Amazing tiny radio

This radio RX is available from China for around £20 delivered. It is an all band, all mode RX and it is really tiny. You can tell by my hand just how tiny it is! It is ideal as a holiday radio and charged via USB-C.

Over a month early!

My tiny radio came yesterday from China over a month before I was expecting it. 

It is hard to convey just how tiny it is, so I have put it next to an A5 sized SPRAT for comparison. 

It really is incredibly small and at less than £20 delivered is remarkable value. 

It is better than a communications receiver of 50 years ago with more features, modes and bands.

IPSOS radio listening survey

In the last week I have been recording the broadcast radio stations that I have listened to as part of an IPSOS survey.  Mostly it is BBC Radio 4 around breakfast time.

OFCOM is consulting on the future of radio broadcasting in the UK.  According to them AM broadcast listeners have been declining.  I am not sure if this is true or as a result of more people listening to traditional broadcasts via smart speakers and DAB. Yours truly is as guilty as the rest!

If traditional AM broadcasts are declining this is a pity as many first came across radio by building simple Medium Wave receivers. My first introduction to amateur radio was hearing some locals on 160m AM. To many, radio was magic whereas nowadays we take it for granted.

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.