AmateurRadio.com

Today, OFCOM announced that 146-147MHz will be temporarily released to full UK licencees from Oct 31st this year, by NoV.  Personally, I would have preferred other parts of the spectrum to have been released instead as 2m is never that busy, at least it is very quiet usually around here. If you  plan to operate 146-147MHz in the UK you will need to get an NoV via the RSGB. Note that this is temporary.

I wrote to OFCOM suggesting officially allowing UK amateurs access legally to sub 8.3kHz, re-releasing the 73kHz band and a new allocation around 40MHz (ideal for Es experiments). In OFCOM’s release they say I asked for a new band at 400MHz. I did not.

At under $30 the Hendricks Kits DCxx series of direct conversion transceivers look good value. See http://www.qrpkits.com/. With a decent mixer, these rigs should do better than many. The image below is actually on the Hendricks Kits site. Link to image will be removed if this is a problem.

http://www.qrpkits.com/images/DXxxB5.jpg

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2014/october/price_of_70cm_handhelds_falls.htm#.VDP48MnTCSo  .
This is incredible: a 5W handheld for less than £8.

Looking on eBay, just £6.99 ($11) will buy a 70cms unit with charger from Singapore. Tell  me, how can ANYONE make money on these?

Thanks to G1KQH, a link to a review:
http://hamgear.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/review-baofeng-bf-666s-bf-777s-bf-888s-and-look-alikes/

Judy and I rode our bikes from Andover to Wilmot on the old Northern Rail route. I worked Germany, Alaska, Grand Turk Island, and New Mexico. It was a gorgeous day.

We rode our bikes for about half an hour and settled down on the little beach at Eagle Pond. I tossed a line into an oak tree on the shore, pulled up a 33 foot wire, and set up the KX3. Judy lay down for some sun. I tuned up on 15 meters and found Frank DL1REM in Germany calling CQ. He was very strong and gave me a 579. “CONGRATS FOR UR QRP SIG,” he sent. “REAL FB SIG.” Then I switched to 12 meters and worked W1AW/KL7 in Alaska! Imagine working Alaska with 5 watts and a wire from the middle of nowhere. What a thrill. I gave a listen to 10 meters and there was Paul KW7D in New Mexico calling CQ. Paul also gave me a 579 and we had a quick chat. To finish up, I went to 17 meters and worked VP5/G3SWH on Grand Turk Island.

We rode back through woods and fields turning gold with fall colors. We couldn’t have had a nicer outing.

Bear Hunting: Tracking Russian Air Force Flights via CW and SSB
By Tony Roper

When Tony Roper talks about bear hunting, he’s not referring to tracking furry creatures around the countryside using sophisticated radio devices as aides. He’s referring to monitoring the Russian Air Force Strategic Bomber networks on HF. The Bear networks use both CW and USB for communication; CW is Duplex with ground stations on one frequency and the aircraft on another; while in USB mode, the networks are simplex. Tony shows you when, how and where to find these bears of the air.

Free-to-Air C and Ku-band Satellite Signals in North America
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR

As the current solar cycle continues its fade and international shortwave broadcasters continue chiseling away at their budgets and on-air schedules, wouldn’t it be great to have a radio that picks up the latest English broadcasts from around the world in full fidelity audio, without fading, static and other atmospheric problems and cost less than $200 with no monthly fees or Internet connection? And, what if this same system could tune in dozens more TV and radio signals? That’s the advantage of Free-to-Air C and Ku-band satellite monitoring in North America.

The Summer of ’42 Radio
By Rich Post KB8TAD

Rich Post had promised a fellow ham, to whom he owed several favors, that he would look at an old radio that he would like to have working again. Rich had just opened the front door as two friends were carrying a small console radio up the sidewalk to his house when he glimpsed the back of the cabinet and immediately recognized the Philco from a distance. “It’s a Summer of ’42 special,” he yelled out. The radio was a Philco model A-361, first sold in April 1942. His friends understandably looked a bit puzzled at his comment, so he proceeded to explain the history behind the set’s existence.

Pirate Radio Superlatives
By Andrew Yoder

Over the years, radio listeners have asked Andrew, “Who was the first pirate?” or, “Who was the first pirate to broadcast from a ship?” Unlike Major League Baseball, which has kept meticulous records for more than a century, pirate radio is a largely empty record book, with few dots to connect. But this article isn’t cast in bronze, like the plaques at the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s more like the senior superlatives from your old high school yearbook. Andrew has been researching old loggings, newsletters, magazines, and books for information and here are a few of the things he’s found.

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With the temperature in the shack finally down to a more comfortable level I decided to get ready for the winter season and set up my medium/long wave outfit. The PA0RDT mini-whip was put in the mast, the Jackson Harbor Press long wave converter installed and all cables checked. I have been DXing NDBs on and off since my teenage years, and Steve’s (VE7SL) inviting announcement about the CLE186 made for a good excuse to check the whole setup with some NDB DXing.

Of course, there were a couple of snags. When I hooked up the mini-whip I remembered why I didn’t really like the original version: too much signal coming in resulting in some overloading and intermodulation products; LORAN C could be heard all over the place. Last year I made the alternative version of off PA0NHC’s hand, which performed much better. Alas, it fell a few storeys down from the balcony, which is not good for the health of electronics. I will have to build a new one these days. But after reviewing all the documentation on these whips I had my “duh” moment: I hadn’t filtered the coax and my ground connection was in the shack, not outside. Half a pound of ferrite clamps later and things sounded a lot better, although not perfect.

The other snag was the receiver. Originally I wanted to use my KX3 to free up my IC-7200. With both the mini-whip and the 12 meter vertical connected to the long wave converter reception was very disappointing. The IC-7200 did do a lot better, although not as good as what I remembered from using my TS-440S. The IC-7200 also did a good job without the converter, so I used both configurations.

But when Saturday came I was ready to do some serious listening and check out which NDBs could be heard. CLE186 focused on 350 to 369.9 kHz, but only a few stations were heard there. I found that conditions weren’t that great. Here is my entry:

0800 357.0 LU TWN Keelung S3
0802 362.0 HL TWN Houlong S5
0834 363.0 LA ? ? S4 1x ID then 7 sec pause
1139 369.0 ZF CHN Helou S3

I checked the whole long wave band and found plenty of other signals and I compared with my log of last year. Couple of new unidentified stations and two heard for the first time, the others being regulars. Our powerhouse NDB AP on 250 kHz was strong on Saturday, but off air on Sunday. I also heard TEST being keyed on 290 kHz instead of the regular BM from Makong, so I suspect there are some changes going on in the Taiwanese beacon scene.

Lots of fun and my focus for the coming weeks is clear: get better reception by building an improved mini-whip and improve my filtering. Who knows, maybe this season I will be able to receive some Japanese NDBs or radio amateurs on 2200 meters.

It’s been Indian summer the last couple of days. That’s what we call it when we get a spell of summer weather during the cool fall days. It’s generally the last warm weather of the year.

I rode my bike along both sides of the Pemigewasset River yesterday and today. I worked Spain, Idaho, Madeira Island, Greece, Germany, Belgium and Tristan de Cunha.

Today was in the 80s! I rode my bike north along the Sanbornton side of the river. What a day… I rode about a mile and a half to the old bridge abutment and set up the KX3 under an oak tree in the shade. I tossed a 33 foot wire over a branch and started operating. I worked three stations in about 10 minutes on 17 meters.

First EG4ATB in Spain… it was a special event station and we exchanged 599s. The next was W1AW/7 in Idaho, and then I worked Madeira Island. Cedric CT3FT was just finishing up a QSO and I called him. He gave me a 579. “FB QRP WRKING VY NICELY,” he sent. He was running 500 watts to a 4 element beam.

The day was perfect. The trees are just starting to change color. The fields have recently been mowed and the scent of fresh hay fills the air.

On the Old Hill Side of the River

Yesterday, I was on the other side of the river. It was a beautiful day. I started out at Needle Shop Brook and headed south toward Franklin.

I rode south a couple of miles and set up at the edge of a large field in the sunshine just under a maple tree. I used the 33 foot wire and the KX3.

I started out on 15 meters and quickly worked SX7AMF, a special event station in Greece. We exchanged 599s and I tuned up a bit and worked W1AW/7 in Idaho. Then I switched to 12 meters and had the surprise of my life. There was ZD9XF in Tristan de Cunha calling CQ. This is a DXpedition on one of the most remote islands in the world! I got him on the second call and we exchanged 599s. I never expected that.

I switched to 17 meters and worked DJ9IE in Germany. Uli gave me a 579. He was 599. Before riding back, I worked one more… OP37AEF in Belgium.

These last few days of September are precious. There will be many months of snow and cold before we can enjoy the luxury of days like this again. I’m getting out every chance I have.