UK rallies Sunday

[artag]

Cambridge  Repeater Group
McMichael, Reading

Anybody going ?

[tggzzz]

Not me, but another denizen is planning on going to McMichael.

Chippenham on 28th July
FRARS on 11th
Rugby on 18th
MKARS on 25th (possibly)
Telford 1st September

[artag]

I did cambridge. Sadly, it seems to get smaller every year. It used to be one of the best a few years ago.
I got there reasonably early though and came away with a bargain Agilent 6633B.

[tggzzz]

Sadly, it seems to get smaller every year.

They all are, a consequence of attendees'  age, covid, ebay.

One of my favourites, Didcot/Harwell is now defunct.

[tggzzz]

I did cambridge. Sadly, it seems to get smaller every year. It used to be one of the best a few years ago.
I got there reasonably early though and came away with a bargain Agilent 6633B.

I don't suppose you noticed Robert763 https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg5572715/#msg5572715

[tggzzz]

Two reports about McMichael: https://teanonymous.com/f1/viewtopic.php?t=316

[Robert763]

I left the bargain HP PSU for someone else. I did get a demonstrated working HP 204D LF oscillator for £5 :-)

[Robert763]

I did cambridge. Sadly, it seems to get smaller every year. It used to be one of the best a few years ago.
I got there reasonably early though and came away with a bargain Agilent 6633B.

The Wood Green one was the best local venue. All I've got there recently is a dodgy mutt. This is the second one they palmed off on me.

[artag]

Ha - I wasn't far behind you. I saw you buy the 6058 . See tggzzz's comment elsewhere. Thanks for leaving the HP!

I think Wood Green was actually the Cambridge radio club, CDARC. There's a lot of cross-fertilization but CDARC rally used to be in Addenbrooke's Ambulance Station in winter and held one or two in a barn near the Mullard telescope. I don't think they still have a rally though I'd be happ[y to hear if they do.

The Repeater group (who run the amateur repeaters at Barkway tower) used to hold their rally in the Pye (later Philips) car park. There may have been another location before they settled at Foxton, I don't recall.

[Robert763]

Anyone going to Bury St Edmunds tomorrow?
It's a new rally only it's second year. I didn't go last year.

[mikeselectricstuff]

I went to McMichael - reasonable size and range of stuff, only thing I bought was a huge bin of random NOS chips - PIC18s, 680x0,Z80 & other stuff.

[Robert763]

Went to Bury St Edmunds today. Only about 35 miles down the A14 so easy for me. Took the dog as it was advertised as dog friendly. It was very dog friendly. Fair number of sellers mostly small. Not much TE. A few analog scopes, couple of Bird Thru-line power meters etc. Didn't buy any TE. Some components including some nice APEM toggle switches, 8 for 50p. Label says HM Gov. paid £57 each for them in '97 current price from mouser £202 each 
Oddities included a CV148 IR image converter tube of WWII vintage for 50p and a Noga deburring tool with spare blades in a "free" bin.  gave th seller a couple of quid for that one. Nearly bought a nanoVNA for £20 but the screen was scratched and as it wasn't chargeed I could not check it.
So nothing special but friendly and a nice trip out.

[Squarewave]

Sadly, it seems to get smaller every year.

They all are, a consequence of attendees'  age, covid, ebay.

One of my favourites, Didcot/Harwell is now defunct.

Harwell used to be really good, February too, indoors, a good start to the year.

[artag]

Cambridge Repeater group rally at Foxton has come around again (was July last year)

Anybody there ?

[tggzzz]

Cambridge Repeater group rally at Foxton has come around again (was July last year)

Anybody there ?

Too far for me.

The next ones I'll go to are
May 18 DDARC
Jun 8 Mendips
Jul 6 Newbury
Jul 27 Chippenham
Aug 10 FRARS, on the same day as Rugby/RATS I like both.
Aug 31 Telford (not on their website?)

Never been to McMichael; what's your opinion?

[mikeselectricstuff]

Cambridge Repeater group rally at Foxton has come around again (was July last year)

Anybody there ?

Too far for me.

The next ones I'll go to are
May 18 DDARC
Jun 8 Mendips
Jul 6 Newbury
Jul 27 Chippenham
Aug 10 FRARS, on the same day as Rugby/RATS I like both.
Aug 31 Telford (not on their website?)

Never been to McMichael; what's your opinion?

McMicheal was similar size to Newbury last year  - maybe 50 plots. I scored a huge box of NOS components which made a tidy profit on ebay but if it wasn't for that it would have been a waste of time.

I'll be doing my usual stall at DDRC, but not sure I'll bother with anything else unless I can combine with something else the same day - if going to Reading/Newbury I'd recommend Farnborough Air services museum.
 

[tggzzz]

if going to Reading/Newbury I'd recommend Farnborough Air services museum.

Bookmarked. Having somewhere to go in the afternoon increases the chance I'll travel a fair distance.

Post FRARS I've visited The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life https://theetchescollection.org
Post DDARC it is, unsurprisingly, TNMoC. Or perhaps Hendon https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/
Post Telford perhaps https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/midlands/

[artag]

Foxton/CDARC had a big problem with parking today. There were a few extra stalls (which is nice!) and plenty of cars. At one point they were allowing one car in for each one out.   It used to be on the Pye car park at Cambridge a long while ago .. glory days. I hope they find somewhere better, but sites are getting expensive. Came back with a few bits but nothing outstanding.

Apparently Huntingdon rally (August bank holiday) has moved from St Neots this year - will be somewhere in the fens past Huntingdon.

I'll do Dunstable and possibly Rugby. It's a pity MKARS no longer use Bletchley Park. Doubtless TNMoC would be more accomodating but don't have much space.
I did go to McMichael a long way back and liked it, but it's a bit far from me and I haven't made it back. Hack Green was another interesting but distant one. I camped overnight for that one.

[Zenith]

The next ones I'll go to are
May 18 DDARC
Jun 8 Mendips
Jul 6 Newbury
Jul 27 Chippenham
Aug 10 FRARS, on the same day as Rugby/RATS I like both.
Aug 31 Telford (not on their website?)

Never been to McMichael; what's your opinion?

The same for me. I'll add Weston-super-Mare, because it's close. Newport, because it's also close, and the Chippenham winter rally, if they do it, because it's also close.

Shame about the FRARS/Rugby clash, but it has to be FRARS. Rugby seems to have been getting noticeably smaller recently.  Andover has been postponed, but might be on later this year.

Milton Keynes I might go to, because I've never been to it.

McMichael I've always found strangely variable. I might go.

Hack Green wasn't up to much and it's a long way. The nuclear bunker is interesting and worth seeing once. Not one to make the effort for again.

There are a few others, such as the National Rally in Newark, which I might go to, but it was disappointing last time.

The others are either too far, too small, or both. For instance, there are some in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, but they are too far. There are a few in Devon and Cornwall, which are too small and too far.

DDARC, Newbury and FRARS are the mustn't miss ones for me. Telford has been good and seems to be getting better.



. 

[tggzzz]

The same for me. I'll add Weston-super-Mare, because it's close. Newport, because it's also close, and the Chippenham winter rally, if they do it, because it's also close.

Agreed; those two will be in my list when I know the dates

[Zenith]

W-s-M is on for 21st September.

https://www.g4wsm.club/rally-2018/

No news from the club site about the Chippenham winter rally this year. I bumped into one of the blokes at McMichael last year and he said the winter bash was touch and go.

Nothing on their website about Newport, but I assume it will go ahead around early October.

Apparently the Mid Devon Rally is on for 7th December.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2272076073188942/

I didn't make it last year because the weather was terrible, with high winds and floods, but I mean to do it once.

Then there's Barry on 17th May, the day before DD. I might go, but it's quite small.

[Squarewave]

Going to Dunstable tomorrow, haven't been for a few years, so will be nice to have a walk around and chat to familiar faces.

[tggzzz]

I'll be there, eventualities excepted.

Zenith should be too.

[Hydron]

First train of the morning wouldn't get me to Luton station until 11 (bloody engineering works as usual, Thameslink isn't running anything until half 9), so sadly probably not worth going only to show up at lunchtime. Have fun all!

[mikeselectricstuff]

Just finished stuffing the car with crapGoodies, see you there!