The CUWS Team achieved first place for England (and the UK) in the multi-op single transmitter category. Normal antennas at the shack were supplemented with a 40m 4-square, 80m vertical, and 15m monobander on a SCAM 12 tower (Tnx M0LCM).

Six members of the Society and one guest were active from the western Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus from 2-8 January 2020. A record (for CUWS) 26,000 QSOs were made from 160-15 metres (including a handful on 12/10/6). Modes used were CW, SSB, and RTTY. The team used 4 Elecraft K3/KPA500 stations and one KX3/Juma combination. The antennas were: 160m inverted L, 80m quarter wave, 40m quarter wave, 30m ground plane, 20m ground plane, 17m vertical dipole, 15m vertical dipole. For 60m either the 160 or 80 metre antenna was used. The QTH was a beach cafe that had closed for the winter. The team picture is below. Ops from left to right were: Michael G7VJR, Rob M0VFC, Simon G7SOZ, Martin G3ZAY, Stavros 5B4AFM / M0BBB, Dan M0WUT and Dom M0BLF.

CUWS hosted two 8 hour slots in the December activation of GB19YOTA for Youngsters on the Air. 1000 QSOs were made, mainly on 40 and 20 metres CW and SSB.

Dan M0WUT kicked things off on 20m CW:

He was joined shortly afterwards by Charlie M0ZCJ on 40 SSB:

Next up was Nikolas M0IPY on 20m SSB:

And William M0WJE on 40m SSB (20m CW later):

William introduced Jared KC1LZJ to the sound of the bands from this side of the pond:

And Aly M0WSE finished off on 20m SSB:

(UPDATE – Based on claimed raw scores we are 1st in the U.K. in the Multi-Single category.)

A team of operators manned Woop Woop 3 for the CQWW SSB Contest over the weekend of October 27/28. 2443 contacts were made for a claimed score of just over 2.3M points in the Multi-Single category. The 40m 4-square antenna and the 80m vertical will probably be left up for members to use over the winter.

The antennas are shown below: 80m vertical, 40m 4-square, 5 element 15m Yagi on 40ft SCAM, and regular 3 ele SteppIR in distance.

Life Member Rob, G3YZO, operated and brought along this picture of the original Woop Woop building in Grange Road which the club vacated in 1970. It was an ionospheric research lab before it was taken over by CUWS. Note that it wasn’t the first club shack – that was in the Old Cavendish in town.

CUWS used the special RSGB Contest Club callsign G6XX on a couple of days during the football World Cup Championship in June. Ops included G3ZAY, M0WUT, M0ZCJ, G7VJR, M/KD2LXA, 2E0FFC, 2E0XSM, M0VFC, M0WJE, M0BLF, and M1BXF. Around 1500 contacts were made with up to 3 stations QRV simultaneously.

Dom, M/KD2LXA operating as G6XX.

Rob, M0VFC with the third operating position (K3 + Juma amp) on 18MHz.

Charlie M0ZCJ on 14MHz.

Sean 2E0XSM using G6XX

David 2E0FFC using G6XX

The event finished with the annual CUWS BBQ.

Welcome to all our members, old and new, to the new year.

There are a number of activities planned this term, with more to come.

Firstly, to our new members, if you haven’t yet had a chance to visit the shack contact Martin G3ZAY who is arranging visits. Also anyone who is interested in taking any level of Amateur Radio exam in Cambridge (student or not) should contact Martin for details.

At the end of October is the CQWW DX SSB contest, in which we usually make a competitive entry (for the past two years we have set new English records in our category). Contact Dom M0BLF for more information or to find out how you can get involved with operating.
If you want to see what the contest is about, but don’t fancy operating, then feel free to come along to the shack any time on the 27th or 28th October to see the contest in action.
Volunteers are also needed the weekend before, and the Monday and Friday either side of, the contest to assist in erecting and then dismantling the additional antennas we use for the event.

If you would like to start contesting with something a bit easier, we also enter the weekly RSGB UKAC – these are contests on VHF and UHF bands which last for 2.5 hours every Tuesday evening. Feel free to come along and join in (or just watch!)

Also this month is the annual RSGB convention, to which a number of our members will be going and some presenting. There are a number of talks on a variety of subjects, and tickets are available on the door if you are interested in joining them.

Finally, every Thursday we have an informal meeting in the Maypole pub at 8pm, which is a great chance to get to know fellow amateurs in the area. It is also a great chance to ask questions about almost anything technical – our members have interests and expertise ranging from mathematics to electronics, engineering and computer science!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at chairman@g6uw.org.

William (M0ZXA)
CUWS Chairman

Welcome to the Cambridge University Wireless Society, and welcome back for a new year to our existing members!

Want to read more about what we do? Look at our introductory page. We’re planning an introductory talk about the society on Thursday 14th October and to show people around our radio shack on the Sunday after (17th).

This term sees the annual Radio Society of Great Britain convention, to which we’ll be sending a contingent (and you’re welcome to join them), as well as the annual CQ World Wide SSB contest, into which we regularly put a competitive entry. We’re also looking at a talk and a trip to Bletchley Park later in the term. See our event calendar for more details.

Thanks to the efforts of the volunteers who have done the ground work, and to the generosity of our donors, we have a brand new shack building to which the finishing touches are now being put, and which you should go and see once it’s ready! The club shack is there to allow all licensed members to get on the radio and make contacts around the world without having to acquire your own equipment or find space for antennae in central Cambridge. It’s nearby and a great resource. Don’t forget that we’re always willing to help people obtain amateur radio licences.

I very much hope to see you at one of our events, or perhaps at one of our weekly informal pub meets (Thursday, 2000, The Maypole)!

Jordan Skittrall (M0SKI)
CUWS Chairman

Happy new year and welcome back to Cambridge for those who have been away!

We have a number of events lined up for this term.

• On Thursday 4th February, at 1900, Professor Michael Proctor of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics will speak on “Sunspots and the solar dynamo”
• On Thursday 25th February, at 1900, Dr David Sadler of Roke Manor Research will speak on “HF direction finding and superresolution techniques”
• On Thursday 4th March, at 1900, Robert Chipperfield (M0VFC) will speak on “RAYNET: the what, why and how of amateur radio emergency communications”

All talks will be in the Bateman auditorium at Gonville and Caius college, with doors open by 1845.

Our weekly pub meets, from 2000 each Thursday in the Maypole, continue.

Martin (G3ZAY) and Michael (G7VJR) will be on air in the Falkland Islands from 21st to 29th January, and we shall have an organised visit to our radio shack to make contact with them. Look out for more details on this!

I look forward to seeing/hearing some of you later on in the term!

Jordan

Here is a collection of extracts from 1921-1924 issues of Wireless World containing details of the foundation and early years of CUWS. CUWS Foundation – Wireless World.