HARC October 07 - Highfields Amateur Radio Club

H. A. R. C.The Newsletter of the Highfields Amateur Radio ClubOctober 2007Chairman’s CornerI am disappointed to see that after just 3 months of meetings at the Scout hallthings have not turned out as we expected. We have been experiencing a definitelack of facilities brought on by poor maintenance both with the building and its appliances.One evening we had to clean up the hall and kitchen area due to the Scouts leavingit in untidy mess after what looked like a cooking exercise. This took at least ¾of an hour to sort out. My thanks to those who arrived early and helped to make itusable.NEW VENUE from19th October 2007With a proper car parking area (downthe driveway and turn left), tables andchairs laid out ready, kitchen facilities,heating, disabled access and facilities,this recently built hall seems tobe a step in the right direction.We already have provisional permissionfor the erection of an antennaand room is being 'sorted' for theshack, all this before we have evenmoved in seems to hold well for thefuture.This is in addition to the parking difficulties we are all experiencing and the parkingproblems we are causing the local residents, and with limited space in TegfanClose, this can never be resolved. Whilst the parking problem had already beenwell documented we didn’t foresee the residents getting uneasy over our presenceeach week.It may only be a matter of time before it escalates into something beyond somethingeven the Scouts could manage. In order to respect the wishes of the residentsin my view it would be better to find an alternative meeting place soonerrather than later.Perhaps if we had better communication with the scout leaders from the onset wemay have had more success in improving the facilities up at Llanishen.During the past few weeks I have given this a lot of thought and after making someenquires with my contact at the Llanedeyrn local church hall I have come up with asolution that could benefit us all.The Priest seems very accommodating; he even went as far as to give us permissionto erect an antenna. I am very pleased to say that following the approval ofthe members at the 28 th Sept meeting this venue has now secured.This venue is more expensive but it’s a small price to pay for proper facilities andextra comfort. This is a brand new building, built as an extension to the existing St.Philip Evans church hall and is primarily intended for the Catholic Deaf Service inCardiff.This has all the hallmarks of being a good place to meet, with its own car park forat least 30 cars. Tables and chairs are already in position much the same as theold Highfields Centre we all used to enjoy in the past.Hopefully this time things will work out and finally we can settle down. Thank youto those who have helped us feel more at home during our stay at the LlanishenScout hall.St Philip Evans Church Hall,Llanedeyrn Drive, Maelfa,Llanedeyrn,All the BestSteve WilliamsChairmanCARDIFF CF23 9ULHARC Websitewww.highfields-arc.co.uk

GB0SPESt Philip Evans FeteHARC WebsiteAlthough we didn't have too much time forplanning the event on the 21 st July, someevents being planned months, if not years, inadvance, the club made a good showing ofAmateur Radio at this local fete, explainingto the interested what was happening, etc.There were a few contacts made on VHFand some on HF, despite the rather loud musicfrom the 'disco'. I thought I would neversay this but a contest that day would havebeen good, if only to increase the contactrate!The weather was kind to us, whilst cool andcloudy most of the day we only experienceda few spots of precipitation.Thanks to Steve & Caroline, James, Ray,Wayne, Selwyn and Brian & Denise. Thesmall event went quite smoothly and, I think,was enjoyed by all.Report by Brian MW0GKXGB3MGRepeaterWe all owe a debt of gratitude to our tireless HARC webmasterBrian MW0GKX for building us such a comprehensivewebsite. Most evenings and every weekend Brian can befound beavering away at his computer writing new webpages, amateur radio articles, updating the extensive glossaryof radio terms and bringing us the latest radio amateur newsfrom around the world.In the last few months he has added many pages coveringsubjects such as scientists and inventors of radio, technicalhelp and advice on all aspects of coax cables, modulation,electronic components, constructors guides, items for sale,club news articles and a whole host of internet links to amateurretailers, wholesalers, rallies, component suppliers andmany other sites offering useful information for the radio amateur.Brian kindly sends out a weekly email to all subscribed memberstelling us of the latest updates and improvements to thewebsite.If you have access to the internet at home or work then ourwebsite www.highfields-arc.co.uk should be the first stop foryour every amateur radio need. If you do not have access tothe internet yet, then Brian often brings his computer along tothe Friday meetings and will be glad to give you a guided tourof the website on his computer.Our website has now grown to over 200 web pages so youare guaranteed to find something useful inside. Check it out atwww.highfields-arc.co.ukThe GB3MG repeater is now live! The frequencies are 430.900 MHz RX and 438.500 MHz TX. Don’t forget thisrepeater uses the unusual frequency shift of +7.6Mhz so you may have to program your rig manually. GB3MGwill require either a 1750hz tone or 94.8Hz CTCSS in order to access it.Don’t forget that the Wednesday evening net at 7:30pm is still running as usual, chaired and managed byRobert GW0WQV on the club frequency of 145.275Mhz. This is followed by a 30 minute session on GB3MGbeginning at 8:00pm. All are welcome to join in and support our weekly net.For help and advice contact Robert GW0WQV at any Friday night meeting.HARC Websitewww.highfields-arc.co.uk

In BriefJOTAOn 20th and 21st Octoberthe annual Jota (JamboreeOn The Air) event will beunderway at LlanishenScout hall. James will beour representative and localco-ordinator at the event.Clubhouse RefreshmentsThe kitchen facilities at the church hall farexceed that provided by the scout hall so wewill continue with our current arrangements fortea, coffee, cocoa and soup with bread rolls.Given time we may explore other refreshmentpossibilities for our Friday night meetings. Soit will be business as usual at the church hall.Weekly RaffleOur weekly raffle is proving a great successon two fronts. Each week a lucky winnerleaves with a prize of £5. The remainder of theraffle takings goes towards paying for theweekly rent for our hall. The rent at the newchurch hall will be £20 per week so with 25members attending weekly we adequatelycover our rent collection requirements.Programming HandheldsOur chairman Steve GW6CUR held a radioprogramming evening recently that provedto be very popular. Members brought theirhandheld radios into the meeting and Stevewas able to demonstrate how easy it was toprogram the frequencies and settings intothe radios using a laptop computer. He wasalso able to backup the stored frequenciesfrom the handhelds into the computer andeven copy frequencies between handhelds.Steve GW6CUR is always on hand for help and advice on this orany other subject.Foundation ClassesFoundation training is ongoing with Rob currently training Ray,Steve and Darren in preparation for their forthcoming foundationexamination. Best of luck for their exam on Friday.Persons wishing to take the Foundation Course Licence Examshall pay the normal £34.00 examination fees and 12 months clubsubscription (non - negotiable) of which £20-00 will be forwardedto the RSGB for their administration fees.On obtaining the pass slip candidates will have register with Ofcomto keep their records up to date either online or when it isdue for renewal. All amateur licences are now exempt fromcharges except if you request an annual paper licence which willattract a £20 administration fee.RSGB Foundation Course books are available at the club for£4.00Help WantedHelp wanted to further expand our HARC websiteEquipment reviews (rigs, handhelds, antenna), Memories of radio past, Hints &Tips, Ideas & Suggestions, Links to interesting websites, All help welcomed -Contact Brian MW0GKX at the club or email brian.mw0gkx@ntlworld.comForthcoming Events12 th October 2007 : Last meeting at the Scout Hall at Tegfan Close19 th October 2007: Move to the new club house at St. Philip Evans church hall21st October 2007 : Radio Rally at Coleg Gwent Crosskeys Campus,Risca Rd, Crosskeys, Gwent NP11 7ZA;Open at 10am for disabled,10:30am for everyone else07 th December 2007 : Annual General meetingMembership BadgesHARC membership badgesare still available from BrianMW0GKX.They are high quality laminatedplastic with yourname, call sign and optionalphotograph.Special members discountprice - £1.50For further details or toplace an order contact BrianMW0GKXHARC Websitewww.highfields-arc.co.uk