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IOMARS WWW presence.

I have been secretary since 2009 and I have had to put up with much moaning from some amateurs on the island on how the club is not as good as it could be.

Based on some negative comments yet again recieved about our lack of an internet presence and treatment of some amateurs web sites I have taken the decision to write the below…..

The current IOMARS committee have in my opinion had a hell of a time with a minority of people (both current and ex members) bad mouthing everything they do. Usually (in my experience) the worst detractors are older (in age) and often once held a committee position.
If we turn the clock back to the AGM of 2009 none of the detractors who are members wanted to help run and steer the society, since that date the committee has been re elected because no one else has offered their time.
As the new committee in 2009/10 we discovered the www was littered with web sites about the society, some proclaiming to be official Isle of Man amateur radio society sites and others just giving contact details for the club. All were incorrect in detail, giving obsolete email addresses and in one case listing a deceased committee member. This came to a head when amateurs from another country got the wrong contact details for the society from an incorrect web page, in a nutshell they thought we were ignoring them. We were not, they had simply sent mail to an obsolete address once owned by a long resigned committee member.
As the IOMARS secretary I was tasked with getting these web sites updated. Some had no current ‘owner’ and in these cases I had to apply to the web company to have the site concerned deleted. Other cases had old incorrect details on them but their ‘owners’ identity was known, they were contacted and asked to keep their web page up-to-date or remove reference to the IOMARS altogether to stop confusion.
After that we had a problem with the original  http://iomars.blogspot.com run by another ex committee member. Simply put the ‘owner’ insisted on editorial rights on that blog and had edited official IOMARS information changing it’s meaning as he did not agree with it. The IOMARS committee could not accept that and the new blog http://iomars.wordpress.com  was started.
Hope that clarifies the matter, moan over.  If you want to discuss this I am in the phone book.
PS  the AGM is on December 11th 2012.  You can always offer yourself for election.
regards Andy
GD1MIP
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Isle of Man amateur radio society Amateur radio foundation exam October 13th, all day.

The date for the exam is set for 13th October 2012 with a days training before the exam which is 25 multiple choice questions to be answered in a maximum of 45 minutes. We will also meet for some evenings before then to iron out any problems. The exam costs £27.50 (costs are charged by the examining body in UK not by the IOMARS – we do it for free) any prospective candidate needs to print and fill in the form named ‘CATCE application’ ( http://www.rsgb.org/tutors/pdf/forms/request-for-exam-papers.pdf) and forward it to a society committee member ASAP and in anycase before 19th september 2012.

 

In the meantime you will need a copy of the course book ‘Foundation now’ at a cost of £4.99 (see RSGB web site http://www.rsgbshop.org/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Training_19.html ) It is worth getting the book from the RSGB as they have just revised it and the ones for sale elsewhere are often old stock.

 

The below links will help too, read them all please. The ham tests one is an interactive set of mock exam questions to let people know what they are getting themselves into, do the Ham test tests until you are sick of them and get 100%. Remember the point of this exam course is to get you to pass the exam and get a foundation licence. The hard stuff you’ll learn as you progress in the hobby.

 

http://www.hamtests.co.uk

http://www.rsgb.org/arls/foundation_licence.php

http://www.commsfoundation.org/rce/pdf/foundationsyllabus.pdf

http://www.rsgb.org/tutors/foundation/pdf/sample.pdf

http://www.rsgb.org/tutors/foundation/pdf/foundation-sample-paper-2.pdf

http://www.rsgb.org/tutors/pdf/good_operating_practices.pdf

 

 

 

 

Finally, If you know anyone who wants to do the exam now is the last time for them to get in touch.

 

speak soon

 

Andy Morgan

 

 

GD1MIP, IOMARS

Tel 412711.

 

 

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QSL Cards

Martyn Parnell, RSGB qsl manager for the Isle of Man, will be attending the IOMARS meeting on 14.08.2012 to distribute QSL cards.

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GT4WAB – Worked all Britain ‘Follow the torch’ 02/06/2012

The dust has settled, we had 272 contacts as GT4WAB, lots of British ones plus Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Holland, Belgium, Slovenia, Italy , Latvia, Hungary, France, Finland, Sweden, and Russia.

The WAB group pass on their thanks to the IOMARS members for their efforts.

The team were (in no particular order)  Mike Rodgers – MD0BJM, Steve Kelly – GD7DUZ, Dave Cain – 2D0YLX, Jeanie Hill 2D0JEA, Alan Crowther – GD0MWL, Mike Webb – GD6ICR, Stuart Hill – GD0OUD, Peter Morgan – MD6IOM, Andy Morgan GD1MIP and the IOM Coastguard.

 

 

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Amateur radio training & exams / Foundation / Intermediate

For information. The society plans to run training and exams in the comming months. If you or any person you know wants to do any of the exams tell them to get in touch ASAP.

In the meantime a Foundation candidate will need a copy of the course book ‘Foundation now’ at a cost of £4.99   (see RSGB web site http://www.rsgbshop.org/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Training_19.html ) It is worth getting the book from the RSGB as they have just revised it and the ones for sale elsewhere are often old stock.

The below links will help too. The ham tests one is a set of mock exam questions and will help candidates know what they are getting themselves into.

 Email any questions etc to   GD1MIP(at)manx.net

Hope that covers it for now

Andy,  GD1MIP

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Interested in 4m? try this Dutch based web SDR

From  Rob PE1ITR

The maxwell foundation has set up a 4m websdr receiver on University of Technology Eindhoven (JO21RK). Frequency range is about 70.150 to 70.250. The antenna is an 4 element yagi @ 65m agl direction south. The LX0FOUR beacon on 70.161 can be heard. This is a great tool to monitor Es propagation.
This is the link: http://lindsey.esrac.ele.tue.nl/
Select the 4m band in the window left just below the waterfall screen.
The freq readout has at the moment a +4,5 kHz offset but that will be corrected later.
73

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Worked All Britain – Follow The (Olympic) Torch Award

The Worked all Britain (WAB) group have asked the IOMARS to run a station, callsign GT4WAB on Saturday 02nd June 2012. The WAB are running an award timed to coincide with the Olympic torches tour of the British Isles.

We will be active for the whole day as GT4WAB.

It is hoped to use the HF bands dependant on propagation, and maybe some higher frequencies.

We need volunteers to help out, both operators and those willing to ‘build’ the temporary station.

We will be based in the Coastguard station  at the shipyard in Ramsey. Help is needed to set up on the Friday evening (1st June) to run the station on the Saturday as we take over from the Bolton Wireless Club operating as GX4WAB through to handing over to the Glengormley E & ARS in Belfast (GN4WAB) at midnight on Saturday.  After that we plan to operate on Mad Sunday from the same location under our own Special Event Station callsign GB2MAD

please volunteer to the secretary  Andy Morgan

email GD1MIP(at)manx.net

http://wab.intermip.net/Follow%20The%20Torch%20Award.php

http://www.boltonwireless.org.uk/

http://www.gearsradioclub.org.uk/

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Important – from RSGB – Olympics and 70cms.

CQ All
 
Ofcom have today announced an extra new draft Criminal Prosecution Regulations with Protection radii around event zones. See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/undueinterference-olympics-2012/summary
 
It is imperative that all Radio Amateurs using 70cm Band are fully conversed with these new regulations. You are advised to download the “Full Print Version” and read these new regulations very carefully. We can expect zero tolerance of non-compliance from Ofcom and the Authorities during the Olympics.
 
Best Wishes
 
 
RSGB Region 12 DRM (Essex)