Thought the following Podcast might be interesting to members:

https://www.hamradioworkbench.com/podcast/understanding-hf-receiver-specifications

Eric Swartz WA6HHQ, co-founder of Elecraft, joins us to guide our understanding of RF receiver performance specifications. Eric introduces us to common receiver specs such as Sensitivity, Noise Floor, Dynamic Range, Intermod Dynamic Range, Phase Noise, and RMDR. He tells us what they mean in real-world receiver performance terms, how they are tested, and whether it’s better to have a higher or lower number in each one. It’s also the final episode before the 2018 Hamvention and George and Jeremy share our plans for our Booth, special offers, and exclusives for show listeners who stop by booth 3104 in Xenia.

David M0DHO

Really quick post to put up a link to G7IZU’s real-time European Sporadic E map. Great for those 6m openings!

G7IZU Sporadic E map

6m was open to Scandinavia last night and a good opening to Spain this afternoon. Keep your eyes peeled.

Also check out PSK Reporter.

Our speaker is being called away for a meeting with “UK Space Agency” on Thursday and sounds extremely busy.

This presents us with an opportunity.

So.

We will still meet at Woodford Park, Woodley, 8pm, 10th May as usual.

If you have a burning desire to talk about/share something, please let
me know! It doesn’t have to be a full on polished presentation. If fact
I’d prefer exactly the opposite this time round.

Baldrick has a few cunning plans. However, yours are most likely better.

So here’s my turnip:

* (All) brief discussion about the future of the club – get
feedback/ideas from you. eg. Maybe dial back talks a bit and dial up
more practical stuff? 10-15 minutes tops. Springboard for discussions
over a pint at the rugby club, perhaps.

Then break up, have tea etc and as parallel activities:

* short FT8 digimode demo
I realise computers and radio may not be everyone’s cup of tea but
having got FT8 going in Rx mode on 50 MHz I can see it’s huge potential.

* program up the club DMR handheld

* learn to use the Marconi 2955 test set we acquired from G8ZWN

* Zello https://zello.com/ demo – PTT on mobile telephones thingy;
network radios

* “gardener’s question time” type q&a for 5 minutes?

* ???? let me know!

This is literally just off the top of my head.

I will keep the website up to date as the evening shapes up.

73

John
G4RDC

Folks,

On Thursday 12th we welcome Tony Helm G4BCX back to Woodford Park Sports Centre, 8pm to deliver a talk entitled “Radios and systems used by the Soviet Reconnaissance Forces and Spetsnaz forces in the Cold War”.

He is very much looking forward to this and enjoys RADARC company.

Tony’s special interests are around former eastern bloc countries and
their modern military/political history. He as traveled extensively
there and collected many tons of radios on the way. A few hundred
weight, at least, of those will be with us on the evening. So Tony will
need a hand getting set up. It goes without saying, Tony is an authority on military radio and an engaging speaker.

The talk content will be:-

1. How SOE and the Germans listening to them operated in WW2
2. The pitfalls for both sides in doing the job.
3. How the Soviet Russian Army got round some of the problems.
4. Burst morse and how it was developed by both sides.

Tony says “Please note that I will be only talking history up to the end
of the Cold War.”

Informally, I am sure Tony would be willing to give a view on very
recent events in Salisbury.

Refreshments to be served as usual.

73

John
G4RDC

As happens every so often, this weekend the Royal Air Force Air Cadets will be organising and running a military style national radio exercise named ‘Exercise Blue Ham’. The Cadets invite all amateur radio operators to take part, making this the biggest radio exercise that the Cadets are involved in.

The exercise will take place on the MOD 5MHz (60 Metre) band and a significant part of the exercise will be on the section of the band that amateurs are authorised to use.

Locally, at least Woodley Air Cadets are taking part and will be active 9.30am to 2pm Sunday- I know they would appreciate good strong local signals since they live under a blanket of S9 noise.

Some important notes if you’re interested:

This exercise does not give amateur stations permission to operate outside of their normal licensing conditions.

– the allocation is not continuous- refer to http://rsgb.org/main/operating/band-plans/hf/5mhz/ for full details if necessary

– the allocation is for full licencees only

– maximum PEP 100W and 200W EIRP

– max antenna height 20m AGL

– secondary allocation, no interference to MoD stations

A summary of suggested spot frequencies in the 60m amateur allocation follows:

5278.5kHz USB

5298.5kHz USB

5301kHz USB

5304kHz USB

5317kHz AM

5320kHz USB

5335kHz USB

5354kHz USB

5363kHz USB

5379kHz USB

5395kHz USB

5398.5kHz USB

5403.5kHz USB

Note upper side band, against convention.

Selecting a USB frequency from the list above will ensure compliance and is largely compatible with allocations in other countries. Please do not transmit USB on 5330.5kHz, 5357kHz, or 5360kHz.

Various Cadet stations will be operating on each of the days, mainly from 08:00 to 20:00, but could also be outside these times, and will be on various frequencies within the band. Where possible stations will advertise which frequency they are listening on live on this website as the exercise is in progress and amateurs are welcome to check this page and call in on the advertised frequencies.

Cadet stations will call ‘Alpha Charlie’ which is the equivalent of CQ, and amateur stations are welcome to reply. Exercise Callsigns will all be in the range MRE01 up to MRE98 although other MR, MF and MA prefixed callsigns may be taking part.

The information exchange to score the contact will be

Your Callsign,

Signal Report,

Antenna Type,

Transmitter Power

Your Location. 6 Digit Maidenhead. Need not be precise.

As Cadet stations change frequency contacting them again on a different frequency will score as an additional contact, as these frequency changes they will be reported on the exercise website where possible.

The contacts will be plotted almost live on the exercise web server.

The ACO will issue certificates for amateur stations that contact 10 or more Cadet stations during the period of operation using your callsign contact details on QRZ.com. Contact with the same station on different days count as separate contacts. Email your callsign and contact details to claim a PDF Certificate to: blueham@alphacharlie.org.uk

The ACO looks forward to operating as many amateurs as they can during the period of the exercise and it will give their young operators an ideal opportunity to utilise their radio operating training on HF equipment to a different audience.

Once a contact is logged into the system it shows up onto a map which can be accessed at http://alphacharlie.org.uk/blueham/showmap.php

Thank you in advance from the Cadets for taking part and giving the operators plenty of ‘Air time’ which cements their radio training that they have received.

The RSGB Commonweatlh Contest is on next weekend, starting at 10:00 Saturday 10th and ending at 10:00 Sunday 11th. This is a CW contest.

Details of the contest including rules can be found at http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2018/rberu.shtml.

If you are not normally active in this historic contest then please consider taking part. The Commonwealth Contest (where “CQ Beru” is used to solicit QSOs) is a great opportunity to work Commonwealth DX stations without the normal EU wall of contesters to contend with. Often the DX stations can be worked at marginal signal levels which would be quite impossible in the big international contests. For stacks of background information see Bob G3PJT’s excellent website.

UK HQ stations

This year we will have seven RSGB HQ stations using the regional variations of G6XX – the RSGB Contest Club callsign. This is following clarification from Ofcom that a Club Callsign can be active from multiple UK regions simultaneously. See QRZ.com for the history of G6XX.

 Chris is also using GB5CC under the new rule that “other HQ stations may be active to celebrate or commemorate events of significance to the Commonwealth”. This will be to recognise the forthcoming marriage of Prince Harry and Megan Markle in May, unless Chris can suggest an alternative justification.

RADARC won the G3PSH memorial trophy for SSB Field Day 2016.
Although we came 2nd, the leading team were not eligible to receive the trophy because they had not registered.

From left to right: Jonathan M0JSX, Jim G0LHZ, Tom G0VQR, Ray G3SCZ, David M0DHO.

The next RSGB club championship is the DATA leg on Wednesday 14th Feb. It runs on 80m from 8pm to 9:30pm local time. You can find details at http://www.rsgbcc.org/hf/rules/2018/r80mcc.shtml. All valid QSOs count towards RADARC’s club score. The leading contributor wins the club ladder with a trophy presented at the AGM.

Best regards,
David M0DHO

I found the following presentation on the FT8 data mode that might be of interest to members:

http://blog.radarc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/SEMDXA-FT8-Presentation-2017-11-09noVideos.pptx

We just wanted to share this picture of the wonderful memorial to Graham G3XZJ made by his family (thanks Wally for the picture). It shows that radio was just one of his many and varied interests (and it sounds like he was expert in them all!). We shall all miss you Graham.