Science & Discovery Day, September 2007 at the Science & Industry Museum, Sandford Mill, Chelmsford

Chelmsford Science & Industry Museum has a Science & Discovery Day once a year and invited CARS to provide a demonstration station this year on Sunday 23-Sep-2007.

According to a number of TV Weather Forecasting people, Sunday was supposed to be wet & windy in the afternoon. For this reason we decided not to run a 2 metre station from a tent. In the event it turned out to be hot, dry but quite windy. Having said that, many people may have said "lets not go to the beach as it may rain" and came to Sandford Mill instead. By 11am the car park was nearly full.

Ian, a Friend of the Museum acting as a Car Park attendant.
Photographs by John, G8DET

Harry, G5HF is logging for Brian who is using Special Event Call-Sign GB5HF - Harry's jacket played havoc with the pixels on the digital camera and extra special effort had to be applied! Foreign Radio Amateurs were keen to work "Great Britain on High Frequency" (GB5HF).

Bob, G4MDB has just taken over from Harry while Brian is still on the microphone.

Meanwhile on the Landing Colin, G0TRM & Geoff, G7KLV were demonstrating their Morse Transmission package.

Here Adam Young is typing his name on the keyboard (dated 1924?) which produces a 2 element punched tape. His brother, Daniel (grey shirt) and their father, Roger are looking on.

This is then put into a Tape Reader and sent by radio to a receiver further up the bench where it is used to produce a Morse Code printout on a tape using a Siemens printer dated 1910.

Henlow Party & Geoff. G7KLV by the HR24 Receiver Rack.

It was nice to actually meet Alf Fisher, Curator of the Signals Museum, RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire. Alf has invited CARS to visit RAF Henlow at sometime in the future - if you are interested, contact Geoff, G7KLV.

The Henlow party looking at the Morse demonstration.

James logging, with Andrew on the microphone

James, 2E1GUA (looking pensive) logging, with Andrew G0LWS on the microphone operating GB5HF.

Colin (left) & Geoff trying to work out why the Punch Tape machine is not working. After all it had its last serious overhaul only 30 years ago! In the end a little oil and the removal of Chads from the Punch Block did the job.

It was pleasing to see Adrian, M0ABY & Mavis, G0XBC from Wheathampstead again - 5th time this year?

Richard, M3SBU (KEGS) looking at the Punch Station with his Father behind.

Geoff (left) is looking at the Morse Tape Printer which was had stopped working. After faulting finding the Tape Printer for over an hour it transpired some little lad had twisted the thumbscrew adjustment down on the electromagnet. making it too strong to operate - what did I hear you say about Thumbscrews!!!!!

Richard looking at the Tape Printer Station with his Father on the left.

The boy on the extreme right is on one end of a Crossbow Saw which takes nearly 4,000 cuts to saw through a small telegraph pole - imagine the noise!.

A piece of Pre-1900 Transatlantic Telegraphic Cable.

Richard's Father being shown the Driver Stage with 18 4CX250 Valves in Wide Band formation producing 1 KWatt. This is the way to produce high reliability equipment - this rack was made in 1964 and worked continuously until 2000.

CARS Members gathering at the HF Station near 5pm when it was time to shut up shop for another year!

GB5HF worked into Brazil, Switerland, Germany and America which was really very good. A number of contacts were with people who had worked at Marconi or at the Transmitting Station at Ongar/Receiver Station at Brentwood.

Many of the children at Sandford Mill had also visited the Barn where they had a go at building and testing a Parachute, or visited the Astrodome, or building a Lego Car for minimum Wind Resistance in a Wind Tunnel.

Our thanks to Dr Bowles & Chelmsford-BC for inviting CARS and to all CARS Members who made the event so successful. Jeremy, M0DUT even bicycled for 45 minutes from Ingatestone to visit us - well done. On a previous trip in August he developed a puncture and had to walk back home which took 2 hours.