10 Feb 2024
2m activity contest (UKAC) - February 6th
3 Oct 2023
2m activity contest (UKAC)
Tonight is the 2m monthly activity contest (UKAC) organised by the RSGB. After 4 QSOs with my 10W and omni (and poor voice!) I gave up! Conditions seemed up, but with my QRP it was too hard.
8 Feb 2023
15 Jan 2023
10m Simple Sideband
Before my 2013 stroke, I was working on a simple rig for 10m. At the time I was thinking of a dead simple DSB transceiver, but these days a better approach might be an SSB transceiver based around an SI5351 or similar synthesiser.
Whatever the approach, I had in mind a very simple, low cost rig on a single PCB.
10m is very good again and should be good for several years. It is good for Es most summers even in sunspot minimum years. It is also good for local natters. Antennas are small and CB verticals work well.
Such a simple design would make a low cost club project. When built, such a rig could be very useful especially if made as a synthesised SSB rig.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10m-simple-sideband.
12 Jan 2023
FT8 or SSB?
Amateur radio is changing.
As mentioned a few days ago, it seems far more are now turning to FT8 instead of SSB. This means the bands seem quieter. Although to say so is considered wrong by many, arguably on many, many, bands this means we really do not need the allocations we have.
In 1 SSB channel at least 25 stations using FT8 can be fitted. FT8 only needs about 50 Hz of spectrum. There is little need to use amateur radio for chatting (the Internet is free and covers the world), and many now chase DX with FT8 instead. FT8 is far more effective than SSB although it is most definitely not a chatting mode. JS8call (which I have not used) is a free form mode of FT8 that does allow chatting. Some like to push the boundaries with things like EME and DATV. Others like to explore radio propagation.
The mantra seems to be to hang on to the bands we have. Personally, I would prefer more, but narrower, bands to encourage experimentation with some wider allocations (probably at VHF or UHF) to encourage experiments such things as DATV and spread spectrum. The military in many countries wants priority access, but rarely uses much of the spectrum.
Whatever the bands, callsigns and locations should be mandated and the basis should be strictly non- interference. Many allocations could be shared or secondary. Heretical? Probably.
9 Jan 2023
SSB activity lower?
Every month I take part in the 2m and 70cm UKAC activity contests organised by the RSGB. My voice is poor and I only run QRP to my big-wheel omni antenna. I am usually on for less than an hour. I also have a go at the FT8 activity contests.
Although I rarely use SSB and FM outside contests, I gather activity with these modes is down on the past. I guess there are several reasons. Firstly, people can chat for free on the internet by video with anywhere on the planet, so there is less need to use the amateur bands just for chatting. Secondly, the average age of amateurs is increasing, with the hobby appealing to retired people. Some of these are now getting infirm so less active. Thirdly, there are more digital modes not needing much bandwidth. For example, the FT8 slot is often busy, but very little bandwidth is needed.
QSOs on 2m UKAC last Tuesday |
Change is inevitable, but you do not just chance upon FT8 as this needs specialist software. People will no longer just chance upon amateur radio. The danger is numbers decline over the next 10-20 years unless we can galvanise the interest of younger people.
8 May 2022
Simple SSB
Steve G1KQH just pointed me to this inspiring video. Thinking about simple, low cost SSB rigs for 10m, there must be some great ideas here!
20 Sept 2021
10m Phaser
Because of my poor building skills, a very kind amateur in Scotland has built and tested my 10m Phaser kit. All being well, it should be back this week.
The Phaser is a QRP SSB transceiver, for FT8 mainly, producing about 3W pep. It is a phasing rig designed by Dave Benson K1SWL. It should allow the "big rig" to be used for other things.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10m-phaser .
21 Aug 2021
History of SSB
Southgate News has a piece on the history of SSB.
See Southgatearc.org/news/2021/august/the-history-of-single-sideband.htm#.YSEdbfLYrrc .
17 Jun 2021
2m activity contest (June) published
Every month, if I am free, I go on the UKAC activity contests organised by the RSGB. Although I submit entries running 10W SSB to a 2m omni antenna I have no chance of ever winning!
I only enter the 2m and 70cm legs. Mostly I go on for fun and the activity. Without trying at all hard I see I am still about third down the table in the low power section. Activity levels on SSB are very good. I think these sessions are primarily for clubs, although I just go on as me. There is no compulsion to submit a score.
See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/vhfresults.pl?Contest=144MHz%20UKAC&Date=&year=2021 .
8 Feb 2021
SSB out-of-band?
There is an interesting piece on Southgate News about transmitting out of band. This is particularly important on 60m where the allocations are very small. The important thing is that the dial frequency may be in band but some of the modulation may not be!
24 Feb 2020
Early days on VHF SSB
Later, the Liner-2 brought 2m SSB to the masses. For several years SSB 2m DXing was very popular. In the UK this was at the time when G8s were allowed on 2m for the first time. Before that they were only allowed on 70cm and microwave bands.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/liner2
22 Jan 2020
MX-2 - 2m SSB portable
It was used as a handheld on 2m and to drive a homebrew 10m 1W transverter. As I recall, for a while it was the only rig I had. Plenty of DX contacts were had on 10m and some handheld DX with just a whip on 2m SSB. The battery did not last long and by modern standards it would be considered slightly large.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/mx2
7 Jan 2020
2m activity contest (UKAC)
Stations worked on 2m SSB this evening |
16 Dec 2019
2m SSB
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/ic202
5 Dec 2019
2m SSB in the 1970s
My first 2m SSB rig was a Liner-2. It was a revelation, with distances I could only dream about being workable even with very simple antennas. Nowadays many prefer the "rubber stamp" FT8 QSOs. Back in those early days 2m DXing was real fun and ranges of several hundred kilometres were possible most nights on SSB.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/liner2
4 Oct 2018
Liner-2 2m SSB rig
Back in the 1970s it was the ubiquitous rig for DXing on 2m in the UK and rest of Europe.
Coupled with a 30W linear and 9 el Tonna antenna, this was the rig of choice for many. They had plenty wrong with them, but I look back on mine with fond affection.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/liner2
14 Aug 2018
70cm actvity contest
24 Oct 2017
CQWW SSB Contest
Best days for QRP tends to be Sunday as most "big guns" have worked lots by then and are scraping around for points.
See https://www.cqww.com/
8 Jul 2017
2m SSB
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/mx2 .