Show Notes for Episode 34 (TXF034)
The National Hamfest is an annual event described by the organisers as The UK's Premier Radio Rally
The event is organised through a collaboration between a non-profit organisation National Hamfest (Lincoln) Ltd and the
RSGB.
It’s usually held at the Newark Showground, Lincoln Road, Newark, Nottingham NG24 2NY
Each year they welcome Companies attending from Europe, The USA and Japan.
Camb-Hams
Camb-Hams is the active social, contesting, and public-facing branch of the Cambridgeshire Repeater Group (CRG), representing amateur radio (ham radio) enthusiasts in Cambridge, UK, and the surrounding areas
The roots of the group date back to 1972, when amateur radio enthusiasts working at Pye Telecommunications—a major historical hub for radio technology in Cambridge—founded the original company radio club. This evolution eventually led to the formation of the Cambridgeshire Repeater Group to maintain local voice repeaters.
In early 2006, the name Camb-Hams was officially introduced. It was created to serve as an informal, highly active social umbrella for members of various local radio groups, including the Cambridge University Wireless Society (CUWS), the Cambridge and District Amateur Radio Club (CDARC), and Cambridge RAYNET. It shifted the focus from purely technical repeater maintenance to active, hands-on operating and socializing.
Description & Core Activities
Rather than a rigid, formal club, Camb-Hams operates as a lively community of active operators who focus on the practical, social, and competitive sides of the hobby.
Social Meet-ups: The group hosts informal monthly Pye & Pint gatherings on the first Wednesday of every month at the Plough & Fleece pub in Horningsea.
DXpeditions: They are well-known for organizing annual DXpeditions to remote locations—most notably activating various Scottish islands under the special callsign GS3PYE—to make contacts with amateur stations worldwide.
Radio Contesting: The group is highly competitive, regularly entering the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) AFS Super League and the 80m Club Championship contests.
Technical & Event Support: Members frequently support the wider amateur radio community by web-streaming and recording major events like the annual RSGB Convention.
The Cambridgeshire Repeater Group (CRG) owns and operates a robust fleet of amateur radio analogue voice and digital repeaters. They are strategically divided across three physical sites to maximize coverage:
Madingley (Just west of Cambridge)
Cambridge city and immediate surroundings
FM voice repeaters, Digital Voice, and APRS infrastructure.
Barkway (Near Royston)
South Cambridgeshire, North East Hertfordshire, North West Essex
FM voice repeaters (including 2m/70cm bounds) and digital linkages.
Washingley (Near Peterborough)
North Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, and neighboring counties
Extended footprint coverage for multi-mode repeaters.
If you want to chat in person rather than over the airwaves, the Camb-Hams run regular, informal social events.
When: The first Wednesday of every month
Where: Hosted at the Plough and Fleece pub located in Horningsea (just northeast of Cambridge)
QO 100
ICOM 7110
Keep checking back here because we hope to get our hands on one and do a full review soon.
Join the RSGB
Find out more about the benefits of RSGB membership and apply for membership at https://rsgb.org/main/join-the-rsgb/
Yaesu DR-3XU Repeater
We hope to have one of these to do a full real world repeater site review soon, in the meantime here are the key details:
Key Innovations and Features:
100% Continuous Duty Cycle
Engineered with heavy-duty heat sinks and active cooling to maintain full power output under constant transmission.
Interference Evasion System (IES)
Automatically detects localized frequency interference and commands compatible field radios to dynamically switch to a clear channel.
Audio Digital Signal Processor (ASP)
Advanced DSP algorithms that actively filter and boost both weak analog signals and digital C4FM streams for crystal-clear audio.
Super-DX Front-End
High-performance, adjustable RF front-end circuitry that optimizes receiver sensitivity in crowded, high-noise RF environments.
Automatic Mode Select (AMS)
Seamlessly detects whether a received signal is C4FM digital or conventional FM analog and automatically switches the repeater's transmission mode to match.
Technical Specifications:
DR-3XV (VHF Version)
Frequency Range: 144 to 148 MHz
Power Output: 85 Watts
Duty Cycle: 100% Continuous
Dual Receive Capabilities: VHF/VHF or VHF/UHF
DR-3XU (UHF Version)
Frequency Range: 430 to 450 MHz
Power Output: 65 Watts
Duty Cycle: 100% Continuous
Dual Receive Capabilities: UHF/UHF or UHF/VHF
General Specifications
Modulation Types: F3E Variable Reactance FM, F7W 4FSK (C4FM Digital)
Display: Large, high-visibility control interface
Enclosure: Standard rackmount configuration
Yaesu, System Fusion, and C4FM are registered trademarks of Yaesu Musen Co., Ltd. For official data sheets and authorized firmware updates, please consult your local authorized Yaesu dealer.
The RSGB has an extensive web site, full of information, great videos and links to all the various resources the society offer the radio amateur here
Email us at info@txfactor.co.uk
