vibes

Sheffield Wireless is an amateur radio society based at the Rutland Hotel, 452 Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2PY. There are no member or subscription fees. Our website is here http://sheffieldwireless.org/ Did you know that a mobile phone is actually a transceiver, first invented by radio amateurs. We do all sorts of inventions like that for communication fun. Licenced Radio Amateurs are able to talk to the International Space Station staff on board. We can talk to each other whilst browsing the internet, using local repeaters. Some of you will remember the days of CB, the difference with amateur radio are use of callsigns registered by ofcom instead of making up your own name, you can make it a very technical hobby or you can use it for a good old chin wag and rag chew, making friends all around the world. There are thousands upon thousands of licenced amateurs. Yes, you'll need a licence, and there is the Foundation licence which is considered relatively easy to obtain after a few lessons and a short exam for competency, as well to make sure you understand your own needs for safety along with some basic knowledge of the technical aspects of the hobby. Self education is the key here! We are very competitive contesters and come very high in the national league tables so you'll be joining a great team. We're off for a few days in July to Arran to do an 'Islands on the Air' Contest over a 24 hour period, as well as sample the Whisky at Arran Distillery... We do lots of stuff including; Contesting Construction Talks Experimenting with Raspberry Pi, Arduino and Computers with radio You use messenger on the internet... we use DIGI modes on the airwaves with a radio.. much more fun.. DXpeditions to Arran Summits on the Air Walks DF Direction Finding Show and tell nights Technical discussions Training There is a video here from the Radio Society of Great Britain about this hobby We have talks and events on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays in the Dovedale suite at the hotel from 7:30pm, and we provide training to become licenced radio amateurs in the bar area on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays. We go out for a social meal on any 5th Wednesday in a month. Our general membership video is here Our training video is here So, please don't go QRT (close down from this) as we hope you will QSY to us (come and join us), you will be very welcome in what is a great hobby with so much to do. Best 73 (goodbye) Krystyna 2E0KSH -- Chair Sheffield & District Wireless Society

Slightly unrelated but there is a UK wide based sleep out tonight against the bedroom tax. Sheffield's is based on the town hall steps, so, if you want to join in against this and demonstrate peacefully, go ahead and take your tent, there will be plenty others there. Krystyna

I know I'm not totally 100% Green in my personal practice, and hardly done much campaigning at all in the past year however the green approach and policies from a personal experience have been second to none. An outsider cant really complain about green policies without actually immersing in the way the greens do things, and unlike politicans you cant trust, I dont know a green person, and I've met plenty, who is not sincere, trustworthy or loyal. When I first attended meetings with the Greens and met the folks and how they do things, I realised something, I'd come home..! Krystyna

I was disappointed when I stood for the LibDems in 2003 I think it was... with their printed claims of all the things I was purported to have said and done in Arbourthorne for the benefit of the local community. I was releived to be able to walk away after the night of that election... Not my kind of politics... And then they go on to buy into allowing all the current national damage.... The Greens have been realistically the way forward towards a sustainable future that we all need to think about, given weather changes, peak oil and potential financial collapse. They have thought about it for decades, none of hte other parties have. Sadly, voters just cant seem to wake up to smell the coffee.. Krystyna.

LOL Thanks John... Am quite chuffed with my first attempt of something that came about by accident... I know what you mean about climbing in the dark, here I am, fat, unfit and in my mid forties lol..!! I wished we had these walls 20 years ago, but I've still got my old eb's or climbing boots and cant wait to have a go. I understand this wall was aimed at the more competent climber, so for now I shall use the other one across the way ^^. Not sure what to do on Saturday, I'd like to go. Shame you cant be there to photo it. I'ts an excellent resource :-)

I did a video about this boulder over the weekend, my first ever youtube one. Came about by accident as my voiceover was so boring..!! So I added music. It was intended for a friend in Latvia where they have no climbing facilities in the country, but keen to get soem climbing walls created ^^ So I did this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9dANNnrDyI&feature=plcp The company is apparently launching this on Saturday 15th December at 1pm... I shall try to go, but I got an amateur radio exam... doh... Krystyna

You know since reading this thread last night, and whilst I know CB as we know is dead, that there has been some sort of mini revival. The world and the climate is changing, we can eassily lose our power or contact through mobile coms, The Sun's waves will peak in 2011 and does affect the commincation waves in ways I don't understand. But there is evidence of a need for CB. Take Nebraska for example who suffer some damaging storms. When the standard comms are out they refer to the trusty CB. I use my internet all the time, but if I knew others would do so, I'd invest in a CB rig, get it set up, and listen in for truckers and old friends who popped by and wanted a chat. Maybe the CB could just be another mobile phone for the car, or the machine switched on in the corner of the room with the volume low - grooups can agree set times to get together, maybe have some planned themed discussions of the stuff that's happening in the world. To think of the enjoyment of talking and browsing at the same time, I imagine there'd be some pretty neat discusisons going on. But how do we deal with the idiots, setting the example, learning who they are and using the authorities to deal with such idiots. Perhaps I am aiming too high with daft idea...! What do you think?

What an interesting blast from the past thread. So many names I remember. Does anyone remember Monte Carlo (Roy), He lived on Buchanan Road area opposite the newsagent. Last time I saw him was about 1985, and last spoke to him around 1991-93 by chance on a friends CB by chance encounter. I know he will be getting on quite a bit by now and wonder if he is gracing this planet with his presence. He was a "non-uncle" to me and very special in our family. I didn't have a handle - just a listener... and loved my old Harrier CBX. Thanks, thats a 10-7 good buddies. Roger n Out! :-)

************ sorry.... a second copy of the above message for some reason... sigh....!!

As a General Manager, she should have had the graciousness, politeness and insight to have known that and explained it, without having the attitude of your wrong and I'm right. I did say I was an unlimited member back then too... Thank you for your insight and response - that makes sense. I came away feeling very downtrodden, hacked off, and unwilling to set up another £60 unlimited ski package.

I used to have unlimited membership about 2/3 years ago, and was (until today) seriously thinking of setting up a payment for unlimited £60 a month ski. I've been to look at the slope today and I have to say it looks like the matting and slopes have deteriorated much so rather badly. It also seems empty of people Worse still, when I enquired to find it cost £45 for private lessons, I said that 2 years ago I actually had about 2 private lessons and each cost about £20-25 each The young woman, who referred to herself as the General Manager argued that she had been the GM for 2 years and it had always those prices. Yes, argued... I tried to explain that actually, I recall the prices back then very well and wouldn't have paid £45 for a private lesson at that time. The response was someone arrogant and quite willing to argue. I wasn't willing to argue and felt completely brushed off and hacked. I knew I was right and just wasn't expected such a cold response when I politely challenged. So, deteriorating slope, and a general manager who needs some life experience in how to talk to people respectfully to potential new customers thinking of of coming back. I am not going to the local Ski Village again - DISGUSTED..!! X-Scape - here I come :-) http://www.xscape.co.uk/snow/castleford/ I hope the general manager learns something.

Thank you for that Minimo. We come to the conclusion that we just carry on with our group doing what we can when we can, we have a strong team and everyone is involved. We have made some positive acheivements and we're enjoying it which is the main thing about contributing to a local community, so I guess your right there about enjoying it. We do have a meeting room, and looking to increase our useag but will discuss that at our next meeting, perhaps a Saturday morning with a coffee shop type thing as some of the older folks appear too afraid to come down at our evening meetings. Thanks for your comments. Krystyna

Hi folks, I hope you don't mind a plug for our somewhat small and recently formed Tenants and Residents Association. We are called the Heeley Rise TARA and we cover the Heeley Common and Heeley Green area. We have about 330 households in our area, so we have a small income, but lots of ideas. We have created a blog site giving some news and updates of who we are, where we meet and what we're up to. Please do pop along every now and then. Click here for the Heeley Rise Tara Website and Blogspot We are having a difficult time engaging local people to be involved in our meetings and activities, but as we only set up last March, things are still new and we acknowledge that with the committee we have, our results and acheivements would hopefully generate interest in time. With the merry 6 of us at the moment, and the odd one or two tenants that are starting to turn up regularly at meetings, we recognise we only have so much energy, and we need to enjoy what we do for the good of everyone. We have organised a coach trip to Lincoln for Christmas Shopping for TARA members (£5) or non-TARA members (£10). This takes place on the 6th December with the coach leaving the junction of Derby Street/Lichford Road at 8:30am. Please get in touch by email or phone if you want to come along. I do beleive as the current Chair that whilst we cover any difficult issues in the future, we need to do it positively and constructively despite any disagreements, because at the end of the day, we're all volunteers, and all we want to do is make our local area a better place to live for us all. Please visit the blog website, spread the word, come to a meeting, suggest ideas, send us an email etc; We'll be glad to see more new faces aboard this ship. Many thanks, Krystyna Haywood CHAIR Heeley Rise Tenants and Residents Association

Hi, I have an allotment up on Heeley Common, and I arrived today to find my shed broken into, 2 padlocks smashed off but nothing taken. They had attempted several sheds but no joy there either. This is largely because the thieves thought there'd be power tools in the shed, and I do not store them or hardly use them. I've plenty of hand tools but none taken - thank god my wonderful azada is still here....! My only delight is imagining the expletives they would have pronounced when finding there were no power tools. It's a minor inconvenience, it happened about 8 months ago and will no doubt happen again. I'm stuck as to what to do to prevent it all. I can stop the birds getting to the seeds, fight to stop the slugs getting at the veg, but these scum must be the worst diseased pests that's scaled the earth, as they don't realise the misery the wreak of the rest of us. The best I could do, was call the police, report the crime as you never know they might catch the beggars, fix the shed locks, fix the fence make a lovely cup of tea and just enjoy my allotment as it was a gorgeous sunny day today. One moves on...! Just what else can we do? Suggestions on the back of a packet of vestas, where all good ideas go.... Krystyna

From my discussions with the police, there is now a danger that the website has been pulled, as the website itself gave them ongoing intelligence of activities, and intelligence photos of how and where these people make their associations. The action to remove this site places the police in a difficult situation in that they often find it difficult to know where these sites are unless they are informed by a member of the public. This means a new site is put up by these website makers and gang members, and they can plan their activities, and police will not be able to do anything until they know where the next site is. <snipped> for reasons of personal safety.... Housing officers, community safety officers, police have all been involved. Plenty of local tenants want to get together to form a neighbourhood watch and take over the dormant tenants association. On the other hand, now it is removed, the gangs and members will have to start again with a new sites and re-organise themselves, and reorganise they can with mailing lists, messengers and free sms within at least a few hours. Now the site is gone, how long will it be before the police are in control of potential new information and intelligence of what's going on with these gangs..?