Number 20

In reply to M3EYP:

I will not be doing the course just yet as I have my A - Level exams coming up
in June. I might do my intermediate course in September,

So you have from the last exam in June until probably the 3rd week in September to do the IL. Anything less and people might begin to think you`re deliberately putting it off.

Andy
MM0FMF

In reply to MM0FMF:

Agreed Andy, get a move on Jimmy :wink:

With regard to Valve versus Solid state broadcast gear, it has to be valve every time, whether VHF, UHF, or HF, MF or LF, or VLF.

They are just so much more impressive Matt :slight_smile:

Best 73 to all,

Mark G0VOF

Assumptions Andy, assumptions. And all of them wrong!

Tom MR1EYP

In reply to G3CWI:

We didnt hear you Richard from IO74WV. I suppose Moel Fammau would have been in the way though. Operation was hampered by the atrocious WX on Saturday and Sunday morning. Our 13/6/3/1.2cm stations are not operable in rain. But we didnt have rain, we had all the rain that hasn`t fallen for the last 6 weeks in about 12hrs! :frowning: I think the contest group may invest in a few bothy bags for those stations.

I know we had at least one RS contact on 3cms. In fact we used the MetOffice website rain radar quite a lot to try for RS contacts. The Manchester 3cms beacon was copyable about 75% of the time via RS. And we blew up the 13cms transverter receive path during a QSO. Took 4 hrs to find the dead diode and swipe one from another piece of kit to get QRV again. Soldering outside is always a challenge. :wink:

I think we consumed about 15L of petrol for the genny. Plus 3/4 a bottle of Talisker and 1/2 a bottle of Monkey Shoulder in 2 evenings and 48hrs on site. Well we needed something to keep out the damp!

Andy
MM0FMF

Hi Andy,

I will not be doing my intermediate course between end of June and start of September as I will be doing some work experience as a classroom assistant at a secondary School 2 to 3 days a week at the end of June until when the School breaks up for its summer holidays. I will also be busy this summer holidays as me and my Dad M1EYP will do a SOTA holiday to G/SB and we will be activating all the G/SB SOTA summits except The Cheviot G/SB-001. We might activate a few GM/SS SOTA summits as well. I will also be going to Florida for 10 days with my family later on in the summer holidays.

Jimmy M®3EYP just completed an A - Level Past Paper

In reply to M3EYP:

Ah, A level past papers. I remember it well even though I did my A levels in 1979 and 1980, a whopping 31/32 years ago. I did all the past papers I could to get familiar with how they asked the questions. I did all the JMB Pure Maths and JMB Pure & Applied Maths A level papers from 1959-1978 at home but under pseudo exam conditions. That`s 76x 3hr exam papers without cheating, breaks, drinks and interruptions. The only concession I allowed myself was non-stop rock music in the background. In fact my entire A level results were provided thanks to the hardwork of Messrs. Deep Purple, Free, Black Sabbath, Robin Trower, Rush, AC/DC and the emerging NWOBHM !

The biggest surprised was the scale of the anti-climax on finishing the last paper of the last exam. There was this “so that`s it, school is done.” feeling The culmination to 2years infants, 4 years primary and 7 years secondary school was hearing someone say “stop writing now”.

Thats the problem with the nostalgia of today... its not like the nostaglgia of yesterday! :slight_smile:

Andy
MM0FMF

In reply to MM0FMF:

Ah, A level past papers. I remember it well even though I did my A
levels in 1979 and 1980, a whopping 31/32 years ago.

Pure nostalgia indeed! I did my A Levels in 1959 (we called them Scottish Highers then). However, at the same time as swotting for A Levels, I was attending my Full Licence course at night school once a week. I sat and passed the Full Licence exam in September of the same year and the 12 wpm Morse Test in October.

So Jimmy has no excuse! Hi hi!

73,
Walt (G3NYY)

If you knew what Jimmy`s modular grades were, you would learn (as I have) to trust his judgement on how he prioritizes his study.

Personally, I am quite happy that Jimmy is putting his final A level preparation, and his progression towards a chosen career before the next step in amateur radio. There is no rush to move up the licensing structure - it is only a hobby and there is no time limit.

Of course, if Jimmy wants more power, or the opportunity to activate SOTA abroad, then he will need to press on with the courses. But peer pressure, or another individual`s personal circumstances 52 years ago, are not good reasons!

Tom MR1EYP

In reply to M1EYP:

Perfectly true, Tom, and when Jimmy finally gets his Advanced he will have served the finest apprenticeship imaginable!

73

Brian G8ADD