RobL's world of wonder

Radio ga-ga!

Right-oh its radio update time – mainly for the benefit of those enlightened individuals who have arrived at this site via my link on QRZ.com.
 
The last couple of months have been an interesting time with the completion of my radio amateur intermediate training and trading my old callsign of M3RZD for the new and shiny 2E0RZD (or 2EØRZD).  This has had some use already with the subtle increase in output power from 10 to 50watts being used to good effect on 20 and 80 metres.
 

I was roped in to help out at the recent Tavistock radio rally by Rob & Anna (2EØONO & 2EØOSO), the good thing with helping lifting shifting and marshalling is that you get first dibs before the doors open.  The result of this was a big old lump of a 2metre multimode (FDK multi 2700) which turned out to be pants, in need of more than the ‘TLC’ as indicated by the seller and was ultimately subject (mercifully) of a refund.  I was also lucky enough to find a clean and tidy Yaesu FT707 (with top band mod) for a decent price and has already provided some very good HF contacts (see below).  The ‘best buy of the day award’ though has to go to the Nevada 10m end fed aluminium dipole complete with co-ax, brackets etc. which I obtained for the princely sum of….., £3.50!!!!!!

 
The dipole is now in service as the ‘portable’ antenna of choice (see photo), being secured to a steel channel driven into the ground and secured to the tow hitch on the back of the Benz, firmly guyed and adjusted to suit the band required.  I can actually get a decent SWR on 10, 12, 15, 17 and 20 and with a suitable reduction in power (to about 20watts) it will just about co-operate on 40.  That’s not too bad for the price of a sandwich and a tin of IRN-BRU!!  First use in anger so to speak was from Cold East Cross above Ashburton the day before the office walk (see previous posting) and using the ‘new’ FT707.  Having given the ‘great white hound’ a run on the moor as a timed (partial) route check for the following days walk we settled down to explore the possibilities that 17metres had to offer!
 
I’ve not used 18MHz before though have always wanted to try it, not too different to 20metres but a much narrower band (18.113 to 18.168MHz for phone) and a whole lot quieter.  Well there was a healthy tally of QSO’s in the log by the time I packed up at about 8pm but the best had to include W2QN Bert in Cornwall Pennsylvania (!!!) but best of all and having completed a QSO with EA5BRE being called by a very distant station who sounded English.  Was this a like minded chum calling in from the far flung parts of Devon just to say hi??  No!!  It was 5U7MA Mike in Niger but normally living in Australia (as VK8ZMA).  Best 73 and good DX to each of you and thanks for making it an enjoyable day.  Now what’s the highest bit of the moor I can get a Merc to without breaking it?
 
73 de Rob 2EØRZD

What to write about this month?!

Probably a bit of a ramble this time around, there being no specific agenda or subject but in the best traditions of contributions to any such publication (with all due respect to the editor) including editorials it can be good to ‘ragchew’.
 
The bands have been a little quiet lately but there is still no shortage of interest if you are lucky enough to be looking in the right place at the right time.  A few weeks ago I was SWL at home late one evening listening to 40 metres and a station in Iceland was putting out a tremendous signal but with a significant pile up trying to work him.  The temptation to run outside and fire the rig up in the car (flat dweller with no workable HF antenna at home) was tremendous but resisted due to the lateness of the hour (and the ambient temperature!).  I was therefore somewhat pleased a few days later to be tuning around 20 metres one morning when up popped the same station in Reykjavik, Iceland!  It was only sensible of course to put out a call and lo and behold a reasonable length conversation followed, r5s7 each way!!
 
2 metres has had its moments as well with March seeing some interesting ‘lifts’ with various French stations being audible, contact possible in some instances to further flung UK repeaters and it was good to hear a station north of Exeter working SSB well into Europe, a decent beam and quite a bit of power required no doubt but it just shows what can be done with the effort and dedication.
 
Talking of 2 metres we recently went away camping in Dorset and the first thing of particular note was how quiet the local repeaters are and how many people are using simplex, the FM calling channel was particularly busy at any time of day too.  There is bound to be a degree of reticence in some quarters due to the inherently limited range of VHF but for local chats/ragchews/technical tests doesn’t it make sense?  I’ll leave that thought with you!

Committed to Dartmoor!!

“I’ve had a great idea”, said Adrian, lets have a walk on the moors one weekend!!
 
So began a feat of organisation, determination, resilience and human endeavour the like of which has not been seen at CBW’s Plymouth office since Jen organised the skittles evening a couple of weeks beforehand!
 
Sunday 21^st May 2006
   
We met up on the moor above Ashburton at Cold East Cross at 10am (O/S grid reference SX741743).  The portents for the walk were not too good, it had been raining almost continuously since the previous Wednesday, Saturday had cleared a bit but Sunday morning was apparently going to make up for it!!
 
The die hard few who turned up and were all set for a walk in the rain though  (rain type #243 ‘bucketing it down’) comprised Liz and Dave, Peter and Sharon, Rob and Mel, Jenni and Wayne and Rob with Debs son Aaron and ‘the great white hound’ (also known as Saxon).
 
From Cold East Cross we walked across open moorland following a track across Blackslade Down, crossing (carefully) a moorland stream almost to the foot of Hollow Tor.  The walk up to Top Tor was ruled out due to the conditions and the lack of any view at all.  At this point Jenni and Wayne who were admittedly drenched conceded defeat and headed back to their car. 
 
From here we headed south and then east for a short but steep climb and a cut across Pudsham Down where we reached the road which then continues for a little over a mile downhill through the hamlet of Venton and ultimately to The Old Inn in the middle of Widecombe in the Moor.  Having shortened the walk slightly and made good time we were a little too early for the Pub so instead went in search of coffee and tea at a nearby tearoom before meeting up with Jenni & Wayne, Julian, Val & Katya and Debs at the Old Inn for Sunday lunch where we were very well catered for.

Archery a go-go!

I've not done any shooting for months so it was quite nice just recently to get the bow out again (for this who care: green and gold Portland 2000 take down recurve, carbon stabiliser and V-bars, shibuya sight, carbon 3L18 arrows with curly vanes).  Had a few ends with Dan in Mum and Dad's back garden, only 15 yards (for Dan's sake really ;-) but was well pleased with some nice tight groups, (10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 8 for instance).  Dan did really well too but there was one hairy moment when one of his aluminiums hit the frame at the top of the target butt and ricochet'd off through the hedge and into next doors garden!!!!  Fortunately no fatalities or injuries but a little more care next time!

A nice bird at Easter!!

 Well we finally made it.  The falconry day up near Crediton was absolutely great and I/we wouldn't have missed it for the world.  The day included handling various birds of prey (kestrels, hawks, owls etc.) and even having birds fly to the glove (which is absolutely wonderful!) and helping train a small barn owl to fly to the glove from a rest (she was on a tether in case she suddenly found something else more interesting - its okay, its not cruel, its all part of the training and is in their interest too!)  We ended up heading out for a walk through the fields with a Harris Hawk called Gypsy and the sight of her flying along past our small group from tree to tree, waiting for us to catch up and go past and then she'd fly on again was just magical!  Do I seem slightly moist eyed about the whole thing....?  Oh yes!!  Just wondering where I can build an aviary for a hawk and a tawny owl now but I will need a volunteer to walk them anytime I'm away!! :-)

Train trip....!

Its fair to say I have always enjoyed train travel (mostly!) and more often than not enjoy visiting our great capital.  The other day I combined the two by visiting London to do a due diligence survey on a 1920's hotel.  All good stuff even though it was bitterly cold and snowing!!  The problem came with the transport there and back, 45 minutes delay in the morning and guess what...?  45 minutes delay on the way back.  Sum result being I left home at 5.30am and didn't get home much before 10pm!!!

The worst bit (though I couldn't help but laugh!) was leaving Paddington at 6pm there is the usual rush hour scuffle for seats or risk standing to at least Reading and possibly even Taunton.  I was able to get a seat but soon discovered that I was sat next to a student who it turned out was more camp than the caravan club!!  He spent almost all of the trip back to Plymouth on his violet mobile phone to Adam, thumbing through the pages of Vogue and applying his lip moisturiser and facial powder from a compact mirror with a brush.  Apparently he thought Tunbridge Wells was in France!  Debs reckoned he was in touch with his feminine side!!  I've no wish to appear homophobic but if he touched me with his feminine side it would have taken special equipment to remove him from the gap behind the seats opposite!!

Next time I may take the sleeper where you get a cabin of your own!!

Poor old bus!!

Or...:  Bl#*dy car's up the spout again!!!  Well this year has seen a few bills on my poor old Merc (also know as Das HitlerWagen, Der Panzer and just occasionally as"... right thats it, you've got one more chance!!!!"

Poor old thing developed an ignition fault late last year prompting a full diagnostic, new plugs etc, misfiring got worse and then traced to a faulty ignition coil, seemed okay but emissions were up so the catalytic converter had to be replaced (ouch!!), then the misfiring again so the other ignition coil was replaced and LO!!!!  Its still misfiring!!  Now it seems it may be the ECU (ouch again!!) and that is likely to cost a bit.  Have it on good authority though that they can be repaired so here goes!!!  Further posts may be from Cattedown Wharfs, third cardboard box from the left!!!! 

So whats this Echolink thing all about then…?

To say I was sceptical about Echolink (which involves voice communication beween radio amateurs via the internet) may be understating it.  To me amateur radio was about just that…, the use of radio communications and if we want to talk to people over the internet we can just use Yahoo right?  Well maybe but having actually taken the plunge and given it a try it is so much more.
 
For starters it can only be used by licensed radio amateurs and for those amateurs who for whatever reason can not maintain their amateur radio station for reasons of old age, ill health or simply where they live it is clearly a good thing to be able to keep in touch, not only with friends but also to make new friends.
 
Now I will not profess to be anything like an expert, as with all things ‘you never stop learning’ and there is plenty to learn with this particular area of communication.  The reason for this diatribe if that is the correct term is just to provide comment on experiences so far and for those who have not tried it yet to provide a (very) basic introduction.
 
Essentials will include a computer with speakers and a microphone (sounds obvious but you never know!) and an internet connection, allegedly a dial up connection will work but broadband will work better.  It is easy to connect and join to Echolink via www.echolink.org, involves downloading some software, nothing too substantial however and providing proof of your amateur status (emailing a scanned copy of your license with callsign clearly visible and legible is adequate).
 
Once that has all been verified, you are connected and ‘on the air’, so to speak.  The Echolink system works either directly station to station, menu’s allow you to navigate through callsign listings according to country, (and I mean all countries!!) showing who is on line whilst you are connected or alternatively via nodes (a subject for another day!) and even Echolink enabled repeaters (such as GB3IE, GB3NC and GB3SW).  The entertaining thing you will soon discover is that repeaters such as these can obviously be accessed by radio as well as via the internet so you never know who may pop up!!  I was sat in the car in Falmouth recently tuned to GB3NC on 2 metres when there was a CQ from an American station in upstate New York!!  He was trying via Echolink to get hold of someone in of all places Dobwalls (hmm, wonder who that could be)!!!  Sometimes it’s a little more arbitrary, amateurs generally are inquisitive souls and people will just link in and call CQ because they’ve heard of the area!!!

I know this will be emotive but...!!

Love it or loathe it Citizen’s Band radio has been with us in one form or another for something like 30 years, in its legalised form for 25 years (MPT1320 and MPT 1321 in 1981, the latter of these for 934MHz now withdrawn) and with the inclusion of the CEPT or MPT1382 European channels since 1995.  Now before I get any further with this I’d better make it clear that the following comments are a personal opinion and do not in any way reflect the views, policies or opinions of Plymouth Amateur Radio Club or any others amongst the membership or committee, as individuals we are all entitled to an opinion though, just before the flak starts up!!

The very existence of Citizen’s Band, CB, Charlie Bravo or the Chicken Box is something of an anathema to a lot of people particularly it seems to radio amateurs.  The fact of the matter is though that CB has done more in its comparatively brief existence in the UK to encourage people onto the airwaves with a very accessible means of radio communication and in turn, for those who are really interested to study for what was the RAE and latterly for their Foundation license (self included) and beyond.

The unfortunate thing is that because of its accessibility and comparative cheapness the hooligan element is attracted too, that’s life and we all as individuals have a choice.  I made that choice many years ago when I said I would hang up the mike on CB for good and did so.  I’m not ashamed to say I enjoyed my CB days for the comparatively short time I partook however but in the (even shorter!!) time I have held my amateur license I have derived even greater enjoyment from the hobby of radio communications and intend to continue doing so.  We have a truly great hobby that we can all enjoy whatever our background and however others may perceive us!

Back in the USSR?!?

Last December (and since then come to think of it) I have had the good fortune to achieve a number of contacts with HF amateur stations behind what was colloquially known as ‘the iron curtain’.  As is often the case most of these are the good old ‘rubber stamp’ QSO’s, quick exchange of callsign, operator name, location and signal report and that’s about it until next time!!  Last December’s contact on 20 metres was a nice one though as this particular station stopped for a little more of a chat even going a step beyond what the weather was like and happened to mention that his full details were on QRZ.com (a marvellous invention!) if I was interested.
 
Gennadij (pronounced ‘Genn-are-dee’ I believe) clearly has an interesting story to tell and with thanks and all due deference to him and to QRZ.com I reproduce it here for those who may be interested…,
 
“UN7QF
 
I was born in Alma-Ata, Kazakh Soviet Social Republic of the USSR on July 22,1945.
From 1952 to 1963 I attended public school in Alma-Ata.
Near the end of 1964 I was called to active military service. I was a Private of the signal service regiment in Kaluga, UA3X area untill end of 1967.
In 1974 I graduated from Kazakh State University in Alma-Ata and having received my diploma and being professionally qualified as a physicist in field of the nuclear physics and continued working in the university.
In 1976 I joined the Institute of Astrophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakstan near the city of Alma-Ata ,working in the department of Stellar Dynamics in the section of Exterior Galaxies.

• Posted by Rob Luscombe on 02/03/2006.
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