RadCom Report May 2013
Six members of the Hilderstone Radio Club enjoyed four very successful days at the GEEK show in Margate - John Hislop G7OHO, Patrick Kirkden M0ZPK, Ian Solly M0CAG, Denis Kirkden M6DES and Danny Day M6ZDD - not playing on the retro games but explaining the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi and the Arduino to visitors. We were joined on the Sunday by 6 year old Oliver Barclay from Callis Grange nursery and infant school who demonstrated squishy circuits with conducting play dough. This too was a great hit, especially with radio amateur Daniel Watford M0EBK and his family.
At the club meeting Peter Love G0KOK gave an interesting talk on his operating adventures in Barbados under his special call sign, 8P9CC. He showed us the impressive antennas at the Barbados Radio Society and the antenna he set up himself on the hotel roof! The Hilderstone Radio Club had a very successful evening with all four candidates passing their foundation exam - Denis Kirkden, Danny Day, Paul Russell and Nick Parker. Despite the recent strong winds, the tri-band aerial is still standing outside the Crampton Tower hall, erected by Ian Solly, Len West G0GNQ, Danny Day and Denis Kirkden.
Thanks go to John Farrow G7SXJ for donating it to the club. National Science week has been celebrated by the club, together with the Viking Radio Controlled Model Boats club, by helping the pupils of Charles Dickens school to construct crystal radios and squishy circuits. The following week the club ran Forces activities at Callis Grange nursery and infant school. At the club meeting, Don Turner G4TKR gave an interesting talk on the local repeaters in Kent, looking at their construction, location and range. It is an expensive business keeping them in operation, with filters costing as much as £1000. At the end of the talk many of the members joined the Kent Repeater Group.