Issue No. 39 - 1st June 2010

"A bit of a struggle" could cover the May Anniversary Activity. Band conditions were difficult and with the inability of many members to search for other members away from published net frequencies fun was limited, in my view. As always we were stuck with the usual suspects on RSARS published frequencies. If it was up to me I would block-off these areas for the whole of the month of May to other than formal RSARS nets. Yes, this locking out of members from say between 3.740MHz to 3.750MHz and say 3.560 to 3.570 would not please everyone but it would make us search a bit. Going to greater extremes changing the whole contest in May to a RSARS Sprint type contest, as successfully run by the RSGB and various EU PSK Groups, could be interesting. Maybe it would make the usual suspects work harder for their points and not hog net frequencies. (These are personal thoughts and member comments will at least let me know if any member reads this newsletter :)
Dave G4ETG took over G3SIG with a new number F287 for the period 15 to 17 May and despite his hard work (thanks Dave) he would have struggled to work many of our members, however I have already received a few cards destined for Biggleswade.
I am not aware of any members having successfully worked Ray V21RP (G0FHK 2308) but one never knows until the cards arrive into the bureau. Checking EchoMac one evening in May I was aware that Ray was having a chat with Anthony 9Z3AS but as they did not have conferencing enabled I was unable to call in and say hello. I have had a chat with Anthony 9Z3AS in the past so if you wish to say hello to Anthony just give him a call using EchoLink (or if using an iMac, EchoMac) via his local repeater and he could be monitoring - he was when I did.
Roger G3YBO did his best to work RSARS members from HQ ARRL W1AW and UN Building 4U1UN for a few hours in May with, to my knowledge, only Nick G3RWF working W1AW. Roger has confirmed hearing M0OIC and bits of others through his local QRM but only managed a complete QSO with Nick -- maybe next time? Well done to Nick of course, and for letting members know via the RSARS Reflector that Roger had been worked and was on frequency.
Dennis GW4XKE promises to keep me busy as the result of two special stations running during June and July. Stations are covered in detail on our RSARS Website, with QSL Card images displayed. They are GB4HFH (Help For Heroes) and GB5AFD (Armed Forces Day). Both stations are operating during the periods 01 - 08 June and 01 to 28 July 2010.
We also have Martin W7/G7JWR out there in Florida, not sure for how long, but he has his rig with him, an aerial in the sky and already we have tried to make contact using PSK31 and as soon as I have something more definite members will be as wise as me, via the RSARS Reflector of course. (What, not yet signed up to it? --- It is your loss as it is a perfect way for keeping in touch with members activities as they happen and an ideal system for digging out that lost piece of information) Very simple instructions on how to JOIN are covered fully on our website.
Last but certainly not least this month we have Jack G3PWK working from the Muckleburgh Military Museum with GB70AFF (Anniversary Airborne Forces) special call with an affiliated number. He will be active on 22, 26 and 27th June 2010 so yet another station to find in the month of June. I am reliably informed that Jack GB70AFF will call into my Tuesday afternoon net so if any members don't like "number crunching" they may wish to give my net a miss on this occasion for Jack GB70AFF will be given priority to work as many RSARS members as possible. Conversations on swapping knitting patterns, photography, wormeries, green fly etc will not be welcomed when Jack is in situ and will not be expected until all members wishing to work GB70AFF have done so. :) As I say GB70AFF will have priority to work as many members as he able; don't accept that don't join the net.
Cards received into the bureau were expected to be low in number during May and I was not surprised. However with band conditions and an apparent lack of exchanges with new or recently joining members I do not anticipate being over-worked during June either. It will be great if my forecast is proven to be incorrect. M0OIC, I am glad to say, managed four new members one of these being Alan VK6PG worked for the first time - thanks Alan. G3CIO F043 also had a reasonably busy time and quite a number of cards have been produced and are ready awaiting despatch. Chauhan VE3VJC and I set ourselves the challenge of getting G3CIO in the log of VE3VJC and after many failed attempts owing to QSB and poor propagation we finally made it on 28th May.

Again I mention that it is the receipts into the bureau that better shows members QSL card activity. Numbers of cards sent during May will always be low when I am running the bureau for I prefer to wait until the end of June allowing for contest cards to arrive before having a bureau clearance.
Our Mercury Editor has very kindly attached a small display of cards recently received into the bureau. I am sure that many members will have shoe-boxes full of interesting cards with even more interesting story's so please share them with us.

 

73, Bryan MØOIC
RSARS 3867
QSL Bureau Manager