The BATC was founded in 1949 with the aim then, as now, to encourage and co-ordinate the activities of amateurs involved in all aspects of television as a hobby. The Club is the largest such specialist organisation in the World and is affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain and is run by its members on a voluntary, unpaid basis. The Club is non profit making, in that members are not paid for the work that they do. Any profits made from the sale of various printed circuit boards, components and publications are used in the administration of the Club’s affairs and to provide such things as an annual convention, exhibits at various shows and rallies and sundry other services to members. To ensure that ATV is properly represented, the Club liases with other international ATV organisations and has been represented at international policy making conferences.
BATC members’ interests divide broadly into those who are licensed to transmit and receive television pictures on the amateur radio bands, and those whose interests lie in the technicalities of producing video equipment and programme material.
The cornerstone of the Club is the magazine ‘CQ-TV’, through which the Club keeps in touch with its members. The journal is largely technical in content, and includes many articles, circuits and projects dealing with all aspects of television at technical levels from the very simple to the advanced. Also included are equipment reviews and activity columns, overseas interest, in fact anything which is new and interesting to television amateurs. Members’ small advertisements are inserted free of charge in the ‘Market Place’ section of the magazine, which carries advertisements for every conceivable piece of equipment that one could want. Each magazine also carries complete lists of printed circuit boards, special components and sundries, which generally made available in the BATC shop at cost plus prices to members.
CQ-TV is known throughout the World as a leading source of information for the television amateur, and is regularly read in over thirty countries.
The Club runs various ATV Activity Days throughout the year for fixed and portable stations. Also, there is an International ATV contest, organised each year by a different member country of the IARU, held over a weekend in June.
A major convention is put on each year by the BATC, at which members are able to exhibit their own equipment and see what others are doing, look at and buy all that is new to ATV from the various trade exhibits, and to meet other enthusiasts and talk to the Officers and Committee Members of the BATC. The Club also exhibits at many of the major amateur radio shows and rallies throughout the year and country, thus maintaining a personal contact with as many members as possible.