Amateur Radio operators?

[Tony Kenny]

Just wondering if there are any other ham radio operators here and if you're still active on the air?

Tony

2E0PIV

[Alan Jarvis]

Hi Tony I am a radio ham but not been active since taking up model flying 9 years ago

Alan

G0OOY

Edited By Alan Jarvis on 18/09/2017 20:22:27

[Tony Kenny]

I hadn't been on the air for years but bought a radio again this year because we were going to start walking and cycling with the family in places that poor mobile coverage but with good coverage on repeaters. The same can be said for some slope sites.

But, I've only once been able to raise anybody, so don't hold out much hope of getting a reply with a pan -pan call! Which was the hole point of getting on the air again.

[rcaddict]

i thought pan pan (and mayday) was for maritine only

Edited By oldgit on 18/09/2017 21:14:17

[Tony Kenny]

Nope, can be used by aviation too. Mayday is for immediate threat to life and pan is for emergencies that are not an immediate threat, as I understand

It wasn't covered in my intermediate licence but I understand emergency procedures would be in the advanced, if I ever got around to it.

[rcaddict]

just looked it up - I'm wrong again !!!

[Kevin Wilson]

G6LTK here.

I have a weekly sched on 2m rag chewing, but thats about it.

[Tony Kenny]

I've only been on 2m/70cm for a long time, last time I did anything on lower freqs was about 2003/2004 ish.

[Geoff S]

The guy who worked for my dad (and eventually married my cousin!) as a TV repairer lived in and had a bedroom over mine was (is) a radio amateur. This was in the late 50s when he built most of his own gear. His call sign was G3GGK. He eventually worked for Pye in Cambridge. Half the electronics and instrumentation department where I worked at RR were also amateurs but, although I was quite interested as young teen, living in lodgings and then getting obsessed with motor bikes put paid to that.

I would think the fact that it's got a bit like aeromodelling and ARTFs ie you can buy cheap transceivers ready to go has stopped a lot of the experimental side that attracted the technical minded. When I was still at Junior school my friends and I used ex-WD throat mikes and earphones for wired communication between garden sheds but I can't imagine kids now bothering as they all seem to have Smartphones.

Geoff

[Steven S]

Pan-Pan-Pan and Mayday-Mayday-Mayday were still current when I got my Private Pilots licence back in the 70's.

[Tony Kenny]

Geoff, you're right, the internet has killed off amateur radio quite a lot as kids can't see the point and even us older people (middle aged) don't get as much fun or time for it. For me now, it's more of a practical thing to have emergency communications.

Will be interesting to see if my handie will transmit on aviation frequencies, it can Rx, but I'm not licensed to tx so I can't find out.

[Daithi O Buitigh]

I need to put my Carolina windom back up (it came down in a storm and we were having an extension built at the back so it had to be deferred). Hopefully I'll have everything back when the weather improves.

Besides that, propagation is terrible

Dáithí GI7OMY

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Daithi O Buitigh]

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 19/09/2017 01:03:05:

I always remember Tony Hancock in 'The Radio Ham'. B&W TV for those not of a certain age.

Try here :D

[Denis Watkins]

Geoff Sleath quote

used ex-WD throat mikes and earphones for wired communication between garden sheds

We did the same as lads between bedrooms to modernise our communications at that time.

Using Morse keys too, we could make a speaker click to alert each other to a call.

The ex WD shop was a regular haunt for all manner of gismos

[Cuban8]

Amateur radio did interest me when I was a kid and I remember seeing a demonstration at the Science Museum in Kensington in the 60s of their equipment (IIRC their callsign was GB2SM). Never really followed it up seriously as it was a complex subject and as a youngster, I didn't known anyone else who shared the same interest - the idea of learning Morse was also a bit off-putting (is Morse still a requirement?). When I visit Duxford I always pop in to see the guys in the Duxford Radio Society hut, they're all getting on a tad now and I don't know what's going to happen when their huge range of knowledge is no longer around.

Always maintained an interest in the subject and made a few simple receivers that worked ok and eventually wound up doing five years part-time at college to get my C&G in radio and TV, although my career eventually never followed that particular path. I don't suppose that there's much of a call for new TV repair engineers any more given the nature of the equipment being mostly chuck it away when it's busted or straight forward board/module changing when the cost can be justified. I still find old colour TV technology fascinating and enjoy the You tube channels that cover vintage TV restorations.

Funnily enough, I picked up an amateur radio mag in WHS recently and noticed the hobby has clearly gone down their version of the ARTF route, also saw that Alex Whittaker was a radio buff, which I wasn't aware of.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Posted by Cuban8 on 19/09/2017 09:21:48:

When I visit Duxford I always pop in to see the guys in the Duxford Radio Society hut, they're all getting on a tad now and I don't know what's going to happen when their huge range of knowledge is no longer around.

.

I was recently the invited speaker at a local radio ham club. I must be honest, I was expecting an audence which, albeit knowledgable, was very small in number and senior in years. I was very wrong. The audience numbered approximately 50 and covered a wide age range! I was right about them being knowlegaable though, in a discussion on the topic of range during questions afterwards I learnt a lot!

BEB

[Daithi O Buitigh]

Cuban8 - no longer is Morse not required but even the C&G RAE is gone. Nowadays you start as a 'novice' and work up from there by passing 'club run' exams.

I've got my C&G in both 224 (same as you) and also the old RAE. In a way the incentive for a 'full' license is gone as an 'intermediate' callsign can operate on all bands with 100 Watts (which is all I operate on and which most rigs are capable off without using external power amps)

[Martyn K]

G0CZD. Before that I was G6XUF. First licensed in 1983. RAE and 12wpm Morse test.

Haven't been active since I became deaf.. Still fancy getting back into it but I would only do HF QRP now. I was very interested on Microwaves (1GHz and higher) and was a founder of the UKuG (UK Microwave Group)

Martyn

[Daithi O Buitigh]

Martin, try PSK31 for HF. I've worked NZ and Australia with under 100 Watts

[Martyn K]

Data modes don't really interest me TBH. CW and phone are OK but I really object to using the 'internet repeaters' if they still exist.

Thanks anyway

[Daithi O Buitigh]

My morse is terrible, so I use digital modes. WAC on 17 and 30 metres with it

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Daithi O Buitigh]

There is always a problem there but the RSGB is more than willing to take on any local jobsworth. What they always overlook is that, technically, it's not a 'hobby' - it's the Amateur Radio SERVICE. It does have some strange side effects. For instance, the 'shack' is actually a restricted area under the Wireless Telegraphy Act (and when all the troubles were going on here, I could quite legitimately tell the army that 'No, you can't touch my equipment' and that was the end of the story (even the local cops backed me up on that). The ONLY people who had right of entry were the Radio Investigation Service.

[Shaunie]

Lapsed now but back in the day I was G8XJX.

Shaunie.