Falklands, this is Wyke Regis calling

11:12am Friday 15th June 2007

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RADIO enthusiasts made contact across the globe after setting up a special Falklands anniversary station.

The team from Wyke Regis in Weymouth persuaded strict regulators to give them a tailor-made call sign, GB25FC, which stands for Great Britain 25 years Falklands Conflict.

And their efforts has attracted worldwide attention.

Operating from a small workshop off Wyke High Street, the amateurs are broadcasting for 10 days only, from 10am to midnight.

Station manager Neville Bridle said: "We used to have the naval base in Portland Port and the naval helicopter base, and lots of local firms were involved in the Falklands in some way "I don't think there was anybody in the area that didn't know somebody involved. So we thought this anniversary is never going to happen again and we wanted to put on a station to involve all the local amateurs. I spoke with 200 stations myself yesterday.

"Usually in the morning we speak with people across Europe, and in the evenings we are in contact with America and Canada. We've also made one contact already with Argentina.

"We're the only station with 25 in the call sign and that's why it's proving so popular."

The group now hopes to link up with the Falkland Islands, weather permitting.