TRUDO RADIO CLUB

In 2005 we were “high in the air” on the Abbey Tower and used the callsign OO5TRUDO. This was a Special Event Station in honor of the founding of Sint‑Truiden in the 7th century. Below is the QSL card:

Belgium celebrates a double scientific event in 2009. It has been 100 years since Adrien de Gerlache, aboard the ship ‘Belgica’, led the first Belgian scientific expedition to the Antarctic Continent (1897–1899). On February 15 of this year, the new research station ‘Princess Elisabeth’ was officially inaugurated in Antarctica. This new scientific research station is the first of its kind to meet the ‘zero emission’ concept. The Haspengouw radio amateurs of the “Trudo Radioamateurs Club – ON4TRC” wanted to highlight these coinciding events by using a special event call throughout 2009. The callsign consisted of three combined elements: ON, 100 and PES were merged into ‘ON100PES’. ‘ON’ is the prefix for Belgium, ‘100’ marks the 100‑year anniversary of the polar expeditions, and ‘PES’ stands for ‘Princess Elisabeth Station’. Below is the QSL card:

In 2012 we used the callsign ON12TRUDO. Below is the QSL card:

In 2019 we were once again “high in the air” on the Abbey Tower and were active as OO19TRUDO. Text from the QSL card: Special Event Station OO19TRUDO Sint‑Truiden. The name itself reveals its origin. Trudo, the Frankish nobleman who around 650 AD built a church and monastery, laid the foundation for a growing settlement with an abbey. The abbey buildings still testify to the strength and influence of Trudo’s foundation. The growth and prosperity of the medieval city were strongly supported by the textile industry, trade and market activities. The fertile agricultural region has always played a role, but from the 18th century onward it became decisive in the development and prosperity of the fruit city. Below is the QSL card: The QSL card tells the story of Saint Trudo.

From July 1 to July 31 we will be on the air with the special event station OO26TRUDO. TRC and the Trudo Celebrations The seven‑yearly Trudo Celebrations in Sint‑Truiden are a special moment during which the city highlights its rich history and the legacy of Saint Trudo. During this festive period, our radio club TRC contributes in a unique way to the visibility of both Trudo and Sint‑Truiden. Throughout the entire month of July, we actively participate in the celebrations with a special radio station that allows us to make contacts worldwide. For this occasion we use the special callsign OO26TRUDO, so everyone immediately knows the station is linked to the Trudo Year and our city. Via SSB, Morse code and modern digital modes such as FT8 and FT4, we make contact with radio amateurs around the world. In this way, we spread the story of the Trudo Celebrations and Sint‑Truiden far beyond Europe. To further highlight our participation, we announce this event on various websites, including our own website www.on4trc.be and the QRZ.com website, so radio amateurs worldwide know when they can work us. For this occasion, we also have a special QSL card printed. This card not only contains photos of Sint‑Truiden and the Abbey Tower, but also a short informative text about our city, so every recipient immediately gets to know a piece of Trudo’s city. Thus, the story of Trudo and Sint‑Truiden literally travels around the world. Below is the preliminary design of the QSL card: