Issue No. 34 - 1st January 2010

A very happy New Year to all our readers and may I wish us all the best of health and happiness for 2010.

 

As I start this first newsletter for 2010 I wonder about band conditions and whether our hobby of amateur radio will be discussed in a positive or negative manner during 2010? I have no doubt that we will discuss the year in a positive manner for that is the way we are. I often have said, still do, if things were too easy would we bother?

I started this newsletter on my new Apple iMac i7, again another first for me as I have been a DOS and Windows man for many years, I am using the Apple word processor Pages within Snow Leopard. Yes another cat in the house which should keep the XYL Linda happy and I am pleased that Pages has opened and is allowing me to edit an earlier newsletter allowing me to keep the Statistics in the same format. Just as well it does for as I was taking the MS Office 2003 Professional disc out of its case the centre cracked and of course will no longer load into the iMac under virtualisation mode. However I contacted Microsoft by telephone, ended up being connected to an ex 1 Grenadier Guardsman now living in Munster, and after providing every detail of the surface of the disk to him and paying £16.00 my replacement disk is on its way. The £16.00 was to cover shipping and other costs, including the replacement disc so a happy conclusion. Sadly Apple Mac do not have Access database within the Mac version of Office nor will this be included in the Office 2010 about to be released. Thankfully Snow Leopard allows Windows in Boot-Camp and with Parallels Desktop 5, a virtualisation programme, this also allows me to run operating systems such as DOS 6.22, Win 3.1, 95, 98, ME, XP and of course Vista and Win 7. Also various versions of Linux and more so we're having fun. Anyway back to the Bureau.

As expected I was certainly not overworked during December as regards incoming, but outgoing was of course larger as I have again cleared out the Bureau. However whilst the Bureau is now more or less empty a few envelopes will not be sealed until cards are received from Nick 9L1NH to avoid waiting for an envelope load to again build up before sending Nick's cards.

As this letter typing started our traveller Sam G4OHX and XYL Grace were travelling to warmer climes via South African Airways. Hopefully by now many members will have heard from me and have read emails (whether they want to or not hi!) and will have 5R8HX in the log and waiting patiently for the next one as ZS5/G4OHX.

Other potential activity is of course Jim G6PAA in various areas and different operating modes around VK and ZL (not heard as yet) followed by Nick 5X1NH in January until March in Uganda. If Nick is reading this 5X1NH would be nice in RTTY and PSK31 please Nick :) Rumour has it that Dennis G3PNF will be operating from the island of Malta in January.

At this time of year many of TV programmes and newspapers are covering the year 2009. All I can say as Bureau Manager is that it has continued to be an enjoyable duty on behalf of Society members and I look forward, hopefully, to continuing way into the future unless de-selected at an AGM in the future, hopefully by then I will have had enough anyway.

Points from the Bureau mentioned during 2009 are repeated for the benefit of members:-

Stamps: Please ensure when your account reaches Nil balance that you send me 5 x 2nd class stamps with your next batch of cards. Even better for me if you send 5 x 2nd class stamps with your cards when you have one stamp in the Bureau as it will save me writing on my Management Sheet (NIL STAMPS) for if I reduce your account to Nil you will disappear from the Bureau Users List which is held within the computer.

QSL Bureau Users' Lists: A reminder to members that this list in both call sign order and Member number order are uploaded 1st day of every month and can be read on screen and/or downloaded as a PDF file.

Bureau Non-Users: Members are not under any obligation to use the Bureau but please I do request if you do have an exchange with a member who is a card and award chaser (like me) please let them know that you do not use the Bureau. There is nothing I hate worse, Bureau-wise, than having to return cards to members. Whilst it is their expense and they should have checked the Bureau users list prior to sending, to do this little thing at the time of the exchange would make two members happy.

Thick envelopes: Thankfully I think we have all got used to the Royal Mail pricing situation for I have not received a RSARS envelope collection card (always ignored) for sometime but if in doubt have it checked by your local post office prior to posting. If under paid it will eventually be returned to you by the Post Office.

Completion and sending of cards: When making out the card after a successful exchange with a new member on your card should not only be the call sign of the member worked but the member's Society number. Reasons for this of course - it shows that you did receive it but importantly for me it means that I don't have to find it! The Bureau is filed in member number order so if I receive a card for (for example) 2E1SIS and no member number I have to go to my Management Sheet to find her number which is of course 3900. Not an onerous task but one that will be avoided if members do their little bit to help. Also don't forget cards in a batch (I wish) should be all facing the same way, correct way up and in number order. I have received batches from our more active members (again I wish!) where they give the impression that prior to placing cards in the envelope they have been thrown into a sack with our three cats to play with! If the cap fits please wear it for one of these days when the back or feet are giving me grief I will take one look at this pile of disorganised chaos and
(a) Put it straight back into another envelope, send them back at your expense so that you can have another try!
(b) If more than one envelope arrives in such a state I may be tempted not to bother with the new envelope to return to sender but place in file 13. This only applies to a few selfish, non-caring members but it has to be said.

Finally: During 2009 I have had kind neighbours knocking on the door (why don't they ring the bell?) quietly to avoid disturbing me? In their hand have been envelopes addressed to number 3, 5 and 8 --- Please note the Bureau lives at number 6 (SIX) Greenland Crescent and if envelopes are addressed to number One (1) I know for a fact that they will be dropped straight into his recycling bin - so please check that the Bureau address is correct - it is on our RSARS website and on the inside cover of "MERCURY".

Don't forget to visit the RSARS website for update information and of course sudden changes to RSARS Nets, a new Nets News page is now in situ at: http://www.rsars.org.uk/NETNEWS.htm

Statistics

and that is the Bureau empty for the end of 2009 apart from a very small handful for members recently serviced.

No scanned images this month as I have scanner problems but I can guarantee there will be some next month. It would be even better if there were some of yours, with a bit of history, to join them.

Breaking news: With grateful thanks to Dennis GW4XKE we will have GB4HFH and GB5AFD to chase this year; many thanks Dennis I need the work.

And finally, Members who read my Newsletter will have seen me banging on about the fact that although conditions ain't that bright we do get the odd surprise or two on both 40m and 80m nets. During the morning of 18th December the net was joined by John NT5C from Austin, Texas. After the net Don G8JMP contacted John by email letting him know how pleased members were to enjoy his company. The reply from John NT5C follows:-

To John #1, John #2, Vic, Richard and Don : Gentlemen, That was a fun QSO! Thanks for letting me into the RSARS net. I'm sure you didn't expect a bloody Yank gatecrashing the show at 10am in the morning UK time! 40M is a wonderful band (my favourite), and now that the BC stations have largely gone it's amazing what DX is there. I can copy Europe from here just north of Austin, Texas almost continuously right through to 1330Z or so. Propagation rotates from western Europe (0000Z) right round to Scandinavia and Russia about 1330Z. I'm running an FT1000MP and 1500W into a 2-el Cushcraft at 27M on top of a hill, so I get out fairly well. Will reply to any of your QSLs promptly, by the same route as received. My XYL and I emigrated from the UK (Dover and Croydon) many moons ago. You can see my bio on QRZ.COM. For what it's worth, I'm a big Arsenal fan at this end! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all! 73, John, NT5C.