Grid Watch UK

Saturday 30 March 2019

Radcom didn't show?


Over the last few years I have started to lose magazines I subscribe to that are delivered by Royal Mail.



This month it was Radcom's turn, the April edition didn't show it's face. At least a week had gone by after despatch to the membership. One has to be on the ball, it would be easy for the month to pass and the next month to roll in and the copy might not be missed if I was busy. I seem to remember it was about this time last year that Radcom had gone missing, the year before that it was QST, do I have someone snaffling my post?

Anyway a quick call to the RSGB office and there was one sent out in a plain brown envelope very quick! But I had missed the window of opportunity for persusing members ads, which you have to be quick if one is on the lookout for a bargain. 


Monday 11 March 2019

SK Rev George Dobbs G3RJV.


For sometime I have known that  G3RJV had not been too well, I have not made much noise about it on here, as I think he would of wanted it that way.


I understand George Passed away in the early hours of this morning, "my birthday" how am I ever going to live that one down every March 11th.




For sure George is never going to be forgotten by the GQRP club which he started back in 1974 and continues to flourish by an ever growing active membership, along with Sprat the magazine which he edited until his last 12 months. All the QRP books he written and co wrote, along with his monthly pages with Practical Wireless "Carrying on the Practical Way", encouraging those from a start, to where they actually understood the basics of radio, developing from a simple diode to using a couple of transistors, that made something that really worked and was useful. Of course my first contact with George Dobbs was when I built his 3 transistor radio from the Ladybird book back in the mid 70's.

How shall I remember him, well he will be up there with the greats of QRP, the Sudden is one radio that comes to mind, a design that showed all the basics of radio with minimum parts. Oh yes his encouragement, if he thought you had got it, he bent over to help, endorsing my Blog in it's early days The Reverend reviewed. I guess he liked what I had written, even though I may be a bit slow at times. The references to G3RJV's work will never be forgotten and won't, and must be brought to the forefront for new audiences to see and understand, helping them to learn the basics from the start.

To George's Wife and family, I send out my sincere condolences, he will be really missed!


Where I am now


Just a quick note before I move on to more important things:

There is a lot of sad things going on in my life at the moment, that is one big major reason I am not fulfilling the full potential of this blog with what I set out from the begining to do.

This will stagger on in this same way for sometime into the future, most of my Amateur Radio antics has been on hold for the last 18 months or so, I  see no light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks to you all that visit,  I know you are looking in.