Useful Information


What's here

This page is dedicated to providing useful information relating to the activities and running of the Society. Also to be fond here will be records of any past lectures thought to be of use to members in the future. If any member has suggestions regarding other topics suitable for inclusion please let the Hon Sec know.

Click on the topics alphabetically arranged below to go straight to what you are looking for;

 
AA30 Antenna Analyser (Instructional Video & Presentation) - Keith Williams GW4OKT
 
Advance Licence Maths - Book written by Keith GW4OKT (pdf format) (Updated August 2023)
 
Amateur Radio Study Course - Irish Radio Transmitters Society
 
Application Form for Membership.
 
Assets Owned by the Society
 
Asset Policy
 
Baluns & UnUns
 
Broadband Antennas for HF - Brian Austin G0GSF
 
Computer Aided Design & Simulation Software (Links current @ 11/02/20)
 
C&DRS Tee Shirts
 
Constitution of the Society
 
Digital Mobile Radio - Graham Pemberton G7NEH & Paul Henry 2E0SQK
 
Digimodes - Useful information by Glynn GW4MVA
 
Direction Finding - An Introduction by Gordon Nicholas G8MMM
 
DXCC with a Dipole - Keith Williams GW4OKT
 
Elecraft K3 Transceiver (Video Tutorials)
 
EMF Criteria (used in Ofcom & International guidelines)
 
EMF - Useful Terms Glossary
 
FT991A procedure for operating on UK 5 MHz allocation - Ian M1ICL
 
General Video on Amateur Radio
 
Logging & DX Clusters by Keith GW4OKT
 
Log Book for Portable & Contest Working
 
Low Angle Radio and High Frequency Radar - The Ionosphere at Work - Courtesy of Brian Austin G0GSF
 
Magnetic Loop - Bill G6ATO
 
Magnetic Loop for 40m - Tevor G7REV
 
Making HF portable operation a reality - Les Austin G0NMD
 
Mast Erection & Doublet Antenna (Use of)
 
Membership Details
 
MDT Kit
 
Practicing CW – A Beginners Guide
 
QRP - Presentations on QRP kits - Keith GW4OKT and Phil G4FVZ
 
Radio Propagation: The key to communication - Courtesy of Brian Austin G0GSF
 
Remote Control & Operating for Amateur Radio - Steve Maskrey – G6FDK & M3DVA
 
RSGB Year Book
 
Practical Soldering Demonstration by Bill G6ATO
 
Signal Coverage Plotter - Provides a predicted coverage map from any given location
 
SWR - How it's calculated by Bruce M0CVP
 
System Fusion - An Introduction by Ian M1ICL
 
Visitors
 
ZS6BKW Antenna - Courtesy of Brian Austin G0GSF
 

 

Membership

Membership is open to anybody subject to being proposed and seconded by an existing full member. The current Full Member subscription is £35 per annum. A Membership Application Form can be downloaded by clicking here. When completed either bring the form to the next Society Meeting or send it to our Hon Sec. Contact the Hon Sec for more information.

Visitors

Visitors are very welcome to attend meetings of the Society subject to payment of a £2.0 fee. No fee will be charged on your first visit.

Constitution of the Society

By clicking on the link here you can download a copy of the Constitution of the Society in Adobe pdf format for which you will need Adobe Reader. If you do not have Adobe Reader the latest version can be found here. The Constitution refers to an Appeals Procedure Document. This document describes the Society's disciplinary process. Copies of the current Disciplinary Procedure can be accessed by clicking here and the respective Appeals Process by clicking here.

Please note that in the event of doubt that the version of the Constitution currently held by the Secretary of the Society will take precedence.

CDRS Badged Jackets.

The Society can supply members zipped jackets with our logo embroidered on. As at March 2024 jackets are available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL at £25.0 each. Contact infocadars@gmail.com to order.

Advance Licence Maths - Keith Williams GW4OKT (Updated August 2023)

Maths in layman's terms with worked examples to assist candidates studying for the Advanced Licence. Click Here.

Assets owned by the Society

The Society owns a variety of assets which are intended for use by the Society at its regular meetings and for loan to current Society Members. A list of assets currently owned by the Society as at March 2024 can be downloaded by clicking here.

Members wishing to request the loan of equipment listed in the Asset List should in the first instance contact a Committee Member.

Asset Policy

Following the introduction of the Society's revised constitution at the 2010 AGM the Committee has approved an Asset Policy which is intended to regulate the procurement, use and disposal of our Assets. The policy can be read by clicking here.

The Asset Policy requires that the Committee appoint an Asset Manager whose job it is to ensure that the Asset Policy is observed. Following the appointment of Bill Silversides, M3SHK as Asset Manager in May 2010 a detailed set of Terms of Office for the post and rules for loan and care of assets was agreed by the Committee. They can be viewed by clicking here.

The Asset Manager has prepared a short summary of the process by which assets are transferred from one member to another and can be read by clicking here. Samples of the various documents which members will come across when either borrowing or transferring equipment can be viewed by clicking on the respective form below;

RSGB Year Book

As an affiliated member of the RSGB the Society receives a copy of the RSGB Year book each year. The latest copy for 2015 is held by Bruce M0CVP if you would like to borrow it.

General Video On Amateur Radio

An educational video about Amateur Radio created to encourage people to explore the hobby.

AA 30 Antenna Analyser

A presentation was given in October 2013 by Keith Williams GW4OKT describing the use of the Societies AA30 Antenna Analyser. Members who borrow the analyser should familiarise themselves with the equipment and in particular the electrostatic precautions required before its use. The Power Point presentation can be accessed by clicking here.

A short video demonstrating use of the AA30 Antenna Analyser can be seen by clicking the "Play" button below.

 

Mast Erection & Doublet Antenna

The short video below is aimed at informing members where the mast & antennas are securely stored and how to erect them. To protect yourself and other members from harm please view this video before attempting erection of the mast.

The Society has a doublet antenna which is used for our regular operating evenings and other events. Members who are involved in erecting the antenna should familiarise themselves with the Guide for the erection of the Doublet Antenna which can be accessed by clicking here.

Elecraft K3 Transceiver

Members of the Society are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the operation of our Elecraft K3 HF Transceiver before using it for the first time. To assist members with doing this from the comfort of their own shack you can click on the "Play" button below to view a video tutorial on how to operate the rig.

 

 

There is also a DVD of this video which is kept within the K3 carrying case which members can borrow at any time. Keith, GW4OKT has also produced a short video tutorial which can be viewed by clicking here.

For those contemplating construction of a K3 Transceiver themselves the following two part video made by the Society will be very useful.

Part 1

 

 

 

Part 2

 

 

 

Practicing CW – A Beginners Guide - Keith GW4OKT

On 6th September 2016 Keith gave a talk entitled "Modern Day CW QSO'ing - the Mysteries Unveiled!" A summary of the contents can be found by clicking here.

Radio Propagation: The key to communication - Courtesy of Brian Austin G0GSF

A lecture given in March 2013 in which Brian reviewed the theory of various propagation modes and then linked that theory to its practical implantation for Clandestine Communications during WW2. Click here to view the PowerPoint Presentation.

Remote Control & Operating for Amateur Radio - Steve Maskrey – G6FDK & M3DVA

A talk and practical demonstration given in February 2013 in which Steve demonstrated remote access and control of his rig at the home QTH and various other devices.The presentation contained links to some very useful sources of information. Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.

Direction Finding - An Introduction by Gordon Nicholas G8MMM

Gordon kindly gave the Society a presentation on this subject at our meeting on 29th January 2013. The presentation contains links to some very useful sources of information. Thanks to Gordon for allowing us to link to his presentation material. Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.

ZS6BKW Antenna - Courtesy of Brian Austin G0GSF

The PowerPoint slide presentation given by Brian at a lecture to the Society in February 2012 can be accessed by clicking here. A free PowerPoint viewer can be downloaded from Microsoft here. A You Tube Video on the modified version of the antenna can be viewed by clicking here.

Making HF portable operation a reality (Part 1) - Les Austin G0NMD

The PowerPoint slide presentation given by Les at a lecture to the Society in April 2012 can be accessed by clicking here. Please note this is a large file and may take a minute or so for the Power Point presentation to to become visible. Detailed notes supporting the lecture can be accessed by clicking here. A free PowerPoint viewer can be downloaded from Microsoft here.

DXCC with a Dipole - Keith Williams GW4OKT

In May 2013 Keith GW4OKT supported by David G3UFO gave a presentation on how they both obtained DXCC using a dipole antenna. Their PowerPoint presentation can be accessed by clicking here. Please note this is a large file and may take a minute or so for the Power Point presentation to to become visible.

Digital Mobile Radio - Graham Pemberton G7NEH & Paul Henry 2E0SQK

The lecture given by Graham G7NEH and Paul 2E0SQK on 27th October 2015 was backed up by a Power Point presentation which can be viewed by clicking here. The presentation contains a lot of useful links which were accurate as of November 2015.

QRP Kits - Keith GW4OKT and Phil G4FVZ

As a precursor to a new construction project for Society members Keith GW4OKT and Phil G4FVZ gave a presentation on just some of the currently available kits (Feb 2016). Their two PowerPoint presentations can be viewed by clicking here and here.

Low Angle Radio and High Frequency Radar - The Ionosphere at Work - Courtesy of Brian Austin G0GSF

An excellent talk given in October 2016 explained low angle propagation of radio waves as they affected both HF Amateur Bands and professional/military development of Radar. Brian's article previously published in Radio Bygones can be viewed or downloaded by clicking here.

MDT Kit

A 40m DSB transceiver that goes together fairly easily, has a good build manual and is a complete kit with quality components, and includes a case. It needs a minimum of lab test gear to get it in the air.  It has also been the subject of a favourable September 2016 CQ magazine review by Jack Purdham. The kit is produced by OZ Kits and costs about £43.

Digimodes - Glynn GW4MVA

An introductory lecture on Digimodes was presented in September 2017 by Glynn, GW4MVA. There are two slides produced by Glynn covering useful software and operating frequencies which can be accessed by clicking the respective links.

Log Book (sheets)

As an aid to our Portable & Contest working we have produced a log sheet template which can be downloaded and printed off at any time. The sheet is in a fairly standard format with the addition of columns for sent/received serial numbers. This can be the manual check when we are using an electronic logging programme. The sheet can be downloaded by clicking here.

A simple Magnetic Loop - Bill G6ATO

Bill describes his simply constructed magnetic loop here and is pictured showing it to club members here.

Practical Soldering Demonstration by Bill G6ATO

Bill gave this practical demonstration on soldering techniques at our meeting on 21st January 2020

Computer Aided Design & Simulation Software (Links)

At our meeting on 4th Feb 2020 Phil G8IPT shared a number of links to software useful for both circuit design and simulation. Click here for a summary of the links Phil referred to.

SWR - How it's calculated by Bruce M0CVP

This easy to read guide on SWR arose from a suggestion during the COVID lock down hiatus to use the regular Society nets to promulgate knowledge about fundamentals of our hobby. Bruce, M0CVP, rose to the challenge with this paper on SWR. Click here to read or download

EMF Useful Terms. Brian Austin G0GSF

A list of some of the many strange and unusual terms and names that crop up when discussing the new Ofcom Requirements. Click here.

EMF Criteria Brian Austin G0GSF

Reconciling the criteria that determine exposure to electromagnetic fields can be confusing. Brian gives guidance on this complex subject in this paper prepared after he had given his talk on EMF Compliance to us in September 2021.

Logging & DX Clusters Keith GW4OKT

A presentation given in March 2022 by Keith GW4OKT on Logging Software for both general and contest use. The presentation also covered the use of "cloud based" logging using sites such as QRZ.com and the ARRL- LOTW and an insight into the use of DX clusters to maximise your operating pleasure! The slides used by Keith are available here. The summary slide gives direct links to all the respective sites.

Magnetic Loop for 40m - Trevor G7REV

Following his entry to the 2023 Annual Construction Competition Trevor G7REV gave us the background planning and constructional detail for his 40m magnetic loop antenna on January 24th. Particulartly of interest on the night was the design tool of VK3CPU used by Trevor in optimising his design. A summary of his presentation can be viewed here.

Baluns & Ununs

In March 2023 we had an evening sharing thoughts and information on the use of Baluns, UnUns and Common Mode chokes. Slides used to facillitate the discussion with some useful links can be accessed here.

Broadband Antennas for HF - Brian Austin G0GSF

This presentation was given to the Society by Dr Brian Austin G0GSF on 6th June 2023. His PowerPoint presentation can be viewed by clicking here.

System Fusion an Introdction - Ian M1ICL

This presentation was given on 31st October 2023 by Ian M1ICL and introduced members to Yaesu's System Fusion Technology. The slides of the presentation are available to view here. The link to the global APRS database, which archives position tracking, weather and message information collected from the APRS-IS network can be found here. Further information on the data format/protocols employed by C4FM can be accessed here.

FT991A Procedure for operating on the 5 MHz UK allocation M1ICL

This video aims to help those endeavouring to get their UK purchased FT991A's to operate on our UK 5 MHz allocation.

 

Amateur Radio Study Course - Irish Radio Transmitters Society

This link provides access to a comprehensive amateur radio study guide published by the Irish Radio Transmitters Society. Although written obviously for the Irish equivalent of the RAE it does provide a very useful source of information for those studying for a licence here in the UK.

Signal Coverage Plotter - Provides a coverage map from any given location

A very useful tool for providing a predicted coverage map of your signal based on your precise location, antenna gain and power. After you log for the first time after registering, click on New Site and drag the pin to the location you want to use (you will need to keep zooming in to get it spot on). Click Submit, then give the site a name, if you want to change the default, then click on Add To My Sites. You can then click on New Coverage, change any of the values (power, antenna gain etc) then submit and it will generate the map. Thanks to Neil G8UEK for making us aware of this link. Click here to access.

 

 

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