Chelmsford Amateur Radio
Society
G0MWT, GX0MWT, GB5HF & M2T
International Marconi Day - 2008 at Sandford Mill
Marconi's Birthday was on the 25th April & G4IMD arrange
International Marconi Day as the nearest Saturday to his
birthday - so this year it was the 26th April.
CARS provided the now traditional HF SSB station in the 2MT
Marconi Hut on SSB while the "upstairs station" was nearly
exclusively using the Key with Tony, G4YTG's Transmitter & Receiver.
Additionally, Mark Sanderson, M0IEO kindly brought his caravan
complete with a fold-out tent and communications centre.
Jim Salmon, 2E0RMI & Bob, G4MDB provided a stack of VHF equipment to
enable members of the public to hear quality Amateur Radio transmissions on FM.
Additionally, Contest Manager Steve, G4ZUL organised a Aerial
Pre-Run for NFD which this year will be on the 7/8th June.
Tony, G4YTG was in charge of the Bow & Arrow Shoot - to get halyards over nearby trees.
This year Chelmsford Borough Concil arranged Sandford Mill to be Open to
the Public from 10am to 5pm. "Friends of the Museum" organised
Car Parking, Teas and provided Members to Staff many of the exhibits in the building.
Last year the whole of April, the day was warm (over 70
degreesF - 20+C) but this year it was a different story with snow
present earlier in the month. Friday was iffy with rain but IMD broke clear and hot
and the temperature rose to over 70 degrees F (20 degrees C).
CARS as a Society operate as a "team" - the Aerial Erection Team put
up the many aerials on Tuesday and Brian, G3CVI commissioned the Hut
gear on Wednesday.
By 10am BST when the Public turned up, everthing was in full swing.
However the story really starts with the Pre-Site Meeting the previous Saturday when
Mark, M0IEO and Belinda, Geoff G7KLV, Patrick, M0XAP, Jim, 2E0RMI & John G8DET came
to check-out out the area where the caravan would be parked.
Left to right; Patrick, M0XAP, Geoff G7KLV, Belinda & Mark M0IEO & Jim 2E1RMI
Long shot of the VHF Caravan. Clive M0GGH & Charles, G0GJS are
standing outside the awning sinalling in Semaphore. There is a Dipole on top of the telephone pole
to the right while the 80 Metre 2MT Hut Aerial is attached to the derrick to the left.
Jane Vidgeon Hart assisting Rhiannon Bailey with her print-out.
Report by Mark Sanderson, M0IEO
The day broke beautiful and clear, it would be a lovely day for being in a caravan
and a lovely day to be out and about with a short wave radio, if we could combine
the two the day would be perfect. Luckily it was International Marconi Day so
no further excuse was needed. Belinda and I rose early for a Saturday at 05:30am
and set about loading the caravan with all we would need for the day,
awning, radios, antenna mast, tea, coffee, milk ect. I must look into buying
a cow as we got through some milk!
Anyway fully loaded we set off from Canvey at 08:00am and after an effortless tow
lasting 25minutes, we arrived at Sandford Mill. It took around half an hour
to erect the awning whilst the kettle was boiling, then after the first cup of
tea of the day we set about setting up the mast and co-linier antenna along
with Clive, M0GHH it was then that I discovered that the coax was too short
to reach the awning from the top of the mast. It was the first time I had
raised the mast to anything like full height, lucky I had a drum of RG213 mill
spec in the caravan and a good collection of compression fit PL259 plugs. Even
on a good day with calm conditions it is surprising how hard it is to make a
decent solder joint on a plug in the open air. I would think that Belinda’s
screams could be heard in Danbury when she saw the solder spits flying over
the worktop of her caravan kitchen, but ever the suffering Radio Amateur’s Wife
she helped by holding the plug (by the coax I hasten to add) so that I could
perform a semi decent joint.
Another cup of tea and it was nearing opening time, by this time Jim Salmon, 2E0RMI
had arrived and was busy setting up his equipment to operate on Echolink along
with his amplifier and speakers, it was nice to be hearing some contacts coming in.
Next to arrive was Bob Tokley, G4MDB who wasted no time in putting the co-linier
to good use on 2m simplex and was soon calling CQ and getting a good response to
his calls.
As things quietened down around late morning, Bob decided to try his luck on
top band and so attached a long wire to his box kite and hoisted it aloft. There
was a little activity on top band but it was sporadic at best. I did offer my
Kenwood TS 480 SAT for Bob to try out but with the poor band conditions it hardly
seemed worth setting up.
The afternoon was spent talking to the many visitors to the VHF station and the
numerous Club Members, who came along to offer their support, I even managed to find
our Club Chairman, John Bowen, masquerading as a gardener cutting back the
brambles on the roadway to the rear entrance!
All too soon it was 17:00 hrs (or 5 o’clock) and it was time to take it all
down and head for home, all the happier for having spent the day doing two of
my favourite things, caravanning and radio, shouldn’t every weekend be spent doing that?
My thanks go to Clive, M0GHH; Jim 2E0RMI and Bob G4MDB for their equipment, one
day I will get mine out, and for the help with the packing up of all the kit.
High spots of the day, setting up, drinking tea, socializing, drinking tea, confirming
that I was the shortest contact of the day with Bob (me in the caravan on my handheld
and Bob in the awning on the 2m simplex, total distance 1.5 metres. Do I get
a QSL card?) and drinking tea. Low spot of the day, having to pack up and
go home, I could have stayed there all weekend quite happily.
Thank you Mark for your report.
Report by Bob Tokley, G4MDB
Jim 2E0RMI and myself set up a 2 metre (and HF) station in a caravan supplied by fellow Radio
Amateur, Mark M0IEO. The weather was very kind to us and it enabled me to fly a kite and attach
a long wire aerial to it. Although was not part of the original plan I felt it had to be done!
Jim made several contacts on 2 metres using the ‘echo link’ and spoke to hams in ZL and USA. Having
access to a quality audio amp (being in the disco trade) enabled him to boom the contact across the
whole of the countryside which attracted good public interest.
I made a few 2 metre simplex contacts and the ventured on to HF and used 160m and 40m. Unfortunately
kites being a little unpredictable, are not reliable sky hooks, and it came to earth. However no harm
occurred and the aerial landed over the support of another and contacts continued.
Overall there was a good stream of public interest and I think we roused some non transmitting hams into
thinking again about the hobby, and a good time was had by all!
Thank you Bob for your report.
A great team effort - thanks to everyone. Thanks to the 500
visitors for their interest.
We now only QSL on request - Please send your
QSL cards, preferably via the RSGB Bureau - Patrick
(seen above) is the QSL Manager.
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©Copyright CARS 2008
4th
May 2008
Minor errors corrected to the 27th April issue when the report & pictures were
originally entered.
Introduction
Photographs by John, G8DET
Car park
Tony, G4YTG with his aerial bow & arrow
Peter Best, G8BLS, (left) Chairman of the Felixstowe and District ARS with Radio
Scouts, Ashley M3UAQ, Thomas M3WLT & Sandeep M3XSS. Also in the party was
Geoff M3FFT.
CARS Chairman, John G8DET (right) is sampling a slice of
the presentation cake from Arnhem, Holland. Peter &
Tom, G0SBW (who came to CARS and presented a talk about Operation Market Garden in WWII)
went to Arnhem to re-inact the radio conditions and to try & determine the reasons for the
problems encountered by the British Army.
Photograph taken by Ryan, M3ZBR
Visitors taking tea in the sun.
VHF Caravan from the road.
Close-up of Jim, 2E0RMI on the microphone to the left while
Bob, G4MDB is in communication on the right.
Besides VHF the Caravan Centre had HF - Bob's Kite flying high - attached on
it is a 160 Metre Aerial.
Denis & Ron running the 2MT Hut Station.
Malcolm on the microphone.
Visitors by the HR24 rack.
Jim Selby looking at a photograph of himself in Aerial, an in-house Marconi Magazine
dated 1972 brought on-site by Peter Best, G8BLS. Jim designed some
of the 6/4 GHz microwave equipment which Peter used to maintain when he worked
for the Post Office Telephones.
Jim (right) standing by the HR24 rack with visitor Stan Church (Ex Marconi).
Geoff, G7KLV & visitor Michael O'Beirne who writes for the Radio Bygones Magazine.
Steve G4ZUL & Roger Sweny in the CW Station.
Unfortunately, Tony's Linear blew up with clouds of smoke so the rig is
running bare foot at 70 Watts.
The Morse Demonstartion area. Colin, G0TRM is bending
over the tape writer surrounded by interested children & parents.
while Mother, Alison, left is looking on.
Photograph published with kind permission of Alison Bailey.
Morse area.
Visitors from South Woodham Ferrers sunning themselves.
Mr & Mrs Southern have a shop in New Street which used to
supply tools to Marconi Apprentices.
The hardest part of the day - taking down the aerials which have performed so well.
To the staff and friends of Sandford Mill for the use of a first class facility and
for the use of their ladder and for the use of their electricity, and to all the Club
Members who have made me feel welcome within the club. Was it really eight
months age I wrote to John G8DET saying that I was a lonely radio amateur
looking for somewhere to belong?