Day off radio

As we went to Cambridge by bus (very good and totally free if you are old!) and did not return until mid afternoon, I did not go on the radio today.

446 radios - NOT amateur radio

It amazes me that these are so inexpensive!  I have seen them as low as £22.99 for 2 on Amazon!! There are probably units that are even less expensive.

How do they makes profits?

See https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0967M841N

Building a radio

 

This was my grandson in the shack learning to solder and building a radio. He got the hang of soldering very quickly. 

Whether he will have a lifelong hobby only time will tell.

He was thrilled that he could hear signals.

The Radio Hobbyist VE3CNU

See https://www.youtube.com/user/ve3cnu.  It is always fun to take a peek into other people's radio shacks. This YouTube channel is hosted by Canadian VE3CNU. He has a nice shack and some nice gear.

I am amazed by how much money some people seem able to spend on the hobby.  This is, of course, a very individual decision and I am not criticizing anyone. Some pay a lot more to play golf, for example.

What I would say though is the hobby can be enjoyed on a shoestring if you build simple QRP radios and/or buy good second hand rigs. My own approach has been a mix of some homebrew and a few commercial rigs.

Others prefer to buy their rigs new (often with long guarantees) and experiment with antennas and peripherals. This is a very individual hobby that can be enjoyed in a number of ways.

Others just enjoy chatting on the air.

LC Meter - a nice kit

Some months ago I bought a PIC based LC meter kit from the Cambridge Radio Club (CDARC). This was a club project and the unit allows very accurate measurements. The kit had remained unbuilt until today when I decided to build it. I'm impressed: it went together well and worked first time. The quality of the kit is first class with a custom case, silk screened PCB and good instructions on the club website. This little box will measure from low pF and nH right through to uF and mH. I can see it being used almost daily. I believe CDARC is to make these kits available more widely. Go and buy one for £50.