Icom IC705 & Accessories

Following the recent release of Icom’s all band portable SDR rig Icom IC-705, Jeff G1DYN will describe the radio and some accessories, giving his first impressions.

This was hosted on Zoom, Watch it now on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxPIjwq0sZM

(Hosted by Warrington ARC, with Bury Radio Society)

An Introduction to QRP

Steve Hartley G0FUW brings us an introduction to QRP radio. This is a fascinating aspect of the hobby where low power (and often low cost) equipment can be used effectively to propel your signal to distant shores. Steve will explain what it’s all about, and give you an idea of what to expect when you turn the wick down on your power.

Steve is Chairman of the GQRP Club, a non-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers to promote Low Power Radio which publishes the highly acclaimed Sprat magazine every quarter. Membership of the GQRP club is very low powered too, at £6.

View it now: https://youtu.be/eeYceYSOEPQ

Also, here is the QRP Resources sheet from Steve G0FUW: https://tinyurl.com/qrp-info

(Bury Radio Society, with Warrington ARC)

Old Ham Radio Gear, why the hell do we bother?

Steve Shorey (G3ZPS) talked to us about owning and using old amateur radio equipment, and why he and many of us do, in his talk “Old Ham Radio Gear, why the hell do we bother?”

Steve G3ZPS, from Dartford in Kent has a wonderful array of old radio equipment. Over these many months of Covid-19, he and his fellow hams have been running a daily weekday net on 80m running vintage SSB equipment. Steve is also active on CW, again using his vintage equipment. Visit his website here: http://www.g3zps.com/

This event was hosted on Zoom.

(Hosted by WARC, with Bury Radio Society)

Building a simple receiver

Nick M0NTV will take us through a build of a receiver that you can make yourself. He’ll explain how it works, the building blocks, how to make it and show you the finished receiver. It’s a direct conversion receiver, so if you’ve ever wanted to make your own receiver then this talk is not to be missed. So warm your soldering irons up, and pull up a chair.

Watch it now on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/S1heLSx9GFs

(Bury Radio Society, with Warrington ARC)

An Amateur Radio Power Supply from Junk

Alan Drury G4FZP will show us how an old ATX power supply from a PC that would otherwise be destined to the tip can be repurposed and modified. The resulting modification, using only three resistors, is an Amateur Radio Power Supply giving 10A at 13.8V.

Note: Please observe safe working practices when working on mains powered equipment, and only do so if you are competent to do so.

Watch it now on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/iQDJ9SspAPs

A copy of the slides are available here as a pdf:
https://www.buryradiosociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PSU-Modification.pdf

(Bury Radio Society, with Warrington ARC)

James Clerk Maxwell – His Life, Achievements and Legacy

James Clerk Maxwell became one of the most emanate physicists of the 19th century and arguably sits along with great names such as Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Best remembered for establishing the relationship between electric and magnet fields and the existence of propagating electromagnetic waves, paving the way for the pioneering development of radio communication systems which are so essential in today’s technology and the hobby we enjoy.

David G0BCU will look at his early life, academic career, notable achievements and those who continued his work after his early death. Finally, his talk would not be complete without visiting Maxwell’s Equations, David will explain the significance of these equations in an easy to understand way.

David’s working career spanned 45 years in electrical engineering design becoming a Principal Engineer. He is a Chartered Electrical Engineer (C.Eng) and member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology. He is also a member of WARC.

Watch it now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9o6PtaHfOc

(Hosted by Warrington ARC, with Bury Radio Society)

An Evening with Bob Heil K9EID

We were very excited to welcome the legendary Bob Heil K9EID to speak to us.

Bob Heil is a sound and radio engineer most well-known for creating the template for modern rock sound systems. He founded the company Heil Sound in 1966, which went on to create unique touring sound systems for bands such as The Grateful Dead, The Who, Humble Pie and invented the high powered Talk Box for Peter Frampton. Bob has been an innovator in the field of amateur radio, manufacturing micro- phones and satellite dishes for broadcasters and live sound engineers. He has won multiple awards and honors, and in 2007 he became the first manufacturer to be invited to exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Bob is well known in the theatre organ circles, beginning his career at the age of 15 playing the FOX theatre Wurlitzer in St Louis. In 2014, Bob Heil was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in Music and Technology from the University of Missouri.

Watch it now on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Lx2dP0lOQL0

(Bury Radio Society, with Warrington ARC)

The Unusual Club of the FBK

This talk-presentation on LA1ASK, by Peter Ebsworth, LB0K & G8CBK, was about the history of broadcasting around the city of Bergen and especially of the transmitting site at Erdal. The first MW AM TX was thrown up in a part of the city, then finally moved to a site giving coverage to the city centre and to the westerly coastal area. Having been shut down in 1978 its ‘rescue’ from demolition was partly due to a member of the Bergen Group of NRRL. A number of members from this group are now some of those providing guidance and research into the history of the installation. These people keep an eye on the buildings and contents in return for using the building as a clubhouse. The Telefunken TX itself is still untouched, and in situ, it is a good illustration of the efforts put into glorifying technological advances still in the 20s and 30s. The Marconi transmitter is also still in place in the basement. One of the remits we have is to continue broadcasting from the site, as a museum activity and to keep a (national) presence on the Medium Waves, this is fulfilled on the two frequencies of 1314 and 1611KHz. We are now using more modern FET based transmitters. We also have the concession for 830KHz, and are active on FM 93.8MHz with another concession.

(Hosted by Warrington ARC, with Bury Radio Society)