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Issue 147 A publication of the Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society June 2015
www.vmars.org.uk M0VMW Affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain
1 June 2015
Radar consoles at the RAF Air Defence Museum, Neatishead
Tucked away in the Norfolk countryside, two miles east of Wroxham and close to the Broads, you will find the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum at the old RAF Neatishead site. Officially opened in 1994 and established as a charitable trust in 1997, the Museum is now staffed by a full time
manager/curator and manned by volunteers. The Museum boasts a shop, where you can purchase all manner of interesting items, Crumbs Cafe, where you can enjoy a wide range of refreshments and the major focus of the Museum is an enthralling tour through the air defence story from before WWII to the present day. The Cold War Ops Room is the jewel in the crown and visitors will find it both intriguing and enlightening. Wow! is the general response.
There are many exhibits both inside the Museum and outside and the refurbished Bloodhound Missile, recently returned
VMARS AGM Saturday 18th July 2015 10.30 a.m. – 12.45 p.m.
RAF Air Defence Radar Museum Near Remote Radar Head (RRH) Neatishead,
Horning, Norfolk NR12 8YB
AGM in the morning and museum visit in the afternoon. All members and partners welcome but
please book your place by contacting Stuart McKinnon G0TBI without delay (please see below).
VMARS Committee Chairman:
Ian Underwood M0YMK Roundwyck Farm Pipers Lane Balls Cross, Petworth, West Sussex GU28 9JZ +44(0)1403 820185 [email protected]
Hon. Secretary:
John Keeley GW6RAV 93 Park Crescent Abergavenny Gwent NP7 5TL +44(0)1873 850164 [email protected]
Hon. Treasurer & Publications Manager:
Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF 22 Farmers Way Copmanthorpe, York North Yorkshire Y023 3XX +44(0)1904 708704 [email protected] [email protected]
Membership Secretary:
Peter Shepherd G7DXV 25 Tomkins Close Stanford-Le-Hope Essex SS17 8QU +44(0)1375 640618 [email protected]
Ordinary Member:
Peter Jones G8CDC Tudor House Stoneleigh Road Blackdown, Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV32 6QR +44(0)1926 883345 [email protected]
Ordinary Member:
Ron Swinburne M0WSN 32 Hollywell Road Sheldon, Birmingham West Midlands B26 3BX +44(0)1217 421808 [email protected]
Co-opted Member and
Public Relations Officer:
Stuart McKinnon G0TBI 145 Enville Road Kinver, Near Stourbridge West Midlands DY7 6BN +44(0)1384 872157 [email protected]
Co-opted Member:
Tony Barron G3YYH Wren Cottage, Foxcote, Andoversford Gloucestershire GL54 4LP +44(0)7785 376518 [email protected]
Issue 147 The VMARS News Sheet
June 2015 2
from a starring role on the roof of the Hayward Gallery on South Bank, always attracts attention. The Museum is also fortunate to host the Spirit of Coltishall Rooms where you can trace the history of that famous wartime airfield and its many heroes. A Jaguar cockpit is available to experience the 'fast jet' feeling and a guide will explain its operation.
Over the years the Museum has gained a raft of tourist awards and Trip Advisor is worth a visit to confirm its continued popularity. There is plenty of space for parking and an inviting picnic area. For those with a technical interest the Museum is a must but the volunteers' aim is to tell the air defence story in a way that is easy to grasp and informative for those visitors with no background in radar or military operations. The Museum hosts all manner of groups ranging from ex-service to social associations and primary schools.
On Saturday 18th July, entrance to the Museum, which will be closed officially to outsiders on the day of our AGM, can be effected from 09.30hrs. Members and their partners will be able to visit the Museum free of charge and partners are invited to join members for refreshments and lunch.
Tea/coffee and biscuits will be served from 09.45 to 10.25hrs.
The AGM commences at 10.30hrs prompt in the Air Defence Room with an introduction by Neatishead Trustee Mr Pat Carter. Business to be concluded by 12.45hrs for lunch.
A buffet lunch will be provided.
Hopefully members will have had sufficient time for lunch by 14.00hrs in order for them to take the tour around the Museum; volunteers will be on hand to provide the tour guide service which lasts about one and a half hours.
It is hoped that all will be ready to leave by 16.45hrs.
For partners who do not wish to stay at Neatishead, it is suggested they visit Wroxham Barns where they will encounter all manner of crafts and associated niceties (www.wroxhambarns.co.uk). Alternatively, Norwich is not too far away with its museums and art gallery, Cathedral of St John the Baptist, the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and, of course, the shops and coffee bars.
It is important that those wishing to attend the AGM let me know of their intention so that the correct number of lunches can be ordered. Please also let me know any special dietary requirements. Replies without delay, please.
On Sunday 19th July, it is the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum’s family fun day. The postcode is NR35 1NZ. You can find all the information about this amazing site with the following link: http://www.aviationmuseum.net/index.html. VMARS member Ray Kidd M0EVK and other volunteers will be on hand on the day to make it a very worthwhile visit. There will, of course, be a VMARS static radio and on-air radio stand in front of the outside aircraft display. Apart from the interesting displays there is, inside the hangar, a nice café that sells teas/coffees and a selection of very nice homemade cakes.
Stuart McKinnon G0TBI
From our Chairman
British Post-War Air Defence Radar
At 07:00 on 29th August 1949, the Steppes of northeast Kazakhstan were shaken by a huge explosion as the USSR detonated a nuclear test bomb as the culmination of Operation First Lightning, the first of the 456 Soviet nuclear tests destined to take place in that region over the following 40 years. Since July 1945, when the first nuclear bomb test
was carried out in New Mexico, the USA had been the only country to possess a nuclear capability and the news that the USSR was now similarly equipped stunned America. Relations between the USSR and Western governments had deteriorated rapidly following the end of the War with Germany and, in a humiliating defeat of Joseph Stalin’s attempts to isolate Berlin from the western Allied nations of Britain, USA and France, the Russian blockade of Berlin had only recently been lifted in May 1949, defeated by the determined efforts of Britain and America to provide the beleaguered Berlin population with an unprecedented operation to supply the needs of the city by air. American concerns were highlighted further by their knowledge that the Soviets had the capability to make air strikes from USSR territory on US cities using nuclear armed Tupolev TU-4 long range bombers. The TU-4, code named ‘Bull’ by NATO, was an identical copy of the US-built B-29 Superfortress which the US Government had refused to supply to Moscow on Lend-Lease during the War. Three USAAF B-29’s had made forced landings in Soviet Vladivostok while undertaking operations over Japan and, despite repeated demands by the US Government for their return, the USSR refused to send them back. The B-29s were stripped and copied to the very last detail and reverse engineered to become the Tupolev TU-4 Soviet long range, high altitude strategic bomber. Eight hundred and forty seven TU-4s were built and it was a TU-4 that dropped the first Soviet RDS-1 nuclear test bomb in Kazakhstan on that day in August 1949, echoing the first nuclear bomb strike on Hiroshima undertaken by USAAF B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay” four years earlier.
A regular Cold War event in the 1960s. A Soviet Tupolev TU-95 ‘Bear’ reconnaissance aircraft
bristling with Electronics Intelligence-gathering equipment is intercepted by a Royal Air Force English Electric Lightning F6 of 23 Squadron,
based at RAF Leuchars in Fife. The Soviets were regularly gathering ELINT on British Air Defence
Radar systems and testing the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) responses. Despite
contemporary news reports of aircrews waving to each other, these were often far from friendly
encounters and the Red Top missile mounted on the weapons rail of the Lightning makes clear the
possible outcome of these engagements
The RAF Air Council viewed all of these developments with growing alarm and, in the face of little enthusiasm from a government more concerned with re-building a shattered and bankrupted nation, they took the decision to upgrade the now obsolete Chain Home air defence radar network, which had
The VMARS News Sheet Issue 147
3 June 2015
largely been cobbled together, developed, modified and added to as the demands of war dictated, but which still formed the bedrock of British air defence capability in 1949. A report which identified weaknesses in detecting aircraft at high altitude, geographical areas that were inadequately covered, poor Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems, an outdated communications and reporting network and obsolete equipment with poor reliability leaving Britain vulnerable to a Soviet nuclear attack, was commissioned. Even so, the possibility of high altitude Soviet TU-4s carrying 20 megaton nuclear bombs reaching British shores undetected was insufficient to motivate the Government Treasury Department to loosen their purse strings sufficiently for anything more urgent than a ten-year programme of renewal. This changed when the increasing possibility of hostilities breaking out with the USSR in Europe led the USAF to locate nuclear capable B-29 Superfortresses of the Strategic Air Command 2nd Bombardment Group at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. American Air Force commanders were scathing of Britain’s outdated air defence radar network and asked Washington to put pressure on the British Government to instigate a more immediate upgrade plan, which came into being under the codename of ROTOR.
Since the beginning of the War in 1939, the Chain Home network had mushroomed to occupy 170 sites located throughout Britain. ROTOR, an intermediate solution to rationalise and improve Chain Home, was to utilise the more advanced existing equipment which would be rebuilt to more exacting peacetime industrial standards to improve reliability and performance. The Marconi Wireless & Telegraph Company was awarded the contract to rationalise the entire air defence radar system down to 66 sites with working ranges, serviceability and reliability of the re-manufactured equipment greatly improved. The Marconi contract included updating the infrastructure of the communications and reporting network and the development of a new centimetric early warning radar given the code name of ‘Green Garlic’, which was subcontracted for development by Decca Radar. ‘Green Garlic’ was intended eventually to replace the existing one megawatt Chain Home stations, now used to provide early warnings of approaching aircraft from up to 200 miles away and the Type 7 Ground Controlled Interception radars, which provided a 360 degree 90 mile range display onto a plan position indicator for the operator, along with the Type 14 Chain Home Extra Low (CHEL) surveillance and Type 13 height finder radars. Work on ROTOR ONE began in 1950 with the reactivation of 28 WWII Chain Home Radar stations and the construction of 14 new Chain Early Warning and Chain Home Extra Low underground operations rooms with the newly re-engineered WWII-designed equipment. This phase of ROTOR was completed by the summer of 1954 at a total cost of £55.1 million, an unprecedented expenditure on a single British defence contract at the time. Two further phases, ROTOR TWO and ROTOR THREE, which mostly involved the building of suitably protected operations rooms and improved radar coverage along the West Coast for the defence of Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol, were scheduled for completion under the ‘1958 Plan’ which included the planned deployment of ‘Green Garlic’.
The arrival of the long awaited ‘Green Garlic’ radar in 1953, by now designated as the AMES Type 80 radar, changed everything. The Type 80 developed by Decca operated in the ‘S Band’ at 2.35 GHz and 3.050 GHz. Using research data from the Radar Research Establishment and from its predecessor TRE, Decca developed the ‘Green Garlic’ Type 80 to operate a one megawatt magnetron (two megawatts in later versions), with an aerial array radar reflector measuring 75 ft (22.9 m) wide x 25 ft (7.6 m) high, which provided an acceptance angle of 0.33 degrees,
enabling operators to distinguish two targets a mile (1.6 km) apart at a range of 150 miles (241 km). Transmitted pulses were selectable at 2–5 microseconds duration at a Pulse Repetition Rate (PRR) of 270 per second. The massive aerial was rotated through 360 degrees by up to four 50hp motors which were automatically selected as wind resistance varied. The Type 80 radar had a reliable range of 250 miles (402 km) and the console operators were provided with a large 360 degree plan position indicator screen and a much improved IFF interrogation and marker facility. Alongside the Type 80s, American General Electric AN/FPS-6 height finder radars were installed. These were 4.5 megawatt radars operating in the 2.7–2.9 GHz frequency range and sweeping a 360 degree azimuth while ‘nodding’ vertically between –2 degees and +32 degrees to provide target information at 200 miles up to an altitude of 75,000 feet.
Under the ROTOR programme, the ground control for RAF Fighter Command was to be re-organised into six Sector Operational Commands (SOC) in the following locations:-
Barnton Quarry near St Andrews in Fife, R4 SOC Caledonian.
Bawburgh near Norwich, R4 SOC Eastern.
Box at Corsham, Wiltshire, SOC Southern.
Kelvdon Hatch near Brentwood, Essex, R4 SOC Metropolitan.
Shipton near York, R4 SOC Northern.
Longley Lane near Preston, Lancashire, SOC Western.
The designation R4 indicates the type of defensive bunkers built to house the ROTOR SOC’s. Those built to R4 standard, of which there were eventually only four, not the six originally planned, were on three levels and had 10 ft (3 m) thick concrete floors, walls and ceilings, their own independent water supply from a bore hole, generators and specially filtered air conditioning systems. R3 bunkers had a similar specification but on only two levels and both R4 and R3 bunkers were designed to protect the operations rooms from a close proximity 20 megaton nuclear strike. Under the ROTOR programme, the SOCs were linked to the 60 radar sites situated around the country but the arrival of the Type 80 radar quickly made the original ROTOR plan obsolete because it provided both much longer range at high to low altitude coverage and improved accuracy from a single installation, replacing the Chain Early Warning and Ground Control Intercept radars. Some reorganisation was made to ROTOR when it was found that the number of operations rooms required was significantly reduced, thereby simplifying the communications and reporting network. This became part of the ‘1958 Plan’ which now called for a total of nine sectors, equipped comprehensively as Master Radar Stations with Type 80 and height finding radars, but with many fewer reporting outstations, all connected by an advanced data handling system. Many of the bunkers constructed for the ROTOR network were never fully commissioned or were shut down after only a short period in operation and handed over to local authorities for civil defence use.
Linesman/Mediator: 1960s and 1970s Air Defence Radar – RAF Neatishead
By the early 1960s, a new air defence radar plan had been developed under the planning name of ‘Ahead’ and involved the Royal Air Force working with the Royal Radar Establishment (soon to change its name to The Royal Signals & Radar Establishment), The Ministry of Transport & Civil Aviation (1953-1959) and UK defence contractors in a joint enterprise to form ‘Linesman/Mediator’. In 1962 the civil aviation aspects of the project were taken over by the newly
Issue 147 The VMARS News Sheet
June 2015 4
formed National Air Traffic Control Services (NATCS) with a group of British defence contractors which included Plessey, Ferranti, Cossor, Marconi, AEI and Elliot Automation, among many other great British company names. Originally, Linesman/Mediator was intended to provide complete UK Air Defence Zone radar coverage for early warning and GCI, while utilising part of the same integrated system for full UK civil aviation radar and ground control coverage. It was expected that, in the event of a major war, the civilian Air Traffic Control Officers could be promptly transferred, along with their equipment, to Air Defence duties but, in order to delineate the two activities, the RAF Air Defence part was known as Linesman and the Civilian part as Mediator. The project was subjected to continual changes caused by political interference, budget cuts and alterations in defence strategy and tactics, the latter caused by developments in technology which enabled the use of ICBMs as well as aircraft to deliver nuclear weapons. The eventual network, which bore only a faint resemblance to that of the original plan, was controlled by a single Primary Station known as Linesman One (L1) located at West Drayton, near Heathrow Airport and adjacent to the civil ATC functions. Into L1 was computer fed data received from four locations, at RAF Neatishead in Norfolk, RAF Staxton Wold in Yorkshire, RAF Boulmer in Northumberland and RAF Bishops Court in Northern Ireland covering the northern sector and from six southern civilian radars located at Ash, Ventnor, Clee Hill, Burington, London 1 and London 2. Other inputs were added later, from RAF Saxa Vord, RAF Benbecula, RAF Buchan and RAF Portreath in Cornwall, which supplied data from patrolling AEW Shackleton aircraft. All stations were linked by secure microwave or telephone communications but budget constraints meant that the later additions to the L1 reporting network had no computer feed linking them and had to report information manually by voice and teleprinter as they had done during the Battle of Britain. Each station was capable of operating independently and in conjunction with other stations, but it was assumed that L1 would be destroyed in any first nuclear strike. The combined inputs provided a 1,900 mile x 1,900 mile block of radar coverage onto a single display and fed to huge ‘Dr Strangelove’ screens in the Operations Rooms at RAF High Wycombe, RAF Bentley Priory and HMS Northwood as the General Situation Display (GSD). Also, there were data feeds from NATO and French radar into L1 to extend the coverage where necessary and a link with the Defence Early Warning ‘DEW Line’ at Fylingdales. The radar network was planned to have its full operational capability up to ‘first strike’, after which coverage would be provided by all remaining stations.
As one of the six radar stations feeding data to L1, RAF Neatishead was a Master Radar Station equipped first with a Marconi AMES Type 84 Surveillance Radar operating in the ‘L Band’ at 1.2 GHz with a radiated power of 2.5 megawatts and with a General Electric AN/FBS-6 radar for height finding radar nearby. The Type 84 radar failed to meet its original promise because of technical problems with the planned 6 megawatt magnetron, resulting in very poor performance against the original design specification. It made an impact with locals though, albeit it an unpopular one, by causing TV pixilating type interference at every 15 second sweep of the scanner, accompanied by the characteristic ‘zip’ of audio interference from radar. A new radar, the ATI-built AMES Type 85, known as Blue Yeoman, was installed, operating in the ‘S Band’ with a 500 MHz bandwidth covering 2.75– 3.25 GHz using twelve water cooled 4.5 megawatt transmitters. Designed to defeat Electronic Counter Measures, each transmitter had frequency agility, changing its frequency on each transmitted pulse. As an additional ECM protection, this design also gave the Type 85 the capability of transmitting composite pulsed beams made up
of several frequencies up to 300 MHz apart with each of the individual pulses changing frequency on transmission, either randomly or controlled actively in response to ECM jamming. The twelve transmitter pulses were 0.5 degree beam width, overlapping, and 1 degree vertical beam height. This arrangement gave considerable protection against Soviet ECM activity at the time. Operated in conjunction with the Type 85, the Decca HF200 height finder radar was installed to replace the ageing AN/FBS-6. HF200 provided improved target discrimination over distances in excess of 200 miles and at high altitude. In the Operations Room was a Comcen containing Creed 7B teleprinters linked to the outside world by GPO telephone lines and microwave links
Neatishead operated in its new role for three years until 16th February 1966, when Leading Aircraftman John Cheeseman deliberately started a fire in the Technical Stores area of the R3 Operations bunker – ‘The Hole’ – which quickly got out of control. The RAF station fire crew were unable to bring the blaze under control and local fire services were called in to assist. Three of the local fire fighters died in the fire, all the operations equipment installed in the R3 bunker was destroyed and the bunker severely damaged. LAC Cheeseman received a seven year custodial sentence but questions were raised with the Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force (Mr. Merlyn Rees) in the House of Commons as to why Cheeseman had been allowed into the secure area without any security clearance. Immediately following the fire, the Neatishead Master Radar Station operations were transferred to RAF Bawdsey in Suffolk which took feeds from the undamaged radar installations at Neatishead.
Today RAF Neatishead remains an important integrated Remote Radar Head (RRH), one of five which feed radar communications and data to the UK Air Surveillance and Control System (UK ASACS) which in turn is linked to other NATO networks. The other four feeds are at RRH Portreath in Cornwall, RRH Buchan in Aberdeenshire, RRH Staxton Wold, also in Suffolk and RRH Brizlee Wood in Northumberland and they are each linked to Control and Reporting Centres (CRC) at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and RAF ASACS HQ at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland. There are also links with Royal Air Force Sentry AEW aircraft and Royal Navy ships which can adopt the roles of mobile CRCs when required. ASACS is also linked to the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) at RAF Fylingdales which provides high level radar coverage 3,000 miles into Eastern Europe. Immediately next door to RAF Neatishead is the impressive RAF Air Defence Radar Museum and it is hoped that as many of you as possible will be able to attend the VMARS AGM being held there on July 18th and see for yourself the fascinating Cold War air defence systems that were in place.
For a preview of the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum at Neatishead follow this link http://www.radarmuseum.co.uk/
Sources:
Watching The Skies - The History of Ground Radar in the Air Defence of the United Kingdom, Jack Gough, HMSO, London, 1993, ISBN 0 11 772723 7, 0117 727 237 8216.
High Stakes: Britain's Air Arms in Action 1945-1990. Vic Flintham
http://www.radarpages.co.uk/
http://www.ventnorradar.co.uk/Type80.htm
http://www.davidbakerphotography.com/projects/military/the-history-of-raf-neatishead-uk
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/306956.pdf.
The VMARS News Sheet Issue 147
5 June 2015
Carconitron Jammer. Secret – Declassified.
http://www.armedforces.co.uk/raf/listings/l0016.html. UK Defence Manufacturers Information
Finally: After three years as VMARS Chairman I am standing down at the AGM on July 18th and leaving the Committee. This is the last of the essays that I shall be writing as the Chairman’s contribution to the monthly News Sheet and I would like to take this opportunity to thank personally the many VMARS Members who sent helpful, encouraging and supportive e-mails, wrote letters and made telephone calls with gratefully received offers of advice and help during my tenure and with generous offers to VMARS Members to provide them with spare parts, circuit diagrams and practical advice and assistance. Thank you all for your kindness and generosity.
Ian Underwood M0YMK
Wartime in the Vale
Ashdown WWII Camp, Evesham, Worcestershire 20th and 21st June 2015
Once again the eastern skyline of Badsey Farm, near Evesham, was dominated by the tallest mast structure within the VMARS contingent of the National Show of the MVT, that being the 40-foot SCAM mast atop Ron Swinburne’s K9 truck and, by all accounts, Ron’s signal was heard far and wide, with his very reliable Carolina Windom (must try one of those in the /A location). Equipment in use for the VMARS AM Net was Larkspur C11 TX and R210 RX, initially running 5 W, then up to the high power of 55 W, although Ronald it is the last time I mention the batteries to you; next step is the Guardroom!
Several VMARS members made up the team and a steady stream of visitors old and new stopped by to view the vehicles and displays.
The VMARS Team and a few visitors.
We were given a digital handheld radio on short term PMR hire licence by Dave Hicks G8EPR, one of several volunteers at Badsey Farm, so that we could liaise with him and a potential 250 W from his Skanti Transceiver ex-NCRS trailer. Some readers may know of Dave, the ‘Pye’ man, known for his rather large collection of Pye and associated PMR equipment. Dave called into the Net and received reasonable reports although, on one occasion, the Camp’s trip system did not like the stray RF and tripped out.
Dave was also assisted by Michael (Mike) Mason G0JVP, soon to be a prospective member of VMARS who, on the Saturday night, worked an impressive 24 stations in just under an hour, including locations such as EI, ON and a DL in Hamburg.
I was impressed by the Skanti station having seen them regularly at our TA centre. We had two NCRS trailers before they suddenly disappeared having been back loaded for disposal via RAMCO. Whilst GB4WIV was on air at this location they highlighted the following stations worked:
J69RS: 21.250 MHz at 1708, St. Lucia, Virgin Islands
8P6ET: 7.173 MHz at 0418 on 18th June, Barbados Victoria Charlie
VA3XAE: 7.173 MHz at 0414 on 18th June, Canada
4L4LL: 21.254 MHz at 1018 on 18th June, Georgia
LY2J: 14.226 MHz at 1923 on 18th June, Pranus near Colnus
S50P:14 216 MHz at 1920
DL2HUC/P: 14 260 MHz on IOTA Island No EU057
GU0UVH: 7.140 MHz at 2019, Alderney
EW2MA: 21.210 MHz at 1432 on 20th June, Malta
All contacts were made using a 7 MHz Racal/Thales dipole kit and SSB TX/RX Plessey badged Skanti TRP8500 250 W SSB/AM transceiver and MFJ manual tuner unit.
Both Ron and Dave were able to put out decent signals from Badsey, aided and abetted by Pete Coates M1FHI with his 110 Land Rover, suitably kitted out with Clansman HF/VHF Milspec pneumatic masts and a small selection of Japanese black boxes. Pete is obviously unaware of the statutory VMARS £15 fine if one is seen operating one of these and an invoice is to be duly sent in the post!
One for the caption competition?
Meanwhile Steve Williams M0MOG had his rather impressive Cold War display with his 1964 Unimog 404 HF-teleprinter truck and trailer (ex-Bundeswehr) and 1945 VW82 Kubelwagen (ex-Wermacht). The Unimog has the very impressive Rhode and Schwartz SK-010 TX and a Telefunken receiver, all linked in the teletype system. No problems for power either with a very large towable hand cranked generator, also from the period.
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June 2015 6
I took along my lightweight Land Rover c. 1980 and the Racal Syncal 2000 which did not disappoint with several contacts made using a sloper connected to a halyard and hooked almost to the top of Ron’s SCAM mast. I managed several contacts in-between QSOs with passing visitors. However, there were two notable contacts made on the key to Irvine in Scotland and Krakow in Poland, both very enjoyable but, alas, a third contact in Greece did not understand QRS so I was chasing him for most of the 3-minute contact and found myself sweating at the end.
Should have guessed I had a problem but got quickly sorted out by medics at the minor injuries unit in Evesham. This was the first time I had experienced a blood sugar incident since being diagnosed two years ago but I was very impressed with NHS care – in and out in 50 minutes.
If you have never ventured out to a Military vehicle event, you would be surprised by the various equipment on display, so look forward to next year’s show and perhaps we can make it a bumper turnout with other military vehicle owners or, indeed, if you have a mobile radio display, perhaps something special to drag in the crowds, we would love to hear from you. I have toyed with a T1154/R1155 station or perhaps an ART13/BC-348. How about it folks? We can supply a 9 x 9 if needed.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ron Swinburne M0WSN, the organiser of this year’s VMARS contingent and thank him for the compliment the whole group received from Paul Valadis, the show organiser, who commented on the straight lines of the display and the attention to detail. He asked if we would come again. I said “try and stop us”.
Oh and before I forget, did I mention the catering: fish and chips on the Thursday night in Evesham by the river Avon, Friday night a return to the town for the Curry night at the Blue Lagoon and the very successful Barbeque put together by Anne M3TBI and Jennette. Our special thanks to Pierre Marco White aka Pete Coates who looked after the cooking of nice marinated chicken and flavoursome burgers, the girls having provided nibbles, salad and accompaniments, that decked with a suitable drink, made the whole evening worthwhile. We even managed to blow away those threatening clouds! Yes we had had some rain mid-afternoon and early evening, but we put our faith in the radio gods and it managed to stay nice for our evening giving us a very colourful sky bedecked with the spectacular sight of a double rainbow standing out against a very deep dark violet-blue sky.
Stuart McKinnon G0TBI
The VMARS News Sheet Issue 147
7 June 2015
‘Calendar quality’ photograph of the double rainbow at Wartime in the Vale taken by Ron Swinburne M0WSN (best viewed in colour!)
Page 39 of Signal Issue 35
Readers of Signal will be aware of the intention that page 39 of the current issue be printed in colour to allow the signal pathways described by Bob Weaver to be made clear. We apologise for an error in production which resulted in page 39 being printed in grey-scale, thereby causing the critical information to be lost. It is intended that the circuit diagram in question be reproduced in colour in the next issue of Signal to be published at the beginning of September. In the meantime, any reader who would like to receive a colour copy of page 39 should contact me and I will be happy to provide a print.
Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF
VMARS Reflectors (Groups) on the Web
The Society hosts two official Yahoo Groups (VMARS-Member and VMARS-Collector) exclusively for VMARS Members. These are closed groups and the discussions cannot be viewed by non-subscribers. Members can join both groups by invitation only. Invitations to join VMARS-Member are issued automatically to new Members or by application to Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF. Invitations to VMARS-Collector are issued by application to Ian Underwood M0YMK. Both Groups are moderated by the Committee and their purpose is as
The VMARS-Member Group is a forum where Members can share technical and other specialised information about all
aspects of VMARS Members' interests and within the scope of the Society. It is not to be used for the posting of advertisements for trade.
The VMARS-Collector Group is a trading platform for VMARS Members. Its purpose is to enable Members to buy, sell, exchange or request items which relate directly to vintage and military radio, radar and associated items.
Members are advised that another Yahoo Group calling itself VMARS is not an official VMARS site and correctly identifies itself as having nothing to do with the Society except in name.
Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF
Sending in articles, news items, letters and advertisements for VMARS Publications
Please send copy to Colin Guy G4DDI by post or e-mail, 7 Herrick Court, Clinton Park, Tattershall, Lincs. LN4 4QU Tel 01526 344715 [email protected] The copy deadline for the next issue of the News Sheet is 15th July. For articles for the next issue of Signal the deadline is 9th August, but copy would be appreciated as far in advance as possible.
Issue 147 The VMARS News Sheet
June 2015 8
Saturday AM Net-Controller’s Rota
Date 1st op 2nd op 3rd op
11th Jul G0TBI G3XGW M0TCM
18th Jul G3XGW M0TCM M0DAF
25th Jul M0TCM M0DAF M0YMK
1st Aug M0DAF M0YMK G4GEN
8th Aug M0YMK G4GEN G4BQF
15th Aug G4GEN G4BQF GW8TBG
22nd Aug G4BQF GW8TBG G3YYH
Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF
Helplines questions 147/1 Larkspur for FFR Land Rover
I am hoping you can help me.
For the past 14 years, I have owned an ex-military 1961 swb series 2a FFR Land Rover and, over the years, I have been trying to fit it out with the correct Larkspur radios of the period. So far I have a C13 HF set that is missing a lot of equipment and at C42 VHF set for which I believe I have most of the parts except the cables. I also have a A43 UHF ground-to-air set with an antenna connection and antenna and battery missing as well as an A41 VHF manpack that is just missing the battery. I have asked for help on various forums (mainly military vehicle ones) if anyone can help with the missing parts but all I get is links or references to publications on how to fit the sets to the vehicles, etc. So I am hoping if you have some members who know more about Larkspur than I do and could perhaps either meet me at mine (near Wisbech in North Cambridgeshire) or I can bring the vehicle to theirs or a meet somewhere with all the bits I have and help me identify what I am missing. Any help at all would be gratefully appreciated.
Please reply via Stuart McKinnon G0TBI
Matt Lawrence
Helplines answers 146/2 “Ginger”
Two Members, Ian Underwood M0YMK and Richard Powell M1CFW both suggested that the ground-based equipment referred to by Bob Weaver’s father was the S-phone and Bob was sent the recent VMARS News Sheet Leader on the S-phone by Ian Underwood as well as references to the manual and museum exhibits. Bob weaver replies as follows:
“Thank you very much for the information you sent. I have no doubt that the S-phone must have been the equipment that was used. The description of the S-phone in the News Sheet matches very closely with my father's description of operation. I suspect that the code name 'Ginger' had been assigned to the S-phone equipment for this specific operation and likely other code names were used for the equipment in other operations in order to prevent the unnecessary spread of information.
It's too bad that there isn't much information on the airborne transceiver. Maybe some will come to light eventually.”
Please reply with any further suggestions concerning the airborne transceiver via Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF
Bob Weaver
Letter to the Editor From VMARS Chairman Ian Underwood
VMARS in Crisis This year VMARS has a choice of two candidates for the post of Chairman. This has come about because of a serious and seemingly unbridgeable rift within the Committee. VMARS Members have made it very clear that they do not want to read about disputes, disagreements and personal rancour and it has been the policy of this Committee to keep such items out of the Society media and let the Committee deal with them on your behalf so that you can continue to enjoy our hobby, which is what we all joined VMARS for.
This is an exceptional case and the outcome could have severe consequences for VMARS. At risk are the future of the Society media services to members, including Signal, and the loss of valued members of the Committee, which will have a serious effect on the future viability of the Society. I am appealing to all VMARS Members to make an effort to attend the AGM being held at the Neatishead RAF Air Defence Radar Museum on Saturday 18th July and vote to support the majority of the Committee in maintaining VMARS as a thriving vintage and military radio society. Please come.
Committee Notices VMARS AGM 2015
Notice is hereby given that the 2015 AGM will take place at the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum, Near Remote Radar Head (RRH) Neatishead, Horning, Norfolk NR12 8YB on 18th July 2015, 10.30 a.m.–12.45 p.m.
Information about the venue and the arrangements for the AGM are given on pages 1 and 2 of this News Sheet.
It is important that those wishing to attend the AGM let Stuart McKinnon G0TBI know of their intention so that the correct number of lunches can be ordered. Please also let him know any special dietary requirements. Replies without delay, please.
Please note that a revised agenda is attached to this issue of the News Sheet.
Committee Meeting 2nd May 2015
Committee Meeting No. 3 of 2014/15 was held on Saturday 2nd May 2015 beginning at 1030 UTC. The meeting was held at Thorpe Camp in order to facilitate a review and discussion with Colin Guy of the Society Archive.
The following were present: Ian Underwood M0YMK (Chairman), Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF (Treasurer & Publications Manager), John Keeley GW6RAV (Hon. Secretary), Pete Shepherd G7DXV (Membership Secretary), Peter Jones G8CDC (Committee Member), Ron Swinburne M0WSN (Committee Member), Stuart Mckinnon G0TBI (Public Relations & Publicity Officer) and Tony Barron G3YYH (co-opted Member).
The VMARS News Sheet Issue 147
9 June 2015
The principal decisions taken and topics discussed were as follows:
1. Email Decisions A decision was taken regarding correspondence in pursuit of a matter of reserved business.
2. Health & Safety Noted that Risk Assessments had been received in respect of Society attendance at the Blackpool and Harwell rallies. Agreed that an Archive File be established to hold risk assessments.
3. Society Membership
Pete Shepherd reported there were 443 paid up members. A total of 51 members had not renewed their subscriptions. This number included four Silent Keys who had passed away during the course of 2014. An application had been received for Student Membership from a mature student. After discussion, it was agreed that Bronek Wedzicha would write to the person concerned. Pete also reported that the first Junior Member had now joined the Society.
4. AGM 2015
a) Committee Nominations Ian Underwood advised that he would not be seeking re-election. A unanimous vote of thanks was recorded to Ian for his service both on Committee and as Chairman of the Society.
Nominations were recorded for Pete Shepherd as Membership Secretary and Bronek Wedzicha for Treasurer.
A proposal was tabled by Ian Underwood for Tony Barron to stand for the office of Chairman. It was recognised that this raised a possible Constitutional issue, Tony being a co-opted member of the Committee. The proposal was that in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Committee and his activity in the Society during the past year, exceptionally and in the best interests of the Society, Tony’s nomination be allowed to go forward and be put before the Membership. In discussion, opinions were divided and the proposal was put to the vote, the result being as follows: Those in favour: 4 Those against: 2
Stuart McKinnon, who was present in his capacity of PR & Publicity Officer, was invited to cast an informal vote and voted against the proposal. The proposal was, therefore, declared to be carried and Tony Barron’s nomination for the Post of Chairman would go forward to the AGM. John Keeley noted that he would reach 10 years service as Hon. Secretary at AGM 2015. If re-elected, he felt it should be his final year and will ask the new Committee to actively seek a replacement who could take over as acting Secretary during the course of the new Society year in order to effect a smooth changeover.
b) Committee Motions
No Committee motions were to be tabled for discussion at the AGM.
c) Motions under Members Business
A question had been received from Leon Ellison. This will be tabled for discussion and a response from Committee will be provided as part of the AGM Agenda.
A Motion relating to Auction procedures had been received from Harry Ashworth. After discussion it was decided that as this related to a procedure for providing better information to Vendors that Committee was happy to put in place hence there was no need for an AGM motion. John Keeley to write to Harry and explain the situation.
d) Additional Agenda Items It was agreed that an item in respect of the need for ‘new blood’ on Committee would be mentioned.
e) Meeting Arrangements, Security, Catering, etc.
Stuart McKinnon was in contact with the museum authorities at Neatishead and would promulgate the relevant information shortly.
f) AGM Papers
It was agreed these would now be finalised for issue with the May NS.
5. Silent Key Bequest Form
Tony Barron had produced a second draft of the SK Bequest Form. This had been reviewed outside of the meeting and it was agreed that this should be published with the up-coming NS and introduced at the AGM.
6. Dispersal of Valve Donation
Proposals had been received from Ron Swinburne and Tony Barron as follows: Ron proposed a series of ‘flash sales’ at the storage in Wolverhampton (and possibly at other Society events) where ‘grab boxes’ of assorted valves be made available to members at an agreed price. Tony proposed an alternative approach where he would effectively take over the donated stock of valves, catalogue them, and supply them individually to members on request at agreed prices.
After discussion, it was agreed that the best approach would be to adopt a fusion of both proposals where ‘grab boxes’ of small everyday valve types of which there is a large quantity and many duplicates will be made available in the manner suggested by Ron and the remainder, being a smaller quantity of more specialized valves, will be catalogued and made available on an individual basis as suggested by Tony.
The arrangements for the disposal of the valve donation to be remitted to the new Committee for implementation.
7. Society Archive The review of the Society Archive was undertaken in the form of a working lunch with Colin Guy G4DDI. The principal points covered were as follows: a) What is the situation regarding progress with work
on the Archive? There had been significant delays over the previous 18 months due to major changes in his personal circumstances and his job, but he is now able once more to devote time to the Archive.
b) Is any additional equipment or software needed? No – everything is working satisfactorily and, in any case, there is a restriction on operating space.
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June 2015 10
c) Is there enough help from volunteers? No. There is just one volunteer member (who cleans documents) and I working on the Archive. More help from members would be useful.
d) Can ‘casual workers’ be used to scan / clean documents in order to reduce the backlog of documents waiting to be archived? This has been tried in the past and it didn’t work. Sadly, the attention to detail was lacking and as much time was spent correcting their mistakes as I would have done scanning/cleaning the documents myself in the first place.
e) Is the physical archive storage secure for the foreseeable future? Yes. Thorpe Camp has had a few upheavals over the last 12 months but has now settled down. The situation will be kept under review but is stable at present.
f) What about the storage capacity? This may have to be reviewed at some point in the future because the space is filling up.
Closing the review, Ian Underwood thanked Colin Guy and his assistant, Martin Longmore, for their valued and continuing work on the Archive.
8. Society Finances
Bronek Wedzicha reported that the accounts were now with the Honorary Examiners and proposed that the accounts be published as non-examined documents. Summarizing the end-of-year financial position, Bronek reported that costs for last year’s AGM, rallies, etc. had resulted in a deficit. The Accounts were unanimously approved on this basis and a vote of thanks to Bronek for his hard and meticulous work was recorded.
9. Members’ Individual Liability
Ian Underwood had circulated a paper prior to the meeting setting out the pertinent facts and associated risks of the Society being constituted as an ‘Unincorporated Society governed by a Constitution’. A way to strengthen and guard against risks was to re-form the Society as a not-for-profit limited company. This would involve a completely new constitution and a period of consultation would be needed with the Membership in order to ascertain their views before any decisions were taken. It was agreed to introduce the topic at the AGM to begin the consultation.
10. Commercial Structure There was nothing specific to report but it was noted that the end-of-year accounts showed a deficit and forward strategy to maintain the commercial structure would inevitably be determined by the outcome of the consultation on the future constitution of the Society.
11. Rallies & Events The next Society event would be the AGM.
12. Improvements to Members Services This is a regular agenda item and, although there were no specific items to report, the holding of AGM 2015 at the Neatishead Radar Museum is a further example of improvements to Members’ Services.
13. Reserved Business
An item of reserved business was discussed.
14. Further Committee Meetings It was agreed that a further meeting will be held prior to the AGM. Date and venue to be confirmed
There being no further business, the meeting was formally closed at 1500 hours.
Applications for Membership
We wish to welcome the following new applicants for VMARS Membership:
Name, Callsign (Region) Interests Mr RP Price G3VTD West Yorkshire
AM transmission, military radios.
[Membership rules require names of applicants for Membership to be published, before they are formally accepted as Members. This allows existing Members to object, if they wish. If you want to object to any of the above, please write to our Hon Sec, John Keeley – Ed.]
Advertisements FOR SALE: 2 x DX100U cases, good condition, £25 each 1 x DX20 case, good condition, £10 2 x DX40 front panels, NOS, £3 each This is an SK sale; all proceeds to the SK's widow. Contact Tony Barron: details at the front of this News Sheet WANTED: Audio output transformer for RCA AR88 receiver. I need to replace one someone has kindly repaired my set with. If you can help please let me know. WS62 set: I have been asked if I ever dug out my 62 Set. The answer is no, sorry. I have been too busy but will get to it soonest and then place it here for your consideration. Stuart G0TBI Kinver South Staffs 01384 872157 WANTED: WS62, preferably working but will consider any condition. I can collect and pay cash within the M25 area or alternately will pay any extra courier costs needed. Contact Bill on 0208 505 5077 or 07949195302
Copyright Notice The VMARS News Sheet is a publication of the Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society. Copyright remains vested in the authors, thus no material in this News Sheet may be copied and published elsewhere, in part or in full, by any means, without the express permission of the author. This may be sought either from the author direct, or from the News Sheet Editor, Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF.
The VMARS News Sheet Issue 147
11 June 2015
Vintage & Military Amateur Radio Society
Annual General Meeting
18th July 2015
AGENDA
1. Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of AGM 2014
A summary of the draft minutes is provided as Annex 1 to this agenda. A copy of the full version of the draft minutes may be obtained on request from the Honorary Secretary.
4. Special Item Leon Ellison has tabled the following question:
I understand that a large number of service and information manuals from the late John Coggins estate have been disposed of. My question is; why have these not been offered to the members before disposal as many of the manuals may have been of general historic or technical interest.
Committee Response:
A quantity of manuals that came remained from the various containers cleared as part of the John Coggins G3TFC SK sale were sold to a Trader following a Committee decision. This was based on our perceived judgement of interest in the manuals by VMARS members and was made in good faith by the Committee having taken a sample from the very large collection and, while recognising that no decisions are perfect, the decision was appropriate to the circumstances in which we were placed. With hindsight the Committee recognises that the manuals should have first been offered to the Membership.
5. Chairman’s Report
Ian Underwood M0YMK, will present an overview of the Society’s year in his Chairman’s Report for 2015 and the full text will be published in the August News Sheet
6. Secretary’s Report
The Secretary’s Report will be delivered at the meeting and the full text published in the August News Sheet
7. Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer’s report, copy of the Final Accounts up to December 31st 2014 and notes to the accounts are provided as Annex 2 to this agenda
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June 2015 12
7.1 Adoption of Accounts 7.2 Increase in Annual Subscription
That the annual subscription be increased by one pound (£1) in 2015 and a further one pound (£1) in 2016. Postal voting forms are provided in Annex 4 to this agenda.
8. Membership Report Pete Shepherd G7DXV, our Membership Secretary provides an update on Society membership. The full text will be published in the August News Sheet
9. VMARS Publications & Handbook Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF provides an update on our publications. The full text will be published in the August News Sheet
10. Election of Officers and Committee Members
Candidate’s statements, proxy appointment and postal voting forms are provided as Annex 3 to this agenda.
11. Election of Honorary Examiners
12. Public Relations & Publicity Stuart Mckinnon G0TBI, our Public Relations and Publicity Officer provides an update on the Society Public Relations & Publicity Strategy. The full text will be published in the September News Sheet
13. Archive Group An update from Colin Guy G4DDI, our Archivist, on the work of the Archive Group during the course of the year. The full text will be published in the September News Sheet
14. RSGB Spectrum Group Ron Swinburne M0WSN, who represents the Society on the RSGB Spectrum Group provides an update on RSGB spectrum matters. The full text will be published in the September News Sheet.
15. Committee Business 15.1 Silent Key Bequest Form
A revised version of the bequest form has now been prepared. Tony Barron will introduce this and answer any questions.
15.2 Future of the Society – Discussion Topic
The Society is currently constituted as an unincorporated association governed by a constitution. This has both advantages and disadvantages and a possible alternative is to re-constitute the Society as a limited company. The future of the Society is to be considered by the New Committee who would like to take this opportunity to hear the views of the Membership. The discussion will be led by the Chairman.
16. Any Other Business
