18 Oct 2022
Punting on the Cam - NOT amateur radio
DMR journey
At the moment, I am trying to get going on DMR. Although without a DMR radio or hot-spot, access DMR should be possible via my Android phone.
Some advice has been forthcoming and am working through this. As I get though this, I shall report back.
UPDATE 1914z: What a mess!!! Getting active on DMR is complicated! You first have to get a DMR ID (done), register on Brandmeister (done) and get a vocoder. If I am struggling, I imagine many will be too. I am still not connected. Hopefully tomorrow ......or 2030?? Getting going on Echolink was so much easier.
17 Oct 2022
The future of our hobby
Unless things change, I can see our hobby radically changing in the next 10 years. Most of us are old males.
Some time ago I posted this photo of my grandson in the back of my garage. It must have been earlier than 2013 as we moved QTH. He failed to get interested. He is 15 soon.
Unless young people like him are attracted, our hobby will die
The very last - NOT amateur radio
We ate his last sausages yesterday with all the trimmings. Sad.
16 Oct 2022
Heathkit HW family
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| An early Heathkit advert |
As a teenager I always wanted a 2m HW30 kit. Goodness knows why, as by modern standards they were poor!
Heathkit made a family of what became known as the Benton Harbor Lunchboxes. In many places they were the mainstay of VHF activity, way before FM, SSB and FT8.
They were valved and had a 5W AM TX and a super-regen RX. Most of the time this was fine for VHF at the time.
I cannot remember when they stopped being available, but I would guess mid 1970s.
At one time I had the manual, but never the rig.
The style I still like and in later years (before my stroke) fancied doing a modern equivalent for 10m with transistors and far smaller on a single PCB.
See http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/Surplus_Radioamateur/Heathkit_HW-30_review_QST_2013.pdf
Autumn - NOT amateur radio
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| Autumn in Ontario, Canada |
This photo of Ontario in autumn was posted by a friend on 365project recently. What amazing colours.
10m QRP TX WSPR (Sunday)
As the 10m antenna is available I am again on 10m QRP (500mW) with the W5OLF beacon. The gear was turned on about 0850z. No spots of me yet today. It was copied in Antarctica twice last week.
UPDATE 0905z: Already plenty of spots from the Canary Is.
UPDATE 1614z: 28 spots of me today on 10m QRP WSPR TX.
8m QRP FT8 (Sunday)
My 8m FT8 gear was turned on at 0845z. It will be on most of the morning and afternoon.
UPDATE 1628z: 1 station as spotted me - EA3ERE (1153km) and I have spotted 1 - S50B (1220km).
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