10th May meeting – what would you like to hear about/do?

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

meeting 26th April “UK Six Metre Group – the magic band” by Chris Deacon G4IFX

Chris Deacon G4IFX of the UK Six Metre Group (UKSMG) will be with us for
all things 50MHz including how to work Dx on 6 and how best to take
advantage of the forthcoming Sporadic ‘E’ Season. We hope!

Venue: Woodford Park, Woodley, 8pm as usual, Thursday 26th April.

For me, it’s a fascinating band sharing properties of HF and VHF. It’s
also fun waking Ian G8NXJ up by putting a call out on 51.51MHz FM when
he’s having a nap in the shack.

For full license holders, you do have to be a bit careful with that as
we are only secondary users in the ‘top end’ of the band (51MHz-52MHz)
and limited to 100W rather than the ‘usual’ 400W. For me, 5W from Earley
is usually enough to wake him. Also repeaters GB3AM (50.84/77Hz) and
GB3FX (50.81/82.5Hz).

Talk suitable for all levels of expertise. Newcomers most welcome.

http://www.uksmg.org/landing.php is the UK Six Metre Group website so
you can get your questions ready beforehand.

Coffee, tea and biscuits will be in plentiful supply.

73

John
G4RDC

meeting 12th April “Radios and systems used by the Soviet Reconnaissance Forces and Spetsnaz forces in the Cold War” by Tony Helm G4BCX

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

Exercise Blue Ham – this weekend

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.

Grand Junk Sale Thursday 22nd March

Next meeting is Thursday 22nd March and it’s the RADARC Grand Junk Sale – so it’s time for a shack spring clean! (Note to self…)

Please bring along any unwanted broadly tech based items in order to support the club. RF based junk is always very desirable.

Venue: Woodford Park, Woodley as usual. The auction will start 8pm sharp
so it’s best to arrive early (eg. 7:30pm) to have a look at the wares.

Please note a couple of things:

  • If you successfully bid on something, you’ll need to wait until the
    end to settle up.
  • If you bring junk along and it doesn’t sell then please be prepared to
    take it home with you. My car is full.

Also please read the rules available at
http://www.radarc.org/Files/2016/Rules%20for%20Junk%20Sale%20_2016-03-03_.pdf

If you have not been before – it’s a hoot. It is an auction run by the
club’s very own top auctioneers/jesters. Particularly with the lot I’ve
got lined up for you… Even if you don’t wish to buy, the evening is
always entertaining.

73

John
G4RDC

RSGB Commonwealth Contest (BERU)

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 G3PJTs 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.

‘Death Rays: Fact or Fiction?’ by Peter Butcher, Thursday 8th March

Next RADARC meeting Thursday 8th March, Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley.
Eyes down 8pm.

Peter Butcher returns to deliver the intriguingly titled talk ‘Death
Rays: Fact or Fiction?’

You may remember Peter is an excellent speaker from his talk on
Emergency Communications Planning.

Sayeth Peter:
“Ever since the first recorded death by electrocution of J.G.
Doppelmayer in Nuremburg in the year 1750, the Military have pursued all new scientific discoveries as a means of killing without warning; the so called ‘Death Ray’.

This talk traces the evolution of these ideas from Doppelmayre through to the present day and shows how the various scientific discoveries were followed up. Electricity, Lightning, X Rays, The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Engine Stopping Rays and Nuclear Physics were all explored. Gradually, as all were rejected, Military thinking changed, as the type of warfare changed and today we have developed ‘Weapons of Denial’ as opposed to mass destruction”.

Then, enjoy a nice cup of tea and a biscuit or two.

Look forward to seeing you there.

talk “Height Matters” by Mike Naylor G4CDF, 22nd February 2018 8:00pm

Height Matters – by Mike Naylor G4CDF on Thursday 22nd February 2018 at 8:00 PM – 10:30 PM Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Haddon Dr, Woodley, Reading RG5 4LY

During a recent shack tidy Mike G4CDF encountered many QSL cards from his student days. On looking though them Mike was surprised by what was achieved (mainly VHF/UHF I believe) using the presumably modest station set up at the time. This lead him to thinking about how the location it’s associated attributes affected communications.

No doubt with a splash of reminiscence and a good helping of nostalgia, this should be a very interesting talk, and I am sure we will all learn something including some details on to build a station that can regularly communicate over distances of several hundred kilometres, the effects of antenna size and height, and the effect of local terrain, power level and local noise levels.

We look forward to seeing you there.

[New year’s resolution diet busting refreshments will be served – G4RDC]

73

Simon, M0ZSU, RADARC

Website for the Reading And District Amateur Radio Club