This was our fourth bank holiday weekend at Kew Bridge Steam Museum (www.kbsm.org)‘and we were once more supported by our RSGB Area Rep Alison G4ROG who acted as our ‘meet and greet’ and explained the role of the RSGB to the public.

Our Club HF station operated on 80m, 40m, and 20m and was kept busy on both days with radio enthusiasts from around the world calling in. The public were able to hear the two way conversations as we had a prominent position within the museum.

Our radio station comprised of our club radio an Icom Pro 3 with matching ATU and 400w amp, a G5RV which was fixed from the very top of the museum tower down to a old steam beam by the car park. Many stations were worked and we are looking forward to receiving their QSL cards which we will display at next years event (GB0KEW).

Our past events at Kew were organised by Mike Hearn (G1WIA) who sadly passed away last year however, the club was extremely pleased that club members Linda (2E0YVR) and Bob (2E0ZBW) took up the challenge in conjunction with the RSGB to demonstrate and explain to the Kew visitors about amateur radio.

We were pleased to incorporate the weekend with “Pumping Stations on the Air” and we hope that those stations also taking part enjoyed their weekend as much as we did.

The club would like to thank Jo Willis and the staff of Kew Bridge Steam Museum for the invitation to use the museum and we look forward to next years event which will be our 5th .. Do look at Kew Steam web page and see the world’s largest collection of steam pumping engines, many of which you can see working every weekend.

This is the 4th year & sadly for the club the 1st without Mike G1WIA at the helm.

The event will be open on Sunday 29th and Monday 30th at 11am until 5pm. The club will be operating on HF with CW and SSB using the callsign GB0KEW.

As in previous years the museum will be open and other events will be happening around Kew, although you know you’ll only be attending for the radio, but whilst there you can learn about Kew as well.

We look forward to seeing any visitors who wish to visit us on either of the two days.

Any WARG members wishing to visit the museum have been given a reduced club rate fee of just £6.00. The full rate for non-club members is £9.00.

Kew Bridge Steam Museum link

A basic overview is D-STAR is a Digital Mode for Voice & low speed data (name, callsign, location, etc) on 2m, 70cm and 23cm, and also High Speed Data (128Kbps) on 23cm only.

You can use D-STAR either in Simplex Mode, or via Repeaters or Links (most of which are internet connected). The Web connected Repeaters & Links can be connected to Reflectors (conference rooms) where communication around the world can take place. Chris mentioned that Reflectors REF001C (US) & REF005A (UK) are quite popular depending on time of day.

D-STAR users can also make use of DPRS (a D-STAR version of APRS) and send GPS data via the Links & Repeaters which is turn is feed to the internet (see GPS Mapping link below).

At the Moment Icom is the only manufacturer of D-STAR radios and these tend to start around the £350 price mark. The Programming Software & Cables, GPS units can be included or separate add ons which will cost more, and older radios which maybe “D-STAR Compatible” might need an additional add on board to work this mode.

Here are a few Dstar web links Chris sent to post on the webpage:-
Reflector 1C live audio stream - http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?feedId=1647

South Yorkshire repeater group dstar “shack cam” - http://www.southyorkshirerepeatergroup.co.uk/tv/gb7yd-tv

Bromley repeater group - http://www.gb3ok.com/gb7ok_homepage.html

Wikipedia article on Dstar - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-STAR

Ambe chip manual - http://www.dvsinc.com/manuals/AMBE-2020_manual.pdf

DStar UK Yahoo group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dstar-uk

Article on GMSK modulation - http://www.scribd.com/mobile/documents/16190764/download?commit=Download+Now

DStar Tutorial - http://www.napasars.org/news/Mar09/Dstartutorial.htm

Icom dstar page - http://www.icomuk.co.uk/categoryRender.asp?categoryID=3786

DStar repeater directory - http://dstarusers.org/repeaters.php

GPS mapping site - http://aprs.fi/

Dstar DV Adapter – http://dstarradioclub-international.com/DstarDVAdapter.aspx

May 2010 the radio club participated in the CQWW WPX CW contest starting Friday Midnight and finishing Sunday Midnight GMT. Due to Antenna restrictions at the Community Centre the contest station was moved to a contest site located near Battle Hastings on the South Coast.

The category was multi operator – single transmitter. The main participants where:
Kevin G1KAW – Antennas
Michael G3WOE – CW Operator
Garo – G0PZA – CW Operator
Tony – G4KLF – CW Operator
David – G0MRF – CW Operator

Antennas
10m to 40M a 7 El YAGI at 100 feet on a portable Tower.
40M Vertical (backup)
80M Vertical
10 – 80M Windom (backup) (to second tower at 40 foot)
160M antenna
Long wire for receiving only

Radio Equipment:
Icom 756 PRO III + PW1 Linear
TenTec Orion II + IC2KL backup linear
3 PC/Laptops networked with Internet access

The station also had separate facilities for 6m and 2m SSB working deep into Europe as well as a fully functioning 2M and 70CM Satellite station making contacts via; SO-50 + AMSAT Oscar 51 QSOs contacting: UA3CTB – OZ1MY (Copenhagen) LA2MOA – EA1JM – UR5BFX – 2E1DMB and IK1FJI in JN44LL.

At the time of placing the photographs (which show the shack and antennas) the full breakdown from the logging software has still to be verified but first impressions are that the contest station ‘has done well’.

The attached photographs are courtesy of Phil, G3MGQ Hastings Electronics & Radio club (HERC) http://www.radioclubs.net/herc/ Chairman who commented

“magnificent set up at Dallington that I visited on Saturday during the CQ WW WXP CW contest. Quite envious!”

So how did we do

We will not know for sure until the results are published next year ! However, 2,750 QSO’s, where recorded. We anticipate that we should be in the top 5 in the UK (based on last year’s results) and might even be in the top 2 in our category.

Special thanks.

The following people need to be especially thanked for their hard work both physically and mentally in preparing and executing this contest:

Kevin G1KAW (Antennas and Towers) Kevin started his part at 4.30 pm Thursday to pick up the Tower and tow it there.

Chris (Also Antennas and Towers) Chris was there at 7 am on Friday and left 9 am Sunday! Chris was fantastic and he helped speed up the antenna work so we were all set by 3 pm, having started around 8-9 am.

Michael G3WOE (For Operating 22 out of 48 hours) Michael also constructed an unusual 160M and 80m vertical dipoles both worked very well.

Garo G0PZA (Also operating 22 out of 48 hours) sorted out the ‘Network’ for running the logging software N1MM which worked flawlessly.

Tony G4KLF (For operating up to 4 hours on Saturday and being there and helping us all day Sunday.

Michael (No 2), (who came on Friday morning to help us set up, and stayed till 2 am Saturday, i.e. to see the start of the contest, before driving back to London.

What a great ‘Bank Holiday weekend’.

With the May ‘Bank Holiday’ upon us;

Vincent Vandijk M6VIN
Mark Bowell M6MBD
Krigtion Harbour, M6HAR
Rodger Ashmore M6ACL

Undertook the ‘Intermediate Licence’ and all passed with flying colours thanks to Colin M0DMJ our Whitton Course tutor who is standing behind them.

These exam passes this month brings the running total of exam passes to 67. See the Training page for more info about exam passes.

Two temporary verticals where also constructed Friday evening for 80m and 40m complementing the three element beam and two multi- wire-dipoles.

The club aim for this contest was to encourage newly licence operators to take part to give them confidence in operating in congested band conditions as a practice for this year’s CQ World Wide.

It was important that we all done our best in this contest because the club’s M2W special contest call now depends on it. We need to score at least one third of the number of QSO’s of the on test winner in this category, otherwise we might lose the M2Wcallsign. (New Ofcom rules just announced).

M2W Station:

Station 1 = IC 766 PRO III plus PW1 Linear

Station 2 = IC 756 PRO III plus IC2KL Linear

Antennas:

20M / 15M / 10m = Club Tribander raised to full height (40 feet)
40M Vertical
80M Vertical (60 feet)
10M to 80M Carolina Windom (Mainly for 20M and 15M as second Ant)
10M to 80M G5RV (Backup multiband Antenna – subject to EMC)

We did not use 160M in order not to set off alarm system of the Library next door.

The Logging software was N1MM and networked using two laptops.  The training session on a club night leading up to the contest was a considerable benefit to all operators.

Our results

Band              QSOs             Pts        WPX
3.5                336                 886        186
7                 446                 1160      195
14                621                 967        247
21                144                 346          74
28                    8                   16            3

Total               1555             3375      705

Score: 2,379,375

Homemade 80m Vertical – 65ft Tall, 4 quarter-wave radials.�

3 Element (20/15/10m) & 5 Element 6m beam with 2m beam on top, & Club room before Contest.

The Centre acknowledged his teaching programmes of the RSGB ‘Foundation and Intermediate’ Ofcom/RSGB exams which has been praised by “Alison Johnston (G8ROG) RSGB, Regional Manager for London and Thames Valley) commented “the Whitton club members particularly, Colin Peters (M0DMJ) the clubs trainer has put in a lot of hard work and commitment into these important courses and it is refreshing to see a club with such dedication to the hobby, the results over the last few years speak for themselves.”

As you are aware every person who comes to be trained by the Whitton Radio Group joins the Whitton Community Centre as a member, because of the reputation Colin has created concerning the Community Centres facilities and pleasant ambiance of the Centre he has introduced over 65 new Community Centre members from 2004 to date, by giving up his evenings to undertake the extensive training programmes required to pass Ofcom/RSGB exams.

Within 2010 Colin will continue with his training programmes and the Community Centre will remain a formal Ofcom/RSGB Training and Exam Centre.

As you can see I have submitted a news item for Radcom (see below).

Alison’s response was “Keep up the good work.”

Hamtests was also praised by those taking the exam and they where surprised when we told them that Paul MØTZO was a member of Whitton Amateur Radio Group.

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