Lecture highlights
Looking Ahead to IOTA's 50th Anniversary by Roger Balister G3KMA
Celebrate IOTA’s 50th anniversary by taking part in a two year marathon of island activity.
Ionospheric sounders – what they are and how to use them by Steve Nichols G0KYA.
Steve will show you how to use Digisonde data to evaluate propagation paths in near real time."
4W6A Timore-Leste DXpedition 2011
A team of seven radio amateurs journey to Atauro Island OC-232 for a DXCC DXpedition. Tim Beaumont M0URX explains more about the trip that took place from 16 to 26 September 2011.
Antenna Modelling for Contesting by Steve Knowles G3UFY
A beginner's look at antenna modeling with the EZNEC software by W7EL; how to use it to design aerials with specific characteristics or to evaluate the performance of existing ones – and a few words of caution about interpretation of the results!
Introduction to digital modes on the HF bands by Mike Richards G4WNC
The talk looks at the different types of data modes that are available and explains their role in amateur radio. Mike also runs through the difficulties of sending data and explains some of the ingenious techniques that are employed to get the message through. The talk will conclude with a practical look at a few of the more popular systems and hand-outs will be available with a list of useful weblinks.
SkookumLogger: Improving your contest skills using Mac OSX by Jonathan G0DVJ
Using a new contest logger for Mac Users, Jonathan will describe how contesters, especially the less experienced can improve their skills through the intuitive way that both basic and advanced features are implemented. A variety of contests are supported, including both HF and VHF events.
5MHz experiment & analysis of data the 5MHz Experiment by Alan Messenger G0TLK.
The experiment that has been running since 2002 has produced almost 50,000 manual records and, since the beacons were commissioned in 2004, over 1,000,000 automated records. That amount of data can be rather daunting, particularly when you add ionospheric parameters to explore NVIS propagation, resulting in several million data items. The average home PC, let alone the user, could get ‘digital indigestion’ on that lot! With help from scientists at the Space Physics Interactive Resource (SPIDR) in the USA Alan has retrieved ionospheric data for the last 10 years and built software to combine and process it with Experiment data. The program allows analysis choices without having to prepare data first or get involved with the ionospheric maths. Alan will demonstrate the software, explain the principles behind the various ionospheric parameters, how he has used them, and illustrate typical results.
How Your Logs Get Adjudicated by Ian G0FCT
will cover the adjudication process from the moment you submit your log to the production of the results. The bespoke software used to analyse the logs will be used during the talk to demonstrate how the adjudicator uncovers the errors in each log.
Africa with two suitcases by Nick Henwood, G3RWF
Since 2007, Nick has been travelling regularly to Western Uganda to work at a community university. His temporary amateur radio station, with the callsign 5X1NH, has now made about 80,000 contacts all over the world using CW, SSB and data modes. Nick will talk about some of the challenges and excitement that are faced as a solo operator. He will concentrate on practical solutions to getting on the air - solutions as relevant in the UK as they are in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. He is planning to bring his suitcases with him, one contains a multi band beams, a single band beam and two verticals and checks in just under 23kg.
Contest Ethics & Rules by Roger Western G3SXW
Contests are governed by black & white rules but what about enforcement and the many grey areas, what about ethics, morals and sportsmanlike conduct? How can peer pressure be applied to a cheater? All these issues and more will be discussed in detail, shining a bright light on unsavoury practices.
Adventures in Optical Communication by Stuart Wisher, G8CYW
will cover the topic from basic AM baseband communication, through to the reasons why he adopted sub-carrier "radio on light" techniques using FM and SSB. The Optical Transverter and LED transceiver will be explained. Through the medium of audio and video he will take you with him on his various record breaking and first contacts. Stuart and co have now moved into daylight optical communications using both visible and near Infra-red wavebands, and the latest news from this new departure will be a part of the lecture, as will some demonstrations of his gear.
Single Operator Contesting at VHF by Roger Dixon G4BVY
will contain practical advice on transport, power sources, masts, equipment and antennas and will show what one person can achieve in VHF contests from the short UKAC events through to major 24 hour events. The presentation will be based around photographs and will include time for questions.
Contest University 'CONTEST EXCHANGE'
- this is where there will be a mixture of 'hosts' and 'guests'. Hosts are those with stations willing to open their contest to an operator that does not have the facilities available to use such equipment. Guests will get the chance to meet hosts to network and hopefully secure a deal to visit their station to operate in a contest. The hosts may have stools which have details of their station (photos, description, etc).
Walk in Q&A with Mark Haynes M0DXR and Lee Volante G0MTN
will help share their experience and ideas to help discuss, answer or point in the right direction in response to any questions or issues that you would like advice with. These sessions are ‘drop-in’ style, so no need to turn up specifically at the start time!
UHF Transponser The FUNcube Project by Graham G3VZV.
Graham will describe the exciting FUNcube Project which is intended to enthuse the younger generation about STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics) subjects. This will be achieved using two very small spacecraft which youngsters will be able to listen to directly as they come over the horizon each morning and afternoon using a simple handheld antenna and a FUNcube Dongle. These spacecraft will, additionally, provide a UHF to VHF linear transponder for radio amateurs at night and at weekends. The FUNcube Project is being undertaken by a group of volunteer radio amateurs and supporters from AMSAT-UK with support funding from the RCF.
The 2012 Olympics - Operating & Opportunities by
Murray NimanWith the 2012 Olympics fast approaching Murray Niman, G6JYB explains how the Games touches on many aspects of amateur radio. So far we have only seen some limited use of 70cms for sailing practice events. However from temporary spectrum use to special arrangements for contests, callsigns, events, volunteers and visitors - the Games influence many aspects of our hobby. The talk will provide a first hand opportunity to hear and discuss more.
FUNcube Dongle: Making a Successful Amateur Radio Accessory by Howard Long G6LVB
This is the story of how a simple design requirement for a VHF receiver, with a perceived market of a few dozen units, became an overnight sellout success shipping in thousands.
Healthy eating for radio amateurs by Janet Proudman 2E0LLM
Janet is a Senior Lecturer in Nutrition at Oxford Brookes University and was awarded the Magnus Pyke Media Fellowship by the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Her lecture will give ideas for improving your health in general but specifically what should you eat when you want to stay awake DXing or contesting, for example.
Next generation beacon by Bo HANSEN, OZ2M
Traditionally radio amateur beacons have used professional land mobile radios with analogue CW identification. Given the latest developments in digital modulation techniques and RF-circuits it is time to take advantage of these technologies for beacons too. Machine generated modulation (MGM) provides many benefits for automated monitoring of conditions such as long term averaging and deviation reporting. However, digitalisation must fit into the existing world of operation techniques. The solution is mixed mode, both MGM and CW, where humans can decode the CW by ear and MGM way below what is audible. Therefore it can be used for ‘pre-human-conditions’ or early warning monitoring. The presentation addresses these issues based upon the requirements of the world’s oldest beacon OZ7IGY by providing the next generation beacon platform involving DDS technology, low noise VCOs and PLL, GPS synchronisation, sequence and modulation.
Instant Morse by Steve White G3ZVW.
Instant Morse is a way of memorising the dots and dashes of the 26 letters of the alphabet in Morse code in an extremely short period of time. It relies on there being people present who don't know Morse, so if you have put off learning it or found it impossibly difficult to come to terms with even the basics, this talk is for you. At the start of this original and highly interactive presentation please offer to be one of the volunteers in the learning process. It won't hurt and it’s not an exam. Those who teach the basics of Morse to others can also find the talk useful.
The effects of the mid latitude trough in the ionosphere by Professor Mike Warrington G4EMW.
Mike heads the ionospheric research at Leicester University and will look at this effect that has plagued propagation in the 80m Club Contest during January and February of this year.
How to work daily DX on 144MHz using your 100W black-box transceiver and the WSJT suite of digital software – an introduction for absolute beginners by David, G4YTL.
Many people have a black box capable of generating 100 watts on 144MHz, but use it only for local ragchewing and repeater use. The aim is to show people that with that simple set-up and a very modest aerial they can work DX upto 1500km any time of day or night using meteor scatter, and can also make moonbounce contacts with some of the larger stations. It will be aimed at the absolute beginner.
Cocos Keeling Island DX by Phil Whitchurch G3SWH
The planning and execution of the VK9C/ G6AY DXpedition to the Cocos (Keeling) islands in February and March 2011 with his usual partner in crime Jim, G3RTE.
Cambridge University Wireless Society DXpedition to St Pierre et Miquelon
DXpedition (FP) by Dominic, M0BLF, & Martin Atherton G3ZAY
A talk on the recent CU Wireless Society trip to St Pierre et Miquelon DXpedition (FP) including a little about the history of the islands and why there is a little bit of France still left off the Canadian coast.
The amateur's roots in radio astronomy that helped lift the veil on Electricity and Plasma in Space by Tom Findlay, GM4DOZ
The physicist and radio engineer Karl Jansky started things off with his research into interference to short-wave transmissions and his subsequent accidental detection of radio waves coming from the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. The radio amateur Grote Reber W9GFZ took this work forward to become the world’s first radio astronomer by building his own equipment and creating a radio frequency sky-map at 160MHz. This groundbreaking but quietly executed work led to fundamental steps forward in our understanding of the role played in our universe by the electromagnetic spectrum, or more specifically, the electromagnetic force responsible for that spectrum. The implications of Reber’s activities led to the eventual establishment of Radio Astronomy, a discipline that now reveals so much that our minds are blown by new interpretations of old data and we are left to wonder at new discoveries. Where this leads is astounding, thought provoking and most interestingly, highly contentious to supporters of the gravity model of the universe. From a spark in the mind of a radio ham has grown a new subject area, one that encompasses the fundamental role of electricity and plasma in space. It is to highlight the importance of this typically unrecognised area that is the goal of this presentation.