Wednesday 26 October 2022
Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society celebrated its centenary last night with a dinner attended by the President of the RSGB, Stewart Bryant, and the Deputy Mayor of Wolverhampton, Cllr Dr Michael Hardacre. The RSGB presented the club with a special commemorative straight key.
Monday 12 September 2022
I connected up my QCX+ transmitter in WSPR mode for the first time. And in 30 minutes reached 50 stations, including some in USA and Canada. These were over 5400km away, about 3400 miles. Great fun with less than 5W.
Sunday 11 September 2022
David 2E0HIL in England from Bushbury on 145.525 MHz, using Senhaix 8600, ant: RH770, pwr: 5W. QTH Walsall. My first QSO as M0KBJ.
Steve M7HIJ in England from Bushbury on 145.525 MHz, using Senhaix 8600, ant: RH770, pwr: 5W. Steve Padley, ex Heath Park School
Thursday 8 September 2022
Got my new call sign M0KBJ this morning. I tried looking for some memorable or meaningful 3-letter suffixes but none were available, so I settled for whatever OFCOM wanted to give me.
Tuesday 6 September 2022
Passed my full amateur radio licence exam. Really pleased to have got 86% and to have completed the test in an hour. Next step is to apply for a new callsign.
Sunday 27 August 2022
I connected the radio again this morning but no one replied to my calls. I couldn't even get the Reverse Beacon Network to spot me. And I think I need a break from it for a while now. I think I can hear Morse code in my head when the dishwasher is running or the toilet is flushing.
Friday 26 August 2022
It has been lovely weather for sitting outside operating my QCX+ radio. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to make a contact! I tried for four hours, calling CQ for the first time operating in CW mode. The Reverse Beacon Network spotted me in Sweden, Finland and Italy but no one wanted to answer the calls. Perhaps my shaky sending is offputting
Monday 22 August 2022
I've bought a kit for an end-fed half-wave portable antenna. It's a clone of the QRP Guys version, which includes a transformer and capacitor on a circuit board which can be used as an antenna wire winder.
19 August 2022
I put up an inverted vee dipole for 20m on my Windjammer telescopic pole on. I lifted the centre to about 5m from the ground. The quarter-wave dipole elements were 5.1m long.
The ends of the dipoles were folded back and tied to guy rope (paracord), which was secured to elevated washing line props. These were held against the fences with 20mm conduit saddle clips.
I heard signals straight away on my QCX+ radio, including DX from Rome and Novosibirsk, which is 3300 miles away.
Later, I used my NanoVNA to check the resonance:
- Measurement 1: Minimum SWR of 1:3.41 at 13.68MHz.
- Measurement 2 (after trimming the length of the dipole elements): Minimum SWR 1:2.14 at 14.62MHz.
- Measurement 3 (after adjusting the angle of the dipole elements):Minimum SWR 1:2.11 at 15.2MHz.
Watched a video from a Romanian guy called Dexter about his experience of learning CW. He said he invested 2 hours a day for a year. This isn't realistic for me. I'm about two thirds of the way through learning the basic 40 characters using the Morse Mentor app. I've practised around 10 minutes a day for about a month. I realise that I need to invest more time. So I think I should do at least a week of 30 minutes each day and see how far that takes me.
Wednesday 18 August 2022
Huge progress with my radio. I put up an inverted V dipole and it worked brilliantly. The QCX+ radio immediately picked up stations.
I could hear two of the international propagation beacons on 14.100 at the 100W level, and just about at the 10W level. Presumably these were the two closest ones: CS3B Madeira and OH2B Finland.
I noticed that the display frequency needs calibrating. I could read the 14.100 beacons when I tuned to 14.085, so there's a 1.5KHz discrepancy. I can use menu setting 8.5 to do this.
I turned on the CW decoding feature and identified RA9P in Novosibirsk, 3300 miles away in western Siberia. That's amazing! And later I heard a station in Rome. RA9P's page at QRZ.com shows that he owns an MB1 transceiver. I've just looked it up and found that it costs over £5000! So my little rig cost 2% of the price of his. He uses computers to spit out the CW at a crazy speed and has won all kinds of trophies and championships.
Packing up the antenna and rig only took 10 minutes, so it's quite feasible to use it temporarily. I can probably improve the dipole connections at the balun to make it even easier. If I use another coax, I can run it into the kitchen and work from there if the weather is too cold to sit outside.
Wednesday 17 August 2022
I'm so pleased with my QCX+ radio. I spent an hour tapping away at my CW key in practice mode to try to get the hang of it, like playing a musical instrument. I noticed that the contact spacing was a bit wide and it certainly was better after adjustment.
Before I switched the radio on, I went through the alignment process again. I haven't connected an antenna yet, so of course there might be some other issues to fix. Today is a bit wet, so it might have to wait.
I've got a long way to go in learning CW. I think that keying practice will help me with listening too. I find that I can 'translate' text into dits and dahs quite easily, so I can practise transmitting in my head while I'm up and about (car registrations, signs etc).
Monday 15 August 2022
I listened in on the club net but didn't join in. Last Sunday, Steve, who runs the net, couldn't hear me and I knew it would be frustrating to others too. The people in the group last night were all tired and too hot to think properly, so they called it a day after 45 minutes. I'm confident that there's not going to be much interest for me in the 2m band of the hobby, as I wrote last week.
I replaced the damaged rotary encoder in my QCX+ kit and... it works! I haven't connected an antenna yet but the menu functions work. I connected my simple straight key and trying keying Morse for the first time. It's slow! There's a bit of a lag, which is a bit distracting, but I guess I'll get used to it. I'm thrilled to bits about this and can't wait to get the dipole up in the air.
Tuesday 9 August 2022
I feel that I'm approaching some fundamental decisions about the direction that I take in electronics and coding as a hobby and amateur radio.
The costs are a very big issue for me. I've just watched a DXCommander video which confirms a few things that I have already concluded.
The first is that a handheld radio really isn't very good for much. I have taken mine out and about and used it in the back garden with the RH770 2m 430MHz telescopic antenna and found similar results. There aren't many people on air in the daytime within its short range. And it's just not adequate for the club's Sunday net.
I don't regret buying the handheld. It's been a really good, even necessary, practical start in the hobby. It's given me a fair idea of the local 2m scene.
The second and more important point that the video makes is that a basic setup for most people getting on HF and VHF is going to cost about £1000 using second-hand gear.
I had not budgeted for such an expensive hobby. In fact, I rather fell into it.
My current approach is learning CW and planning to use a QRP portable CW-only kit radio, the QCX+, with a home-made antenna on top of my 10m telescopic pole.
Is this the right approach?
Well, it certainly is for now. I'm really enjoying the learning that I'm doing in preparation for my advanced exam and in mastering CW. Learning is the point of the hobby, at least for me. I don't think there's much intrinsic value in the actual communication that the hobby provides. But there definitely is joy in acquiring new knowledge and skill.
Since I became interested in radio three months ago, I haven't done any other work on electronics and coding as a hobby. Compared with radio, using microcontrollers is very good value indeed. For tens of pounds, I can have lots of fun.
Until our finances become clearer, I don't think I'll pursue radio to the extent that I need to spend £1000 on kit.
I'll carry on with the CW route and see how much I enjoy making QSOs on the 20m band, or whether it's just frustrating. I could get out and about and that might be rewarding in itself, collecting POTA and SOTA points. And there's merit, I think, in pursuing a narrow interest within the broader radio hobby. I reckon that most people who have large and versatile base stations end up working one or two favourite bands and modes.
It will take sustained effort to get good at the skills that CW operating requires. So perhaps better to aim for mastery of QRP CW before trying something else later. I'm not in a rush. And that makes me wonder whether I should even keep the handheld radio, or sell it to raise some funds for other bits and pieces.
I have reached lesson 41, the last of the characters in the Morse Mentor CW app. So that's a bit of a milestone.
Monday 8 August 2022
I joined the Sunday evening radio net last night but after half an hour Steven, who was chairing the net, couldn't hear my transmissions. It's frustrating. I don't find the conversations particularly thrilling and I'm reluctant to spend a lot of money on a 2m base station (radio, antenna, coax, installation being £500-£1500) just so that I can talk with the same dozen people about not very much.
I am much more interested in the approach by KE6MT in his Ham Radio on a Budget.
I decided to buy a QRP Guys style end-fed antenna for £12 from AliExpress. I'm still planning to use a dipole in the garden but this will give me an option for a sloper and will mean a very light setup in conjunction with my 10m telescopic pole.
I remind myself that the purpose of all this is to learn and have fun. The journey is the destination etc. Embracing constraints has always been one of my things and splashing lots of cash on a fancy radio setup to achieve results is really a way of avoidance, rather than acceptance. So what if it takes months and months to get my first CW QSO? And so what if I rarely make a contact? I think there'll be more joy in a rare DX with something that I have made myself on a budget than in switching on a huge powerful radio and blasting through the airwaves.
Sunday 7 August 2022
I have learned all 36 letters and numbers using the MorseMentor CW app. There are just 3 prosigns: BT, SK and AR to learn.
Friday 29 July 2022
I spent time yesterday making my first Slim Jim antenna. And more time today. It's been a bit frustrating.
Wednesday 27 July 2022
The BNC-BNC connectors arrived today so I was able to plug the dummy load into the [[QCX+]] radio and switch it on for the first time. It lit up, as they say. But I found the rotary encoder wasn't behaving as it should. I saw that I had fitted it the wrong way round - an easy mistake and not warned about in the construction guide.
It was tricky to de-solder and I had to cut some of its pins first. Now the really hard part. The placement is really challenging. The rotary encoder sits snugly up against the LCD, which means that two of its pins are tucked under the LCD board. I tried for ages to insert connecting wires but just couldn't get a reliable connection to one of the rotary encoder pins.
I've ordered a new rotary encoder. This will set me back a couple of weeks but hey-ho, I'm in no rush really.
My 10m Windjammer telescopic pole arrived. I hadn't quite realised how tall it would be! I plan to use it for putting up an inverted V dipole for 20m and for hoisting up a J-pole for 2m. And I want to take it out and about too. It's going to be too tall at home on its full extension but that's okay.
Monday 25 July 2022
I'm doing quite well now with learning CW. Using the Morse Mentor app, I completed lesson 28 out of 41 yesterday. I've been learning using the Koch / Farnsworth method, head-copying the characters in random pairs at a speed of 25wpm, spaced to 11wpm with Farnsworth.
It's an audio language, so not very helpful to decode characters mentally by converting them to dots and dashes. The aim is to get instant recognition, without having to count the dits and dahs.
I can instantly recognise: H, Q, /, V, ',', 0, E, N, ., I, O, L, T, P, A, U, S, R, M
I have more trouble with: K, G, V, W, J, 3, 9, 0
And I find myself 'decoding': F, 5, Y
Sunday 24 July 2022
This week the RSGB announced a new direct-to-full exam. It's going to be offered in parallel with the three-step route that I have taken. It's designed for people with significant prior electronics knowledge, so perhaps I could have taken that route myself if it had been available.
But I'm not disappointed that I've worked through two steps already and am facing a third. It's enabled me to study for the exams, pause to do some practical work, then study again. I've turned it into my own mini sandwich course.
I have booked my full exam for 6 September this morning, thinking that there might be a rush by people in my position and I don't want to wait too long. I understand that the syllabus is being revised soon as well.
Saturday 16 July 2022
G8TA in England from Bushbury on 145.525 MHz as 2E0HZB, using Senhaix 8600, ant: RH770, pwr: 5W.
Richard M3RZB in England from Bushbury on 145.525 MHz as 2E0HZB, using Senhaix 8600, ant: RH770, pwr: 5W. Richard from WARS
Friday 15 July 2022
My RSGB intermediate exam certificate came in the post, so I was able to obtain a new callsign: 2E0HZB. Not the catchiest combination of letters. I took the radio out and made a few contacts with the new callsign.
I assembled the dummy load kit that came with my QCX+ transceiver kit. That took most of the morning, as I took my time.
Stuart M0VTD in England from Bushbury on 145.525 MHz as 2E0HZB, using Senhaix 8600, ant: RH770, pwr: 5W.
G0CXO in England from Bushbury on 145.525 MHz as 2E0HZB, using Senhaix 8600, ant: RH770, pwr: 5W.
Les 2E0IDS in England from Bushbury on 145.525 MHz as 2E0HZB, using Senhaix 8600, ant: RH770, pwr: 5W.
Wednesday 13 July 2022
Really pleased to have passed my intermediate exam yesterday. I've ordered the advanced book and it's tempting to push on to get my full licence as soon as possible. But I shouldn't be in such a hurry. There are things to enjoy in the hobby. The next steps are:
- resume CW training, which I have dropped for a few weeks
- learn how to use the NanoVNA analyser
- build my QCX+ radio
- put up a simple 20m dipole antenna
Tuesday 12 July 2022
Passed the exam for the intermediate amateur radio licence exam this morning. Got 42 out of 46 questions right (90%). It took three weeks of hard work, during which I had Covid, but it was fun.
Saturday 9 July 2022
I took my handheld radio up to Sedgley Beacon this afternoon. There are fabulous views from the summit and I thought that with a population of hundreds of thousands before me I would be bound to have lots of contacts.
But apart from a long and enjoyable conversation with Simon VK2MSS in Australia, via the Dudley repeater GB3BM, the only other half-decent contact was with Dan M7CFW in Stafford. I spoke with him last week from Bushbury Hill. I made very rough contacts with Ian M7BUE in Stoke on Trent and M7SCC in Stafford.
It was a glorious afternoon and I thought that there would be loads of radio traffic. I now also realise how few people are using 2m and 70cm. Again, I wonder if I'm joining a dying hobby.
Tuesday 28 June 2022
Took my handheld radio]] and RH770 antenna to Bushbury Hill and was pleased to log five contacts, including one on the Welsh border. It was encouraging, considering my failure to raise anyone from the back garden a few days ago.
Sunday 26 June 2022
I tried both of my new antennas on my Senhaix 8600 handheld radio yesterday, the RH770 extending whip and the magmount MRM-100P. I picked up a couple of conversations on 2m but even when I drove to the top of Bushbury Hill, I was disappointed that I couldn't find more.
I received the RSGB Intermediate Licence Manual, in preparation for sitting my intermediate exam, which I have now booked for 12 July. I'm enjoying learning about radio and it seems sensible to press ahead from the foundation licence, building on the knowledge I have (and before I forget elements of the foundation syllabus). Many people stick at foundation level, which is fine, but I enjoy learning and the challenge of being tested.
Friday 24 June 2022
I have taken the plunge and ordered the QCX+ radio. I'm really excited to be build it. I ordered the 20m band version, having decided that the convenience of a smaller antenna outweighs the possible smaller number of contacts that I might make, compared with 40m.
I'm making progress with learning CW using the Morse Mentor app. I'm on lesson 12 of 42, which means that I've mastered 17 characters so far.
I've also joined the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC).
Sunday 18 June 2022
I've become a bit obsessive about amateur radio over the last week. With lots of time on my hands, I've been looking at all kinds of aspects. As usual, I'm trying to spend as little money as possible. And I'm always keen to learn difficult things.
Using my handheld radio with its stock antenna I have only been able to make one contact from home. And the handful of conversations between local people that I've overheard aren't particularly interesting. So although I was planning to put up a 2m / 70cm antenna on the gable end of the house, I'm now not so interested. It would let me make contacts up to 5 miles away but frankly I don't think there'd be much that would interest me after the novelty wears off. The cost of hiring an antenna rigger is around £150 and I would spend as much again on the kit.
So I'm more interested now in learning CW and building a QCX+ single band transceiver. I reckon that I don't need to start with a fancy antenna and that with a fishing pole, some wire and an antenna tuner, I should be able to get going. It will be lots of hard work. Learning CW will take a long time but I think that's going to stop me getting bored. And there'll be lots of satisfaction in communicating using something I've assembled myself, for not much money.
Before I buy, I need to decide which band to use. I asked on the Slow Morse Club Facebook group and got a mixed response. 40m seems the best but I'm wondering if building an antenna for 20m will be more practical.
Sunday 12 June 2022
Made my first radio contact. Spoke with Steve M7HIJ from my back garden on 2m band.
Friday 10 June 2022
I excitedly opened my RSGB foundation level exam certificate and have just used it to obtain my licence and callsign from Ofcom. I am now M7DLJ and I can transmit at last. Wonderful!
Wednesday 8 June 2022
I passed my foundation licence exam, scoring 25/26. It's very satisfying. The first exam that I have sat in twenty years.
Sunday 5 June 2022
I listened in on the local club net using my new Senhaix handheld.
Sunday 23 May 2022
Moved house from Bury St Edmunds to Wolverhampton.
Saturday 21 May 2022
I've ordered a Senhaix 8600 handheld radio for a birthday present from my wife. It's £70 from RadioWorld and I'll pick it up next week.
In the last 24 hours, I've been thinking that I might learn Morse Code. It's something that's always been at the back of my mind and I think the challenge would be fun. And there's something appealing about a vintage technology.
Wednesday 18 May 2022
I'm still pondering whether to take up amateur radio. I listened to more amateur radio podcasts yesterday and the only thing holding me back is the cost. Getting a handheld and a foundation licence will cost me £100. But a serious HF transceiver is nearer £1000 and then there's the cost of an antenna installation.