QUAlite No 39 - March 2022

Issue 39

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info@g8srs.co.uk

www.g8srs.co.uk

March 2022

QUAlite Written and compiled by SRS members, ‘QUA’ (Have you news of… ?) is your source of news, views and informed opinion on all matters relating to - and informed opinion on all matters relating to - and about - your hobby.

Practical “Burnt Fingers” Evening

Photographs courtesy of Neil Rydings M6NAE and Tom Spence M0DCG

March Society Meetings 5th: Presentation Evening by Webex

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‘The Future of Shortwave Broadcasting and DXing’

by Chrissy Brand of the European DX Council.

This evening we welcome Chrissy Brand, an avid writer about all things radio and in particular a monitor of activities on the broadcast bands.

Chrissy writes monthly columns 'Radio Websites' and 'Long, Medium and Shortwave Broadcast Matters:'. Other articles are published in 'Radio Active', 'Radio User', 'Satellite and Digital Choice' (all UK) and 'Monitoring Times' (US). Chrissy is also the general editor of the BDXC British DX Club monthly journal 'Communication'.

An interesting evening is in store for all. If you are unfamiliar with accessing these online events, Webex is available using your internet browser, or by downloading the desktop app. It is also available for use through a tablet or mobile phone.

At all Walthew House events, Morse code instruction and practice led by Evan M0TJU takes place from around 7pm.

Presentations We are always on the lookout for speakers who can deliver radio related presentations to the society either in person or through the Webex system.

If you are aware of anyone who may fit the bill or indeed if you would be happy to speak about a radio topic of interest to you and which may interest others, please contact Evan M0TJU at any meeting or by email to treasurer@g8srs.co.uk.

Alternatively, a message can be left using our telephone number 07598 892795.

April 2022 Programme 5th: Presentation Evening by Webex - ‘The Future of Shortwave Broadcasting and DXing’ by Chrissy Brand of the European DX Council.

7th: Committee Meeting by Webex 7th: Club Net via GB3MR (7.30PM) 10th: 10 Metre Net 28.575MHz SSB (10.30am)

Further information and details of the access link can be obtained by emailing info@g8srs.co.uk or calling 07598 892795.

11th: SRS Contest Group Review Meeting (7.15PM)

19th: Practical Evening at Walthew House

12th: 2M Net 145.550MHz (7.30PM)

Once again, it’s time to open the toolbox with an evening devoted to all things practical.

14th: Club Net via GB3MR (7.30PM)

If you’ve a kit to construct or need some practical advice, come along, and take advantage of the advice offered by our experts.

19th: Practical Evening at Walthew House 21st: Club Net via GB3MR (7.30PM) 24th: NARSA Rally Blackpool

26th: Radio Evening at Walthew House

26th: Radio Evening at Walthew House

Time to dust off our radio gear and make some contacts from Walthew House. With VHF and HF gear available here’s an opportunity to air the club’s callsigns from our HQ and give those present, especially new licensees an opportunity to use our station.

28th: Club Net via GB3MR (7.30PM) Subject to change, please follow our website, Google Group mailing list and social media platforms for up-to-date details.

Park, Manchester Airport.

We have also been notified that due to the disbandment of the Chorley club, who were responsible for setting up the tables, there is a need for volunteers who can attend on Saturday 23rd April to help with that task. Again, if you can help, which will be hugely appreciated please let Tony know, details above.

NARSA Rally, Blackpool

Contest Group News

This year’s Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association Blackpool Rally will take place on Sunday 24 April at the Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool, FY2 9AA. https://narsa.org.uk/

Maintenance Day at Common Barn Farm

Future dates for the diary 17th May: Presentation “What Can RSGB Region 3 Do for Us?” with Les & Pauline Brown M0LPB and M7PLB. Page | th 24 & 25th July: TAS Aviation Fair, Runway Visitor 3

Once again, we will be taking a team to exhibit our activities to the many visitors from around the region and beyond. We would welcome any member who wish to be part of the team to join us in Blackpool for what promises to be an interesting day.

If you can spare the time, please let our chair, Tony M0SAV know at any meeting, or by email to info@g8srs.co.uk.

Braving the inclement weather, our contesters gathered at the farm to perform some much needed equipment maintenance in time for the CQ WPX contest at the end of March.

Guided by contest manager Tom M0DCG, several tasks were completed before the weather got the better of the situation and a hasty retreat home was made down the hill, or in some cases a local hostelry for an impromptu planning meeting.

CQ WPX SSB Contest: 26th and 27 March 2022

Teatime Morse with Bernard & Tom

The first outing for the contest group in 2022 is imminent when the team takes part in the SSB leg Page | of this year’s WPX events held over the final 4 weekend of March.

Preparations are already well underway in time for the station build to begin in the week before the contest. Indeed, Wednesday 16th March saw the Buxton and Worcester masts being moved into position ready for antenna construction to begin.

The plan is for the usual two stations operating on all contest bands, 10 metres through to 160 Metres for the full 48-hour length of the contest.

With restrictions being eased around the world, this promises to be one of the biggest contest events of the year and an opportunity for the group to once again “stretch their legs”.

Whilst at this time it is unclear what effects the world situation will have on the event, this is an opportunity for those participating in our HF Ladder to gain some valuable points.

We would urge any member who takes the opportunity to “work” some DX to submit a log and when doing so specify “Stockport Radio Society” in the entry. That will have the effect of boosting our score in the club competition.

Details of the contest can be found by visiting the organisers webpage https://www.cqwpx.com/ Good luck in the contest!

Upcoming contests • • • • • •

CQ WPX CW Contest: 28th & 29th May RSGB NFD 2022: 4th & 5th June IOTA Contest: 30th & 31st July RSGB SSB Field Day: 3rd & 4th September CQ WW SSB Contest: 29th & 30th October CQ WW CW Contest: 26th & 27th November

On the 23rd March 2020 the first tea time morse session was held just days after the idea was muted by Bernard and Tom at the final Walthew House meeting before the first lockdown came into force.

In the two years since many, and not just members of this club have benefitted from the sessions helping them to either learn or improve their understanding and use of Morse code.

But, with the world returning to normality the time has come to “call time” on the formal daily sessions. With 693 of them under their belt Bernard G3SHF and Tom M0DCG, with the help of Nigel G0RXA and previously David M0WDD have done an incredible job. The sessions have become widely known not only in the UK but further afield as well.

Sunday 20th March 2022 is earmarked for the final session just a few days short of the 2nd anniversary, although that’s not the end of the story. Most of the sessions have been recorded and are available as an ongoing source of training material. Please follow the links below if you would like to use this facility.

Whilst the formal sessions will come to an end, the net will continue albeit not daily. From the end of March Wednesdays and Saturdays will see the SRS CW Net reconvene at 4pm local time on 3.564MHz +/- QRM. Those of you who are suitably equipped are invited to join Bernard and Tom for a late

afternoon CW session with maybe a mug of coffee and a custard donut to hand.

For those of you unable to listen directly the Jodrell Bank and G4FPH WebSDRs provide an ideal Page | way to “listen in”. Details below.

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Days: Wednesday and Saturday unless specified.

Time: 4pm local time Frequency: 3.564 MHz +/- QRM Email: morse@g8srs.co.uk Teatime Morse library: Click Here RSGB Morse Code pages: Click Here Jodrell Bank WebSDR: Click Here PROPquest: Click Here Webex Meeting ID: 181 492 2539 (Password: G8SRS)

Your comments and signal reports are very welcome either on air, via email to the dedicated address (see above) or a message can be left using the society’s dedicated phone line 07598 892795.

Also, just a reminder to visit our dedicated web page, link above, which contains some useful information including abbreviations and Q Codes commonly used by CW operators. There is also a link to our library of previous sessions dating back to March 2020.

H F Ladder

Originally looked after by Geoff & Eva Lomas G4SYC and G0KZO, then John Hrycan M0BEX, thanks to Jim Barlow G3VOU the ladder returned to our list of activities shortly after the millennium.

Kieron M5KJM has now taken over the reins from Pete M1PTR, and we are keen to see members take up the challenge of working as much DX as possible especially with band conditions showing some improvement The rules are simple: Points are awarded for each different DXCC entity worked per band 160m through 6m.

A worked DXCC is only counted once per band regardless of how many different modes are used to work the DXCC. Any mode can be used but contacts must be via RF propagation only.

The competition runs from 00:00 hours 1st January until 23:59hrs 31st December and the overall winner is the recipient of the Jim Barlow G3VOU trophy. year.

To include your log in the HF Ladder please sign up to Club Log then join the SRS club league. You can then upload your files from your logging programme throughout the year.

This guide will help you to get started. HF Ladder Guide.

You can log in to club log to see the league table although a quick way to view the current HF & 6 DXCC ladder scores is via the link below. www.m1ptr.com/SRSDxccLadder.php

Club Nets On air net are an important feature of any radio society’s activities and we are no different.

A traditional activity for our members is the HF ladder which has been around for many years.

To cater for members with different interests our nets take place on various bands and modes.

Presently arranged nets are as follows.

Thursday Weekly at 7.30pm local – 70 CMs via GB3MR Repeater 2nd Tuesday of month at 7.30pm local – 2 Metres FM (145.550MHz +/- QRM).

Page | 6 2nd Sunday of month at 10.30am local – 10

Metres SSB (28.575MHz +/- QRM).

Teatime Morse at 4pm local (Wednesday & Saturday) – 80 Metres CW (3.564MHz +/-).

Whilst the above are our “core” nets, please be aware of other nets being arranged which will be advertised via our Website, Google Group and Social Media platforms.

For instance, there is now a regular net being arranged through our Zello channel. For more information and a password please email info@g8srs.co.uk or telephone 07598 892795.

Comments may be made at any club meeting/event, by email to info@g8srs.co.uk or by telephone 07598 892795.

GB3MR Repeater The repeater is located to the south of Stockport on high ground close to Lyme Park, Disley, an area known locally as Bowstones.

The GB3MR repeater details are as follows: • • • •

Output Frequency: 433.350MHz Input Frequency: 434.950MHz Locator: IO83XH CTCSS Code: 82.5Hz

For more information about GB3MR, please visit https://www.ukfmgw.co.uk/tx/gb3mr/

Membership News and Information Thank you to everyone who has renewed their membership for another year, and we would like to welcome those who have joined us in recent months.

Whether you are a new licensee or an old hand we hope you will find membership of one of the oldest radio societies in the country beneficial to your own activities.

Possible 80 Metre Sunday Net For many years the only net run by the society was on a Sunday morning at 10am. The frequency of 3.692MHz became synonymous with Stockport Radio Society with the dulcet tones of Bill Hayes G4RLD booming across the airwaves along with such callsigns as Harold G3HQH, Eric G0KJR, Ken G4BUX, Geoff G4SYC and many others.

Well, there has been a suggestion that we reinstate this net from the past at a slightly more acceptable time of 10.30am. Therefore, we would welcome our members comments as to whether there is interest in such an event on a Sunday morning.

Our members possess a wealth of information which they will be all too happy to share at a club meeting, on the air, through our Google Group mailing list or via our social media platforms.

Failing that, a call to our telephone number or email to our info address will yield a response or pointer in the right direction.

2021/2022 Annual Subscriptions Payable annually from 1st December.

Rates are: Senior

£15.00 (18-64 years of Age)

Family

£15.00

Country

£10.00 (must live more than 50 miles of the Stockport Boundary)

Pensioner

£10.00 (65 years and over)

2022 Interim Committee

Junior

£2.50 (up to 17 years of Age)

Chair:

Anthony Smithies M0SAV

Vice Chair:

Post Vacant

Treasurer:

Evan Duffield M0TJU

Secretary:

Nigel Roscoe G0RXA (Acting)

Payments can be made by: Page | 7

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Bank transfer to the society's account with Barclays Bank PLC. Sorting Code: 205377

Committee Members: Account number: 40346314 Bernard Naylor G3SHF Account Name: Society

Stockport

Radio

Payment Reference: Your Name, Callsign (if held) and the word “Subs”.

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Cash or Cheque at any society meeting.

Cheque forwarded to the Treasurer C/O Walthew House, 112 Shaw Heath, Stockport, SK2 6QS. Cheques should be payable to "Stockport Radio Society" and to help the Treasurer please quote “2022 Subs”, your name, callsign and address on the reverse.

Please note, with a payment by cheque there may be a considerable length of time between our receipt of it and its cashing.

We, now, can accept payment by credit and debit cards (Visa and MasterCard); we will have our ‘SumUp’ card reading device ready and waiting at our Walthew House meetings.

For receipts of payment, if you communicate with SRS online, we will send an email message in lieu of a paper receipt.

If you do not, we will endeavour to get a paper receipt to you by post, or perhaps with the subsequent edition of QUA.

Please be aware that subscriptions not renewed by the end of February will result in membership of the society lapsing.

Should you have a question about subscriptions, please do not hesitate to email me at treasurer@g8srs.co.uk

StockportRadioSociety1920

Kieron Murphy M5KJM Nigel Smithies M0VNL On air Net Co-ordinator: Roy Anstee G6RSU

Contact emails: General Enquiries:

info@g8srs.co.uk

Treasurer:

treasurer@g8srs.co.uk

Membership:

membership@g8srs.co.uk

Contesting:

contesting@g8srs.co.uk

Teatime Morse:

morse@g8srs.co.uk

Postal Address Stockport Radio Society Walthew House 112 Shaw Heath Stockport SK2 6QS

Telephone: 07598 892795

@G8SRS @SRSContestGroup

Stockport Radio Society is an affiliated member of the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) and NARSA (Northern Amateur Radio Society Association)