Basingstoke repeater – latest progress

Posted on by basingstokearc

A new 70 cm repeater is planned for the Basingstoke area.  The license for GB3BA has now been approved and Noel G8GTZ is currently getting the hardware together.  There is still some functionality to be developed and built ahead of installation and testing.  Once this is complete we will announce a formal activation date.

Further information of the repeater and its predicted coverage can be found on the Basingstoke Repeater page (see Menu)

BARC Virtual Club Meeting – Monday 21st September

Posted on by basingstokearc

As for previous months, September’s club meeting will be a virtual event held using the Zoom videoconference application.  This is easy to use and you do not need a camera on your computer to participate. You can also use a smart phone rather than a desktop or laptop.  The event starts at7:45 BST and consists of a presentation followed by a general chat session.

September’s talk is by Pete Birkin M6PYB and will discuss a ‘homebrew’ project where an CTCSS encoder for a Yaesu FT-736R was designed, manufactured and tested.  The talk will discuss the complete process with particular emphasis on the design and manufacturing options available.  Finally, testing of the system and its performance targeting a range of local repeaters is presented.

For security you do need a Meeting ID and password to access the event. These are emailed out to club members and accredited visitors a few days beforehand.  If you have not received one of these emails for previous meetings, and would like to join this one, please email the Club secretary (Alan G3UQW) or myself to be added to the distribution list.

73 de Paul G4CSD (g4csd@yahoo.co.uk)

BARC Virtual Meeting Monday 17th August

Posted on by basingstokearc

We will be holding our monthly meeting via zoom this coming Monday evening, access details will be sent to members as usual.
We are trying something a bit different this month, in that we will be showing one of the recorded talks from last years RSGB conference as the main event, with a discussion and general natter session afterwards.

This particular talk was given by Jenny Bailey G0VQH, and is on the topic of “Using drones to measure antenna radiation patterns” – something we would all love to do, but she has actually done in her official capacity as a member of OFCOM, and the talk recounts her experiences in so doing…

Details of the bar and refreshments are up to you…

ALan G3UQW

BARC Club meetings

Posted on by basingstokearc
Our usual meeting venue at May’s Bounty will be opening again from July 4th, but with reduced hours and a range of other measures to help maintain social distancing.  At the moment it just isn’t sensible or practical to hold physical meetings – this could continue for some time.  We want to keep the club active so we’d welcome members’ views on what they would like to see, plus any ideas for increasing (non-physical!) contact.
We will be continuing the monthly virtual meetings on the third Monday of the month, using the Zoom application.  This is quite easy to use and free to meeting participants.  If anything, this way of doing things improves the visibility of presentation slides as they appear right in front of you!
You don’t need a camera at your end, just a screen and keyboard.  If you are not sure about getting set up and operating Zoom, let Paul G4CSD know and he’ll sort out a one-to-one test session to demonstrate things.
Our next virtual meeting (Monday 20th July) will be a talk by Alan G3UCF entitled “1947 Allander A410a SW/MW/LW Radio Rebuild”.  The access details for the event will be mailed to individual members in the preceding week and the meeting will open at 7:45 for an 8pm start.

Lockdown VHF NFD 4/5th July

Posted on by basingstokearc
Covid-19 has scuppered our field day outings to the Lavender Field but there’s plenty of replacement activity available.  We had an enjoyable VHF Field Day last year and, for 2020 only, this has been re-badged as Lockdown VHF NFD, for fixed (i.e. home) location, single operator stations only.  This still allows team entries and BARC will be participating.  The contest will be held next weekend (4/5th July) and we are hoping that club members will help us beat the 200 contacts amassed last year.  If you are a newcomer to contesting, or haven’t participated for a while, why not give it a go?  We might be lacking the fresh air and sunburn, but you can always throw open the shack window and there will be a plentiful supply of coffee/tea to hand.
Timings are as follows – all times are clock time (BST)
Saturday 4th July

3 pm to 5 pm for 6m and 6 pm to 8 pm for 4m

Sunday 5th July

9 am to 11 am for 70cm and noon to 3pm for 2m  (Also 6 am to 8 am for the early-birders with 23 cm kit)

Permitted modes of operation are SSB, CW, FM, AM, JT6M, ISCAT and FSK441

You don’t need to register and, provided you are a BARC member and supporting the club entry, you do not need to be a member of the RSGB.  There’s a maximum of 4 members per team so please stick your hand up so that we can organise teams to best advantage.  Hopefully we can field two or more teams.

The full set of rules can be found at rsgbcc.org/vhf/rules/2020/VHFNFD.shtml

This a once-off opportunity (we don’t want to go through all this again!) so why not give it a go?

73s

Paul G4CSD

Virtual club meeting on June 15

Posted on by basingstokearc
Following the successful May event BARC will be continuing with another Virtual meeting on Monday June 15th.  The Zoom videoconferencing app is simple to use and you do not need an account to participate.  It should work on a smart phone as well as a PC or laptop, though the smaller screen size will inevitably limit functionality.
The event will follow the usual club meeting format, with people joining from 7:45 and a formal start at 8 pm.  After any announcements, Paul G4CSD will give a talk entitled ‘New Radio Telescopes’ followed by a general natter session.
For security, the meeting details are being emailed to individual members.  These include a link into the videoconference call which you simply copy and paste into your browser.  This will admit you to the virtual Waiting Room and the Host will then admit you to the meeting proper.
If you have not received the email by Friday 12th, or are not yet a club member but would like to take part, please email either myself or Alan G3UQW and we will send you the link. Only recognised participants will be admitted from the Waiting Room, so please don’t wait until Monday evening before asking for an invitation as the Host will be busy with setting things up.
73s      Paul G4CSD

BARC goes Virtual

Posted on by basingstokearc
It looks as if we will be suffering some degree of isolation for a while yet, so from May BARC is going to have a go at holding virtual meetings in place of physical ones.  The Zoom videoconferencing app is simple to use and you do not need an account to participate.  It should work on a smart phone as well as a PC or laptop, though the smaller screen size will inevitably limit functionality.
So on Monday 18th May there will be a videoconference session which will follow the usual club meeting format, with people joining from 7:45 and a formal start at 8 pm.  After any announcements, Alan G3UQW will give a short presentation entitled ‘Using FT4 for digital contacts’, and we will conclude with an attempt at a general natter session.
For security, the meeting details are being emailed to individual members.  These include a link into the videoconference call which you simply copy and paste into your browser.  This will admit you to the virtual Waiting Room and the Host will then admit you to the meeting proper.
If you have not received the email, or are not yet a club member but would like to take part, please email either myself or Alan G3UQW and we will send you the link. Only recognised participants will be admitted from the Waiting Room, so please don’t wait until Monday evening before asking for an invitation as the Host will be busy with setting things up.
As this is our first attempt at videoconferencing we will have a short ‘rehearsal’ session at 7:30 pm on Saturday 16th May.  This is to give people the chance to try out the system and check whether their PC/Laptop is correctly set up to participate.  I hope people will do this as it also gives the Host some experience in getting the whole thing set up.
I hope to see you on Monday 18th for what should be an educational experience for us all!
73s
Paul G4CSD