Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society
G0MWT, GX0MWT, GB5HF, GB2TAM, GB70GB, GB100MWT

CARS Meetings: Oct - Dec 2012




October Meeting
Tuesday, 2nd October, 2012 at 7.30pm
"Annual General Meeting"
By CARS Members

In opening the meeting President Carl said:

"The past year has been of highs and lows. We lost our Past President Harry Heap, G5HF this last month.   I had the honour of being nominated to succeed him a couple of years ago. As I wrote in my jottings I personally shall miss his advice and humour, particular the humour when erecting aerials at Sandford Mill.

Our Chairman John will give you a report on the past years activities during the AGM but I would like to thank the various members for the help they have given CARS over the past year. As they say in no particular order; Peter for his running of the raffle, he is retiring now so many thanks Peter.
Colin he is also stepping back from organising the audio system his contribution has help us all to hear clearly our speakers, not all of whom has had a loud voice.
Thanks go to the Training Team at Danbury in their efforts to bring others into our hobby.
To the Officers and Committee of CARS in the running of the Society to the benefit of us all.
Our Chairman John has a special vote of thanks, for putting in countless hours for the benefit of CARS.
And finally to you our members who come along every month to support CARS and make every Meeting a very sociable occasion."


Carl then presented the Constructors Competition Certificates.


Presenting the Constructor's Competition Certificates.


(Left) Andy G1GKN receiving his Constructors Competition First Prize Certificate and the Anthony Martin Shield
(Right) Peter Graves, G0KSJ receiving the "Amateur of the Year" Award.


(Left) Peter being presented with a bottle of "Bubbly" for presenting the Raffle for a number of years
(Right) Colin, G0TRM being presented with a bottle of wine for running the Sound System for a number of years.


Part of the audience and (Right) Treasurer Brian G3CVI explaining that the Subscriptions need to rise.
He said that Subscriptions had been fixed for 5 years but they should now be raised to £15 to cover
future increases in expenditure.   It was put to the Vote and accepted.


Peter G0KSJ sitting behind his Raffle Table for the last time - Clive G1EUC Training Manager presenting his Report.


Luke calling out the Raffle Prize numbers - Brian G3CVI telling the audience the details of the 80m Doublet Aerial after the Break.


James 2E1GUA telling the audience about his "Buddipole Aerial".

Reports of the viability of the Club and the financial situation was presented by those responsible.

All of the Committee are standing again but there are a couple of duties which have to be filled.
Someone HAS to provide and run a sound system or bring hearing aids for November's Meeting.


Committee for 2012 to October 2013

President: Carl Thomson G3PEM,   Vice Presidents: Charles Shelton G0GJS & Geoff Mills G3EDM

Executive Officers:   Chairman: John Bowen G8DET and Vice-Chairman: Martyn Medcalf G1EFL

Programme Secretary: Mark Sanderson M0IEO

Assistant Secretary: Colin Page, G0TRM (also Essex Chronicle & Weekly News Liaison) assisted by Peter Bridgeman, G3SUY.

Treasurer: Brian Thwaites G3CVI, (also Meeting Room and Membership) QSL Manager: Patrick Xavier M0XAP PO Box 112, Danbury, CHELMSFORD CM3 4DF.

Newsletter Editor: John G8DET, at present

Training Coordinator: Clive Ward G1EUC

Merchandise and Training Leader: Martyn Medcalf G1EFL

ERG Representative: Murray Niman G6JYB

Tony Gilbey G4YTG (Aerial Expert)

James Beatwell 2E1GUA, John Yates G1UZD

David Davis G3SVI & Myra Davis M0MYR

Co-opted Members:

Radio Sport (Contests) Manager: Steve Cocks G4ZUL

Sandford Mill Liason: Geoff Lovegrove G7KLV (Co-opted Member)

RSGB RadCom Liason Member: Trevor M5AKA


Ideas for next year were invited.

After the AGM the Meeting Brian explained the workings of the 80m Doublet and James showed his Buddiepole Aerial.

Peter Graves G0KSJ staffed the Raffle Table for the last time and Luke drew the Raffle Prizes.

Thanks to all members who attended for their support.



November Meeting
Friday, 9th November at 7.30pm
At our New Venue of Great Baddow Parish Hall
"Valve Evening"
By Louis Poli, N3OL and CARS Members

Stemming from a remark by our American visitor Louis Poli at CARS September Meeting, that "Unless it gets hot, glows and can kill you - it is not exciting" CARS have decided to hold a Valve Evening.

Louis presented “Classic Valves, Vintage Equipment, and an Amateur Experimenter’s Valve Radio Station”.

John, G8DET opened the Meeting by welcoming Members and Visitors to the new venue.   The Radio Microphone and Audio Hearing Aid Loop system worked well once we found out it needed batteries and Tom, M6BCK nipped to the Vineyards and bought some - thanks Tom - you saved the day again.   Hard of hearing Members must remember to bring their Loop Hearing Aids for quality reception and switch them to the "T" position.

President Carl, G3PEM presented John Roe G4IMS with his Constructors Competition Certificate as he missed the AGM.

November Valve Meeting
President Carl, G3PEM presented John Roe G4IMS with his Constructors Competition Certificate in the new venue (right).

Keith G3WRO from Harlow introduced his Codar AT5 Transmitter which was teamed up with Peter G3SUY's Marconi 1155 Receiver to form a QRP Valve Station and invited everyone to have a look at it and to have a QSO later in the evening.


Keith Haynes G3WRO (left) and Peter Bridgeman G3SUY

The Chairman introduced Louis who said that he wanted to cover the following topic that evening: -

The Valve, and the Advent of Modern Radio.   The Breakthroughs, and the People who made them.

Basic Valve Forms.   An Historical Valve Collection.   High Power Safety! (Difficult with the cats around!)

Shop and Test Equipment - Valves of course!   Regenerative Receivers and Experimental Valve circuits.

Receivers in Restoration, and High Power Valve Transmitters.   Station Equipment and Antennas.

Louis started by sketching the history of communications starting with James Clerk Maxwell, theoretical physics, 1831-79; Heinrich Hertz, applied physics, 1857-94; Thomas Edison, inventor of the Light Bulb (1881 and lighting Crystal Palace 1882); John Ambrose Fleming, 1849-1945, in 1904 produced the first 2 electrode vacuum valve rectifier; Lee De Forest, 1873-1961 put a Contol Grid in it so enabling it to become an Oscillator and an Amplifier.

November Valve Meeting


Some valve history and pioneers

Guglielmo Marconi, 1897-1937, famous for engineering and business in communications used the above to expand his empire based mainly in Chelmsford.

Early valves were primitive, but their advancement was breath-taking.

Louis then showed a number of his collection of valves including the Pliotron.


A rare 1938 type JAN861 Tetrode amplifier Valve.

His Shack layout was projected onto the screen. He said that in keeping with modern American houses it was wired with 125 Volts and 250 Volts AC.

November Valve Meeting

After showing his valve test equipment, power supplies and Amateur Radio Transmitters he showed a number of Vintage Receivers.


A Vintage Eddystone Valve Receiver, Model 770U, Mark 2.

To be able to leave his house free of Aerials when he was away out of the Country working he had devised a series of low profile Aerials.

November Valve Meeting
Two 10 foot plastic tubes wound with wire to provide a Top Band Aerial which could be dismounted easily.

Louis was warmly thanked for his presentation. The Bar opened at 8.55pm and did a good trade.

After the break, Luke drew the Raffle run by Carl, G3PEM and James 2E1GUA where a number of interesting items were given away.

Tony G4YTG showed a DVD of "Old Ongar Radio Station" which was built in 1924 and dismantled in the1980s.
It provided Reuters and MOD circuits with uninteruptable power supplies located in a number of separate buildings.
It was used during the Falklands Conflict to communicate with the Task Force.

Tables were set around the room with displays of Valve Transmitters and Receivers.
Keith G3WRO from Harlow set up his Codar AT5 Tx and set it up with Peter G3SUY's Marconi 1155 Rx and use it "on-air" QRP to a /Mobile parked in the Vineyards Car Park opposite.   The quality of the AM transmission surprised everyone.

On display were some old Marconi Valves and a "wired-in Valve" used by President Kennedy to talk to President Kruschev after the Cuban Missile Crisis having been taken out of the "Hot Line which was opened on 30 August 1963, and ran Washington-London (Cheltenham)-Copenhagen-Stockholm-Helsinki-Moscow" as it was microphonic.

November Valve Meeting
Collection of Valves, on the left is a Marconi PT2 (Tetrode) from 1925, to the right are the "wired in Valves".

November Valve Meeting November Valve Meeting
A 1920s Radio and looking inside we can see the Coupling Coils and 2Volt Valves.


Top Band Transmitter made in the 1960s by Geoff, G3EDM and right, a collection of Valves by Andy, G1GKN.

November Valve Meeting November Valve Meeting
Brian, G3CVI, John Rollanson and Denis - right, Geoff, G7KLV with an old Marconi Valve
in the wooden box from the 1920s Transmitter.   To the right is an Elizabethan TX built in 1953 by David Bolwell, ex G3JCM.
All these items were on loan from Sandford Museum - thanks to Geoff for bringing them.

November Valve Meeting November Valve Meeting
Colin, G0TRM with a large collection of interesting Valves and right, a Layafette Receiver from the 1960s.

November Valve Meeting
Louis N3OL talking to Peter G3SUY about his Marconi 1155 Receiver.

A fabulous Vintage evening was enjoyed.   A number of Members said that the new venue was better than MASC.



December Meeting:-
Friday, 7th December at 7.30pm.
At our New Venue of Great Baddow Parish Hall.
"Selling Amateur Radio Equipment on eBay".
By Belinda Sanderson, YL of Mark, M0IEO.

Every Radio Amateur has thought "I do not really want this piece of equipment - but it seems a pity to take it to the Tip".

Well now you can sell it on eBay - if only for a few pounds - it will make someone elses day.

Belinda brought along her computer and showed us - How to do it - On-Line - On the screen - In front of us.

CARS E-Bay Meeting CARS E-Bay Meeting
The eBay Meeting audience looking at the screen "On-Line".

She also told us of the things to be careful of and look out for when buying on the Internet.

Chairman John G8DET had another computer - On-Line - to Revalidate CARS Amateur Radio Licensees with Ofcom but everyone was already "done" or happy to do it so he "Revalidated himself" once he remembered his name!

CARS E-Bay Meeting
The Ofcom Re-License Computer.

The "Hard of Hearing" Induction Hearing Loop worked fine as did the new Digital Recorder. and so did the Radio Microphone (with a few bursts of interference - possibly due to the position of a metal edged table).

CARS E-Bay Meeting
The Raffle table with Carl (left) and Colin with the Audio Recorder.

The Bar opened at 7pm to 7.30pm and again at 8.55pm for the Break Time with good trade.

Hot traditional Mince Pies were provided by the heated trays from Dave Bolwell, ex G3JCM and John G8DET, Shortcrust Biscuits were also consumed.


The Mince Pie heated trays with nearly all 60 Mince Pies eaten.

Although a damp, cold evening a good audience put out and put away the chairs well - thanks to all who assisted with this.

A very good Meeting - thanks again to Belinda and Mark, M0IEO.

See you all again in this Hall on Friday, 11th January 2013.





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