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CQ CQ all Radio Amateurs


dogastus

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Hey, sorry Bren, didn't mean to exclude you. I'm just trying different frequencies to see who can do what. One possibility is if we found a repeater which had Echolink access (as mentioned by Mr Dewdrop), people out of RF range could take part too.

Great idea! How many other hams out there don't have any 2m equipment but could connect via Echolink I wonder?

 

Jon

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G7NQH here, though my short foray into ham radio was a long time ago on 144MHz, where there didn't seem to be much happening in South Birmingham at the time. I resolved to get back into it after university when I could afford a good rig and had time to tinker with things more.

 

14 years later and I've just sent my application to Ofcom for a new license. It scares me how much I've forgotten, so I'm hoping to start off with some SWLing. I'm now on a hill just the other side of the Thames from BBC Monitoring, so I'm hoping there will be plenty to listen to :(

 

Still have the 91/92 edition of the Call Book, which the RSGB gave me for free when I first joined, though I'm sure it's more than a little out of date now... If anyone has any advice on getting back into things I'd be very grateful.

 

73s for now!

 

James, of Another Mr Lizard

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I am also just getting back into radio after a few years of being quite quiet as there isn't much going on on the 2m band in my area (I only had an ft-290r until recently). I have just joined the club up in Swansea (where I am at University) which has been very helpful in getting back in to radio not least because they are happy to try and register a new exam centre in the area and do a course so a few of us can get our full licences. From my point of view, being in a club also allows me to get on air as I don't think my landlord would take kindly to me putting up an antenna in the back garden and it is a journey of nearly 100 miles for me to get back home.

 

I have also enjoyed SWLing when I can get access to the right equipment and the RSGB website/GB2RS is very useful for news relating to the hobby.

 

73s

 

Chloe (kettie)

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I will be out caching in the Dunstable area at the end of this week so might be in RF range. I will try to call on S20 and SU20. Might be monitoring some of the local repeters when i found them and put them in the radios. I can only rember GB3BF in the aera. Theres possabley more just need to look at the lists.

 

Has a CQ call for geocachers been decided / stumbeled upon much like the CQ SOTA or CQ WAB call that are heard from time to time.

 

73

 

Adrian.

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Thank you for the continuing responses, looks like there are, indeed, quite a few Geocaching Radio Amateurs aound.

 

Tonight, I will take a listen on GB3VA 145.700 MHz from about 20:30. This is the Aylesbuy Vale repeater and surely must be within range of some Radio Geocachers being in the centre of a Geocaching hotspot!

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I thought I would drag this thread to the top, screaming no doubt, to say that Dick (Daisy&Me - M3POQ) and myself (dogastus - G8AYC) will be on S19 (145.475 Mhz) from 22:00 this Thursday 14th. I might be monitoring earlier than this, and if there is another QSO going on, we will QSY down.

 

73, Nigel.

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I thought I would drag this thread to the top, screaming no doubt, to say that Dick (Daisy&Me - M3POQ) and myself (dogastus - G8AYC) will be on S19 (145.475 Mhz) from 22:00 this Thursday 14th. I might be monitoring earlier than this, and if there is another QSO going on, we will QSY down.

 

73, Nigel.

All seems very quiet here in Reading... mind you I've only just got my receiver and not set up a proper aerial yet. Did you go ahead with the QSO in the end?

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<<All seems very quiet here in Reading... mind you I've only just got my receiver and not set up a proper aerial yet. Did you go ahead with the QSO in the end?>>

 

Yep.. Bren (G4DYO) and Ruth were in Crowthorne operating /Mobile from their car and had a 10 minute natter about geocaching activities with Nigel, G8AYC (Dogastus) direct (not via a repeater), which wasn't bad for 25 miles and a simple 1/4 wave whip on the car. When they finished Dick, M3POQ (Daisy & Her Man) and Andy,G8MIA (Subarite) carried on with Nigel.

 

Crazy Druid... 2m (VHF) is a most excellent band for local nattering, mobile, etc and there is a superb network of amateur radio repeaters enabling you to talk to other amateurs at some distance with very low power. To communicate round the world you need HF but conditions are not good at present as we are at the trough of the sunspot cycle. In 5 years everything will be humming and if 10m (28mhz) opens up big-time you'll be able to talk to someone in Australia using a tenth of the power of the light bulb that lights your room. Go for it.

Edited by Birders
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In 5 years everything will be humming and if 10m (28mhz) opens up big-time you'll be able to talk to someone in Australia using a tenth of the power of the light bulb that lights your room. Go for it.

 

It was 'skip' or Sporadic-E to give it its correct name that got me into Amateur Radio :( Many years ago I had a CB radio (sorry... I'll go and wash my mouth out) in the car and had a conversation with a guy on the west coast of Scotland, from my home in south Bedfordshire. That was my first experience of 'skip'. From there I progressed to an illegal 27mHz 'Cobra' sidebander. Then I got seriously hooked and was persuaded to go for my 'Ticket'. I've never managed to reach Australia on HF but my old Yaesu did manage to hit Sao Paulo in Brazil on 23/10/1991 which must have been one of the sporadic-E high years. That remains my most distant contact but I haven't put a shout out for 10 or more years now.

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"Skip" is an expression often used by CBers but it doesn't mean too much to hams (well, not to me anyway)! Sporadic E is a feature of certain wavebands at certain times of the year when clouds of intense ionisation form in the region of the e-layer, permitting long distant communications on VHF. It also provides "openings" on, for example, 10m into Europe, and maybe further, when that band would normally be dead due to lack of solar activity.

 

During periods of high sunspot activity (every eleven years) the amateur 10m band opens up worldwide but lower frequency bands will be open at other times too. "Skip" distance is a function of radio propagation on the HF bands and is the range from the transmitter to the point of contact on the surface of the earth of the radio-wave reflected from the ionosphere. This distance varies greatly depending on the time of day and other conditions. CB operators often use the term "skip" meaning their band has opened up for long-distance work; "skip" actually exists most of the time on one band or another and amateurs use this to determine which bands to use to reach particular areas during certain times of the day.

 

I know what I meant to say, but somebody more technical would probably explain it better.

 

Oh yes.... we're going caching tomorrow!!

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Okay......you have me intrigued....

 

What would you say I would need to get started?? The best bands? 2m?

 

lol A load of questions..

 

I am looking into taking the Foundation Exam as soon as poss

 

CD

 

2M is a good bad where it relativley cheep to pick up equipment for and seems to have a good folwing.

 

Good for mobile and 'local' use.

 

HF is a bit more involved but also good fun to use.

 

Any one considered stying a Geocaching Net on HF. Normaly Whole UK coverage is possable with modest antenna and low power.

 

Good luck with the Foundation Exam and that reminds me i need to get my self sorted and take the full.

 

73

 

Adrian.

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<<Any one considered stying a Geocaching Net on HF. Normaly Whole UK coverage is possable with modest antenna and low power.>>

 

I think I know what you mean!! 40m and 80m could serve the purpose during the middle of the day, better in summer than in winter, but you might be pushed to cover the whole of the UK at any one time. I can be QRV on 40m and/or 80m with an inverted-L, which is not the best antenna for high-angle radiation so I hope to put up some sort of dipole when the wx improves and I can wind the tower back up...

 

Bren G4DYO

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<<Any one considered stying a Geocaching Net on HF. Normaly Whole UK coverage is possable with modest antenna and low power.>>

 

I think I know what you mean!! 40m and 80m could serve the purpose during the middle of the day, better in summer than in winter, but you might be pushed to cover the whole of the UK at any one time. I can be QRV on 40m and/or 80m with an inverted-L, which is not the best antenna for high-angle radiation so I hope to put up some sort of dipole when the wx improves and I can wind the tower back up...

 

Bren G4DYO

 

Yes I was thinking of 40M and grosley over generalised the idear how ever a HF net might be somthing to try i'll need to restring the loop for 40M at home or use the whip for 40M on the car. Need to spend some time to get it tuned.

 

For the dipole i might try the 2x Slinky one witch might fit in the small garden alough it will be still close to the ground.

 

73

 

Adrian

2E0SUD

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CQ CQ Mr TC from Team Clova Aka mm3njv I'm only using 2m at the moment mainly through the Angus repeater GB3AG and the Perth one GB3PR but I have been able to open up GB3BT down at Berwick from some of the high ground near our QTH.

 

I also listen on the EQSO website but haven't tried transmitting yet.

 

73's for now :rolleyes:

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I put a few calls out on S19 between 21.40 and 22.00 last night but nothing heard. There was quite a lot of activity on 2m, probably due to lift cndx, so maybe the Newbury area was suffering QRM from a distant QSO? Now have the tower wound up and QRV with dedicated antennas on 17, 20, 40 and 80m and could probably tune the antennas for other bands too.

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I put a few calls out on S19 between 21.40 and 22.00 last night but nothing heard. There was quite a lot of activity on 2m, probably due to lift cndx, so maybe the Newbury area was suffering QRM from a distant QSO? Now have the tower wound up and QRV with dedicated antennas on 17, 20, 40 and 80m and could probably tune the antennas for other bands too.

 

Sorry, Bren, didn't see your previous message. Dick (Daisy&Me) M3POQ and myself were on last night on S19 from 22:00 till about 22:20, we did put out a call for you so not sure how you missed us.

 

Happy Christmas and Good DX to all geocaching radio amateurs :o

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Any plans for Thursday 28th?? After trying a couple of dubious-looking local multis we should be home for the rest of the day so very willing to try 2m, or HF for that matter... Heard Dick M3POQ working an ON on 80m the other day, but had to disappear for a while and he'd gone when I returned. New 80m inverted Vee working quite well but still dreadful QRM from local electric gear. Anyone tried these noise-reducing loudpseakers?

 

We finished a local series of caches yesterday with a pleasant walk to GCW0AM where we grabbed two brand-new TBs. Now off to Moor Green for those multis....

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Last post 2006.. Come on guys and gals this is supposed to be a hobby of communication...!! it's time this thread went back to the front of the cue and see if any other hams are out there....??? :lol:

 

Just found this bumped thread.

 

ON4BAM (was M0CIL for a while).

On 2m, 6M, HF, APRS, Echolink.... with ups and downs (like propagation :) )

 

I'm in JO21BA

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G0KHG here ,not active these days,and sold most of my gear a few years ago apart from a wonky dual band HH.

 

Recently renewed my licence though when I found out it was a one off renewal.

I think it would be an equipment overload to go caching and radio operating at the same time,I have my hands full with the rest of team JB ,GPS and car without throwing ham radio in to the mix as well.

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My callsign is G7ALW

Active on HF, 6m, 2m and 70cms.

I can usually be found lurking on 7.070, so if you want a chat, holler away!

 

Very active on 70cms when looking for lost rockets... :D So next wekend will be a good one for me! :P

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G0EMS & 2E1DHP, Henry & Linda respectively.

H was v active on 2m as G6NBR, before being one of the last to get his ticket at Portishead, also as a member of G4WET contest group and an ex comittee member of Worked All Britain (WAB) - probably where the interest geocaching came from, but we like to see it as wel as talk about it!

QRT at the moment but we should try to get going again soon....

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No prizes for working out my callsign...

 

When time allows, active on HF (normally Worked All Britain frequencies - I'm on the WAB committee), and 2m calling frequency when I'm in the shack, not that it gets much use down here in sunny Cornwall. Have a 2m/70cm HH as well, but with GPS, PDA, torch, caching bag etc, it gets a bit cumbersome having that on my belt as well!

 

Kev

Edited by g0akh
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G6ITD. I have just had a scan through 2 and 70. Nothing. Dead as the proverble Dodo. I and others were very active on 70 whilst working in central london via GB3LW. (That was known as the cab drivers net) Since I retired it has died, as I have found with most frequencys. I blame computers and forums such as this.

Edited by McDeHack
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