Due to the Covid-19 outbreak we have cancelled club meetings until the beginning of July. This will be reviewed as advice from the Government on lifting lockdown restrictions is received.

Remember we have a club net on GB3GR each Weds at 8pm for 30 mins. All members and non-members are welcome to join in. For the period of Lockdown we also have a net on 3,720 kHz (+/-QRM) at 19:30 BST on the first and third Friday of each month.

SKARS is pleased to announce that Andrew Kiddle G4HVC has been accepted by the RSGB as a Morse Competency Assessor. He will be able to award certificates of competency at 5, 10 and 12 words per minute.

SKARS carry our regular morse practice sessions at the first meeting each month for anyone wanting to start or improve their CW skills.

The club visit to RAF Coningsby has now been approved by the BBMF = See the event calendar for more details.

The latest RSGB Newsletter has now been uploaded to the members area. If anyone needs access, please contact the chairman.

The February RSGB club update has now been uploaded to the members’ area. As an affiliated club, all members of SKARS are able to receive the update. If you need access to the members area, please ask the chairman to grant you access (or reset your password).

The current committee members (as voted at the AGM on 3 Jan 2020 and the EGM on 21 Feb 2020) are

Chair: Steve Marsh, M0NMA

Vice: Ivan Szabo, M6HET

Club Secretary: Brian Hiley, M0YBX

Club Treasurer: Steve Marsh, M0NMA

Event and Contest Coordinator: Andrew Kiddle, G4HVC

Member Representative: John Uttley, G6CQD

We are always trying to keep our activities fresh and attractive to our members and potential new ones. Our new Social night at The Royal Queen in Belton Lane, Grantham, is on Tuesday 12 November at 7:30 – No need to bring your radios as it is just a social gathering, so it is also spouse-friendly (should they wish to attend!). If you want to know more about the club, just come along and say hello!

Under 18s are welcome – the pub just asks that they remain with an adult after 9pm.

Location map: https://maps.google.com/?cid=5781847479981282853

South Kesteven ARS had a fun-packed day at the recent JOTA event with around 50 Scouts, Cubs and Beavers from Grantham and District using the special event call sign GB1FS. Stewart Mason M0SDM, Andrew Kiddle G4HVC and Konrad Emery-Ford M0KVF logged 24 QSOs on 80m using the club FT-450D rig (last year’s prize from Waters & Stanton for winning the RSGB small club of the year ) and an OCFD.

Not a bad result, given many of them were long QSOs, not quick 59 contacts! The highlight had to be the contact with GB100GP who must have been very busy over the JOTA weekend. The team also demonstrated CW with an oscillator and helped to explain to the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers what the hobby was all about.

SKARS are pleased to announce that it was the first club to have been allocated a CWC callsign – GB19TB (Trent Bridge) which will coincide with the Test Match there on 6 June. SKARS will activate the callsign from 10am to 10pm on HF, using SSB, CW and FT8 modes.

Just look at that Quad Antenna!

The current committee members were voted in at the EGM on 5 April 2019: