RAFARS Monthly Newsletter

A Happy New Year to all our Members

We are now past the 'no man's land' period that separates Christmas and the New Year, a time when I always find it difficult to settle to anything until the new year arrives. Fortunately the weather has been relatively kind to us, although yellow warnings still appear on a regular basis. The high winds are always a threat to our aerials and I watch with some concern the tall fir tree that my end fed half-wave is attached to.

I hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas, and that the New Year is good to you.

73 Gary G0DNI

Vince Lewis G4DQP SK

Although the Christmas period is hopefully a happy period, sadness can arise at any time, and I was greatly saddened to hear that my good friend and RAFARS colleague Vince Lewis G4DQP passed away on Friday 27th December. I was only talking to Vince the other day helping him with the Airfields on the Air website and I will miss our regular chats. by phone, zoom and on the air. A full obituary will be published in the Spring edition of QRV and our thoughts are with Vince's family at this sad time.

73 Gary G0DNI

Airfields on the Air

Following the loss of Vince G4DQP, the question arises regarding the future of the Airfields on the Air (AOTA) activations and awards. Vince ran the AOTA website and coordinated activations and had done so for as long as I can remember. AOTA activations are very popular both for the members and those amateurs who wish to work the stations.

If any member is interested in taking on the role, please get in touch with me at webmaster@rafars.org and I will pass on your details to council.

RAFARS Accounts Examiner

The Treasurer reconciles RAFARS accounts each month, and these are inspected by the Accounts Examiner before being distributed to council for approval. Vince G4DQP fulfilled this role, so with his loss, a new volunteer is required. The Accounts Examiner plays a vital role in ensuring the correct and efficient running of the society. The position does not require any specialist accounting knowledge and can be undertaken remotely, and a full briefing will be given by the Tresurer to any prospective candidate. If you would like to know more or are interested in volunteering, please contact the Tresurer at treasurer@rafars.org.

RAFARS QRV Journal Survey - Completed

The survey regarding preferences for the receipt of QRV, either in paper form or online, is now complete. Some 190 members completed the survey out of a total of around 420 email invitations. It won't surprise you that the broad result is a 50/50 split between paper and online. The full results of the survey will be published in the Spring 2025 edition of QRV and will be discussed at the next council meeting.

RAFARS QRV JOURNAL ARCHIVE

There are over 130 editions of QRV dating from 1937 to the present day available in the form of PDF documents. Head over to the Member Area to visit the eQRV Journal section, and you will see thumbnail pictures of every cover.

You do need to apply for a password to access the website Member Area. There is a link at the bottom of the Members menu, it's a simple (and free!) process, so please do register. Currently, only about 180 of the 650 strong membership take advantage of the additional content in the Member Area so if you haven't registered you are missing out!

RAFARS WEBSITE MEMBER AREA

Members are reminded that there is a Members Area on the website at https://www.rafars.org/welcome/ containing a searchable list of members (Number, callsign, first name and county).

Access to the member area is by registration at https://www.rafars.org/register/

RAFARS QRV JOURNAL SUBMISSIONS - Deadline for the Spring 2025 edition is 31st January 2025

The twice-yearly QRV journal is for some of our members the only contact they have with RAFARS during the year. Of course, we have the website but not all members have access to the Internet so the paper edition of QRV remains very relevant. It should also be remembered that QRV is your journal and therefore relies heavily on your contributions.

The QRV Editor is actively seeking content for the next edition of QRV. Submissions can be anything that you think might interest the members, personal stories, technical items, aviation stories etc. There is no need to write War and Peace, a couple of pictures with some descriptive text would be perfect. Please send submissions to the Editor at QRV@rafars.org

Digital jpg photos should be sent as an attachment to Word documents. Please do not import them into the text.

COUNCIL MEETINGS 2025

The Chairman is reviewing the council meeting process with a view to reducing the number of meetings to the 3 per year as required by the constitution, and changing the day of the week so that serving members can attend the meetings. It is probable that more council meetings will be held virtually using Zoom, but dates have yet to be decided.

If a council meeting is held at RAFARS HQ at RAF Cosford, members may attend, but travel costs cannot be paid. Members wishing to attend must initially contact the Secretary by e-mail at secretary@rafars.org

Members can attend Council meetings 'virtually' using Zoom. and dates for such meetings will be promulgated in due course. The link for the council meetings is the same as for the weekly Zoom Net (see below). Please note that provision of the council meetings on Zoom is dependent on the availability of the Webmaster and the reliability of the Internet connection at the HQ.

• 3 December 2024 1900 hrs Zoom. Council meeting called by the Chairman.

Other meetings for 2025 to be notified.

RAFARS WEEKLY ZOOM NET

The RAFARS Weekly Zoom Net has proven to be a great success with members using the video conference as an additional way of keeping in touch. The Net takes place on Fridays at 1400-1800 local.

The link to the Zoom net is available in the Member Area at https://www.rafars.org/zoomnet/
You will need to be registered for access to the website Member Area, it's a simple process and you can do so at: https://www.rafars.org/register

JOINING THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY

All Radio Amateurs and SWL's, (no requirement to be Ex RAF), are invited to apply for RAFARS Membership if you have an interest in the Amateur Radio, the RAF, or Military aviation and are prepared to help the society achieve its published aims and objectives. Membership details are available on the website at https://www.rafars.org/join

Two formats (PDF) of the membership application are available for download, completion and return by post on the Join RAFARS web page.

A new online application form is also available, to be completed online and then printed and posted with your membership fee. The online form is “smart” in that it will display the appropriate membership fee as the form is completed. Those joining after 1 October pay half the normal membership fee.

RAFARS NEWS DESK

This newsletter is published on the RAFARS website every month by the Webmaster Gary G0DNI.

Please send all submissions for the newsletter to Newsdesk@rafars.org