Just to remind you, Monday the 17th of April 2017, is an Essex Skills Night night.
No Easter Holiday Monday break for us… the event takes place at the Danbury Village Hall as normal.
Here’s what’s planned for the April 2017 Skills Night:
| You asked… we listened!
Last month, Essex Ham ran the 2017 Skills Night Survey… we’ve reviewed the results, looked at your Skills requests, and thanks to the help of volunteers, come up trumps. If you asked for something specific – April could be your Skills month. |
New Stuff!
- 10GHz demo. Graham G8HAJ joined us in November for a popular Hellschreiber demo, and will return with a 10GHz SSB setup with a simple low-cost 3cm receiver using a standard satellite LNB and an SDR dongle.
- Digital Voice / Raspberry Pi: You asked for Digital Voice. You asked for Raspberry Pi. So this month, Steve M0SHQ takes a break from satellites to show us his personal D-star Hotspot running on a Raspberry pi3 via Dv-mega board with Blue stack. The Raspberry Pi was the theme of the April 2017 SEARS talk (with the larger-than-life Peter GoDZB), and if you want to see a couple of Pis in action, pop along!
- Radio Direction Finding: Two requests for this in Essex Ham’s Skills Survey, and as a result, Roy G4JAC returns with some RDF kit to encourage some fresh air radio direction finding activity in 2017
- Simulation: As many will know, Steve G4GHO is soon to become DX. For his final appearance at the Essex Skills Night, he’ll be doing a “Getting started in simulation” session. This will be either analogue (LTSpice, QUCS, Microwave Office etc), or antenna (MMana or 4NEC2). He’ll also have an effective freeware Maths package. This will be an introduction to how to get started with simulation, including some simple examples. Steve can hopefully help with specific questions on this topic too.
- Building an Oscillator: Mike G4NVT will hopefully be getting someone to build an oscillator, using some bits that he’ll bring along, and test in on the night using his spectrum analyser
- Construction project: Melvin 2E0DNS will demonstrate a linear resistance meter that he’s just built. His sine wave oscillator is now complete and if anyone’s up for bringing along an oscilloscope, Melvin’s happy to show it off
- High Altitude Balloon Tracking: Pete M0PSX will demonstrate receiving RTTY packets from balloons, and how to track HAB activity
- Stuff! Essex Ham’s Nick M0NFE will hopefully have some “stuff”. We’re not prepared to be any more specific at this time!
Skills Regulars
- Testing, Testing: Using a Spectrum analyser for testing antennas and handhelds, VSWR testing measuring frequency and filters. Mike G4NVT will also be testing antennas and harmonics. If you have anything you’d like tested, please bring it along.
- Essex CW Club: Helping to promote and encourage the Morse mode, and hopefully get some feedback on a proposed CW Bootcamp
- Callsign Badges: Got a new callsign recently? Tell everyone who you are with a callsign badge engraved while-you-wait, courtesy of Jim 2E0JTW and Glynis 2E0CUQ
- Essex Ham: Getting Started advice and leaflets from Essex Ham, the Raspberry Pi Zero playing the latest video, details about the online Foundation training course, plus the event’s wi-fi. Also, the chance to review the Skills Night Survey
- CARS: The Membership table returns. Visit Ray 2E0GVE, to pick up your CARS membership card, renew your subs, or join up
- Skills Quiz: Chris G0IPU is unable to be quizmaster this month, so Murray G6JYB steps up this month with some more challenging quiz questions, just for fun
As usual, representatives from Essex Ham, CARS, the Essex Repeater Group, the Essex CW Club and Essex RAYNET will be on hand to help with questions you may have.
The above list is subject to last-minute change.
Not appearing
Sadly this month, Charlie M0PZT / Ham Goodies won’t be along. Also, it looks like Ann won’t be along either (so no yummy home-made jam tarts this month). As mentioned above, Chris G0IPU is otherwise committed, so won’t be quiz-mastering or constructing
| Where: | Danbury Village Hall, 2 Main Road, Danbury, Chelmsford Essex CM3 4NQ See: Danbury Village Hall Map & Directions |
| When: | Monday 17th of April 2017 – 7pm to 9pm |
More about Skills Night
Essex Skills Nights continue to be one of the most popular gatherings of radio enthusiasts in the area. They take place at the Village Hall in Danbury, and are hosted by the CARS Training Team. The events are great for those new to the hobby keen to get some advice or ideas on the next steps. The events are informal, free to all, and everyone’s welcome – no need to be a member of any club to attend.
If you’ve been along to a Skills Night before, you’ll know what to expect – the usual mix of demonstrations, show-and-tell, construction, plus the chance to chat, ask questions and swap ideas. If you’ve not visited a Skills Night before… why not? Come along! It’s a friendly event with free tea and coffee where you can come along and learn more about the hobby. All are welcome, there’s no charge, and you don’t need to have a licence, or be a member of any club to come along.
Skills Night Links:
- Essex Skills Night – Event information from Essex Ham
- Previous Skills Night Reports – Our reports on Skills Night Events
- skills”>Chelmsford ARS (CARS) Skills Night Page
- The Skills Night Formula – How to run your own Skills Night
So the idea of bidding style junk sale that would of packed the hall out every month is not happening then
We had 38 requests for new features in the survey, and obviously can’t do them all immediately.
An auction is an interesting idea David, and we could try it. It won’t be happening this month, because no-one came forward and offered to organise it for this month’s event, but if you know someone who wants to sort it for May’s event, then we can certainly try it!
If anyone else reading wonders why we’re not running their idea this month – don’t worry, we’re working on it. We had 72 responses, and we rely on volunteers to fulfil those requests. We’ll get there! All offers of help for new demos or features are always greatly appreciated!
Ok great just make a mention of it at this months skills asking people to bring in any surplus kit radio or tech related or anything of interest they want to sell put it on a table with info of who the seller is 10% of the sale goes to the essex skills night funds which would also enables the larger hall to be paid for and used for skills nights amateurs get to clear out that kit in the shack they never use anymore buyers get a bargain getting hold of kit cheaper by bidding for it a laugh and banter goes on as well with the bidding as to what you could buy it for very helpful to newbies starting out aswell myself and Mike G4NVT know how to run it on the skills night but others will pick it up quickly how it’s done so anyone can run it on the night unsold things can be bought up each month by the seller as different people go to skills each month so just put the word out and see if people bring things to skills for junksale on the night nothing more to setup or organise really
No problem – sounds like it might be worth a try to see if it takes off. I’ll put you down for a table at the May Skills (15th May), and let you say a little about it at tomorrow night’s event. Obviously, time is tight at a Skills Night with the announcements and quiz. How much time would you like me to allow for this in May, so I can set you enough time?
Maybe let it run after the announcements & quiz the time it runs is down to how many things are on the table to bid on that night what time do you have to be out of the hall maybe a shorter show & tell slightly earlier time for quiz & announcements so as to fit in a junksale as well into the time that most are just stood around chatting after the quiz so make use of this time with the junksale
It might be worth you asking how many people have things they want to sell/auction tomorrow, so you’ll have a feel for how much table space and time you’ll need.
The week before the May Skills Night, just let me know how many minutes you’ll need, and I’ll plan accordingly. I assume by then you’ll know how many things you’ll have to sell / auction. Remember we only have the hall until 9pm and we always over-run!
If you’re able to get a list together of auction items and things likely to be on sale, then I can promote what’s on offer when I send out May’s email reminder.
Also worth noting that two weeks later is the CARS Tabletop Sale at Oaklands – will that be a problem?
I can’t see any problems if people bring things to sell it goes ahead if not it doesn’t.
Just put a table out let people put there things on the table when they arrive if they want a reserve price on it before bidding state that reserve price there are tabletop sales & rallies all the time going on so don’t see that being a problem it’s all down to people bringing stuff up to sell really once it gets known i’m sure it will pack the hall out every month it used to at the vange club years ago i feel it’s something some may only make the trip to skills for each month everyone loves a bargain anything that gets people to skills is a good thing I will explain it at skills tomorrow in the announcements then just stick a table out & see if people bring stuff up to sell without a reserve most stuff will start off at silly money like 10p n then bid up bring anything old components etc radio kit antenna’s computer bits coax wire just try it see what happens then gauge it from there
OK. Let’s get a feel from people tomorrow night. See you then! Thanks for the suggestion.
Best way to play it at this stage
You could ask members to read this post too by putting it out on essexham fb page to see what comments come back
Done!
thanks lets see what happens
Not really interested in junk sales. Lot of old tat at rallies these days. Ain’t we all buying on ebay these days? For me skill night is about seeing and trying new things not what clubs like Vange does. But good luck with it.
It’s an idea paul at this stage maybe you could share more of what you would like to see at skills to spice up the evening and get attendances up as a regular i can see that unless new ideas are bought in it will start to go abit stale at skills nights thats why a recent survey was put out to keep things fresh and exciting and to ensure there is something for everyone to enjoy
More radios, antennas, different modes, live stations, things that people are working on, new stuff. Ain’t skills night meant to be about training and skills. If cars is doing a junk sale then thats the place for selling junk. Getting rid of show and tell to have a junk action and do what vange club does would ruin it
Show & tell is not being got rid of this is an added idea to the evening
Great idea. I have a few bits and Bob’s