Activities in 2006 2005 2007
On this page you will find illustrated reports of some of our activities in 2006. These are mainly in addition to our main meetings and shack nights. The most recent activities are at the top of the page.
Hamfest 2006
We had our usual
stand at Hamfest again on Sunday 13th August.
This year we had more ‘radio’ equipment for sale than in some previous years.
Amongst the bargains to be had were a 5-element 2m beam, a rotator and numerous back issues of a number of special interest magazines.
We found that many visitors left their purchases to quite late in the day. Nevertheless we were still left with a sizeable stock of choc-block connectors.
Most Meetings on Fridays Again
By August we were able to revert to our preferred Fridays evenings for most of our meetings. Unfortunately we cannot meet on the first Friday of the month, so we meet on the previous Wednesday instead. Click here to see our current meeting schedule.
Day in the Field July 2006
On Sunday 30th July several members enjoyed another day in the field. This time we were back at Baiter with some kite flyers.
After a short spell on 40m we decided that the wind was too strong for the kite, and we reverted back to a more traditional antenna in the form of a trapped ¼ wave that Phil G3XBZ had built.
The dry weather had made the soil very hard, so inserting the ground post was rather more difficult than expected. Once matched, the antenna performed well with a number of contacts being made on 20m.
Annual Barbeque
On Friday 14th July we held our annual barbeque at Dave G3ZPR’s QTH. With invitations sent to each member earlier in the week and kind weather turn out was much better than in recent years, with some 20 members and partners attending.
Summer Foundation Course
Further Foundation Course was run during the summer.
Sopley School Exhibition Station
On Saturday 24th June we attended the Sopley School Fete. As usual we were made very welcome. 5 members helped man our stand and operate on 20m and 2m with some PSK31. A steady stream of visitors showed interest in what we were doing and asked many good questions about the hobby.
Day in the Field
If
you visited Povington Hill car park on Sunday 11th June 2006, you
could not have failed to notice that we had a Day in the Field.
5 separate stations were operational on bands from 40m to 2m. It was certainly an impressive sight! Antennas used included various verticals for hf, plus a kite antenna and an HB9CV and 9 element yagi on 2m.
The banners that Alan G4UWS had made over the winter certainly enhanced our presence, and without doubt we had more interest in our activities from the members of the public than I ever remember on previous visits to the site.
Members arrived from around 10:00 onwards with the last leaving about 17:00. The weather was close to ideal for our purposes, although the sea mist took a while to clear.
Conditions on the hf bands reflected the better propagation to be expected during the summer months. Probably the best band for DX was 15m, with QSOs into South Africa and Brazil.
Several members reported working some of the German World Cup special event stations. 10m was also open. Conditions on 2m were not so good, with no continental activity heard and only GW and G stations worked, nevertheless using just 3 Watts 30 stations were worked during the Practical Wireless QRP Contest, with Colin G6MXL being placed 41st with 288 points.. There was general agreement that this was one of the best Days in the Field.
Kite Flyer’s Picnic
Several members
attended the Poole Kite Flyer’s Picnic at Baiter on Sunday 28th May 2006.
Using several kites to support long wire antennas, contacts were made on
20m and 40m with stations as far apart as Sweden and America. Best DX was
a 5&7 report from W1BFA.
It was not as cold as last year but a very erratic wind provided a few extra challenges.
Early on, using a 63 metre long wire, the kite was pulling so hard there was a danger of its line breaking so we had to change to a 42 metre wire and a slightly smaller kite.
Even so with the wind changing direction and strength we had regular problems with the kite tangling intimately with the one 'next door', and often getting ‘tired’ and ‘going to sleep’ on the grass!
There was more interest from other kite fliers (including a possible foundation candidate) than the general public.
Overall members felt that it was well worth the effort.
Geoff’s Construction Challenge
At our meeting on 10th May, we judged the Geoff’s 2006 construction challenge to build a transceiver with no more than 20 components. Geoff also announced the subject for the 2007 construction challenge. Click here to find out more.
VHF Antenna for new Venue
We have erected a
triple band omni-directional vertically polarised antenna at our new
venue. The antenna covers the 6m, 2m and 70cm bands.
The picture on the left shows Dave Mason G3ZPR installing the box in which the feeder terminates in the main meeting room.
Initial tests show that the antenna is working well, with both the GB3SD and GB3SZ 70cm repeaters being workable from our meeting room.
On Wednesday 7th June we made our first 6m QSOs with the antenna.
We are looking forward to making many more QSOs on the VHF bands.
Cub Scout Communications Badge
On 29th March 2006, several local cub scouts visited us with one of their leaders to cover aspects of their communications badge.
We are always pleased to be able to offer assistance in this way, so that future generations can be inspired to join our hobby.
Winter Foundation Course 100% Pass
Congratulations to Debbie who passed her Foundation Licence exam, having taken the Foundation Licence course with us during the winter.
Annual Dinner
The annual dinner was held at Bates Restaurant in Charminster Road, Bournemouth on Thursday 16th February 2006.
New Meeting Venue and Day
Starting in January 2006 we moved our meeting venue to The Old Chapel Hall, Cabot Lane, Creekmoor.
We also changed the meeting day from Friday to Wednesday, with the second Wednesday of the month being our main monthly meeting, with various activities taking place on the other Wednesdays in the month.
At the same time as some of our Activity Evenings, we started to run another Foundation Licence Course.