Summer Camp
From W&DARS
The W&DARS Summer Camp is a real highlight of our Annual Programme. It takes place during the first week of August each year, beginning on the Friday and ending ten days later on the following Sunday.
We hire a field just outside Reigate, onto which we can erect an antenna farm. We provide club stations on HF and VHF, and members are invited to bring their own equipment and establish their own stations. Almost anything is possible.
Some members bring along their caravans and stay for the week, others manage with a tent and still others come for the day. We have in the last few years welcomed visitors from other clubs and this makes for very happy occasions.
The address of the farm where we rent a field for the week is:-
Crossways Farm
Crossways lane
Upper Gatton
Reigate RH2 0TX
The Site is within walking distance of Junction 8 on the M25
If you are travelling by public transport there are buses from from Epsom and Sutton stations. The bus stop is just past the junction (roundabout) with Babylon Lane on the A217 about ½mile from the site.
Contents |
Summer Camp 2005
HF Station
Peter Jenner M0PDJ towed a borrowed caravan to site in which he installed his IC 756pro mkII, coupled to that was a 2 element HF beam antenna which matched on 20, 15 & 10m, mounted at the top of a 100ft ex-military Clark Mast. With this enviable set up Peter and other operators filled many pages in the GX3WIM logbooks.
On the computer we made good use of a program called AziWorld (courtesy of F6DQM), to help us stear the beam to the correct heading. We also operated a 2m packet station, and were able to connect via Caterham to the world wide DX Cluster. Some of our rarer contacts were made as a result of watching the Cluster.
Notable contacts were:-
YB1BS - Indonesia, SV9GPY - Crete, 9K2CQ - Kuwait, A47RS - Muscat, VU2SE - S.India, JI3MJK - Japan, T6X - Afganistan, TF4EN - Iceland, OY9R - Faroe Islands, all on 20m.
With the help of the trees, the HF Mast and G8MNY's Mast, a Top Band Dipole! was erected. I think we were the loudest signal on Top Band in the south of England! Andrew G4ADM participated in a number of Top Band NETs, with friends old and new.
VHF Station
On VHF, two very nice beams for 2m and 70cm were erected. It is not often you will get access to so many elements, and Europe was easily accessible. We even provided a nice tent to operate from.
Other Stations
As well as the shared HF and VHF stations, many members setup their own antennas, and were able to further their own particular interests. Eric G0KRT ran a QRP station using CW and SSB. Equipment was an FT-817 and a small HF whip vertical powered by batteries. A truly field portable station.
John G8MNY, a very welcome visitor, had his own station operating lf, hf, 6m, 2m, 2m packet and 24cm ATV. By erecting a separate 24cms mast and aerial good contact was made with GB3HV at High Wycombe, and via that repeater, pictures of our camp site were transmitted.
Band Totals
Although many members seem to be more interested in experimenting and socialising rather than operating, we did make a good number of contacts using our GX3WIM callsign.
The band totals were:- 160m = 23; 80m = 13; 40m = 11; 20m = 193; 6m = 10; 2m = 34.
If anything we could do with more visitors who want to operate from such a good location. Put the 2006 dates in your diary now and come and visit us. You will be made very welcome.
The Camp Social Life
Socially the “Mess” area, local to G4RBQ/P, was seldom inactive, in fact at meal times a hive of activity, with bar-b-ques and saucepans cooking up fresh victuals for the operators.
