CLUB WEB Site: http://www.btinternet.com/~ray.howells/srcc/srcchome.htm

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"A" MEETING: 7th DECEMBER "B" MEETING: 21st DECEMBER

TOP BAND KITE ANTENNAS INFORMAL GATHERING AND TECHNICAL CHINWAG.

********************************************************************************

Dear Members,

There are very few meetings that I am unable to attend, but I was prevented from being at the last one which I hear was very good, but more about that later.

This one promises to be both unusual and also interesting. LAURIE ATKINSON (hope 1've got the spelling right) is coming along to recount his experiences with TOP BAND antennas suspended from kites. Having had some experience with kites in my youth it will be interesting to find out what part the wind plays in keeping the wire aloft with our fickle climate, so I look forward to this talk with much interest.

This was the one that unfortunately I was not able to get along to but I understand that the talk on REMOTE IMAGING by John Tillick held your attention and also provoked many questions. Due to the block of flats due South he was not able to obtain pictures direct from the satellite, but ha had brought along many pictures and recordings. Apparently many "pagers" use frequencies near to 137MHz which can mar reception with the simple systems in use, though improved results can be obtained with more expensive gear. The pictures of the storms over the Atlantic were most impressive. Our ex-chairman Peter Bruce G4WPB is also interested but it is suggested that anyone interested in proceeding further should join the Remote Imaging Group. It was a very poor evening (weatherwise) which accounts partly for the low turnout. Anyway our thanks to John for a most interesting evening.

Recently John G3BFP and I visited the Sutton and Cheam club to hear a talk on the radio navigational problems for D-Day. I hope we will be able to have it at a later date. We were made quite welcome and it occurred to me that there should be more visits like this between clubs, and with this in mind I list the local clubs with whom we exchange newsletters: -

BROMLEY AND DARS. MEETS THIRD TUESDAYS AT THE VICTORY CLUB, KECHILL GARDENS, HAYES, KENT. 0181 777 0420.

CRYSTAL PALACE & DARS. MEETS FIRST WEDNESDAYS, BEECHWOOD ACADAMY, STREATHAM AND THIRD SATURDAY ALL SAINTS CHURCH, PARISH ROOMS, SEULAH HILL SE19. 0173 755 2170.

CRAWLEY ARC. MEETS EVERY WEDNESDAY, HUT 18 TILGATE FOREST, CRAWLEY. 01293 512932.

COULSDON ATS. MEETS SECOND MONDAYS, ST. SWITHANS CHURCH HALL, GROVELANDS RD, PURLEY. 0181 546 5445.

SUTTON AND CHEAM RS. MEETS 3rd THURSDAYS, VICE PRESIDENTS LOUNGE, SUTTON UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB, GANDER GREEN LANE, SUTTON. 0181 644 0126.

THAMES VALLES ARTS. MEETS 1ST TUESDAYS, LIBRARY READING ROOM, GIGGS HILL, THAMES DITTON. 01483 28479

WIMBLEDON AND DARS. MEETS 2nd AND LAST FRTDAY, ST ANDREWS CHURCH HALL, HERBERT ROAD, WIMBLEDON. 0181 646 3738.

KINGSTON AND DARS. MEETS THIRD WEDNESDAYS, COACH HOUSE, BEHIND ST. MARKS CHURCH, CHURCH RILL ROAD, SURBITON. 0181 399 B7B7.

RLO SOUTH LONDON. PHIL STANLEY G3BSN. 0181 318 7437.

The following photograph came to us from the late Ron Dabbs G2RD and we wonder where it was taken, when and can you recognise more faces? We think we knew the following: - 1 G2UJ, 5 Ken Drummond, 6 G4CG, 12 G3BLP, 14 G2PKZ, and 21 G2DD. Sadly many of these are not with us; can you add to our list of names?

This information kindly comes from the Crystal Palace club newsletter.

A Ham shop has opened in Herne Bay for amateur radio enthusiasts in the Kent and the SE London Area. 2 ex-members of the ICOM business that closed 2 years ago, DENNIS G4SOT and ANDY G6MRI run it. The aim is to offer a friendly service and competitive prices.

Further details from UNICOM, 112 Reculver Road, Beltinge, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 6PD.

01227 749352. E-mail unicom@cqdx.co.uk. Website http://www.cqdx.co.uk/unicorn.

I hope this information may be of use to Icom owners, and thanks.

My satellite dish is on my mast with the 23cm and 432-cm antennas. My home made rotator is adequate for the amateur bands but it is too fast for the satellite dish making it very difficult to precisely align it. 1 devised the answer by splitting the mast and putting two levers, one on each side of the split and joined these with a threaded rod with a big knob. 1his gives some 20 degrees of swing and it is now possible to inch the dish round to a precise direction and it does not interfere with the original rotation of the mast. I wonder if this might be a useful arrangement for microwave enthusiasts?

Due to the kind offices of Bern G3FP the club has acquired a FT 101 Transceiver. This will be in the keeping of Maurice G4DDY who will bring it along co the B meetings and it is thought that it will be useful for use on 80 meters in the evenings. If, and it's a big IF, we get any newcomers along we will be able to demonstrate the use of amateur radio far easier than just talking.

This is advance warning so that you can put the date of our dinner in you 1999 diaries and it will be on Saturday 20th March 1999. The venue will be the same as last year, the Windmill, Stafford Road, (South side) Wallington, 100yds from the Manor Road traffic lights. Ray Howells G4FFY is looking after the cash so deposits to him as soon as possible please. This event has always been very convivial and one not to be missed and I hope that people who we do net see often can make an effort to get there, we will be delighted to see them. The menu and cost I will let you know later, but I expect to be similar to last year.

ALF PHILP will be 100 on 13th January ...there can't be too many RSGB members of that age. Alf tells me that he fell and broke three ribs a month ago but is improving. We all wish you well and hope you will be fit enough to come to the Dinner in March.

USED POSTAGE STAMPS are still coming along for the Diamond Riding School and I take this opportunity of thanking all of you who send them in, but keep them coming.

SUNDAY 10 METR NET is still going on, this morning we had five members, but I would like a few more to get on. It's generally on for about an hour but you don't have to stay for the whole of it just pop up and then bowl out!

HARRY HART G4TWK and I have a QSO most Sunday mornings about 10.15 via. GB2SN as we did this morning. He sends best wishes to all members.

GARETH G4XAT is now licensed as M0BTS and will be operating from his school where he hopes to interest his pupils in ham radio.

Just as I was wondering if I should start another page, I received a letter from one of my regular correspondents Ted Jones G3EUE. Thanks to him and all the other contributors. He writes: -

I was delighted to read that the Club had won one of the sections in VHF Field day - considering the manning problems which were apparent on site - it was an excellent result. Perhaps success will attract more support for 1999. I would certainly like to join you again.

On another subject entirely, Nick faxed the enclosed yesterday. I am not sure that this chap is an amateur but it is interesting that he communicates by CW via landline - talk about going full circle back to the very earliest days of land-line telegraphy! I wouldn't like to think what his telephone bills are like, St Helens is a fairly small town on the East Coast of Tasmania. The Australian Morsecodian Fraternity re-activate certain historical stations from time to time such as the station at Alice Springs and gain quite a bit of press publicity.

While some people describe Brian Jones, of St Helens, as dotty and others find him dashing, he agrees whole-heartedly with both classifications.

The former PMG telegraphist has just bought a morse code key and receiver that allows him to "talk" to dozens of other morse code exponents throughout Australian using the telephone cable network.

And in his own quiet way Mr. Jones is an ambassador for Tasmanian tourism because he often receives messages from Canberra's Science Museum where visitors can witness the early form of communication.

"They ask me to send a message back and I always promote Tasmania in my reply," he said.

Mr. Jones trained in morse code as a junior postal officer at Marble Bay in Western Australia in 1951 when he was just 16.

"It was a real buzz in the post office because the telegraphist was the centre of Australia's rural communications," he said.

"In 1959 I transferred to the Department of Civil Aviation as a flight service officer and had to learn to talk through a radio rather than a morse key.

"Around that time hand-operated morse was on the way out, replaced by machine telegraphy communication which was likened to greased lightning."

Mr. Jones said that he went to St Helens five years ago, because of children and grand children, where he became a member of the Australia-wide Morsecodians Fraternity.

"They're actually mostly my old workmates, telegraphists like myself who miss the musical clicking of morse code," he said.

"It's like music to our ears, but it drives my wife Elizabeth mad on Sundays when we mostly communicate.

"I bought a new morse key and receiver from a bloke in Melbourne who makes them and even though I hadn't used land line morse for 30 years, when I contacted him to let him know I'd received it all right it was as if I'd never stopped.

"I was having a ball but after an hour or so, Elizabeth called down from upstairs asking if I was 'still on that thing.'"

Mr. Jones said that he was interested to hear from other morse operators in Tasmania.

His phone number is 6376 1353.

Copyright: Launceston Lakes (?) - Retyped by Ray Howells G4FFY

 

Thanks Ted for that interesting account, you don't say if he is a distant relative of yours! Anyway, that seems to be the lot for this month. Hope to see many of you at the Kite talk on Monday.

88 Es 73

Back To SRCC Newsletter Index