318500

1815

N/A

N/A

48

202

5B4LP, 5B4MF, 5B4ON, 5B4OQ, 5B4OS, 5B4OX, 5B4OY, 5B4PB, 5B4QL

1988

CQWW

SSB

MS

 

5B4ES

2457000

2641

N/A

N/A

79

243

5B4VH, 5B4WM, 5B4WN, 5B4WS, 5B4XD, 5B4XF, 5B4XN, 5B4YG

1988

WAEDC

SSB

Multi Operator

LP

5B4ES

942256

1683

949

358

N/A

N/A

5B4VH, 5B4WM, 5B4WN, 5B4XD, 5B4XN, 5B4XF

1989

CQWW

CW

MS

 

5B4ES

943936

1092

N/A

N/A

84

217

5B4WN, 5B4XN

1989

CQWW

SSB

MS

 

5B4ES

2904330

2565

N/A

N/A

92

298

5B4WN, 5B4WS, 5B4XF, 5B4XN, 5B4YS, Charralambides, Georgiou, Tolias

1989

WAEDC

SSB

Multi Operator

LP

5B4ES

953398

1796

1250

313

N/A

N/A

5B4WS, 5B4XN, 5B4XF

1990

CQWW

SSB

MS

 

5B30ES

?

?

N/A

N/A

?

?

5B4WN, 5B4WS, 5B4XN, 5B4XF, Charalambides, Georgiou

1990

WAEDC

SSB

Multi Operator

LP

5B30ES

1450224

1807

1550

432

N/A

N/A

5B4WN, 5B4XN, 5B4XF

1991

CQWW

SSB

MS

HP

5B4ES

2508350

2647

N/A

N/A

77

248

5B4ACY, 5B4YN, Marios, Julio, Chris

1993

WAEDC

SSB

Multi Operator

HP

C40R

1392110

1915

1899

365

N/A

N/A

5B4AFM, 5B4AHZ, SWLs

1994

WAEDC

SSB

Multi Operator

HP

P39P

1196520

1891

1649

338

N/A

N/A

5B4AFM, 5B4AHZ, Theodoros, Nicholas

1995

CQWPX

SSB

MS

HP

P39P

9,633,638

3819

 

763

 

 

5B4AFM, 5B8AH, 5B8AJ, Nicholas, Petros

1995

WAEDC

SSB

Multi Operator

HP

P39P

1955960

2280

2000

457

N/A

N/A

SWLs

1996

CQWW

SSB

MS

HP

5B4ES

3148860

3046

N/A

N/A

86

281

Pateras, Ioannides, Rousos

1996

All Asian DX

SSB

MS

HP

H25Z

338856

2017

 

168

 

 

Nicholas P, Andreas, Nicholas R, 5B8AH, 5B4AFM

1997

CQWPX

SSB

MS

HP

C40M

8,513,496

3513

 

636

 

 

5B4AFM, 5B8AH

1999

All Asian DX

SSB

MS

HP

P39P

393302

2161

 

182

 

 

Constandinos, Antonis, Demetris, Vasilis, George Z. George G. Michalis

1999

CQWPX

SSB

MS

HP

P39P

5,978,259

2582

 

673

 

 

Ops

2000

All Asian DX

SSB

MS

HP

P39P

813890

5285

 

154

 

 

VASSILIS EROTOKRITOU (suspect possible error in score/QSO listing)

2000

CQWPX

SSB

MS

HP

P39P

6,099,000

2670

 

760

 

 

Demetris Vassilis George Christakis Antonis Nicholas Fernando Michael

2001

CQWPX

SSB

MS

HP

P39P

4,645,443

2342

 

627

 

 

Vassilia Christakis Demetris Antonis Christos Fernando

 
40 years have past since 1969; 40 years of amateur radio, 40 years of fun and enjoyment, 40 years of excellence for 5B4ES. The club now flourishes. It counts currently over 20 members and its ex-members count over a hundred. For many of its ex-members it has proved of vital importance for their future as it introduced them in the world of electronics and physics which they chose to engage with in their studies. Above all however it has provided for all its members countless hours of fun and a lifetime experience.5B4ES’s history is a profound one and it continues to grow year by year, day by day.
 This is the history of 5B4ES, our history and a history you can be part of it and never regret it!