RadCom April 2024, Vol. 100, No. 4

sig.manager@rsgb.org.uk Special Interest Groups news 16 April 2024 Vintage & Military Amateur Radio Society (VMARS) The Vintage & Military Amateur Radio Society is celebrating its 25th year in 2024 having grown from humble beginnings. The Society held its inaugural meeting at Bletchley Park back in May 1999 with 39 members attending. The society has now grown to 618 members, and has a wealth of experience in vintage and military radio equipment. Members typically enjoy collecting, restoring and subsequently getting on the air with their prized possessions. The Society is not confined to collection, restoration and operating. It also has interests in historical matters concerning vintage equipment from commercial, maritime and military sources. Many of the Society’s members attend its in-house auctions that occur from time to time offering collections from, sadly, the one or two of its number that are lost each year. Members also, on occasion, downsize as their station manager prescribes and this also goes to auction or is directly advertised for the benefit of the membership. Other interests include members owning military and classic vehicles, some belonging to such bodies as The Military Vehicle Trust and other such classic vehicle organisations. This year, the Societies 25th, VMARS will have display tables at the following events, staffed by a mixture of Officers of the Committee and ordinary members: Sunday 21 April - Blackpool  NARSA Rally Sunday 25 July - Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum Family Fun Day, Flixton Friday/Saturday 27 and 28 September - Newark Hamfest Readers may like to visit the Society’s website at vmars.org.uk to learn more about what VMARS is all about. VMARS, and its members, can be heard most days on 3.615kHz using Amplitude Modulation. Members can also be heard using USB on Wednesday evenings at 8pm (USB used to facilitate use of ex-Military equipment), and on Fridays at 7.30pm using LSB. Worked All Britain (WAB) Annual Activity Award The requirements are to work/activate as many WAB squares as you can. Only squares current at the time of activation will be valid. All contacts must be made within one calendar year ie 1 January to 31 December. Each year there is a different certificate, endorsed with the number of squares worked, band, mode etc. There are six categories: • Mixed bands worked/heard • Mixed bands activated • VHF/UHF worked/heard • VHF/UHF activated • Data modes worked/heard • Data modes activated Final claims must reach the Awards Manager by the end of February of the year following the claim. The squares claimed must be listed in alpha/numeric order. They can be submitted in various formats including computer printout, disk or hand written on paper or, of course, in a WAB book. The results will be published in the WAB newsletter preceding the AGM and on the WAB website. At the AGM following the claim year, a keepsake trophy will be presented to the leading three stations in each category. Minimum levels are required to qualify for a trophy. They are: • Mixed bands worked/heard - 100 squares • Mixed bands activated - 50 squares • VHF/UHF worked/heard - 50 squares • VHF/UHF activated - 50 squares • Data modes worked/heard - 50 squares • Data modes activated - 50 squares Beginners Morse classes with Essex CW Amateur Radio Club A beginners class will be starting on Thursday 4 April. Contact  info@essexcw.org.uk  or g0ibn1@yahoo.com for more information. Other courses available are: an Improvers Class (10 to 15wpm), a Morse Development Group (15wpm and above) and an Advanced Class which focusses on the technique of ‘head copy’. Further details can be obtained via essexcw.uk NATIONAL CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS AMSAT-UK http://amsat-uk.org Open net every Sunday, 10am ±3.780MHz and at 10.30am using QO-100 on 10489.780MHz Blind Veterans UK Amateur Radio Society Details at MX0SBV on QRZ.com . Nets Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, ±3.715MHz British Amateur Radio Teledata Group Datacoms contests and awards www.BARTG.org.uk British Amateur Television Club Supporting all aspects of Amateur Television https://batc.org.uk/ British Railways ARS Membership@BRARS.info www.BRARS.info Nets and magazine: see website. British Young Ladies Amateur Radio Association www.bylara.org.uk Net Thursday, ±3.688MHz, 6.30pm. CDXC – The UK DX Foundation For all interested in HF DX and contesting cdxc.org.uk Essex CW Amateur Radio Club https://essexcw.uk/ Encouraging the use of Morse Code on the amateur bands FISTS CW Club https://fists.co.uk/ Supports the use, preservation and education of Morse code GMDX Group https://www.gmdx.org.uk/ The promotion of DX & other competitive amateur radio activity in Scotland & beyond. G-QRP Club Dedicated to low power radio communications. http://www.gqrp.com/ International Police ARC, G4IPA www.facebook.com/groups/ipaamateurradio Sunday night net 2000hrs 3.770MHz Club is open to all serving and retired Police Officers and Police Staff RAIBC The charity working for radio amateurs with disabilities Join online at www.raibc.org.uk . Helpline 0800 028 8660 NR Zello: RAIBC Radio Amateur Old Timers’ Association MemSec@RAOTA.org www.RAOTA.org Nets: see website Radio Fraternity Lodge No. 8040, G5RFL Info at radiofraternityinfo@gmail.com Net 9am Sunday mornings +or- 3.757MHz Radio Officers Association. Membership: johnchalmers994 @outlook.com Website www.radiofofficers.com Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society www.rsars.org.uk for nets see website RAYNET-UK www.raynet-uk.net Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society Website: www.rafars.org, membership@rafars.org Nets: 11am, 7.155MHz +/-. 6.30pm 3.715+/- MHz UK Microwave Group https://microwavers.org Focused on frequencies above 1GHz; contests, awards and regular newsletter UK Six Metre Group www.uksmg.org World Assoc of Christian Amateurs & Listeners Richard Paul, G7KMZ, G7KMZ@wacral.org Various nets, see www.wacral.org Worked All Britain Awards Group www.worked-all-britain.org.uk Nets most evenings, ±3.760MHz and ±7.160MHz, time variable If you would like your Special Interest Group to be listed here, send the information to radcom@rsgb.org.uk