March 16th Equipment Recycling Sale, plus Update and fine tuning for Titanic Special Event Station GB95MGY.

April 6th (Good Friday) Final arrangements for GB95MGY with confirmation from all taking part that they understand the set-up.

April 13th Working Party at College 3pm to erect antennas and arrange tables etc.

April 14th Working party and all concerned to be at College with equipment at 8.30hrs. to set up rigs/screens and QSL cards etc., 11.00 Hrs GB95MGY begins transmission.

April 16th 05.50Hrs GB95MGY dismantled and all items OFF THE PREMISES by 0700 hrs latest. 0730 Hrs. Breakfast for those of the crew who wish it in Sainsburys Godalming.

April 20th Special Event Station Review and Club Construction Contest.

May 4th Derek G3HEJ as scheduled.

May 18th Dr. Alan Casperd talks on High Power Electromagnetic Effects.

June 1st Annual General Meeting.

June 15th Club Construction Project (first and second phase combined).

Not a sound was heard, not a single note, as my course through the ham bands I dallied’ (with apologies to the dear departed Sir John Moore).   Occasionally there are days when CW seems equally dead and awaiting burial.  A daytime 80m empty — where is everyone?  Time was when it could guarantee a decent ‘yack’ style QSO.

 

Moving higher there is activity of a sort. The content of QSOs restricted to 599 and perhaps QTH and name. And efforts to engage in meaningful conversation are mostly met with 73 GL DX repeated twice at least followed by VA QRZ? 

That begs another question — is my S meter that different from the norm?  Why are most reports 599?  Are operators afraid of telling the truth?  If a signal is hard to copy and weak why not say so?

Also why tell a guy running an upgraded Wimshurst machine he is T9 — and what about key clicks 10khz wide?

Mind you, one notorious DL will answer complaints regarding his clicks by suggesting the complainant fits a roofing filter. My limited grasp of matters technical recognizes this as rubbish — if there are clicks 10KHz wide they are there and no filter will remove them.

Ah, but what about the DXpedition 599's?  Convention has it that 599 rules even if three repeats are needed!  I will accept that, although I see no reason why my return report need be so when the signal may well be less.  Perhaps a truthful report could be appreciated at the other end.   I have the QSO in the log, thank you very much and I understand why it is done — the logging program allows for little else anyway.

Perhaps some brave outfit will change this pattern and just send GM, GA or GE instead.  It would matter not a jot. I understand neither ARRL nor RSGB now bother with reports when checking logs.  Serial numbers, yes. One time 339 was the minimum for DXCC.  I think this has now been abandoned.

Maybe I am as old fashioned as I look. I still tend to give an honest report and enjoy one in return. I served a number of years apprenticed as a listener before acquiring my licence.  Most of my contemporaries likewise.   At least I can be sure of receiving a few 339 reports this weekend in the Commonwealth Contest - but BERU is special.

 

Returning to the emptiness on the bands perhaps the Clusters have a real bearing on activity. Increasingly hunting DX has become the raison d'etre for many.  No need to waste time tuning around when DX will appear on the screen and, given a big signal, even the resultant pile-up and inevitable chaos has no fears.

Present day behaviour in pile-ups requires several paragraphs - perhaps next time?

Mike G3IAF

Page 4