With sunspots high at 108 & Solar flux at 148. 28MHz is wide open at my QTH at 17:00z.

 

Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

 

We live in very exciting times for new Amateur products. You have only got to blink these days and a new rig appears on the horizon. 

It makes a change not to see the normal Chinese output, but this time what appears to be from Indonesia.

Specification is sparse at the moment, but 5W QRP and 5 wide HF Bands on offer:

1. Band1 3-5 MHz
2. Band2 6-8 MHz
3. Band3 11-14.5 MHz
4. Band4 15-23 MHz
5. Band5 24-30 MHz

https://matoaprojects.com/transceiver/hf-transceiver   

I have also seen them being traded on ebay.com

Price appears to be around $250

Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

Sorry that I have not been posting much on my blog. I have several other projects consuming my time and this blog has been neglected.

Then, it hit me: I should just let ChatGPT, a free artificial intelligence (AI) platform that is getting a lot of attention, write my blog for me. All the Cool Kids are Using It. I just entered “Please write my next blog post about VHF ham radio” and this is what I got back:

VHF Ham Radio: Exploring the World Above 50 MHz

When most people think of ham radio, they usually picture a person sitting in a dark room, talking into a large radio with a huge antenna. However, ham radio can be much more than that, especially when you start exploring the VHF bands.

VHF, or Very High Frequency, refers to the portion of the radio spectrum between 30 and 300 MHz. This includes the 6-meter (50 MHz), 2-meter (144 MHz), and 70-centimeter (440 MHz) bands, which are commonly used by amateur radio operators for local and regional communication.

One of the main advantages of VHF ham radio is that it allows for much greater range than the traditional HF bands (below 30 MHz). This is because VHF signals travel mostly in a straight line, and are less affected by the ionosphere and other atmospheric conditions that can impact HF propagation.

In addition to traditional voice communication, VHF ham radio operators also use a variety of digital modes such as Packet Radio, APRS, and D-STAR, which allow for the exchange of data and information over the airwaves.

Another popular VHF activity is contesting, which involves making as many contacts as possible in a short period of time. Contesting can be a fun and exciting way to improve your operating skills and test your equipment.

VHF ham radio is also a great way to get involved in emergency communication and public service. Many amateur radio clubs and organizations work closely with local authorities to provide communication support during emergencies and events.

If you’re interested in exploring the world of VHF ham radio, there are a few things you’ll need. First, you’ll need a radio that covers the VHF bands. There are many options available, from handheld transceivers to base stations with large antennas.

You’ll also need an antenna that is specifically designed for VHF operation. These antennas are typically shorter and more compact than HF antennas, and are available in a variety of types and configurations.

Finally, you’ll need to obtain a ham radio license from the FCC. The process is relatively straightforward and involves passing a written exam that covers basic radio theory, regulations, and operating procedures.

In conclusion, VHF ham radio offers a world of opportunities for communication, experimentation, and public service. Whether you’re a seasoned operator or a newcomer to the hobby, there’s always something new to discover on the VHF bands.
[ end of ChatGPT article]

How many factual errors did you spot?

73 Bob K0NR

The post Blogging With AI (ChatGPT) appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

YYH-290 Taloyoak, NU - courtesy ve3gop.com

Another month has zoomed by and it's CLE time once again. This is a challenge for all newcomers to NDB listening and the ultimate test of your medium frequency receiving capabilities. Can you meet the challenge?

From CLE organizers comes the following info:

Hello all

Our 289^th co-ordinated listening event is this coming weekend.
It spans a 50 kHz frequency range - about three times wider than usual.

Rxx suggests that there are plenty of NDBs to hear and they are not

changed much since CLE274, the last time we used these frequencies.

 

   Days:  Friday 24 February – Monday 27 February
   Times: Start and end at midday, your LOCAL time
   Range: 270.0 - 319.9 kHz (NDB signals only)

Any first-time CLE logs will be extra welcome, as always.

Please log all the NDBs that you can identify and any UNIDs that you

may come across there.

Please don’t report the DGPS signals in part of this frequency range.

Send your final log to the List (not in an attachment, please)
with 'CLE289’ and ‘FINAL' in its title (important).

Show on each line:

   # The Date (e.g. '2023-02-24', etc., or just '24' )
   # The Time in UTC (the day changes at 00:00 UTC).
   # kHz - the nominal published frequency, if known.
   # The Call Ident.

Please show those main items FIRST.  Other optional details such as
Location and Distance go LATER in the same line.

As always, of course, tell us your own location and give brief details of
the equipment that you were using during the Event.

We will send the usual 'Any More Logs?' email at about 19:00 UTC on

Tuesday so you can check that your log has been found OK.

Do make sure that your log has arrived on the List by 08:00 UTC on
Wednesday 1^st March at the very latest.

We hope to complete making the combined results within a day or two.

You can find full details about current and past CLEs from the CLE
page  https://rxx.classaxe.com/cle   It includes access to the CLE289
seeklists for your part of the World, prepared from all the previous
loggings in Rxx.

Good listening - enjoy the CLE.
  Brian and Joachim
  (CLE coordinators)


(If you would like to listen remotely you could use any one remote
receiver for your loggings, stating its location and owner and with their
permission if required.  A remote listener may NOT also use another

receiver, local or remote, to make further loggings for the same CLE)

 

CLE's provide several purposes. They:

Steve McDonald, VE7SL, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from British Columbia, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

 

 

It is being reported on the QRP Labs forum, that some have got the little smart QDX digital transceiver communicating with the FT8CN app.

The rig is noticed straight away by FT8CN using an OTG USB lead and a minimum of configuring. 

The QDX and a small phone or tablet, allow true FT8 portable operating with minimum hardware to cart around.

Pick up the thread here

Details about the QDX https://qrp-labs.com/qdx.html

   

Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

Sorry I have been away the last twelve months or so, the Blog has had to take a rest from my typing fingers and Amateur Radio has been put well away on the back burner.

I lost both my parents within five months of each other early last year and I still have not really got over the ordeal yet, which had played out over five years before their demise.

Steve, G1KQH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from England. Contact him at [email protected].

Not often is this seen on 10m

 

 VE9KK the world of CW blog would not be complete if I did not partake in the ARRL International CW
DX contest. As always I skipped the opening session Friday evening mainly because my limit is 40m and due to the time, I would have limited operating time before the band closed down for the evening. The contest was very well attended along with great propagation numbers. Now having said that on Saturday the space weather numbers were off the charts and some in my local contest group felt it could had been an error on WWV's part as they were showing 343 and other sites such as Dominion observatory were in the 160s. In any case, the numbers were great and in most logs including mine, 10m displayed the largest contact numbers as sure sign propagation was good. 

For about 90% of the contest I ran and when it go slow I did some search and pounce. Now running in a contest like this you get HUGE pile-ups and it showed me I have to get more serious with pile-up practices using software such as Morse Runner. I have to be honest in saying at times the pile-ups were overwhelming and hard to pick out any call. 

The action on a map view

My Hustle 4BTV worked like a dream and at times my SNR numbers in Europe were great according to the Reverse Beacon Network. One of the challenges was to find an empty spot to call CQ contest. Often I would have to find a new spot as other ops would unknowingly move in. Not a big deal as it's all part of contesting. Entering these contests always helps out my CW skills to improve my skill but towards the end of the contest on Sunday evening I pulled the plug at 23:30 UTC with only a 1/2 hour to go. I was not hearing code anymore just noise and simple calls like M2T were a challenge so it was time to end things and go have a nice glass of red wine and relax.
One of the highlights was contacting fellow blogger Bas PE4BAS on 10m and 15m.

The contest runs for 48 hours and according to my contest program N1MM I was on for 16.5 hours but I take a break every hour and lunch but N1MM keeps running as I don't want to shut it down to just start it up again. So I figure I was on for about 14.5 to 15 hours in total. My best 1 hour run was 148 contacts. On average each hour netted me between 80 to 90 but then there were very slow one hour stints as well.
 

Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].