PLUS Jonathan G1EXG’s Short Circuits Committee Meeting Notes Club Calendar Rallies
Christine G4WYL’s highs and lows in amateur radio
Pictures from Space
Special Event Station GB0HSM
July – September 2016
Worthing & District Amateur Radio Club Established 1948 Website: www.wadarc.org.uk
E-mail: info@wadarc.org.uk President: Chris Smith G3UFS WADARC meets every Wednesday at 8pm in the Lancing Parish Hall, South Street, Lancing BN15 8AJ. All who have an interest in radio communications and associate subjects, whether a licensed amateur or not, are invited. WADARC can also arrange training for the radio amateur Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced licences. The WADARC Committee 2015 - 2016 Andrew Cheeseman Alan Baker Andy Braeman Sally Holland Jonathan Hare Peter Head Norman Jacobs Alastair Weller Bodie Goodall Peter Penycate
G1VUP G4GNX M6RFE SWL G1EXG G4LKW 2E0RKO M0OAL 2E0VRM 2E0FVL
Chairman Vice-Chairman Secretary Treasurer Press & Publicity Coordinator Outside Events Coordinator Quartermaster Content Coordinator Training Coordinator Membership Manager
These Members have volunteered to accept these responsibilities for 2015 - 2016 Contest Manager Ragchew Editor Website Website
Graham Bubloz Roger Hall Andrew Cheeseman Alastair Weller
G4FNL G4TNT G1VUP M0OAL
WADARC Club Nets (all times are local) 07.30
Sunday
3.725MHz Âą QRM SSB
19.30
Monday
145.425MHz (V34/S17)
11.00
Thursday
7.106MHz Âą QRM SSB
CONTENTS Editorial ........................................................... 4 Chairman’s Chatter ......................................... 5 Presidential Ponderings ................................... 6 GB0HSM Mills on the Air by Pete G4LKW ............ 7 Highs and Lows by Christine G4WYL...................... 10 Pictures from Space by Lisa 2E0 ......................... 15 Short Circuits by Jonathan G1EXG ......................... 18 Committee Meeting Notes ............................... 20 Rallies ............................................................. 22 Club Calendar for July to September .............. 24
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EDITORIAL
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elcome once again to the latest edition of Ragchew. This month we have an interesting article from Lisa 2E0FSE on her first attempts at receiving SSTV pictures from the International Space Station. I was there in the Parish Hall car park for her second try. I watched the glistening ISS pass overhead as the images built up on her computer screen and it reminded me just how great a hobby amateur radio still is. To be able to receive a signal sent by orbiting astronauts with an antenna made from bits of plastic tubing and an old tape measure also showed how hi-tech and improvising both have a place in the hobby and how the two can come together to produce a result. Also in This Issue Christine G4WYL shares a few of the highs and lows she’s experienced in amateur radio, including a SOTA experience that will make you wince in sympathy. Jonathan G1EXG takes a look at the simple dipole antenna and explains how to get the most out of it and how it can be modified to fit into smaller gardens. We also have a report on the special event station GB0HSM kindly supplied by Pete G4LKW with photos by Edmund and Bodie. Once again, I’d like to take this opportunity to ask anyone who attends a WADARC event to jot down a few words or to take a photo or two so others who aren’t able to be there can share some of the experience through Ragchew. Finally I’d like to end with a suggestion. I am not a great fan of Twitter or Facebook but I recently joined Facebook because there is a group on there just for employees of a place where I used to work and another for a club I belong to and it’s proved to be very interesting. I am constantly updated with what’s happening and I can contribute occasionally when I have something relevant to say. My reason for mentioning this here is I believe it could be the ideal way for WADARC members to keep in touch with each other, to pass on details of events and so on. It has an immediacy that is not possible with a regular website and it has the advantage of being self-populating; its readers write the content. We already have a Facebook page but that is currently only used for announcements and it gets very little feedback. I think we could benefit from having a full WADARC group in much the same way as the ‘other’ WADARC does – take a look here (www.facebook.com/wadarc/) and see what you think. 73, Roger G4TNT
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CHAIRMAN’S CHATTER
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ello fellow WADARC members. This is the second daft of this edition of Chairman’s Chatter. I began the first one with the news that Peter G8MSQ had just gone into hospital but now it is a week later and, sadly, he has passed away. Peter was a founding member of WADARC in 1948 and he has been a member ever since. In recent years he was the Vice President and I have always thought fondly of Peter as the guardian of the Club. He always managed to keep the members of the Committee on their toes and he was never backward in letting them know his views. Peter was an active member of the Club right up to the last. In fact, just two weeks ago he was chasing me for the logbook for Mills on the Air. He is going to be sorely missed, especially by me. GB3WO I want to thank everyone who was involved in getting GB3WO, our new 70cm analogue repeater, on the air. By the time you read this, we should have finished checking its power output and receive levels, Morse sending rates and so on. The Committee is looking at getting a better antenna and an extra pole section as some members are finding it hard to use the repeater from their home QTH. On a personal note, please can you use it more. I know Graham G8BZL suggested running a net through the repeater and when I return from holiday, I’m going to pursue this. Activities The surplus equipment sale was an amazing success and I really do need to thank Alastair, Phil and Norman for putting it all together. The Club made £460 and £3,300 went to Erica, Peter Dodd’s widow. As you know, we entered the 33rd PW QRP 2m Contest and to say it started out wet would be an understatement but we had a lot of fun. I will try to get the report into this Ragchew but if I can’t make it, it will be in the next one. The last thing to say is that there are number of events happening over the coming months (see the website) and we need your support. The next will be the Activity Weekend at Yapton Scout Hut (July 8/9th) where we are going to put on three stations, two HF and one VHF, some workshops and a BBQ on the Saturday evening. It need the members to support it so please try to attend. Until next time, get out there and use your radios, 73, Andrew G1VUP
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PRESIDENTIAL PONDERINGS
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t's June and as I write this, the sky is showing distinct signs of a pending thunderstorm – very black! Well, all the antenna plugs are out and the tower is at its lowest point, so we will wait and see. It seems the slightest hint of summer and thunderstorms start or are predicted. I don't know whether it’s me but our weather these days seems to be getting more violent and unpredictable. GB3WO Anyway, enough of the weather. On behalf of our members, I want to thank all those who helped with the provision and installation of the new 70cm repeater at Lancing, GB3WO. It works very well with quite a wide coverage, although I believe that was not the original intention! Like most new repeaters, there will be a period when idiots try very hard to disrupt its working and it’s important that these people are not encouraged by anyone replying to their actions. However, Graham G8BZL might just have scared off one offender who was continually opening the repeater. When he indicated that he had a very good idea where the offending signal was coming from, the interference abruptly ceased! Sporadic E My radio activity has been greatly reduced recently as I'm out a lot these days and there are many things about the house and garden that need attention, mainly the two quite large hedges at the front and the two pieces of grass at the rear. I now call the rear grass The Jungle and I half expect to see some foreign animals there any day now! However, I digress. I did manage to get a little 4 and 6m activity in on May 25th. S59A, OE3FVU and HA8UJ on 6m and SP7BUZ on 4m, my first contacts via Sporadic E this season. Mobile Rig Since the opening of our new repeater, I've been looking at reinstalling my mobile rig, an IC-2800, in my latest car, a BMW Mini. I fitted it in my previous car, a Volkswagen Golf, with no trouble but there is hardly any room for it in my Mini, which is most annoying. Modern cars seem so crammed with controls and bits of technology that there is no room left for other pieces of equipment. The only place I can find for it is on top of the dashboard but that will mean removing the control head every time I leave the car or risk having it stolen. It says a lot about today's society when security is one of the biggest problems of the day. Well, I think that’s the end of my ramblings for this time, and they have been ramblings! 73 until next time, Chris G3UFS
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SPECIAL EVENT STATION Mills on the Air GB0HSM Pete G4LKW reports on the special event station GB0HSM that WADARC set up in High Salvington Windmill for the Mills on the Air weekend.
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his year we operated from High Salvington Windmill for the Mills on the Air weekend, starting at about 1000 and finishing around 1700 each day. Unfortunately, the bands this year were not very cooperative and over the two days we only managed 139 QSOs across 19 different countries; Austria, Slovakia, Portugal, The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, England, Eire, France, Belgium, Scotland, Germany, Luxemburg, Wales, Switzerland, Italy, Bosnia, Serbia, Spain and Poland. This was about the same as we did on just the Sunday last year. Over the weekend, we worked a total of 20 Mills in six countries and they are shown in Table 1. Our HF station consisted of the Club’s K3 running 100W into the Windom antenna that’s now on the Parish Hall roof. The VHF station was the Icom IC-910 and a turnstile antenna that was kindly loaned by Jonathan G1EXG. This year we had a new operator on board, Tony M6LMO, who managed to get his callsign in the week leading up to the event. Tony is part of the Mill Team and he was able to be with us on the Saturday and to do a little operating. Ed M0MNG came up and did some VHF/UHF portable operating using a small beam, a little tripod and a handheld as well as working the VHF station in the Mill.
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C If you’d to see the station in action and take a look around the site, there are a couple of good videos on YouTube. One from Peter G0LTU can be found at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKb2Ibnwuhs There’s another one from Edmund M0MMG here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl9KAYKyjiM Just click on the links to be taken to YouTube to see them. My thanks go to all those who took part, whether by operating, logging, setting up, taking down, visiting or giving the station a call. We’re look forward to next year when maybe conditions will be better. 73, Pete G4LKW
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C Table 1. Mills worked over the weekend. PA6WACHTER
De Wachter Windmill Museum
Zuidlaren, The Netherlands
GB2BCW
Ballycopeland Windmill
Millisle, Northern Ireland
GB2GG
Greens Mill
Sneinton, Nottingham
GB2GW
Gleaston Watermill
Gleaston, Cumbria
GB0JAJ
Jack and Jill Windmills
Clayton, West Sussex
GB2QM
Quendale Watermill
Sumburgh, Shetland Isles
GB0CEE
Crux Easton Wind Engine
Crux Easton, Hampshire
GB3LNW
Llanyrafon Watermill
Llanyafron, Cwmbran
GB2GGM
Gelliroes Watermill
Pontilanfraith, Caerphilly
F4VPL/4
St. Jacut Les Pins Windmill
Morbihan (Dept. 56) France
GB2MBB
Mill of Bellbeg
Bellabeg, Aberdeenshire
GB0KLM
Lead Mine Water Wheel
Killhope, County Durham
GB4WMM
Worsborough Mill Museum
Worsborough Bridge, Barnsley
GB0SBM
Saltford Brass Mill
Saltford, Nr Bath
GB1WML
White Mill
Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
GB2WBM
West Blatchington Mill
West Blatchington, East Sussex
GB0ETM
Eling Tide Mill
Eling, Totton Hampshire
GB2PW
Polegate Windmill
Polegate, East Sussex
GB0SNM
Sturminster Newton Mill
Sturminster Newton, Dorset
GB4BWM
Bascote Water mill
Wroxton, Oxfordshire
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PROFILE Some Highs and Lows of Amateur Radio Christine G4WYL and her husband Michael G4TSQ both enjoy combining their love of the outdoors with amateur radio by taking part in Summits on the Air but things do not always go smoothly.
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ifferent aspects of the radio hobby appeal to different people. Some like constructing their own equipment, some like DX, some like CW – we’ve found that we like portable and mobile activation. When we were first licensed in the early 1980s, Michael was working as a service engineer and we found that radio was particularly useful for keeping in touch. Mobile phones had not been invented then and telephone boxes were a major inconvenience, even if you could find one that was working. In those days, 2m was very busy and we made many radio friends and later, in the middle of the 1980s, we started to get interested in the Worked All Britain Awards Scheme (WAB). However, with five children to bring up, amateur radio had to be put on the back burner and that’s where it stayed until about four years ago, when the last of the children left home and Michael started cutting back his working hours. Going Portable When we bought our new radios, we included a portable setup because we loved going out and about walking the hills (mainly geocaching) so it was a natural progression to start lugging radio equipment with us. Michael would carry the masts and antennas, including a 6-element 2m Yagi, and I would carry the LiPo battery and the very important sandwiches. Sometimes people would ask what was in the long bag that Michael was carrying, perhaps thinking it might be a weapon of some description. I think they were relieved when he told them it was only a radio antenna.
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C Setting up a portable radio station often brings some folks over to enquire what it was all about. Others just pass by - I am sure some would like to know more but are too shy to ask. WAB It was then that we also got back into WAB, trying to activate all those squares. WAB is not a competition as such (although sometimes you might think it was) but just an interest in working as many of the British 10km grid squares as you can. Recently, the WAB committee introduced awards for other categories, including islands, book holders, shipping navigation lights and triangulation stations, also known as triangulation pillars, trigonometrical stations, trigonometrical points, trig stations, trig beacons or, most commonly, trig points. These are fixed points whose precise positions are known and they are used in surveying. All that is required is to exchange radio reports for a valid contact. This can be particularly challenging if the trig point is at the top of a mountain. All bands are valid but at present 7MHz is the usual choice although this could change because the band conditions are getting very difficult. When we’re operating mobile, we’ve worked out the best system for WAB activation. I do the talking and the log keeping and Michael does the driving. It works well for us and people prefer my dulcet tones to his (or so they say). When we took up this challenge, we looked for all the available trig points in our locality and we found that some are inaccessible because they’re on private land and some have been destroyed. That meant that we had to do our homework before we set out for the day but it was worth it because we have been to some lovely locations that really showed us the beauty of God’s creation.
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C SOTA Activating hilltop trig points naturally led to an interest in Summits on the Air (SOTA). The two interests are similar and there are now quite a few SOTA activators who have become WAB members and vice versa. When it’s compared to Wales and Scotland, there are not many high places in southeast England. We have activated 10 of the local southeast SOTAs at least once and some much more often. The last one we visited was Crowborough. Firle The SOTA at Firle is one of our favourites. There is a huge car park at the top of the hill and an almost 2-mile walk in one direction gets us to the trig point. Then it’s back to the car for lunch, followed by another similar walk in the other direction to another trig point and the SOTA. With the sun shining there can’t be many nicer ways to spend the day. Once when we were activating the trig point at Firle, a group of students arrived and they were very interested when we willingly explained what we were doing. We are often amazed by how little the public knows about trig points and we’ve heard comments like it’s a sun dial, a resting place and so on. That’s when Michael tends to give the uninitiated his lecture on trig points and mapping. They are a part of our heritage after all. Kendal As there aren’t too many SOTA’s in the south, we try to find them when we’re on holiday. Last year, we travelled up to the Lake District and spent a few nights in the campsite at Kendal. While were there, we visited a nearby SOTA. We parked the car close to it and started the short walk to the top. There was a very light drizzle when we started but it got heavier the further we got from the car. By the time we reached the top it was raining hard and the wind had started to blow.
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C We quickly set up the station and put out a few CQ calls. Michael managed to get the four contacts he needed to claim the activation and then he passed the microphone to me but it seemed everybody had decided to turn their radios off. I spent about 20 minutes calling and calling and before I eventually managed to get my four contacts. By this time the rain was very heavy and the wind was blowing a gale. We had umbrellas with us but they were protecting the radio equipment while we were getting soaked. We quickly dismantled the station and got ready to go but when we turned round to head for the car, it had disappeared in the mist! Our car at that time was bright yellow (AA yellow) so it was an easy car to spot in the distance but it couldn’t be seen that day. Fortunately, we had a handheld GPS unit with us so we could get back without too much of a problem. The radio was fine but we were completely soaked and it proved to be the start of a very wet holiday. Ditchling Beacon We bought a new camper van last November but for various reasons we weren’t able to use it much over the Christmas period so in the middle of January we decided to go to Ditchling to have a picnic in the camper and to activate the SOTA. As rain was forecast for the afternoon, we planned on doing the SOTA first and then going back to the camper for lunch later. When we got to the location, we set up the portable station and Michael soon managed to make the required number of contacts. Then he passed the microphone to me but, unfortunately, as he did that, I slipped on the mud and landed very heavily on my elbow. I have never experienced so much pain (even childbirth wasn’t that painful). I sat in the mud and screamed and screamed. Eventually Michael realised that I wasn’t going to be able to work anybody so he packed away everything and we made a very slow return
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C to the camper. As the van was still very new, he wouldn’t let me sit down until my muddy shoes and trousers had been taken off. Then we had to decide where to go. We were in the camper, which is very high, so Brighton hospital wasn’t possible and Worthing would be difficult so we decided to go back home first and then on to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester. By this time, I was going into shock and was feeling so cold. We had the heating on full and I was still very cold. Michael was wearing thermal underwear and was boiling but I couldn’t stop shivering. (We know now that was the wrong decision to put the heating on full but I wasn’t thinking properly.) When we got home, we swapped cars and made our sorry way to SRH. On arrival we were seen very quickly by the triage nurse and she sent me to radiology, where I nearly fainted when the technician tried to take some X-rays. Then it was back to wait for a doctor to assess the damage. He eventually came and told me I had broken my shoulder and it could take up to two years to get full mobility back. He was very patient and extremely kind to me and explained to me the procedures I would have to follow. We slowly made our way back home and then Michael started the arduous task of looking after me for the following three months. I was completely unable to do anything so he had to take over all the cooking, cleaning and driving along with trips to the hospital and later to the physio. At my next appointment at fracture clinic I’m hoping they will tell me the bones have healed but I know getting full mobility back is going to be a long process. I have various exercises to do throughout the day and I have also been told that to strengthen my muscles to support my bones I have to walk at least 30 minutes every day plus for an hour twice a week. However, I am making progress and I’ve now taken back the household chores and just starting to drive again. Finally, I must give a huge – no, massive thank you to Ian M0RVP for his help with exercises and all the encouragement he has given me. 73, Christine G4WYL
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ISS SSTV Pictures from Space Following the announcement that the ISS was going to transmit SSTV for a while, Lisa 2E0FSE decided to try to receive some pictures from space.
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or a few days recently, the International Space Station (ISS) was transmitting slow scan television (SSTV) pictures. Initially, they had some teething problems with their transmissions, which is why I spent some time standing in my garden pointing my Yagi antenna at the sky and wondering why I wasn’t picking up anything. However, I persevered and eventually I was successful. One of the biggest problems with anything involving receiving signals from satellites (or the Space Station) is that they don’t stay still so you only have a few minutes to makes sure everything is working and to see what you can get. If something goes wrong, then it is hours (or even the next day) before you can try again. The way that the ISS orbits means that on a good pass you have about a 7-minute window from it appearing above the horizon and going overhead (or, sometimes, in an arc past you) before it disappears again. Another problem I have where I live is that I have a few hundred feet of solid chalk quite close to me and it tends to block the signal until the ISS is quite high in the sky. First Attempt Nonetheless, I thought I would give it a go to see what I could pick up. I had my MacBook Pro connected to the audio output of the radio (with a bit of a mixture of cables to get the audio out to be recognised as a mic input via USB). Initially, I connected my Yaesu FT1DE handheld to see how well that worked but then I switched to my Yaesu FT-817ND and that’s when I saw an improvement in the signal received. In both cases I was using the Yagi antenna that I made a few weeks ago from some plastic pipe and a metal tape measure. I used the ISS Finder app on my phone to tell me when the Space Station was due to pass overhead and the path it would be taking. I then held the antenna up and pointed it at roughly where I thought the ISS would be. When it picked up a signal, I watched the signal strength meter and moved the antenna to keep the signal level as high as I could. The software that I used to receive and decode the SSTV on the Mac was
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C Multiscan 3B. This program was quite easy to set up and it automatically picked up the start of the transmissions. This is a useful feature because between each transmission there is silence for a couple of minutes so you only really get one chance per pass to get anything! First Image There is something quite cool about watching a picture from space appearing line by line on your screen, knowing that it has come to you directly from the ISS. The first image I received is shown in Fig. 1. Luckily, this took place on a Wednesday so later that evening I was able to take all my kit along to the Lancing Parish Hall for a WADARC weekly meeting. It looked like there was going to be a good pass that evening so it was a chance for us all to see it. WADARC Images It was a really clear evening when I set up everything on the boot flap of my Smart Car in the Parish Hall car park. A group of Club members joined me and as we waited for the pass, I had a willing volunteer holding the antenna and a whole host of ISS spotters gazing at the sky. It wasn’t long before we spotted the Space Station passing overhead and soon afterwards we started to receive an image. There was some local interference but luckily it wasn’t enough to spoil the picture. It was amazing being able to watch the space station fly across the sky (it was very bright and quite fast) and seeing it made tracking it with the antenna so much easier. I had the volume turned up on the radio so we could listen to the data coming in while we watched the image appearing on the screen (Fig. 2). As we lost sight of the space station behind some buildings, I was about to start packing up when we started to receive a second picture. It was only a partial image because the space station was going out of range below the horizon, see Fig. 3. The ISS SSTV transmissions have now stopped and I don’t know if or when they will start again but in the meantime, thank you Tim Peake and everyone involved in the transmissions. I think it is fair to say that you made a bunch of ‘geeks’ very happy. 73, Lisa 2E0FSE
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Fig. 1: This is the first picture I received at my home in Steyning.
Fig. 2: This is the first picture I received in the Parish Hall car park.
Fig. 3: I received this picture just as the ISS was disappearing below the horizon.
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G1EXG’S SHORT CIRCUITS This time Jonathan Hare G1EXG takes a look at the dipole and explains how to get the best out of this simple antenna.
Short Circuit No. 12: The Dipole
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he dipole is a simple antenna that can be used very effectively on its own or used to form the heart of more complex antennas such as Yagi beams. It's made from two wires or tubes, usually fed at the centre with coax cable or open wire feeder. Each half is a quarter of a wave length so the antenna is a half wave long. The radio wavelength (λ) is given by the formula λ=c/f where c is the wave speed and f is the frequency. A half wave should simply be half the wavelength but the exact length of the dipole antenna depends on the thickness of the wire as well as 'endeffects' due to the supporting insulators and so on. That’s why it's worth initially making the antenna slightly longer than calculated and then cutting off small amounts from each end until it’s right. At resonance (zero reactance), the half-wave dipole has a feed impedance at the centre of about 73Ω but this is the ideal value, that is, when in free space. In most practical cases, the impedance varies depending on the type of ground below it, the height above ground, the proximity of large nearby objects and so on.
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The dipole should be fed with open wire feeder; ideally 75Ω twin but 300Ω or 400Ω works with a tuner (ATU). If the antenna is fed with coax, a balun should be used otherwise RF arriving at the antenna feed point can also flow back down the outside of the coax screen, leading to problems with matching as well as interference and so on. A 1:1 balun can be used with 50Ω coax but on the higher frequencies some people simply wind several turns of the coax to form an inductor/choke or use a ferrite ring. However, unless you can get the antenna high up in terms of wavelength, ground interactions often mean the dipole may be working far from the ideal and a balun might simply be just another source of loss in the system. Therefore, it is worth first trying the dipole without a balun. It is generally best to get any antenna as high as possible above ground and away from nearby objects. I have been told that in the Antarctic, where the polar ice is often more than 1,000m thick above the earth, you don't have to worry too much about using tall costly and bulky antenna masts to hold the dipole high above ground. Instead you can simply lay the dipole on the ice! For the average back yard, a dipole can often be fitted in a smaller space by bending down the two ends. As long as the bent parts are less than 40% of the total length there is no great loss in efficiency (The Bent Dipole, Technical Topics Scrapbook, Pat Hawker, 1995-1999, p. 171). Sometimes it is not practical to have two or three masts to support the dipole so a useful variation is to keep the two insulated ends near to the ground and simply raise the centre on a single mast to form an inverted-V. It's less directional than the standard dipole and its radiation pattern means it can be a good compromise for both local and long distance work. Although coax cable seems the easy option, using open wire feeder and a balanced tuner/ATU is better. The ATU acts as a bandpass filter improving the receiver performance and the ATU reduces spurious out of band emissions that might be created from your transmitter. In practice, the small power loss introduced by the ATU will not be noticeable at the receiving station but its use can really improve our radio setup. 73, Jonathan G1EXG
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COMMITTEE MEETING NOTES The Committee has agreed to publish short notes taken from the minutes of its meetings in order to keep Club members up to date with its discussions. Chairman’s Report. Although the Chairman was not in attendance, a short report was given on his behalf. It was confirmed that that the controller for the Club’s 70cm repeater had arrived and would be assembled over the next week. Confirmation that the National Trust had approved the Club use of Ditchling Beacon for the PW QRP event was given. Secretary’s Report The Secretary reported on the timing and distribution of minutes to the Committee. Treasurer’s Report The Treasurer reported on the current balance in the Club’s bank account and the progress regarding the setting up of account signatories. Programme of Events It was confirmed that the programme of events available from the Club’s website is up to date. The collection and sale of equipment belonging to the late Peter Dodd was discussed. Ragchew The comments and suggestion arising from the recent Club meeting to discuss the future of Ragchew were discussed. Membership The Membership Secretary reported that the club currently has 82 paid members with no recent loss of membership.
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RALLIES Website The use and access to the Club’s website for update purposes was discussed, along with ideas for possible future content. Publicity The design proof for a Club leaflet/flyer for issue to the public at special events was presented by Alan Baker and discussion was held regarding the preferred presentation of the WADARC Logo, use of photographs and the cost of printing. Contests and Special Events The next event was confirmed as the PW QRP contest. It was suggested that a short talk about competitions and special event stations would be beneficial to newer Club members. Training The availability and suitability of training venues was discussed. A point of note was raised regarding the provision of suitable hardware for training purposes and the requirement for extended training times. Equipment It was suggested that an annual audit of the Club’s equipment should be carried out and that the boxes holding peripheral equipment and other accessories should have a list of contents attached. The purchase of an antenna analyser for Club use is still being progressed. Any Other Business The following was raised as AOB by attending Committee members: The possible use of a display for special events to provide members of the public with real-time information about QSOs.
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RALLIES 2016 JULY 2nd – Bangor & District Amateur Radio Society Rally Donaghadee Community Centre, Donaghadee, Co. Down BT21 0HB 3rd – Red Rose QRP Festival The Rose Centre, Hesketh Meadow Lane, Lowton, Warrington WA3 2AH 3rd – Barford Norfolk Radio Rally Barford Village Hall & Green, Barford, Norwich, NR9 4AB 9th – Stockport Radio Society Rally Walthew House, 112 Shaw Heath, Stockport SK2 6QS 17th – McMichael Radio Rally Reading Rugby Football Club, Holme Park Farm Lane, Reading RG4 6ST 24th – Finningley ARS Annual Rally The Hurst Communications Centre, Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster DN8 5SX 29th to 31st – AMSAT-UK Colloquium Holiday Inn, Egerton Rd, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XZ 24th – Horncastle Summer Rally Horncastle Youth Centre, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6DZ
AUGUST 7th – King’s Lynn ARC Great Eastern Radio Rally Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4DZ 7th – Lorn Radio Rally Crianlarich Village Hall, Main Street, Crianlarich, Perthshire FK20 8QN 14th – Flight Refuelling ARS Hamfest Cobham Sports and Social Club Ground, Merley, Dorset BH21 3DA 21st – Rugby ATS Annual Radio Rally Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby, CV23 9PY 28th – Milton Keynes ARS Rally The MK Irish Centre, Manor Fields, Watling Street, Bletchley MK2 2HX J
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C 29th – Huntingdonshire ARS Annual Rally Ernulf Academy, St. Neots PE19 2SH
SEPTEMBER 4th – Telford Hamfest Enginuity Technology Centre, Coalbrookdale, Telford TF8 7DU 10th – Caister Lifeboat Radio Rally Caister Lifeboat Station, Tan Lane, Caster on Sea, Norfolk, NR30 5DJ 11th – Torbay Annual Communication Fair Newton Abbot Racecourse, Devon TQ12 3AF 11th – ANDOVER RADIO AND COMPUTER BOOT SALE Tangley Village Hall, Wildhern, Andover, Hants SP11 0JE 17th – Fog on the Tyne Rally Whitehall Road Methodist Church Hall Bensham Gateshead NE8 4LH 18th – The Great Northern Hamfest Barnsley Premier Leisure Complex, Queen’s Road, Barnsley S71 1AN 18th – Weston Super Mare Radio and Electronics Rally CAMPUS Community Centre, Highlands Lane, Weston super Mare BS24 7DX 24th to 25th –BATC Convention RAF Museum Cosford, near Telford 24th to 25th –WACRAL Fellowship Weekend Elim Conference Centre, De Walden Road, West Malvern, WR14 4DG 25th –Chippenham & DAR Mini-Rally Kington Langley Village Hall, Church Road, Kington Langley SN15 5NJ 25th –Belgium Amateur Radio & Computer Rally Hall Louvexpo, 7 rue du Hocquet, La Louvière (50km south of Brussels) 30th to 1st October – National Hamfest Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground, Lincoln Road, Winthorpe, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY
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CLUB CALENDAR JULY 2016 1st to 3rd ................ VHF Field Day 3rd ........................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 3rd ........................... Monthly breakfast 4th ........................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 6th ........................... Discussion Evening 7th ........................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 8th to 10th .............. On the Air Weekend Yapton and Ford Scout Hut 10th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 11th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 13th ......................... Discussion Evening 14th ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 17th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 18th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 20th ......................... Outside On the Air at The Devil’s Dyke 21st ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 23rd ......................... Foundation Training Course and Exam 23rd ......................... Fire Station Open Day at Worthing Fire Station 24th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 25th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 27th ......................... Discussion Evening
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C 28th ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 31st ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM
AUGUST 2016 1st ........................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 3rd ........................... Outside On the Air at Goring Gap (BBQ) 4th ........................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 6th ........................... Intermediate Training (Day 1) 7th ........................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 7th ........................... Monthly breakfast 8th ........................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 10th ......................... Discussion Evening 11th ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 13th ......................... Intermediate Training (Day 2) and Exam 14th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 15th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 17th ......................... Club BBQ 18th ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 21st ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 22nd ........................ 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 24th ......................... Discussion Evening 25th ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 28th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM
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C 29th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MH 31st ......................... Fox Hunt
September 1st ........................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 2nd to 4th ............... SSB Field Day 4th ........................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 4th ........................... Monthly breakfast at the Lancing Harvester 5th ........................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 7th ........................... Discussion Evening 8th ........................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 10th ......................... Foundation Training Course and Exam 11th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 12th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 14th ......................... Discussion Evening 15th ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 18th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 19th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 21st ......................... Discussion Evening 22nd ........................ 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM 25th ......................... 80m SSB Net 07.30 to 08.00 3.712MHz ±QRM 26th ......................... 2m Simplex Net 19:30 to 20.00 145.425MHz 28th ......................... Lecture by Rob Mannion G3XFD, ex-editor of PW 29th ......................... 40m SSB Net 11.00 to 11.30 7.106MHz ±QRM
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