A Unique opportunit
y? Wanted CT160 Closeup of a sunspot Getting started with WSPR Re: There's Oils and Oils Sol. Reflection
s on 6M HP Amps.
 GB3MCB Beacon FundThu Aug 26 2010, 09:03PM Many of you will be aware that UKSMG funded the running costs for the GB3MCB 6m beacon last year. It is now that time of year again and GB3MCB is again very short on funds, the total needed to fund just the 6m beacon for... [Continue] |
|
VU hams licenced for 6m Thu Aug 19 2010, 08:58PM Amateur Radio operators from India have once again been allocated use on 6 meters. The new allocation on 50-54 MHz includes activity on the following modes: F1B, F2B, F3E and F3C. "We will be trying to get clarifications on why A1A and J3E are m... [Continue] |
|
New interactive 50MHz Beacon list. Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:35AM Dai G8FXM, has been very busy working hard in providing us an up to date 50MHz Beacon list, and I have been working closely in providing assistance to provide audio and realtime comments. Therefore, Dai can bring you a comprehensive list... [Continue] |
|
ARIE Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:35AM A couple of days ago Col MM0NDX received an email from Sid ET3SID asking for help in supporting 4 newly licenced amateurs.All 4 students took the RAE city & guilds exam sponsered by the RSGB,although the four have pa... [Continue] |
|
George Eddowes, G3NOH Silent Key Mon Aug 02 2010, 09:02AM ![""]("{e_IMAGE}newspost_images/g3noh_portrait.jpg") Some of you may remember George Eddowes, G3NOH who was very active on Six in the late 80's when it all ... [Continue] |
About the UKSMG |
About the UKSMGIt was autumn 1979 that enormous signals were heard on six metres in the UK from stations in North America and the Caribbean that fired the interest in the six metre band once again. Questions began to be asked in the UK about the possibility of obtaining permits for operation two-way on the band. At the peak of solar cycle18 permits had been issued to a number of leading UK amateurs allowing operation two-way on 6 metres and many successful contacts had taken place with other continents, in particular the first two-way contacts with North America. Similar permits had been issued for cycle 19 for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) resulting in other notable contacts. R. F. Stevens, G2BVN, undertook to negotiate with the Radio Regulatory Division of the Home Office (at that time the licensing authority) on behalf of the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) for a small number of permits that would allow two-way operation on the 6 metre band. Unfortunately G2BVN became a silent key before the negotiations reached any material conclusion and the matter was allowed to lapse into obscurity. Steve, G4JCC, had been a SWL on the 5 metre band and had met and talked to some of the amateurs who had been involved in the tests during cycle 18, although he had been unable to hear any transatlantic signals at that time. Steve became concerned because although there was great enthusiasm and much activity around the peak of solar cycles, other interests took people away during the trough of the cycles and there was no organisation which collected and circulated information about the 6 metre band. He discussed this with the late Harold Rose, G4JLH, and he encouraged him to carry out further inquiries amongst those UK radio amateurs who were still actively working cross-band between the 6 and 10 metre bands. Steve then wrote to G6DH who had made the first two-way trans-Atlantic contact with W1HDQ during solar cycle 18 and he encouraged Steve to go further although W1HDQ was no longer active on VHF. Steve met and talked to Al Slater, G3FXB, who had been working cross-band in cycle 21. Al gave him much valuable advice, but was himself pessimistic about obtaining a permanent 6 metre allocation in the UK. Best of all, Steve met and talked to Ken Ellis, G5KW, who had a great wealth of experience and knowledge of VHF both at home and abroad. He agreed to support the embryo idea and Steve felt that his influence in those early days was of the greatest importance to getting the group off the ground. It was during these discussions with many people that Steve found out that it was probable that the UK television transmissions on bands 1 and 3 were to be discontinued but that the future of those frequencies could not be ascertained. More discussions with G4JLH coined the name ‘UK Six Metre Group’ and it was decided that the aim of the group was to collect and disseminate information about the 6 metre band and press for a permanent allocation of frequencies. A temporary committee was formed to guide the new group with G4JLH as chairman and Steve as treasurer, secretary and editor. They made arrangements to have their first Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the 1982 VHF convention at Sandown Park, at which the temporary committee resigned to allow proper appointment of committee and officers. The UKSMG as it was now known had some early success with a license for a beacon on the north west coast of Anglesey beaming out across the Atlantic, on air as GB3SIX. They continued to press for permits to be issued for the 6 metre band and soon some 40 permits were issued, this was later increased to 100. Steve’s information about television transmissions was correct and the UKSMG were able to make representations both as a group and individually to the Home Office committee formed to consider the future of these frequencies. The result was that the committee recommended that a permanent allocation of an amateur band at 50 MHz should be made. This lead in 1986 to 50MHz being available to amateurs in the UK! There is no doubt that the formation of the UK Six Metre Group, with it’s newsletter keeping amateurs informed of all matters relating to the 6 metre band, had considerable influence upon the changes that took place at this critical period. This influence has continued with the UKSMG’s support for amateurs in other countries seeking a 6 metre allocation. The main aim of the Group is to encourage 6m activity in all countries throughout the world. In the early days the UK was virtually alone with most European countries not being allowed on the band, so the focus was, in the early days, on Europe. But, using the UK as the example, many European amateurs were writing letters to their regulatory bodies in an attempt to persuade them to give them have access to 6m. A common request from these lobbyists was for material to help them with their cases and work was done by the UKSMG to help them in their endeavours by sending letters and statistics to many European regulators supporting local applications for licenses. Indeed, this is still going on and the UKSMG is ready to assist radio amateurs who do not have an allocation on 50MHz in lobbying their regulators and get on 6m! Another area of major activity for the Group is the supply of beacons and equipment. Many beacons have been constructed by enthusiastic amateurs like G3JVL and GJ4ICD and shipped to many parts of the world. Many of these beacons are still active today although some have been deactivated for one reason or another. Some countries that spring to mind that have accepted UKSMG beacons are Gibraltar, Iceland, Zambia, South Africa, and Jordan. Over the years the Group has supplied many transverters, tranceivers, and antennas to amateurs who the Group felt would really use such donations to come on the band. In recognition of this, the UKSMG were presented with an FT857 in 2004, in memory of Herb, W3BO, which is now part of a 'flyaway' kit complete with protable antenna and can be loaned from UKSMG. Click here for more details or contact our Sponsorship Manager Peter, G8BCG/H44PT. The most impact the UKSMG has had has not come from equipment donations at all but from the many ‘evangelistic’ members of the Group doggedly encouraging amateurs in rare countries to get 6m equipment and get active on the band. Here the list is endless and it is impossible to thank all those that have contributed. Some of the countries that come up on 6m as a result of this persistent propaganda are Poland, Belarus, Khazakstan, Western Sahara, Lebanon, and Andorra. Another activity for the Group and an increasingly important one is the provision of financial donations to 6m enthusiasts activating new countries for 6m through the mechanism of a DXpedition. Several members of the UKSMG activated Jordan for the first time in 1994 and the UKSMG helped with a donation of £1,500. In 1996 the UKSMG committee voted to provide a donation of £800 to the Canadian group who plan to activate Sable Island, CY0, for the benefit of European 6m amateurs. It is beneficial for the Group to be seen to be encouraging DXpeditions. The annual Sporadic E contest held in early June has proven to be THE main contest of the year on 6m in 1990s. The contest is open to members and non-members alike and has been a spectacular success when the contest has coincided with massive sporadic-E as it has done several times in the last few years. Of course, last but not least, are Six News, the Group’s quarterly newsletter and the UKSMG website. These have been the backbone of the Group and Six News in particular is the main reason most members join the Group. There have been many editors over the years but since the 1990s it has developed into a singularly impressive magazine. It always comes as a surprise that there is sufficient material to fill it each quarter but given the nature of the addiction of most members to 6m I doubt whether the flow of material will ever drop. Let’s hope not. There have been many 6m enthusiasts involved in running the Group over the years so it is difficult to thank everyone individually who has either contributed to Six News or the UKSMG website, or has taken an official position in running the Group. Without this commitment and enthusiasm the Group would not now be in its fourtenth year and everyone predicts that it will achieve its twentieth in due course after yet another sun spot cycle in the late 1990s. In April 2003 the UK Six Metre Group consisted of more than 700members world-wide who pay subscriptions each year, which go towards the activities listed above. This undoubtedly makes us the largest organisation anywhere focusing on 6m in the world today. Our ambition is to increase membership and in interest in the 'Magic Band', and to increase the number of countries which can be worked on 50MHz, help us to achieve this ambition and become a member today. If you would like to find out more about the Group, check out the links on this page. |
NRAU ACTIVITY CONTEST