There was no club meeting du to the holiday

Don began with a look back at some early SDRs (Software defined radios),  their parameters and some of their short comings with regard to frequency and operations.  He pointed out that the easiest way to locate an SDR connected to the internet was to use the popular online search engine.

Don had two laptops for the presentation, one connected to the internet and the other presenting the video projected programme

Don said that one of the most popular on line SDRs is the KiwiSDR. He pointed out that the KiwiSDR is different from other SDRs. It is a standalone device that attaches to a local network and can be accessed through the Internet. A browser is used to connect to the user interface. Most other SDRs generate raw IQ data and need to be connected directly to a PC or laptop running OS-specific  installed software.

It is possible to access over three hundred KiwiSDRs right now at the site rx.kiwisdr.com The owners of these Kiwis have made them publicly available. Once on the page, you will see there are quite a few SDR sites to choose from. Most will show the aerial in use: it’s this writer’s opinion that some are not very good at real DX.  However, some stations have full size dipoles and one in the US has a 500 foot Beverage pointing toward Europe. Station VE6JY at Lamont, Alberta Canada has 17 aerials (by my count)  and you can find him easily as he’s second on the list.

At the top of the SDR list you will see a green button marked ‘KiwiSDR Map’ which will take you to a map of the world showing all the KiwiSDR stations around the world!  Believe me, you can spend many hours searching these receivers!

A former member of this society paid us a visit to explain the ins and outs of LoTW. Fred started by explaining the usual problems sending and receiving QSL cards and why someone might not want to do it.  Mainly, the cost of postage and the long wait for a response. Other then collecting cards because they look nice,  they can be used to gain awards from the ARRL  (American Radio Relay League), the equivalent to our RSGB.  The first award, the DXCC Century Club is awarded for working and confirming radio contacts with one hundred different listed countries. Of course, back in 1935 when this award was first offered, it was much more difficult to gain the necessary one hundred than now. In 1945 the award criteria were altered and along the way some ‘countries’ were dropped from the list, while new were added.

Fred showed pages from the LoTW  website  (www.arrl.org/logbook-of-the-world  ) that includes all the information you need to get started. You do not have to be a member to install and use the small programme (called TQSL) that does the necessary authentications for you when you upload your contacts.  As other radio ops upload their logs, your contacts can be cofirmed without sending cards. Updates to the programme can be installed over your existing TQSL programme when they are released.

There followed a live demonstration of accessing the website and the items that needed to be filled in to get started.

After the demo, Fred signed up three new applicants, saving them the copying and sending of their licence and ID through the post.

This evening, the meeting was a general get together for a chat.  During the meeting, Dave, G4FKI did a rig check on Paul’s, (G1GSN) ICOM rigs that are used to transmit the GB2RS news on Sunday mornings.  Using a communications test set they measured the performance and checked the power and deviation,  Now, ‘all sorted and adjusted’

During the lockdown, Don wanted  a better aerial for use while at home. He looked at the original design of the Cobweb by  Steve Webb, G3TPW but decided to build the improved design by Steve Hunt G3TXQ (SK) which uses single wire dipoles and a 1:4 Guanuella current balun which simplified the overall design.

Using his own design for the centre mount, Stauff Clamps were used to hold the four glass fibre tubes in the necessary X format mounted on a nineteen inch square of aluminium.  Don explained how he made the choke using eight turns of twin cable on a FT140-61 toroid.

The aerial is mounted on a pole attached to the side of his house; the mounting allows the pole and aerial to be tipped over into his garden when required and as the aerial is omni directional, there is no need of a rotator.

Of course, the Cobweb works very well, as his results in RTTY contests show, and all with only eighty watts of power.

Don, ran through the details of VHF NFD (2 – 3 July) for those who are new to the Society and asked how many members would be willing to attend. He explained  the planned setup and the bands we hoped to be able to work.

The Video for this evening was provided by the RSGB and shows the Arctic IOTA DXpedition to Prins Karls Forland Island. The video is narrated by Allan Batievsky, EA3HSO.

Allan was a member of the Arctic IOTA DXpedition to the nature reserve west of Svalbard located in EU0-63 standing at 78 degrees North.  A group of six operators activated the island in July for the first time since 2001 and made  16000 contacts to all corners of the globe.

If you missed the video or would like to see it again, go to:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWk-evOr9hI

This was the second visit to the club by Elaine Richards, Managing Editor of RadCom, The first was fifteen years ago. She began by looking back at the two years of Lockdown and problems caused by the pandemic. She explained it was the first of March when the Technical Editor, Giles Read, G1MFG was taken ill and in the hospital. Then, only three weeks later, he became a silent key.  Aside from the shock of loosing such an important member of staff, the event cast a cloud over Elaine’s planned retirement. Elaine explained that she was the only person available to answer questions about Amateur Radio, so please be patient when phoning in. She detailed her interest in the history of Amateur Radio and plans to update a database of all Amateur Radio members through the years, during her spare time after retirement.

Elaine told of the few men who were interested enough to start the London Wireless club after Rene Klein had a letter published in the English Mechanic in June 1913. A meeting of interested parties took place on the 5th of July and the London Wireless Club, with a membership of four, was born. By late November of the same year the membership was 150 members. Nearly half of the paid up members held transmitting licences.

Part of the challenge of archiving is linking different elements of a story together, There are QSL cards dating from 1923 that when examined show that many radio amateurs around the world who chose their own call letters held the same call sign!  With international contacts on the rise, it made identification of the country of origin very difficult.  Fortunately, the new IARU settled the country callsign problem by assigning each country the call letters we use today.

Her presentation looked at some of the humorous items in the archive. For instance, with rationing during the second World War, the ARRL (the American equivalent of the RSGB) sent some packages of Tea, but sadly they didn’t make it. They were not stopped by U-boats but the British Government who decided that any parcel containing more than two pounds of tea should be confiscated by the Ministry of food. Undeterred the ARRL promptly made smaller packages containing 1 ½ lbs of tea, 6 large chocolate bars and a small bag of candy – thus  keeping both the weight of tea inside the rules but also the overall weight of the parcel that wouldn’t exceed 5lbs.  True Friendship!

There were some questions at the end of the talk followed by a presentation of a bouquet of flowers. In addition, the chairman presented a call sign plaque made from vintage timber by David, G8UOD.

Richard started by detailing the various systems of mains connections to private properties. Houses built from about 1970 are likely to be configured as PME: Protective Multiple Earth.  For most houses this is sufficiently safe.  However, radio amateurs face a possible catastrophic failure if there is a break in the protective multiple earth lead (possibly cause by nearby construction work etc.) and their station is conneted to an RF earth that becomes the earth for the PME system.  These breaks have  been reported about 400 times in the past year. Richard outlined what radio amateurs with the PME setup should be doing about the perceived need for an RF earth connection: Don’t do it!   Richard’s full presentation can be read  at our website under the tab ‘Practical Stuff’  titled ‘Earthing and RF’

A total  of 14 members and one visitor turned out for our annual meeting. Apologies were received from Owen, G0PHY,                  Geoff, G4CEP, Ron, M0WPY, Geoff, G3XDE and Ian, G1JCC.

After the usual reports from club officers, there followed the election of officers and committee members. Those elected were:        Ken, G4YRF Chairman, David, G8UOD  Secretary, Owen, G0PHY  Treasurer, Don G4LOO  Equipment and Contest Officer,  Committee members elected were, John, G6RHL, Paul, G1GSN, Terry, G4OXD and Graham, G4JBD.

Steve Durham, M0DYR  was returned as Auditor.

A brisk discussion followed during ‘Any Other Business’.  Topics raised were suggestions for social events by Victor, G3JNB, A query about future Junk Sales by Brian, G8GHR and a question about future audio systems in the hall by John, G6RHL.

The meeting ended at 20:55.  Tea and biscuits (plus cake supplied by John, G6RHL)  were offered to all.