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The annual Fun Quiz will be held at the SDARC clubroom at the Pine Trees Community Centre, The Circle, Pinehurst, Swindon on Thursday 19th December.

In addition to the usual tea and coffee, there will be free mince pies. In this Quiz, the members form small teams to enter the quiz and give a team answer to a question. So, even if you do not know the answer to a question, hopefully, somebody else in your team will know the answer. There will be rounds of both amateur radio and general knowledge questions.

No access to the Internet will be allowed and the questionmaster’s decision on each answer will be final!

This week’s speaker is Tom Brockman, G4TPH, who will be talking to us about the development of his Magloop Antennas.

Tom was first licenced in 1959, gaining the call KN8VST at the age of 14. After passing the Technician course, he held the call K8VST until service with the USAF interrupted his activities.

Since moving to the UK, Tom has also held the B class call G5MVT, before passing the Morse test in 1981 and gaining the call G4TPH.

Please join us at Pinetrees from 7pm on Thursday 21st November, to see Tom’s presentation and find out more about these remarkable antennas.

This week we will be joined by Don Field, G3XTT, who will be talking to us on the subject of DXpedition Antennas.

Don has been involved in Amateur Radio since passing his exam in 1968. He is the author of several books, namely the RSGB Operating Manual and the 6 and 4 metre Handbook.

He has also particated in a number of major DXpeditions, such as T32C, 3B7C and D68C to name a few and been involved with several RSGB comittees over the years.

Don has been the HF columnist for RADCOM for 15 years and has recently taken on the role of editor for Practical Wireless magazine.

With his vast experience in the world of Amateur Radio, this is sure to be an unmissable evening, so please join us from 7pm on Thursday 7th November to see Don’s presentation.

In a change to this week’s programme for Thursday 24th, we will be joined by Iain Logie Baird, a Curator from the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Iain will be speaking to us about his late Grandfather, John Logie Baird and his work in Television from 1923 to 1946.
Iain moved to the UK from Canada in 2007 and has worked in the Museum sector for a number of years both here and in Canada.

Iain has naturally researched his Grandfather’s work over the years and also has expertise on other subjects such as communications technology and sound reproduction technology.

This is one not to be missed, so please join us from 7pm on Thursday, 24th October for what is sure to be a very interesting and informative talk.

This week, in a change to the printed programme, we will be showing the DVD of the 2011 Rockall DXpedition.

On 1st October 2011, a team of Belgian Radio Amateurs set foot on the tiny island of Rockall, EU-189, to begin what was perhaps one of the most extreme DXpeditions ever undertaken. Using the callsign MM0RAI/P, the first QSO was made at 15:50. Following massive pile-ups over the operating period, the team were finally evacuated at daybreak the following day.

This is the story of the DXpedition and the gale force winds their ship battled through even to just reach the island.

Please join us on Thursday 10th October to watch this excellent DVD.

This Thursday, Ron Mount will be speaking to us about Antenna Modeling with and without using NEC.

Ron has had an interest in radio and electronics for around 50 years, but only gained his licence and the call G7DOE in 1990. Ron’s interests so far have been exclusively at VHF and above, operating mainly on 2m, 70cm and 23cm. He is also beginning to edge into operating on 13cm. He says he seems to spend much of his time thinking and arguing about antennas, very often for bands he is not interested in!

Professionally, Ron joined Plessey’s Applied Research Laboratory at Romsey after leaving university, working on X band developments before moving solidly into electronics CAD. After that, it was computers all the way until he retired 5 years ago.

Ron is an active member of the Harwell Amateur Radio Society and is involved in their training programme as one of their instructors, often producing papers and question sheets to support their courses. Jonathan, M0ZGB, can certainly vouch for Ron’s knowledge on the subjects he speaks about after completing his Intermediate & Advanced licences with Ron & the team at HARS.

So, Please join us on Thursday 26th September from 7pm for what is sure to be a very informative (and entertaining!) talk.

Find that Ham Radio bargain or sought-after part for your winter project! Bring along any Amateur Radio related items you have for sale or just browse & buy what others have for sale.

All welcome. Visitors £1, Tables £3, Refreshments £1 . Members Free. On-site parking available

August has been and gone and today is the first day of September. That means we are back at Pine Trees this week (5th Sept). Hope you all enjoyed the time we spent on Barbury.

Throughout August we will be meeting out and about. We are meeting in the car park at Barbury Castle. If you don’t know where it is and you have a GPS… 51.483822,-1.777436

Barbury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort situated in Wiltshire, England. It is one of several such forts found along the ancient Ridgeway route. The site, which lies within the Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, has been managed as a country park by Swindon Borough Council since 1971. It is situated on Barbury Hill, a local vantage point, which, under ideal weather conditions, commands a view across to the Cotswolds and the River Severn. It has two deep defensive ditches and ramparts. The Old Ridgeway runs close by and the modern Ridgeway crosses through the castle. In the surrounding area are to be found round barrows, Celtic field systems and 18th-19th Century flint workings.

See you there.