When our antenna tower was installed in 2004 the HF antenna fitted to it was a very old, very weather worn, very battered, very much repaired 3 element Tri-band beam. This antenna had given members good service over the years but it really was showing signs of old age. It had been used at special events and contests, and been assembled, erected and dismantled on a multitude of occasions, and mounted on varied and imaginative supports. Finally our committee decided it was time to bid it a fond farewell and replace it with something new.

The chosen replacement was to be a Super Thunderbird TH11DX by Hy-Gain. This is an 11 element, 5 band HF beam antenna covering the 10, 12, 15, 17 and 20 metre bands. Its specification states a forward gain of 6.2 dBd and a power rating of up to 4kW (PEP). The Thunderbird is a massive antenna. The boom length is 7.3.metres (24 feet), the longest of its 11 elements is 11.2 metres (36 feet 9 inches) and it weighs in at 40kgs (88lbs).

The order was placed and as the beast had to travel from the good ol’ US of A, we had a 3 week wait for delivery. After which it arrived in 3 large, heavy and unwieldy boxes.

Our Chairman spent half a day verifying the contents of the package before assembly was even contemplated. Some 93 separate items in the packages without counting the individual nuts, bolts and washers that came in 3 large bags. The assembly instructions stated that at least 2 days would need allocating to complete the assembly and erection of the TH11DX.

The dates were arranged for 3 consecutive Sundays, the extra one was allocated in case of problems both of a technical nature and bad weather, and work began. It was decided that only a small group of members should be involved as too many could be counterproductive and this arrangement proved to be the correct approach.

The first task was to assemble the boom. This comes in 4 sections. The instructions suggested that a dummy mast approximately 5 ft high should be fixed in the ground and the centre section of the boom fastened to it. This is to facilitate a comfortable working height and saves scrabbling about on hands and knees on the floor.

This is when we encountered the first problem. The boom sections are held together by a simple bolt through a hole at the joint of each section. The holes did not line up. A fairly simple manufacturing process one might think and it did not fit. We had to file the holes into slots to make them line up so that the bolt would fit through. Not an encouraging start.

Next, the clamps that hold the elements to the boom were bolted loosely onto the boom. Some elements are thicker than others and different sized clamps were used at certain places along the length of the boom. To avoid confusion we marked the boom to indicate the front and rear and carefully measured the positions of the clamps and marked these points too with the element type that was to be fitted.

All 11 elements were then assembled from their appropriate lengths and diameters of tubing. These too were marked as to what they were. The longest element was made up from 10 different sections of aluminium tubing.

After all this, the end of day one was looming. It was decided at this point to tidy up and store everything away until the following weekend. We then encountered our second more serious problem. The bolts used to clamp the boom to the dummy mast were stainless steel, and as we discovered, a one time only fix. It was impossible to unfasten them. Although the nuts were loose enough to release the boom from the mast they would not come completely undone. In the end the bolts (5 x 5/16 inches) simply snapped during our efforts to undo them. It does not take much intelligence to accommodate this situation by the manufacturer. If, as the instructions clearly stated, the boom has to be fixed to a dummy mast then an extra set of normal nuts and bolts should be supplied to facilitate this and the special one time only bolts should be saved for the final fitting of the complete assembly to the main mast. This concept seemed to be beyond this particular manufacturer and is further annoying considering that this antenna is not cheap. Some sawn off lengths of 8mm galvanised steel screwed rod and a bag of nuts from our local B&Q was eventually used to fix the boom to the mast.

Before any further assembly work took place we had a little discussion about the installation of the antenna onto our mast. From the work already done it was clear that the sheer size of the fully assembled antenna would make manoeuvring it onto the mast a logistical nightmare. It was not impossible but in order to avoid damaging it we decided to carry out the assembly on the mast.

So the mast was tilted over and our beloved old Tri-bander was disconnected, dismantled and tucked up in storage.

The front and rear sections of the Thunderbird boom were separated from the central section which was mounted on the mast.

Whilst this was taking place the elements were being set up. Each element is a tuned length and as they were made up of several sections of tubing each section had to be carefully and accurately positioned and then the overall length checked. An error here could cause problems later with loading and high SWR issues so a great deal of time and double checking was expended on this task. Each section of tubing is fixed to its neighbour by a Jubilee Clip. Some of the clips supplied were too small for the task and would not grip. Alternative methods of clamping were contrived so as not to disrupt the assembly flow – we were "on a roll".

Also the complex phasing and coupling network of tubes were assembled. This network sits on top of the boom and as we were dealing with the central area first and working our way outwards toward each end this section had to be mounted at this point in the overall assembly procedure. This was fitted onto the boom along with some elements.

This took the whole day and at packing up time we still only had part of the antenna assembled on the mast. The mast was cranked back into its vertical position and the assembled pieces stored ready for the final push. We were thankful that we had allocated an extra day to complete the installation.

The mast was tilted over once again and the remaining central elements were fitted to the boom. At this point a new PL259 was fitted to the coax. It seemed the logical thing to do as we were having a new antenna why use an old weather beaten plug. We were confident that this additional expense would not upset "The Clutching Hand" too much. This was connected to the antenna and the cables laid properly. To do this later would have been difficult and inconvenient as the connection point would have been some 12 feet high.

Things were going too well. Sure enough a problem cropped up. A coil is provided which connects across the phasing network and one of the elements. Once again a stupid manufacturing issue stopped our progress. The coil ends had soldered on connectors whose bolt holes were too small to fit over the bolts. These had to be unsoldered and replaced with connectors with larger holes so that the proper connection could be made.

Then the mast was elevated just enough to fit the front section of the boom and the appropriate elements were attached to this. As each element was fitted to the boom it was connected to the phasing network as necessary.

When all the elements for the front half of the antenna had been attached to the boom and connected to the phasing network the mast was cranked into the vertical position once more. Using the rotator the antenna was turned 180º and the mast tilted over again. This positioned the rear section of the boom close to the ground and the central elements were fitted and connected.

The mast was elevated slightly once again to a position where the remaining rear boom section could be fitted and its elements attached. Again at this point, so close to completion another problem occurred. The assembly instructions boasted that extra nuts and bolts had been added just in case some were lost during the assembly process. The converse was found to be true. Not enough nuts and bolts were included and the last two were missing. A quick rummage through our Chairman’s drawers located some suitable alternatives and the assembly was complete.

Now the Super Thunderbird looked the part.

After congratulating ourselves with slaps on the back and a celebratory mash of tea we cranked the mast into its vertical position for the final time.

Although we were unable to run tests with the Antenna Analyser we could not resist the temptation to strap the FT990 to the coax and fire it up. Initial tuning tests looked ok according to the meters on the rig and 4N15ARDF was heard calling CQ. Our Chairman made the first contact by calling him. He replied immediately giving a 5/9 report. So after all our efforts it actually worked first time. Flushed with success we decided to call it a day before anything went wrong and packed up and went home.

On the next club night the tower was wound up to its full height and the antenna was put through a rigorous series of tests and analyses. To cut the story short our Super Thunderbird was performing exactly as it said on the tin. VSWR levels were measured at less than 1.2:1 across its range of frequencies. So the FT990 was strapped onto it once more and we began to work the world.

The Super Thunderbird TH11DX is a monster antenna and it was a monster job to install it. Anyone wanting to tackle the installation of one of these on any support other than a tilt over tower needs to do some serious thinking. However if its performance is anything to go by all our hard work was all worthwhile.

The silly, niggling manufacturing problems were and still are very annoying considering the cost of this product and it begs the question, does Hy-Gain have any kind of quality control during the manufacturing process, I suspect not.

Nevertheless the installation of this antenna will certainly enhance the operating pleasure of all our members for many years to come.

The following members were involved with the installation work which took place over 3 consecutive weekends and deserve a vote of thanks.

Mike Crossley M1CVL     Peter Rushton G7PMZ    Ian Firby G7VCG     Keith Graham M0KG    Geoff Oliver G0BJR
The photographs were also by Geoff Oliver G0BJR

In Japan, unlicensed hams started their experiments and research around 1925.

JARL - Japanese Amateur Radio League - was inaugurated in 1926. And Kankichi Kusama (JXAX) received the first license for a private experimental station in the year 1927.

In those early days, experimental radio stations were subject to strict regulation of their frequencies, power output, and operating procedures, nevertheless, they increased to about 300 stations before the outbreak of World War II. By that time, their skill had reached international standards.

Bob W7AVK recalls an "old timer" showing him a QSL card from JA land. It was for a contact in the middle of the 1930's and had a short note on the back saying - "Please do not return a QSL as ham radio was not allowed in Japan" - It was signed by Yagi [of the antenna fame - Later to become, president of the JARL after W.W.II]

With the outbreak of World War II, private radio communications were totally banned in Japan and all private radio stations were ordered to halt operation and needless to say, JARL's activities were likewise suspended.

After the war, the ban was lifted for the reception of short waves but not for radio transmissions.

This state of amateur radio persisted for about a decade. The San Francisco Peace Treaty was the turning point. At long last, 30 radio stations were granted provisional licenses in July, 1952, and this spurred a rapid increase in the number of amateur radio enthusiasts and the number of stations surpassed 2,000 within a mere two years. 1955 saw JARL's bid for reunion with IARU accepted.

At the end of the 1950's Japan introduced the worlds first HF Amateur licence that didn't require a morse test (the equivalent of the UK's Foundation licence). Thereafter, the number of amateur radio stations increased rapidly year after year. It grew by as many as fifty thousand a year in the 1960's until they reached a peak of 1.4 million amateurs out of a population of 120 million in 1994.

Thanks to JARL for the information in this item.

by Trevor Hawkins M5AKA

During the dark and dismal month of February one of our club nights was greatly enlightened by Royton Historian, Frances Stott. She gave a fascinating talk on the History of Royton which included the history of Royton Hall. In her talk Frances explained that the Royton Local History Society was planning to excavate the site of Royton Hall and went into some detail about the project which they were hoping would involve local businesses, organisations, schools and of course the population of the town.

After the talk the club made a donation toward the project and later in the year Frances called to say that the fund raising effort had been successful and the excavation of the Hall would begin in July and the Project now had an official title "Royton Lives through the Ages". She went further and invited us to put on a special event station at the site throughout the weekend of 30^th/31^st July when the site would be opened for public viewing.

Our Chairman, Geoff Oliver G0BJR, applied for a special event licence with the callsign GB4RL (Royton Lives) and designed and printed a QSL card which soon became a collectors item as many visitors to our station were helping themselves to a card, and an extra print run was carried out by Bertie Whitcher G7JUL after the event.

Royton Hall is inextricably linked to the town’s early history. No exact date is known about its initial construction but it is thought to date back as far as the 13^th Century. The east wing was thought to date from Elizabethan times. More recent evidence suggests that the wing was Jacobean in origin. The Central portion dates from Georgian times.

It became the home for 12 Generations of the Byron family from the 13^th Century. Their most famous descendant was the poet George Gordon Byron the sixth Lord. In 1622 the Byrons moved to Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire and sold the estate to the Standish family who kept it for 40 years. After which they sold the Hall to the Percival Brothers Richard and Thomas. Thomas’ Great Grandson, also called Thomas married Martha Gregge whose only child Katherine married Joseph Pickford a noted magistrate who took strong measures to quell Jacobin riots in Royton and Oldham in 1794 and 1795. He took the name Radcliffe in 1795 in order to inherit his maternal uncle’s estate in Milnsbridge near Huddersfield. Katherine inherited the Hall which she left to her son William in 1765 who died childless in 1815 bequeathing the estate to his father now known as Joseph Radcliffe.

After Joseph Radcliffe moved to Milnsbridge he leased the Hall. After his father’s death his son Sir Joseph Percival Pickford Radcliffe continued to let the Hall. The 1861 Census shows many different occupants of the Hall and over the following years it became increasingly neglected.

By 1891 the Hall had been divided into 3 residences and in the early 20^th Century was used as a Doctors Surgery, a Church institute for St. Paul’s Church and later a Presbytery.

During the first world war Sir Joseph Radcliffe allowed Royton Hall to house refugees from Belgium.

After the war the Hall was rented by Dr J.T Godfrey from South Africa, who used it for a home and his surgery. He finally purchased the Hall and an acre of surrounding land from Sir Joseph Radcliffe in December 1922.

Dr Godfrey and his family moved back to South Africa in 1926 after unsuccessfully trying to sell the Hall. Unfortunately there was no interest shown. Both Manchester and Oldham Councils refused to buy. And Royton Council records show that they also decided not to buy the Hall. Prior to his departure Dr Godfrey converted the Hall into apartments. By 1937 it was unoccupied and was finally demolished as unsafe in February 1939.

While the Hall no longer remains, the families of Royton Hall are commemorated in Royton Street names. Byron St. and Radcliffe St. still remain. In fact many members must travel along Radcliffe St. to visit our club. Percival Walk and Byron Walk are fairly recent additions. Pickford St is now part of Middleton Rd but the Pickford Buildings built along the street in 1878 still exist today as a row of shops.

A great deal of interest was shown in the project. BBC TVs North West Tonight news programme ran 3 different reports on the dig throughout Friday 29^th July and as a result the open weekend was visited by upwards of 2,000 people. A centre spread was printed in the Oldham Chronicle and the site was visited on several of occasions by the Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Kay Knox. Local MP Michael Meacher was also a visitor. Several members of Oldham Council also paid visits during the month long project.

Only a small section of the Hall could be excavated during the allocated time so the organisers arranged to open up the rear section of the Hall first to see what would be revealed.

The result was staggering. Cellar staircases were found disappearing some 12 feet below the surface. Walls, doorways with iron hinges, and even 16^th century windows with the glass still intact, drains, post holes, and supporting arches were all exposed. But most surprising was the base of a tower containing a spiral staircase which began with stone steps and at ground level would have continued upwards through all floors of the building in oak.

Most of the work was carried out by volunteers under the guidance of Archaeologists from Manchester University. Overall the dig was regarded as a resounding success and although the site had to be back filled after the event for safety and security reasons there are plans to excavate another section of the site in 2006.

From our point of view the weekend was also a success. We set up our tent in a corner of the site and ran out a G5RV from a mast erected behind it to the trees on the other side of the site. A 2 metre/70 cms collinear was mounted on top of the mast. As there was no electrical power available our generator had to be dusted down and woken from its slumbers. Chris Cunliffe G7OOD spent a couple of club nights prior to the event tickling and tuning the beast to make sure it would operate reliably through the weekend, which it did.

We operated mainly on 2, 20 and 40 metres and despite the HF bands being very quiet for long periods during the weekend several European contacts were made along with many domestic ones. All stations contacted expressed great interest in what was occurring in Royton and many people visited our tent to make enquiries of what we were all about.

Although our Chairman was present through the weekend he had been asked to take video images of the dig for the Royton Local History Society so we did not see much of him apart from his white skid lid bobbing about in the trenches with his camera whirring.

The following members are to be thanked for giving their time an expertise at this event.

Photographs by Jeff Mills G7BRJ

The historical information of Royton Hall was taken from the book "A History of Royton Hall" by Frances Stott.

Other books available about Royton also by Frances Stott are:

"Royton" – from the ‘Images of England’ series and "Looking Back at Royton"

All are available for sale in the Local Studies Library, Union St. Oldham, and most Oldham Borough Libraries.

 SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE DUE

The dreaded day is here again. It seems to come round faster each year. But there’s no avoiding it. It’s time for our subscriptions to be paid once again. The "Clutching Hand" this time our new Treasurer Peter Rushton G7PMZ has undergone a rigorous training programme devised by the previous incumbent so that he will be no less diligent in his efforts to separate you from your tenner (a fiver if you’re retired). Peter will be looking out for you on Thursday evenings if you have not already paid. Those members under the age of 18 still have free membership but you must register as such with ‘The Hand" to keep your membership current.

Don’t forget that this article is the only written reminder you will receive and if your subs remain unpaid your membership will cease and this edition of Old Hams News will be the last one you’ll receive.

On Thursday 25^th August 2005, Oldham Amateur Radio Club held its Annual General Meeting at the ATC. The following members were elected to serve on the committee.

Chairman – Geoff Oliver G0BJR
Secretary – Mike Crossley M1CVL     Treasurer – Peter Rushton G7PMZ

Ordinary Committee Members

Craig Taylor G7MCT     Sue Burgess G0RKE     Chris Cunliffe G7OOD
Keith Graham M0KGM     Stuart Wilson G7MFK     Jeff Hollowood G7LMI

The following events are in the club diary for the next 3 months. All members are invited to take part and/or attend.

Due to the ATC renting out the Large Drill Hall where we hold our talks to a table tennis team we have reluctantly had to postpone our scheduled talks programme until Spring 2006.

Location – Greater Manchester North Scout Headquarters
Middleton Rd.
Middleton.

This will be a joint event with our colleagues from RADARS
The Rochdale and District Amateur Radio Society

At Oldham Sports & Leisure Centre,
Lord St, Oldham.

Help from all members will be required please.

Please be aware that this list is for guidance only and is subject to augmentation, alteration and cancellation without written notification. For the latest information please keep a check on your email messages and listen out for our Chairman’s announcements on Club nights.

Congratulations are due to Club Member Chris Mackay who has passed the Advanced Radio Amateurs Examination.

At the time of writing Chris was still using his Intermediate Licence Callsign of 2E1MDC. His new callsign will be revealed in the next edition of OHN.

After our chairman’s spiritual tale in the July edition of OHN it set Bertie Whitcher’s mind racing back in time. Here are his recollections.

Back at the time of the first World War date uncertain - an incident occurred at West Hill House, Epsom, Surrey.

My father’s parents were caretakers at this house. On returning home late one evening a candlelight was observed in the summerhouse at the end of the garden. A shadowy figure crouched nearby as if picking up firewood. My grandmother, assuming it was her daughter Laura, instructed my father to go and assist. On arriving at the summerhouse there was no figure or candlelight. No-one had passed him on the way to the house. My Aunt Laura who was indoors said she had not left the premises, as there was no need to.

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Another incident occurred when my Aunt Florence"Floss" was reading a book by the kitchen range. She clearly heard and saw the kitchen door open and close as if someone had entered. My father was accused of playing tricks on her, but he was not in the house at the time. Was it vivid imagination? Or a Poltergeist?

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When the Whitcher’s lived at Headley they often had to journey to Mickleham where there is a Public house called "The Running Horses". Opposite is a lane, which leads to Headley, a long stiff climb. It was reputed a Horse Graveyard was alongside the lane. They heard the sound of a herd of horses which, clattered up the lane and passed them as they stood in the hedgerow. The horses then milled around at the top of the lane and faded away.

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The Lady of Albury, Surrey.

A young Lady was swimming unattired in the Blue Lagoon or Pond opposite the junction at Albury and the church when the local squire chanced to ride by with friends. On being ordered out the Lady chose to drown rather than loose her dignity. ‘Tis said a ghost haunts the spot on the anniversary of the incident.

By Bertie Whitcher G7JUL

The editor would like to thank all contributors to this edition of Old Hams News. The next edition is due to be issued in January 2006. Any contributions for this edition should be forwarded to the editor, Geoff Oliver G0BJR on or before Thursday 15^th December 2005 to ensure inclusion.

Articles will be accepted on many formats, by email to "news@oarc.org.uk", by word of mouth, hand or type written notes, or as a .txt file on a CD ROM or 3½-inch floppy disc. Photographs, drawings, circuit diagrams and other graphics to enhance your article will also be most welcome.

An edited version of Old Hams News is available on the Internet at the following URL

www.oarc.org.uk

then click on the "Club Journal" hyperlink.

If you submit an article for inclusion in Old Hams News and you do not wish it to be included in the Internet edition you must state your wishes at the time of submission. Otherwise the editor reserves the right to include/exclude your article as he sees fit.

For reference the officers and committee members are listed below and will be happy to help with any enquiries you may have.

Chairman – Geoff Oliver G0BJR

Secretary – Mike Crossley M1CVL     Treasurer – Peter Rushton G7PMZ

Craig Taylor G7MCT     Chris Cunliffe G7OOD
Stuart Wilson G7MFK     Jeff Hollowood G7LMI
Sue Burgess G0RKE     Keith Graham M0KGM

Written, edited and produced by Geoff Oliver G0BJR

© Oldham Amateur Radio Club 2005