Provided by Peter Sipple, M0PSX - Click below for a montage of CARS, TARG, Essex CW Club and topical events.
Click here for a look at Radio Activities in 2013 -
in a New Window.
To be/remain a Member of CARS, send a Cheque for £15 – Adult Membership (16s and under are FREE) to:-
Mr Brian Thwaites, 118 Baddow Hall Crescent, Great Baddow, CHELMSFORD, CM2 7BU.
If you would like a receipt, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope with a 2nd class stamp.
May we remind you that if you have NOT paid your Subscription for this year you may be deemed to NOT
be a Member of CARS and NOT entitled to a Newsletter etc. In the next few weeks we will be
deleating Non Members from our Newsletter list.
CARS Meeting.
Tuesday, 4th March 2014 .
At Oaklands Museum, Moulsham Street, CM2 9AQ.
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“Digital TV, Radio and Amateurs - What is Next”.
Presented by Murray Niman, G6JYB.
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In his latest update (don't forget Murray produced his first presentation on Digital TV and Radio in 2002!) on new
developments Murray G6JYB explains the new technologies and next digital technologies that are arriving in our lounges and shacks.
Murray was pleased to see such a capacity audience with the standard 60 chairs plus 24 additionals plus
standing at the back - shows how popular Murray's presentations are.
Topics Murray presented
Photo by John G8DET
The preparation for the next Digital Switchovers is quietly underway (for both Freeview and DAB) as frequency
space is needed for more changes such as 5G-Mobile.
Slides shows - Only purchase a TV with Freeview HD or it will not work after
2018 without a stunt box of some kind.
Murray then went on to enlighten the audience about what "they" have decided or not - depending on the
detail - regarding FM and DAB radio. Fortunately for FM HiFi lovers the Government have delayed the
projected "Switch-off of FM radio" until after 2015.
In parallel, leading Radio Amateurs are also adopting new technologies for Digital Voice, Data and TV, some
of which have real potential to be ‘killer-apps’ and show the hobby in a modern light (like digital colour TV in 2m/70cms).
You first heard at CARS that ‘no-Freeview-HD tuner=no future’.
Now hear the next instalment and be the wiser before you go shopping!
At 8.45 there was a refreshment and social break.
Myra and David assisted by James serving a nice cup of tea or coffee to
Denis Phillips, G8AAE with murray waiting for his turn.
CARS Chairman, John holding the Raffle basket for Murray to draw the winning ticket.
During question time someone asked what Ofcom were proposing to do about the 35 million cars on the road - most without DABs.
Murray said that all new cars were provided with a DAB set and they had got a lot better - shouts from the
audience "I have just purchased a £30,000 Audia A6 car and it does not have one!"
Murray said that he drives often from Bristol to Chelmsford and the DAB coverage is now better than FM.
Another quest was "Who are they who make these decissions?"
Answer Ofcom but often dictated by the EU. Note the days of having the blind Radio Amateur, Angus McKensy's public Listener
Panel seem not long gone - big brother and commercial interests seem to dominate.
Thank you Murray for delivering yet another tremendous presentation - hands up all those with out of date TVs.
CARS Meeting.
Tuesday, 4th February 2014 .
At Oaklands Museum, Moulsham Street, CM2 9AQ.
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“A Hundred Years of Amateur Aerials”.
Presented by Tony Gilbey, G4YTG.
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Chairman John, G1UZD opened the meeting reported that the RNLI Event at the Marconi Sailing Club was a
great success and thanked everyone for their assistance who were involved.
The Skills Evening was also a great success thanks to the effort put in by Peter Sipple, M0PSX (who was lecturing elsewhere this evening).
Peter Watkins received a round of applause for appearing on the TV with Michael Portillo and getting him to send "Marconi" in Morse.
He then enquired whether anybody had worked anything interesting on the Bands - he said he had worked Butan and
an island in the South Indian Sea.
In introducing the 100 Years of Amateur Radio Aerial Slides he reminded the audience to think back to a hundred
years ago when the original amateurs were not so fortunate. Based on archive material, this
fascinating talk will present aerials from across the years!
Material courtesy of Elaine Richards, G4LFM (RadCom Editor) who manages the RSGB archives,
with an original presentational spin by our very own aerial guru, Tony G4YTG.
Chairman John Yates, G1UZD opening the Meeting
Photo by John G8DET
One of the many slides showing Radio Amateurs and their Aerials over the past 100 years
Many of the Aerial were upwards of 75 feet high and at least 60 feet long - the sort of Aerial which
would cause a modern Council Planning Officer to have a fit! In those days they really believed in large aerials.
A point reinforced by Tony, G4YTG as he read the script.
Another slide with Trevor, M5AKA watching on the right
Tony described in simple terms how an Aerial could be made to tune more than one Band with the
addittion of "Tuned Stubs" or "Tuned Circuits". By clever selection of tuned frequency circuits one could
arrange for the Aerial to behave like two separate Aerials without any mechanical means.
Here Tony is showing how a closed 1/4 Wave Stub acts as an Open Circuit at one frequency
while if Open Circuit at the same frequency appears a Short Circuit.
On the right Tony is holding part of the late G3GNQs TriBander Aerial - the bulges being the Coils.
Geoff Mills, G3EDM then described the two band Aerial which was designed by
his late
Brother and built by Fred Leach, G2HNF, Tony and Geoff.
The clever point was that the Inductance is constructed by a long length of rod inside a joint in the
beam each side of the fixing point. This provides and lower wind resistance and provides a
high "Q" - the proof it has been in use since 1987 without any maintenance and is used in daily contact with Australia.
Tony then produced a 1/2 Wave Dipole on 2Metres - he said this has been on his previous 4 cars - tunes 2Metres
and because it has a 1/4 Wave Open Circuit Matching Stub mounted above the half way up
point - looks like a 1/2 Wave Dipole on 70cm.
Tony also said that it could be looked like another 1/4 Wave Aerial mounted above the lower one, thus increasing its effective gain.
Initially this was made out of bicycle spokes and as such submitted to the RSGB RadCom as a High Gain
Magnetic Mounted Aerial - after a tremendous wait they returned the script and sugested he submit it to Cycling Weekly!
Here Tony is showing how an Open 1/4 Wave Stub acts as an Short Circuit at 70cms.
Photo taken by Colin, G0TRM on his new Mobile Phone
Murray, G6JYB supplied the computer with Colin, G0TRM operating it.
David, G3SVI and his Wife Myra provided the large audence with lovely cups of tea, coffee or
chocolate and biscuits during the Break Period.
The Raffle was organized by James, 2E1GUA and Carl, G3PEM with lots of great items.
Another good evening in our nice new venue of Oaklands Museum - thanks to the Museum Staff who
look after us by putting out chairs and tables etc.
CARS Operating from the Marconi Sailing Club at
Stone on the River Blackwater for the weekend 25th/26th January 2014. Call-Sign will be GX0MWT.
Based on a suggestion by James Beatwell, 2E1GUA at a Committee Meeting, CARS have been fortunate
with tremendous co-operation from a number of persons to be invited to commemorate the RNLI
by Operating from the banks of the River Blackwater, opposite Osea Island.
Osea Island from the Sailing Club.
Photo by Peter, G3SUY
i) The main station was on 40 Metres and operated SSB or CW to suit the operators preference, the Aerial
was a 40M Half Wave Dipole. The station was active from nominally 9.30 am to 5 pm each day.
This Dipole was erected and tested Thursday 23rd January afternoon during a lull in the rain storms sweeping Essex.
The Comet 250B was also erected but not tested.
Marconi Sailing Club with CARS Chairm, John Yates, G1UZD and Peter Bridgeman, G3SUY
standing by the Comet 250B Aerial with the 40 Metre Dipole in the background.
Photo by James Beatwell, 2E1GUA.
ii) There was also a supplementary station on 160 or 80 Metres SSB at various times, this station
operated with a 200 ft kite Aerial over the sea. This provided the best possible propagation conditions - sea water!
Unfortunately the wind did not allow the RAF Rescue Dinghy Kite to be used.
iii) There was also local activity via 2 Metres and GB3DA using James's IC706 anf his Biddipole.
All CARS and Club members from Dengie are, of course, very welcome to participate. The location is rather
remote and thus the event was somewhat dependent on the weather, however in the event the tremendous
storm appeared as the persons involved were leaving the site.
The Radio Locator References are as follows:-
Locator JO01JR NGR TL931058 WAB TL90.
The site is at: - 51.7181200 N 0.7952644 E
Operating on Saturday, 25th January.
Many CARS Members and visitors supported the SOS Event.
(Left) Chairman John Yates, G1UZD operating using the club's Comet 250B Aerial.
He worked the World - dispelling the story that the Comet is just one big 50 Ohm Resistor! Maybe the sea helped?
Organizer James Beatwell, 2E1GUA operating the club IC756 ProIII with Vice
Chairman Geoff Mills, G3EDM
operating the Buddipole and David Bolwell, G3JCM standing.
Photos by John G8DET.
QSL Card received from the Lebanon to John, G1UZD.
Peter Bridgeman operating his TX from his car and using the Kite at 150ft on Top Band.
Boot of Peter's car showing the home constructed Linear Amplifier and 100AHr Battery.
At the end of a splendid operating session - bringing the Kite in.
The team packed away all the kit and left the Club House just before a tremendous storm with Thunder and Lightning struck the area.
The Team will be on the air on Sunday 26th - look out for GX0MWT - a mighty signal!
A good link is to the Essex Ham Web Site where more photographs are displayed.
Link to Essex Ham Web Site
A Thank You to the Committee and Members of the Marconi Sailing Club for allowing CARS to Commemorate
the RNLI this weekend in your lovely Club House and land nearby - a lovely site.
The Start of the RNLI
It is worthy of note that the RNLI was started by Danbury, Essex resident Sir William Hillary.
William was resident at Danbury Place (now called Danbury Palace) and during the period 1803 to 1805
raised a private Army to defend Essex from the French. It was for this he was granted his Title.
He moved to the Isle of Man in 1808 and realised that sailors were dying due to there being no one to save them
and in 1824 he formed the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck – 30 years
later to be renamed the RNLI.
He died in the IOM on 5 January 1847. A Thanksgiving Service is held in Douglas in January every
year in his honour and a statute of him has been erected at Douglas Head.
He personally saved many lives at sea - although he could not swim.
History in more detail of Sir Hillary
CARS Skills Workshop – January 2014
Monday, 20th January saw the first CARS Skills Workshop take place at the Danbury Village Hall. This is
a new initiative aimed at providing help and advice for those new to the hobby, whilst giving the more
experienced Radio Amateurs the chance to try something new and to pass on their knowledge to the
next generation.
Skills Worksop at Danbury Village Hall.
Photo courtesy of Kristian Baker 2E0SSX.
An impressive 45 people turned up for this first event, including a former CARS graduate making the trip
from Sudbury. CARS Chairman John Yates, G1UZD welcomed the attendees, before handing over to
the event’s organiser Pete Sipple, M0PSX who outlined the purpose of the Skills Workshops – namely
to provide a meeting place to learn, share and ask questions.
The first event was largely a social get-together, to allow people to have a chat in a friendly environment
and to meet others. A number of demonstrations were on display, including an Echolink station
manned by Jim Salmon, 2E0RMI (with his homebrew Slim-Jim antenna), and a laptop showing live APRS
packets being received on 2m, decoded and displayed on a map of Essex. Andy Kersey, G0IBN and
Colin M1OCN from the Essex CW Club were on hand to chat about Morse training courses and show
off some of their hardware. Charlie M0PZT brought along some of his homebrew projects including
a desk mic and a Digimode interface. Charlie also gave a short presentation on his new logging
application uLog , which allows for fast and hassle-free electronic logging (this can be downloaded
for free from www.m0pzt.com).
Questionnaires were handed out to allow attendees to set the agenda for the next meeting, which is
provisionally planned for Monday, 17th February 2014.
Event co-ordinator Pete M0PSX: “It was very rewarding to see such a strong turn-out for the first
CARS Skills Workshop, with attendees ranging from operators with other 50 years’ experience, to
candidates currently on our Foundation training course. As amateurs, we all need to explore
new ways of helping others to gain new skills in all aspects of the hobby, and we’ve already had many
suggestions for future topics and activities for our next workshops.”
A big thanks to everyone who worked hard to make the evening a success, and making the trip to
a very foggy Danbury to try the first Skills Workshop. Special thanks go to David Davis, G3SVI and
Myra M0MYR, who did a sterling job with the refreshments – especially given the excellent turn-out
for the event, and a teapot malfunction.
For a collection of photos from the evening, please to go www.essexham.co.uk/skills-jan14
To find out about upcoming Skills Workshops, go to www.hamskills.co.uk
Peter Sipple, M0PSX.
Clickable Links for current items.
Note, each Link Opens in a New Page. "Close" to come back here.
CARS Operating from Sandford Mill,
Science & Industry Museum, Sunday 29th October 2013
for Science and Discovery Day.
Click here to follow the Link
CARS RMS Titanic story.
Click here to follow the
Link to the RMS Titanic story
CARS June Meeting commemorating the Birth of Louis Varney, GB5RVA.
Click here to follow the Link to the June Meeting page
CARS operating GB5RVA from Sandford Mill.
Click here to follow the Link to GB5RVA page
CARS Meeting Place
We are back to the First Tuesday in the Month but at a NEW Venue - The Oaklands Museum at the top of Moulsham Street.
It is a prestigious building with a modern extension and we are on the First Floor. There is a lift for wheel chairs.
Oaklands Museum, in Oaklands Park, Moulsham Street, Chelmsford.
From October 2013 CARS will meet at : -
Oaklands Museum,
Moulsham Street,
Chelmsford
CM2 9AQ.
Doors open at 7pm for 7.30pm start but the Meeting will end at 10pm as the gates will be locked at 10.15pm.
Click here to find two maps for Oaklands Museum
You can drive all the way up Moulsham Street from Parkway but NOT the other way.
Another way is to enter Moulsham Street after going round the Miami Roundabout (by
Tesco,) go down New London Road 200 yards, turn right into Moulsham Street and after
100 yards turn right again into the Museum.
WARNING - there are three (Yes 3) very high Sleeping Policemen to prevent "Rat Runners" - they will
tear the bottom of your car unless you go steadily over them.
There is plenty on car parking but it is not intended CARS to park directly infrom of the
Museum - reserved for people unloading kit.
Tea/Coffee/Chocolate is available on a DIY basis at 9pm break time. Cups are provided.
There is normally no admission fee to CARS Meetings. Visitors are always
welcome.
Please identify yourself to Brian, G3CVI when you sign in
and purchase a Raffle Ticket or two for Club Funds.
The Raffle is drawn after the refreshment interval.
CARS Membership
To be/remain a Member of CARS, send a Cheque for £15 for 2013-2014 – Adult Membership (under 16s or in Full Time Education - FREE) to:-
Mr Brian Thwaites, 118 Baddow Hall Crescent, Great Baddow, CHELMSFORD, CM2 7BU.
If you would like a receipt, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope with a 2nd class stamp.
Please see the Membership Form by clicking on the following link : -
Membership Joining Form page
Thanks to Geoff, G7KLV for sending the postal Newsletters – could it go by E-Mail?
Please inform Brian, G3CVI by E-Mail of any changes to your call-sign, postal or E-Mail address, etc.
E-Mail him on g3cvi-"AT"-g0mwt.org.uk Only by you sending Brian your E-Mail
address, can we ensure WE get it right!
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