South Dorset Repeater Group

Please note that the South Dorset Radio Society (SDRS) www.g3sds.org.uk and the South Dorset Repeater Group (SDRG) www.gb3sd.radiouk.com are entirely separate organisations!

(Updated 24/04/08)

GB3SD Station 'B' is in use and both repeaters are working normally

GB3SD/GB3DR NEWS The current committee of the SDRG is determined that users and supporters of the repeaters should be kept fully informed at all times as to what is happening. Click the 'Latest News' button to read the latest news! If you want to know something about the Group and you can't find it on this site then e-mail SDRG.

GB3SD/GB3DR STATION LOG

This 'log' of activity starts from the restoration of GB3SD! To see what happened leading up to that event click here SDRG Recovery

13/07/01 - The repeater was returned to service at 1415 GMT.The receive performance is still below it's past best but hopefully over the next few weeks things should improve. Thanks are due to everyone who has helped restore 'SD, in particular the RSGB who acted with speed and efficiency to get the licence re-issued. The Repeater Keeper is now Geoff, G0EVW to whom any reports should be sent.

17/07/01 - There was intermittent interruption to service for a few hours today due to a problem with the overhead mains supply to the site. We now realise that unlike the original 'SD the 'new' repeater does not have battery backup! Meanwhile John, G0PGT and a gang of helpers have been working on the site preparing for the erection of the new mast and aerials.

20/07/01 - Work on the new mast is almost complete and Rob, G0ECX has been tidying up in the equipment cabinet. He hopes to reinstate battery back-up to 'SD as soon as possible.

21/07/01 - Work has proceed much faster than anyone anticipated, except perhaps John, G0PGT! The new mast is up, all the aerials are now on it, the old mast is down and has been broken up. At the moment only temporary aerials are in use on GB3SD, a small collinear at the top for receive and a folded dipole below that for transmit. The receive and transmit frequencies have been adjusted and the cavity filters aligned. Generally the performance of the receiver is much improved although the transmit ERP at the moment is well below what it used to be. However since it is intended to restore the original aerial system as soon as possible with a larger collinear on transmit and a full wave dipole on receive it would probably be best for users to wait until all the work is finished before making any adjustments to their stations.

24/07/01 - A Committee Meeting was held at the QTH of Neville, M5NEV click here for details

01/08/01 - The original TX collinear has been refurbished by Ed, G3VPF and a new full wave dipole has been found. It is now expected that the work on the mast and aerials will be completed before the end of August once new co-axial cable has been obtained.

Rob, G0ECX has reinstated the battery back-up and fitted an improved charging system to keep the battery in good order. Should the mains supply fail GB3SD will continue to function but on reduced power.

07/08/01 - There was a good attendance at the AGM held at the Chickerell Church Hall. To read the minutes of the AGM click here SDRG AGM 2001 For details on the new committee click here SDRG 2001/2 committee

12/08/01 - A new SDRG web site has been set up at www.gb3sd.radiouk.com

17/08/01 - The work on the mast and aerials was completed today. New low loss feeder has been fitted to all the aerials including the Packet Station. Tests on the voice repeater suggest that everything is now working very well indeed with most people reporting much improved results. The aerial configuration has been returned to what it was some time ago with the collinear at the top of the mast for transmit and a full wave dipole mounted beneath it for receive.
The links on the 2m and 23cm Packet Radio Nodes (WEY2 and WEY23) have been tested and appear to be working well but reports would be most welcome.

20/08/01 - To date 46 people have joined or rejoined the Group in the last few weeks.
For details on how to contribute to SDRG click here:- Join the SDRG

23/08/01 - The transmitter frequency was measured and confirmed to be approximately 1.5 kHz low, (thanks Les!) this was corrected. The transmitter power output was adjusted and measured. On low power, (that is when 'SD goes over to battery operation in the event of a mains power supply failure) power output is approximately 2.5 watts. In normal operation the estimated ERP is now at the nominal 25 watts permitted by the licence. The receiver squelch was adjusted as close as possible consistent with reliable operation. It was observed that since the installation of the new feeders and aerials adjustment of the cavity filters is much less critical and there is no detectable degrading of receiver sensitivity when the transmitter is on. This is a very good result!

01/09/01- The 2m Packet Station was checked this evening following complaints from a number of operators that WEY2 seemed down in strength. The aerial was OK with a good SWR but the IC22A was on low power and was only producing 500mw instead of 5 Watts! This was corrected and users should benefit from the10db increase in ERP.

A backup (mirror) of the SDRG web site has been set up at www.geoffwatts.eurobell.co.uk Users are advised to bookmark this alternative site in case of problems with the main one at www.gb3sd.radiouk.com

A selection of pictures taken recently at the repeater site site has been set up at the SDRG Picture Gallery

20/09/01 - Membership of the group continues to grow and now stands at 48 SDRG2000 membership list for 2001/2

10/10/01The Group had it's first quarterly committee meeting at the QTH of the Chairman, John, G0PGT. All of the Committee Members and the Repeater Keeper were present and heard that the Group now has a healthy bank balance and to date 49 paid up members, two of whom are 'Life Members' having paid at least the equivalent of 10 years subscriptions!

30/11/01- David, G4RQI has completed work on the second F496 and it is now ready to be tested on site. It is hoped, (weather permitting) to install it before Christmas. It will sound different than the present one so keep listening to 'SD! As well as repairing, re-aligning and adapting the repeater for Amateur use he has also built and installed a completely new set of logic. More details will be published here soon. The whole system including the purchase of all the components and materials needed has been completed by David at no cost to the SDRG and our grateful thanks must go to him for his hard work and generosity. David has his own web site at www.qsl.net/g4rqi

10/12/01- Despite the failure of a CTCSS IC during 'soak testing' it is still hoped to try and test the new repeater on site at the week-end. The new Repeater Controller is to a design by Andy Fisher, G6CUK and uses a PIC 16C84 microcontroller. More information can be found on Andy's web site at http://members.aol.com/andyfi/

14/12/01 T- he replacement repeater was installed today and brought into service at 1500 GMT. The RF and Control equipment worked without problems from switch on and early reports suggest that users are generally happy with the 'sound' of it and the much more 'user friendly' logic although the ID and K tones are rather loud.

15/12/01 - The level of the CW ID and K tones was reduced to a more acceptable level today and everything else seems to be working OK. Providing initial access is made using Tone or CTCSS the specially modified logic will reset on 'carrier only' at any time up to close down and the timeout has been disabled. These two 'features' overcome the most annoying aspects of the previous logic. So far most users are reporting a preference for this new repeater and if nothing goes wrong in the next day or so it seems likely that it will be left in service with the other one being put aside as a spare!

23/12/01 - The 71.9Hz tone that should be transmitted by GB3SD when it is in use has been intermittent since the 'new' repeater was brought into service. Most of the time it is missing. The only effect this will have is that the 'tone squelch facility' available on some receivers will not work. Another problem that has cropped up in the last few days is that there appears to be severe RF noise on or near the input frequency of the repeater at times. The effect varies according to the severity of the problem but at it's worst the repeater appears very 'deaf' and will stay on transmit. It may be that we will have to revert to 'station A' while these problems are investigated.

28/12/01 - 'Station A' is back in use and the SDRG is wound up but don't panic! David, G4RQI and Geoff, G0EVW visited the site today but were unable to rectify either of the problems mentioned above and 'Station A' was put back into service for the time being.

01/01/02 - The first committee meeting of the new year was held on New Years Day at the QTH of John, G0PGT and Thelma, 2E1HSA. All committee members were present including David, G4RQI and the Repeater Keeper, Geoff, G0EVW.
A guest visitor was Edward, G3VPF who as a founder member and treasurer of the original group handed over the final balance from the SDRG bank account plus a small amount of petty cash which he was still holding. Geoff, G0EVW who was also a founder member of the old group and Edward then formally wound up the SDRG.
The meeting continued and David, G4RQI reported that he had diagnosed the problems with the 'new' repeater. A faulty 1MHz xtal in the CTCSS generator and a FET in the TX strip that was producing instability at times. However he will need to take the repeater home with him to replace the faulty components and also make some minor adjustments to the control system audio levels. Hopefully if all goes well he will re-install 'Station B' sometime in March. Meanwhile 'Station A' continues to work well and is now on frequency!

20/02/02 - David, G4RQI reports that 'Station B' has been repaired and modified (see above) and will now undergo extensive bench testing before reinstallation later in the year.

At 2002 UTC today (2002 2002 2002) Geoff, G0EVW called through GB3SD - no reply was forthcoming!

09/04/02 - The second quarterly committee meeting of the year was held at the QTH of John, G0PGT and Thelma, 2E1HSA. All committee members were present. It was decided that the 2002 Annual General Meeting should be held in October and that a proposal would be put to the membership to make this a permanent change from the traditional Spring time. Membership of the Group now stands at 51. SDRG2000 membership list for 2001/2 The voice and packet repeaters are all working well with no reported problems.

21/06/02 - Geoff, G0EVW visited the site at 1500 UTC today and adjusted the transmit frequency. It had drifted slightly low over the last few months.

27/06/02 - Tests are under way to enable remote access to GB3SD using an Internet connection provided by Mike, M1PIK. With the help of Terry, G0VHS, Mike has successfully interfaced his UHF handy to a PC running the popular 'eQSO' software. At the moment users of the repeater might hear some of the tests taking place and even be able to help with them, so stay tuned! The project will be discussed at the next committee meeting of the Group which should be held in a few days time. It should be stressed that the Internet Linking project does not need anything at all to be done at the Repeater Site. All access to GB3SD will still be via it's normal radio frequencies.

03/07/02 - A committee meeting was held at the QTH of Mike, M0NJR. All committee members were present. It was decided that subject to the meeting room being available the 2002 AGM should be held on Tuesday October 15 at the Chickerell Church Hall. A Newsletter will be sent to all members well before the AGM. It was also decided not to proceed with Internet Linking GB3SD until a full proposal could be put to the membership at the AGM.

04/07/02 - The Internet Linking tests have been suspended (see above).

04/07/02 - The date for the AGM has been confirmed as Tuesday October 15 at 7:30pm.

15/10/02 There was a good attendance at the 2002 Annual General Meeting of the Group that took place on Tuesday October 15 in the Chickerell Church Hall . Annual subscriptions for the year 2002/3 are now due. If you have already paid or are a life member thank you very much. A Newsletter was sent to all members before the AGM. It can also be downloaded from here SDRG2002.
It was agreed to hold future AGM's on the second Tuesday in October each year and therefore the 2003 AGM will be held at the same venue on the 14/10/03.
It was also agreed at the AGM that various forms of Repeater Linking should be investigated and Mike, M1PIK
hopes to resume interent linking tests during November with the full approval of all those present.

18/11/02 - Mike, M1PIK hopes to start Internet Linking tests in about 10 days time. Mike will be using e-QSO software ( www.eqso.com ) and Room GB3SD. It is most likely that operation of the Gateway will be for just a few hours during weekday evenings and/or weekends. Normal RF operation and working through 'SD will not be effected and by using a dedicated 'room' only stations wishing to work through our repeater via the Internet should be heard. There is no need for local users to change their operating practice although depending on network data speeds there might be a slight time delay between 'overs' when talking to Internet users so be prepared to wait a few seconds when you pass it back. Otherwise, talk to any 'DX' visitors just as you would locals and please make them welcome!

22/12/02 - David, G4RQI and John, G0PGT installed the 'new' repeater today at 1400 UTC so 'Station B' is now in use. Thanks to David who has devoted many hours to the project we now have two complete and easily interchangeable stations. Assuming that everybody is happy with the performance and no further problems are encountered 'Station B' with it's improved logic and 25KHz filters will be left in service. The main differences that users will notice is that time-out is disabled and talk-through can continue without re-access at any time up to close-down. Instead of a K or B the logic sends a T in Morse Code for users with conventional 1750 Hz tone access and a S for those with a 71.9 Hz sub audible tone. Full Tone-Squelch is enabled on TX as well as RX. See Technical Data for more information.

23/12/02 - Up to now the proposed Internet Link has not been enabled. (There was a problem with the transceiver that Mike, M1PIK was intending to use not having CTCSS installed).

14/02/03 - The Licence (NOV) for GB3SD was renewed for the next 12 months today.
It now seems unlikely that the Internet Link will be enabled.
'Station B' continues to work well with no reports of any problems. Thanks to David, G4RQI who has devoted many hours to the project we now have two complete and easily interchangeable stations.

05/03/03 - In the last few weeks a problem has been reported with the Packet Radio Node GB7SD (WEY2). Users are finding that after a few lines of text no more data is passed and their connection eventually 'times out'. A routing problem has also been noted that has been caused by an error in the settings of another Node. Efforts are being made to rectify these problems but at the moment it is not known how long this will take.

20/03/03 - A committee meeting was held at the QTH of Mike, M0NJR. All committee members were present.
The Packet Radio Node GB7SD (WEY2) is still not working properly. Edward, G3VPF and Andy, G4WJZ are hoping to resolve the problem as soon as possible.
The membership list has been updated. click here

17/05/03 - The problem with the Packet Radio Node GB7SD (WEY2) persists. Users should note that it is now possible to digipeat via GB7SD as an alternative to using the Node and this seems to work fairly well. For instance, a typical TNC would need the command 'C WOOLDX V GB7SD' to access the local Packet Cluster Node. At the time of this posting nothing has been heard from the WEY2 Sysops since the last committee meeting.

Will all members and users please note that subscriptions are due for 2003. If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer as soon as possible. Inclusion in the membership list on this web site does not necessarily indicate that your subscription is up to date!

27/05/03 - It is hoped to start the long awaited Internet Linking tests that were discussed at the last AGM within the next 10-20 days. The link will be provided by the Repeater Keeper and John, G8IKP working together and will initially use the EchoLink Network (see below). There will not be any fixed operating times as we still have to comply with the need for the link to be 'attended' but to start with it is most likely to be for a couple of hours during the evening. More details will be sent out by e-mail to all members who have provided an e-mail address and posted on this web site as soon as operation is imminent.

EchoLink www.echolink.org is software which allows Amateur Radio stations to communicate with one another over the Internet, using voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology. The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, from computer to station, or from computer to computer. There are more than 87,000 registered users in 134 countries worldwide!

01/06/03 - Tests using EchoLink have started. The first remote station to work through GB3SD via the Internet Link was ex Weymouth station, Iain, G4JMM/6Y5 in Kingston Jamaica.

05/06/03 - The EchoLink MASTER repeater list can be viewed here http://home.insightbb.com/~n9yty/rptrcall.html
GB3SD-R (as it is known on Echo Link) has the Node Number 112689.

There are still a few regular users of GB3SD who have not paid or renewed their subscriptions. Inclusion in the membership list on this web site does not necessarily indicate that your subscription is up to date! If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer as soon as possible.

14/06/03 T- he Internet Linking experiment has been suffering from an intermittent problem that has not yet been resolved. The symptoms are that incoming signals from the Internet do not always get through to GB3SD although outgoing signals from the repeater are passed to anyone connected via EchoLink. In simple terms they can hear us but we can't hear them! At times however everything works as it should and there is no obvious indication when the fault occurs.

Users are reminded that the Internet Linking Experiment is just that, an 'experiment'! For many reasons, (not the least of which is the RA's insistence that the Gateway is only operated in 'attended mode') there are no fixed times of operation and the service is liable to frequent interruption. Despite that however in the last two weeks many people have used the facility to great advantage and expressed their enthusiasm for it. Our thanks must go to John, G8IKP, who is at the moment providing the service.

22/06/03 - Some minor adjustments to the Repeater Logic have been made. The Morse Code ID timing interval has been increased from every 5 to every 10 minutes and the location information from every 15 to every 20 minutes. The frequency of the tone has also been changed from 1 KHz to 1450 KHz. It is hoped that these changes will make the Repeater less obtrusive when it is not in use, whilst still fully complying with the licence requirements.
It should be noted that all 'beacons' can be suppressed if the users receiver is fitted with sub audible tone squelch set to 71.9HZ.
The 'talk up' and 'pip' timings have also been slightly changed to try and minimize excessive 'pip' activity when mobile stations are dropping below the squelch threshold and back rapidly.
Reports are welcome and should be sent to the Repeater Keeper, Geoff, G0EVW.

Web Site Change - the mirror URL for the SDRG (www.sdrg.tk) is now located at www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/g0evw. The main site URL remains at www.gb3sd.radiouk.com.

2003 AGM - The Repeater Group AGM this year is scheduled to be held on Tuesday the14th of October at the Chickerell Church Hall
At the time of this posting (15/09/03) official notification has not yet been sent out to members so please check with the secretary or another committee member if in doubt.

26/09/03 - A committee meeting was held at the QTH of Dave, M1OBR. The newsletter had been prepared and was to be sent out during the following week. The date of the AGM was confirmed as Tuesday the 14th of October at the Chickerell Church Hall 7:30 for 8pm. John, G0PGT reported that he and Rob, G0ECX had fitted a new electricity meter at the site replacing the one that was donated by Fred, G4JVQ back in 1979!

Will all members and users please note that subscriptions are now due for 2003. If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer as soon as possible. Inclusion in the membership list on this web site does not necessarily indicate that your subscription is up to date!

19/10/03 - There was a good attendance at the 2003 Annual General Meeting of the Group that took place on Tuesday October 14 in the Chickerell Church Hall . Annual subscriptions for the year 2003/4 are now due. If you have already paid or are a life member thank you very much. A report on the AGM and an updated membership list will be posted here soon.

It is hoped that the Packet Radio Node GB7SD will be restored to full operation within the next week or so. In order to achieve this it may be necessary to close down the Node for a short period. More information will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.

23/10/03 - The Packet Radio Node GB7SD was closed down at approximately 1400 UTC this afternoon for essential maintenance. It is hoped to restore normal service as soon as possible.

28/10/03 - The Packet Radio Node GB7SD is back in operation. Eric, G0CGL swapped the TNC's around and WEY2 is now working correctly. The 'faulty' TNC is now on WEY23 so if anyone has a spare Tiny-2 that they would like to donate to the Group please let us know. The link to WOOLDX (GB7CGL) is now reliable although Eric has been having problems with the software crashing.

The Voice Repeater GB3SD developed a fault a few days ago and was suffering from intermittent noise on the RX input. This is believed to be caused by instability in the TX strip. It has been replaced with the spare (Station 'A') while David, G4RQI investigates the problem.

A regular News Update is now being sent to everyone on the SDRG list who has an e-mail address. If you would like to be added to the list please let Geoff, G0EVW know.

Will all members and users please note that subscriptions are now due for 2003/4. If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer as soon as possible. Inclusion in the membership list on this web site does not necessarily indicate that your subscription is up to date! An updated, (paid up) membership list will be published here soon.

04/11/03 - The TX frequency of GB3SD (Station 'A') was approximatley 2.5 KHz LF, this was corrected today.

05/11/03 - A brief report on the 2003 AGM is now available - click here SDRG 2003 AGM

As Dave, M1OBR is leaving the area shortly, Les, G0FAJ has now taken over the post of Group Secretary. We wish Dave and his XYL all the best in their new home and thank him for his past services to the SDRG. Hopefully we will still hear him through 'SD from time to time.

ABUSE

Sadly there has been some occasional abuse on GB3SD in the last few months. It has been directed at some users in particular and the Repeater Keeper. It is mostly in the form of silly noises and deliberate jamming. Should anyone encounter this childish behaviour whilst using ‘SD please ignore it. Whatever you do, don’t respond in any way. The perpetrator is breaking the law and the terms of his licence (if he has one) and the RSGB and RA’s advice has always been to log, but otherwise ignore such activity.

12/12/03 - Geoff, G0EVW the Repeater Keeper has changed his (Orange) telephone number to 07969 074153.

13/02/04 - A committee meeting was held at the QTH of John, G0PGT. The membership list has been updated and will be published on this site soon. There are still a small number of users who have not yet paid their subscription for 2003/4. As this is the last year of the current 5 year lease on the Repeater Site we can expect a significant increase in the rent next year. It is therefore vitally important that everybody continues to support the Group. Please take a minute to check your membership status as soon as the new list is published and make sure that you have not overlooked your payment.

David, G4RQI has replaced the TX strip in station 'B' and this will be put back into service as soon as possible. Meanwhile the spare station 'A' continues to work well. See station data for more information. Many thanks to David for continuing to provide his invaluable service building and maintaining the current SDRG voice Repeater Stations.

17/02/04 -The Membership Subscription List has been updated and can be read here - SDRG Membership 2003/4. Please take a minute to check your membership status and make sure that you have not overlooked your payment.

02/04/04 - Station 'B' was re-installed today by David, G4RQI and Geoff, G0EVW. David has put considerable effort into repairing and modifying this unit and at the moment it seems to be working well. The logic is much more 'user friendly' than Station 'A'. See station data for more details. It is intended that this will remain the 'main station' and that Station 'A' will be maintained as a 'spare'.

15/04/04 - An intermittent problem that had occurred (resulting in what sounded like spurious signals on the RX input and crackling on weak signals) since the re-installation of Station 'B' appears to have been caused by some minor corrosion of the connectors in part of the cavity filter system. These were cleaned up and all has been well since.

28/06/04 - There was a mains power supply outage between approximately 0930 and 1430 UTC today. As a result of this GB7SD was QRT and GB3SD was on low power for the duration. Unfortunately the battery back up to the voice repeater failed after a few minutes and John, G0PGT had to visit the site and maintain the supply with another small battery that he kept charged with a generator! It might be that the battery has failed or there is a fault with the charging system; this will be investigated and it is hoped to restore a more reliable back up system as soon as possible.

19/07/04 - The stations were switched off for a few minutes around 1000 UTC today while the voice repeaters back-up battery was replaced with two new 24 amp/hour units. This has doubled the capacity of the back-up supply for GB3SD and should provide over 24 hours of low power operation in the event of a mains failure.
Later inspection of the old battery confirmed that (as suspected) it was faulty. The operation was carried out by Geoff, G0EVW and Les, G0FAJ.

06/08/04 - The Membership Subscription List has been updated and can be read here - SDRG Membership 2003/4. Please take a minute to check your membership status and make sure that you have not overlooked your payment. As this is the last year of the current 5 year lease on the Repeater Site we can expect a significant increase in the rent next year. It is therefore vitally important that everybody continues to support the Group.

18/08/04 - A report on the 2003 AGM compiled from the official minutes is now available - 2003 AGM

01/09/04 - The Annual General Meeting of the Group will be held on Tuesday the 19th of October at the Chickerell Church Hall. A Newsletter will be sent to all members later this month and also posted here on the SDRG Web Site.

Read the SDRG Newsletter 2004

10/09/04 - A committee meeting was held at the QTH of John, G0PGT. A Newsletter has been prepared and will be sent out to all members soon. The Treasurer proposed a small increase in subscriptions to £12.00 a year and £120.00 for life membership. This was supported by the committee and will be put to the membership at the AGM.

A discussion also took place about the possibility and viability of installing a 2 metre voice repeater with GB3SD. A previous application made some years ago was rejected by the RSGB. A proposal from Rob, G0ECX, seconded by Les, G0FAJ to try again was accepted by the committee and it was decided to write to the RSGB and see what their current views might be. The response so far has been positive and therefore Rob's proposal will be put to the SDRG2000 membership at the forthcoming AGM. The rationale behind this proposal will be fully explained at the AGM.

20/09/04 - The Groups Web Site has received about 750 'hits' in the last 12 months.

20/10/04 - There was a very good attendance at the 2004 Annual General Meeting of the Group that took place on Tuesday October 19. Well over 40 members have now renewed their membership to SDRG since the 2004 Newsletter was sent out. There was enthusiastic support for the 2 metre repeater proposal and it was decided to proceed as quickly as possible. No objections were received although two members said they would be sorry to see the Packet Radio Node close. After a discussion it was decided to keep WEY2 on the air if at all possible.
A full report on the AGM and an updated membership list will be posted here as soon as possible.

28/10/04 - Our Secretary reports that the 5 year lease on the Repeater Site has been renewed. It is therefore vitally important that everybody continues to support the Group and annual subscriptions for the year 2004/5 are now due. If you have already paid or are a life member thank you very much. The proposed small increase in subscriptions to £12.00 a year and £120.00 for life membership was accepted at the AGM and a new annual 'Family Membership' was set at £17.00.

31/10/04 - The membership list has been updated.

04/11/04 - FAQ - when will the 2M Repeater be on the air? There is a lot of work to do so don't expect this to be for many months yet. If all goes well, the most likely time is late spring or early summer 2005. We have to apply to the RSGB for a NOV (licence) to operate and at the moment the paperwork is still being prepared. After we have obtained all the necessary hardware, the Repeater Station has to be built and new aerials have to be installed on the mast.
Our site is not the most comfortable place to work during the winter months and all site work has to be done in the open air! However, once the aerial work is done it is likely that we will do some tests from the site. Check this page and GB3SD often for the latest news. We will keep the promise made at the top of this page. The current committee of the SDRG is determined that users and supporters of the repeaters should be kept fully informed at all times as to what is happening. If you want to know something about the Group and you can't find it on this site then e-mail SDRG.

01/12/04 - The 2M Repeater application forms were completed and sent to the RSGB a couple of weeks ago. Our secretary has already received confirmation from them that everything seems in order. The Group has requested the call-sign GB3DR (Dorset Repeater) and channel RV59. Meanwhile some of the equipment needed has already been obtained and the Repeater is under construction.

02/12/04 - GB3DR is now listed as a proposal on the RMC web site www.coldal.org.uk/rmc.htm and brief details can be seen here www.coldal.org.uk/reps/gb3dr.htm

15/12/04 - Many thanks to the Shortwave Shop who have kindly donated a dual band colinear antenna and diplexer to the SDRG. Please click on the logo below to visit their web site.

18/12/04 - In the last couple of weeks this web site has undergone a tidying up exercise that has required work on every page. If you spot any mistakes please let me know! One of the changes is that e-mail links to committee members and others will now only be found on the contacts page. This enables me to encrypt them so that they can't easily be read by software that collects e-mail address's for spam mailing lists.

Seasons Greetings - from Geoff, G0EVW - Webmaster and Repeater Keeper.

27/01/05 - Many thanks to David, G4RQI who has now delivered the completed GB3DR Repeater to Les, G0FAJ. It is currently on soak test at Les's QTH. Les has also ordered the cavity filters needed for the installation and expects them to be delivered in the next few weeks.
All the processed paperwork for the Repeater NOV (licence), was completed and returned to the RSGB on December the 2nd 2004 for submission to Ofcom. GB3DR is listed as a proposal on the RMC web site www.coldal.org.uk/rmc.htm and brief details can be seen here www.coldal.org.uk/reps/gb3dr.htm

You can also see the GB3SD details including a coverage map here www.coldal.org.uk/reps/gb3sd.htm

29/01/05 - David , G4RQI has posted full details about the new Repeater he built for GB3DR, on his web site here www.g4rqi.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Repeater.html

19/03/05 - The cavity filters were delivered to Les, G0FAJ today. They have been installed and aligned with GB3DR and seem to be working well. The paperwork is still with RSGB/OFCOM and we have been informed that in January it was with the RIS. A committee meeting will be held this week.

GB3SD and GB7SD (WEY2/23) TO GO QRT!

23/03/05 - At a committee meeting held at the QTH of John, G0PGT and Thelma, 2E1HSA it was decided to start preparing the site for the installation of GB3DR as soon as possible. Weather permitting this has been scheduled for the first weekend in April. As extensive work needs to be done on the mast and in the equipment cabinet, GB3SD will be QRT for the duration. It is hoped that the work will be completed by the end of the weekend but users should be prepared for a longer outage if necessary.
Regretfully it was also decided that the Packet Node, GB7SD will have to be closed down. We have been advised that having two 144MHz stations on site is simply not feasible. We are also very short of space and have to make room for the new repeater and it's cavities. If all goes to plan GB7SD will finally go QRT sometime over the same weekend after almost 20 years of service.
The work will involve changes to the GB3SD aerial system as well as installing the new aerials for GB3DR. The present receive aerial is damaged and once GB3SD is back on air users might notice some slight change in performance. We also hope to be able to do some experiments with various aerial configurations for both repeaters. Reports are of course always welcome!

03/04/05 - The work at the Repeater Site went ahead as planned and was completed over the weekend. GB3SD was QRT from approximately 0830 UTC on Saturday the 2nd of April until approximately 1400 UTC on Sunday the 3rd of April.
The Packet Radio Node GB7SD (WEY2/23) was also closed down at the same time and is now permanently QRT. It is hoped that a replacement will be set up at a different site as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Geoff, G0EVW in Weymouth (QTHR) has a station running on 144.950 MHz that will connect to WOOL and WOOLDX. Stations in range of Geoff can digipeat via G0EVW or EVW and access the network or DX Cluster. Geoff's KA Node WEY27 is temporarily QRT but his Mailbox (G0EVW-2) is still available.
The aerial configuration used by GB3SD has been changed completely. What was the transmit aerial at the top of the mast is now being used on receive; the original full wave dipole below it, that was being used on receive, has been replaced by a collinear that is being used for transmit. It will take a few weeks to see how well this arrangement is working and reports are very welcome.
Two 144 MHz aerials were erected and tested, ready for use with GB3DR. A single band collinear shares the top of the mast with what is now GB3SD's receive aerial; it is hoped that this will be used for both transmit and receive. A dual band collinear is mounted below it in case dual aerial working is adopted; it also serves as a spare for GB3SD.
The equipment cabinet has been rewired and a new heavy duty power supply fitted replacing the three that were in use before. The resulting tidy up and the removal of the Packet equipment has made sufficient room to house GB3DR and it's cavity filters. There is still some work to be done to bring the electrical supply fully up to date and this will be done as soon as possible.

13/05/05 - Good progress is being made to restore the local Packet Radio Network. A new Packet Radio Node has now been installed at the QTH of Geoff, G0EVW in Weymouth. G0EVW-3 (WEY3) using TheNet X-1J4 software includes an IP router and has many extra commands and advanced features. The Node links to the Network via G0CGL-1 (WOOL) and provides access to the DX Cluster and a BBS. Simply connect to WEY3 and type BBS or DX. A User Guide in MS Word or PDF format is available here userguide.doc userguide.pdf Please note that WEY3 replaces the original KA Node that was WEY27 and also the digipeater facility EVW. However, Geoff's station (G0EVW) and personal mailbox (G0EVW-2) can still be accessed either direct (if you are in the Weymouth area) or via WEY3.
Many thanks to Paul, G4APL who provided, programmed and fitted the EPROM's, Eric, G0CGL who provides the Network Node and DX Cluster facility at Wool and finally Charlie, 2E1LEC who provided a TNC to replace the faulty one that was WEY2. Graham, 2E1GOQ has promised a suitable aerial and then the new WEY2 (G0PGT-2) station will be complete and ready to install at John, G0PGT's QTH. The area should then be well covered once again.

There is still no news on the NOV (licence) for GB3DR but hopefully it won't be long now! The Station is all ready to install as soon as we are given the go ahead by RSGB/OFCOM.

20/05/05 - Thanks to John, G0PGT, WEY2 is back on the air! The Network Node WEY2 (now G0PGT-2) was installed at his QTH during the evening of 19/05/05 and is working well. John's QTH is about 4 miles NW of the Repeater Site and the coverage should be similar to the original WEY2. The link to WOOL is good and the Node has the same software that was fitted in WEY3 (see above).
WEY3 has been switched off but Geoff's KA Node (now G0EVW-8) is back on and has a solid link to WEY2. Most people in the Weymouth/Dorchester area should be able to connect to WEY2 direct but G0EVW-8 provides a link if needed. Please note however that the connection from G0EVW-8 must be to WEY2 as there is no longer a direct connection from Geoff's Node to WOOL.
Reports will be very welcome and should be sent to Geoff, G0EVW, either via Packet or e-mail. Please let us know that our efforts are worthwhile!

07/07/05 - The RF performance of the Packet Radio Node G0PGT-2 (WEY2) has been improved recently by the addition of a Microwave Modules Power Amplifier and receive Pre-Amplifier. Many thanks to George, G3DLG who donated a good quality Power Supply Unit that was needed to supply the increased current requirement of the PA. There have been a few problems with Network Routing over the last month few weeks but these have been largely beyond the control of local Sysops. In fact some were caused by problems in the USA! However at the time of this posting everything is working well and WEY2 enables a good connection to the DX Cluster and the BBS, GB7CIP (DX and BBS commands) and all the many many useful facilities that they and their Nodes provide. A user guide in MS Word or PDF format is available to download below. Reports will be very welcome and should be sent to Geoff, G0EVW, either via Packet or e-mail. Geoff's personal mailbox (G0EVW-2 can be accessed by using the HOST command from WEY2. Please let us know that our efforts are worthwhile!

WEY2 USER GUIDE - TheNet X-1J4 software includes an IP router and has many extra commands and advanced features. Click these links to read/download userguide.doc userguide.pdf

There is still no news on the NOV (licence) for GB3DR but our secretary has been in contact with our local RSGB Repeater Management Committee representative who has promised to check on the progress of our application and report back to us.

28/07/05 - In response to a recent request by Les, G0FAJ for an update on GB3DR, our local RMC committee member G8DOR reports that the RSGB are pressing Ofcom for an update on all outstanding applications as there seems to be an interruption in the regular reports. Andrew, G8DOR goes on to say "You are not alone in this respect and we have not established what has changed. As soon as I hear anything I will mail you."

GB3SD has been suffering from interference lately. A strong unstable signal is drifting in and out of SD's receiver pass-band. I can hear it at my QTH although it is not very strong. At the repeater site it's a very strong signal and prevents all but the stronger signals getting through. On FM it sounds as if it's modulated with a low level buzz although I have to use my FT790 in SSB/CW mode to find it as it's rarely on an exact channel. As I write this e-mail it's on 434.975 MHz. It seems to be there all the time and I would be interested to know if anyone else can hear it. Please let me know if you can as if it persists we might have to try and locate the source. Geoff, G0EVW

09/08/05 - GB3DR IS NOW LICENSED The Notice of Variation (NOV) for GB3DR arrived this morning from the RSGB. If all goes according to plan it is hoped to switch the Repeater on this coming Saturday, 13/08/05. Reports will of course be welcome but please bear in mind that it might take a while before full performance and service is achieved. GB3SD should not be effected and will continue to operate as normal.

GB3DR (Dorset Repeater) will be on channel RV59 - Input 145.1375 MHz Output 145.7375 MHz. A CTCSS tone of 71.9 Hz or the normal 1750 Hz tone burst can be used for access. A map of the expected coverage area can be seen here www.coldal.org.uk/reps/gb3dr.htm

12/08/05 - Ofcom has been informed of the continuing interference that GB3SD is suffering from and we are awaiting a response from them. In order to avoid the Repeater being held open for long periods a 5 minute timeout has been enabled. The logic allows re-access even if there is still a signal present so hopefully this will not inconvenience users.

20/08/05 - GB3DR was switched on at 0900 UTC on Saturday the 13th of August 2005 and is working well. Early reports suggest that it is at least as good or better than GB3SD in most places, especially for vehicle mobile and fixed stations, although some people using handys find GB3SD still has the edge. It seems likely that we will keep single aerial working for GB3DR but probably re-locate the 2M aerial to the very top of the mast which should give a slight improvement in performance.
Anyone wishing to contribute financially to the Group can send cheques made out to 'South Dorset Repeater Group 2000' to the Treasurer or SDRG, c/o G R Watts, 46 Links Road, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 0PE. The annual subscription is £12.00 or £17.00 for family membership. Life membership is also available at £120.00. Please do not send cash by post!
Please include your full name and address (including post code) and if you have one your e-mail address so that we can keep you up to date with the news.

The Interference to GB3SD has not been heard for over a week. The Radio Investigation Service of OFCOM have been provided with all the information we have to date and should the interference return they will treat the problem as Spectrum Abuse.

04/09/05 - The aerial systems have been tidied up and the GB3DR aerial is now in it's final position at the very top of the mast. This should give almost true omnidirectional coverage on both RX and TX. The GB3SD TX and RX aerials are mounted on separate stand off arms on the east side of the mast, the RX aerial being at the top, just below the bottom of the GB3DR aerial. There is a problem with intermittent interference to GB3DR and this is being investigated. However at the moment it is not known if this is from on site equipment or from further afield.

10/09/05 - Please don't forget that timeout is enabled on both GB3SD and GB3DR and users are advised to keep their overs to less than 4 minutes!

16/09/05 - WEY2 (G0PGT-2) A new page has been added to the site WEY2 Update

18/09/05 - The Annual General Meeting of the Group will be held on Tuesday the 18th of October at the Masonic Hall, Alington Street, Dorchester. A Newsletter will be sent to all members later this month and has also posted here as a MS Word document SDRG Newsletter 2005.doc or Adobe Acrobat document SDRG Newsletter.pdf A map showing the location of the hall can be seen by clicking here AGM Venue Call on GB3SD or GB3DR if you get lost!

28/10/05 - Despite the inclement weather the Annual General Meeting of the Group was very well attended. The new Venue in the centre of Dorchester turned out to be ideal for the event. Many thanks to Thelma for providing excellent refreshments and all those who kindly donated prizes for the raffle and to Charlie for 'persuading' everyone to buy so many tickets - it raised well over £40.00! A full report will be published on the web site later.

The membership list has been updated.

Rob, G0ECX has offered to provide an Internet Link. This was discussed at the AGM and gratefully accepted. It was agreed that this should be connected to GB3SD using the EchoLink http://www.echolink.org/ network. The application for a licence (NOV) has has already been made to the RSGB.

Another new page has been added to the site SDRG Documents

20/11/05 - SDRS MONDAY NIGHT 2M NET - MOVE to GB3DR As discussed and agreed at the SDRG AGM; Starting Monday the 21st of November and continuing for at least the next few weeks, the South Dorset Radio Society Net will QSY from 145.350MHz simplex to the new South Dorset Repeater, GB3DR. It is hoped that this will enable more people to take part. The Net will run from 2000 to 2100 local time.
Reports please to Graham, 2E1GOQ who normally runs the Net.

INTERNET LINKING Also, as discussed and agreed at the AGM; Rob, G0ECX has received the NOV and hopes to start Internet Linking GB3SD in the next few days. At the moment the licence conditions still require Rob to be in attendance at the station so linking is likely to be restricted to evening and weekends only.

25/11/05 - GB3SD is now Internet Linked! Rob, G0ECX switched on the Internet Link at 1320 UTC today. It should be on for most of this weekend. One of the first QSO's to take place was with Les, G0FAJ who was on holiday in Florida. He was using a handy via his 'local' repeater, KE4TTE-R in Orlando. GB3SD-R is using EchoLink and the Node Number is 112689.
You can find full details about EchoLink on the web site at www.echolink.org or this page www.echolink.org/Help/dtmf_functions.htm

31/01/06 - There was an Electricity Supply failure to the Repeater Site just after 2000 UTC today. This resulted in GB3DR being off-air for a few hours but GB3SD continued to work on low power on it's back-up batteries. Normal service resumed as soon as the mains supply was restored.

01/02/06 - There has been a problem with the Packet Radio Node WEY2 (G0PGT-2) for the last few weeks. The Node, now located at the QTH of John, G0PGT, has been suffering from intermittent QRN (electrical interference) that is believed to be wide band noise from nearby power lines. This has the effect of reducing the apparent receiver sensitivity and at it's worst means that the Network links to Nodes WOOL and SIG fail.
John has been trying to locate the source of the QRN but it's intermittent nature does not make tracking it down an easy task. However at the time of this posting the Node is working normally with no recent reports of any problem.

GB3SD INTERNET LINKING The new facility provided by Rob, G0ECX is operational most evenings and weekends and stations from all over the world have been using it. There have been a few minor problems with the link RF and Interface hardware but Rob and the committee are hoping to upgrade the equipment as soon as possible. GB3SD-R is using EchoLink and the Node Number is 112689.
You can find full details about EchoLink on the web site at www.echolink.org or this page www.echolink.org/Help/dtmf_functions.htm

13/03/06 - GB3DR's control logic locked up in the early hours of Sunday morning the10/03/06, leaving the TX jammed on but with no talk through or beacons. John, G0PGT and Thelma, 2E1HSA visited the site within a few hours and a simple system reset (switching it off and on) restored normal operation.

ECHOLINK - A new TX/RX and Interface has been ordered for the GB3SD Internet Link. Rob, G0ECX who provides the facility hopes that once installed this will improve the reliability and quality of the link.

SILENT KEY - TOM G2HAO It has been reported by Reg, G8VHI that Tom Salisbury, G2HAO who was a member of the SDRG is now Silent Key. Older members of the Group will remember that Tom from Nuneaton used to holiday in Weymouth with his XYL. He also took part in a regular 80m sked on Sundays with other Group members. It is not known exactly when Tom died but he would have had 85 turns on the coil last year.

18/03/06 - A committee meeting was held at the QTH of John, G0PGT and Thelma, 2E1HSA. Matters discussed were improvements to the Internet Link, enabling emergency battery back-up of the 2m Repeater and provision for the use of a generator on site and also use of GB3DR by RAYNET. It was also decided to buy and install a new band-pass filter on GB3DR in an attempt to reduce the QRM we suffer occasionally.

26/03/06 - ECHOLINK Rob, G0ECX who provides the facility, has now installed a new TX/RX and Interface for the GB3SD Internet Link. This has greatly improved the reliability and quality of the link, which is now working very well.

SDRS MONDAY NIGHT 2M NET - MOVE to GB3DR This seems to have been a success and is continuing. The Net takes place from 2000 to 2100 local time each Monday evening. Anyone is welcome to join in of course. Reports please to Graham, 2E1GOQ who normally runs the Net.

SUBSCRIPTIONS - There are still a few regular users and members of the Group who have not paid or renewed their subscriptions. If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer, Rob, G0ECX as soon as possible. Geoff, G0EVW also has an up to date membership list. The annual subscription for 2005/2006 is £12.00 or £17.00 for family membership. Life membership is also available at £120.00.

18/04/06 - Rob, G0ECX and Les, G0FAJ visited the site and fitted an extra band-pass filter to GB3DR. It is hoped that this might eliminate or at least reduce the occasional QRM that we suffer from some sort of data signal, superimposed on voices that sound like a utility or taxi service. Reports please to the Repeater Keeper, Geoff, G0EVW, particularly if anyone can help idenitfy the source of the QRM. The data signal is similar (but not identical) to the sound of the control channel of a trunked repeater to MPT-1327/1343.

01/05/06 - The membership list has been updated. Without the support of our members GB3DR and GB3SD would not exist! There are still a few regular users and members of the Group who have not paid or renewed their subscriptions. If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer, Rob, G0ECX as soon as possible. Geoff, G0EVW also has an up to date membership list. The annual subscription for 2005/2006 is £12.00 or £17.00 for family membership. Life membership is also available at £120.00.

30/06/06 - The Repeater Keeper, Geoff, G0EVW has a new mobile telephone number, see contacts for more information.

27/07/06 - The SDRG Secretary, Les, G0FAJ has moved QTH and has a new address and telephone number: see contacts for more information.

29//07/06 - PACKET RADIO As a result of equipment failure, Geoff, G0EVW is no longer able to operate his personal Node and PMS 24/7. However the much improved WEY2 is still working well and although the Weymouth Node G0EVW-8 will no longer be available most people in the Weymouth/Dorchester area should be able to connect to WEY2 direct. Geoff is still QRV on Packet and his station will beacon when operational. His PMS will be G0EVW-2 and the Digipeat Alias EVW. Although the RF performance of his station will not be as good as it used to be there is still a good link to WEY2. At all other times messages for G0EVW can be sent via GB7CIP.

24/09/06 - PACKET RADIO The Node WEY2 (G0PGT-2) was QRT from 2000 UTC on Sunday 17 until 1730 UTC Monday 18 due to a mains power failure at John's QTH. Will all users please remember to contact Geoff, G0EVW if they think WEY2 has a problem as we might not know about it! See WEY2 for more information.

The 2006 AGM of the group should be held in the next few weeks. As usual a Newsletter will be sent out to all members and also posted here on this web site. Reminders will also be sent out by e-mail to everyone on the SDRG list.

26/09/06 - The Annual General Meeting of the Group will be held on Tuesday the 24th of October at the Masonic Hall, Alington Street, Dorchester. A Newsletter will be sent to all members in the next few days and has also been posted here as a MS Word document SDRG Newsletter 2006.doc or Adobe Acrobat document SDRG Newsletter 2006.pdf A map showing the location of the hall can be seen by clicking here AGM Venue Call on GB3SD or GB3DR if you get lost!

29/10/06 - The Annual General Meeting of the Group was well attended. Many thanks once again to Thelma for providing excellent refreshments and all those who kindly donated prizes for the raffle and of course to Charlie for his efforts in 'persuading' everyone to buy tickets! A full report will be published on this web site later.
There are still a few regular users and members of the Group who have not paid or renewed their subscriptions. If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer, Rob, G0ECX as soon as possible. The annual subscription for 2006/2007 is £12.00 or £17.00 for family membership. Life membership is also available at £120.00.

01/12/06 - Electricity supply failures have caused a few interruptions to GB3DR recently. On one occasion Rob, G0ECX had to visit the site and re-set the earth leakage trip. However GB3SD continued to function well on it's back-up battery during these periods.

The Repeater Keeper, Geoff, G0EVW has a new mobile telephone number: 07882063782 - see contacts for more information.

06/01/07 - GB3DR's logic 'crashed' recently. The repeater was in use when all through audio disappeared and the transmitter stayed on continuously without any callsign or beacon ID's. John, G0PGT promptly went to the site and did a re-set by simply turning the repeater off and back on again, after which everything returned to normal. This is only the second time this has happened since GB3DR was switched on in August 2005; the last occasion being in March of last year.

GB3DR also has another intermittent fault that has been present for the last few months. Within a few seconds of transmit the power output drops to a tiny fraction of normal for a few seconds. This might happen once or twice during the first 20 to 30 seconds of use but after that it settles down. Unless you are receiving a very strong signal it might seem that it actually stops transmitting, however in every other respect the repeater continues to function normally.

Hopefully we will be able to install the new repeater in the Spring and fortunately neither of the above faults requires immediate attention.

GB3SD continues to function well with no reported problems as does the Echolink facility provided by Rob, G0ECX. Thank you Rob for providing such a useful addition to our service.

WEY2 (G0PGT-2) the local Packet Radio Node, now located at the QTH of John, G0PGT also continues to work well. Thank you John for providing the QTH, aerial and power for this facility. VERY IMPORTANT Would all users of WEY2 please notify Geoff, G0EVW if there seems to be a problem with the Node as we may not have noticed! Full details about the Node can be found on the WEY2 page.

There are still a few regular users and members of the Group who have not paid or renewed their subscriptions. If you are not sure as to your membership status or when you last paid please contact the treasurer, Rob, G0ECX as soon as possible. The annual subscription for 2006/2007 is £12.00 or £17.00 for family membership. Life membership is also available at £120.00.

17/03/07 - The intermittent fault that occurs when GB3DR is first accessed is getting worse. Within a few seconds of transmit the power output drops to a very low level with only occasional bursts of normal power for a few seconds. Unless you are receiving a very strong signal it might seem that it actually stops transmitting and this makes some users think they are not successfully accessing it. This can make it difficult to establish a QSO at times! After a few minutes of operation it settles down and in every other respect the repeater continues to function normally. We hope to replace the transmitter over the Easter holiday.

11/04/07 - The GB3DR repeater was replaced today by David, G4RQI . The new repeater is identical in all respects to the previous one which has been in use since August 2005. Thanks to David we should eventually have complete and working replacements for both GB3DR and GB3SD.

19/06/07 - Replacing the GB3DR repeater has cured the power drop at first access but the occasional QRM that we suffer (a data signal superimposed on voices) persists. A considerable amount of time and effort has been spent over the last couple of months trying to eliminate this, so far without success. Although the source has been traced to another user on site all attempts to filter out the interfering signals have failed. This is a complex problem, being the result of a mix of three different frequencies, (one of which is our own transmitter) and although we have not given up, it's unlikely to be cured in the near future.

18/08/07 - WEY2 QRT After 21 years of service the Packet Radio Node WEY2 (G0PGT-2) has been taken out of service. The Network links to WOOL and ARMY disappeared a few weeks ago without warning and WEY2 was left completely isolated and therefore redundant. The full history of the station can be found here. Many thanks to all those who helped provide and maintain the facility over the years.

In the next few days it is hoped to do some essential maintenance at the repeater site and this might result in occasional interruptions to service.

21/08/07 - Essential maintenance started at the site today and as a consequence GB3SD has been changed to 'Repeater A'. Users should note that this station complies with the 12.5KHz specification. Although it works well the logic is not particularly user friendly and the 12.5KHz specification is not fully compatible with most users equipment. It is hoped to change back to 'Repeater B' as soon as possible. Service interruptions can be expected for the duration of the work.

25/08/07 - GB3DR and GB3SD normal service resumed. Thanks to John, G0PGT, Les, G0FAJ and Rob, G0ECX, the planned maintenance work is now complete. Also, thanks to prompt repairs by Rob, GB3SD is now using 'Station B' again. A full report will be made in our annual newsletter in a few weeks time. This will be sent to all members and also posted on this web site.

01/10/07 - The Annual General Meeting of the Group will be held on Tuesday the 23rd of October at the Masonic Hall, Alington Street, Dorchester. A Newsletter will be sent to all members in the next few days and has also been posted here as an Adobe Acrobat document (PDF) SDRG Newsletter 2007.pdf A map showing the location of the hall can be seen by clicking here AGM Venue Call on GB3SD or GB3DR if you get lost!

03/10/07 - By popular request, Rob, G0ECX has produced a brief guide to using GB3SD's Internet Link. This file is also in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF) echolink guide

20/11/07 - The Annual General Meeting of the Group was well attended and a full report will be posted here as soon as possible. Many thanks to all those who attended and/or have already paid their subscription. The annual subscription for 2007/2008 remains unchanged at £12.00 or £17.00 for family membership. Life membership is also available at £120.00.

01/01/08 - The membership List has been updated although some of the callsigns shown have not yet renewed their subscription. With people paying at different times of the year (and often paying more than the basic subscription) we do not delete names/calls from the list until at least 18 months have elapsed since the last payment.

The mains power supply used to supply the 12 volts needed to power GB3DR (and GB3SD's PA) has not proven to be very reliable and recently it was suspected of causing intermittent re-setting of GB3DR's logic. Charlie, 2E1LEC kindly loaned us one to keep things going and a replacement is on order. Also a known 'bug' in the logic used by the current GB3DR occasionally requires a hard re-set to restore normal operation. At the moment this usually requires a site visit. Chris, G6WHI is currently designing an alternative logic and we are actively seeking a 'spare' repeater that he can fit it in. It is hoped that eventually we will have two complete and working repeaters for GB3DR just as we already have for GB3SD.

23/02/08 - The power supply (see above) has now been replaced with a new unit.

Chris, G6WHI has designed and built a simple control logic as the first step in building a 'spare' repeater for GB3DR. The design concept is to keep it as simple as possible to use with the absolute minimum of frills, in other words the KISS principle! He has also found a source of suitable Kyodo KG110/BSR150 base stations at a reasonable price although we have to collect them from the midlands!

24/04/08 - Chris, G6WHI and Rob, G0ECX have now installed one of the replacement repeaters for GB3DR using the new logic that Chris designed and built. Full details can be found here: www.cstech.co.uk/gb3dr.html

www.gb3sd.radiouk.com