QUA Welcome, to issue 19 November 2017 of the Stockport Radio Society (SRS) Newsletter 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 about - your hobby.
A Foundation Licence at 89
@G8SRS @Peak_Contest
StockportradioSociety peakcontestgroup
Chairman’s Corner How fast this year is passing. The end of October sees the clocks go back one hour indicating the start of the winter season. I hope that you are all joining in and enjoying the regular club nets. Thank you to those members who chair them. It would be nice to hear some new voices in the chair, it is not hard to do and a great experience. Any member wishing to have a go please contact Al G0ROW or myself and we will go through the format, and we can even do a mock net at the club. As you will have seen the contest group are now “Stockport Radio Society Contest Group” this along with “Stockport Radio Society Special Events Group” will see the club going forward even further by taking the club to the general public. Please support both groups with your presence. The contest group are open to any members wishing to visit, have a go, and also assist in setting up the station. It takes three days to fully set up the contest station. Contests will be announced on the members Google groups. The Special Events Group will be at Manchester Airport and at Avro Heritage Museum next year plus two other events. Dates and location will be advertised in the usual way via Google groups and Social media.
If any members have a special interest and wish to form a group under the SRS banner please have a word with me. All that I ask is that you organise it between yourselves. We the Committee will give you all the support that you need to get it off the ground. A big thank you to Robert M6TMA for the kit building Skills Nights I am sure all members will support me in saying that they have brought another aspect to the club. Unfortunately Robert can no longer carry on with the kit builds. We are now looking for a volunteer to support Tom M0DCG to carry on with the kit builds. If you believe this is you then please contact Tom at any meeting. A special members only CENTENARY CONTEST has been drawn up to commemorate 100 years of SRS in 2020. Rules and a log sheet will be available shortly. Cash prizes plus a special commemorative certificate will be awarded. Al G0ROW is also putting together an extension to the Double Sapphire award. Rules will be published shortly.
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As you are all aware the AGM is not that far away, the committee at present are prepared to stand for another year. If you wish to nominate someone to the Committee please read the constitution rules that apply. Every Committee member has a responsibility to fulfil. A list of these is available from SRS secretary. The Committee work hard, in their own time, to make sure the club runs smoothly and try to give you the members what you want from the club. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the running of the club please contact me directly by email tonym0sav@gmail.com phone 07508 611701 or 0161 487 2287. If you cannot make the AGM, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy christmas and a prosperous New Year and Good Dxing in 2018. 73 and 88 to all. Tony M0SAV
Contact Emails General - info@g8srs.co.uk Treasurer - treasurer@g8srs.co.uk Website / QUA - srswebsite@g8srs.co.uk Courses - courses@g8srs.co.uk Contesting - contesting@g8srs.co.uk
Website www.g8srs.co.uk
SRS Contest Group is the ‘Contesting Arm of Stockport Radio Society’
Date of Next Issue - 2 February 2018 Articles to be sent to QUA by 10 January 2018 If you have news, events, contest information etc that you would like to share with your fellow members, please email : srswebsite@g8srs.co.uk 3
Diary of Events - November / December 2017 November 2017 Monday 6 Nov
Advanced Tutorial 5
Tuesday 7 Nov
Surplus Sale Night
Tuesday 14 Nov
6m net 19.30 local on
Thursday 16 Nov
2m 145.375 +/- 7.30pm
Monday 20 Nov
Advanced Tutorial 6
Tuesday 21 Nov
EGM
Tuesday 28 Nov
Radio and Skills Night
Wednesday 29 Nov
10m Net 28.460Khz +/- QRM SSB 19.30 Local time
FM 51.550 MHz +/- QRM
December 2017 Tuesday 5 Dec
AGM and Social Night
Tuesday 12 Dec
Radio Night
Thursday 14 Dec
2m Net 145.375 +/- 7.30pm
Tuesday 19 Dec
SRS Talk Night - Aurora Radio and Visual with Evan M0TJU
Wednesday 27 Dec
Christmas and New Year Radio Night
Wednesday 27 Dec
10m Net 28.460Khz +/- QRM SSB 19.30 local time
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 4
Diary of Events - January 2018 January 2018 Tuesday 2 Jan
Society Night
Tuesday 9 Jan
6m net 19.30 local on
Thursday 11 Nov
2m 145.375 +/- 7.30pm
Tuesday 16 Jan
Radio Night
Saturday 20 Jan
Foundation Course Part 1
Sunday 21 Jan
Foundation Course Part 2
Tuesday 23 Jan
Skills Night
Saturday 27 Jan
Foundation Course and Exam Part 3
Wednesday 31 Jan
10m Net 28.460Khz +/- QRM SSB 19.30 Local time
FM 51.550 MHz +/- QRM
If you know of anyone who may be interested in giving a talk or demonstration at SRS on one of our Society Nights, please let Evan know either at a society meeting or email him at: treasurer@g8srs.co.uk 70cms Net Every Friday at 2pm Neil M6NAE runs a 70cm net on 433.525mhz Give Neil a shout - all the points help towards your Double Sapphire and Centenary Awards
QUA is compiled by Heather Stanley M6HNS. If you have any articles, reviews or announcements that you would like to see in the pages of QUA, please send your information to srswebsite@g8srs.co.uk or give Heather a call on 07506 904422
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Breaking News Tuesday 17 October 2017 Welcome to the OFFICIAL UK FM Group (Western) website. Final AGM 20th November 2017 As a result of tonight’s meeting 16th October 2017 was wind up procedures being initiated due to the positions of Chairman and Treasurer not being filled by the assembled members . The constitution is being followed as per clause 9. 9. WINDING -UP In the event of a decision being made to wind up the Group, then those responsible for conducting the winding-up shall carry out the following procedure:(i) Settle all outstanding debts; (ii) Convene a Group meeting to distribute the remaining assets; (iii) At the meeting – arrange to transfer of in-situ Group equipment to any properley contsituted group or radio club willing to take over responsibility for individual installations. Claims on individual installations should be submitted no less than two weeks before the meeting. In the event of a multiple claim the allocation shall be decided by a committee vote. (iv) Vote on the method of distribution of the remaining assets whether this be by:(a) Sale and equal distribution to all paid-up members; or (b) Transfer en-bloc to the Radio Society of Great Britain. Note : This has been taken directly from the www.UKFMGW.co.uk website
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Foundation Licence at 89 Stockport Radio Society are proud to announce that one of our oldest members Alan Cook (aged 89) has passed his foundation exam on September 4, 2017. Alan was previously a telegraphist with the RNV(W)R Royal Naval Volunteer (Wireless) Reserve for 10 years from 1949 to 1959, then serving the community as a Church of England Vicar until he retired in 1993.
Alan was unable to attend the club due to ill-health and contacted Stockport Radio Society to see if he would be able to take his exam from his home. Our Membership Liaison Manager Nigel 2E0CKA went over to see Alan, and then spoke with the club. Our Course Secretary John M0JFM contacted the RSGB for approval, and once approved, our Foundation Course Lead Tutor, Phil M0XYA, assisted Alan with his training and practical’s. On the day of the examination, our invigilators Alan G0ROW and John M0JFM went to Alan’s home to do his exam under strict examination conditions. This is an exception to our normal training regime and Alan now wants to contribute to the club for all their help and assistance, and will be on the air regularly with other members of SRS on the club nets, and will also be assisting in the morse training sessions, from his home, that take place at HQ with those members that are currently learning CW.
Alan is now in the process of setting up his kit for both VHF and HF, and with help from the club, setting his antenna’s up. Alan’s callsign is M6KOY. Alan wants to thank Nigel 2E0CKA for becoming a good friend and assisting with his kit and antennas, and to the course team for their help Phil M0XYA, Alan G0ROW and John M0TJU, for their support both whilst training and after. If you hear Alan on the air - give him a shout.
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A Simple and Toddler-Proof Magnetic Loop RX Antenna with an Integrated JFET Pre-Amplifier DL1DBS/MM0GFS, Björn Magnetic loop antennas are popular with both ham radio operators and BC DX enthusiasts and the WWW is full of DIY project ideas. However, when I was looking for a magnetic loop antenna to improve the reception of Digital Radio Mondale (DRM) broadcasts with my old Siemens RK661 receiver I couldn’t find anything that met my specific requirements. So I decided to start from scratch and build my own “mag loop”. The result of this project is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The completed mag loop On my “construction desk”.
Figure 2: The junction box with the Tuning knob, band and on/off switches
The loop is designed for RX only, but could be easily extended for QRP TX by adding a T/R relays. As I’ve been using a spare variable capacitor salvaged from an old valve radio I wouldn’t apply more than 5-10 Watts, otherwise the capacitor may “spark” due to the high voltage and the close distance between the plates. The frequency range covered by this mag loop is roughly between 3 and 8MHz, however, by adding more turns to the main loop a lower frequency range can be achieved. In fact, I have since build a medium wave sibling with a slightly larger diameter and a main loop with seven turns. My starting point was that I wanted to have an antenna suitable for indoor use, meaning it’s not exposed to the rough Scottish weather, but to something even more devastating: my three kids! This immediately ruled out any fragile construction or an otherwise accessible loop wire. My solution to this problem has been to use a “hula hoop loop”. Unlike other hula hoop loops I haven't attached the loop wires to the outside of the loop, but have fed the wires of both the main and the pickup loop through the loop. With the wires well concealed they’re safe of toddlers trying to explore (= ‘tear apart”) every tiny piece of radio equipment. Following these robustness constraints 8
I’ve also used a fairly “ruggedized” junction box to house the remaining parts such as the tuning capacitor, pre-amplifier and battery (see Figure 2). Moving the pickup loop inside the hula hoop loops also means it’s of the same diameter as the main loop. This is slightly unusual as normally the pickup loop has about a quarter of the diameter of the main loop, but I have found this to be not critical (at least for an RX only antenna). To match the high impedance pickup loop with the low impedance input of my receiver I have integrated simple pre-amplifier using only cheap and easily obtainable discrete components. The pre-amplifier only provides modest gain to prevent overdriving the receiver RF stage, its main purpose is the impedance matching to drive the signal across the coaxial cable connecting the loop with the receiver.
Figure 3: Wiring diagram for the magnetic loop antenna.
A wiring diagram for the antenna is shown in Figure 3. Two turns of wire inside the hula hoop loop together with a variable capacitor act as parallel resonant circuit that is tuned to the RX frequency. A slow motion drive for the variable capacitor is highly desirable to allow for fine frequency adjustments. I have used a spare capacitor from an old valve radio that has two packets of approx. 250pF each. To select between one turn/one packet and two turns/two packets I use a DPST switch that serves as a band switch (high/ low).
Figure 4: Schematic diagram of the JFET pre-amplifier 9
Figure 4 shows the schematic diagram of the JFET pre-amplifier. V2 is the 9V power supply (in my case this is a 9V block battery). V1 is the actual pickup loop, here shown as a voltage source with a 1M serial resistance, and R7 is the impedance of the connected receiver (= 50Ω). Hence, V1 and R7 are no “real” components if you should want to build this pre-amplifier. I have used 2SC1815 transistors for Q1 and Q2, because I had these in my junk box. These are low-noise general-purpose NPN transistors frequently used in older Japanese radios, but any other small signal NPN transistor such as BC547 is equally suited. J1 is a fairly common N-channel JFET for RF applications (BF245C) and can be obtained from e.g. Maplin for a few pence. To convince myself that the circuit works I simulated it using SwitcherCAD and then built the entire pre-amplifier on a spare piece of single sided PCB as an “ugly construction”. Finally, I fitted pre-amplifier into the case along with the variable capacitor and the battery. The result is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Inside the junction box.
So far my experiences with this magnetic loop antenna have been very encouraging. Although I mainly use it for the reception of the DRM transmissions of Deutsche Welle Radio on 3995kHz where it clearly outperforms the integrated telescopic aerial of my RK661, I have been hearing strong signals from amateur radio stations from all over the world on the 80 and 40m bands. I haven’t yet compared this mag loop with my external fishing rod vertical for 40m, though. Article provided by Bob Glasgow GM4UYZ
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The SRS AGM takes place on 5 December, 2017
Minutes of the last AGM Treasurers Report Reports from Committee Members Trophy Presentations
Then social evening with a buffet and general socialising. This is always a fun filled night — try and come along
Stockport Radio Society Contest Group I have pleasure in informing the membership that the former Peak Contest Group (PCG), have now changed their contesting group name to Stockport Radio Society Contest Group (SRS Contest Group). The group operate on pre-arranged dates from Common Barn Farm and Whitesides Field in Rainow, near Macclesfield, and would welcome any interested visitors and any new group members who wish to come and see the impressive setup and are able to assist with the assemble and dismantling of the kit before and after the contests. If you are able to help, or would like further information about joining Stockport Radio Society Contest Group, please speak to one of the group at a club meeting, or email Bernard (email : contesting@g8srs.co.uk) who will be happy to provide the details.
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Ni ge
Double Sapphire Award As part of our 90th anniversary celebration and to promote communication between members by radio, a new society operating achievement award was introduced on the 1 June 2010, initially for a period of one month. This new award proved so successful in stimulating on air communication between members, we decided to make it available until further notice. The Double Sapphire Award itself is in the form of a skillfully crafted certificate and is available in two classes.
Programme Requirements
Contacts allowed from 00.01 UTC 1 June 2010. Award open to all members of the Society, i.e. those whose subscription covers the year that the QSO (contact) was made. Contacting a member scores 1 point.
Contacting a SRS club callsign – GX/G3LX, GX/G6UQ, GX/G8SRS and MX/M5MDX - scores 5 points each. Contacting the Society President G0ROW - also scores - 5 points. The President is classed for this award only, as a club call.
The two classes of the award for contacts are as follows: Silver - 25 members or 20 members +1 society callsign, or 15 members + 2 society callsigns, or 10 members + 3 society callsigns = 25 points any mode any band and only current call being used.
Gold - a further 25 members or 20 members + 1 society callsign, or 15
members + 2 society callsigns, or 10 members + 3 society callsigns = 25 points. (25 silver points + 25 gold points = Total 50 Points) any mode, any band, and you can work any member or club call again in this section as long as it is not on the same band as it was worked on in the silver section, and again only current call to be used.
Submissions
Submit a log extract showing, Date, Time, Band, Call sign & Mode for all points claimed to Alan Gurnhill - G0ROW-: E-MAIL al.g0row@uwclub.net
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ME M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
DATE 15/12/16 15/12/16 15/12/17 15/12/16 15/12/16 15/12/16 15/12/16 15/12/16 16/03/17 16/03/17 16/03/17 16/02/17 24/04/17 24/04/17 24/04/17 10/08/17 10/08/17
DOUBLE
STATION CC-G6UQ G4GDC G8WPL G8HCB M0XYA M0CPP M0TJU M6YKK G6GUT M6OXB M0REP M6IPU HB0/M1PTR HB0/M5KJM HB0DCG 2E0QSJ CC-G8SRS
SAPPHIRE
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Total
BAND 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 2M 40M 40M 40M 2M 2M
SILVER POINTS MEM 5 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 9 1 10 1 11 1 12 1 13 1 14 1 15 1 16 5 17 18 19 20 21 22 21 24 25 25
AWARD DATE 10/08/17 10/08/17 10/08/17 10/08/17 25/08/17 25/08/17 25/08/17 25/08/17 25/08/17 12/09/17 12/09/17 12/09/17 12/09/17 14/09/17 14/09/17 22/09/17 22/09/17 22/09/17
DOUBLE STATION M1FHM M0ORA M0MVR M0OGG G4GDG M6NAE 2E0CFM 2E0CKA M0LPB M0SAV CC-GX3LX M0REP G8WPL CP-G0ROW M6KOY G8NRU 2E0ISB G3WFK
SAPPHIRE
Total
BAND 2M 2M 2M 2M 70cm 70cm 70cm 70cm 70xm 6M 6M 6m 6M 70cm 70cm 70cm 70cm 70cm
GOLD
26
POINTS 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 5 1 1 1 1
AWARD
Sample Completed Double Sapphire Award Form
Revalidating your Licence How it is done now‌ I sent an email to OFCOM awhile back enquiring how do I revalidate my licence plus the radio club’s licence that I hold. I received the following confirmation on what happens now: Below is what I received from OFCOM‌ RE: Licence validation Ref: x-xxx-xxxx Dear Mr xxxxxxx, Thank you for your email. Validation of a licence is confirmation that you are still a valid radio operator and that your details have not changed.
As such, whenever you log in to the online licensing service and view your data, you are automatically validated by default. I can see from our records that you last confirmed details via the online licensing service on 5 February 2017: Under Personal Details you will find the following. (Note I have cut out some of the information as it has details personal to me) This means that both licences are valid until February 2022
It turns out the above is not 100% clear on the actual process so here it is a step by step guide
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Go to OFCOM’s website and go to “OFCOM Amateur Radio and Ships Radio Licensing Portal” – link is: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/manage-your-licence/radiocommunicationlicences/online-licensing-service Click on the “Login/Register” and this takes you to the Login page Enter your email address Then Enter your password Then Click “Login”
This displays 3 boxes Personal Details Your Licences My contact Types TO VALIDATE YOUR LICENCE or LICENCES In the personal details box Displays your name, email address, phone number, Home address and the important part when “you last updated or verified your personal details” Click on “Manage Personal Details” It takes you to your “My Details Page” Select one of the ”Edit” buttons ( I chose the “Edit” alongside my address) It displays all the details you can amend. If all your details are correct and you do not need to change anything then click on the “Update” button at the bottom of the page If you have updated any details then it takes you back to the “My Details” page to check the changes. If ever thing is fine click on the “Home” link at the top of the page This takes you back to the “Licensing Dashboard” page where just above the Manage Personal details button you will the new date and time that you updated and revalidated your licence or licence Now logout of the OFCOM Website Bob Glasgow BEM GM4UYZ 15
Members Profile Don Hughes - G8WPL
Don G8WPL with Al G0ROW receiving his Silver and Gold Double Sapphire Awards
My interest in Amateur Radio started at School. George Hall who was a radio ham in 1978 was also a member of Stockport Radio Society, so in 1978 my father and I decided to take the RAE examination. I passed part one and soon after we both received our callsigns. My father Ron was G8WPK and I was G8WPL. As an SWL I had a tower which had a height of 55 feet, then in 1982 I got a 60 foot tower. I worked a lot of other amateurs on 2m SSB, 70cms and then 23cms SSB. I also tried 13cms.
As an SWL I received an activity award for logging 150 members, then once I had my callsign G8WPL, I worked another 150 members. I enjoy HAM radio. I am now working more radio amateurs on HF. I was asked to join the Stockport Radio Society Committee, at which time the club had a very high number of members. I am also a member of RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain), ISWL (International Shortwave League) and WACRAL (World Association of Christian Radio Amateurs and Listeners). As a member of Stockport Radio Society, I enjoy joining in on all the nets, and also running the 10m net at the end of each month. It is great to see the SWL’s taking their exams, getting their callsign and coming on the air.
It’s good to see the courses that Stockport Radio Society run. The club has a lot going for it.
Don G8WPL 16
PLEASE CAN YOU HELP? - PAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION BY STANDING ORDER SRS is run by volunteers who work hard to make the club vibrant, interesting and welcoming for us all. The less time these people devote to admin activities, the more time they can devote to society activities. With that aim in mind, I would like you to consider paying your membership subscriptions by Standing Order, which facilitates automatic payment of your subscription on a set date each year. Payment by Standing Order is safe, secure and, once set up, will take no effort on your part to pay your subs. Facilities to pay in cash and by cheque will still be available. Paper receipts will be issued for all subs payments – including those made electronically’ (i.e. by standing order and bank transfer). When you phone your bank or log in to its website, have the following details at the ready: Name of Payee: SRS Bank Name/Address: BARCLAYS BANK PLC, Leicester, LE87 2BB Sort Code: 20-53-77 Account Number: 40346314 Amount of Each Payment: [See subscription types below] Date of First Payment: 01 December 2017 Frequency of Ongoing Payments: YEARLY, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Payment Reference: [family name, callsign] Senior (non-pensioner) £12 Pensioner/Country £7
Family £12 Junior £1
Once you have set up a Standing Order, you do not need to inform SRS that you have done so, as your subscription will be shown on the SRS account with your reference. Information is available about paying by Standing Order. Please email treasurer@g8srs.co.uk and I will forward the details to you. If you have any questions, please contact me and I will be happy to answer them. If you wish to pay your subscription by bank transfer ('BACS') each year, contact your bank at least a few days before each due date, and provide SRS’s account details and your payment reference. Evan Duffield M0TJU 17
CENTENARY AWARD To celebrate 100 years of Stockport Radio Society in 2020 we are starting a new award - Centenary Award
Rules of the Award Please notify your intention to participate in this award to SRS Secretary. You must use the official logs which are on the website
Contacts allowed from 00.01 UTC 1 December 2017 to 00.00 UTC 30
April 2020 Award open to all members of the Society, i.e. those whose subscription covers the above dates that the QSO (contact) was made. Contacting a member scores 1 point. You may only contact the same member ONCE per Mode on the same Band.
Example: Phone, CW, Digi, RTTY etc on same band. Each mode will attract ONE POINT per mode on the same band. (please log type of digi mode BPSK31, JT65 etc)
You must use the allocated section of that band for the relevant mode. (as per RSGB band plan
Any contacts logged outside the allocated section for that mode
will be disallowed. Contacting an SRS club callsign – GX/G3LX, GX/G6UQ, GX/G8SRS and MX/M5MDX - scores 5 points each. (ie GX3LX = 5 points. G3LX = 5 points) Contacting an SRS Contest callsign 5 points (contest callsigns will be published on the SRS members Gmail group prior to the contest start Contacting the Society President and Society Chairman also scores 5 points. (as per contact rules above) SRS Special Events callsigns are also allowed each scoring 5 points. (ie GB0XWB / GB0AHM – these are examples only) (as per contact rules above
Club calls must be noted as CC-G3LX, CC-GX3LX Contest calls must be noted as CC-G5O President must be noted as CP-G0ROW Chairman must be noted as CM-M0SAV Special Events Callsigns must be noted as SE-GB0XWB 18
Log Submissions Submit your logs to Nigel 2E0CKA for approval – m6bbl@btinternet.com by 30 April 2020. (Logs should be submitted on a 3 monthly basis for approval these will be signed and dated by adjudicator) There are three prizes
Certificate plus £100 winner Certificate plus £50 Second Certificate plus £25 Third Certificate for all entrant
We hope you will all take part - Good Luck
Rallies around the County 18 November 2017 RADARS Traditional Radio St Vincent de Paul's, Caldershaw Rd., off Edenfield Rd (A680), Norden, Rochdale OL12 7QR. Doors open at 10.30am with disabled visitors gaining access 15 minutes earlier. Admission is £2.50 with those under 12 years free. There will be a Bring & Buy as well as commercial traders, a junk stall and amateur radio sellers. There will be refreshments available including bacon and sausage butties. Contact Dave, G3RIK by email to rally@radars.me.uk [www.radars.me.uk 14 January 2018 West Manchester Radio Club Red Rose Winter George H Carnall Centre, Kingsway Park, Davyhulme, Manchester, M41 7FJ. Located near the Trafford Centre, just off Junction 9 on the M60. Doors open at 11am. 18 February 2018 Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society Radioactive Fair Nantwich Civic Hall, Cheshire CW5 5DG Promoted by Mid Cheshire Amateur Radio Society. Doors open 10:30, 100 traders and exhibition stands, 400+ visitors, bring and buy sale, RSGB bookstall, catering, free parking, public transport to site, disabled facilities 29 April 2018 NARSA Rally Norbreck Hotel Blackpool 19
Morse Code
Morse Code
Phonetic Alphabet
1
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A
._
A
Alpha
2
.._ _ _
B
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B
Bravo
3
..._ _
C
_._.
C
Charlie
4
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D
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D
Delta
5
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E
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E
Echo
6
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F
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F
Foxtrot
7
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G
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G
Golf
8
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H
….
H
Hotel
9
____.
I
..
I
India
0
_____
J
._ _ _
J
Juliet
K
_._
K
Kilo
Our Morse
L
._..
L
Lima
classes run
M
__
M
Mike
on each
N
_.
N
November
O
___
O
Oscar
P
._ _ .
P
Papa
Q
_ _._
Q
Quebec
R
._.
R
Romeo
S
…
S
Sierra
Come and
T
_
T
Tango
speak to
U
.._
U
Uniform
Evan M0TJU
V
…_
V
Victor
if you would
W
._ _
W
Whiskey
X
_.._
X
X-Ray
Y
_._ _
Y
Yankee
Z
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Z
Zulu
club night from 7.00 to
7.30 pm.
like to learn.
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Courses - FLC/ILC/ALC Course Secretary John Marsh - M0JFM courses@g8srs.co.uk if you are interested in any course, please email you notice of interest to John on courses@g8srs.co.uk. A deposit will secures your place on a course.
Foundation Our January 2018 Course Dates 9am - 5pm Saturday 20 January 2018 Sunday 21 January 2018 Saturday 27 January 2018 for the Exam.
Intermediate Our 2018 intermediate dates are as follows Saturday 10 February 2018 & Sunday 11 February 2018 9am-5pm Monday 19 February 2018 - 7pm - 10pm Monday 26 February 2018 - 7pm - 10pm Monday 05 March 2018 - 7pm - 10pm Monday 12 March 2018 - 7pm - 10pm Monday 19 March 2018 – EXAM - 6.30pm - 10pm
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Advanced Below are the dates for the current course. We wish all the candidates all the very best when they take their examination on December 4. Tutorial 5 - Monday 6 November 2017 Tutorial 6 - Monday 20 November 2017
Examination - Monday 4 December 2017
Course Fees Foundation £45.00 - Based on a minimum of 6 students Intermediate £90.00 - Based on a minimum of 4 students Other costs : Kit from Kanga : £26.00 inc P&P / Text Book RSGB : £6.99 plus P&P
Advanced £95.00 - Based on a minimum of 4 students These prices were correct at the time of printing
Remember when you have your new callsign do not forget to inform the Membership Secretary Nigel 2E0CKA on m6bbl@btinternet.com and he can update his records and then forward onto Heth M6HNS to update the website.
Good Luck to everyone taking a course 23
SRS Links RSGB www.rsgb.org
Club Log (HF Ladder)
UKFM Group Western www.ukfmgw.org.uk
QRZ.com www.qrz.com
If you wish to join Club Log and also get entry into the HF Ladder with the end reward of entry in the HF Ladder competition at the end of the year, and you chance to win a trophy for the year, follow the information below. If you wish to join SRS DXCC league in Clublog, please follow these instructions:
UK Repeaters www.ukrepeater.net
Ofcom www.ofcom.org.uk
ARRL www.arrl.org
Raynet www.raynet-uk.net Summits on the air www.sota.org.uk BYLARA www.bylara.org.uk Echolink www.echolink.org Ham Links www.eham.nets Hack Green SDR www.hackgreen.co.uk If you have any Links you would Like to see on this Page please email srswebsite@g8srs.co.uk
Register your details with Clublog at www.clublog.org Click ‘settings’ and then go to the ‘clubs’ tab Select SRS - Stockport Radio Society and click ‘join club’ Your membership of SRS will show as pending until approved by the Administrator
The SRS DXCC League can be viewed from this link http://www.clublog.org/ league.php?club=99
Get your logs in and get yourself on the HF ladder with your chance to win a trophy at the end of the year. If you are new to the HF Ladder speak to Pete M1PTR at a club meeting or email info@g8srs.co.uk for further Information. 24
Frequencies
Membership
LF (Low Frequency) 2000m : 135.7 - 137.8Khz
You can become a member of Stockport Radio Society by completing a membership form and, either emailing it to treasurer@g8srs.co.uk or handing the form to the Treasurer at any Society meeting.
MF (Medium Frequency) 630m : 472 - 479Khz 160m : 1.81 - 2.0Mhz
HF (High Frequency) 80m : 3.5 - 3.8Mhz 60m : Consists of 11 spot frequencies check band plan 40m : 7.0 - 7.2Mhz 30m : 10.1 - 10.15Mhz 20m : 14 - 14.35Mhz 17m : 18.068 - 18.168Mhz 15m : 21 - 21.45Mhz 12m : 24.89 - 24.99Mhz 10m : 28 - 29.7Mhz
Payable Annually on Dec 1st Senior Family Country Pensioner Junior
Note for operating on 60m Only available to advanced licence holders
Juniors upto 18 yrs of age Senior upto 64 yrs of age Pensioner from 65 yrs of age
VHF (Very High Frequency)
Meeting Admission
6m : 50 - 52Mhz 4m : 70 - 70.5Mhz 2m : 144.0 - 146.0Mhz
UHF
£12.00 £12.00 £ 7.00 £ 7.00 £ 1.00
£2.00 per meeting. If you are interested in paying your subs by Standing Order, please contact the Treasurer on the above email address
(Ultra High Frequency)
70cms : 430.0 - 440Mhz 23cms : 1240.0 - 325Mhz
25
HF Ladder Oct 2017 As we approach the final lap of the competition now is the time to check through you log for any DXCC gaps as you may find (as I did) that you have missed some easy pickings. Recently I spotted that I hadn’t worked the Czech Republic (prefix OK and DXCC code 503) on 40m. A few days later and helped by the DX Cluster I found one operating from a WWFF (World Wide Flora & Fauna) site. Problem sorted! Monitoring the DX Cluster gives a good indication of the band conditions. I use DX Summit http://www.dxsummit.fi/ as it includes filters for call prefixes and band selection as well as mode. The DX Cluster records active stations as ‘spots’ from all over the world so be careful when using the information and check that the DX spotter that reports a JA (Japan) is 5,9+ is geographically nearby and not on the other side of the world! With band conditions varying I’ve been looking at Digital Modes to fill in time when no stations are heard. I’ve had experience of RTTY and BPSK31 but I thought it about time I looked at weak signal working. There is a lot of information on the net about the amazing work done by Joe Taylor K1JT, in particular WSPX, which is a computer program designed to facilitate basic amateur radio communication using very weak signals. WSPX can be downloaded from https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/. As a mode it is quite different to what I call conventional digital modes such as RTTY and BPSK as the QSO takes place in synchronized timeslots according to a predefine set of exchanges. The first WSPX QSO is quite daunting so I recommend reading the basic operating tutorial in the manual a couple of times and then just watching the sequence of exchanges that make a QSO before hitting Enable TX and having a go yourself. Patience is key here, especially as a QSO in JT65 takes four 1-minute exchanges i.e. 4 minutes. In the latest mode FT8, this is now reduced to 15 seconds per exchange or 1 minute per QSO. It’s definitely worth a try as my second QSO in FT8 was with VU2IBI, (India) which is a DXCC I have rarely worked before. Looking at the leader board Barry, VK2BJ is firmly in the lead. Evan, M0TJU is holding on to second position with me third. In this report I welcome a first submission from Andy, M0REP who enters the fray with a respectable score of 70 in sixth place. I would also like to extend my thanks to Eric, G3GMM who sent me a lovely letter and overcame domestic trials and tribulations to get on air to add to his HF ladder score. Well done Eric! Whilst on the subject of submissions, as well as Clublog, I can take entries in any media as long as you show your new DXCC slots to be added to the ladder as Eric did. Finally, the deadline for the 2017 HF Ladder is midnight 30 November. If anyone needs help with a submission please drop me an email or catch me at the club. I’ll be glad to help. 73 and Good Dxing - Pete Ridley, M1PTR 26
27
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Rank
Name Barry S. Evan D. Pete R. Alan G. Bernard N. Neil R. Andy W. Don H. Bob G. Kieron M. Ray K. Tom S. Eric M. Graham S. 1
174 11%
9 1%
2
16
1
0
0
1
0
3
3
0 0
6
14
0
11
0
27
28
62
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
7
0
13
7
5
6
11
36
13
20
26
29
35
54
144
1
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
13
0
1
7
91
2
10
7
19
22
38
11
38
34
35
41
49
55
121
0
0
0
1
0
0
4
0
5
3
26
13
7
85
0
0
0
3
2
6
0
3
3
15
8
23
32
63
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
1
5
15
7 399 116 482 144 158 25 0% 25% 7% 30% 9% 10% 2%
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
57 4%
0
0
0
0
1
0
3
1
9
8
9
3
12
11
160m 80m 60m 40m 30m 20m 17m 15m 12m 10m
43 3%
0
0
0
0
1
0
6
1
1
1
4
9
18
2
6m
HF Ladder October 2017
Call VK2BJ M0TJU M1PTR G0ROW G3SHF M6NAE M0REP G8WPL GM4UYZ M5KJM M1REK M0DCG G3GMM G3ZOD 1614 100%
4
25
31
33
35
58
66
70
73
112
126
161
219
601
Total
Print Sponsor Olympic Press Soapstone Way, Irlam, Manchester M44 6RA Tel : 0161 775 2555 / sales@olympicpress.co.uk
Stockport Radio Society Walthew House, 112 Shaw Heath, Stockport SK2 6QS 07506 904422 / info@g8srs.co.uk
Stockport Radio Society are affiliated members of RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) and NARSA (Northern Amateur Radio Society Association) 28