200603

Volume 14 Issue 3

On to another month and another edito-rial, already this is the third one for this year, my how time flies by! One thing is noticeable and that the evenings are now beginning to “stretch out” and aim-ing away from what I call the winter dol-drums. Thank goodness for that say’s I. In some respects I like the dark nights where one can get nice and cosy sitting watching the television but if I am perfectly honest I do prefer the light nights as it allows one to get out and about instead of vegetating in front of the “box”. First of all this month I would like to pass on our deepest sympathies to the following club members who sadly have “lost” some of their family. To Ron GM4IKU and Malcolm F5VBU who have both lost their aunts and lastly to Jane Hesketh whose father has died. It is a difficult time for all of those concerned trying to come to terms with their grief so all we can do is be there for them and offer our sympathies. Ok then what have we been up to this month; first of all we had our annual radio check night run by John MM0JXI and he assures me that he will have a write up about in the newsletter. This year we had 9 people attend with all their radios put through their paces. It is a shame a lot more didn’t come along as it is really a worthwhile event and opportu-nity to get your radio’s checked out. Tomorrow, 4th March, I have 7 people sitting their Intermediate Exam and on the 15th March there are 2 people sitting the Ad-vanced Exam. On behalf of us all I wish them all the best with their respective exams. I am running a Foundation Course on the 1st & 8th April so any one that wishes to do this course then I must get the course fees by the 8th March (£30 non-RSGB member and £25 RSGB member) as I need to submit all the paperwork then.

From the club ac-tivities we have a major event and that is the visit of Rob Man-nion G3XFD on the 24th March, This is a major scoop for our club that Rob has agreed to come up from Dorset to deliver a talk and I hope that many will turn out on the night to listen to him plus support the event. Lastly for this month a few of us are going to Blackpool for the Norbreck Rally. We are going down on the Saturday, having a few beers and going to the Rally on the Sunday. John MM0JXI is sorting out the accommoda-tion so talk to John if you are interested. For the 10 Pin Bowling in April (Saturday 22nd April @20:00 Megabowl: Cost £10/adult £6/child) there are still plenty places if you wish to go so if you do can you please contact me direct. As most of you will have either read or heard about the changes that are being made with our licences, to the extent our licence will be a Licence for life. See the newsletter for both the Ofcom and RSGB announcements. Lastly, if I have anything to say this month it is the old hobby horse of looking for newslet-ter input. Lots of people intimate that they will but never do. I do struggle from month to month to write articles and I really genuinely could do with some help so this is a plea from the heart for articles. Right I think that is about it so enjoy club night and the newsletter. Bob GM4UYZ

Editorial

Special points of inter-est:

• Upcoming visit by Rob Mannion, editor of PW

• OFCOM’s new Licens-ing scheme

Inside this issue:

Amateur Radio 2

Comments on Museums Weekend

3

OFCOM announcement

4

Club Calendar 6

Rob Mannion visit 7

Radio Check Night 7

Test Your Knowledge

8

Megabowl Night 9

Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club

March 2006 Volume 14 Issue 3

CPSARC Club Newsletter


Amateur Licence Training

Page 2 CPSARC Club Newsletter

Information: The club has been delivering Amateur Radio Licence training since March 1995 when it started teaching the Nov-ice Licence Courses. In 1992 the licens-ing structure was changed to its present format of three licences: Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced, with each licence having to be passed before pro-ceeding to the next level. When this change took place the club started teach-ing the Foundation Licence before add-ing the Intermediate Level in 1994. As yet we cannot offer an Advanced Li-cence course, although the preparation is actively going on to create the course, but hopefully it will be available by the autumn of 2006. Training Courses: The club’s training year runs between the end of August to the end of April, basically over an eight month period. Between May and August those in-volved take a well earned rest to spend time with their families, have holidays plus get involved in other club activities like running special events and contest-ing, etc. The setting up of the actual courses de-pends on the requested demands for a particular course; this has now become more flexible since both the Foundation and Intermediate Licence exams are now on demand. The Advanced Licence exam has particular dates set for the exams so courses will be set around the actual examination dates. At this present time we do not run this course though if any one self-studies for the Advance Licence Exam then they can sit the exam at the club’s RSGB Registered Centre. We will book the venue, admin-ister the examination paperwork and invigilate the exam. All courses are run on Saturdays be-tween 09:30 and 16:30 for the duration of the course. Foundation Course 2 consecutive Saturdays Intermediate Course 5 consecutive Saturdays Advanced Course 8 consecutive Saturdays (proposed duration at this time)

Training Venue: The club delivers all the training and exams at its RSGB registered “Satellite Examination Centre” which is as fol-lows: RSGB Registered Identification No: LT82 Cockenzie & Port Seton Community Centre, South Seton Park, Port Seton, Prestonpans, East Lothian EH32 0BQ Tel: 01875 815815 Link to map for Community Centre Lo-cation http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=340771&y=675520&z=0&sv=eh32+0bq&st=2&pc=eh32+0bq&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf Training Personnel (All licenses): Principal Instructor & Administrator: Bob Glasgow GM4UYZ Principal Invigilator: Cambell Stevenson MM0DXC Assistant Invigilator: Ron Brown GM4IKU Practical On-Air Assistant: Tom Hood GM4LRU Back-up Assistants: Other club members Training Course Registration: Any one wishing to attend any of the training courses needs to contact: Bob Glasgow GM4UYZ 7 Castle Terrace, Port Seton, Prestonpans, East Lothian EH32 0EE Tel: 01875 811723 or 07867 836488 Email: [email protected] Bob can provide the most up to date situation with regard to any course i.e. availability, book a place on a course, add name to next planned course, etc. For all courses the following informa-tion is mandatory and must be provided by the candidates. It is required by the

RSGB for examination booking. * FULL NAME * FULL ADDRESS * POST CODE * CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER (Assuming not ex-directory) * EMAIL ADDRESS – If applicable * DATE OF BIRTH *RSGB MEMBERSHIP – Member or Non-Member Intermediate Course * MM3 CALLSIGN – If one obtained * DATE OF PASSING FOUNDATION LICENCE EXAMINATION Advanced Course * PREVIOUS CALLSIGNS (Foundation & Intermediate) – If they were obtained * DATE OF PASSING INTERMEDI-ATE LICENCE EXAMINATION Note: For candidates under the age of 16 they must have their application endorsed by a parent or guardian Training Course Fees: Note: (The RSGB gives a £5 discount on exam fees) Please note that all fees must be paid in advance for the respective course. See Training Courses Available section for closing dates for fees for specific course. Send fees to the address in Training Course Registration, cheques made payable to Bob Glasgow.) Foundation Course: Non-RSGB Member £30 RSGB Member £25 Consists of RSGB Exam Fees £20 (non-member): £15 (member) “Foundation Licence Now” manual Hire of Community Centre Room for course and examination Intermediate Course: Non-RSGB Member £50 RSGB Member £45 Consists of RSGB Exam Fees £25 (non-member): £20 (member) “Intermediate Licence, Building on the Foundation” manual Practical Kit Hire of Community Centre Room for course and examination

(Continued on page 3)

Volume 14 Issue 3

Amateur Licence Training (cont…)

Page 3 Volume 14 Issue 3

Advanced Course: (proposed fees, yet to be confirmed) Non-RSGB Member £50 RSGB Member £45 Consists of RSGB Exam Fees £30 (non-member): £25 (member) “Advance! The Full Licence Manual” Hire of Community Centre Room for course and examination Training Courses Available (See above for course registration and fees) Foundation Courses Dates Course 1: Saturday 1st April 2006 Resources Room 2 Saturday 8th April 2006

Resources Room 2 Exam: Saturday 8th April 2006 15:00 to 15:45 Resources Room 2 Closing Date for Fees: 8th March 2006 Future courses - Contact Bob Glasgow, see above, who will set-up a course. Intermediate Courses Dates Future courses - Contact Bob Glasgow, see above, who will set-up a course. Advanced Courses Dates Note: At this present time we do not run this course though if any one self-studies for the Advance Licence Exam then they can sit the exam at the club’s RSGB Registered Centre. We will book the venue, administer the examination paperwork and invigilate the exam. Fees

for the self study exam are as follows: RSGB Exam Fees £30 (non-member): £25 (member) Exam: Thursday 11th May 2006 18:30 to 20:30 Resources Room 2 Closing date for Fees: 17th April 2006 *** Candidates already booked to sit this exam hence reason Resources Room 2 booked Exam: Friday 14th July 2006 18:30 to 20:30 Closing date for Fees: 23rd June 2006 No further exam dates have been issued by the RSGB

(Continued from page 2)

Below are all the comments and sugges-tions made regarding what else we could do during Museum’s Weekend. There are some good suggestions but to implement them we will certainly need “bodies”. I have placed the input into a table, (sorry John) and added my comments accord-ingly.

To summarise: 1, 5 --- Already being done outwith the club as part of the Worldwide event 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 --- Things that we can do at the club 3 --- Joint venture club do a web page, museum adds a link to it 4, 11 --- Museum to provide

What do you think then of the sugges-tions then? As you see some would need some back-ground work before the event any volun-teers? Hear from you all then on the above. Bob GM4UYZ

Suggested Comment or Idea My Response 1 What about trying to get a net or links with other aircraft mu-

seums or places of interest regards aircraft This will be happening anyway as part of the weekend.

2 Slow Scan pictures of the above event? This could be done but would need someone to set it up and do it

3 Special website with our activities & the museums activities

We would need to work out in advance and see if the museum could add a link to our activities. The museum already announces their own activities

4 Webcam? which would promote both the club & the museum This is a good idea but we need to speak to the Museum to see whether this is feasible or not

5 Promotion of the event worldwide i.e. QRZ?

Event already being well publicised through the Museums Weekend Web Site

6 A poster explaining radio propagation Good Idea. Someone prepared to make one? 7 A poster about Aircraft Comms i.e. How they contact tower,

approach, beacons (Tala), when they switch to HF, local and international WX reports (VHF & HF)

Good Idea. Wonder if Gavin GM0WDD could produce something

8 Maybe a program like Geoclock running on a large monitor so someone can explain to interested parties how the different bands work

That can be done quite easily as it is part of N1MM which we have on our PC’s

9 Run continually some Amateur Radio film Can be done as we now have a projector and screen plus a laptop which runs DVD’s

10 Displaying Vintage Radios particularly Aeroplane Radios Spoke to David GM3WKB as he has lots of vintage radios but he is most likely be away on holiday at the time

11 I think it could be helpful to us if we asked the Museum for a mention on their posters and literature advertising the event. Last year the public were invited to "talk to friends over radio"

Don’t see any harm in that. Someone could write a script to send to them

Comments and Ideas for Museums Weekend


Reform of Amateur Radio Licensing (OFCOM)

OFCOM have announced their re-form of the Amateur Radio Licens-ing process, here are the (slightly edited) salient parts of the document. The whole document can be found at www.ofcom.org.uk or on www.cpsarc.com. 1.1 This Ofcom statement sets out the new approach to the licensing of ama-teur radio. 1.2 It follows on from Ofcom’s con-sultation on amateur radio licensing that was launched on 26 May 2005. 1.3 As a result of the consultation, Ofcom has decided to implement the following reforms: • To issue lifetime amateur radio li-cences which will remain valid for as long as the licence details remain cor-rect or until such time as the licence is either revoked by Ofcom or surren-dered by the licensee. There shall be no end date on the amateur radio licence. Such licences will be personal to the licensee and will not be transferable. • To provide an online, web-based, self-service licensing service as an al-ternative to the postal service. • To issue electronic licences (probably PDF®1 documents) to users of the online, web-based, self-service licens-ing service. Users of this service would print a hard copy of the licence which must be kept at the main station ad-dress. • To continue to make paper licences available (but subject to a small admin-istrative charge). • To modify the original proposal by requiring licensees to validate their licence details at least once every five years in order to maintain their lifetime licence. 1.4 At present the Radio Licensing Centre (RLC), a wholly owned subsidi-ary of Royal Mail Group plc, processes amateur radio licences. However, it is Ofcom’s intention that from 1 October 2006 (the intended implementation date), all amateur radio licences will be issued by Ofcom. Licences issued, re-newed or amended on or after the im-plementation date will be subject to the revised licence terms and conditions (above). 1.5 Any licences which are due to expire before the implementation date

must be renewed by contacting the RLC. Licences issued, renewed or amended before the implementation date will be subject to existing licence terms and conditions. 1.6 Ofcom believes that the new ap-proach to amateur radio licensing will reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and cost associated with this important hobby. Ofcom regards the amateur ra-dio community as a key radio spectrum user group and wishes to see amateur radio prosper. 1.7 This policy statement summarises the views expressed during the consul-tation, provides Ofcom’s response to these views and sets out our decision regarding the future of amateur radio licensing. The statement also summa-rises the results of the research carried out by MORI and describes how this has been balanced against the views expressed during the consultation proc-ess. 1.8 The 12 week consultation closed on 18 August 2005. Ofcom received 1,466 responses during the consultation period, many of which were in favour of Ofcom’s key proposals although the majority were in favour of maintaining the existing licensing regime but with a proposed extended renewal period of five years. 1.9 In addition to the consultation process, on 26 May 2005, MORI sent a questionnaire and accompanying mate-rial to 4,500 amateur radio licence holders. The survey sought licensees' views on Ofcom's proposals and also gathered other information such as membership of societies. 1.10 MORI received 1,572 completed questionnaires by the closing date of 20 June 2005 which showed that when licensees were asked specifically whether they supported or opposed Ofcom issuing licences that remain valid for the life of the licensee, 58% claimed to support this move. 1.11 Ofcom has carefully considered representations about the proposals that it has received from stakeholders. Each consultation response was considered with equal weight, regardless of whether the response was attributed to an individual or organisation, published anonymously or submitted as a confi-dential response.

The Amateur Radio Licence The requirement for the amateur radio licence 2.1 Ofcom is responsible for the au-thorisation of use of amateur radio in the UK. Amateur radio transmissions may travel worldwide so these arrange-ments also need to comply with the International Telecommunication Un-ion (ITU) Radio Regulations (RRs). The ITU is a specialised Agency of the United Nations. It is an inter-governmental organisation and has responsibility for co-ordinating global telecommunication networks and ser-vices. It manages the use of the radio frequency spectrum internationally. This is done through the Radio Regula-tions. Article 18 of the RRs in particu-lar stipulates the requirement for a li-cence and this requirement is also re-flected in the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 (WT Act)2 as amended. 2.2 A similar licensing requirement is made on all other administrations (regulatory authorities). This means that whether a radio amateur is operat-ing within the UK or within the terri-tory of another administration, it is nec-essary to be in possession of a valid amateur radio licence. Regulatory authorities may ask to in-spect the amateur radio licence and have the power to seize radio equip-ment if the documentation is not in order. The purpose of the amateur radio licence 2.4 The purpose of the licence is: • To ensure consistency with the re-quirements and other arrangements set out in the Radio Regulations; • To ensure that only persons meeting the required competency levels are per-mitted to operate amateur radio trans-mitters; • To provide documentary evidence of the status and competence of the licen-see. This is particularly important for licensees who wish to operate outside the UK. • To ensure that details of the licensee and call-sign are recorded for adminis-trative purposes.

(Continued on page 5)

Volume 14 Issue 3

Amateur radio licence classes 2.5 There are three levels of amateur radio licence; Foundation, Intermediate and Full. These levels are progressive and are only issued to applicants who have demonstrated the appropriate level of practical ability and have also passed the necessary examinations in radio theory, radio operating techniques, electromagnetic compatibility and in the legal aspects of licence regulations. These examinations and assessments are carried out on behalf of Ofcom by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). 2.6 The licence grants the holder au-thorisation to transmit on specified fre-quencies or frequency bands in the range 135.7 kHz to 250 GHz using the modes and maximum powers specified in the licence. The level of authorisa-tion varies according to the level of licence held. 2.7 The ‘Foundation Licence’ has been designed for people of all ages and abilities. There is an optional train-ing course, leading to the assessment and examination. The aim of the Foun-dation Licence is to facilitate a simple entry into amateur radio as a hobby. 2.8 Following further assessment and examination, the ‘Intermediate Li-cence’ permits access to an increased range of frequency bands and at higher power levels. 2.9 The ‘Full Licence’ covers the wid-est range of frequency bands and at the maximum power levels permitted for radio amateurs. In order to be eligible for a ‘full licence’ the applicant must first pass the advanced examination. New radio amateurs must pass the lev-els progressively, commencing with the Foundation level. 2.10 The Full licence is also designated as a ‘CEPT licence’ allowing the holder to operate in other CEPT signatory administrations and to obtain a licence from the host country if residence is proposed. Equally, radio amateurs holding a CEPT licence issued by a foreign administration are eligible to operate in the UK and, if resident, to obtain a UK ‘full licence’. 2.11 Operation outside the standard terms of the licence (e.g. Repeaters,

Beacons etc.) may be permitted by an individual Notice of Variation to the licence. 2.12 The establishment or use of radio equipment other than in accordance with a licence (or general authorisation granted by the Exemption Regulations) is an offence under the Wireless Tele-graphy Act. Establishing or using ama-teur radio equipment without a licence is therefore unlawful. The consultation process Summary 3.1 On 26 May 2005, Ofcom pub-lished a consultation document on ama-teur radio licensing. In that document, Ofcom proposed the reform of amateur radio licensing in order to reduce the regulatory burden on radio users. Key proposals were as follows: • To issue amateur radio licences which are valid for life, thereby avoiding the need for renewals. A ‘licence for life’ would remain valid for the lifetime of the licensee. Licences would only be reissued where amendments to licence details were necessary (e.g. changes of name, address or licence level); • To provide an online, web-based, self-service licensing service as an al-ternative to the postal service; • To issue electronic licences (probably PDF® documents) to users of the online, web-based, self-service licensing service free of charge; • Ofcom would continue to be able to process applications received by other means but in order to cover the extra administration of such applications a small fee would be charged. We would of course continue to make special pro-vision for disabled applicants so that they would not be disadvantaged by any arrangements of this type. 3.2 Views were also sought on a num-ber of additional options, those being: • To make amateur radio WT Act li-cence exempt; • Maintain the existing licensing regime but with an extended renewal period; • To maintain the existing licensing regime. 3.3 Ofcom discussed these proposals informally with a number of stake-holders before the formal 12 week con-sultation. Ofcom promoted the consul-

tation in a number of periodicals prior to and during the consultation period and also alerted further groups of the document’s publication via email and post. 3.4 Non confidential consultation re-sponses have been published on Of-com’s website at the following address: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/aradio/responses/ 3.5 Each consultation response was considered with equal weight, regard-less of whether the response was attrib-uted to an individual or organisation, published anonymously or submitted as a confidential response.

(Continued from page 4)

OFCOM announcement (cont…)


03 March 2006 19:00 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie

04 March 2006 14:00 March 144MHz / 432MHz Contest

06 March 2006 20:00 RSGB 80m Club Championship (Data)

15 March 2006 20:00 RSGB 80m Club Championship (CW)

23 March 2006 20:00 RSGB 80m Club Championship (SSB)

24 March 2006 19:30 Talk by Rob Mannion G3XFD, Editor of Practical Wireless "PW 2006 and into the future" Port Seton Community Centre, Youth Activities Area

07 April 2006 19:00 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie

22 April 2006 10 Pin Bowling Night - Megabowl Kinnaird Park

05 May 2006 19:00 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie

07 May 2006 Magnum Rally, Irvine

12 May 2006 19:00 1st 144Mhz DF Hunt Meet in "The Old Ship Inn" Car Park (East) 18:30 for 19:00

02 June 2006 19:00 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie

10 June 2006 Port Seton Gala Day

11 June 2006 09:00 Practical Wireless 144Mhz QRP Contest 144MHz Backpackers Contest #2

17 June 2006 Museums on the Air Weekend: Museum of Flight- East Fortune GB2MOF

21 June 2006 19:00 CPSARC 20 Metre Contest 19:00 to 22:00

01 July 2006 VHF FIELD DAY

07 July 2006 19:00 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie

29 July 2006 RSGB IOTA Contest from the Island of Tiree GM2T

21 June 2006 19:00 CPSARC 20 Metre Contest 19:00 to 22:00

01 July 2006 VHF FIELD DAY

07 July 2006 19:00 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie

29 July 2006 RSGB IOTA Contest from the Island of Tiree GM2T

04 August 2006 19:00 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie

11 August 2006 18:30

JUNK NIGHT Main Hall, Community Centre, Port Seton Bring along your own "junk" and sell it yourself. Tables on First Come First Served basis. Entrance fee £1 for everyone. Money Raised DONATED to BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION. Time 18:30 to 21:30

19 August 2006 International Lighthouses Weekend BARNS NESS GB2LBN

01 September 2006 Club Night, Thorntree Inn, Cockenzie, 19:00

29 September 2006 2nd 144Mhz DF Hunt Meet in "The Old Ship Inn" Car Park (East) 18:30 for 19:00

01 October 2006 RSGB 21/28MHz Contest

Club Calendar

Volume 14 Issue 3

Club Visit by Rob Mannion

I am very pleased to announce on behalf of the Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club that Rob Mannion G3XFD, Editor of Practical Wireless Magazine, will be coming to visit our radio club on the 24th March 2006. It is an ideal oppor-tunity for you to come and meet Rob per-sonally so if you could spread the word around I would be more than grateful. I look forward to seeing many of you on the night.

ROB MANNION G3XFD, EDITOR of PRAC-TICAL WIRELESS MAGAZINE To deliver a talk on “Practical Wireless 2006 and into the future”

Date: Friday 24th March 2006 Time: 19:30 to 21:30 Venue: Cockenzie & Port Seton Community Centre, Youths Activity Room 1st Floor, South Seton Park, Port Seton, East Lothian, Scotland

EH32 0BQ Cost: £1 per person (All money donated to the British Heart Foundation) EVERYONE IS VERY WELCOME Directions by Car From the A1 (going south or coming North) take the Junction signposted for NORTH BERWICK A198, COCKENZIE B6371. After leaving the A1 continue for about 200 yards to the next roundabout, go straight across and take the B6371 signposted Cockenzie 1M and Port Seton 1M. Continue down past the Scottish Power Coal plant on your Left hand side to the small mini-roundabout. Continue on until you reach the T-Junction. Take a Right turn and drive past the Church. Just as you pass the Church take the opening on your Right, continue to the end of the road and at the T-Junction turn Left. The Commu-nity centre is about 400 yards on your Left Hand side. Directions by Bus From Edinburgh there are two bus ser-

vices. FIRST BUSES (locally known as the Green Buses) and LOTHIAN RE-GION BUSES (locally known as the Red buses). Green Buses use Service 129 Red Buses use Service 26 Ask to be dropped off at the main shop-ping area in Port Seton. When you get off you will see across the other side of the road a small car park and a road. Go up this road (Park Road) and you will see the community centre directly in front of you situated in the King George Park.

Radio Check Night The Club’s regular radio test night took place on 10 February in the Port Seton Community Centre. Last year I had a problem with my Mar-coni 2955 test set so I’d arranged for Gavin GM4GVJ to bring his HP test set to help me out. I was dismayed to then receive a phone call at tea time on 10 February from Gavin saying that he’d dropped a gas canister on his foot and was on his way to hospital! I dashed round to his house which fortunately isn’t far from mine and collected the test set just before Gavin left for the hospital. (I hope your foot wasn’t too badly hurt Gavin). This was only one of a series of set backs I’d had in preparing for this years test night, I approached my colleagues in BT’s Radio Support group to borrow their spectrum analyser only to find it

was presently in Elgin, so a hurried series of calls followed to eventually locate e replacement from the Microwave Rig-ging Group, so thanks to Ian Mowatt for making his test gear available. I arrived at the Community Centre in time to get everything set up as usual to perform the checks on member’s radio gear. I can check HF, VHF and UHF ra-dios for output power, frequency, devia-tion, spurious emissions, receive sensitiv-ity and SINAD. The test gear used was an HP 8920 test set, a Bird Thruline RF wattmeter and dummy load and a HP Spectrum Ana-lyser. My test methods are to connect up the radio under test to a power supply, con-nect the output to the Dummy load via the Bird Thruline and an RF sniffer. I can then measure output power and examine

the transmitted signal for spurious emis-sions on the spectrum analyser. I then move on to the receive section by connecting the radio to the output of the test set, opening the squelch and connect-ing the audio output of the radio back to the test set to measure the SINAD. I can then apply RF signals to the radio and vary the input level to determine the 12dB SINAD reading. I’m happy to say I didn’t find any faulty radios. So thanks to all those who brought radios to be tested, I hope you found the evening helpful, and thanks to Gavin GM4GVJ for his HP 8920 and BT for the loan of the Spectrum Analyser and Bird Thruline. John Innes MM0JXI


Answers from February 2006 newsletter “Test Your Knowl-edge”. 1c, 2c, 3a, 4b, 5d, 6a, 7a, 8d, 9c, 10d

1. The ionosphere is located at heights above the ground between

a. 7 and 40 meters b. 70 and 400 feet c. 7 and 40Km d. 70 and 400Kms

2. Which item is most likely to be affected by a local

radio transmission? a. An electric fire computer b. An electronic calculator c. A domestic radio receiver d. An electric bell

3. Which type of antenna should be avoided to prevent or reduce the possibility of local EMC problems?

a. Long-wire b. Yagi c. Ground-Plane d. Vertical

4. A radio amateur discovers that the transmissions are causing interference to a neighbour’s television. Who might best be able to advise the amateur?

a. Another neighbour b. The RSGB (Radio Society of Great Brit-

ain) c. The police d. The local authority

5. Which meter shows the voltage at the collector of the transistor?

a. Meter 1 b. Meter 2 c. Meter 3 d. Meter 4

6. The block diagram shows a transmitter suitable for

a. AM b. FM c. CW d. SSB

7. A SSB signal consists of

a. A carrier and one sideband b. A carrier and both sidebands c. One sideband and no carrier d. Two sidebands and no carrier

8. What is the value of a resistor?

a. 26R b. 62R c. 620R d. 62000R

9. In which of the following is a Log entry NOT re-

quired? a. A Special Event Station operating from a

village green fete. b. A Foundation Licence holder operating

from a holiday cottage c. An Intermediate Licence holder operating

from a lighthouse d. A Full Licence holder operating from a

vessel located in the North Sea.

10. As a Full Licence holder you MUST carry out tests for unwanted emissions

a. From time to time. b. Annually c. Before a new transmitter is used for the

first time d. Before a new receiver is used for the first

time

Test Your Knowledge

Volume 14 Issue 3

This is just to confirm that I have booked the MEGABOWL at Kinnaird Park, Ed-inburgh for our Club Family Activity on Saturday 22nd April 2006. If you want to go can you let me know as soon as possible please to ensure that I have enough lanes booked.

I would also appreciate if you don’t want to go that you also let me know as it al-lows me to keep tabs on who I have con-tacted. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Now the bit that everyone hates, handing over your money!

I need £5 deposit per person for Friday 3rd March (Club Night) as I have to pay the Megabowl on the 4th March. Full Money I need for the 7th April (April Club Night)

10 Pin Bowling Night

10 PIN BOWLING NIGHT

VENUE: MEGABOWL KINNAIRD PARK EDINBURGH

DATE: 22 APRIL 2006

TIME: 20:00 on the lanes No of GAMES:2

COST: £10:00 Adult

(Actual Cost is £8.50 plus £1.50 to go towards some prizes)

£6.00 Child (Actual Cost is £5.00 plus £1.00

to go towards some prizes)


Information

The Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club was formed by Bob Glasgow GM4UYZ in 1984, to help the local amateurs get to know each other. Numbers have increased steadily over the years and now average about 20. Far from being just a local club we have members coming from the Borders, Dumfries, Strathclyde and Fife. The Club meets on the first Friday of every month (Second Friday of January) in the lounge of the Thorntree Inn on the old Cockenzie High Street from 7pm till late. The Club is run in a very informal way, there are no fees, no real committee structure, just a group of like minded people doing something they enjoy! This does not mean that we don’t do anything, we enter (and win!) contests, train newcomers, hold talks and video nights and run a popular annual Junk Sale. Our newsletter has won the Practical Wireless ‘Spotlight’ competition on several occasions. The Club supports the British Heart Foundation in memory of a member who died from heart disease by donating the profits from events we hold, we have raised over £11,237 since 1994. The Club is affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain and holds the callsigns MM0CPS and GM2T which are used for our special event and contest entries. We have our own internet domain www.cpsarc.com where you will find a popular web site which now features interactive discus-sion forums and photo galleries with a slide show. Club members can get their own ‘[email protected]’ email addresses. The club also has a Yahoo! Group which is used to manage our mailing list. (see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cpsarc)

Contacts General Correspondence, Amateur Licence Training and Contest entries

Bob Glasgow [email protected] HF Contests Cambell Stevenson [email protected]

VHF Contests John MacLean [email protected]

Newsletter, Web Site, Email Admin, Club Calendar

John Innes [email protected]

7 Castle Terrace Port Seton

East Lothian EH32 0EE

Phone: 01875 811723 Email: [email protected]

Cockenzie & Port Seton Amateur Radio Club

We’re on the web! www.cpsarc.com

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Documents