Mills On The Air - Saturday 9th May 2026
This year, my Mills On The Air Special Event Station will be at Chailey Windmill.
At the moment, this is an 'unofficial' event as far as MSARS is concerned, but the committee is soon to discuss adopting it as a recognised club event. I do now have full event insurance regardless, so please feel free to come along and trip over whatever you like.
I'll be operating SES callsign GB6DGK in honour of our SK friend Gavin Keegan. It may not be registered on QRZ.com, as I'll be taking the callsign 'on tour' for the rest of the year to several locations, and it could get confusing. Chailey Windmill was last activated in 2023 (see https://midsussexars.org.uk/news/350-drg-are-at-chailey-heritage-windmill-on-saturday) when I had the pleasure of spending the day with members of the Downland Radio Group, including Gavin, who made me feel very welcome. I shall be doing the same this year, so all are cordially invited to join me either to operate or just spend some quality time out. If any members of the DRG are reading this, please come along for the nostalgia and a cup of tea. It would be lovely to see you. Likewise anyone from the Worthing club that knew Gavin.
The Windmill
If you have never been to Chailey Windmill, it's a beautiful Grade II listed smock mill originally built in 1830. It's no longer functional, after having its internal workings removed, so there is plenty of room inside to operate comfortably (bring your own camping chair). Oh, and by the way, it's set in a stunning location on Chailey Red House Common (https://chaileycommons.org.uk/), so also a POTA site (GB-3219). I have full access to the windmill (with mains power, hopefully).
When
I'll probably be there from 10:00am 'till 4:00pm on Saturday, but I'm not committing to an exact schedule. It's just for fun, as always. Main operating band/mode will be 40m SSB, but also 30m FT8 and FT4, 17m SSB and FT8, maybe 20m, 15m and 10m. Conditions and time will ultimately dictate. I may even return on the Sunday morning for an encore.
Come and join me, or work me from home if you can't afford the petrol come May.
Huge thanks to Stefan and the crew at Nunsfield House ARG for making this event possible.
Location
Maidenhead Locator: IO90xx
WAB Square: TQ32
CQGMA Windmill Number: X91880
Lat: 50.975092, Long: -0.025218
What3Words: ///heads.glows.gentle
Google Maps: Mill Ln, North Chailey, Lewes BN8 4EG
Additional Info
More information on the windmill can be found here: https://chaileyparishcouncil.gov.uk/amenities/chailey-windmill-museum-of-local-artefacts
Full information on the current mills registration list can be found at the Nunsfield House ARG website here: https://www.nharg.org.uk/content/active-mota-stations-2026
Berni M0XYF
