Nets
On this page you will find details of radio nets run by the Vintage & Military Amateur Radio Society and by members under their personal arrangements. These nets are NOT exclusively for VMARS members. All licenced amateurs are most welcome to join in and all we ask is that you follow the purpose of the net, for example by using A.M., USB or LSB where specified. Scroll down the page for more information.
Special Nets
All Special Nets are 3615 Khz Amplitude Modulation 07:30 local UK time unless otherwise stated
The Society holds a number of controlled Special Nets which are designed to encourage the use of specific types of vintage and home brew equipment. These nets take place, usually but not exclusively on a Saturday, from 07:30 UK local time on 3615KHz and run for one hour, following which the frequency is handed over to the VMARS Net Controller for the regular Saturday A.M. net at 08:30.
Details of forthcoming Special Nets are published here and in the monthly VMARS News Sheet. Some examples of previous nets are also reproduced here to provide an idea of the type of interests covered.
Saturday 16th November 2024: Heavy Metal A.M. Net – the ‘winner’ uses the heaviest gear. Some of these big military stations like the Marconi T1509 weigh in massively, but many of us struggle to lift amateur sets like the Heathkit DX100U or the Labgear LG300 from the 1950/60’s. All are welcome.
Wednesday April 18th 2024 07:30 – 08:30 3615KHz: A.M. QRP Net – 10 watts or less, even a lot less. The lowest powered signal heard widely on the last QRP net was 167mW. Several stations regularly communicate with less than 1 watt. It can be done with a decent aerial!
Saturday February 10th 2024
Wartime tactical equipment – Wireless Sets 19, 22, 29, 46, 48, 62, T1154/R1155, Bendix TA12, Collins TCS-12 etc.
Thursday June 6th 2024: D-Day 80th Anniversary, commencing 05.00 hrs BST
Saturday July 20th 2024: Anything military.
Saturday August 17th 2024: Anything civilian
Normandy Landings Beach Zone Expedition June 2024
VMARS members join the 80th anniversary commemorations
The following French ANFR issued call-signs will be used during this expedition at the various organised locations over he period of 6th – 15th June 2024. Frquencies in use will be 3615KHz for Amplitude Modulation working in the mornings from around 07:30BST and 7070KHz for USB working from around 12:00.
Note.Under licence conditions there is no restriction on mode of operation on the 40m amateur band and operating USB is permitted. The reasons for operating USB is beacause the military equipment used by many stations on the net only have Upper Side Band operation
| Pegasus Memorial | TM80PB |
| Merville Batterie | TM80MGB, TM80SNAF |
| B8 airfield and Douvres parade | TM808ALG |
| Pack, Chateau d’Audrieu, | TM80RWR |
| Gold Beach, | TM80GOLD |
| Douvres Radar Museum | TM80SR |
| British Memorial, Ver-sur-Mer | TM1944DD, TM80BRIT |
| Gold Beach Juno Beach | TM80GOLD, TM80JUNO |
| Chateau de Creully | TM80MCO |
Visits to the above sites are made with advanced agreements and arrangements with the museums and site owners and comply with all health and safety measures specified by them
James Burrough, M7JBZ, has been keeping a blog of the expedition crew which can be followed here https://afpu.weebly.com/
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Note of interest: – Using advanced communications for D-Day net backup
Recent solar activity at the peak of sun spot cycle 25 has caused periods of severe disruption on HF radio links. Because of the importance of the 80th D-Day anniversary commemoration station TM80PB located at Pegasus Bridge near Caen, and the desire of the 2024 expedition crew to maintain communications in the event of radio propagation drop out, it was decided to set up a remote station in the UK that could be operated from the Normandy beaches. Rich Bamber, M0XRB set up a remote operated Flex 6400 radio at RAF Windrush, a former WW2 flying training station on the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire border, connected to a 15m mast with an 80m Inverted Vee aerial used on the 3615KHz AM and 7070KHz USB operating frequencies for the two weeks of activity.. The location is in a very low noise rural environment but it has no internet available for remote control. Rich set up a 5.8GHz microwave link between RAF Windrush and his works office, about 10.7 Km away, where he has access to a 100mB up/down internet connection. The arrangement allowed UK based frequency monitoring over local French Wi-Fi or over 4G mobile telephone connections. While the operator was in Normandy, the station was in England and operated under the callsign GB1RAF when transmitting. Although propagation did suffer on several occasions the remote station was necessary on receiving only a few of the weaker stations making contact with TM80PB and not being received directly in Normandy.
Merville Gun Battery Museum – TM80MGB – VMARS member Martin Smythe, M0MGA, one of the two co-owners, on board the Chevrolet Canadian Military Pattern lorry, widely used by the British and Canadian armies in 1944. In the background, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft – designated “Dakota” by the RAF – nicknamed SNAFU.
Details of the assault and capture of the Merville Gun Battery can be found here
Pegasus Bridge Museum – TM80PB. Early morning on June 6th 2024. The CMP lorry is loaded with fully operational WW2 wireless equipment and is in position here parked alongside the original Caen Canal bascule bridge in the museum. By prior arrangement with the museum, a 15 metre tall Inverted Vee Half Wave aerial for 80m operation was erected for communications with AM stations on a controlled net beginning at 06:00 local time on 3615KHz. The net lasted for almost 5 hours and attracted 77 call in stations.
Tony Barron here after demonstrating the equipment in the CMP and telling these French school children visiting the Pegasus Bridge of the importance of radio communications in the military actions. They asked how old he was in the war!
The station will be operating in Normandy for a few days until 15th June at various locations which had significance in the 1944 Normandy landings. For direct contact with the CMP vehicle listen on 3615kHz A.M. from around 07:30 BST and on 7070kHz USB during the day. Some efforts will be made to link up on 51.700mHz F.M. but these will be dependant on 6m propagation.
VMARS members after arriving in Normandy from England on Wednesday 5th June with the 1943 Canadian Military Pattern lorry – CMP and a support vehicle, the crew refresh themselves and prepare for the rigours of the coming week. Left to right -Tony Barron, G3YYH, – Martin Smythe, M0MGA – James Burrough, M7JBZ – Rik Proctor M7NTS – Rich Bamber, M0XRB – Trevor Sanderson, PA3BOH.
Douvres-la-Délivrande – Tony Barron, G3YYH, wearing a WW2 helmet waving to the crowds from the CMP as it led the 1940’s vehicle parade
Gold Beach – TM80GOLD, Viewed from Ver-Sur-Mer – the CMP working from Gold Beach on the morning of 10th June 2024 at low tide
Martin, M0MGA operating a Wireless Set No.46 used by Beach Masters on D-Day
Wireless Set No.46. A crystal controlled man-pack built by EK Cole at their factories in Woking and Southend-on-Sea during WWII. Water resistant and used by British paratroops and by Beach Masters like Captain Colin Maud R.N.on D-Day for controlling beach landings. Three crystal controlled channels in the fequency range of 3.4 – 9.1 Mc/s and about 700mW RF output on AM and up to 1.5 watts on MCW. The set has six valves which include 2 x ARP12’s, an ARP37, an ARTP2,an AR8 and an ATP4 in the final. Power originally came from 150v and 3v batteries but VMARS users usually employ a small 6v battery inverter to supply these voltages when operating the set as a portable man-pack. It can be used with a whip aerial or with a wire aerial through a 40pf capacitor to achieve longer ranges. When conditions are right, VMARS users have frequently achieved good point to point contact between WS.No.46 sets over distances in excess of 200 miles (320Km) using wire aerials on 3615Kc/s. Probably the best British man-pack of WWII
Gold Beach – Flypast over the beach, morning 10th June 2024 in weather more like that experienced by D-Day invasion forces on 6th June 1944
Chateau d’Audrieu – TM80RWR. Operating from the grounds of the Chateau to honour the memory of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Green Howards men who were massacred by German 12th SS troops on the night of 7/8th June 1944 after they had surrendered
Equipment on the CMP – L-R: Wireless Set No.19 transceiver with RF amplifier on top. Wireless Set No.76 transmitter with R109 receiver,.
Equipment on the CMP – Left – top, Wireless Set No.12 transmitter, bottom, R107 Receiver
VMARS members Martin, M0MGA and Trevor PA3BOH, operating the Wireless Set No.12 transmitter and R107 receiver with the call sign TM80GOLD from the CMP at Gold Beach on the 3615KHz morning net 10th and 14th June 2024
On Thursday 13th June the CMP radio truck and equipment was invited to take part as a publicised exhibit of the Juno Beach Centre, the Canadian Normandy museum. This was a pre-organised visit which was promoted by the museum and publicised in their advanced promotional campaign. This was a fitting display and practical use of the Canadian built lorry and of the Canadian made wireless equipment installed inside, as well as an interesting practical demonstration over several hours making direct radio contact with stations in England & Wales, France, Belgium and the Netherlands using the ANFR issued callsign TM80JUNO. Click here for information on the Juno Beach Landings.
These two local visitors to the CMP showed much interest in the exhibits and brought an infectious smile to the crew
A Spitfire taxis past local farmers harvesting wheat at B-2 Bazenville Advanced Landing Ground in June 1944
The CMP with the Luftwaffe Würzburg Radar at Douvres in 2023
For more information click here for the Luftwaffe Douvres Radar Station link
Photographs here are of a WW2 German Wehrmacht wireless truck visiting the Douvre Radar museum on Saturday 15th June 2024
Early morning on Gold Beach 11th June 2024, the CMP is set up for the TM80GOLD wireless station
Below:- Early morning on Gold Beach 6th June 1944, British troops leading the beach assault
For information about Canadian Military Pattern lorries, extensively used by British forces, click on this link
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Military_Pattern_truck
Local map of the Gold Beach first assault wave plan for 6th June 1944. The Landing Beach Zone Expedition team operate from the East Red Jig location on the Beach Road.
Follow this link for more information:-
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Beach
Flowers placed anually on Gold Beach in a moving tribute to those who landed here on 6th June 1944. We don’t know who the thoughtful people are who place them there, but we thank them.
The “Standing with Giants” commemoration area at the British Memorial. There are 1,475 two metre tall “giants” representing each of those who died under British Command on 6th June 1944. In the background are the remains of the caissons of the Mulberry Harbour at Arrowmanche.
Normandy Landings Beach Zone Expedition June 2024 Expedition
End
VMARS official controlled AM nets are held at 08:30 on each Saturday morning. The frequency is 3615KHz and the Society welcomes all Amplitude Modulation stations using vintage or modern equipment. Operators do not need to be members of VMARS to join in.
There is also an informal net of UK AM stations and occasional Continental stations which operates daily on 3615KHz, beginning at about 07:00, depending on the band being open for inter G contacts, and usually active until around 09:00.
VMARS Saturday morning prenet & net recording 6th October 2018
Prenet recording: Click on the AR-88 receiver
Features ON/M0MGA and ON/G3YYH operating portable from the WW1 battlefied site located at Polygon Wood in Belgium
VMARS Net Controllers Gallery
Below – Bronek Wedzicha, M0DAF, regular VMARS AM Net Controller located near York.
Bronek’s recently built transmitter shown here being used on the Saturday net, has a line up of 12BY7A VFO, 5763 buffer, 5763 doubler/driver, 813 PA, modulated by a pair of 811A’s. The audio front end employs a Datong Clipper followed by a MOSFET driver. The receiver in use when on air is either Racal RA17 or a Bendix RA-1B.
Below – Justin Woolgar, GW0FZY, regular VMARS Net Controller located near Swansea
Justin has a wide range of A.M. equipment ranging from an ex RAF Marconi T1509 transmitter to the home built Class E A.M. transmitter that he is seated in front of in the photograph. On top of that is an Optimod A.M. audio processing unit. Another of Justin’s hobbies is getting jet engines working and running them in his garden.
View Justin’s website by clicking on this link and be in for a surprise
Below – Keith Yates , G3XGW, regular VMARS AM Net Controller located near Evesham, Worcestershire
Keith usually operates the VMARS net with a Labgear LG300 transmitter and a National HRO receiver but he has been known to come up on a Heathkit DX100U transmitter with an RCA AR88 receiver.Keith is pictured here in front of his 1940’s Marconi T1145/R1155 RAF aircraft station famously used on board Lancaster Bombers.
View Keith’s interesting radio website here
Below – Stuart McKinnon, G0TBI , regular VMARS AM Net Controller located in Kinver, Staffordshire
Stuart’s main station for use on the net is an RCA ET4336 Tx and an AR88 D receiver. However, he will frequently be heard using some of his other sets, such as his Marconi T1509, a DX100U or KW Vanguard transmitters from his large collection of vintage and miltary equipment.
Below – Paul Craven, M1PVC , regular VMARS AM Net Controller located near to the village of Hartfield in the Ashdown Forest, East Sussex.
Paul operates the VMARS net with a Heathkit DX100U or Labgear LG300 transmitter in combination with a National HRO 500 receiver. Among other restored vintage wireless equipment to be found in Paul’s shack and frequently heard on air are a T1154 and Bendix TA12c aircraft transmitters
Below – Martin Sweeting, G3YJO, regular VMARS Net Controller located near Guildford in Surrey.
Martin is pictured here seated in front of his fully restored Wireless Set No.53 transmitter next to an R107 receiver. As well as being on the Saturday Net controller rota, Martin can be regularly heard on air using one of his collection of British WW2 wireless sets which includes WS No’s.19, 52 and 62, as well as the WS 53.
Listen to Martins’ BBC “Life Scientific” interview broadcast in August 2021
Below – Bob Tucker, G6AVI, regular VMARS Net Controller located near the town of Watton in Southwest Norfolk.
Bob is pictured here using a Minimitter ‘tabletopper’ transmitter and his Collins 75A-4 receiver. He also has an interest in building his own equipment and his “Home Brew” 813 transmitter and modulator can also be seen, along with other vintage equipment from his fine collection.
Below – the shack of Tony Barron, G3YYH, located in the Cotswold Hills about 5 miles south east of Cheltenham.
Tony generally uses an HRO receiver from 1946 and a DX100U transmitter, with SDR on stand-by to resolve difficult signals. Tony also frequently operates from portable locations in the UK and France and frequently works from his Land Rover or the vintage WW2 Canadian Military Pattern lorry that he owns jointly with Martin, M0MGA.
Below – The shack of John Sommerville, MW0XHO regular VMARS Net Controller located in Conwy, North Wales.
John’s extensive collection of equipment includes some heavy metal transmitters and receivers which include a Collins KWS-1 tx and 75A-4 rx “Gold Dust Twins” station, a Diplomatic Wireless Service Mk210 transmitter and his 1948 Marconi T1509 RAF ground transmitter pictured below. Receivers at John’s QTH include an RCA AR88D and a Collins 390A.
Below – Jonathan Wymer, G8URE is a regular Net Controller operating from Chichester in West Sussex.
Seen here with his WW2 WS18, which he uses with a transverter to work on 3615 Khz, Jonathan can always be relied upon to turn up on net with some rare and sometimes exotic equipment combinations to entertain us on air.
Below – Ian Underwood, M0YMK , occasional VMARS Net Controller located in Gloucester
Ian, who also holds the French licence F4VSC, operates a 1950’s Labgear LG300 or a Heathkit DX100U for net control. Other transmitters regularly used by Ian on VMARS nets are Bendix TA12c, Wireless Set No.52, Wireless Set No.19, Larkspur C11/R210, Collins TCS12 & Collins ART-13.
Below – Martin Smyth, M0MGA, regular VMARS Net Controller located in Whitehill near Bordon in East Hampshire.
Martin uses a Heathkit DX100U transmitter and an RCA AR88 receiver for his turns as Net Controller. At other times he can also frequently be heard using his very distinctive Wireless Set No 12 transmitter and regularly operates portable in UK and France with Tony, G3YYH.
Below –Martin Owen, G4JSX, regular VMARS Net Controller located near Rugby in Warwickshire.
Martin has a fine collection of Naval equipmemt dating from the 1940’s into the 1970’s, which can be regularly heard on air on the weekday SSB nets as well as on the weekly Saturday Morning AM net.
SSB nets
The society also runs SSB nets. A USB net takes place each Wednesday at 20:00hrs local time on 3615KHz +/-QRM to provide an opportunity for those who wish to use their unmodified military sets which operate in USB only. There is an LSB net on Friday evenings to encourage members to keep in touch on-air. This takes place at 19.30 and uses LSB on 3615KHz +/- QRM.
Special on-air events
From time to time, the Society runs special events, generally on the 40m, 60m and 80m bands, which specialise in use of vintage equipment or to commemorate some historic event with “wireless” connections. These are advertised to members in the News Sheet, and also on the Society’s website.
The VMARS call-sign is M0VMW
The SRS Nets
The Dutch Surplus Radio Society run AM and SSB nets for vintage enthusiasts, full details are on their website here .
Other AM Activity Frequencies
AM activity is increasingly found on a number of other bands, in particular: 5317KHz, 7143KHz, 14286KHz, 21425KHz and 29000 – 29150KHz. There are several local AM nets in the UK on topband.
FM Frequencies
For mobiles working into VMARS events, 2m calling in on 145.500MHz (S20) is usual, before QSY to a working frequency. At event locations where military equipment is in use, suggested FM “Centres of Activity” on VHF are 51.700Mhz, 70.425MHz (70.450MHz calling).
CW Practice Sessions
CW practice sessions are run by Colin, G3TSK in Somerset and Keith G3XGW in Gloucestershire.The practice sessions take place on Mondays and Fridays starting at 09:00 local time and last about 30 minutes. The frequency is around 3.546MHz. Speeds are approximately 14, 16 and finally 18wpm. Listeners are invited to email G3XGW to be added to a group email to receive texts for checking. Keith’s email address is correct in the VMARS members list and on QRZ.com. The practice sessions are not nets, although brief reports will be acknowledged at the end of the session (in CW, of course!).
Colin G3TSK, running a morse practice session at below zero temperatures in mid-January, with Keith G3XGW, enjoying the comfort of his heated shack.
VMARS NETS & RECOMMENDED FREQUENCIES
All times are UK local
| 3615 KHz AM | Saturday AM net 08:30 – 10:30 |
| 3615 KHz USB | Wednesday USB net for military equipment 20:00 – 21:00 |
| 3615 KHz LSB | Friday LSB net 19:30 – 20:30 |
| 3615 KHz AM | Regular informal net from around 07:30 – 08:30 and throughout the day |
| 3546 KHz 3563 KHz CW +/- QRM | CW Practice sessions run by Colin G3TSK and Keith G3XGW are operated at 09:00 Monday & Friday on 3546KHz. These sessions are not nets but reports will be acknowledged. See above for more details. Calling Frequency for CW. Scheduled operating times are 10:00 hrs and 19:00 hrs Daily. This is an informal net established to encourage greater use of CW by VMARS members, but non-members are welcome to join in. |
| 5317 KHz AM | Regular AM QSO’s, usually late afternoon. (Advanced licence required. 6Khz max bandwidth) |
| 7143 KHz AM | VMARS AM operating frequency |
| 51.700 MHz FM | VMARS FM operating frequency, also used at rallies and events |
| 70.425 MHz FM | VMARS FM operating frequency, also used at rallies and events |
