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Usual meeting on Friday with chat about the Wednesday meetings and thoughts about how to promote the club now it seems we have a home again.

If you’ve got any particular topics for conversation pleases let me know and we’ll dedicate time for it.

Link to be sent on the day as usual.

After some qualified success last month we’re hoping for a more polished performance this month at:

William Morris Sixth Form
St Dunstan’s Road
London
W6 8RB

The evening will run from 7:00pm until 10:00pm, but the room will be available from 6:30 onward if anyone wants to arrive slightly earlier (e.g. to set up any kit).

People coming by car are encouraged to use the gated carpark (to avoid neighbours complaining about parking). The roads in the area tend to be very busy until at least 6:30pm, so don’t arrive too early.

To access the room (and car park) you will need to be let in through the security gates. Once you’re right outside the gate Just summon someone using your handheld on 145.500MHz. If you can’t use a radio for entry then contact us in advance and we’ll provide a mobile number you can call instead.  (One of this month’s tasks is to figure out how to mount a wireless doorbell near the gate so it’s subtly accessible but won’t be abused or stolen.)

Wifi is available in the annex, which also features hot drink making facilities (you’ll need to bring your own cups and ingredients), toilet, and you can bring your own beverages, alcoholic or otherwise.

As usual check the Discord server for up to the minute info and email if you don’t have a Discord link.

We made some progress, discovering how not to erect aerials, and made some contacts. We now have a good idea what we need to prepare for the next meeting such as feeder and some straps and hooks to secure the ends to the building. Possibly also a modest extendable ladder.

Next online meeting will be Friday 12th April and we don’t have anything specific to talk about so please give us your suggestions. Next meeting at the school will be twelve days later as usual on Wednesday 24th. Meeting dates for the next three months at least are in the events calendar on this site so please don’t wait for or rely on an email to make your plans.

And don’t forget the Discord server for ongoing chatter during the month – email for an invitation link if you don’t have it.

Nothing lined up but doubtless we’ll be discussing the progress at the school annex, and if you’ve been up to anything interesting you’d like to share please drop us a line.

Link on Friday.

The second meeting in the school annex and we set a target to make an HF contact, a VHF/UHF contact, operate through JJ’s remote FTdx101 and, er, something else. We predicted almost complete failure and we weren’t disappointed

The education service WiFi filtering defeated all our attempts to access JJ’s radio, even with VPNs, and 5G didn’t fare much better.

We were able to receive but not transmit on Cristian’s magic loop (I think that’s right).

We eventually managed to dangle Cristian’s ribbon feeder Slim Jim in a window and be received by a web monitor.

None of this really surprised us but based on the results we have an action plan to nail the last bits at the next meeting, with a plan of how to hang aerials and so forth.

Next online meeting will be Friday 8th March and we don’t have anything specific to talk about so please give us your suggestions.

And don’t forget the Discord server for ongoing chatter during the month – email for an invitation link if you don’t have it.

Following a successful trial meeting last month we’re going to pursue the school annex as a club venue. This month we’re planning to have real radios as well as remote facilities so it’ll be more like it was before Covid.

William Morris Sixth Form
St Dunstan’s Road
London
W6 8RB

The evening will run from 7:00pm until 10:00pm, but the room will be available from 6:30 onward if anyone wants to arrive slightly earlier (e.g. to set up any kit).

People coming by car are encouraged to use the gated carpark (to avoid neighbours complaining about parking). The roads in the area tend to be very busy until at least 6:30pm, so don’t arrive too early.

To access the room (and car park) you will need to be let in through the security gates. Once you’re right outside the gate Just summon someone using your handheld on 145.500MHz. If you can’t use a radio for entry then contact us in advance and we’ll provide a mobile number you can call instead.  (One of this month’s tasks is to figure out how to mount a wireless doorbell near the gate so it’s subtly accessible but won’t be abused or stolen.)

Wifi is available in the annex, which also features hot drink making facilities (you’ll need to bring your own cups and ingredients), toilet, and you can bring your own beverages, alcoholic or otherwise.

As usual check the Discord server for up to the minute info and email if you don’t have a Discord link.

Nothing lined up but if you’ve been up to anything you’d like to share drop us a line.

Link on Friday.

As usual we’ll try to grab a biggish table at the far side of the main bar (away from the drafts from the door). If there are definitely going to be at least four coming I’ll see if I can book that sort of snug just beyond that in the sort of corridor between the far side of the bar and the restaurant area so let me know by midday on the day.

If you’re expecting to arrive more than an hour after the start time please let someone who’s going know in case it’s a really dead night and they decide to end early.  Several of us will have the Discord channel open for last minute updates.

This week Blazej will be telling us about solar power and how to harness it for home and mobile operation.

Link on Friday.