The morse dilemma

It seems that the only way I am going to improve my morse code skills is to do it. Live. On air.

I have found that my receiving has improved slightly by listening to real life stations on the air rather than using random code generators on the computer. At least by listening to real stations I am going to encounter the type of transmissions that I will be taking part in when I finally do get good enough to go on the air with it.

This is quite a scary prospect, but at the end of the day, if I do transmit and make a bit of a fool of myself, what's the worst that can happen? My pride gets a bit dented.

After all, when you learn to drive you don't do it all in a simulator do you? No, you actually go out on the roads, albeit with a qualified instructor at your side!

I am going to keep practising, keep listening, and I know that if I want to do it enough, I will get there in the end. The hard slog of getting there will be worth it I'm sure.

 

 

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Here we go again....

After a ridiculous length of time away from this blog, i finally get around to trying again!! Lots of things have been happening "in the shack", new equipment, new modes being tried, and i have also discovered the joys of Twitter!

Equipment wise, the shack now consists of a Yaesu FT897 as the main radio, this is used with a random wire in and inverted V configuration via an LDG Z11 Pro II automatic antenna tuner. This is also connected to the computer via a Tigertronics Signalink USB sound card for data modes. (I also have a G4ZLP sound card, which i use from time to time while i try to decide which is better)

This gets used for SSB with up to 100 watts output, but mostly for data modes with up to 30 watts output. Mostly i use PSK31/PSK63 modes, although i do swap to RTTY and JT65 when the mood takes me, or the stations that i want to work appear on those modes. I have also had a quick play with SSTV, although the software for that has left me more than a little baffled. WSPR gets used when there is nothing else happening on the bands, and i have also had a quick go with Hellscrieber having made just one contact using this mode.

I find myself mostly using the 30meter band (10MHz) these days - no contests to get in the way, fewer stations and generally nicer people on there! 40meters (7MHz) gets a bit of use, as does 20meters (14MHz), but i would say that 17meters (18MHz) has become my second band of choice after 30meters, for pretty much the same reasons!

15meters (21MHz) and 10meters (28MHz) get a little visit from time to time, although i don't transmit on them too often. My antenna does not really work that well on 80meters (3.5MHz), so i tend to leave that alone.

I also have a Yaesu FT817 connected to a multi-band vertical which is actually tied to the downspout from the guttering, so does not work at all well, and as this radio only puts out a maximum of 5 watts, it is pretty much useless except for receiving.

Finally, a Kenwood R5000 (with all the optional filters) is the receive only part of the station. This is mostly used to monitor my own transmissions when carrying out tests, and for quickly checking activity on other bands. I also use this for broadcast band reception from time to time.

As for Twitter, I have to confess that I did not see the point of it for quite a while, but now that I have gotten my head around the basics and learnt how to use the search and hashtag features, I actually do find it both entertaining and useful. Most of the people I "follow" are radio hams, photographers and crime writers, all of which are categories that interest me tremendously. 

The fellow radio hams that I am in contact with via Twitter are always full of useful and helpful tips and advice, and we also share a lot of amusing banter with each other. Many times I have had tears of laughter streaming down my cheeks during our banter sessions!




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A new facet to the hobby

Since I was a teenager, I have had an interest in air band listening. Over the years I have had MANY radios capable of listening to the civilian air band, and even some that could tune into the military one, although where I live is pretty hopeless on the military band, as there are no RAF bases nearby.

I have spent many a happy hour listening to the pilots and air traffic controllers talking to one another. To begin with it was all just meaningless chatter, but over the years I learnt about the basics of ATC, and have grown my knowledge of the subject to the point where I have a pretty good understanding of what is going on and why.

It has always quite amused me that my ham radio gear has, more often than not, had more VHF air frequencies saved in the memories than ham channels. This has mow got to the point that I now have a radio whichnis totally dedicated to air channels and has exactly zero ham ones saved, while another of my radios has only 4 ham repeaters programmed in, while the other memories are purely aircraft ones.

Whilst I have been aware of the existence of both ACARS and the personal live radar units yo can now buy for some time, I have never really taken any time to learn about what they can do, until a few weeks ago that is.

After a few abortive attempts, I was able to get an ACARS decoder working on my shack laptop via the Signalink USB inteface. For some reason that I am still not clear on, I simply could not get this to work to begin with, but after several hours of fiddling with settings and swearing, it suddenly burst into life with messages appearing on my screen.

I did a bit of research then about the live radar, and spent a few evenings looking at the web based ones, and then bit the bullet and bought myself a used Kinetic Avionics SBS-1ER unit. I was pleasantly surprised just how easy this was to get working - it really was plug and play - why can't everything be that easy?

Within minutes of plugging it in, I was seeing aircraft on my screen as far away as Bristol, and I even tracked one plane from around that area to touchdown at Birmingham both on the screen on on the air band radio. I would hardly call it "exciting", but it was most definitely interesting and quite incredible to see just how far technology has come over the last few years.

We are hoping to move house later this year, and have started to declutter and get rid of things we don't need anymore, and the first phase of this was to sell some of my unused radio gear, which meant that I sold the Icom 703+, the Yaesu 817ND, the Yaesu FT900 and the JRC NRD525 receiver. I was more than a little sad to see these go in a way, but it cleared some room and brought me in a sizeable sum of cash.........some of which has since been spent on the SBS-1ER and a Yaesu FT8800 which has been dedicated to the airband.

This is a nice radio because it has two receivers in the one box, and both can be tuned to the same band, including having BOTH on the airband at the same time. This coupled with the FT7800 means that I can monitor 3 channels at the same time, or 4 channels if I also use the built in receiver in the SBS unit. I have to confess that I am not impressed with the SBS built in radio - it does not seem to be very sensitive, and is the least impressive part of the whole package.

So, that's where I'm at with the new angle of the hobby. Where it will go from here remains to be seen. While I have gotten the radar unit working, and am using the basics of it quite happily, I gather that I still have an awful lot to learn about it and what it is capable of doing. I am looking forward to it very much!



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A bit of an update

It has been a little while since I updated this, so I thought it was about time I put the latest "scores" on.

Since the 8th of January, I haven't do quite as much radio as I would have liked, but have managed the following:-

Countries HEARD = Monaco, Lithuania, Armenia, Brazil, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Wales, Estonia, China, Scotland, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa, Latvia, Nicaragua, Algeria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Sweden and Namibia. (New total is 54 heard)

And my signal was HEARD IN = Australia, Monaco and Ireland. (New total is heard in 30 countries)

As for large locator squares, I am now up to 40 heard and 20 heard in.

I have mostly been concentrating on Europe on the 80m band, which has done little to add to the above countries and squares total, but it has helped my total for smaller locator squares, and my map of Europe is being coloured in fairly rapidly.

Most of my activity has been on JT65, which has quickly become my favourite mode, although I have done a little PSK31 (and indeed some PSK64 in the contest!) and a bit of RTTY, again during contests.

Weds 11th Jan - yet more new ones

Hi everyone,
Another week passes, and a few more new ones to report.

On the 6th January, i HEARD the Slovak Republic and the USA.

8th January let me HEAR the Canary Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Belarus. I was also HEARD IN the Canary Islands.

This morning allowed my signal to be HEARD IN Australia and Monaco, which i also HEARD. Monaco was an all-time new country for me in both receive and transmit, so i was very pleased with that one.

So, the new totals for the years are:

HEARD - 35 countries, 23 large grid squares
HEARD IN - 29 countries, 17 large grid squares

and the totals for my time at this QTH (7 years) goes up to HEARD 120 countries, WORKED 70 countries.

Hope this all makes sense!

Have fun. 73.

Weds 4th Jan 2012 - a few new ones...

After a couple of days of no activity, i thought that i would take advantage of my day off and have a play this morning. I finally made my first actual contacts of the year - Asiatic Russia on 15m JT65 and Austria on 20m JT65.

Listening on 20m on JT65 i also HEARD Switzerland and Australia (a distance of 10,790 miles), and was HEARD IN Germany.

Then i had to go out, but later in the afternoon, despite a headache, i put the station back on, this time in the WSPR mode on 10m. No one heard me, but i HEARD Bulgaria and Reunion Island. (the latter being an all-time new one for me)

After i had a little doze and the painkillers had kicked in, i switched to 20m WSPR and left it running, to HEAR a new one in the shape of Sebia, and BE HEARD in Norway, Lithuania and Reunion Island. (strangely a different station.....there can't be that many stations on the island surely?)

I only run the WSPR station at 5 watts, so was very pleased/surprised with being picked up in Reunion.

Tally for the year now stands at:-
HEARD 28 countries / 20 Large grid squares.
HEARD IN 26 countries/ 14 Large grid squares.

Only 4 days in to the year, and i have to say that i'm pretty pleased with those totals so far. It will keep getting harder and harder i know, but even so, i'm happy with that.

Have fun on the bands......

Monday 2nd Jan JT65 update

Before i went to bed last night, i had another brief play on JT65. All the bands seemed pretty dead apart from 80m, which was jumping with JT65 signals.

I spent about three-quarters of an hour on the band, yet again failed to make any actual contacts, but was able to add to my annual score:-

HEARD = Asiatic Russia, Norway, Canada  (23 total) (16 large locator squares)
HEARD IN= Canada, Switzerland, Holland (19 total) (12 large locator squares)