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!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday 19 February 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday 11 January 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday 4 January 2012
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......
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 2 January 2012
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)
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)
Sunday 1 January 2012
New Year - new project!
Hello everyone, and a Very Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2012 is a good year and brings you everything you hope for.
I had been thinking for a while of a "project" to concentrate on for the new year, and had decided to try to work a different country every day for as long as possible - i know that it would not be possible to do one for every day of the year, as there simply aren't enough countries in the world, and a lot of the ones that are there are VERY rare in ham radio terms.
The plan was to use the data modes, mainly JT65, start with a zero country count and go for it........
Well, having spent a couple of hours or so on the radio this morning, the plan has slightly changed. So far i have had NO contacts, BUT have had tremendous fun.
I started out on 20m on JT65, and the very first country that came through was Japan, so i figured that the band was fairly open. In an hour and a quarter on the band, i had HEARD 15 countries, and my signal had BEEN HEARD IN 10 countries.
I changed to 10m for a while, but the band seemed dead, so tuned instead to 15m. I spent just under an hour on here, and got the total country count up to HEARD=20, HEARD IN=16.
So, this is going to be my challenge for the year - get these two figures up as much as possible. I'm not going to separate out bands and modes i don't think - the logistics of keeping track of it to that degree does not appeal - i may change my mind on that though, we will see.
Just as a matter of interest, i normally use 30 watts on JT65 and a station in Brazil was hearing me on 15m. I turned my power down to 5 watts, and i was only 2dB weaker to him. Quite incredible really - it would have made no real difference to my signal at his end even though i was using a SIXTH of the power. It just goes to show what can be achieved on the HF bands with low power and poor antennas. If only we could persuade EVERYONE to reduce their power levels, the bands would be a much quieter and more pleasant place!
So, to sum up todays activity:-
Countries HEARD by ME:-
Japan, Romania, Malta, Spain, Italy, Germany, European Russia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Austria, England, France, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Greece, Venezuela, Slovenia, Finland, Belgium.
Countries where MY signal was HEARD:-
Poland, USA, Portugal, Corsica, France, Italy, England, Sweden, Denmark, Venezuela, Spain, European Russia, Jersey, Finland, Brazil, Kazakhstan.
Large Grid squares HEARD = 13. HEARD IN = 11.
I had been thinking for a while of a "project" to concentrate on for the new year, and had decided to try to work a different country every day for as long as possible - i know that it would not be possible to do one for every day of the year, as there simply aren't enough countries in the world, and a lot of the ones that are there are VERY rare in ham radio terms.
The plan was to use the data modes, mainly JT65, start with a zero country count and go for it........
Well, having spent a couple of hours or so on the radio this morning, the plan has slightly changed. So far i have had NO contacts, BUT have had tremendous fun.
I started out on 20m on JT65, and the very first country that came through was Japan, so i figured that the band was fairly open. In an hour and a quarter on the band, i had HEARD 15 countries, and my signal had BEEN HEARD IN 10 countries.
I changed to 10m for a while, but the band seemed dead, so tuned instead to 15m. I spent just under an hour on here, and got the total country count up to HEARD=20, HEARD IN=16.
So, this is going to be my challenge for the year - get these two figures up as much as possible. I'm not going to separate out bands and modes i don't think - the logistics of keeping track of it to that degree does not appeal - i may change my mind on that though, we will see.
Just as a matter of interest, i normally use 30 watts on JT65 and a station in Brazil was hearing me on 15m. I turned my power down to 5 watts, and i was only 2dB weaker to him. Quite incredible really - it would have made no real difference to my signal at his end even though i was using a SIXTH of the power. It just goes to show what can be achieved on the HF bands with low power and poor antennas. If only we could persuade EVERYONE to reduce their power levels, the bands would be a much quieter and more pleasant place!
So, to sum up todays activity:-
Countries HEARD by ME:-
Japan, Romania, Malta, Spain, Italy, Germany, European Russia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Austria, England, France, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, Greece, Venezuela, Slovenia, Finland, Belgium.
Countries where MY signal was HEARD:-
Poland, USA, Portugal, Corsica, France, Italy, England, Sweden, Denmark, Venezuela, Spain, European Russia, Jersey, Finland, Brazil, Kazakhstan.
Large Grid squares HEARD = 13. HEARD IN = 11.
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