The Cyclechat Radio Shack

[beanzontoast]

[QUOTE 4672227, member: 76"]Is there an easy to understand and accessible way to get into this whole radio thing? I reckon all my signals knowledge is long consigned to history, so a cheap decent range handset that doesn't need a licence and loads of exams. I do fancy giving it a go though.[/QUOTE]

Nowadays it's just a few hours study and passing one exam to get in at the first level - http://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/foundation/

That gets you a max of 10W power on specified HF bands - enough for a UK transmitter in a decent location to get into parts of Western Europe and the Med on voice mode and possibly further on data modes. A lot depends on atmospherics at both locations and in between, solar activity and also on time of day as different frequencies perform better at different times. Quite often on 10W you will be able to hear distant stations with high power transmitters and large antennas, but them hearing you is less likely because of that 10W limit. That's not necessarily a bad thing - QRP operators deliberately work on less than10W in order to make operating a challenge. Foundation level licence is restricted to using commercially-built and certified transmitting equipment.

 

[postman]

I would like to nominate as number one and President of this most wonderful club.A certain Mr Tony Hancock.

 

[Tim Hall]

I would like to nominate as number one and President of this most wonderful club.A certain Mr Tony Hancock.

OT: I did jury service with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's agent.

Back On Topic: I know little of this radio ham world, but I do like reading other people's jargon.

 

[Drago]

Got a DX394 myself. Some folk pop poo them, but it's great to leave unattended for days on end decoding wefax.

 

[classic33]

 

[swee'pea99]

I started out as a shortwave listener back in the 60s, qualified as a ham and was active on HF but in recent years the noise floor on voice first pushed me to data - PSK31 - and then eventually I gave up completely. Still have my 2m/70cm handheld but nowadays I'm more into listening and SDR

I managed as far as HF ('HF....must be High Frequency'), fine up to about 'recent years'. From 'noise floor', gibberish.

 

[Drago]

You'll find some activity on 27.555 and .355 USB.

 

[PeteXXX]

I never got further than a CB.. My handle was Woodworm as I delivered furniture at the time.
I only got rid of it a couple of years ago when I moved house, only to find that a mate would have taken it of my hands to fit in his Landy for comms during off-roading exploits.

 

[ufkacbln]

It would seem there are quite a few Hams, SWL's and scanner enthusiasts hereabouts.

It's about time we had out own thread to discuss our favourite cardigans, and whether Murray Mints are better than Weathers Originals.

I'm in locator IO92ND. Active on HF with PSK31, most particularly low power operating on 80 and 40. Also active on 2 and 70 for ragchewing, but also playing a bit with different modes on UHF as well recently. 10M, 11M, 2 and 70 in the car.

Do a fair bit of SWL and and have been playing quite successfully lately with RTL SDR.

So what are you doing?

73

Bern.

Just remembered I also had a ¾ wave 3 element beam and rotor, now if you were into Dxing that was the daddy of antennas and with the antenna pointed in the direction of the skip there was nowhere that couldn't be contacted.

View attachment 336710

@Fnaar

Would Ms Goodbody be willing to assess the size and quality of their aerials?

 

[Drago]

My antennas (not antennae when used as radio parlance) are unimpressive. No huge motorised verticals or multi band beams here. A balun'd up long white and a Watson active loop for HF - sufficient to get into Japan with less than 10 Watts in good conditions.

 

[Andy_R]

My antennas (not antennae when used as radio parlance) are unimpressive. No huge motorised verticals or multi band beams here. A balun'd up long white and a Watson active loop for HF - sufficient to get into Japan with less than 10 Watts in good conditions.

Have you tried making your own Yagi - there's some good calculators available online. I can open my local repeater with 1/4 watt from 17 miles away on 70cm

 

[Drago]

Yes, have a 70cm Yagi that I may accidentally also use on 446. Need to get myself sorted for some hiltopping DXpeditions.

 

[Andy_R]

Yes, have a 70cm Yagi that I may accidentally also use on 446. Need to get myself sorted for some hiltopping DXpeditions.

Naughty

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Started CBs in the late 70s with a Superstar 120, then moved to a Cobra 148 GTL DX with a graveyard crystal fitted and finally onto a Belcom LS-102L
The Cobra was the daddy of CBs, with a 200 watt burner and a K40 antenna drilled through the roof of the car I often spoke to America, Brazil, once to Australia and to a chap in Zagreb who if he had been caught transmitting would have been assassinated. I still have my 'legal' FM CB kicking around, last time I switched it on there was nothing to hear

View attachment 336703

View attachment 336704

Cobra 148. Blimey that brings back memories, that was the one we had in the living room.

 

[Drago]

Naughty

Quite a lot of it about though, channel 8, ctcss 8.