We have over the past few months seen different options provided by the government on when things get back to some form of normality.

Various options have been looked at, only to be dashed by new strains of the covid virus.

For this reason we are now looking at returning to the Community Hall (Club House) after what would be our normal summer break.

The most probable date will be 9 September, where hopefully things will have some semblance of normality for us all.

As you can imagine we do not have a full programme as yet as we have not been in a position to organise any activities, having said that I am sure many of you have kept yourselves busy in one way or another.

I am sure that there have been things you have built or contacts you have made that will interest us all and this will be a chance for you to let us all know what you have been up to.

Some members have already volunteered to give a talk, which will start the programme off.

There will be a Committee meeting to set out our plans to move forward and bring the club back to normality.

Keep an eye on our website or emails for information.

Hopefully by September we will be in a safe environment, however if things change we will have to make some adjustments.

Stay safe and well.

73
David
G8UOD

It is with sadness we report the passing of a club member, Gerald Redding, G0GGQ on the 18 of January 2021. Gerald last visited  the club in 2017 as he was looking after his wife at the time. Later we learned that he had moved into care facilities.

Gerald lived in Shefford and was first licensed as G6PTB then G0GGQ in 1986. He first jointed the Shefford club in 1984.  He worked in Security Alarms and gave a lecture on how they worked on 15 Nov 1984. He was a prolific constructor and won seven cups during his membership.

On March 4th  2021 at the start of the evening 2m FM club net, a tribute was sent in CW to mark his club involvement.

The text read:

G0GGQ G0GGQ de G3FJE G3FJE

To Gerald G0GGQ from your fellow members of the Shefford and District Amateur Radio Society.

Rest in peace Gerald. You will be with us always.

de G3FJE     SK SK   (end of transmission)

Each Thurs. evening our club Secretary David, G8UOD invites all members to join in our Zoom/2m net meeting. Most evenings we have about 10 to 12 members participate, not all are in 2m range so David, who serves as our host, will relay their zoom audio over 2m to the 2m group. All members are licenced radio amateurs.

Paul, G1GSN serves as net control on 2m. Come join us!

Well, the first thing is to have a good look at the results using Lelantos to show the graphs.  Of course, if you believe you are being troubled by VDSL QRM you will already know that, but this may prove the source. If you’re still unclear about the situation, read:

http://rsgb.org/main/files/2020/03/EMC-Leaflet-15-VSDL-v3-February-2020.pdf

The next step is to report the interference to Ofcom:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/interference-to-amateur-radio

This may seem a daunting task, but in essence it’s really a statement of facts. You may be asked to keep a log of the stations you cannot hear due to QRM from VDSL (!)  This may be accomplished by comparing what you hear to that of a nearby online SDR or comparisons with another nearby radio amateur. The QRM will not be dealt with if only a few radio amateurs report it.

It has been known that Ofcom do not always provide a usable answer to the problem, so what to do?  Take it a step further.

For solutions please access ‘Practical Stuff’ on this website

VDSL QRM – Not Just an obscure problem!

After reading the May 2020 and September issues of RadCom, it became clear that almost all radio amateurs have been suffering QRM from VDSL, some without knowing it! The problem is that the transmission type is broadband and not the sort of QRM you can readily identify. It just raises the noise floor and obscures weak signals! However, help is at hand. To this date Ofcom has not done much about the problem because there have not been many complaints from radio amateurs. The May issue of RadCom is a Call to Arms!

The article details software (free from the RSGB) called Lelantos that has been developed to identify and measure the relative strengths and spectrum of VDSL2 RFI.

While some amateurs might be reluctant to learn to use the software and don’t have the necessary SDR at hand, one of our club members has the software and the SDR ready to use and can come to your QTH to make the VDSL check for you! These recordings can be made from your driveway or front of your house without connections to your house or shack.

The results will be passed on to you with the info necessary to make your own submission to OFCOM. This service will be free to all members and even other radio amateurs in our catchment area! Look out for an email coming your way to let you know how to contact the person making the measurements. The actual operation only takes about ten minutes of your time and could help save Amateur Radio for now and the future.

You can read the entire story in depth here: http://rsgb.org/main/files/2018/10/vdsl-RFI-Impact-interim-report.pdf

While it looks like the RSGB is doing lots of work on this, OFCOM will only be moved by reports from more than a few radio amateurs.

Due to Covid 19 and the attendant problems facing gatherings, especially by older persons. Our club meetings have been suspended until further notice.  Please check your email weekly or more often for updates.

During the Club’s shutdown, each Thursday there will be a club net on 2 Metres at 20.00 BST Starting on 145.50 and moving to an empty channel.  In addition, there may be  a 160m ‘Top Band’ informal  meeting  each Mondays at 19.00 BST on 1.985, SSB

All members and visitors are welcome.

Brian began with a short biography of founder Frank Winfield Woolworth born 13 April, 1852 in New York. In 1879 Woolworth borrowed $300 and opened the first five-cent store in Utica, NY, Unfortunately, it failed within weeks!  His second venture was in April of that same year when he opened another store in Lancaster Pennsylvania where he expanded the concept to include merchandise priced at ten cents.

Frank expanded into the UK market by opening his first UK store in Liverpool, the date was 1908. Brian detailed significant points in the company’s progress by playing records that were on sale at the time, starting with an acoustic recording supplied on a five inch disc which sold for six pence. Through the years many recording companies served the Woolworth market with records by ‘not so popular’ artists sounding like the records at the top of the Hit Parade. They were still selling at a marked down price.

The company survived most of the problems faced during the years, but lost out during the 2008 banking crisis, and with falling sales the company went into administration.

The discussion included Wi-Fi as well as HF radio communications. Types of aerials and modes, old and new were topics for discussions while tea and biscuits were served.

This evening the members watched a video from the RSGB 2018 Convention Lectures  series. It can be found on the RSGB website (or YouTube). Just search “an introduction to 3D printing for the radio amateur  by James Patterson, M1DST”

While the technique isn’t new, it’s not a field many of our members have ventured into. A copy of the wrench that was printed on board the Space Station was passed around for inspection.  The files needed to produce this and many other items are on the internet for general use without charge.

Members arraigned the chairs in a circle around some tables and had a general discussion.

While free tea and biscuits were served, members discussed various topics including propagation, wind loading on masts in strong winds and computer problems.