Science & Discovery Day- September 2009

Chelmsford Science & Industry Museum have a series of Open Sundays each year. CARS was invited to provide an Amateur Radio Station on the 27th September 2009 to promote Science & Discovery Day by Chelmsford Borough Council.

The day was forecast as being a lovely warm Autumn day and this brought out a great number of people top all organised events. Counting Friends and Helpers, over 1,000 attended this Science & Discovery Day - a record.

As an added attraction a large number of Morgan Sports cars were displayed as well as horses from Writtle Agriculture College and a working forge producing Horse Shoes.

CARS provided our "usual" HF Radio Tx station in the Marconi Hut using our club call, GX0MWT.
Mark & his Family provided their lovely caravan & parked it by The Barn and provided VHF & Echolink facilities.
Colin, G0TRM & Peter, G4OAD provided their now famous Morse demonstration display on the staging.

The band conditions were a little better than last year - there was even reports of a new Sun Spot! The operators worked a string of QSOs, all around the UK and Europe.

Ganesan Ananthaganesan, VU3GPF, President, Anamalai Amateur Radio Club, Pollachi, India who was in England at the invitation of the British Council on Exchange Programme on their "Sri Krishnaa Vithayaalalayam Matric School" Divanshapudur, Pollachi, India made contact initially with South Essex Amateur Radio Society Member Dave, G4UVJ and then Norman Crampton, M0FZW.

Norman was able to pick up Ganesan and bring him to Sandford Mill where he was invited to be an "Honorary Member of CARS" by Chairman, John Bowen, G8DET and presented with a CARS hat & Mug.
In exchange he presented John with a Indian hand crafted dish with a Peacock on it.

Mark Sanderson, M0IEO and John, 2E0NNQ from Canvey Island were first to appear with the white caravan and park it near the Barn, get power and erect the aerials.

CARS used the usual "Half-wave Doublet, centre fed Aerial on 80metres" over the water course which surrounds the Mill. This contributes enormously to the strong signal which radiates from GX0MWT when using the FT847 Transceiver and 100 Watts.

Indian hand crafted brass dish presented to John, G8DET by Ganesan.

John, G8DET (left) holding the Brass Dish with Ganesan, VU3GPF holding the Welcome Poster,
Norman, M0FZW who brought our guest and John Yates, G1UZD on the microphone.

John on the microphone with Brian, G3CVI looking at the BHI Noise Reducing Loudspeaker.

Looking at the monitor screen with QRZ.COM displayed.
As GX0MWT worked a station their Call-Sign was entered into QRZ.COM to obtain more details.

Ganesan talking to the Keeper of the Science & Industry
Museum, Dr Geoff Bowles and Norman.

Two Blacksmiths creating Horse Shoes from the Forge positioned outside the Marconi Hut.
The heat from the Forge was in danger of melting the Feeder to the CARS Aerial so Brian moved the Forge!

To provided more interest to the family, Writtle Agriculture College provided 2 horses for the public to pat or look at.

Peter, G4OAD assisting a young girl and her Mother to type her name on the Morse Writer.
The Tape is then fed through a Sender and transmitted to a Morse Writer.

Ganesan looking at Colin, G0TRM's Morse Writer which is at least 100 years old.

The photograph shows a lit light bulb in the mouth of the operator from the barn Science show. He is standing near his energised Tesla coil which is powered by some 10,000 volts. PS, the PSU from this interfered with the HF station.
Photo by Colin. G0TRM

Geoff Bowles watching as the lady in-charge of the horses tries in vain to coax it into the horse box.
Hay, grass, sweet words, shoving were all tried to no avail.
The Blacksmith went and fetched his whip which as soon as the horse
saw it from 10 foot away, smartly climbed into the horse box.
This took some 20 minutes!

Patrick, M0XAP completing the final shift of the day on the HF Station.

All the VHF/UHF Station put away waiting for the rear gate to open and to drive back to Canvey Island.

Thanks for the effort and kind help especially to those folk behind the scenes who are so necessary to the success of such an event.

A good day with plenty of interested members of the public & beautiful weather.
Thanks to Dr Bowles and the Friends of the Museum for making the event so successful.

Norman, M0FZW received the following E-Mail from Ganesan after he had returned to India.

Dear Norman,
It was exciting to see my photos posted on your website.
I really do not know how to thank you for turning my casual
visit in to a memorable event of your Club.

My fellow hams are struck with wonder that it could happen to one of their Hams.
Words are not sufficient to describe how I feel about it.

My Wife Arasi and Son Keerthi send their love and affection to you and your Wife.