Successful 1st FACB Radio Festival

A full house at the SSA Sichern.

The rain clouds gave Liestal a wide berth. The SSA Sichern site was a hive of activity on Sunday, 30 August 2026. The Basel Amateur Radio Club (FACB) had organised its first radio festival. OM and YLs met curious guests, unpacked measuring equipment and talked shop about antenna designs.

Young hams in action

At the soldering table on the first floor, the soldering irons were working overtime. Children were fitting components onto circuit boards, soldering joints and building small circuits. During the treasure hunt, the young participants ran around with direction-finding receivers to track down the hidden transmitters. “Here, the young people grasp RF technology straight away,” said a visibly pleased volunteer at the station.

USKA with its own stand

The USKA was also represented with its own stand, where, amongst other things, LoRa devices were showcased. Together with delegations from friendly clubs and organisations in the region, the board members discussed current club matters over barbecues and risotto.

A fantastic event

Happy Radio Basel covered the event from start to finish. The mobile studio broadcast live all day via the St. Chrischona DAB+ transmitter and captured voices directly from the festival grounds. The mix of radio operations, SCBO’s presence, a car boot sale and refreshments made the 1st Funkfest a fantastic event for the FACB.