The Cyclechat Radio Shack

[Drago]

HAARP are readying for another experiment with their mind control/weather modification/cancer causing/chemtrail enhancing/foreign leader incontinence causing (delete as your political inclination requires) experiment in September. They've not announced the date yet, but I'm keeping an eye in their web page.

I may try a capture on SDR. Apparently they now QSL, either electronically or by card, and a HAARP QSL card would look smart in the shack.

 

[Drago]

Prop forecast is rated as 'good' for 40 and 80M tonight, so may fire up the SDR and see what's about.

 

[Drago]

40M open down into Africa South of the equator at the moment. Just worked Botswana on PSK with 20W.

Also 6 Meg broadcast band open to the east, currently listening to KCBS Pyongyang in the shack.Unfortunately, I no speako da North Korean, but the music is chirpy and cheery in a do-as-you're-told-or we'll-shoot-you kind of way.

 

[Glow worm]

40M open down into Africa South of the equator at the moment. Just worked Botswana on PSK with 20W.

Also 6 Meg broadcast band open to the east, currently listening to KCBS Pyongyang in the shack.Unfortunately, I no speako da North Korean, but the music is chirpy and cheery in a do-as-you're-told-or we'll-shoot-you kind of way.

I used to be able to receive the Voice of Korea's English language service from Pyongyang on 15245khz and occasionally 13760khz but have not tried to pick them up recently- (I'll have to check but I think KCBS might be South Korean?).
Reception from North Korea at best poor, not helped by the presenter's poor English. But you got the gist- always an entertaining listen always banging on about the neighbours- the 'southern puppet state of the USA'.

Edit: KCBS shows on Google either as the Kansas City Bar-B-Que society or more probably the North Korean domestic service. External service is Voice of Korea. I'm tempted to join the Kansas lot.

 

[Drago]

T'was the NK domestic service. Was too early for paths to the West to be open (though you never know), and while I don't speak North Koreanese they definitely weren't talking Kansas, and the station ident was all military marching band stuff, that got a bit squeaky and high pitched towards the end.

Well done @User76 Pretty soon every CC member will be a Ham or a Trig Bagger. Bazooka dipoles work particularly well at 2M.

 

[Drago]

I've moved my shack out to the man shed. Heated, insulated, powered and lit, so it's no hardship by any means.

Almost finished setting things up. Picked up a Cleartone CM7000 programmed for 2m today, so planning on a dual band J pole for 2M and 70cm to keep things tidy.

My big power supply has packed up in a cloud of smoke, so I need to get that apart and fault find, see if it's something I can fix.

And finally, I'm thinking of a bicycle set up for 70cm/PMR/DMR. Colin the Claud would be idea for this task.

 

[m6mal]

CALLSIGN = M6MAL
QTH = Kettering
LOC = IO92pj
LICENCED = 15th August 2008

FAVOURITE MODES = PSK31, SSB and all DIGITAL (C4FM, DMR and D-STAR)
I used to have a G5RV half size i built when i got my licence in Worcester and SX50 VHF/UHF and a SRC X80 vertical but now i live in a groundfloor flat and am very limited, i took the 9 to 1 unun off the SRC X80 and put it on my 9ft wall in the courtyard then i attached 66ft of wire to it horizontally and thats my HF sorted lol my VHF/UHF is via a moonraker 2/70 button mount inverted on a metal curtain rail. Yep the joys of living on a ground floor.... Mobile i use a Lafayette SG7900 which is a brilliant aerial and i also use a multiband with a flylead for HF 80m - 6m plus i have a telescopic with an unun i got from a rally.

ICOM 7100, YAESU FT857d,
HANDHELDS:-
Baofeng UV8HX analog
TYT MD380 DMR
ANYTONE ATD868UV DMR
YAESU FT70de FUSION
ICOM ID51e DSTAR

Hi there fellow Hams, do any of you go out on trikes doing radio. I have a few repeaters i can hit when out on my trike so i will be using more often than not one of my Digital Handhelds as they have analog aswell and are dualband excluding the md380.

 

[Drago]

<al, you're within easy simplex or repeater distance with me. We'll have to meet up for a ragchew once ive finished setting up my shack in its new home, or I could chat on 2m or 10m FM from the car.

73 de 2EORGJ.

 

[m6mal]

<al, you're within easy simplex or repeater distance with me. We'll have to meet up for a ragchew once ive finished setting up my shack in its new home, or I could chat on 2m or 10m FM from the car.

73 de 2EORGJ.

My VHF/UHF limits me to local say about 10 miles, i can further that using DMR/C4FM through my local repeater GB7KE which is a multidigital although DMR doesn't work but used to lol

73 de M6MAL

 

[Drago]

I'm looking to add DMR to the arsenal soon. Can you access and repeaters on 2 or 70?

 

[m6mal]

I'm looking to add DMR to the arsenal soon. Can you access and repeaters on 2 or 70?

Not from my flat, but i can when wife takes me mobile and also will be able to when i go trike mobile. I do have a DVdongle but i prefer rf into a repeater.

 

[Drago]

BTW, my QTH is IO92ND.

 

[m6mal]

BTW, my QTH is IO92ND.

IO92pj is my locator, I have just swapped my 2013 yaesu ft857d for a 2016 Yaesu FT817nd boxed with all the accesories which come with it, only did the swap last sunday and tried it out today on my limited wire lol it is around 60 odd feet long and runs horizontal along a wall 9ft off the grouind fed by a 9 to 1 unun in the private car park. I managed to work GM7V this afternoon on 5 watts and as the radio is small i think i have now found a friend to use on my trike when time permits as i am still blinging my trike up. i have room for a small 12v battery which i have 2 rated at 7ah and one at 12ah so plenty of juice there then, i may rig up an aerial mast, small of course to fit trike and all so i can get them off quickly etc.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

IO92pj is my locator, I have just swapped my 2013 yaesu ft857d for a 2016 Yaesu FT817nd boxed with all the accesories which come with it, only did the swap last sunday and tried it out today on my limited wire lol it is around 60 odd feet long and runs horizontal along a wall 9ft off the grouind fed by a 9 to 1 unun in the private car park. I managed to work GM7V this afternoon on 5 watts and as the radio is small i think i have now found a friend to use on my trike when time permits as i am still blinging my trike up. i have room for a small 12v battery which i have 2 rated at 7ah and one at 12ah so plenty of juice there then, i may rig up an aerial mast, small of course to fit trike and all so i can get them off quickly etc.

try the Rybakov type vertical...

Techy part…

I used a 8m telescopic fibreglass pole

a 9:1 UnUn

and 7.4m of 1.5mm plastic covered copper wire...

4 pegs and cord to steady the fibreglass pole..
You can of course, bungee cord it to a fencepost anywhere..

I did cart a normal size ATU but you can pick up either a kit or buy a ready made QRP one, the advantage of using a FT817.
Coax was just a length of RG58..

SWR

80m, I got a high SWR reading but it tuned in okay with the ATU.

60m, it was within acceptable limits ( it was a NOV at that time)

40m, as 60m

30m, as 60m

20m, I got a high SWR reading but once again, tuned in okay with the ATU.

17m, as 20m.

15m, low SWR.

12m, it was within acceptable limits.

10m, as 12m

I prefer VHF from hill tops, tbh.
but this works....

Just for info..
this was SWR in my postage stamp garden (15w used)

160m – SWR high

80m – as above

60m – still to checked on 5 watts

40m – 1.3 (15w)

30m – 2.5 (15w)

20m – 1.3 (15w)

17m – 2.5 (15w)

15m – SWR high

12m – 2.1 (15w)

10m – 1.1 (15w)

6m – 1.3 (15w)

 

[m6mal]

try the Rybakov type vertical...
View attachment 421439
Techy part…

I used a 8m telescopic fibreglass pole

a 9:1 UnUn

and 7.4m of 1.5mm plastic covered copper wire...

4 pegs and cord to steady the fibreglass pole..
You can of course, bungee cord it to a fencepost anywhere..

I did cart a normal size ATU but you can pick up either a kit or buy a ready made QRP one, the advantage of using a FT817.
Coax was just a length of RG58..

SWR

80m, I got a high SWR reading but it tuned in okay with the ATU.

60m, it was within acceptable limits ( it was a NOV at that time)

40m, as 60m

30m, as 60m

20m, I got a high SWR reading but once again, tuned in okay with the ATU.

17m, as 20m.

15m, low SWR.

12m, it was within acceptable limits.

10m, as 12m

I prefer VHF from hill tops, tbh.
but this works....

Just for info..
this was SWR in my postage stamp garden (15w used)

160m – SWR high

80m – as above

60m – still to checked on 5 watts

40m – 1.3 (15w)

30m – 2.5 (15w)

20m – 1.3 (15w)

17m – 2.5 (15w)

15m – SWR high

12m – 2.1 (15w)

10m – 1.1 (15w)

6m – 1.3 (15w)

i got a 10m telescopic which covers multibands for portable work but i think it is a bit big to fit on my trike hi hi, i am thinking of putting a 80m - 6m aerial on i use for mobile which has a fly lead to change bands and only just over 5ft tall but i will devise a small mast say about 4ft or so to fit on trike