Born in July!

An interesting article about the Royal baby who was born in July like me!

When I left school I was still 15 because my birthday is 25th July, I started working as an appentice on August 3rd so I was just 16!  I was always the youngest in the class right through both primary and secondary schools. I was still 15 when I took my GCE's and I didn't do well! I was a 'late learner' now I have a degree and lots of other qualifications, but it took time for me to achieve.
My son Paul had an even bigger disadvantage as his birthday is 27th August, if he had been born five days later he would have had an extra year of education. Like me, Paul was always the yougest in the class! They don't take account of that in SATs and GCSE's but do when tests are assessed and then weighted with cronological age, sometimes called the 'Standardised Score'.

Still, at least my birthday is in the middle of Summer!

Being born in July.

Summer babies face the so-called "birth-date effect", which means that children born in June, July and August are statistically likely to perform less well than their older classmates.

Summertime might be when the living is easy, but learning is more problematic.

This gap is still measurable all the way through primary and secondary school, GCSEs, A-levels and university admissions. There is no point at which these sunshine-month youngsters ever catch up with their older winterish peers.

A few years ago, Cambridge Assessment (an exam board rather than a namesake of the new baby) carried out a major overview and concluded that summer babies were "strongly disadvantaged" and that evidence of this age-related gap "stared out of qualifications data".

By the end of primary school the difference on average is 12%, a substantial difference in the data-obsessed measurement of primary school performance.

An analysis of more than half a million GCSE candidates found a consistent pattern of summer-birthday teenagers performing less well across all subjects.

A Freedom of Information request this year showed that the chance of going to Oxford or Cambridge was 30% higher for someone born in the autumn rather than July.

The difference is so stark that the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said that summer-born children should get extra exam marks.
Mind the gap
But why should there be such a persistent difference?

The IFS suggested that it could be about a lack of confidence and they linked this to younger children being more likely to be unhappy at school.

Nivivo 405 line camera

I found this interesting photo of the 405 line black and white video camera that I had back in the 70's. I always called mine a 'NEV' camera, but couldn't find any trace of it on the internet. It looks very similar with the Vidicon sensor, boards and connectors. I can also see a 'C' type lens the same as mine.

I used it during the days when I was experimenting with 405 line television on 70cm with amplitude modulation. It worked well, but later became a problem with intermittent faults. In the end I decided to rebuild the boards using modern transistors. I'm not sure if I built the boards on Veroboard or made printed circuit cicuits of my own...such a long time ago!
I also don't remember what I did with this camera. Gosh...I wish I had kept some of the old stuff!

Sporadic E on 50Mhz

Well today was quite amazing, for the first time ever I was able to work some DX on 50Mhz through 'Sporadic E'. It is amazing listening to stations from the continent on 50Mhz, I have heard it once before, but didn't have a transmitter then.

Today I managed to work some stations using my Yaesu FT817 and 50Mhz halo. Only 5 Watts output from the FT817. The opening seemed to be mainly into JN square which includes France, Spain and Italy, but at it's peak today I could also hear HB9, Germany, Austria and Portugal.

Here are the stations I worked today:

EA3EVL  (JN00AR)  Spain

F6ITD   (JN03SN)  France

I2PJA  (JN45PB)  Italy

OE1WEU (Austria)

IW3INQ (JN65EU) Italy

It was quite tricky working these stations as QSB was very deep and variable, but it was great to experience Sporadic E conditions on 50Mhz for the first time.

What is Sporadic E?

Sporadic-E (also known as Es) propagation is probably familiar to many low-band operators as the summertime "short skip" on 10 meters. It is also responsible for most of the long-distance (600km and greater) contacts on the 6-meter band. Sporadic-E is a type of ionospheric E-layer reflection caused by small patches of unusually dense ionization. These sporadic E-layer "clouds" appear unpredictably, but they are most common during the daylight hours of late spring and summer. Sporadic-E events may last for just a few minutes to several hours; a given event usually affects only small areas of the country at any one time. During June and July, signals propagated by means of sporadic-E ionization may be heard on 50MHz for several hours a day on more than half the days. Sporadic-E is observed on 144 MHz less than a tenth as often as on 50MHz. Signals are often remarkably strong, allowing 50 and 144MHz stations running 10 watts, and often much less than that, to make contacts 1500 km and longer with relative ease.

Plessey SL600 Transceiver

Image of my transceiver along with my 144Mhz transmitter and Hallicrafters SX24 receiver.

Last week I read an interesting article in RADCOM about the SL600 series of chips back in the 1970's and 80's. The article concerned the SL641 or SL1641 VOGAD chip.
Back in the late 70's I built a complete SSB hybrid transceiver for 160m and 80m. It was based on the SL600 transceiver by G3ZVC. The SL600 chips were abundant at the time and I purchased mine from Birkett's. Most were 'untested', but all of them worked a treat and were very cheap! The SL600's came in metal TO5 cans and were supplied by Birkitts with data sheets. (Which I still have)

When I built my transceiver I remember making a PC board for the G3ZVC circuit, but I can't remember if I used it or made descrete boards??  I know that building this transceiver was the biggest construction project that I have ever made. I bought an XF-9B SSB filter and crystals which was the most expensive component and also a new Eddystone 898 dial for the front. (I just love the Eddystone 898 dial!) The transmitter used an EL84 valve in the PA giving about 20 watts PEP output on 160m and 80m. The MD108 diode mixer was a brilliant piece of kit, so easy to use and no tuning.

On reflection, this transceiver was pretty amazing, parts of it were my own designs or adapted from circuits in RADCOM or handbooks. Getting it working was frustrating and I had to re-build parts of it. The VFO caused some problems, as did the power supply which was built on-board the chassis. A lot of metalwork and construction, but the SL600's were great! If I remember right I used a couple of SL610's in the RF stage, but the front end was a bit 'deaf' with the SL610 and I ended up building a pre-selector to improve the reception.

My transceiver (left) with 144Mhz transmitter, SX24 receiver and (above) 432 Mhz tripler and transmitter.

What I don't understand is why I decided to take it all apart, I know I had lots of niggling problems, but the project was worthwhile. I think it was in 1980 when for the very first time I bought an HF transceiver - the Yaesu FT101E (which I still have) I took it apart to concentrate and make more room for my FT101E. What a silly thing to do...I would love to still have that transceiver now just to admire the work I put into it!  Also, why did I not take photos of it!

Yaesu FT817 stand

Now here is nifty little trick for anyone who has a Yaesu FT817 or other portable transciever. Last week I went into 'Poundworld' and spotted a fully adjustable folding stand for an iPad or tablet, so I bought one to support my Tab 2 tablet. Then I realised that this little stand fold up in different ways and is ideal for my Yeasu FT817. Great for a quid! 

Now I need another one for my Tab 2...

Carry on blogging!

Last week I spent an afternoon at Heathfield Primary School where the children could showcase their blogs. At my school I introduced blogs about six years ago and we were a kind pioneer in using blogs in the classroom. At the time we used Blogger to set up some class blogs. The children loved it, but often didn't get the opportunity to blog independently. Later, the school's firewalls wouldn't let blogger through and things came to an abrupt end. Meanwhile, at Heathfield Primary School, David Mitchell who was Deputy Head at the time realised the impact of children blogging and the positive effect it has on their writing ability.

My school have also been blogging, this time using Wordpress, which, I must admit, is harder and not as user friendly as Blogger. Now all our classes have blogs and are using them.

Tonight I downloaded an app called Classdroid on my new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, this allows you to take a photo of a piece of work, grade it and upload it onto the class blog - amazing!

I also learned more about QR Codes and Tabs when using blogs.

Digital Pope

A bolt of lightning - surely not a message from above - was photographed striking the lightning rod on the top St Peter's Basilica,

OMG! The Pope has resigned...how can that be? Popes don't just 'resign', its a bit like golfers who just grow old and loose their balls! 

Well, now it has happened what will the new Pope be like analogue or digital? 

Maybe we need a 'Digital Pope' who can bring the Catholic Church into the 21st Century... a scientist maybe?

This was interesting and fun to read today...take note Brian Cox!

To: The Vatican (HR Department)
Name: Dean Burnett
Date: 11-02-2013
Reference: Vacancy CCLXVI ('Pope')
CV: [Attached]

PERSONAL STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF APPLICATION: See below
Dear Sir/Madam/Holy Ghost
I am very interested in applying for the recently announced vacancy for the position of pope. I am sure you've received many applications already, but I believe I would make an excellent candidate for the role as I could bring innovative new approaches and help increase diversity, which would have the effect of both motivating those involved in and enhancing the reputation of the organisation (i.e. The Catholic Church).

I have read the job description and although I admittedly do not meet all the specified essential criteria for the role (e.g. I do not regularly commune with God or any other unspecified deity) I feel that my strengths in other areas more than make up for my lack of direct experience.
Although I am not a practising member of the Catholic (or any other) Church, I am a qualified and enthusiastic scientist. I believe this makes me an ideal choice for the next pope, for a number of reasons. For example, I have had many jobs where it is compulsory to wear a white coat, and the wearing of long white garments appears to be the main duty of the pope. I also regularly lecture on the subject of neuroscience, so am extensively experienced at speaking in an unfamiliar language to rooms full of people who are struggling to stay awake, so it would be no trouble for me to offer Mass whenever required.

I am not a cardinal, but a recent check of my wallet reveals that I still have a membership cards for both GAME, Blockbuster Video and MVC, showing that I am clearly dedicated to declining institutions and have a robust if unrealistic belief in resurrection.
As an atheist scientist I cannot claim to be in regular contact with God per se, but I have regularly encountered professors with equivalent levels of power and influence who demand unquestioning obedience from those who serve them, so feel this has provided me with equivalent professional experience required for the position.
As a scientist pope, I could bring an element of rationalism and logic to the Catholic Church, which would better equip it to survive in more modern, enlightened times. I could provide numerous plausible-sounding theories as to the origins of the universe, life, evolution, human consciousness and any other area that the Church feels it should have influence over. Whereas most scientists require evidence and peer review before their theories can be accepted, my being the pope would mean I was infallible so I wouldn't have to go through this process; the simple act of me saying it would mean it is accepted by many as fact. This is a privilege enjoyed by only a few scientists, and one I definitely wouldn't abuse, scouts honour!

I have performed a number of miracles in recent years. For example, I have managed to sustain a career in science in present circumstances, despite having very few notable publications to my name and a disastrous history of high-profile embarrassments.
I have managed to remain in my post despite these numerous blunders, so I would be able to bring this experience to my duties as pope. I can also turn water into wine, which is viewed as more of a "classic" miracle. It takes some time as it involves me pouring the water onto grapevines before growing, picking, sorting, crushing, fermenting, maturing, bottling and selling. But overall, it's definitely water being turned into wine. With Science! (Unless that doesn't count as a miracle, in which case it's clearly magic).

I am not presently celibate, but as a teenager who was a big science fan with terrible acne, I am very familiar with the concept. I am also not a homosexual, as that would obviously exclude me from the role (NB. In the interests of transparency, I did once suck a penis, but I didn't inhale so it doesn't count). At the last count, I also have the required number of testicles to be pope (at least two). I also have experience with covering up crimes.

I believe these qualities and more make me an ideal candidate for the position, so I hope you will consider my application seriously. I realise the vacancy is somewhat above my pay grade, but I am looking for a higher paying position as I need money to provide for my family … I mean buy condoms … I mean jewels.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Vestrum fideliter

Dean Burnett