BOUVET _ ARRL Most Wanted Nr 2

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Published: 31 January 2023

Last Updated: 03 February 2023

Fancy going on a DX-pedition to BOUVET?  These guys were finding it a touch difficult!

BOUVET is and always will be a most sought after entity on the ARRL list. NARC made a donation to the previous attempt which failed, but all donations were then transferred to this present expedition. Hopefully a number of NARC members will be able to work them, hopefully on the legacy modes as a preference. If you get time, please watch this Utube video and you can then appreciate more the dangers that these guys are subjecting themselves to in order to give you a QSO. They actually PAID for this torture personally! If you are a DX-er then make time to get them in the log because it is unlikely there will be another expedition there in the next 20 years or so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7nbdhTDP4s&t=146s

Getting on and off Bouvet is a very dangerous operation itself, much less spending a couple of weeks or more trying to work the hordes of callers and suffering the slings and arrows of deliberate QRM that will be inevitable.  It is cold, uninviting and uninhabited. Injuries could happen and although they have an MD among them there is no quick trip to the local trauma centre if anything serious happens.

They have now arrived AT the island and the difficult task of getting ON the island starts. Using the inflatables they have to carry ALL the equipment, including generators and antennas, rigs and tents and so on, to the island and then get it to the top of the cliffs, They then spend a day or two setting it all up in awful conditions.

Spend a lot of time listening. Don't be tempted to jump straight in with the transmitter. Learn how they are operating, where they are listening themselves - obviously it will be split operations - and try to find the least occupied frequency you can. Respect a QSO, do not transmit while a QSO is in progress. Big guns, those with linears and beams, will be first in the order so be patient. They will listen for little pistols. There are several FOC ops on this expedition and they are very experienced. Be patient. It might take hours of calling to work them and also days but it will be worth it.

Be patient!

Download, read and save the DX Code of Conduct:

 https://rsgb.org/main/operating/dx-code-of-conduct/

Above all, enjoy the experience. If you are new to DX-ing, what better way to start than to work Bouvet, one of the most wanted entities.

IT IS ALL JUST ABOUT TO START!!!

NARC Winter programme...

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Published: 06 January 2023

Last Updated: 28 January 2023

Below is the programme of NARC Wednesday meetings for the winter months into the Spring.

Although this is the plan as I write this in early January all meetings are subject to change so always check the clubs website and latest newsletter for details nearer the time.

February 2023

1st: 19.00-21.30 Meeting at CNS : Social and informal round table on Locators, WAB etc...

8th:  19.30 NARC Live : Club news, What on Earth Competition and 'Intro to Node-Red for Amateur Radio'

15th:  19.00-21.30 Meeting at CNS : Social, Bright Sparks and informal demo / workshop - what on is up to you?!

22nd: 19.30 NARC Live : Club news, What on Earth Competition and 'Transmit Quality in Modern Transceivers'

March 2023

1st: 19.00-21.30 Meeting at CNS : Social and informal demo / workshop - what on is up to you?! Tell G7URP

8th:  19.30 NARC Live : Club news, What on Earth Competition and 'Propagation update' with K9LA

15th:  19.00-21.30 Meeting at CNS : Social, Bright Sparks and informal demo / workshop - what on is up to you?!

22nd: 19.30 NARC Live : Club news, What on Earth Competition and 'Making Sense of Space Weather' G0KYA

29th:  19.00-21.30 Meeting at CNS : Social and informal demo / workshop - what on is up to you?! Tell G7URP

April 2023

5th:   19.00-21.30 Meeting at CNS : AGM (tbc)

12th: 19.30 NARC Live : Club news, What on Earth Competition and 'Operating from Market Reef', KO8SCA

19th:  19.00-21.30 Meeting at CNS : Social, Bright Sparks and informal demo / workshop - what on is up to you?!

26th: 19.30 NARC Live : Club news, What on Earth Competition and 'Smith Charts on the NNVA', W2AEW

• CNS meetings are between 19.00-21.30 in the 6th form common room at City of Norwich School, Eaton Road, Norwich, NR4 6PP.

• Bright Sparks: We also include a Bright Sparks session for our younger members once a month.

• NARC Live is an online meeting open to all which starts at 19.30 and is available to watch on either of the following online platforms:

Watch live on BATC:

https://batc.org.uk/live/NARC

or Facebook Live:

https://www.facebook.com/norfolkamateurradioclub  

Recordings are made of most NARC Live and they can be watched here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/norfolkamateurradio/videos 

If you enjoy what NARC brings you, please join! Its only £10 for the whole year of 50 Wednesday meetings as well as other events and features. Details on how to join are on our website.

Join Us 2023

Details

Published: 27 October 2022

Last Updated: 14 November 2022

We have managed to reduce our previous precovid full NARC membership from £20 - £30 per year to just £10 per member for the year.  This is principally because we have more members than we used to have, plus we meet less often than we used to and although school hire costs to us have risen by more than 30% we do not have any costs incurred in producing NARC Live online.

We appreciate the cost of living pressures which will be on us all, so we are taking a leap of faith in reducing our full membership price to the lowest since the 1980's, in the hope and belief that everyone will continue their membership for this very modest outlay - less than 20p per week. 

Club Contesters Note that if you are a contester please remember you need to be an up to date paid member to enter valid scores into the club championship contests.

So we invite you to rejoin (or join) NARC now for 2023 and pay us ideally by direct bank transfer (be sure to use your callsign/surname as reference) - please also complete and email the membership form if you are not already current member.

(NB - As Mark asks please pay by BACS bank transfer if you possibly can because even though we are a voluntary organisation Paypal still take a significant commission along with the bank which also charges for each Cheque payment as we are classed as a business)

Ways to pay:

Pay directly to our Bank Preferred

Bank: HSBC
Name: Norfolk Amateur Radio Club
Sort Code: 402008
Account: 31432222 (this is classed as a business account - some banks ask)

IMPORTANT - please use your callsign as the reference or if you are not licensed your initial and surname and email the treasurer as below

OR

Paypal 2 options

1) Use our online shop to pay via Paypal, you will need to login to website to complete.
http://norfolkamateurradio.org/index.php/on-line/shop/category-listing/product/687-online-membership
An additional charge incurred to cover Paypal costs. Totals £10.61

2) If you wish to pay direct using Paypal please pay £10.61 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - if you  Use Friends and Family option please pay £10.00 be sure to use your callsign as a reference. Example below highlighted with yellow box.

Cheque Payable to "Norfolk Amateur Radio Club"
Please use BANK Transfer if possible as banks charge us for each cheque

Posted to address below with a note of your name and callsign:

Mark Taylor G0LGJ
c/o NARC
6 Welden Road
Scarning
Dereham
Norfolk
NR19 2UB

If you pay via bank transfer please inform the Membership Secretary via email and give the reference you used in your online transaction as banks do not always pass on references.
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Conditions that qualify a member for concessionary membership can be found in the constitution or shown on the form

Download and print Membership Form 2023

Membership 2023 ?

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Published: 10 January 2023

Last Updated: 03 February 2023

Hi just a quick update re membership for 2023 thanks to all those who have renewed.

Full NARC membership for 2023 is just £10 per person which we hope to maintain, but this depends on most people renewing. 

You can check if you are on the membership list by clicking here.

If you are not on the list you can renew by bank transfer (preferred please), or at club meeting paying cash, or paypal or by post with cheque if no other options open - full details available here.

Regards Mark G0LGJ - Membership Secretary & Treasurer

Club Project... ?

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Published: 06 January 2023

Last Updated: 13 January 2023

One suggestion we have received is to have a club project which members can make, either on their own at home or with others at CNS meetings.

Sounds like a great idea! We just need to decide on something most people would find interesting, affordable and useful to build, sharing help and experience with others. It can be a commercial kit or maybe something the club could put together like the mains filter kit.

So over to you - if you like the idea please let me know with thoughts for a kit or project which would interest several people - maybe you could give me hand to organise?

Thanks

David G7URP

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NARC Club news and views...

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Published: 18 November 2022

Last Updated: 03 February 2023

Your news and views go here - have your say...  (you just have to email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Raspberry Pi NARC Jam is coming!

The Raspberry Pi is an incredibly powerful DIY computer and probably many amateurs have one in the back of a drawer just waiting for an application and a bit of knowledge on how to use them, particularly the software side. So Jeff G7PLF has offered to run an informal mini workshop course designed for anyone. If this interests you please email David (below) to get yourself on the list - we hope to have our first session in February but places are limited.

Club project

Mark G0TMT has suggested the club get a few members together to make a Loop antenna amplifier as featured in Radcom. If this interests you please let David know with a quick email - we need at least 5 people to make the project bulk buy viable and so far have two people wanting to make it - how about you?

So what do you think? I am happy to organise these things but we need to know who is interested, so please get in touch with me with your thoughts and ideas!

David G7URP

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Are you sure you still have your lifetime license...?

Although amateur radio licenses are now for life they MUST be revalidated at least once every 5 years with Ofcom. Its quick and easy - I do mine every year near my birthday. Just sign into your Ofcom account and confirm all the details remain the same...    

73, David

NARC membership 2023

NARC membership is just £10 for full membership for 2023.... we want to maintain this going forwards too but we need everyone to rejoin to make the numbers add up, so please rejoin. Details are on the website under 'Join us'.

NARC Live!

NARC Live is always broadcast live so that viewers can ask questions etc, but it is recorded and uploaded to Youtube within a few days of it being live-streamed.

And to watch any of these recordings of NARC Live or other video events please go to https://www.youtube.com/c/norfolkamateurradio/videos

Something to say, show or sell?

This section is open for any NARC member to share news, ideas or tips with anyone who reads the newsletter (around 300 people subscribe), so if you have anything like this please send it to David G7URP via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The most effective way to sell or buy something through NARC is to list it on the Club website on the For Sale Forum as non members look there too - it is free but you just need to register for the website first.

  Please let me have any club news to put here and/or NARC Live:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    Thanks  David G7URP