Our very own Vin G4JTR has written a rather excellent paper covering the advantages and the nuances of EFHW – end-fed half-wave – multi-band HF antennas.

It’s great to get some first hand experience and sensible analysis of this often over-simplified subject area.

Read the full article here:

We look forward to Vin’s next planned article – on noise, and presumably, its mitigation.

This year, RADARC celebrates its 90th birthday. Through the year, the members plan to run some events to celebrate this special year.

To kick us off, Michael M0MPM has organised and activated the special event callsign GB0RDG for an initial one month period. Michael will be in touch with members soon with an update as to how they can participate with this callsign.

Min G0JMS has been in contact with Ofcom and hopes to bring us some exciting news shortly – watch this space.

We anticipate that the summer time will be a great time in particular for special commemorative activations and other events relevant to the big anniversary.

All members are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas around the club and with the committee – and just to get out and have fun – after all the club is nothing without its members.

This evening we gave a warm RADARC welcome to David G1EHF for a talk entitled “Portable Operating on Microwave and Millimeter Wave”. David gave a great talk about particularly the practical aspects of operating portable microwave, all the way up to 122GHz using RADAR chips from cars, and kindly brought along some kit for inspection. He is often to be found up Walbury Hill in the North Wessex Downs, picking his way among various evidence left by sheep in search of the perfect spot to place the mast.

David’s presentation was recorded and we hope to be able to bring it to members in due course.

We thank David for his talk and hope to have him back in future.

Thanks to Steve G8CSK, RADARC members recently had the opportunity to visit the National Grid ESO (Electricity System Operator) control centre near Wokingham.

We were treated to a warm welcome, a very informative presentation from two members of operational staff, and a period viewing the control room itself from the elevated viewing gallery at the rear, with great explanation given, throughout which our hosts enthusiastically answered the inevitable barrage of great questions from our members.

The visit comes at a period of change for National Grid ESO in their transition to becoming the National Energy System Operator, a new, independent, public corporation that will be responsible for planning Britain’s electricity and gas networks and operating the electricity system, and with “embedded generation” – solar and wind connected to downstream distribution networks over which the system operator have no control – increasing rapidly. We learned a great deal about the realities of the strategic and operational side of balancing the grid, both economically and technically, having a direct impact on grid frequency and ultimately safety and security. It is fantastic to see first hand how carefully and professionally this is national-scale system is managed.

Our sincere thanks go out to everyone involved in organising and hosting us, and especially to our two hosts on the day, Pat and Ceiran.