Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society
G0MWT, GX0MWT & GB100MWT

1970s Field Days


The club participated NFD - usually operating from Danbury Park / Howlett's Farm near Blackmore/Highwood. A summary of the 1970s results are below:


1970s Chelmsford NFD Results

Details for each year are below:-


1970: The group entered the single station section operating as G4VF/P from Danbury Park. Here are some extracts from the rules in the early 1970s. "No part of any aerial shall be higher than 45 feet above the ground" and "except for vertical radiators … all aerials must be constructed from wire of a size not greater than 14 s.w.g". No equipment, other than a storage tent, was to be erected on site before 1200 Saturday which allowed for a maximum of 5 hours to set up. The "total DC input power to the valve or valves, or other devices energizing the aerial, or to any previous stage of the transmitter, shall not exceed 10W." and valve anode dissipation not exceeding 13.5W or semiconductor max rated dissipation not to exceed 20W.

Clubs entering the single station section were required to choose three bands. CARS, in common with all but four of the top 12 stations, operated on 80, 40 and 20m and finished 12th with 990 points. The scores were very close and only 14 more points would have been required to finish 8th.


1971: From 1971 to 1975 the club operated using the callsign of John Greenwood, G3KRZ/P, from Danbury Park and entering the single station section. A modified KW2000 was used to meet the power constraints. The club scored 985 points and finished 9th.


1972: From 1972 the rules changed to allow single stations to work on all six bands. CARS took full advantage, making lots of QSOs on 160m which scored double points, and boosting their score to 1426 points which put them 6th. NFD was a popular event with the club, and the newsletter records that on Sunday afternoon there were 30 people on site.


  1972 NFD: Peter Chadwick G3RZP at Danbury Park  
   
1972 NFD: Retrieving the antenna wire arrow


1970s: Peter Neave G4DAN, Dick May G3KTF & Dick Brocks G3WHR


1973: The NFD committee comprised Ron Ferguson G4VF, Tony Dix G5IX, John Greenwood G3KRZ, Don Beattie G3OZF, Willie McClintock G3VPK, Peter Neave G8FLC, and Les Turner G8CUT. The club scored 1244 points and finished 9th.


1974: The score was down on all bands, especially 20m and no QSOs were made on 15 or 10m. CARS finished in 20th place.


1975: The club achieved its best ever position scoring 1492 points and finishing 4th. The newsletter reports that "band conditions were not brilliant but some astute operating, in conjunction with a rhombic, improved on last year's position". The rhombic antenna was the idea of Willie G3VPK. Dick G3WHR, John Greenwood G3KRZ and Ken Eastty G3LVP remember that is took a long time to erect and was so long they used Pye Bantam radios on 2m to communicate when installing it. It was set to beam to the USA but the the terminating resistors could be used to make it bi-directional.


1976: The RSGB changed the rules in response to falling support for the contest. The single and two station format was dropped and replaced with open and restricted sections. Stations were allowed to use their licensed power. Only one transmitter was allowed, with one receiver in the restricted section and two in the open section. In the open section no part of any aerials was to be higher than 60 feet. In the restricted section entrants were limited to one single element aerial at less than 35 feet.

The CARS contest committee for 1976 divided their responsibilities as follows: Aerials & Services Arthur Butcher G3KPJ & Keith Fisher G3WSN, Essential Services John Greenwood G3KRZ, Rhombic Willie McClintock G3VPK, Beam Barry Tew G3WFF, Quad Mike Quee G3ZWW. Operating as G3WSN/P from the Danbury Park Youth Camp site the club entered the open section and finished 12th.


1977: The NFD committee was Barry Tew G3WFF, Mike Quee G3ZWW, Stuart Mickel G3WDF, Bill Pechey G4CUE, Jerry Todd G2KV, Dick Brocks G3WHR, Keith Fisher G3WSN, Les Turner G4CUT, Willie McClintock G3VPK, Peter Neave G4DAN, and John Greenwood G3KRZ. Planning started early and the February newsletter mentions a decision to enter on the same basis as last year, a promising new site being investigated, a plan to construct a cubical quad antenna, and asks if anyone knows of a source of 15 foot bamboo poles?

The new site was at Hylands Park. The team suffered with three foot high wet grass, rain, and lots of niggling problems. Operating as G3WSN/P in the open section the team made 435 QSOs and finished 28th. The event was captured on Super-8 Cine Film by Dick G3WHR.


CAR NFD 1977 at Hylands Park - Cine Film by Dick G3WHR


1978: The May 1978 newsletter reports that "it appears the club won't be entering NFD this year". This was the first NFD that the club missed in its history.


1979: The club was back at Hylands Park in 1979 operating as G4DAN/P in the open section. They planned to use several dipoles, a three element beam and "the usual rhombic". The 160m antenna was installed using a line over a tree provided by Arthur G3KPJ and his bow. The team suffered a number of mishaps. They forgot the feeder for 160m antenna, squirrels chewed through the halyard for the 160m antenna and both the generator and transmitter failed overnight. In all they made 390 QSOs giving 1367 points and finishing in 37th position. Team members mentioned in the newsletter include Peter Neave G4DAN, David Shaw G8MDG, and Dick Brocks G3WHR. The event was attended by 30 society members and supporters.


Click here to go back to the Top of this Page


   To RETURN to the CARS Society Information Page - Click Here

   To RETURN to the CARS Home Web Page - Click Here


© Copyright CARS