Cambridge Rally March 2012 Report

Here’s a quick review of the Cambridge Rally, held today, Sunday the 4th of March 2012.

Today’s event was held at the Wood Green Animal Shelter, Godmanchester, near Huntingdon, and was organised by the Cambridge & District Amateur Radio Club.

Given that this year’s Canvey Rally on the 5th of February was something of a white-out due to the heavy snow, a trek to one of the larger rallies in the area seemed in order, and good things are normally said about the rally in Cambridge.

The venue, a busy animal shelter close to Huntingdon, is a good one, and the event seemed to be pretty well attended by both traders and visitors. Entrance fee is £3, and the event was very well organised and staffed.

Buzz from the traders was that the rally was a little more quiet than previous years, probably down to the rain, or the roadworks on the A14. There were a small number of empty tables, but nonetheless, it seemed pretty busy, and there were bargains to be had.

Here’s a short video montage of some of the photos and video from the event:

It was good to see a few friendly faces from Essex, including Carl G3PEM, Clive G1EUC, David M6AGX, James (W & S), Murray G6JYB, Penny and Trevor M5AKA. Thanks also to the M5 from East London (sorry, I missed your callsign) who pointed me to the bargain 2m/70cm whip for my Yaesu FT60 over on the Moonraker stand.

Full credit to Peter M0DCV who did an excellent job on the 145.550 Rally Talk In channel, under the callsign G2XV. He did a sterling job of navigating drivers around the road closure on the A14, whilst being stuck in a rain-soaked car park.

On the subject of parking, there was plenty at the rally, with marshalls on-site coordinating parking very efficiently. A fine array of antennas on top of the assembled vehicles…

This is certainly a rally I’ll be visiting again, as there was plenty to see (and buy), an excellent cafe in the building, and a good buzz about the event. Pictured here are two of my favourite shots from the stalls:

Well done to the lads and lasses from the Cambridge and District Amateur Radio Club for organising the event.

Did you go? Add a comment below, and share your experiences…