INDEX AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ISSUE No.24 FEBRUARY 1988
Page 1................Index Page 2................From the Chair Page 3................PUBlicity Page 4................Wordsearch Page 4................Events + For Sale or Wanted Page 5................Yasme Foundation Page 6................Yasme continued Page 7................Wordsearch Solutions Pullout...............1987 AGM minutes. 1987/88 accounts
Final date for articles etc for April.March 21st.
Editor................Dave Chislett G4XDU Technical Editor......Dave Lomas G4XOW Printer...............Dave Ayres G6GBC Computer Editor.......Mike Brown G4RAA
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B.B.R.C. COMMITTEE
Chair.................Dave Chislett G4XDU Secretary.............John Pumfrey G8SNH Treasurer.............David Ayres G6GBC Member................Dave Lomas G4XOW Member................Paul Shayler G6TSF
Publicity.............Eileen Chislett G6EIL Library...............Richard Ashberry G6RTM Club Equipment........John Sanders G1LMI
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Club Rooms...........Haymill Community Centre 112 Burnham Lane Slough. SL1 6LZ
Meetings: 1st and 3rd Mondays each month at 8.00pm Room 48
FROM THE CHAIR....
First of all may I offer belated good wishes for the new year. 1988 doesn't seem to have got off to a good start. Just when you thought the magazine was gone forever here it is back. We must apologise for its late arrival (almost as bad as RadComm!) but the next edition will be out on time Promise! This issue has been rushed together so doesn't contain as much as usual, but you should find some good reading plus a brain teaser.
At the start of the year we have had a few problems with Speakers not being able to do the dates we had booked. We will rearrange these talks for later in the year.
This year promises to be a very busy one for the club. Apart from the usual events, we have the Telethon GB0TTT in May; during July the Special Events station and McMichael '88. In October we should be running a Jota station GB2SWD once again; we promise to give you more warning this year. I hope that you all will join in on these events both to make them a success and to enjoy yourselves.
On March 7th we have the AGM. Because we have failed to issue nomination forms early enough, and if you wish to stand for any of the committee positions, please tell the outgoing committee before if possible or at the beginning of the AGM. If you wish to discuss something during AOB then please let the secretary know so we can add this to the agenda at the latest 29th February meeting.
On the subject of committee positions I do hope that some of you will give some thought to standing for election. The committee usually meet once a month and although you may think it would involve you in a lot of work, during my time as Chair we have shared the work out evenly and usually apart from the one meeting and the odd five minutes here and there that's about it. However, once bitten with a committee position most seem to thrive on it and put in a little extra, because simply they enjoy it. So once again you have the opportunity to stand for election so why not give it a go!
Finally, may I take this opportunity to thank the outgoing committee for all their hard work put in during the last year. They have made the last year easy for me. Hopefully also my absence from the club during January & February due to work commitments in the depths of Lancashire will be over by the AGM and I will be able to get to club meetings again.
73 Dave G4XDU Chair.
STOP PRESS... I have just heard that the Special events station in July is on, but please keep it to yourselves. More details later.
PUBlicity...PUBLICity...PUBlicity................
Now I've got your attention, let me put you in the picture on ideas to bring BBRC to the public eye. Not that it's going to be too difficult this year. We have, firstly, the TELETHON at the end of May. Now all of you who were involved before will know what fun it was, and that we raised #600. We did this by individuals getting friends, acquaintances, milk deliverers, passing motorists etc. to sponsor the club for the number of contacts made during the event. Our estimate of numbers was pretty accurate, and of course, your sponsors will be able to specify maximum amounts, so start talking to these people, and get them softened up ready to be generous.
Second and most important of course is the big local event in July, for which the club will receive the maximum publicity. Fame is just around the corner. Hard on the heels of that is McMichael 88. More opportunity to spread the word about the wonders of the BBRC. Remember more members benefits everyone by widening the scope of interests and activities we can undertake. Is this possible, I hear you ask?
Our first publicity worthy event is the extra club meeting on Monday February 29th. Ladies Day. I shall be letting all the local rags know our aims of the evening which are both to provide an entertaining and instructive evening for all, but with ladies in mind, while providing the ideal atmosphere for any interested amateurs/SWL's to come along and try us out, so to speak. So PLEASE bring your female friends/spouses along. I know already of some ladies who will be attending who are not connected with the club, so don't be shy.
Watch out for a SPECIAL OFFER for club members to have personalised T-shirts. More later on this.
Keep on spreading the word. BBRC - Britain's Best Radio Club!
88's G6EIL-een
WORDSEARCH
There are 27 radio related words hidden in this square. They may be written left to right, right to left, vertical - down or up - or diagonally. Have fun! G6EIL. (Solution on page 7).
R L N Y T E I C O S S A N O A D W E I V T W M I L G I C T A E R G R A D I O N L R M A S M T M D D V G L O N E A I E A E R L I H S H H R U Q T A B A S I C N B U L C E M O R S E R P I H C F U Q I T E U N T E N Y A R F O B B E E C H L O G O R A
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BBRC Club Events 1988.
February 15th.............Visit to Thames TV (paid up members only) 29th.............Ladies Night (Bring the wife etc!!!) Self-Defence especially for Ladies. Living with an OM...G6EIL-een (wine & nibbles) See page 3! March 7th..............A.G.M. Talk on C6A land (wine & nibbles) 21st.............Junk Sale April 4th..............FoxHunt (afternoon event Bank Holiday) 18th.............TBA May 30th April 1&2nd.. Spring DX picnic 16th.............Computer ? 29/30th..........Telethon special event station. GB0TTT ------------------------------------------------------------------ FOR SALE OR WANTED
ROM BOARD FOR BBC "B" WATFORD TYPE `5 GREEN SCREEN 12" COMPUTER MONITOR `15 3 X FIVE EIGHTH 70cms Mobile aerial `18 Seven Eighths 2 Mtr Mobile Aerial `12 FRG7 Communications reciever fitted FM + 2mtr converter + SSB filter. Manual + front cover `100 Further details Dave G4XDU on Maidenhead 25720
YASME FOUNDATION and the COLVINS
INTRODUCTION If you have worked a DX station and been told "QSL via YASME" you may want to know more about "YASME". Bob Vallio, W6RRG, is Secretary of the Yasme Foundation.
HISTORY During 1954, British subject Danny Weil built a yacht and named it "Yasme" using a Japanese word that means "Good luck". He had never sailed a boat before and he was not an amateur radio operator, but he was determined to sail around the world. Despite the great difficulties he encountered, Danny managed to sail the "Yasme" from England to the British Virgin Islands, where he was fortunate to meet Dick Spenceley KV4AA, one of the world's best operators. Dick convinced Danny to become an amateur before continuing his trip around the world. Danny earned his licence and was working DX on CW at 20 wpm one month later. He installed a rig aboard "Yasme" and continued his trip, calling it the "Yasme DX-pedition". The Yasme Foundation was formed during 1961 to help Danny meet DX-pedition expenses. The Yasme Foundatuon is tax free.
Danny got married in 1964 and his wife accompanied him on several trips before they settled ashore. Since 1965, the Yasme Foundation has sponsored DX-peditions of Iris (W6QL) and Lloyd (W6KG) Colvin, two of the world's most competent operators, with the Colvins paying all their own expenses. The Yasme Foundation handles QSL cards and DX-pedition publicity.
IRIS AND LLOYD COLVIN Lloyd(W6KG) has been licenced since 1929, and Iris (W6QL) has been licenced since 1945, which makes a combined total of 98 years. Their daughter, Joy, is also an amateur. Many amateurs feel that they had achieved a major operating milestone when they got the DXCC award for confirmed contacts with amateurs in at least 100 countries. Such operators have just cause to be proud, because the DXCC award is not easy to earn. However, the Colvins have earned DXCC awards while using about 100 different call signs all around the world. This couple holds more DXCC certificates than any other couple in the world. The Colvins have made over one million contacts from 166 countries, and they have used 120 different call signs. They have the world's largest alphabetically filed collection of QSL cards, numbering about 500,000 cards.
The Colvins are extra class licencees. They both hold 5 band DXCC awards and they have been on the ARRL DX honor role for over a decade. They were well known as top operators long before they became associated with the Yasme Foundation.
"YASME" continued.
Following the end of WW2, Lloyd stayed in the US army Signals Corps spending 20 years completing worldwide assignments that enabled Iris and LLoyd to operate from many countries.
LATEST YASME DX-PEDITION The Colvins have recently completed a DX-pedition to the Indian Ocean countries, working cw and phone. While operating 4S7, Iris had a nasty fall breaking a hip. Iris was airlifted to VU for hospitalisation. At no time did Iris allow the accident to interfere with the DX-pedition. She is now well and back in the USA.
YASME QSL If you are told to "QSL via YASME", send your card to Yasme Foundation, PO BOX 2025, Castro Valley, California 94546, USA. Be sure to enclose a SAE and 2 IRC's for a fast card or via the bureau.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DANNY WEIL AND "YASME" I first worked Danny when he was signing G7DW/MM in 1954 when he was sailing through the Caribbean. One of our visits was to English Harbour on the island of Antigua. It was here that the British fleet under Nelson used to rest up and reprovision during the blockade of the French fleet. English Harbour is now a naval heritage area and a popular yacht marina and it was here that I met up with Danny and "yasme" - recuperating after a very rough crossing from the UK. Danny came on board and brought his radio gear to be dried out and checked over before once more setting sail.
En route to the Pacific, he called in at St.Thomas and met up with the legendary Dick Spenceley (KV4AA) who was then the DX editor of CQ magazine.
Dick persuaded the CQ magazine team to support DX-peditions into the Caribbean and Pacific by Danny - many of the zones and countries visited were on the "WANTED" list by those chasing DXCC honor role status.
The next time I came across Danny was when he was in the Pacific signing VR2EO/MM. I was once again MM, sailing around the Gilbert and Ellis Islands (now Kiribati), Fiji and the New Hebrides. Unfortunately, Danny was to come to grief off Papua, New Guinea, where his "Yasme" (the third one) ran aground on a reef. Danny was rescued but his yacht was a write-off.
"YASME" continued.
Iris and LLoyd arrrived off Gibraltar in 1966 aboard the SS Uganda, (at 2 a.m.!!!!). They had been issued with the call sign ZB2AX. They were staying at an hotel down Main St. and had a room very close to the flat topped roof - ideal for setting up the TH3 beam and dipoles.
The rig they used was a Collins KWM2. They were the first DX team to visit Gibraltar after the introduction of the UK reciprocal licence - G5ACH and G5ACI. During their visit they both greatly enjoyed "midnight" bathing off Eastern beach.
WHERE WILL THIS REMARKABLE COUPLE GO NEXT ?????????
Bob G0BTY
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WORDSEARCH SOLUTIONS
Burnham, Beeches, Club, Radio, Society, of, Great, Britain, Transistor, Diode, Valve, Amateur, Yagi, Morse, Code, Beechlog, Basic, Logo, View, Log, Call, Sign, Raynet, Home, Built, Ram, Chip.
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AND FINALLY.....
While trying to extract copy for this issue of BeechLog. I was given what I thought was a good suggestion: - a members handbook, containing such things as club equipment, library, and members lists, events etc. If you think this is a good idea and would like to see something not mentioned in it, let Eileen or myself know. It would be possible to issue the handbook after the AGM so as to include the new committee.
Ed.
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