SOUTH DORSET RADIO SOCIETY
CATSWHISKER - MAY 2001
Posted 23/04/01
EDITORS PIECE
Where were you?
The total on the roll of South Dorset Radio Society has recently been around forty. That is still a long way short of the sixty or seventy of some years ago, but we're getting there.
It seems like good news - but it's not quite a simple as that.
Some twenty members turned up for the Annual General Meeting - the one meeting in the year at which we can hope for a full attendance. Of these, the majority were relatively recent members, who joined under the expectation that doing so would improve their knowledge and experience of Amateur Radio as well as providing a pleasant social environment.
At the 1990 AGM, Geoff G0EVW commented that 'it was pleasant to find a good supply of nominations for the various posts'. That's history: things are different. We managed to make the necessary appointments without arm-twisting, and they are good ones, but wouldn't it have been better to have competition from members who are keen to participate and willing to help run the Society?
SDRS nearly foundered a few years ago for that very reason - nobody wanted to bite the bullet.
Do we want it to happen again? Are we going to ignore the needs of those who want experience, training and friendship?
I hope not - as fervently as I hope that the SDRS isn't going to divide into two factions: the recent members and the established ones. But, unless everybody is prepared to work together and help out that may very well happen.
I hope, too, that this my last editorial is contentious enough to stir up some correspondence. If so, please tell Neville 2E1HFY into whose capable hands I now pass Catswhisker.
John M0BQO
MAY 1st - Club meeting. Some items were left over from the Annual General Meeting, to be covered at the next club evening. There may also be time for an Open Forum.
JUNE 5th - Operating. We would like to make this a discussion opportunity towards formulating (or updating) a club policy for special events and contests. All who are interested please attend, also anyone who has been involved in these matters in previous times.
JULY 3rd - The July meeting had been presented as the normal club barbecue. It will now be a talk by Colin Pearless G3PGK who tutors the RAE course at 2E1HFY's QTH.
SEPTEMBER 4th - Demonstration of Amateur Radio equipment by Yaesu UK.
THE CLUB BARBECUE
As you know, our BBQ is normally in July at Knights-in-the-Bottom but the weather has lately been very unreliable.
This year we have access to the New Barn Field Centre (site of our International Marconi Day station) and we hope to combine the BBQ with a field event station.
It is hoped for a Sunday in August: no date has yet been fixed but watch this space - as they say!
Subscription: Donation, dues, gift, membership fee, offering, promise, pledge - whatever you like to call it, it's due now and the Treasurer Emma would like to receive them all as soon as possible.
Remember - there is no increase again this year. Please remit to Emma before August.
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Some extracts:-
Chairman’s Report:- The Chairman G0RYL focussed on some aspects, in particular the Society’s calendar of events during the previous year.
He thanked those who had supported them for the hard work they had put into making them a success. It was good to see several visitors at International Marconi Day. Although there were mixed feelings about the venue of International Lighthouses Weekend, in the end the location was outstandingly successful.
A lesson could be learned from using Hardy’s Monument site for VHF Field Day, namely seeking permission for using private land.
Special mention was reserved for 2E1HFY who had initiated training and encouraged many young people to join the Society.
Treasurer’s Report:- It emerged that there was a discontinuity between the previous account and the present one - namely, the month of March 2000 had not been included In view of this the Treasurer M1CCJ was not able to finalise her figures.
It was agreed that she should present the updated accounts at a later club meeting.
Meanwhile, she reported that the year had seen a surplus over expenditure of £247-65 compared with a small deficit in the previous year. The raffle was very successful - especially with prizes being donated.
G0PGT thanked Emma for all the hard work she had done in organising the financial affairs. This was universally agreed.
Election of Officers:- click here for committee details
Chairman - Robert Hodges G0RYL was unanimously re-elected to be Chairman of SDRS.
Secretary - The previous Secretary having stood down, Pat Cox G1XJH was unanimously elected to be Secretary of SDRS.
Treasurer - Emma Illsley M1CCJ was unanimously re-elected to be Treasurer of SDRS.
Committee - By a process of elimination ballots, the following were elected onto the committee: Jon Illsley M0BQQ, John Rose M0BQO, Neville Bridle 2E1HFY.
The Meeting also endorsed the appointment of a co-opted member - Richard Brokenshaw 2E0AVF .
Catswhisker Editor - Neville Bridle 2E1HFY was appointed to take over editorship; Owen Morris 2E1OZY was requested to work with Neville on its production, and agreed.
Subscriptions:-
Although the committee had recommended raising the Student rate to £5, the Treasurer pointed out that such a move would bring in only a very small amount and might even be a disincentive.
Therefore, all subscription rates were left unchanged - full membership at £10-50, Family at £15, Students at £2-50.
Auditors:-
Two auditors were supposed to be nominated. This was not done.
On a motion from 2E1HAS and G1XJH the appointment of auditors was left until the January or February meeting which would be more appropriate for the timing of the Accounts.
Activities:-
Ideas for meetings were in short supply. Catswhisker editor was requested to place a questionnaire relating to topics for meetings.
Following a comment from M0BQQ there was general agreement to hold the club barbecue on a Sunday afternoon or evening in August.
Any Other Business
Venue. G1XJH advocated moving to the Church Hall at St Paul’s in Abbotsbury Road but the cost (£6-75 or £4 per hour) ruled this out.
G7BRU thought the Weymouth Rugby Club might offer better facilities at lower cost; he was asked to look further into this so that the committee will be able to report back.
Rally. The notion of a Weymouth Rally was mentioned but as time was moving fast it was decided to discuss this at a later date.
International Marconi Day. G0RYL explained that because of the foot-and-mouth crisis it would be foolhardy to use the New Barn Field Centre site as usual.
He had obtained the use of Nothe Fort, Weymouth, subject to conditions. Approval was given that he should carry on planning for the use of this site.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
Mike Murphy has been working in Switzerland for a few years. He (and XYL Joyce) have been in touch recently and would like to send their regards to everyone Mike knows at SDRS.
Although Mike is known to us as G0LQI, we may meet him on the air under his local callsign, HB9LFT.
The Net Controller, Pat G1XJH has re-scheduled the Monday evening 2-metre SDRS Net.
With summer upon us (!!!) and lighter evenings, Pat feels that there is more chance of Net-eers being around later, so the starting time for the next few months will revert to its original billing, 8.00 pm.
MORSE TESTS
As a result of an erroneous downloading, a previous note gave November 5th as one of the dates for Morse Tests at the QTH of 2E1HFY.
This has now been reaffirmed as Saturday November 3rd.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HINDENBERG?
The small screen has provided yet another tailpiece: the disaster to the great airship Hindenberg in 1937.
It was not caused by hydrogen gas, as popularly assumed, but by a design oversight.
A NASA engineer Addison Bain has shown that although the hydrogen was a secondary agent, it was not the primary cause.
Hindenburg had flown through fierce thunderstorms, so the ship carried a massive static charge. This eventuality was allowed for in the design. What the designers did not appreciate at the time was the danger in the ship's fabric skin: it was doped to make it highly reflective, keeping the heat away from the volatile hydrogen. The dope used, as Bain discovered, included powdered aluminium and iron oxide - a combination later used in the fuel for the space shuttle!
The skin panels were sewn together using non-conductive thread, resulting on that thundery day in a mix of panels at various levels of electric potential which increased when the ship was earthed by the mooring ropes.. When the flashover occurred the skin was consumed rapidly - at a rate of 15 metres per second - followed by the hydrogen. This much Dr Bain established scientifically. The U.S. Board of Enquiry in 1937 had no idea of it and blamed the hydrogen.
Quite by chance he discovered in Zeppelin's German archives that shortly after the disaster their technicians had identified the cause. So all this time the world has blamed hydrogen, while those who knew from the outset kept their lips firmly sealed. Avoiding an inevitable insurance wrangle is given as the reason - but this was in Hitler's Germany and there were very good reasons for keeping one's mouth shut, so who would dare to spill the beans?
Truth, it seems, is as always subservient to the expediences of politics and finance; it is more convenient to sweep the dirt under the carpet than to admit that there is any.
AND FINALLY, FINALLY from BBC TV
‘It is nine-o'clock Greenwich. Meantime, here is the News.’