Avalon ARC was was formed in early 2016 by a small group of dedicated local radio amateurs, with the intention of providing a common forum for all those in the Glastonbury, Street and Wells area with an active interest in radio communication (whether they are licensed amateurs or not). The club is a means of getting like-minded people together on a regular basis, sharing new ideas, getting used to new equipment, and generally learning more about our common interest in radio. Radio amateurs do not imitate professional practice as ‘fans’; rather, their methods, once sufficiently reliable, are commonly adopted by professionals. It is often said that the great Marconi, who developed and made commercially useable the scientific discoveries of Heinrich Hertz and others, was at the beginning of his career the first radio amateur. The global status of amateur radio is reflected by its recognition and governance by the United Nations through its agency the International Telecommunications Union - Radiocommunication Sector ITU-R. Frequencies allocated to amateur radio by the ITU-R are not available for commercial use though some bands are shared between amateurs and other users, usually military. Member nations are expected to protect amateur radio allocations from interference and from commercial encroachment; in the UK this function is carried out by Ofcom.
