Club News

Warbirds Day 2010

Sunday 22nd August, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at LEMAC flying field

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Bring along your classic scale models, and enjoy the day.

FLYING FIELD INTERFERENCE UPDATE

The problem of interference on 35 Mhz is still with us although the number of instances has decreased over the past month or so, this is more likely due to less members flying and the switch to 2.4 Ghz. The OFCOM people visited the site last week with a more sophisticated piece of kit which was basically a Land Rover fitted with a 30ft mast and aerial arrangement, they took a number of readings including one near the power lines at the car park. During the reading near the power lines some activity was noted in the 34 - 36 Mhz range, there is a chance there could be a cracked insulator somewhere along the line (not necessarily close by) which could cause a problem. This is by no means a forgone conclusion and further investigation is required. If there is a cracked insulator it is more likely to cause a problem when the air is dry rather than in damp conditions, therefore, it is most important that a note is made of the weather conditions as well as time, date, frequency, etc. This information should be pasted to either myself or Mick Brookes.

We have also confirmed with the BMFA that insurance cover is not affected by this issue providing members operate within BMFA guidelines and LEMAC club rules.

John Wright

Chairman

Radio Interference Update

The OFCOM field engineer visited our field on Friday 17th July for an initial look see and to discuss the interference issue with various members of the committee including myself and Stan Layton. He assured us that all infringements are taken seriously and it is his job to try and establish the source, he has the power to immediately shut down the source if necessary. The OFCOM vehicle is equipped with all the required equipment to establish the source of the interference, initial scanning of the area did not identify any issues. We explained the random nature of the problem which he accepted and understood, the engineer is based in Heanor and looks after the Midlands area, as such he often passes by our location and has agreed to make random visits during the week for an hour or so in an attempt to isolate the problem. He has promised to keep me informed of any developments which I intend to pass on to you in further updates. The field engineer has requested we record any instances as they occur, all such information should be passed to either myself or Mick Brookes.

John Wright

LEMAC Chairman 

Vulcan to the Sky - Appeal for Donations

After all the hard work to get Avro Vulcan XH558 airborne, the project needs further help.
A recent press release says:-

"We need to start the rest of the test flight programme with the return of good weather at the beginning of March, but we still have to have £150,000 in our hands before we can do that, plus confidence that we will go on raising at least £50,000 per month after that. Right now we look like we’re going to be starved of funds at this critical moment for the Vulcan."

So the project are appealing for further donations and/or sponsorship.

If you would like to help, please visit the Vulcan to the Sky Trust website.
 

Futaba 2.4GHz Notice

For anyone using Futaba radio sets on 2.4 GHz, please be aware that a fault has been identified in some sets.

Further details are available on both the BMFA and Ripmax websites.