The ZB2 prefix made its appearance with the first amateur radio licence issued in 1946 by officials in Gibraltar. Ham radio was born. Thirty years later, an organisation took shape for the growing community of hams there: The Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society.
The society is marking its 50th anniversary by hosting an exhibit, "Echoes from the Rock," at a local cultural center, John MacKintosh Hall. The exhibit tells of ham radio's awakening in the post-war years on the rocky Iberian peninsula. What had begun with tinkering and experimentation in those early radio years became a blessing to families in Gibraltar cut off from their relatives on the other side of the border in Spain during the years when the border, and conventional communication, was closed. During this era, in 1976, the Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society, ZB2BU, was founded after two smaller clubs merged to create a larger, more powerful group. The newly formed society gave Gibraltar a voice as a member of the International Amateur Radio Union.
The history exhibit will showcase old and modern-day radio in Gibraltar, celebrating 50 years of the club with a special event station, ZB2FTY operating from the exhibit itself and from club headquarters. The exhibit closes on the 29th of May.
