WARG will be hosting a “Check your equipment” day at our usual venue, Peter Hughes Scout Communications Centre, on Sunday 23 June 2013, starting at 11am.
The purpose of the “Check your equipment” day is an opportunity for Amateurs to bring along their own equipment to be tested using professional-quality calibrated instruments.
Testing will focus on the usual RF parameters, so if you are wondering about your rig’s deviation or modulation limits, S Meter accuracy, receiver sensitivity or the like, now you can find out for sure. Likewise your other station equipment – whether your SWR-Power meter reads correctly, or your dummy load is a good 50 ohm match on all the bands; and so on.
WARG will supply professional quality test equipment and knowledgeable people to drive it. We will also provide the usual 13.8V DC and mains AC power supplies
You will need to bring your equipment, and all accessories required for it to operate on test,like the power cables, microphone, and any other specialist items. If you’re bringing one or more handhelds, ensure the batteries are well charged.
We’ll be set up to fully check equipment operating from 160m through to 70cm, mainly in analogue-based modes, such as SSB or CW, and FM, and RF power levels from QRP to the legal limit.
We will be able to check function and basic accuracy of RF power and SWR meters, and impedance match and frequency response of dummy loads or RF filters. We can also do resonance sweeps of some VHF/ UHF antennas, .
We may be able to test other things … if you aren’t sure, bring it along! As long as it can be safely powered up on the bench, we can advise on the day. Or if you can offer to test certain equipment, please let us know.
For each item tested we will give you a written summary sheet, outlining performance.
Note that we won’t be geared up to to repair or realign equipment – but we will be happy to give advice if we find anything amiss. (If anyone wants to consider working on their own gear, there may be a corner available – but BYO tools and everything…!)
Cost of all this is only a gold coin donation per tested item (depending on how many bands you want tested – thorough tests of multiband/mode rigs will take longer, and will thus warrant additional donation). WARG members – or those who join WARG on the day – can have some items tested free. (WARG membership is still only $25.00).
With events like the RD contest and Hamfest not far away, June 23rd is a good opportunity to put your gear through its paces
The equipment check day will start around 11 am, and we need to be packed up by around 4 pm. A sausage-sizzle lunch, soft drinks, tea and coffee and afternoon snacks will be available, all at reasonable prices, Funds raised will go into keeping our repeaters on the air
We would appreciate RSVP, for catering purposes, and also to get an idea of how much equipment we have to test. Also we are looking for volunteers to help on the day – whether you have professional-grade radio comms test setup you can bring – or are willing to help on the day, cooking the sausage sizzle etc, all assistance would be appreciated.
Email us through the Contact Page, or call in to our on-air net, Sundays at 10:30 local on VK6RLM, 146.750.
So, we hope to see you at WARG’s “Check Your Equipment” day, June 23rd, Sunday, 11am to 4pm, Peter Hughes Scout Communications Centre, corner Gibbs St and Welshpool Rd East Cannington.
BR & 73,
Anthony VK6AXB
