Kenwood Trophy winners

It’s with great delight to announce that the Advanced Distance Learning team headed up by Steve Hartley won the Kenwood trophy for 2011. In a letter from Don Beattie (Acting General Manager) this award recognises a significant contribution to the training and development in Amateur Radio within the UK.



For the 2011 class The Advance Distance Learning team was made up of the following tutors:

• Chris      - G0EYO
• Phil         - G3MGQ
• Keith     - G4OKT
• Harry     - M0SOP
• David     - M0XDF

With Steve (G0FUW), Lewis (G4YTN) and myself as the core team who supported each of the tutors, and also our own students.  Between us we handled over 60 Students at the course outset and although some students could not complete the course, we only had 2 students who failed the final exam back in December.  It’s a fantastic honour, and I’m immensely proud to be a part of the team.

Our 2012 class is already underway and we welcome 3 new tutors to the mix Andy (G8TQH), Alan (G0HIQ) and David (G0EVV) all contributing to the mix. John (Gw3XPK) also joined us but due to some health issues, John is now Standby Tutor, and will be joining in full time again for the next session.

The course itself is based on a simple structure. Each week students are sent class notes, and some revision questions that challenge the students’ knowledge. We also run some practice papers in line with what has been taught thus far, and feedback is very positive with many of the students expressing how much they have enjoyed the course.

The Kenwood trophy was presented at the RSGB AGM, and along with Steve, Lewis, Phil and Keith. Details of the AGM and a few dodgy photos of us collecting the trophy will appear in the June 2012 edition of RadCom

MITx prototype course open for enrollment

MIT have launched the 6.002x (Circuits and Electronics) course and is an experimental on-line adaptation of MIT’s first undergraduate analog design course: 6.002. This course will run, free of charge, for students worldwide from March 5, 2012 through June 8, 2012.

If you successfully complete the course, you will receive an electronic certificate of accomplishment from MITx. This certificate will indicate that you earned it from MITx’s pilot course. In this prototype version, MITx will not require that you be tested in a testing center or otherwise have your identity certified in order to receive this certificate.

The course uses the textbook Foundations of Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits, by Anant Agarwal and Jeffrey H. Lang. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Elsevier, July 2005. While recommended, the book is not required: relevant sections will be provided electronically as part of the online course for personal use in connection with this course only. The copyright for the book is owned by Elsevier. The book can be purchased on Amazon.

So why not enroll. (I already have )

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/mitx-offers-prototype-course-0213.html

December round up (before Christmas)

Well here we are once again, in a cold December awaiting the arrival of Christmas. I wish I could say I have been busy on the radio, but sadly I haven't. It seems work and family are way too important at this time of year. And to be honest the family always gets my vote.

One thing that I have been busy with this month is gathering information, creating bookings and having discussions with regards to the upcoming trip to the Isle of Skye. We are planning again for Wessex Contest Group to make another week long activation of a location that none of us have visited before. And 2012 sees us going to Scotland. More details of he trip can be found on www.mx0wcb.com where we plan to update you all with news on our developing plans.

Other news along the same theme is the new aquavit ions of a mast, 3 element beam antenna, rotator and all the bits in between. The mast is a winter project that we hope to mount on a trailer ready for the 12 hour drive...

And as this will be the last post in 2011(probably) It is time to wish you all. Happy Christmas and rewarding new year.

73 from me

Remember November

This month has been quite a busy month for acquiring new DXCC. I have managed to pickup no less than 12 new countries while scouting around 10m and 12m. These bands are currently providing the best DX by far, although I did manage a QSO on 20m to the Falkland Islands. The rest of my QSO's (mostly south) have been on 10m and 12m with 20m, 17m and 15m hardly getting a look in.

Have a look at my logbook page for more details and a google map of locations ive managed to reach

Radio exam success

The Bath radio course that I participate in saw 9 students pass the foundation exam.  They are all very clever chaps with the majority of the passes being 90% or better in pass rates. They chaps are going forward to the intermediate exam that we start on the 27th October. 

For more information on the courses that are on offer in Bath contact Steve Hartley G0FUW .

Team Thunderbox October gathering

Just a quick post here - to let you know that Team Thunderbox will be setting up a portable station again between 21st and 30th October 2011, Operating as MX0TBG/P.

As always they would love to speak with as many of you as possible, if the conditions allow.


A quick run down on the bands and kits the chaps will be using :

• 160/80 they will be using the trusty doublet again!
• 40m they wil be using "The big 'un" a homemade 2 element Monoband Cubical Quad.
• 20m the guys will be using the homemade 3 element Monoband Cubical Quad.
• 17m they shall use a 3 element homemade Monoband Yagi,
• 10m a 4 element homemade Monoband Cubical Quad.

They are also now on Facebook and twitter as Mx0tbg TeamThunderbox, and will periodically update frequencies and times on there. Hope to work some of you!

Scilly trip

You may have seen that I visited the Scilly isles at the beginning of this month with the Wessex contest group. 3 of us visited St martin's and we operated for 1 week using a variety of QRP kit. Mostly we operated our FT 817's while we were on the beach we did use the Clansman PR320, but the evenings we were able to stretch our RF legs a little and use Dave (M0SFT) FT897. a full blog and breakdown of what we got up to can be seen on http://www.mx0wcb.com/

It was an excellent week - each day we did something new, a trip we will be doing again in the not too distant future !