wythall radio club

Visitors welcome to join members next Tuesday 25th 8pm – 9pm at Wythall House ……

…. to build a 70cm tape measure antenna from the kits made up by Neil G1TZC and Debra, and use it to find a hidden transmitter in Wythall Park.

The tower was used for amateur radio competitions and special event stations.  We festooned it with HF and VHF/UHF beams.

“Let’s do this again” some idiot said as we tidied away  in 2023 in the balmy conditions of a mid- June Saturday at The Wythall Transport Museum Activation.. it seemed a good idea at the time (and still does ) but we hadn’t reckoned on the jet stream and  some rather unseasonable weather..

            WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT

A sense of what’s to come .. storm clouds over the local cricket ground?

THE FRIDAY BEFORE

We had been well prepared as always with a briefing from Chairman the previous Tuesday involving a few paper clips and a piece of cardboard so the antennas went up effortlessly .. (the misnamed ‘Easy-Ups less so on the next day). Many thanks to Richard who turned up to help and of course we relied heavily on Dave with his catapult and fishing reel – always a good watch.

The Tuesday briefing before the mast rehearsal.. the team poised like a spring for action.

Roger’s cavernous Range Rover  proved invaluable as ever .. it’s like a Tardis- much bigger in the inside and we kept shoving stuff in there at Wythall House: luckily Ian M0LQY had a clipboard so were all right there and no doubting who was in charge.

THE SATURDAY:

A grim damp morning with thunder to follow but the visitors to the Transport Museum duly arrived as did our crack team of: Dave G3YXM, John M6KET, Phil 2E0WTH, Ian M0LQY, Neil G1TZC, Clive M0KNP and  Roger M0GWM

Dog showing no interest in digital.. Derek G1INC and Gary G5RGS with Ian M0LQY: Clive M0KNP looks impressed.

Neil’s impressive satellite log: to include OH5 and PY2 (CW) and ZD7 and 3B8 (SSB)

The day seemed to pass in a blur (!).. with red buses .. the problems  of digital and CW/SSB stations side by side.. (aerials or equipment?).. a VHF QSO with Simon G4VTR speaking in half sentences..Neil’s impressive satellite QSO’s with many stations including ZD7  St. Helena.. Phils antenna problems resolved by a good team effort.. the welcome visitors.. M6KET’s radio- friendly neighbour John, G4JSV , Gary G5RGS and Derek G1INC with a very obedient dog …M0LQY’s 36 digi contacts..the rare glimpse of M6KET on SSB … the longest wait for two bacon rolls .. chocolate bars and coffee throughout the day… and then the striking of camp.. the Easy-Ups no more compliant in Easy–Down mode and the organised  retreat to base and  much cursing of the spiral staircase in Wythall House as we returned the equipment to the basement..  ultimately everything packed away neatly(?) by 5.00 pm.

Would we do it again? Of course we would: a  great team club event , many good contacts made in CW/SSB/Digital and Satellite.

Many thanks to the team.. the unfailing good humour in  the face of some climate challenges, and of course to our Hosts Wythall Transport Museum

THE NEXT EVENT. TUESDAY 25TH JUNE ; FOXHUNT IN WYTHALL PARK WITH SELF- MADE ANTENNAS;

MEET 7.00 PM

ALL WELCOME- MEMBERS AND VISITORS ALIKE

 LONDON BUSES COME TO WYTHALL TRANSPORT MUSEUM WEEKEND

As part of the The Wythall Transport Museum Special  Weekend on June 15^th and 16^th Wythall Radio Club will be activating the site on the Saturday 15^th July with the special call sign GB0BUS.

This is also part of the International Museums weekend 2024 and like last year we shall be showcasing our Club and its many styles of operation.

As well as SSB, Digital and of course CW one expected attraction will be the satellite station operated by Neil G1TZC

Neil writes:

Neil’s satellite dish in rehearsal

Chris explains a few basic facts to the usual sceptical audience ..

“My plan is to use to use the FT-991 on data modes, including an SSTV station. That will be transmit and receive via RF and have a tablet attached to run the software.

The FT-817 is for voice and will be a hybrid station using RF up and webSDR for the downlink.”

In preparation for the event Club volunteers met last week to rehearse the erection of the mast for the event and were well drilled in the process by Club Chairman who had even prepared a model involving paper clips and cardboard  for ease of understanding. 

THE CLUB WOULD WELCOME ANY VISITORS TO THIS SPECIAL EVENT FROM 10.00A.M. ON THE DAY..AMATEURS RADIO ENTHUSIASTS  AND  INTERESTED SPECTATORS ALIKE, SO PLEASE COME ALONG AND SAY HELLO AND SEE WHAT THE HOBBY HAS TO OFFER; YOU WILL BE MADE VERY WELCOME.

Visit our updated programme of activities here

QUESTION TIME AT WYTHALL RADIO CLUB TUESDAY 7TH MAY

and in answer to many questions:

 A SUNSPOT CYCLE PEAK FORECAST BY TIM BEAUMONT

Transformers.. overheating baluns.. indoor antennas… the intricacies of FT8 foxhunting …safety and mobile car operation.. receiver sensitivity and the wise use of the filters.. 30m noise levels…DSP v analogue filters…solar panels and EMI emissions.. content and lay-out of the ideal shack.. current propagation and 10 metre pop-up surprises..G0KYA band forecasts and Tim’s M0URX very own Mystic Meg forecast for the coming year????

15 of the  great and the good (see picture right) gathered for a meeting of the Wythall Radio Club recently to share their collective knowledge on a variety of subjects and within the hour provided a pretty exhaustive unpacking of the issues above. One shared ‘question’ was over the impact of the current solar sunspot peak 2024/2025 and we were lucky to have our very own Tim Beaumont to send us his thoughts reproduced below

We could have gone on (!) but the bar beckoned and enough questions been made to tax the little grey matter..

Tim’s propagation thoughts for the coming year are reproduced below (with kind permission of the author) and should whet the appetite for those with HF in mind.

(At the time of writing the sunspot counts stands at well over 227)

“Certainly this summer will be full of easy Sporadic E propagation not just single hop 1,500 to 2,000 miles but also watch out for multi-hop multi path Es which will happen- but I am not a mystic Meg to say when. 

So 6m and 10m is a must this summer.  If sunspots are consistently high listen out at night time on all bands: you may be surprised.  

Also with Sporadic E there will be very short hop propagation- as little as 100 miles.  This is great for catching DX in your dead zone, like Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man and Scotland: this can be great fun to catch the short hop Es. 

Short hop summer  Es will also help work stations from many parts of England.  Many say this is “unusual conditions” but it isn’t just normal and happens every summer.   

There will be plenty of F layer propagation especially In the sunrise and sunset plus and minus an hour or two and should filter up to the higher bands too.  But this will be best around the autumnal equinox. 

 The Autumn of 2024 will definitely be a good one for DX.

Just tune around and watch the clusters. There will be times of band disturbances too.  Make advantage of these. You will often hear pre-geomagnetic enhancements where the bands just explode with great conditions just before a solar storm hits earth.  This can also cause excellent Aurora conditions especially on the higher bands listen for that distinctive rasping sounds of the aurora to the voice or CW tones.

So without doubt Autumn 2024 will provide some incredible conditions. 

 It is beyond my understanding whether we will get a double peak on this cycle like we have done in the previous cycles.  But if we do my guess either this Autumn 2024 or Spring 25. 

 In Winter 2024, of course head down to the low bands but keep a watch on all bands at sunrise and sunset for the DX.”

COMING SOON AT WYTHALL RADIO CLUB…..  

1.TUESDAY 4TH JUNE-MAST ERECTION REHEARSAL FOR GB0BUS!

2.FRIDAY14TH JUNE SET UP FOR GB0BUS AT WYTHALL TRANSPORT MUSEUM

3.SATURDAY 15TH JUNE GB0BUS ACTIVATION

4.TUESDAY 18TH JUNE DIY 70CM ANTENNA BUILD AND FOXHUNT

DETAILS AND TIMES TO FOLLOW.

Watched by probably 2 thousand sheep and dwarfed by the looming presence in the fog of the radio and radar installations  Clive M0KNP aided by his able assistant John M6KET activated Titterstone Clee Hill yesterday (G/WB-OO4) and were rewarded by some instant contacts on 2 metres with Clive’s Yaesu FT70d hand and a single 40m SSB contact with GM4ZMK nr Glasgow.

The operating station (no room for the morse key on there)

Clive in assembly mode

Conditions on 2m were good with stations worked and heard in Malvern, Telford, Shrewsbury, Redditch and portable in Wales

40m SSB was more challenging on the FT 817 and despite posting- and hearing stations in Belgium and Germany only GM4ZMK was worked.

M6KET provided adequate secretarial assistance recording all QSO’s , but declined the CW  opportunity citing cold hands and failure to remember his flask of coffee still standing on the kitchen table at home as a weak excuse.

Eventually the challenging conditions took their toll and the expedition retreated down the mountain by a safer route (tarmac road and gravel footpath) and dispersed happy to have achieved at least 4 SOTA contacts without frostbite and falling off the edge into Ludlow.

QSO’s 2m: MW0BG/P (Sota to Sota), M7SDO, M6NSV, M7WUK, M5JRC, G0EYO.

40m SSB (7090) GM4ZMK

Radios FT 817. FT70d

Antenna SPX 300 mounted on a camera tripod (G0EYO design)

Coming next…..

ASK THE PANEL EVENING: TUESDAY 7 TH. MAY 8.00 START VIA ZOOM OR IN PERSON. WYTHALL HOUSE.

PLEASE NOTE EARLIER STARTING TIME.

The Easter  Contest 2024 Awards Evening

The David Dawkes G0ICJ Shield

The Colin Baker G6ZDQ Shield

Welcome  to visitors Andrew and son  Harvey  who came along to see what made Wythall Radio Club tick.

Gremlins (or a cyber attack from an unfriendly hostile state!!) did their best to disrupt proceedings but the results shone through and two of our most experienced Contest operators triumphed yet again.

Chris G0EYO won the David Dawkes  G0ICJ shield  for all band operation.

Keeping it in the family Kevin 2E0NCO triumphed again in the G6ZDQ Shield in the 2m/70cm  contest .

Martin M7FXD got a certificate for being the leading Foundation Licence operator.

A huge thanks to Lee G0MTN for yet again organising and encouraging: undoubtedly the contest weekend succeeds in boosting activity on the bands and getting folks to have fun with RF.

(It is hoped to publish the full results on the website very soon)

COMING SOON….. SOTA day on Titterstone Clee Hill on Thursday May 2nd (details from Clive M0KNP….Ask the Experts (a question and answer hour) on Tuesday  8th May …..GB0BUS activation at Wythall Transport Museum on Saturday June 15th and on Tuesday 18th June Neil G1TCZ leads a 70cm Foxhunt Evening in Wythall Park.

Interested visitors very welcome at all these events

Foxhunts, SOTA activations and antenna building are amongst the new activities in Wythall Radio Club’s programme for the coming months.

Club members will be activating a local SOTA summit – probably Titterstone Clee hill – in May.  Listen out for John 2E0XET, Clive M0KNP – and any other members who decide to come along!  We may also activate the club call G4WAC.

Have your questions ready for our ‘Q and A Round Table‘ at 8.30 on Tuesday 7 May.  We hope to draw on the collective knowledge of Club members in answering questions – from the very basic to the more complex.

Following our busy International Museums on the Air special event station, Neil G1TZC is hosting a DIY 70cm antenna build workshop followed by a foxhunt in Wythall Park to test them out.  All the parts to build these tape measure antennas are being provided.  Tuesday 18th June is the date.

Finally, Kev 2E0NCO has restarted the Wythall Club net, meeting every Sunday evening on 145.225 FM (and GB3WL if necessary).

Full details of our programme as at 20th April here  – or in the right-hand column of our home page.

      The author Chris in the workshop

              Restoring the Admiralty Pattern 1271 Buzzer Repeater Key by Chris Pettitt

Member may recall I purchased a Lot of six vintage morse keys at a local auction, sight unseen a couple of months ago. I have already written of my experiences in restoring the Vibroplex Champion semi-automatic bug key. (See Library index). The next key in the Lot to get my attention was the Admiralty Pattern 1271 Buzzer Repeater Key. A strange looking device indeed, not only a key but an earpiece, a B15 bulb holder and an on/off switch (see picture below)

         “a strange looking device indeed”

your supervisor is calling

 I did some research and found a circuit for the unit and according to Brundit’s Morse Key website it has been suggested, but not confirmed, that this type of unit was used on large warships for internal communications between the main W/T office and other      offices. As well as the earpiece (acting as LS) it has a miniature bulb which was used to attract attention when the Radio Supervisor was calling. (See Circuit above). I reckoned the buzzer unit was from the 1940s.   

Further research via Google, took me to a 1930 Royal Navy Document W5 which showed that similar units were located at various stations on the vessel and were connected to an audio oscillator in the Ship’s Coding office. They were clearly used internal signalling purposes using the key. Warships would have had several means of internal communications, i.e. Voice tubes, tannoy, etc in case of damage during action. I hope to find out more about how these units were used, particularly what signalling codes may have been use.

I stripped the whole unit down to individual parts and using a combination of warm water, vinegar and metal polish cleaned all the parts and rebuilt it. The only thing I had to replace was the internal wiring which was fabric covered solid core copper wire which had deteriorated. This was replaced with modern plastic covered equivalent.  I also discovered that the bulb needed to be 12-14V DC with a 15mm bayonet fitting, so found a suitable red one from a ship chandlers’. It cleaned up rather nicely as you can see below.

          …..and the finished article ready for the museum

COMING SOON.. DATES FOR THE DIARY:

1.THE EASTER CONTEST AWARDS EVENING .. WHO WILL WIN THE MUCH COVETED (AND MYTHICAL??) CHOCOLATE EGGS- TUESDAY APRIL 23RD. 8.30

2. “ASK THE EXPERTS”

(OR ANYONE FROM WYTHALL RADIO CLUB REALLY) ASK THOSE QUESTIONS ABOUT RADIO YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO ASK. TUESDAY 8TH MAY AT 8.30 PM

BOTH MEETINGS IN THE DARTS’ ROOM AT WYTHALL HOUSE; ALL VERY WELCOME AND ZOOM AVAILABLE.