Hello All,

Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be
nice to talk shop now and then.

Cheerio,
Jan Henkins M7HNK (aka dotslash)

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Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be
nice to talk shop now and then.

Welcome.

Active is a stretch, but there's usually a new post a couple times a week if you combine the amateur radio echos from Fsx, Fido, and DOVE.


- Andre, WT9X
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On 02-27-22 22:03, dotslash wrote to All <=-

Hello All,

Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be
nice to talk shop now and then.

Yeah there's a few people here. This echo is even shared across two networks, to increase coverage. :)


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On 02-27-22 19:14, Andre Robitaille wrote to dotslash <=-

Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be
nice to talk shop now and then.

Welcome.

Active is a stretch, but there's usually a new post a couple times a
week if you combine the amateur radio echos from Fsx, Fido, and DOVE.

Usually a small number here. The DOVE echo seems to be relatively active, though mostly news postings.


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//Hello dotslash,//

on *27.02.22* at *22:03:59* You wrote in area *FSX_HAM*
to *All* about *"Anybody here?"*.

Hello All,

Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be nice to talk shop now and then.

Not any traffic here in about a week. Mybe everyone has the winter blahs, or maybe there isn't anyone connected here anymore. I'm waiting on DST and Spring to get here so I can start doing POTA activations after I get off work.

What have you been up to ham radio wise?


Regards,
Brian
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Hello Brian!

Brian Murrey wrote to dotslash <=-

//Hello dotslash,//

on *27.02.22* at *22:03:59* You wrote in area *FSX_HAM*
to *All* about *"Anybody here?"*.

Hello All,

Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be nice to talk shop now and then.

Not any traffic here in about a week. Mybe everyone has the winter
blahs, or maybe there isn't anyone connected here anymore. I'm waiting
on DST and Spring to get here so I can start doing POTA activations
after I get off work.

Pretty much the same thing here, the weather here in the UK is still pretty cold and wet. Not that I can use that as an excuse, but I don't have any IP-rated waterproof radio equipment. I'm itching to do POTA, and we also have
a few SOTA spots within striking distance.

What have you been up to ham radio wise?

Not really much apart from playing with a few experimental antennas and a new QRP radio - I bought myself the new (somewhat controversial) Xiegu X6100.
Well, what an interesting toy. Not prime-time ready due to the fact that it's firmware is still pretty much in an Alpha state, but nonetheless I'm having
fun hacking around with it. The last few firmware updates brought some useful improvements, so I can now consider taking it out POTA. I'll still back it up with my Xiegu G90 (rock solid) and/or Yaesu FT-817ND in case it has a bad-hair-day.

I suppose what I'm "officially" trying to do is to assemble an HF go-bag that doesn't fill up my backpack too much, still leaving enough room for things
like water, snacks and maye something to sit on. Of course I don't know what I'm doing, which helps! :-D Oh, and I'm also trying out a bunch of paddles and straight keys with a view to somehow get active on CW in the near future (I have to atone for my FT8 activities somehow).

What are you playing with these days?

73,
Jan Henkins (M7HNK)

Regards,
Jan Henkins

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Hello Vk3jed,

Vk3jed wrote to dotslash <=-

On 02-27-22 22:03, dotslash wrote to All <=-

Hello All,

Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be
nice to talk shop now and then.

Yeah there's a few people here. This echo is even shared across two networks, to increase coverage. :)

That's great to know. I've had a quick look at your QRZ page, which lists your activities mostly on VHF/D-STAR. Are you active on other bands and modes?
Since I don't have any Icom kit I cannot access D-STAR, altough I have a cheap TYT DMR handset and a nice little Raspberry Pi hotspot running MMDVM. It would be a total hoot if we bumped into each other on HF. I once heard VK3YE (Peter Parker) on one of his 20m "pedestrian" sessions where he walked with his old FT-817 in a sling-bag, feet in the water and trailing his counter-poise wire
in the waves. Hilarious! My antenna could hear him, but I just could not get out due to the high noise-floor over here where I live in the UK (too many cheap, noisy battery chargers from Alibaba in my neighberhood).

73,
Jan Henkins (M7HNK)

Regards,
Jan Henkins

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//Hello dotslash,//

on *01.03.22* at *23:08:34* You wrote in area *FSX_HAM*
to *Brian Murrey* about *"Re: Anybody here?"*.

What have you been up to ham radio wise?

Not really much apart from playing with a few experimental antennas and a new QRP radio - I bought myself the new (somewhat controversial) Xiegu X6100. Well, what an interesting toy. Not prime-time ready due to the fact that it's firmware is still pretty much in an Alpha state, but nonetheless I'm having fun hacking around with it. The last few firmware updates brought some useful improvements, so I can now consider taking it out
POTA. I'll still back it up with my Xiegu G90 (rock solid) and/or Yaesu FT-817ND in case it has a bad-hair-day.

I suppose what I'm "officially" trying to do is to assemble an HF go-bag that doesn't fill up my backpack too much, still leaving enough room for things like water, snacks and maye something to sit on. Of course I don't know what I'm doing, which helps! :-D Oh, and I'm also trying out a bunch of paddles and straight keys with a view to somehow get active on CW in
the near future (I have to atone for my FT8 activities somehow).

What are you playing with these days?

Well I am not doing SOTA. I live in Indiana, and we're not the home of any SOTA
locations that I know of. The north of Indiana is flat as a board, the southern half is where the glaciers came to die so we have som ereally nice rolling hills and the like but nothing with a real peak or summit. The highest point in the state is 383 meters.

However we have 139 POTA approved locations, so I like to do POTA all I can when the weather is decent. I made it out to a close by park yesterday and had
some great fun. I wrote it up on my website if you want to see the details and a few pictures. https://kb9bvn.blogspot.com

My go-kit is a Elecraft K2, LDG autotuner, paddles, and my antenna is a Eagle One vertical that mounts to the hitch receiver on my SUV (2006 Trailblazer from
Chevy...old ugly and paid for). I also carry about a 4x2 foot folding table and a steel folding chair. That about covers it. Typically I run 10w or a little less and I have 14 successful activations out of 14 attempts.

WX here to day was partly cloudy, temp hit 64F, going down to the 20's tonight,
high tomorrow is supposed to be 68F but won't be able to POTA as we are engaged in some family gathering of some sort. I hear there will be food, so I'll be there with my shirt tucked in.


Regards,
Brian
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Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to Brian Murrey on Tue Mar 01 2022 11:08 pm

Pretty much the same thing here, the weather here in the UK is still

pretty

cold and wet. Not that I can use that as an excuse, but I don't have any

Jumping in as I spotted you are based in the UK.

Not a HAMmer here (Is that a correct term?) but interested in your views of the
state of the hobby at the moment in the country. I've always looked with interest from afar....

Mewcenary.
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Hello Brian,

On 01/03/2022 18:38, Brian Murrey wrote:

//Hello dotslash,//

on *01.03.22* at *23:08:34* You wrote in area *FSX_HAM*
to *Brian Murrey* about *"Re: Anybody here?"*.

BM>> What have you been up to ham radio wise?

d> Not really much apart from playing with a few experimental antennas and

a

d> new QRP radio - I bought myself the new (somewhat controversial) Xiegu
d> X6100. Well, what an interesting toy. Not prime-time ready due to the

fact

d> that it's firmware is still pretty much in an Alpha state, but

nonetheless

d> I'm having fun hacking around with it. The last few firmware updates
d> brought some useful improvements, so I can now consider taking it out
d> POTA. I'll still back it up with my Xiegu G90 (rock solid) and/or Yaesu
d> FT-817ND in case it has a bad-hair-day.

d> I suppose what I'm "officially" trying to do is to assemble an HF go-bag
d> that doesn't fill up my backpack too much, still leaving enough room for
d> things like water, snacks and maye something to sit on. Of course I

don't

d> know what I'm doing, which helps! :-D Oh, and I'm also trying out a

bunch

d> of paddles and straight keys with a view to somehow get active on CW in
d> the near future (I have to atone for my FT8 activities somehow).

d> What are you playing with these days?

Well I am not doing SOTA. I live in Indiana, and we're not the home of any

SOTA locations that I know of. The north of Indiana is flat as a board, the southern half is where the glaciers came to die so we have som ereally nice rolling hills and the like but nothing with a real peak or summit. The highest point in the state is 383 meters.



As far as I'm aware a SOTA location doesn't have to be a mountain. I
looked at a YT video of Mike (K8MRD) a while back where he was testing
out a set of ham-sticks on top of a huge, abandoned parking lot
somewhere in Michigan, which was so far off the beaten track that it
could just as well have been a SOTA location! :-D

Quoting from the SOTA website:

"SOTA has been carefully designed to make participation possible for all
Radio Amateurs and Shortwave Listeners - this is not just for
mountaineers! There are awards for activators (those who ascend to the summits) and chasers (who either operate from home, a local hilltop or
are even Activators on other summits)."

This suggests to me that Indiana is being short-changed - from what you
say you have plenty of hill-tops to choose from. Also from what I
understand (somebody please correct me if I am wrong), the only real
qualifier for a "SOTA summit" is that it should be a bit of a challenge
to get there (walk at least 800 yards like Mike K8MRD) from where you
parked your car, and that you carry everything with you to the
activation site. Jason KM4ACK sells an excellent little EFHW wire
antenna kit with a built-in 49:1 UNUN (which you have to wire up
yourself), which combined with a light telescopic pole can get you on
the air from 40m to 10m in a few minutes.

However we have 139 POTA approved locations, so I like to do POTA all I can

when the weather is decent. I made it out to a close by park yesterday and had
some great fun. I wrote it up on my website if you want to see the details and a few pictures. https://kb9bvn.blogspot.com


That's fantastic! Thanks for the link to your blog, it looks like a fun
day. That Eagle One on the back of your SUV looks like a monster!

My go-kit is a Elecraft K2, LDG autotuner, paddles, and my antenna is a Eagle

One vertical that mounts to the hitch receiver on my SUV (2006 Trailblazer from Chevy...old ugly and paid for). I also carry about a 4x2 foot folding table and a steel folding chair. That about covers it. Typically I run 10w or
a little less and I have 14 successful activations out of 14 attempts.


Well, I have learned something today! I was not aware of the K2, only
the KX2 (and of course KX3). It looks like a great rig! What I like is
the low power consumption on standby, your battery should last for hours.

WX here to day was partly cloudy, temp hit 64F, going down to the 20's

tonight, high tomorrow is supposed to be 68F but won't be able to POTA as we are engaged in some family gathering of some sort. I hear there will be food, so I'll be there with my shirt tucked in.


It certainly sounds like Spring has finally arrived in your neck of the
woods.


Cheers,
Jan (M7HNK)

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Hello Mewcenary,

On 02/03/2022 09:11, Mewcenary wrote:

Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to Brian Murrey on Tue Mar 01 2022 11:08 pm

do> Pretty much the same thing here, the weather here in the UK is still

pretty

do> cold and wet. Not that I can use that as an excuse, but I don't have

any

Jumping in as I spotted you are based in the UK.

Not a HAMmer here (Is that a correct term?) but interested in your views of

the state of the hobby at the moment in the country. I've always looked with interest from afar....


So why are you looking in from afar? Jump in, the water is fine! :-D

The term "HAM radio" is an American one, and strictly speaking over here
in the UK the old guard prefers to be referred to as "Amateur Radio Operators". Having said that, I don't mind one bit to be called a
HAMmer, it's pretty much universal over the world these days.

But seriously, since the first pandemic lockdown the RSGB (Radio Society
of Great Britain - like the ARRL in the US) has recorded a record number
of new foundation licensees (with myself amongst that number). What has facilitated that to a great degree was that it is now possible to study
and get your Amateur Radio (okay, HAM!) license entirely online, the
only thing you need to do is to purchase the study book via Amazon or
the RSGB's website (less than £8 I think), and pay the RSGB a further
£30-40 or so for the exam.

For me as a foundation license holder, I am limited to what I can do to
some extent. These limitations are there to "protect the airwaves" and
teach you to be sensible, rather than to exclude you from all the fun.
The most "limiting" of these measures are that you are excluded from a
few bands (e.g. the 60m band is only available to Full license holders)
and limited to a maximum of 10 watts of transmit power. There are other limitations too, but they will all make sense when you read up on them - otherwise they won't keep you from contacting people. In fact, the
10-watt limit is also what a lot of operators refers to as "QRP"
(low-signal), which makes things a tad more challenging but isn't seen
as a true "limit".

So, insofar the health of the hobby - it is in excellent shape. In fact,
now is a *very* good time to get in, because we are moving into a period
of solar maximum. This is where there is a high number of sun-spots,
which helps greatly in propagating your HF signals across the globe.
With a 5-watt or 10-watt radio you will be able to speak to people
literally on the opposite end of the world. Well, you can do that right
now even with low sun-spot counts, but in a year or two it will become a
lot easier to do so. Another thing is that technology has moved on
immensely, we now have access to a new generation of SDR-based radios to complement the more traditional designs. While they might not be as good
as the classic rigs from Yaesu/Icom/Elekraft/Kenwood, most of them are
good enough to get you on the air on an extremely tight budget. This is
good news for when you start the hobby, things can get really expensive quickly even before you know whether you will be continuing with it or not.

In terms of what people do on the airwaves, nowadays there are so many
parts to this radio hobby it can be overwhelming to a newcomer. Not
everybody has the "gift of the gab", so tend to be quite microphone-shy
(I count myself in this group too). Luckily there are loads of other
things you can do on the airwaves, like learn how to send in morse code (optional these days, you don't need it for your license like in the
past), and you have loads of digital modes to choose from too. This
allows you to connect your computer to your radio, and send digital data containing email, voice, files, whatever. You can even run a BBS like
this, although it won't be an ANSI-rich one like a Mystic or Synchro
board due to bandwidth constraints - I think that 9600 baud is the
sensible upper-limit under ideal circumstances. Other people plays up in
the Gigahertz arena where they build tiny little milliwatt rigs to act
as point-to-point transceiver links - almost like WiFi and Lora but
using HAM frequencies.

As you can see, there is a lot to do. Go and get your Foundation license
and let's play radio! :-) If you want to investigate what it will take
to get your license, I think that the following two places are the best
areas to explore:

* Essex Ham has an excellent Foundation course that is free: https://www.essexham.co.uk/train/foundation-online/

* The "Online Amateur Radio Community" is an online club, and they have
a huge number of resources including an extensive Discord channel. Their Foundation license resources can be found here:
https://www.oarc.uk/foundation

Like I said, it is easier than ever to get involved and find your own
corner in this huge hobby. Equipment is not so much of a dark art
anymore, which means that you will have plenty of time to have fun and
learn new things.

PS: I see you are in Godalming. I'm in Surrey too, albeit at the extreme opposite North-East end.

Cheerio,
Jan Henkins (M7HNK)

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On 03-01-22 23:08, dotslash wrote to Vk3jed <=-

That's great to know. I've had a quick look at your QRZ page, which
lists your activities mostly on VHF/D-STAR. Are you active on other
bands and modes? Since I don't have any Icom kit I cannot access
D-STAR, altough I have a cheap TYT DMR handset and a nice little

That hasn't been updated in years. :) I still have D-STAR (added an ID-5100A last year), but I can also do DMR, YSF, and even M17 on RF.

Raspberry Pi hotspot running MMDVM. It would be a total hoot if we
bumped into each other on HF. I once heard VK3YE (Peter Parker) on one
of his 20m "pedestrian" sessions where he walked with his old FT-817 in
a sling-bag, feet in the water and trailing his counter-poise wire in
the waves. Hilarious! My antenna could hear him, but I just could not
get out due to the high noise-floor over here where I live in the UK
(too many cheap, noisy battery chargers from Alibaba in my
neighberhood).

I don't have any HF now, with a house move due soon. Do plan on setting up HF later on, but it's never been a priority for me. I have worked the UK though in the past.

Oh and your logic baffles me - a high local noise floor would affect receive, not transmit, and you could already hear him.



... Some people are just for looks.
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On 02-27-22 21:36, Brian Murrey wrote to dotslash <=-

Not any traffic here in about a week. Mybe everyone has the winter
blahs, or maybe there isn't anyone connected here anymore. I'm waiting
on DST and Spring to get here so I can start doing POTA activations
after I get off work.

Here, summer tends to limit my radio activities, as sport dominates. Still another 5 weeks until I get out of the peak sporting season.

What have you been up to ham radio wise?

Currently, just a couple of local nets and using APRS on 2m when I'm out and about.


... Effective cure for being a twit -- become a Sysop!!
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Oh and your logic baffles me - a high local noise floor would affect receive, not transmit, and you could already hear him.

Agreed. Noise floor isn't related.


- Andre, WT9X
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Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to All on Thu Mar 03 2022 12:27 pm

As you can see, there is a lot to do. Go and get your Foundation license and let's play radio! :-) If you want to investigate what it will take
to get your license, I think that the following two places are the best areas to explore:

Thanks for the excellent reply!

Am happy to report that I have started studying and have materials on the way.

Also have a handheld on the way (Obviously, LISTENING ONLY until I am licensed), and already overwhelmed with all the more modern terminology in and around digital... Seems there is a lot to this now!

Mewcenary.
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It's not "busy" but I think there may be a lot of lurking and not much active posting. I check in a few times a day but rarely post. I've been incredibly busy with work the last few years and have had zero time for radio. I need to make it more of a priority.

Welcome!
de WQ3Y

... Consultant: A person who makes good on a salesman's promises!

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On 05 Mar 2022 at 03:50a, InfectedBootSector pondered and said...

It's not "busy" but I think there may be a lot of lurking and not much active posting. I check in a few times a day but rarely post. I've
been incredibly busy with work the last few years and have had zero time for radio. I need to make it more of a priority.

im also lurking but traveling at the moment too.. may try and make some time while I am away to work our national system of 2m repeaters here in NZ

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Hi Vk3jed

Vk3jed wrote to dotslash <=-

On 03-01-22 23:08, dotslash wrote to Vk3jed <=-

That's great to know. I've had a quick look at your QRZ page, which
lists your activities mostly on VHF/D-STAR. Are you active on other
bands and modes? Since I don't have any Icom kit I cannot access
D-STAR, altough I have a cheap TYT DMR handset and a nice little

That hasn't been updated in years. :) I still have D-STAR (added an ID-5100A last year), but I can also do DMR, YSF, and even M17 on RF.

Oooh, M17 is new to me! The little bit I have seen looks very interesting,
this looks excellent!

Oh and your logic baffles me - a high local noise floor would affect receive, not transmit, and you could already hear him.

My Xiegu X6100 radio has good filtering, so most of the time I can fiddle things in such a way that I can just about make out what people are saying
in spite of high QRM. Them not being able to hear me could possibly be due to my antennas being inefficient (mostly end-fed random wires), and my max 10W transmit power cannot compete with the booming kilowatt European stations with beam antennas. When I go mobile with my radios I find that about 10 minutes outside our village I have a far better success-rate of being heard.

Good luck with your move!

Cheers,
./


Regards,
Jan Henkins

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Hello Mewcenary!

Mewcenary wrote to dotslash <=-

Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to All on Thu Mar 03 2022 12:27 pm

As you can see, there is a lot to do. Go and get your Foundation license and let's play radio! :-) If you want to investigate what it will take
to get your license, I think that the following two places are the best areas to explore:

Thanks for the excellent reply!

Am happy to report that I have started studying and have materials on
the way.

Brilliant! Are you doing it via Essex Ham, or are you going your own way?

Also have a handheld on the way (Obviously, LISTENING ONLY until I am licensed), and already overwhelmed with all the more modern terminology
in and around digital... Seems there is a lot to this now!

Awesome! What model HT did you order? And yes, hold off on the digital stuff for now, there will be plenty of time for that after you get your license. You need a valid call-sign to set up most of the digital voice modes, although I only have experience in setting up DMR.

Cheers,
./

Regards,
Jan Henkins

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Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to Mewcenary on Sat Mar 05 2022 04:25 pm

Brilliant! Are you doing it via Essex Ham, or are you going your own way?

GM6DX course combined with the official book (when it arrives). I've also joined the OARC discord which seems another good place to chat to people as I ramp up.

Awesome! What model HT did you order? And yes, hold off on the digital

stuff

for now, there will be plenty of time for that after you get your license.

You

need a valid call-sign to set up most of the digital voice modes, although

I

only have experience in setting up DMR.

I have an FT3D now (I love gadgets, so couldn't resist...). Naturally, just scanning around to see what I can find. I'll listen in to a couple of local repeaters to see if anything comes on air... happy for recommendations here though!

Mewcenary.
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On 03-04-22 05:47, Andre Robitaille wrote to Vk3jed <=-

Oh and your logic baffles me - a high local noise floor would affect receive, not transmit, and you could already hear him.

Agreed. Noise floor isn't related.

Yep. Like how sci fi often deals with jammers, there always seems to be a lack of understanding of how signals behave in general. :)


... I was gonna clean my room until I got high
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On 03-05-22 16:25, dotslash wrote to Vk3jed <=-

That hasn't been updated in years. :) I still have D-STAR (added an ID-5100A last year), but I can also do DMR, YSF, and even M17 on RF.

Oooh, M17 is new to me! The little bit I have seen looks very
interesting, this looks excellent!

M17 is exciting, because it's hams developing, and it's evolving rapidly. I was there when M17 support was added to the MMDVM suite, and also the arrival of several methods of generating M17 RF. Testing all that was fun too. :)

Oh and your logic baffles me - a high local noise floor would affect receive, not transmit, and you could already hear him.

My Xiegu X6100 radio has good filtering, so most of the time I can
fiddle things in such a way that I can just about make out what people
are saying in spite of high QRM. Them not being able to hear me could possibly be due to my antennas being inefficient (mostly end-fed random wires), and my max 10W transmit power cannot compete with the booming kilowatt European stations with beam antennas. When I go mobile with my radios I find that about 10 minutes outside our village I have a far better success-rate of being heard.

Still got nothing to do with the local noise floor, but relocating has certainly improved propagation, which is not unusual. I tend to get out better from the beach or the outback, as well as where I was when I first started on radio. The local soil condition has a lot of inpact on propagation. Beach has great soil conductivity, due to the seawater. The outback has high iron content (it's basically rusted). :)

Good luck with your move!

Thanks! :)


... In comparison, there's no comparison.
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Hello Mewcenary!

On 05/03/2022 17:33, Mewcenary wrote:

Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to Mewcenary on Sat Mar 05 2022 04:25 pm

do> Brilliant! Are you doing it via Essex Ham, or are you going your own

way?

GM6DX course combined with the official book (when it arrives). I've also

joined the OARC discord which seems another good place to chat to people as I ramp up.


That's excellent, I forgot about the "Getting Tae Grips" site, combined
with OARC you will be well sorted.

I have an FT3D now (I love gadgets, so couldn't resist...). Naturally, just

scanning around to see what I can find. I'll listen in to a couple of local repeaters to see if anything comes on air... happy for recommendations here though!

You're stating off with a bang! :-) All the Yaesu products are
excellent. I didn't have the budget to get an FT3D when I started, I
decided to cheap out initially and save for an HF rig. I started off
with an analog-only Baofeng UV-82, and for the life of me I cannot kill
the damn thing... Against expectations it turned out quite nice indeed,
but of course not nearly as good as your FT3D. As a follow-up for
digital I bought myself a TyT MD-UV380, which is a dual-band analog and
DMR radio. I struggled for a few months without success to see if I can
hit my nearest DMR repeater, so I caved in and bought myself a
MMDVM-based hotspot. Basically a Raspberry Pi Zero W in a nice metal
case with a little OLED screen and a transceiver hat. That way I can now
get onto DMR, but using the Internet. The same hardware can also work
with Icom's D-Star, as well as Yaesu's YSF digital networks. At least
your HT is digital-ready for when you want to start messing about with that.

Cheerio,
../

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Hi Vk3jed,

On 06/03/2022 21:23, Vk3jed wrote:

On 03-05-22 16:25, dotslash wrote to Vk3jed <=-

Vk> That hasn't been updated in years. :) I still have D-STAR (added an
Vk> ID-5100A last year), but I can also do DMR, YSF, and even M17 on RF.

do> Oooh, M17 is new to me! The little bit I have seen looks very
do> interesting, this looks excellent!

M17 is exciting, because it's hams developing, and it's evolving rapidly. I was there when M17 support was added to the MMDVM suite, and also the arrival of several methods of generating M17 RF. Testing all that was fun too. :)

I've started messing about with it a bit, very impressive the quality
you can get with 9600 baud and less. Wow!

Still got nothing to do with the local noise floor, but relocating has certainly improved propagation, which is not unusual. I tend to get out

better

from the beach or the outback, as well as where I was when I first started on radio. The local soil condition has a lot of inpact on propagation. Beach

has

great soil conductivity, due to the seawater. The outback has high iron content (it's basically rusted). :)

You are of course correct. I live on what is called the "North Downs" in
the South-East of England, which is mostly meters worth of sandy chalk. Sparked by your comment about soil conductivity, I consulted the British Geological Survey map to see if there is an explanation. My favourite
spot is further south towards the coastal plain, and it seems that the bed-rock there is mainly hard limestone as opposed to the chalk where I
live. Interesting, this needs some more study - I had no idea that
ground conditions could have such a big impact.

Cheerio,
../

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Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to All on Sun Mar 06 2022 05:37 pm

hit my nearest DMR repeater, so I caved in and bought myself a MMDVM-based hotspot. Basically a Raspberry Pi Zero W in a nice metal
case with a little OLED screen and a transceiver hat. That way I can now get onto DMR, but using the Internet. The same hardware can also work with Icom's D-Star, as well as Yaesu's YSF digital networks. At least your HT is digital-ready for when you want to start messing about with

that.

Ah, I've ordered myself a Zumspot USB stick for this purpose. I can't 'hit' the digital repeaters from here. I considered the Raspberry Pi route, but went
with the USB stick for flexibility (I can use it with my PC, or also with the likes of Pistar on a Pi should I wish....)

I'm thinking of getting a listening aerial for now, but struggling with exactly
_what_ to get. I get that you just need co-ax cable shoved into the device for this purpose, but at this stage would appreciate a ready-made kit which gets you started! It feels too early to be having antenna anxiety ;)

Mewcenary.
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On 03-06-22 17:51, dotslash wrote to All <=-

M17 is exciting, because it's hams developing, and it's evolving rapidly. I was there when M17 support was added to the MMDVM suite, and also the

rrival

of several methods of generating M17 RF. Testing all that was fun too. :)

I've started messing about with it a bit, very impressive the quality
you can get with 9600 baud and less. Wow!

Have you got M17 running over RF? I'm able to run it using a MMDVM, M17Client and a FT-818. :)

You are of course correct. I live on what is called the "North Downs"
in the South-East of England, which is mostly meters worth of sandy
chalk. Sparked by your comment about soil conductivity, I consulted the British Geological Survey map to see if there is an explanation. My favourite spot is further south towards the coastal plain, and it seems that the bed-rock there is mainly hard limestone as opposed to the
chalk where I live. Interesting, this needs some more study - I had no idea that ground conditions could have such a big impact.

Ground conditions have a massive impact on HF antenna performance. That's definitely what's making your portable ops better than at home. And the low noise floor just makes HF more pleasant to listen to, as a bonus. :)


... You can't turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again.
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Hello Mewcenary,

On 06/03/2022 20:55, Mewcenary wrote:

Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to All on Sun Mar 06 2022 05:37 pm

do> hit my nearest DMR repeater, so I caved in and bought myself a
do> MMDVM-based hotspot. Basically a Raspberry Pi Zero W in a nice metal
do> case with a little OLED screen and a transceiver hat. That way I can

now

do> get onto DMR, but using the Internet. The same hardware can also work
do> with Icom's D-Star, as well as Yaesu's YSF digital networks. At least
do> your HT is digital-ready for when you want to start messing about with

that.

Ah, I've ordered myself a Zumspot USB stick for this purpose. I can't 'hit'

the digital repeaters from here. I considered the Raspberry Pi route, but went
with the USB stick for flexibility (I can use it with my PC, or also with the likes of Pistar on a Pi should I wish....)

Nice! Once you have it working properly I would like to hear your
opinion on how it works for you.

I'm thinking of getting a listening aerial for now, but struggling with

exactly _what_ to get. I get that you just need co-ax cable shoved into the device for this purpose, but at this stage would appreciate a ready-made kit which gets you started! It feels too early to be having antenna anxiety ;)

Since you will most likely need to have a VHF/UHF antenna for your
Zumspot, I suggest that you get a 2m/70cm mobile antenna on a mag-mount.
Most of these have BNC connectors, but that is easy to adapt to SMA by a number of different options. This might not be the best "listening"
antenna, but it will be able to do the job when you want to go mobile
with your FT3D. Here is a link to a Sigma antenna that looks quite good:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320993210117?hash=item4abcafaf05:g:BE4AAMXQ9x5RIpEy


Alternatively you could have a look at getting a roll-up Slim-Jim
antenna. I have a few, and they work extremely well. The first one I
made was from a "kit" I bought which was basically just a length of
450-ohm ladder line and a 10-foot piece of RG58 with a BNC connector on
the one end. It wasn't pretty when I finished it, but it worked very
well indeed. The Slim-Jim is an antenna variant based on the J-pole
design, which is a really excellent all-round VHF/UHF antenna. I have a
more portable one I bought from an outfit in Michigan USA called "Nelson Antennas", and if I combine it with my 6-meter Sotabeams telescopic pole
I can get line-of-sight into repeaters all over London. This antenna is
also on ebay:

Mewcenary.
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Hi again,

Sorry, I sent my previous message a bit prematurely...

On 06/03/2022 20:55, Mewcenary wrote:

I'm thinking of getting a listening aerial for now, but struggling with

exactly _what_ to get. I get that you just need co-ax cable shoved into the device for this purpose, but at this stage would appreciate a ready-made kit which gets you started! It feels too early to be having antenna anxiety ;)


Like I alluded to in my previous blast, you can go mobile (mag-mount) or portable (telescopic pole). Both are relatively cheap, so I would go for
both. Here is another Ebay listing for a portable j-pole that caught my eye:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282348572121?hash=item41bd494dd9:g:i2UAAOSwcgNZItqq

This particular one is made in Dorset, so by buying one you will be
supporting a local UK Ham whom makes these antennas. I ordered one so
that I can compare it to my Nelson slim-jim in terms of quality.

While you're browsing around, scroll over to the Sotabeams website and
have a look at their "antenna support" section (telescopic poles etc.):

https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/antenna-supports-and-hardware/

Lots of inspiration there. Keep in mind you can use such a telescopic
pole for both VHF/UHF as well as HF, so it's a good investment.

Cheerio,
../

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Hello Vk3jed,

On 08/03/2022 12:32, Vk3jed wrote:

On 03-06-22 17:51, dotslash wrote to All <=-

> M17 is exciting, because it's hams developing, and it's evolving rapidly.

I

> was there when M17 support was added to the MMDVM suite, and also the rrival
> of several methods of generating M17 RF. Testing all that was fun too.

:)

do> I've started messing about with it a bit, very impressive the quality
do> you can get with 9600 baud and less. Wow!

Have you got M17 running over RF? I'm able to run it using a MMDVM,

M17Client

and a FT-818. :)

Nope, I have only used the Linux client so far to do few echo tests. I
have a MMDVM-based hotspot running the official Pi-Star 4.1.6. I'm not
quite sure how I will get M17 plugged into that yet, but I've put it on
my stack of things to research (near the top!). I'm glad to see you have
the FT-818, a superb little piece of kit! I have an older 817nd, and I'm
like Smeagol with the ring about it, I will *never* sell it! :-D It's a strange little piece of tech, I have awesome radios with big screens and spectrum waterfalls and enough shiny filters/buttons/features to tempt a magpie, but I keep on coming back to my little Yaesu FT817. I suppose
I'm a bit odd, but hey-ho! :-)


Cheerio,
../

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On 03-08-22 21:58, dotslash wrote to All <=-

Nope, I have only used the Linux client so far to do few echo tests. I

OK, I tend to use DroidStar a bit, which works well.

have a MMDVM-based hotspot running the official Pi-Star 4.1.6. I'm not quite sure how I will get M17 plugged into that yet, but I've put it on
my stack of things to research (near the top!). I'm glad to see you

Best place to ask is in the M17 Discord (check the M17 website for details).

have the FT-818, a superb little piece of kit! I have an older 817nd,
and I'm like Smeagol with the ring about it, I will *never* sell it!
:-D It's a strange little piece of tech, I have awesome radios with big screens and spectrum waterfalls and enough shiny
filters/buttons/features to tempt a magpie, but I keep on coming back
to my little Yaesu FT817. I suppose I'm a bit odd, but hey-ho! :-)

I fell in love with the 817 when I first saw one 20 or so years ago, and have the same affection for the 88. :)


... Deja Coup: A feeling that we've overthrown this regime before
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dotslash wrote to All <=-

Hello All,

Anybody active here? I haven't been around for years, so it would be
nice to talk shop now and then.

Cheerio,
Jan Henkins M7HNK (aka dotslash)

I'm not a sysop so I only dial in every week or so...

KM4UXV... Not a lot going on around home...






... What do you mean, QWK?? It took me over an hour to read!!
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Brian Murrey wrote to dotslash <=-

some great fun. I wrote it up on my website if you want to see the details and a few pictures. https://kb9bvn.blogspot.com

I just looked at it, cause I'm in McCordsville right now, sitting on the
couch at my son's house. :-)

Says Central Indiana - where at?

Before my wife got a new(ish) Pathfinder, we would drive her truck up here
from Tennessee. It has a mobile rig (she is not running calls like she used
to - EMS and volunteer Firefighter) so she didn't want me to install a
mobile rig in the Pathfinder.

Anyway, always talked more in the week we stay here than the next three
months combined at home. :-)





... It it ain't broke, let me have a shot at it.
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Mewcenary wrote to dotslash <=-

Re: Re: Anybody here?
By: dotslash to All on Thu Mar 03 2022 12:27 pm

As you can see, there is a lot to do. Go and get your Foundation license and let's play radio! :-) If you want to investigate what it will take
to get your license, I think that the following two places are the best areas to explore:

Thanks for the excellent reply!

Am happy to report that I have started studying and have materials on
the way.

Also have a handheld on the way (Obviously, LISTENING ONLY until I am licensed), and already overwhelmed with all the more modern terminology
in and around digital... Seems there is a lot to this now!

Good luck! You'll do great!

I've not done anything with Digital...




... Dachshund kennel ad: Get a long little doggie.
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InfectedBootSector wrote to dotslash <=-

It's not "busy" but I think there may be a lot of lurking and not much active posting. I check in a few times a day but rarely post. I've
been incredibly busy with work the last few years and have had zero
time for radio. I need to make it more of a priority.

Part of me is wanting to move my old mobile rig in as a base station
when the floor repairs are finished - then part of me says that everything
is so dead around home that it might not be worth the trouble...

Plus my wife is not a 'chatter' so... :-)








... Crying over spilled CONDENSED milk would be useful.
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on *18.03.22* at *1:48:18* You wrote in area *FSX_HAM*
to *Brian Murrey* about *"Re: Anybody here?"*.

Brian Murrey wrote to dotslash <=-

some great fun. I wrote it up on my website if you want to see the
details and a few pictures. https://kb9bvn.blogspot.com

I just looked at it, cause I'm in McCordsville right now, sitting on the couch at my son's house. :-)

Says Central Indiana - where at?

I'm in Johnson County which is one county south of Indianapolis. The POTA site I usually operate from is Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area which sits on the south edge of Johnson County just north of Camp Atterbury.

https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/properties/atterbury-fwa/

Ft. Harrison State Park is also a POTA site and it is very close to McCordsville. Go register with POTA and start hunting and activating, its tons
of fun.

73 de KB9BVN

Regards,
Brian
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Brian Murrey wrote to Chuck Finley <=-

Says Central Indiana - where at?

I'm in Johnson County which is one county south of Indianapolis. The
POTA site I usually operate from is Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area
which sits on the south edge of Johnson County just north of Camp Atterbury.

https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/properties/atterbury-fwa/

Was looking to see if we drove near it, but I don't think so...

When we go up, or back, we take "69" all the way, which is to say
69 from Tennessee all the way to Bloomington, then 37 from there
to 465, etc.

Ft. Harrison State Park is also a POTA site and it is very close to McCordsville. Go register with POTA and start hunting and activating,
its tons
of fun.

Is that also known as Fort Ben? If so, we've been there doing the walking
areas and such, catching Pokemon. :-)

Oh - I'm back home in Tennessee now. :-)





... I had a cat once... tasted like chicken.
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