EI VHF Convention - May 1970

This old photo was posted on the RSGB Twitter page recently and it shows... (L-R) Barney Patterson EI4BC, Tommy EI5BY, Jack GI5ALP,  Michael Burke EI4AL and Bob EI7AF.

I was curious as to how old it was and it seems as if it was taken at a VHF convention in London sometime back in 1969-1970.

After doing a bit of searching, I came across a copy of an old Short Wave magazine which had details of an Irish VHF Convention in Birr, Co.Offaly in May of 1970.

Irish VHF Convention
G3BA took time off while recovering from the strenuous EI2AX/P trip to send in this report : The Convention, which took place on May 24, was organised by Bob Williams, EI7AF, and Paul Quast, EI5BH, at the County Arms Hotel, Birr, which is in the mid -West of Ireland in Co. Offally. 

Some 55 EI and GI VHF'ers attended this first -ever event, and many had travelled long distances to get there. The Convention opened at noon and visitors spent their time greeting old friends and making the tour of the trade stands which had been set up by local radio retailers, selling good components and modules for the D.I.Y. amateur. The ladies managed to extract money for the raffile from all those who went, and the prizes were of a high standard for such an unsubsidised event.

After lunch, the lecture session started with Brian Meaden, G3BHT, giving an entertaining dissertation on the organisation, background and practical set-up of the various expeditions, which he has organised with G3BA and others, to EI, GM and the Continent. 

The second lecture was given by Tom Douglas, G3BA, who spoke on aspects of transmitter design and construction, as well as operating methods which ought to be considered for VHF working in the '70's, stress being laid on adequate filtering, the use of NBFM and translator techniques for multi -mode facilities.

The Convention ended with a high tea, raffle draw and a convivial session in the Hotel lounge and bar. Several visiting amateurs made spontaneous speeches complimenting the organisers on their efforts, the undoubted success of this first VHF Convention to be held in El, and comments were passed about the relaxed friendliness of all those who attended the function.

It was certainly a different era and there is no way you could get such numbers for a VHF convention in Ireland today.

The same issue of the magazine had details of VHF DX-pedition by G3BA and G3BHT as they traveled around the country and operated as EI2AX/P.

DX-Peditions
The El2AX/P expedition to Eire went off with the efficiency which one associates with any of the trips made by G3BA and G3BHT. From the reception point of view, it is obviously impossible to comment on success or failure over the whole country, but from the South, conditions were most favourable for Dublin, Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow. Leix was just there, Waterford extremely difficult, and Kilkenny only a little better.

Signals in the early evenings were not as good as they were must before close -down at 11.0 p.m. and the early morning sessions were best of all-which bears out what has been emphasised in " VHF Bands " for many a year.

It was interesting to observe a direct relationship between the propagation during the 80m. " admin. sessions " with G6CW and the subsequent two -metre transmissions If conditions were poor on Eighty, they were poor on Two also, and vice versa. 

The time division allowed between SSB, AM and CW appeared to be about right. It looked at first as if the SSB session was going to be too short because of the pile-up on, instead ofnear, the EI2AX frequency, but this sorted itself out eventually, particularly after the gentleman with the prolonged whistle test exactly on QRG decided he had had enough, a decision which other operators had reached some ten minutes earlier!

Sked-keeping appeared to be good, although one or two attempts on AM to pass a mass of, under these circumstances, irrelevant detail, held up proceedings unjustifiably. All in all, another very successful foray, and many thanks go to Tom and Brian for their efforts to give so many new counties to so many.