CLUB NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2008

A NEWSLETTER TO KEEP MEMBERS IN TOUCH AND UP TO DATE.

04 Oct 2008

H.A.R.S. News
[Hambleton Amateur Radio Society]
Club Call : G0JQA / GX0JQA
Club Net : Every Tuesday 19.30 clock time on 145.625 [HG Repeater]

Club Websites:
www.radioclubs.net/hambletonars
www.communigate.co.uk/ne/hars

October 2008 edition
Believe it or not, this newsletter was 95% written in July with the idea that I would put it out in the Summer break. Well it stayed that way until just before we were due back when my conscience told me to get it finished only to find that I had it on a memory stick which was temporarily ‘lost’. It turned out to be inside an envelope for safe keeping! So now when I want to finish it off, half of it is out of date. A lesson learnt.
Return from the Summer recess has started ‘casually’ at the club with 2 operating nights showing a distinct lack of enthusiasm to be active. Lets hope we can finish off the year with a flourish.
Once again we are looking for suggestions for the Xmas social evening. It is very difficult to get an evening that satisfies everyone but your suggestions are always sought in the hope that we find a solution by consensus.

HARS Calendar
1st Oct Club Night Talk – Digi Modes [Steve G8IHT]
15th Oct Club Night Talk – DVD from Nigel Knapton on Digital Voice Operating
12th Nov Club Night Chairmans Quiz
10th Dec Club Night Xmas Social

all Club night activities start at 8.15pm – doors open at 7.30 pm.

We are always looking for suitable club night topics - if any Club member wishes a topic to be covered or has a suggestion for an activity, please discuss with one of the committee members and we will see if we can arrange it.

Club News
Do any members know of anyone wanting to do the intermediate license as we now have 3 interested and a couple more would make it worth running ?
Both Ians, M3XNM and M3XOD have been heard on air and are enjoying their calls. As they are both ‘setting up’ stations can members give them a call to help judge how things are working.
The club put on a very successful contest station from the PW 2m contest – Tony G3MAE, Pieter G0LIY and Richard G7HHK had a very enjoyable day with good weather and some excellent DX. 37 stations were worked along with 18 locator squares including a number along the South Coast. Best contact was with French station F6KHN/P in square IN88 at a distance of 434 miles. An excellent achievement on 3 watts – well done lads.

Club 2m Net
Tuesday night on 145.626 at 19.30 BST - If you can’t hear any activity, check the simplex frequencies around S20.

Club Meeting News
11th June – we did some operating on VHF using the FT7800 and GB3IR. For myself, it was the first time I had attempted using DTMF tones but was unable to hook up with the Trinidad repeater as planned. However, Gordon G8OMG saved the day and showed us how easily it is done by contacting Joseph J73JT. in Dominica. Our education was widened by a listen to a ‘laid back’ repeater in Australia [no takers to CQ] followed by a nice QSO with G1DRG Gareth in York via the Spokane, New York repeater in the USA. The latter found by a random number key in – actually it was part of Brian M0GBD’s service number – so creating the new game of DTMF lottery – pick any 4 numbers – key them in and see where you end up.
25th June saw us gathered around the TV again this time to see the 2nd Dxpedition DVD. Operating a couple of years earlier than the last one, this one was from Rodrigues Island. Here a very welcoming and helpful hotel on the waters edge helped the group erect a fantastic antenna farm using the hotel rooms as temporary shack. The hotel even laid in a more direct [and secure] power line for the operation before they arrived – that’s what I call room service – hi.
9th July was going to be an HF operating night but our ‘typical’ summer weather of heavy rain soon put members off the idea. It was too wet to put the outside mast and antenna up so as a ‘token’ to HF, the DX70 was hooked up to the loop for a short spell of 80m listening. Meanwhile the night proved entertaining starting with a pre-arranged sked with Ian G3XNM who was on holiday in Cornwall. Ian had been having fun using the local internet gateway at Paignton to get a lot of new contacts before giving us a call on Club night. Gordon G8OMG had been spending the cash at the recent York rally and brought his latest purchase – a mobile/portable antenna for us to see and which we duly tried out on 2m. Once we had eliminated a faulty coax lead, it worked fine with zero adjustment needed on 2m for a very good match. It was then used with the Club call via GB3IR to chat with 2 stations located on the Wirral – M3VIK, Les & M3VZC, Cliff. It worked a treat and we can’t wait to hear how Gordon gets on with it on his travels.
23rd July was the annual ‘Junk Sale’ which raised a healthy boost for Club funds. Thanks go again to Frank G0LEL for his sterling effort of squeezing blood from the stone i.e. getting money from a Yorkshireman. This he adroitly manages with a combination of threat, bullying, mirth and subtle slight of hand in the form of offering unheard-of bargains – 1 free bag of unsaleable junk if you are not looking, with the one you bought !

Radio News
Yours truly G0TYM, got my first batch of cards since the RSGB QSL buro has moved. In the envelope marked up for GB0VOM, were 15 cards for this event station run last year [2007] for Thirsk area Guides. It has been a long wait but nevertheless nice to get some cards to pass on to the Guides. However in the same envelope were 25 cards for event GB6VMR of which I am not the QSL manager, even though I did help out with the station. How did the buro know this ? or was it a mistake ? To make matters even worse there were also 5 cards for GB6RMT, 2 cards for GB5WR and 1 card for GB7VED – none of these are mine either. It makes me a little concerned that the new buro seems to be suffering some ‘teething troubles’. I just wonder where all my other cards have been sent ?

On GB6VMR, another successful station was run on the weekend of 27 / 28th September. Bill M5VIM called in on VHF and HF, Dennis M0BDR was worked on VHF, whilst Duncan G0VIW visited in person. The sun shone both days so operating al fresco was very enjoyable. Operators were sparse which was a pity as a barbeque would have been run if more had turned up. As it was Andy M0DCD and Tim G0TYM had to eat all the chips themselves. There was plenty of interest from other visitors including G4JJM and an ex P&O Communications Officer who could manage a cool 35 WPM whilst drinking tea and holding a conversation who felt he might get a license now he is nearing retirement. The Rally had the usual collection of very interesting old vehicles, old equipment displays, flea market (not many radios unless you are after a CB) and a beer tent – not all in that order of interest - hi.

Finale
Of course we all know why Marconi and Bell are famous but did you know that it was a Scotsman who could have had the accolades.
Phil Mapocket had designed a radio telephone system far superior and 3 years earlier than Marconi had radio.
Trouble was being frugal, he designed the system to be ‘call collect’. So for 3 years his radio-telephone directory consisted of 1 name only – his.
The rest as they say, is history !

Dit Dit