[UK-CONTEST] Farmers and Contests - Widnes & Runcorn ARC visitto IO82KW

[Steve Jones]

OMG

Priceless!!!

Who says vhf ops are not slick eh?!


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ray James" <gm4cxm at yahoo.co.uk>
To: <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 1:00 AM
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Farmers and Contests - Widnes & Runcorn ARC 
visitto IO82KW




A visit to YouTube and a search under GW7HOA will bring forth a selection of 
7 videos that will make a lot of operators cringe but give you a hell of a 
laugh at the same time.

73 Ray GA4CXM




--- On Sun, 16/8/09, Adrian Rees (MW1LCR) <rees.a at btconnect.com> wrote:

> I hope the RSGB CC are reading
> this....
>
>
> Hello all
>
> At first this may not appear too relevant to Contesting or
> Amateur Radio for
> that matter, but just go with me for a while...
>
> We moved into our home 3 years ago. Its an old Welsh Hill
> farm comprising
> Farm house, barn, dairy and about 7 acres of land. We are
> some 1,300 feet
> asl with a clear take off to the horizon, around North _
> East _ South. Due
> West is reasonable. Not surprising we have hill
> farmers as neighbours and
> the area is sparsley populated. HF and VHF Radio wise the
> location is
> superb.
>
> As good neighbours we have become very friendly with the
> local farmers and
> inhabitants, some of whom have farmed and lived in the area
> through many
> many generations. As a community they are wary of
> newcomers, and wary of
> most things. This is quite understandable, given the fly
> tippers, boy
> racers, 4x4 heroes, boom - boom music lovers, Bar B Q nuts
> and random
> campers all messing up the country side, land and
> more importantly lively
> hoods, because they don't know or don't care about the
> Countryside code, or
> common decency.
>
> I know the local Farmers, and I have secured an excellent
> contest location
> to use, much better than my own back yard, and only 100
> yards or so away. A
> local amateur used this site successfully in the PW QRP
> 144MHz contest this
> year. My neighbours have expressed how pleased they were
> with this operaton,
> because of how the amateur had requested use, cleaned up
> afterwards and
> expressed his thanks. This then paved the way for a more
> elaborate request,
> on this same particular site, for large HF Contest
> operation by a local CG.
>
> (The site is not suitable for a high powered VHF contest
> due to the close
> proximity of VHF / UHF PMR and Home Office Comms systems in
> the form of a
> comms tower. In fact on 144MHZ a bandpass filter is
> recommended to prevent
> break through from 144MHZ TX to the higher bands in use.
> Low pass filters
> are used for HF), this is because of known breakthrough
> problems from
> amateur to commercial / Home Office.
>
> So as you can see a pretty reasonable site for low power
> VHF, full power HF
> and well negotiated (over a 3 year period) with my
> neighbours and local
> farmer.
>
> So what has this to do with contesting ? Read on....
>
> Last weekend, the local farmer stopped at the gate and was
> chatting away. He
> was particulary annoyed with a group of "radio amateurs"
> who had turned up
> in the afternoon, to use the field at the top of the hill
> (the one I refer
> to above) and thought I had something to do with them. I
> explained I hadn't.
> He then went on to tell me that this group of "radio
> amateurs" had shown up,
> out of the blue, parked 8 (or so) cars and a mast on a
> trailer in the middle
> of the field and then asked to use the field for a contest,
> and if possible
> move higher up the field next to the PMR Mast.He suggested
> that they do not
> go near the PMR mast as the local amateur who lives over
> there (meaning
> me....) had expressed concerns over interference "with that
> mast".
>
> The farmer was some what peeved, to say the least, as there
> is no public
> right of way across the field and they had set up their
> gear before asking
> permission to use it. Then when they left they didn't offer
> any thanks or so
> on. I said I would look into it, but doubted if it was a
> group of radio
> amateurs, because of the way they had conducted themselves
> and setting up a
> station directly under a PMR mast is asking for trouble.
>
> I have now ascertained that it was a group of radio
> amateurs (who shall
> remain nameless, but hopefully they will read this email)
> who set up a
> station to operate in the 144MHz UKAC contest on Tuesday
> 4th August.
>
> So to summarise this group set up blindly ignoring the
> countryside code
> (bulls in fields spring to mind...) or common decency to
> ask permission, or
> thank the farmer. Neither had they considered any EMC or
> RFI problems that
> they may create.
>
> And now for the bomb shell...the particular group also
> included at least one
> person who is "high up" in the RSGB...and who teaches the
> Foundation
> licence. You would have thought they would know better eh
> ?
>
> It's a good job I wasn't home that evening, as I would have
> also operated in
> the UKAC 144MHz Contest, with my newly built linear (pair
> of 4CX350B's) to a
> stacked pair of Yagi's...some 170 yards from their site.
>
> The farmer acknowledged that I had nothing to do with this
> group and the
> site's use by the local CG is still possible. (Admittedly
> after buying a few
> pints in the pub last night).
>
> So if you are going to play radio /P ask about before
> stomping across
> peoples land, and ask if there is a local amateur who is
> also active.
> Getting full chat from a big linear to pair of Yagi's at a
> range of 170
> yards will be painful.
>
>
>
> Adrian Rees MW1LCR QRA: IO82KW 4.5 Miles E. Llangollen
> North Wales




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