Gilwell shut down and VHF FD prep

Again a big gap between posts.

The radio scouting team dismantled the GB2GP shack last weekend and I have ended up with yet more kit to hide in the loft. Everything went smoothly, but there will be no radio activity from Gilwell until the LID is back running in March 2009. 

The group has been offered a time step wx sat receiver and antenna though and we are investigating ways to put this up as a permanent demonstration station, perhaps coupled with a weather station. There are obvious possibilities for publishing data on the web or tying it in with a formal APRS Igate. I find the RSGB packet radio licensing forms baffling, so I may look for some help on how to move that forwards. 

It is region1 VHF FD this weekend and the weather forecast is terrible! I am providing the computer network running n1MM and 3G cluster along with the 6/4m and 2m station for the Clifton ARS.  

The 6/4m station will be my FT-847 running 100W on 6m and 25W on 4m to a dual band yagi at 10m agl (4 el on 6m – restricted section, 5 el on 4m low power section). 

The 2m station will be my IC-756Pro, DEM transverter, linear amp, sequencer, preamp and 9 el DK7ZB at 10m AGL for the restricted section. 

I might chuck in the Gilwell TS-200 to run on 70cm if we have enough operators!

That doesn’t look like much gear, but add in tents, poles, ropes, ac distribution, computers, networking, heliax, rotators and all the interconnecting cables it will fill the hire van. Never mind all the effort that goes into making it all fit together in the first place.  This will probably be the last time I get so involved as it is becoming expensive and an awful lot of work! Anyone need a seasoned operator for VHF FD next year?