No real HAM Shack is ever 'finished'
Once upon a time, the tidy corner of the old shack looked like this. As a place where much firkling, fixing and nattering occured it was certainly not a 'display shack'. Like many ham shacks a constantly changing collection of whatever was on the go recently, stuff being worked on with a sprinkling of regularly used tools and equipment. This old shack suffered the ravages of time and after surviving several years of harsh Scottish winters and constant repairs to the structure to keep the weather out it was superceeded by a new shack !
All equipment , radios and electronics were moved to a new shack in the house. The house shack is a more temperature stable and dry environment much better suited to keeping the old gear happy and working well without constant repairs to keep wind and rain outside.
All equipment , radios and electronics were moved to a new shack in the house. The house shack is a more temperature stable and dry environment much better suited to keeping the old gear happy and working well without constant repairs to keep wind and rain outside.
Historic events in Transatlantic radio communications.
G. Marconi managed to get a single letter 'S' across the Atlantic on 5th December 1902 from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada to Poldhu (Cornwall) in England using a high power longwave spark gap transmission. For the next 19 years longwave transmitter and receiver stations were developed and used to send messages across long distances using enormous antenna systems and high power spark transmitters. It was believed that signals could not be sent long distances using shortwave frequencies.
In December 1921 Paul Godley 2ZE received the first complete CW message sent by an amateur radio station across the Atlantic ocean on shortwave frequencies. This proved that long distances could be covered on shorter wavelengths without huge, high powered commercial radio transmitters. The test results also proved that CW transmission was a far better mode than the spark gap systems in use at the time. From 1922 many longwave spark gap transmitter stations were decommissioned and replaced with CW equipment as messages could be sent and received using smaller, cheaper more reliable stations running less power that generated less interference than the noisy spark gap systems. This began a new era in radio communications technology.
In December 1921 Paul Godley 2ZE received the first complete CW message sent by an amateur radio station across the Atlantic ocean on shortwave frequencies. This proved that long distances could be covered on shorter wavelengths without huge, high powered commercial radio transmitters. The test results also proved that CW transmission was a far better mode than the spark gap systems in use at the time. From 1922 many longwave spark gap transmitter stations were decommissioned and replaced with CW equipment as messages could be sent and received using smaller, cheaper more reliable stations running less power that generated less interference than the noisy spark gap systems. This began a new era in radio communications technology.
1921 Transatlantic Test shortwave receiver station, Ardrossan, Scotland.
On 9th December 1921 Paul Godley 2ZE set up a receiving station at Ardrossan, Scotland. The receiving equipment used was a Paragon regenerative receiver, Type DA-2 detector-amplifier and a superheterodyne receiver with external beat oscillator. The complete setup used a total of ten tubes (valves) The radio equipment was housed in a tent, with an oil lantern for light and an oil stove for heat. A Beverage wire receiving antenna almost 1,300ft long was strung up 12ft above the ground over a series of poles carriying standard Post Office pattern insulators at 125ft intervals from the tent stretching down the seaweed covered field towards the sea. The phosphor bronze wire was grounded through a variable non-inductive resistance, the ground plates consisted of four lengths of iron pipe buried 4ft in the ground where they reached water.
He spent the next few nights following the transatlantic test time schedules with an official listener, Mr D.E.Pearson, District Inspector of the Marconi company. They were listening for signals transmitted across the Atlantic ocean from selected amateur radio stations in America.
At 02:52 GMT on 12th December 1921 Paul Godley received a complete CW message on 1.3MHz (230m) that was sent by 1BCG located in a farmers field in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Transmitter was running 990W into a T-cage antenna, 100ft long and 70ft high with 30 raised radial counterpoise wires each 60ft long. The successful reception was reported and a message sent back to America via the high power, long wave Marconi transmitter station at Carnarvon in Wales where it was transmitted across the Atlantic to New Brunswick.
The transatlantic tests continued until December 16th. Several British amateur stations sucessfully copied CW signals from American amateur stations including, 1AFV, 1BCG, 1UN, 1RU, 1ZE, 1XM, 2BML, 2FP, 2ZC, 2ZL, 2ZU.
100 years later...
He spent the next few nights following the transatlantic test time schedules with an official listener, Mr D.E.Pearson, District Inspector of the Marconi company. They were listening for signals transmitted across the Atlantic ocean from selected amateur radio stations in America.
At 02:52 GMT on 12th December 1921 Paul Godley received a complete CW message on 1.3MHz (230m) that was sent by 1BCG located in a farmers field in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Transmitter was running 990W into a T-cage antenna, 100ft long and 70ft high with 30 raised radial counterpoise wires each 60ft long. The successful reception was reported and a message sent back to America via the high power, long wave Marconi transmitter station at Carnarvon in Wales where it was transmitted across the Atlantic to New Brunswick.
The transatlantic tests continued until December 16th. Several British amateur stations sucessfully copied CW signals from American amateur stations including, 1AFV, 1BCG, 1UN, 1RU, 1ZE, 1XM, 2BML, 2FP, 2ZC, 2ZL, 2ZU.
100 years later...
Special Event Station at Ardrossan, Scotland, celebrating the Centenary of the first CW mode Amateur Radio message across the Atlantic on Shortwave in 1921.
The Special Event Station station at the Ardrossan site was set up and operated by members of the Kilmarnock and Loudoun Amateur Radio Club from 12:00 GMT from Saturday 11th December to 12:00 GMT on Sunday 12th December 2021.
The 160m station was used to copy the CW re-enactment transmission at 02:52 GMT, exactly 100 years after the original transmission. This was witnessed by Stewart G3YSX, President of the RSGB, Steve M1ACB RSGB general manager, Len GM0ONX RSGB Director and KLARC members on site. The top band station also made many contacts during the Transatlantic QSO party in the early hours of Sunday morning. During the 24hr period there were multiple stations in use on site operating on HF & VHF bands. There was also a portable short range microwave mesh network used to provide network assisted voice communications via the FreeSTAR network, this allowed many licensed operators around the World with no HF equipment to make contact with the special event station GS2ZE at Ardrossan through linked repeaters, gateways and personal hotspots using analogue and digital voice modes.
Some of the antennas used during the event at Ardrossan. Three monoband verticals, horizontal linked dipole (80m,40m,20m) with VHF colinear on top of the main mast pole. The linked dipole is held away from the mast attached to a pulley rope. This allowed for quick band changes and made it easy to change over to the top band antenna at night. (photo by Scott, 2M0RGU)
The linked dipole was taken down during the night with 160m wire antenna taking its place on the main mast for top band operation. We then strung up the linked dipole in inverted V configuration as far from the station as the available coaxial feedline would allow. This put another HF station back on 80m, then 40m while the 160m station was operating. I managed to fill my boots with cold residual precipitate while putting up the linked dipole in the dark. (the area was waterlogged as can be seen in the photo above) The FT8 narrow band digital mode station was mostly working 30m which was the most stable band throughout the 24hrs of operation at the site. Despite the poor HF band conditions the KLARC team managed to make many good contacts across the Atlantic and had QSOs with stations spread out across four continents.
Many thanks to all those who worked GS2ZE, GB2ZE & GB1002ZE at the Ardrossan site on this historic occasion.
The linked dipole was taken down during the night with 160m wire antenna taking its place on the main mast for top band operation. We then strung up the linked dipole in inverted V configuration as far from the station as the available coaxial feedline would allow. This put another HF station back on 80m, then 40m while the 160m station was operating. I managed to fill my boots with cold residual precipitate while putting up the linked dipole in the dark. (the area was waterlogged as can be seen in the photo above) The FT8 narrow band digital mode station was mostly working 30m which was the most stable band throughout the 24hrs of operation at the site. Despite the poor HF band conditions the KLARC team managed to make many good contacts across the Atlantic and had QSOs with stations spread out across four continents.
Many thanks to all those who worked GS2ZE, GB2ZE & GB1002ZE at the Ardrossan site on this historic occasion.
. . o o O 0 O o o . .
FreeSTAR station used for network assisted comms at Ardrossan.
We also made over 130 contacts with stations over the FreeSTAR network while operating with GS2ZE call. Some had no HF capability due to restrictions at their QTH or were unable to make contact on HF due to propagation conditions and were very happy to make contact with the Ardrossan centenary special event station using network assisted communications through repeaters, gateways or personal hotspots/nodes.
Several stations were also tracking our band changes reported over FreeSTAR network and trying to reach us on HF.
Several stations were also tracking our band changes reported over FreeSTAR network and trying to reach us on HF.
MM7WAB/P
The bike and trailer used for general transport and portable operation.
The Fatbike and trailer is specifically built and mostly used for transport off road over rough terrain. I don't like riding on public roads and only do so when I have to. The modified rear rack is connected to the trailer with a homebrew dual pivot joint made from two steel frame castors providing a strong articulated towing point for the trailer. The crankset and bottom bracket uses a 'hollowtech' style tube throughshaft with outboard mounted sealed bearings for high strength and rigidity. The crankset is fitted with a single T6 alloy 'narrow-wide' oval chainring, KMC heavy duty 10 speed drive chain with protective coating and Shimano SLX 10 speed rear mech with clutch mechanism and matching Shimano rear cassette making it easy to pedal even when hauling heavy loads. For stopping the bike is fitted with Shimano XT hydraulic brakes that use 'Noah & Theo' stainless steel rotor discs and carbon-kevlar sintered metal pads providing excellent brake modulation and brake performance in all conditions. The tyres are a matched pair of 26x4in fat bike specific Maxxis Minions, these are run at very low pressures for off-road riding due to the high air volume but for road riding I run higher pressures to minimise rolling resistance. (Front 10psi, rear 12psi) The forks are Pasak dual chamber air suspension forks with 130mm travel for off-road use but they also help to soak up impacts from pot holes and rough road surfaces. The bike, wheels and trailer are all hand painted with multiple layers for protection against the ravages of Scottish weather conditions and uses 'helicopter tape' for additional protection against stone chipping. Although not seen in the above photo I use an original hand made Brookes B66 sprung leather saddle that has been used on many of my bikes over the years.
. . o o O 0 O o o . .
I use the eQSL system for automatic confirmation of valid amateur radio contacts.
Enter Your callsign in the box to see how many eQSL contact confirmations are already waiting for You on the Electronic QSL system.
Environmentally friendly All done by moving electrons! Fast & Easy, No postage, No chopping down trees for stamps, paper or cards. |
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A small selection of radios from the ever growing collection. . .
Bush EBS.63 analogue shortwave radio receiver.
Restored 1961 Bush EBS.63 valve set with "Magic Eye" tuning indicator (EM81 single shadow angle Mag. Fan valve)
This superhet receiver still performs well with good signal sensitivity on medium wave 55KHz to 1.7MHz and short wave (continuous coverage from 3MHz to 30MHz)
The Bakelite case and matched pair of 6 inch loudspeakers give this radio a lovely warm sound. Although it only operates in AM mode I have used this particular radio in conjunction with an external 'home brewed' beat frequency oscillator (BFO) to receive single side band (SSB) communications with surprisingly good results.
: This radio is no longer in my collection.
The EBS.63 has gone to live with a new owner who is putting it to good use 'SWL'ing and no doubt enjoying the fine quality sound that such classic receivers produce.
This superhet receiver still performs well with good signal sensitivity on medium wave 55KHz to 1.7MHz and short wave (continuous coverage from 3MHz to 30MHz)
The Bakelite case and matched pair of 6 inch loudspeakers give this radio a lovely warm sound. Although it only operates in AM mode I have used this particular radio in conjunction with an external 'home brewed' beat frequency oscillator (BFO) to receive single side band (SSB) communications with surprisingly good results.
: This radio is no longer in my collection.
The EBS.63 has gone to live with a new owner who is putting it to good use 'SWL'ing and no doubt enjoying the fine quality sound that such classic receivers produce.
Bush EBS.3A analogue receiver.
Restored Bush EBS.3A analogue receiver with bakelite case. Coverage: Medium Wave (MW) 520 KHz to 1.7MHz and Short Wave (SW) 3.25MHz to 26MHz. This receiver is not as sensitive as the EBS.63 but it still performs well and is a lovely sounding analogue valve set.
MARC NR52F1 12 band receiver.
Model: MARC NR52F1 HF/VHF/UHF receiver.
Tuning: Manual VFO with outer ring course tuning and central mechanical gear reduction for fine tuning + manual variable BFO.
Modes: AM/FM/WFM/SSB/CW with switchable Double Conversion mode for VHF
Coverage: 145kHz - 477 MHz in 12 bands:
0.145-0.420 MHz
0.530-1.630 MHz
1.6-4.2 MHz
3.9-8.5 MHz
7.8-12.5 MHz
11.8-19.0 MHz
17.8-31.0 MHz
66.0-87.5 MHz
87.0-108.0 MHz
107.5-138.0 MHz
142.0-175.0 MHz
430.0-477.0 MHz
Power Supply:
Mains 117/220 VAC (running on 235 - 255 VAC in UK)
12V DC from external source.
12V DC from internal battery bank (8 x LR20 / 'D cells')
Power Consumption: Max 8W (AC Mains)
External Antennas: Via three side mounted sockets (GND, HF, VHF/UHF) 50 Ohms impedance.
Fixed Antennas: 2 x telescopic whips.
This is a very capable general coverage, multi-mode receiver with good sensitivity on HF,VHF and UHF. It 'warms up' quickly and the BFO is surprisingly stable. Works very well receiving SSB transmissions on the Amateur radio bands.
Tuning: Manual VFO with outer ring course tuning and central mechanical gear reduction for fine tuning + manual variable BFO.
Modes: AM/FM/WFM/SSB/CW with switchable Double Conversion mode for VHF
Coverage: 145kHz - 477 MHz in 12 bands:
0.145-0.420 MHz
0.530-1.630 MHz
1.6-4.2 MHz
3.9-8.5 MHz
7.8-12.5 MHz
11.8-19.0 MHz
17.8-31.0 MHz
66.0-87.5 MHz
87.0-108.0 MHz
107.5-138.0 MHz
142.0-175.0 MHz
430.0-477.0 MHz
Power Supply:
Mains 117/220 VAC (running on 235 - 255 VAC in UK)
12V DC from external source.
12V DC from internal battery bank (8 x LR20 / 'D cells')
Power Consumption: Max 8W (AC Mains)
External Antennas: Via three side mounted sockets (GND, HF, VHF/UHF) 50 Ohms impedance.
Fixed Antennas: 2 x telescopic whips.
This is a very capable general coverage, multi-mode receiver with good sensitivity on HF,VHF and UHF. It 'warms up' quickly and the BFO is surprisingly stable. Works very well receiving SSB transmissions on the Amateur radio bands.
YAESU FT-707
FT-707 'Wayfarer' solid state triple conversion superheterodyne HF HAM radio Transceiver covering 80m - 10m.
Switched multi-XTAL oscillator with geared vernier VFO control, digital frequency display and LED signal meter.
Frequency Coverage:
80m 3.5 - 4.0 MHz.
40m 7.5 - 7.5 MHz.
30m 10.0 - 10.5 MHz.
20m 14.0 - 14.5 MHz.
17m 18.0 - 18.5 MHz.
15m 21.0 - 21.5 MHz.
10m 28.0 - 29.9 MHz.
FIX button selects one fixed channel per band. (uses internal plug-in XTAL to set fixed channel frequency)
Continuously variable bandwidth 300 Hz to 2.4 KHz in SSB and CW modes.
Power supply: 13.5 VDC Power consumption: RX: 1.5A TX: 20A
RF output power: 100W in SSB modes, 10W in AM mode.
[ This radio has been professionally modified, aligned and 'lab tested' to limit maximum TX Power to 9.8W in SSB modes allowing it to be used with
UK Foundation amateur radio license within the 10W RF output power limitation . This modification can be easily reversed to return the radio to it's original 100W specification. ]
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
NOTE: This radio is no longer in my collection. It was sold to a friend who needed an HF set to get On-Air after getting their license.
Switched multi-XTAL oscillator with geared vernier VFO control, digital frequency display and LED signal meter.
Frequency Coverage:
80m 3.5 - 4.0 MHz.
40m 7.5 - 7.5 MHz.
30m 10.0 - 10.5 MHz.
20m 14.0 - 14.5 MHz.
17m 18.0 - 18.5 MHz.
15m 21.0 - 21.5 MHz.
10m 28.0 - 29.9 MHz.
FIX button selects one fixed channel per band. (uses internal plug-in XTAL to set fixed channel frequency)
Continuously variable bandwidth 300 Hz to 2.4 KHz in SSB and CW modes.
Power supply: 13.5 VDC Power consumption: RX: 1.5A TX: 20A
RF output power: 100W in SSB modes, 10W in AM mode.
[ This radio has been professionally modified, aligned and 'lab tested' to limit maximum TX Power to 9.8W in SSB modes allowing it to be used with
UK Foundation amateur radio license within the 10W RF output power limitation . This modification can be easily reversed to return the radio to it's original 100W specification. ]
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
NOTE: This radio is no longer in my collection. It was sold to a friend who needed an HF set to get On-Air after getting their license.
Inrico TM-7 Network Radio
The Inrico TM-7 was one of the first network radio devices produced.
Contrary to some peoples belief this IS a radio transceiver. It operates with no wired network connection using low RF power output on the mobile telephone bands. It connects to cell phone towers and uses the existing mobile telephone network infrastructure to provide easy communication with operators around the World on other network radios, mobile phones, and PCs using Applications like Zello, Echolink, DroidSTAR
This radio can be used to connect to the Global network infrastructure through 2.4GHz 'WiFi' access points, hot-spots and home WiFi routers as well as using mobile data connections to the Global network of cellular radio tower sites with a suitable SIM card fitted in the radio.
Network Radio devices are effectively 'license exempt' which means their use is open to all and You do not need to pass an exam or apply for a license to operate a network radio device when running APPs such as Zello PTT on channels that do Not connect with licensed Amateur radio communications equipment.
NOTE:
You Do need to have a current Amateur Radio operators license to transmit using APPs such as; Echolink, DroidSTAR, DVSwitch, IRN (International Radio Network) and other APPS that allow You to operate through networked licensed amateur radio gateways, repeaters or other RF cross-linking systems that operate on frequencies available to licensed radio amateurs or operate amateur radio equipment remotely.
You Must check Your license conditions before using any radio gateway, repeater or networking service or using any service that provides remote operation of RF equipment to ensure You operate within the terms of Your specific licensing conditions.
Contrary to some peoples belief this IS a radio transceiver. It operates with no wired network connection using low RF power output on the mobile telephone bands. It connects to cell phone towers and uses the existing mobile telephone network infrastructure to provide easy communication with operators around the World on other network radios, mobile phones, and PCs using Applications like Zello, Echolink, DroidSTAR
This radio can be used to connect to the Global network infrastructure through 2.4GHz 'WiFi' access points, hot-spots and home WiFi routers as well as using mobile data connections to the Global network of cellular radio tower sites with a suitable SIM card fitted in the radio.
Network Radio devices are effectively 'license exempt' which means their use is open to all and You do not need to pass an exam or apply for a license to operate a network radio device when running APPs such as Zello PTT on channels that do Not connect with licensed Amateur radio communications equipment.
NOTE:
You Do need to have a current Amateur Radio operators license to transmit using APPs such as; Echolink, DroidSTAR, DVSwitch, IRN (International Radio Network) and other APPS that allow You to operate through networked licensed amateur radio gateways, repeaters or other RF cross-linking systems that operate on frequencies available to licensed radio amateurs or operate amateur radio equipment remotely.
You Must check Your license conditions before using any radio gateway, repeater or networking service or using any service that provides remote operation of RF equipment to ensure You operate within the terms of Your specific licensing conditions.
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Tytera MD380
The Tytera MD380 is a nice quality UHF handheld radio. These radios perform well using analogue FM and DMR digital voice modes. These are full "Tier 2" radios that handle working through repeaters and various DMR networks properly. (There are some other DMR radios that are Not fully 'Tier 2' compatible)
Like most DMR radio equipment You can program some functions and set up channels from the keypad (using the on screen menus) but it is quicker and far easier to use a data cable and 'codeplug editor' software on a PC to program these radios before use.
Of course You can still use the on screen menus for 'on the fly' programming and adjustments when You are out and about.
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
Like most DMR radio equipment You can program some functions and set up channels from the keypad (using the on screen menus) but it is quicker and far easier to use a data cable and 'codeplug editor' software on a PC to program these radios before use.
Of course You can still use the on screen menus for 'on the fly' programming and adjustments when You are out and about.
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
Baofeng UV3R and UV5R
Baofeng UV3R and UV5R handheld VHF / UHF radios. These are small, cheap radios that work well for short range simplex VHF / UHF analogue communications and for working through 2m & 70cm repeaters (using narrow deviation mode). The UV3R and UV5R can both be programmed from the front panel using the on screen menu system. With the correct programming cables these radios can also be programmed using the 'Chirp' software on a PC.
Handy to use out and about when You don't want to risk damaging more expensive equipment. Also good to have as a 'back up' tucked in Your hiking / camping kit or stowed in the glove box in a vehicle 'just in case'. Although the audio quality is not brilliant using the built in microphones on some of these radios there are many inexpensive plug-in speaker mics available that provide better quality audio.
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
NOTE: It is Illegal to use UV3R or UV5R radios to transmit on the 446MHz PMR frequencies.
Although an attenuator can be used to reduce transmitted power to below the 500mW limit for PMR 446 it is not an 'approved' transmitter for PMR.
Commercially available PMR 446 radio equipment can only be legally used Without ANY modifications.
Connecting an external antenna to a PMR 446 radio effectively makes the equipment illegal.
Using any transmitting device that has been modified in any way to operate on PMR band is illegal in the UK.
Handy to use out and about when You don't want to risk damaging more expensive equipment. Also good to have as a 'back up' tucked in Your hiking / camping kit or stowed in the glove box in a vehicle 'just in case'. Although the audio quality is not brilliant using the built in microphones on some of these radios there are many inexpensive plug-in speaker mics available that provide better quality audio.
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
NOTE: It is Illegal to use UV3R or UV5R radios to transmit on the 446MHz PMR frequencies.
Although an attenuator can be used to reduce transmitted power to below the 500mW limit for PMR 446 it is not an 'approved' transmitter for PMR.
Commercially available PMR 446 radio equipment can only be legally used Without ANY modifications.
Connecting an external antenna to a PMR 446 radio effectively makes the equipment illegal.
Using any transmitting device that has been modified in any way to operate on PMR band is illegal in the UK.
Amstrad 6010 Multi-Band Receiver
1981 Amstrad 6010 Super-Heterodyne AM/FM receiver.
Coverage: 55 - 350 KHz, 1.5 - 30 MHz, 88 - 140 MHz.
Including Marine Band (4-6 MHz), S.W. (7-23MHz), FM BC Band (88 -108 MHz), AIR Band (108 - 138 MHz).
IF: 465 KHz / 10.7 MHz
Loudspeaker (moving coil) / Ø 10 cm = 3.9 inch
Coverage: 55 - 350 KHz, 1.5 - 30 MHz, 88 - 140 MHz.
Including Marine Band (4-6 MHz), S.W. (7-23MHz), FM BC Band (88 -108 MHz), AIR Band (108 - 138 MHz).
IF: 465 KHz / 10.7 MHz
Loudspeaker (moving coil) / Ø 10 cm = 3.9 inch
Age matters not as long as performance is good.
Left: Yaesu FRG-7 0.5 - 30MHz Receiver..
Right: Icom IC-756 0.3 - 55MHz Transceiver.
Center: Analogue I/O, Digital audio recorder/player.
(used for comparative test signal recording)
The FRG-7 is a classic analogue '0-30' receiver, One of the first sets available using the 'Wadley Loop' automatic drift cancellation circuit design by Dr Trevor Wadley. One of my all time favourite receivers.
The IC-756 is more advanced and way more complex design. Works well with good quality filters fitted.
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
Right: Icom IC-756 0.3 - 55MHz Transceiver.
Center: Analogue I/O, Digital audio recorder/player.
(used for comparative test signal recording)
The FRG-7 is a classic analogue '0-30' receiver, One of the first sets available using the 'Wadley Loop' automatic drift cancellation circuit design by Dr Trevor Wadley. One of my all time favourite receivers.
The IC-756 is more advanced and way more complex design. Works well with good quality filters fitted.
Note: You must have a current amateur radio license to transmit using this equipment.
Hacker Sovereign RP25 MW/LW/VHF receiver
Classic 1970 Hacker Sovereign RP25A SuperHet 'portable' AM/FM MW, LW, VHF broadcast receiver.
These are very well made units with good quality audio output. The RP25A is powered by 2 x 9V (PP9) dry batteries that usually last for many months of operation.
These are very well made units with good quality audio output. The RP25A is powered by 2 x 9V (PP9) dry batteries that usually last for many months of operation.
Realistic DX-200
Realistic DX-200 communications receiver. Mains powered solid state mulit-mode receiver.
Coverage: 150kHz to 30MHz in 5 switchable band blocks.
Features: Back-lit analog needle signal meter Dual tuning controls for Main Tuning and Band Spread tuning. Antenna trim control (for antenna impedance matching) AGC Fast/Slow switch. BFO pitch control for resolving LSB and USB signals. 5 position band switch. RF gain control. ON/OFF & Volume control.
Mode switch ( SSB/CW, Standby, AM, AM/ANL) and 500kHz and a Calibrator tone switch.
Coverage: 150kHz to 30MHz in 5 switchable band blocks.
Features: Back-lit analog needle signal meter Dual tuning controls for Main Tuning and Band Spread tuning. Antenna trim control (for antenna impedance matching) AGC Fast/Slow switch. BFO pitch control for resolving LSB and USB signals. 5 position band switch. RF gain control. ON/OFF & Volume control.
Mode switch ( SSB/CW, Standby, AM, AM/ANL) and 500kHz and a Calibrator tone switch.
Westminster P.W.R-2/1
1946 Westminster P.W.R-2/1 analogue receiver. Valves: X65, KTW63, DH63 KT61 and U50.
The analogue valve audio amplifier, original paper cone loudspeaker and large bakelite case give this radio a nice warm tone.
This radio is still fully operational with all internal circuitry as original.
The case now also houses a DAB & FM receiver that can be programmed from a small panel mounted on the rear of the case.
The large enclosure produces a nice sound on FM broadcasts and a reasonably good sound with lower quality low bitrate mono DAB stations.
The analogue valve audio amplifier, original paper cone loudspeaker and large bakelite case give this radio a nice warm tone.
This radio is still fully operational with all internal circuitry as original.
The case now also houses a DAB & FM receiver that can be programmed from a small panel mounted on the rear of the case.
The large enclosure produces a nice sound on FM broadcasts and a reasonably good sound with lower quality low bitrate mono DAB stations.
AOR AR2000 wide range monitor
AOR AR2000 Wide Range Monitor. This has been a very useful receiver for many years that has been dragged everywhere from below sea level to many summits and was even used once cruising above 20,000ft in an aircraft! it is still going strong, also handy for monitoring devices under test and for QRM hunting (with suitable antennas) The IF tap output has been used for many things including being fed into SDR receivers for decoding operations.
Specifications.
Modes: AM, FM, WFM
Coverage: 0.5 - 1300 MHz (no gaps)
Step range: 5 - 995kHz step (selectable in 5 or 12.5kHz steps)
Memory: 1000 channels in 10 banks.
Scan Rate: 20 memories per second.
Search limits: 10 (user configured)
Attenuator: -10dB
Mods: IF Tap. External 2pin Molex type DC power connector (to suit shack 12V and field day external 12V battery supplies)
Specifications.
Modes: AM, FM, WFM
Coverage: 0.5 - 1300 MHz (no gaps)
Step range: 5 - 995kHz step (selectable in 5 or 12.5kHz steps)
Memory: 1000 channels in 10 banks.
Scan Rate: 20 memories per second.
Search limits: 10 (user configured)
Attenuator: -10dB
Mods: IF Tap. External 2pin Molex type DC power connector (to suit shack 12V and field day external 12V battery supplies)
uSDX+ QRP HF transceiver.
This uSDX+ is an interesting device, It is a small, light, efficient and very easily portable multi-mode HF transceiver based around an Atmel 'Arduino' microcontroller based on an experimental design project. There are growing numbers of different SDR radios of this sort available online, unfortunately many are not what they appear to be. This type has a few issues that You should be aware of if You are thinking of getting a small QRP set for portable use. Although it is sold as an 8 Band transceiver I only use it on 3 bands for SSB phone mode operation.
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The uSDX+ works reasonably well using SSB 'phone' modes (voice) on the Low bands 80m,40m & 20m providing band traffic and conditions are half decent but results are not good on 17m and above where the SSB transmission quality leave a lot to be desired. CW mode and digi modes on SSB work best below 17m but can be a bit of a pfaff with settings and levels to get a good, steady, clean signal. FM and AM modes work poorly at best even in good conditions.
It is quite sensitive as a receiver and has done well on quiet bands without close traffic Works OK portable with speaker mic if in a quiet location, works quite well into headphones. Readability is greatly improved using external noise cancellation. I use a BHI NES10-2 MK3 speaker which has allowed me to hear clearer speech and have QSOs with stations that are lost in the noise without the noise cancelling. Testing has been carried out with the uSDX+ and BHI speaker powered from one 12V 12AH SLA battery and with bench PSUs from 12.0V to 14.5V DC. maximum measured RF power output was close to 5W on 80m & 40m, 4.5W on 20m band dropping significantly lower down to 3W on high end of 10m band.
Monitoring SSB transmissions into a shielded dummy load on the test bench with spectrum analyser, VNA and scope shows reasonably good operation from 80m to 20m bands but above 20m suffers with very poor signal quality, over deviation and horrible splatter with many out-of-band spurs. This is due to these particular sets being constructed with some components that do not work well at higher frequencies. I have found that it can be made to work with some narrow bandwidth digital modes on 17m - 10m bands but this requires using external bandpass filtering, specific settings, very low PA drive levels, constant monitoring and fine adjustment of audio input level in order to keep the transmission clean and compliant.
These particular 'SDR' radios are just one of many variants, based on early experimental designs, that have quite severe limitations. For suitably licensed operators who have appropriate test gear and good knowledge of RF electronics, You might enjoy experimenting with one of these units on the test bench as a fun project. With some modification, component replacement, filtering, careful testing and accurate alignment You may get it to work reasonably well above 20m band.
For anyone who simply wants a small, efficient QRP rig for portable operation that is compliant and legal to use, I suggest You will be far better off purchasing a fully assembled and tested tr(u)SDX 5 band QRP transceiver from DL2MAN and avoid the minefield of variants, fakes and badly constructed units available online. some are simply cheap junk being illegally sold with false advertising and many of them are more expensive than the real legally compliant rigs. From my own experience and a great deal of research by others it appears that most of the other Atmel based units work to varying degrees but most give poor performance at best. Many of the designs tested are simply awful and are illegal to use On-Air as they do not operate within required parameters for radio transmitting equipment causing interference to other radio users and services.
As with most electronic devices these days, not just radio equipment, the keys to getting a decent product are; Do plenty of research, Always purchase from the manufacturer or a reputable recognized seller approved by the designer/manufacturer. The same warning holds true for most things, Beware of badly made fakes and false 'upgraded' or 'improved' designs that are not validated by the original designers. If in doubt, Don't buy and do more research.
When the time comes to buy my next QRP portable rig I will be ordering a proper fully assembled, aligned and tested tr(u)SDX from a supplier personally approved DL2MAN There are a few other QRP rigs that are compliant and work well but most of expensive, a real tr(u)SDX appears to be best value for money so far.
The above is my own personal opinion of this specific model of uSDX+ transceiver (V3.0 PCB) by my own research, the findings of other licensed amateurs and friends in professional RF / EMC test fields who have owned, used and/or tested many radios, with proven results.
I have no affiliation with or any connection to the tr(u)SDX project or Manuel DL2MA
It is quite sensitive as a receiver and has done well on quiet bands without close traffic Works OK portable with speaker mic if in a quiet location, works quite well into headphones. Readability is greatly improved using external noise cancellation. I use a BHI NES10-2 MK3 speaker which has allowed me to hear clearer speech and have QSOs with stations that are lost in the noise without the noise cancelling. Testing has been carried out with the uSDX+ and BHI speaker powered from one 12V 12AH SLA battery and with bench PSUs from 12.0V to 14.5V DC. maximum measured RF power output was close to 5W on 80m & 40m, 4.5W on 20m band dropping significantly lower down to 3W on high end of 10m band.
Monitoring SSB transmissions into a shielded dummy load on the test bench with spectrum analyser, VNA and scope shows reasonably good operation from 80m to 20m bands but above 20m suffers with very poor signal quality, over deviation and horrible splatter with many out-of-band spurs. This is due to these particular sets being constructed with some components that do not work well at higher frequencies. I have found that it can be made to work with some narrow bandwidth digital modes on 17m - 10m bands but this requires using external bandpass filtering, specific settings, very low PA drive levels, constant monitoring and fine adjustment of audio input level in order to keep the transmission clean and compliant.
These particular 'SDR' radios are just one of many variants, based on early experimental designs, that have quite severe limitations. For suitably licensed operators who have appropriate test gear and good knowledge of RF electronics, You might enjoy experimenting with one of these units on the test bench as a fun project. With some modification, component replacement, filtering, careful testing and accurate alignment You may get it to work reasonably well above 20m band.
For anyone who simply wants a small, efficient QRP rig for portable operation that is compliant and legal to use, I suggest You will be far better off purchasing a fully assembled and tested tr(u)SDX 5 band QRP transceiver from DL2MAN and avoid the minefield of variants, fakes and badly constructed units available online. some are simply cheap junk being illegally sold with false advertising and many of them are more expensive than the real legally compliant rigs. From my own experience and a great deal of research by others it appears that most of the other Atmel based units work to varying degrees but most give poor performance at best. Many of the designs tested are simply awful and are illegal to use On-Air as they do not operate within required parameters for radio transmitting equipment causing interference to other radio users and services.
As with most electronic devices these days, not just radio equipment, the keys to getting a decent product are; Do plenty of research, Always purchase from the manufacturer or a reputable recognized seller approved by the designer/manufacturer. The same warning holds true for most things, Beware of badly made fakes and false 'upgraded' or 'improved' designs that are not validated by the original designers. If in doubt, Don't buy and do more research.
When the time comes to buy my next QRP portable rig I will be ordering a proper fully assembled, aligned and tested tr(u)SDX from a supplier personally approved DL2MAN There are a few other QRP rigs that are compliant and work well but most of expensive, a real tr(u)SDX appears to be best value for money so far.
The above is my own personal opinion of this specific model of uSDX+ transceiver (V3.0 PCB) by my own research, the findings of other licensed amateurs and friends in professional RF / EMC test fields who have owned, used and/or tested many radios, with proven results.
I have no affiliation with or any connection to the tr(u)SDX project or Manuel DL2MA
VHF Yagi-Uda array for 2m band.
Five element Yagi-Uda array antenna for 2m VHF band.
This antenna was built using materials from a commercially produced VHF FM broadcast band antenna that was going to be scrapped when the building it was used on was having its roof replaced. The antenna was no longer used and was going to be thrown in a skip. A good friend managed to rescue it before it got badly damaged, only a couple of elements were slightly bent.
I happily accepted it, stripped it down, adjusted the element lengths, spacing, boom mounting and feed point arrangements to suit 2m VHF amateur radio use. It is seen here mounted on top of a 25ft pole, horizontally polarised for SSB operation.
It has now been moved and re-oriented with Vertical polarisation for FM operation. The pole base sits in a steel ring mount with base plate that allows for easy manual rotation and position locking using the "Armstrong method"
This just means it is manually unlocked, rotated and locked. less to go wrong.
This antenna was built using materials from a commercially produced VHF FM broadcast band antenna that was going to be scrapped when the building it was used on was having its roof replaced. The antenna was no longer used and was going to be thrown in a skip. A good friend managed to rescue it before it got badly damaged, only a couple of elements were slightly bent.
I happily accepted it, stripped it down, adjusted the element lengths, spacing, boom mounting and feed point arrangements to suit 2m VHF amateur radio use. It is seen here mounted on top of a 25ft pole, horizontally polarised for SSB operation.
It has now been moved and re-oriented with Vertical polarisation for FM operation. The pole base sits in a steel ring mount with base plate that allows for easy manual rotation and position locking using the "Armstrong method"
This just means it is manually unlocked, rotated and locked. less to go wrong.
Inrico T320 and T199 network radio transceivers
The T199 is an excellent dedicated Zello radio. As it has no screen the battery last for a great many hours. It is programmed with 16 channels selected with a stepped rotary control knob on top. The external antenna is easily changed for high gain or vehicle mounted antennas when required. - I often use it via 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi hotspots (works very well via the T320's built in hotspot).
The T320 is a very capable 'swiss army knife' of Network Radios. I use them for a multitude of tasks including PTT simplex communications on various networks (800MHz - 2600MHz LTE mobile data ISP links, 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi and mesh networks) , APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) GPS, network coverage mapping and spectrum monitoring. Taking photographs and video (8MP camera) I also use it for many other things like Telegram and Zoom video conferencing. The touch screen is small but this means the battery lasts much longer than devices with large screens. I
use my T320's a lot to operate on the FreeSTAR network, FreeSTAR brings many amateur radio systems together allowing for cross network communications with licensed HAMs around the world via many digital voice modes as well as via networks of repeaters and gateway. There are even some good old fashioned analog FM repeaters and simplex gateways connected to the system making it the most inclusive multi-mode network of its kind. See the FreeSTAR.network site for details of how to connect.
The T320 is a very capable 'swiss army knife' of Network Radios. I use them for a multitude of tasks including PTT simplex communications on various networks (800MHz - 2600MHz LTE mobile data ISP links, 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi and mesh networks) , APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) GPS, network coverage mapping and spectrum monitoring. Taking photographs and video (8MP camera) I also use it for many other things like Telegram and Zoom video conferencing. The touch screen is small but this means the battery lasts much longer than devices with large screens. I
use my T320's a lot to operate on the FreeSTAR network, FreeSTAR brings many amateur radio systems together allowing for cross network communications with licensed HAMs around the world via many digital voice modes as well as via networks of repeaters and gateway. There are even some good old fashioned analog FM repeaters and simplex gateways connected to the system making it the most inclusive multi-mode network of its kind. See the FreeSTAR.network site for details of how to connect.
Antenna Experiments
The UK Amateur Radio License allows me to experiment with antenna designs. I have spent the past years designing and building a wide range of antennas for amateur radio communication using mostly scrap materials, timber, steel, alloys, sheet metal and any a variety of electrically conductive objects not normally used for antennas including bicycle wheels, frames and even the occasional fence. I have derived much enjoyment from making contacts with other amateur radio stations around the World using all sorts of things adapted to be used as antennas.
From simple wire center fed wire dipoles to complex arrays and phased groups of driven elements, directors and reflectors. You would be surprised at what can be put to use for radio communication on the amateur radio bands. I have operated on many amateur radio bands with home brewed antennas including used a 3/4 mile deer fence on 160m and 80m , low frequency HF bands. coffee cans and even self adhesive copper 'slug tape' on 2m and 70cm, VHF and UHF bands.
Apart from the typical antenna designs. Yagi-Uda arrays, end-fed wires, verticals, Marconi inverted L, inverted V, Half Square, Moxon beams and such used by many radio hams I like to try using less common antenna types or experiment with modifying antenna designs for other uses at higher frequencies to see if they can be scaled and adjusted for use on the amateur bands.
I have recently been experimenting with slot antennas, magnetic loops and wire spiral antenna designs for low power (QRP) transmission. Some have proved to be quite fiddly to tune and inefficient in operation, others have provided better performance.
From simple wire center fed wire dipoles to complex arrays and phased groups of driven elements, directors and reflectors. You would be surprised at what can be put to use for radio communication on the amateur radio bands. I have operated on many amateur radio bands with home brewed antennas including used a 3/4 mile deer fence on 160m and 80m , low frequency HF bands. coffee cans and even self adhesive copper 'slug tape' on 2m and 70cm, VHF and UHF bands.
Apart from the typical antenna designs. Yagi-Uda arrays, end-fed wires, verticals, Marconi inverted L, inverted V, Half Square, Moxon beams and such used by many radio hams I like to try using less common antenna types or experiment with modifying antenna designs for other uses at higher frequencies to see if they can be scaled and adjusted for use on the amateur bands.
I have recently been experimenting with slot antennas, magnetic loops and wire spiral antenna designs for low power (QRP) transmission. Some have proved to be quite fiddly to tune and inefficient in operation, others have provided better performance.
This Spiraloop project was constructed using scrap materials at Zero cost. It is less than 4ft 6in across (1.3m) so is quite compact for an HF antenna. The frame is two lengths of PVC water pipe, the spiral loop is made from 63 ft of multi-conductor cable with all conductors joined together at each end of the wire effectively making it behave like one larger diameter wire. This is threaded through holes drilled int he PVC pipes at 6cm intervals creating a 6 turn spiral loop. If You only need a low noise receiving antenna the two ends of the spiral loop wire can simply be connected to a coaxial feeder cable from Your receiver. For transmission adding the triangular driven element and connecting Your coaxial feedline to that works better. The Spiral loop can be 'tuned' by attaching an air spaced tuning capacitor across the ends of the spiral loop wire. There are many design variations on the spiral loop design, many have been in use for over 100 years, the multi-loop spiral antenna it is nothing new but can be a lot of fun and can give surprisingly good results for such a compact antenna design. I have even used this antenna indoors with pretty decent results for such a small antenna.
If You fancy having a go at making Your own I suggest doing a bit of research online and looking at spiral loop antenna designs that have been used by military, commercial and amateur radio operators in the past. There are also a few handy loop antenna calculators online that will give You a good starting point so You too can enjoy experimenting with Your own variations on the spiral loop antenna. If You have an impedance matching device (incorrectly called an ATU) You will find it quite easy to knock together something that works, with a bit of experimentation You may even come up with something that works very well.
If You fancy having a go at making Your own I suggest doing a bit of research online and looking at spiral loop antenna designs that have been used by military, commercial and amateur radio operators in the past. There are also a few handy loop antenna calculators online that will give You a good starting point so You too can enjoy experimenting with Your own variations on the spiral loop antenna. If You have an impedance matching device (incorrectly called an ATU) You will find it quite easy to knock together something that works, with a bit of experimentation You may even come up with something that works very well.
You will find some more of my amateur radio related content on my blog,
including activations at interesting and historically significant locations like ;
The Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery disaster commemorative cairn.
including activations at interesting and historically significant locations like ;
The Knockshinnoch Castle Colliery disaster commemorative cairn.
. o O o .
For detailed information on the Inrico TM-7, T320 and T199 Network Radio devices
visit the official Network Radios group website at: networkradios.gq
visit the official Network Radios group website at: networkradios.gq