Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club ( M0HFC & MX0HFC & M6C )

In early 2023, the Humber Fortress DX Amateur Radio Club (HFDXARC) embarked on a pioneering journey.
They launched a special event station dedicated to Men’s Mental Health— in the amateur radio community.
The initiative turned out to be a resounding success, capturing widespread attention and heartfelt support.

Fast Forward 12 Months: A Growing Movement

By May 2024, the momentum had only grown. HFDXARC teamed up with three other amateur radio enthusiasts and YouTube content makers, all proudly sporting GB#MMH callsigns.
Together, they took on the mission of promoting Men’s Mental Health during International Men’s Health Month.

Event Dates: May 17th & 18th
Highlights:
– Contacts Made: Over 1,700.
– Support Received: An overwhelming flood of kind emails and messages.
– Engagement: Massive pileups demonstrated a high level of interest and support.

The support and enthusiasm from the global amateur radio community were truly inspiring.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to every individual who reached out, made contact, and shared words of encouragement with us all.

### June 2024: Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month

The movement didn’t stop there. In June, the event expanded even further, becoming one of the largest organized special events in HFDXARC’s history.
This time, seven more amateurs and YouTube personalities joined the cause.

Event Dates: June 14th – 16th
Participants: Friends, family, and members of the Hull and District Amateur Radio Society (HADARS) joined in the fun.
Many brought tents or rented glamping pods from the site owner, Mike.

Activities:
– BBQ Adventure: Saturday’s planned BBQ faced a sudden challenge as the weather turned.
However, thanks to Mike’s quick thinking and generous offer to use his barn/workshop, the BBQ was saved.
Everyone enjoyed a fantastic feast, turning what could have been a dampened event into a memorable gathering.

Tea Boy: We had two members join the club within a few months and in the tradition of the club that goes back to 2010, the last member to join got the tea boy roll and we had a handing over and modelling of the uniform.

– Radio Operations: The team dived back into radio operations with everyone well-fed.
The pileups were massive, showcasing the immense support and interest.
By Sunday lunchtime, they had made over 1,700 contacts, and their QRZ page GB0MMH had over 13,000 lookups.

For the full event, all QSOs made was over 3700 and we hope to email out QSL cards for every contact made soon.

 ### Special Thanks

We owe the success of these events to so many wonderful people:
– Participants: Every amateur radio operator who joined us, bringing their enthusiasm and dedication.
– Supporters: All the friends, family members, and HADARS participants who made the event lively and enjoyable.
– Mike: Our site owner, went above and beyond to ensure our BBQ was a success, despite the weather.
– Global Community: Everyone who reached out, made contact, and sent messages of support. Your engagement has been the driving force behind our success.

### The Road Ahead

Planning for next year is already in full swing. After such tremendous growth and success, the club is eager to see how they can top this year’s achievements.
With a commitment to promoting Men’s Mental Health and the unwavering support of the amateur radio community, the sky’s the limit.

The GB#MMH events have become a beacon of hope and solidarity, showing the incredible power of community and the impact of raising mental health awareness.
HFDXARC’s innovative approach proves that even in the world of amateur radio, you can make a real difference.

### Final Words

As we look forward to future events, we remain deeply grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey.
Your support, participation, and enthusiasm have turned a small idea into a powerful movement.
Together, we are making a difference and highlighting the importance of Men’s Mental Health.
Thank you all, and we can’t wait to see what we can achieve together next year!

73 from all of us who took part, and the full membership of both local radio clubs.

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The Humber Fortress DX ARC proudly supports the Men’s Health week advocating for men’s mental health awareness on a global scale.

We will be operational from our headquaters at The Mill House, Patrington Haven Nr Hull HU12 0PS during the weekends of May 17th-18th-19th and June 14th -15th -16th utilising the special call sign GB0MMH across all HF bands using SSB and FT8/4 operation.

We are also joined by some well-known UK operators and also youtube content makers. They are very kindly helping us spread this very important message around the globe and are using various GB#MMH callsigns as per the table below.

This year, GB#MMH will remain active throughout the duration, making it easy to identify any os the stations as we continue to raise awareness of MMH over the weekends. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the operators who have supported us in previous years and to those driving the initiative this year. 

For far too long, men have been hesitant to discuss their struggles and have lacked the necessary support systems. Fortunately, many organizations are now assisting men facing mental health challenges on an international level. It’s crucial to talk, and even better when support is readily available, which is being increasingly utilized by men in need.

Below are links to resources that offer in-depth information and support for those reaching out for help. If you or someone you know is silently suffering from depression due to financial or family-related issues, please share the information from the supportive community advocating for men’s mental health.

– Mens Health Forum
– Man Health
– Man Up
– Andy’s Man Club –

This organization is especially meaningful to us, with one of our HFDXARC members, Liam M7LCB, heavily involved in providing support to men by encouraging them to open up about their struggles.

We invite you to explore our website, sign the guest book, and share your comments, feedback, or suggestions. Links are provided below.

– Facebook
– Sign Our Guest Book
– Help Support Us – Make A Donation To Our Club

RUN THE DISHWASHER TWICE

Men’s mental health is not something we often talk about, something most men are not willing to talk about.

“It’s embarrassing”,” It’s something blokes don’t do”. “I’d be a laughing stock” are some of the many excuses that are used.

70% of men suffer from some kind of mental health issue, Stress, anxiety and depression being a few.

40% have never spoken to anyone regarding this

29% are too embarrassed.

20% still say there is a negative stigma surrounding it.

Yet men are more likely to commit suicide for this reason than women. A huge 75% of deaths by suicide for mental health is male. The biggest killer of men under 50 is suicide.

The above figures are only the ones that are reported. There could be double even triple that go unreported every day and it is time we made a difference. Time we helped men to talk, to realise “It is ok to not be ok”

HOW CAN I HELP

Let them know you’re there to listen to them without judgment

Someone who is experiencing mental health problems may find it hard to reach out, so try to keep in touch. A text message or a phone call could make a big difference

Find out about local services such as talking therapy or support groups. See if there are any specifically for men if you think they’d prefer that.

Help them to get help. Reassure them it’s okay to ask for help and that support is out there. You could help them contact their GP or accompany them to their appointment if they want you to

Take care of yourself. Looking after someone else can be hard, so make sure you consider your well-being too.

Andy Mans Club =

Men’s Shed = Phone: 0300 772 9626

Email: 

Hub of Hope = https://hubofhope.co.uk/

CALM = 0800 1111.

Samaritans = 0800 1111.

Why did I title this ‘Run the dishwasher twice’ you may be wondering. This was inspired by an analogy I was read when I started with my own struggles and there is no reason it can’t be applied to men.

It’s the thought behind it rather than the content. 

Keep your chin up – You are strong and you are worth it.

The Analogy is

Run the dishwasher Twice

“Run the dishwasher twice” might sound like strange mental health advice, but this beautiful lesson came from an answer from Katie Scott on Quora to the question “Has a therapist ever told you something completely unexpected?

“When I was at one of my lowest (mental) points in life, I couldn’t get out of bed some days. I had no energy or motivation and was barely getting by.

I had therapy once per week, and on this particular week, I didn’t have much to ‘bring’ to the session. He asked how my week was and I had nothing to say.

‘What are you struggling with?’ he asked.

I gestured around me and said ‘I dunno man. Life.

Not satisfied with my answer, he said ‘No, what exactly are you worried about right now? What feels overwhelming? When you go home after this session, what issue will be staring at you?’

I knew the answer, but it was so ridiculous that I didn’t want to say it.

I wanted to have something more substantial.

Something more profound.

But I didn’t.

So I told him, ‘Honestly? The dishes. It’s stupid, I know, but the more I look at them the more I CAN’T do them because I’ll have to scrub them before I put them in the dishwasher, because the dishwasher sucks, and I just can’t stand and scrub the dishes.’

I felt like an idiot even saying it.

What kind of grown-ass woman is undone by a stack of dishes? There are people out there with actual problems, and I’m whining to my therapist about dishes.

But he nodded in understanding and then said:

‘Run the dishwasher twice.’

I began to tell him that you’re not supposed to, but he stopped me.

‘Why the hell aren’t you supposed to? If you don’t want to scrub the dishes and your dishwasher sucks, run it twice. Run it three times, who cares?! Rules do not exist.’

It blew my mind in a way that I don’t think I can properly express.

That day, I went home and tossed my smelly dishes haphazardly into the dishwasher and ran it three times.

I felt like I had conquered a dragon.

The next day, I took a shower lying down.

A few days later. I folded my laundry and put them wherever the hell they fit.

There were no longer arbitrary rules I had to follow, and it gave me the freedom to make accomplishments again.

Now that I’m in a healthier place, I rinse off my dishes and put them in the dishwasher properly. I shower standing up. I sort my laundry.

But at a time when living was a struggle instead of a blessing, I learned an incredibly important lesson:

There are no rules.

Run the dishwasher twice.”

Why is this important?

Anyone who has been in a mental or emotional place where even just the most basic, mundane tasks seem overwhelming understands the wisdom in this lesson. I remember when I was at my lowest point a few years ago, just putting clothes away or tidying anything in my bedroom just seemed like a step too far. So it got untidy. And I mean REALLY messy (not just a little bit). So much so, that you couldn’t get to the bed, there was no clear pathway, as everything was just dumped on the floor.

And that was all I could do. No more. When I started my journey back from that dark and cold place, I committed myself to sort it out. As my self-respect started to flicker back into life, I wanted to make life better, and just a little bit beautiful again. I started with my bedroom as a representation of this fledgling hope that I could do it.

But the bedroom itself was too big a task, so I just started with making my bed. And then I sorted my dressing table. Eventually, the things on the floor got sorted and cleared away and it became a nice place to sleep and to be again.

Now, my bedroom is my sanctuary and is beautiful and serene and very much represents my mindset and my life. Honestly, it’s a thing of absolute beauty and brings me so much joy. Probably more so because it wasn’t so long ago that you would have thought I had given up on life if you saw it before (and I nearly had).

The Rules Just Don’t Matter

The point is, I understand when things are just too much. If it’s just too overwhelming to keep it all together, all of the time. Rules are just not important. I promise you. It’s ok to do what you can. It’s ok not to do the washing, or the recycling, or, or, or…

So if you just CAN’T do IT (whatever it is) today, Mc D’s it is for dinner.

If the thought of the kids fighting in the back of the car will bring you to tears, give them the iPads, the chocolate milk, or whatever helps give you a few minutes of peace and quiet.

It really doesn’t matter. The rules don’t count when your back is up against it. It’s ok just to get through. And if all you did today was hold it together, know that I AM PROUD OF YOU SWEETHEART.

This is just a chapter, not your whole life. It can get so very much better and I’m here to help.

Credit – Katie Scott

Club Secretary

Sue Turnbull – M6URG

73 for now.

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