The Cyclechat Radio Shack

[Bobby Mhor]

I'm a big fan of QRP. By the time you start using a gazillion watts and huge Yagi is it becomes about as technically challenging as picking up a mobile phone. Conversely, I've done Japan on 5w using PSK on 40M and I nearly farted with excitement.

I've recently relocated out doors. I've an active Watson vertical for HF Rx, but no transmitting antenna yet. Dual band J pole for 2/70 And 446 which works very pleasantly. Widebanded 2M FT1802 in the car (covers the analogue land SAR freqs) and various dual band hand held, and the odd converted PMR.

I've been looking at the active (either PA0RDT or the Russian bloke's one) for the SDRplay,
it'll be for outside too as they can pick up some amount of 'smash'.. if used inside..
Lots of ideas, just need to find another house to implement them that is why things are static here...
as I've stated elsewhere, I love listening and have ADSB running 24/7/365 which is fun, AIS when I'm having a break from everything else.
Between radio and the bike, retirement is sorted....

 

[m6mal]

I have an SDRPlay and i pick up all sorts including Digi voice and also freeview tv channels, i use it as a tv in the bedroom

 

[Bobby Mhor]

I have an SDRPlay and i pick up all sorts including Digi voice and also freeview tv channels, i use it as a tv in the bedroom

Superb little things, I'd been playing with the SDR dongles since they rewrote the code..
mines is attached to a 2m/70cm colinear..
Air, sea, satellite etc etc and lots out there to decode
I never thought of using it for a TV..

I assume you use SDRUno?
I've given up on SDR Console as I preferred the previous version(V2) and can't get on with the other one HDRSDR (or summit)...
I made this for ADSB..

Amazing what a £4 antenna (from HK (eBay) and a coke can can do ,there is a Flightaware orange dongle under that can it fits into a USB single hub then into a Raspberry Pi inside the window and wifi'ed up to various websites, I use Virtual Radar Server on my 'puter to watch what's happening. I can of course run the SDRPlay using their ADSB software.
The USB base is blue tacked and held technically with black insulating tape....

 

[m6mal]

Superb little things, I'd been playing with the SDR dongles since they rewrote the code..
mines is attached to a 2m/70cm colinear..
Air, sea, satellite etc etc and lots out there to decode
I never thought of using it for a TV..

I assume you use SDRUno?
I've given up on SDR Console as I preferred the previous version(V2) and can't get on with the other one HDRSDR (or summit)...
I made this for ADSB..
View attachment 440662
Amazing what a £4 antenna (from HK (eBay) and a coke can can do ,there is a Flightaware orange dongle under that can it fits into a USB single hub then into a Raspberry Pi inside the window and wifi'ed up to various websites, I use Virtual Radar Server on my 'puter to watch what's happening. I can of course run the SDRPlay using their ADSB software.
The USB base is blue tacked and held technically with black insulating tape....

Yeah i use SDRuno and DSD Plus for decoding the digital voice. I also use registered version of Multipsk for hf modes and i use Ham Radio Deluxe V6 registered when i am using my Icom IC7100 (widebanded) & LDG IT-100 tuner as i like working PSK31. OH for freeview on the SDRPlay i use SichboPVR it is free unrestricted and open source and i run all programs with Windows 10.... i used to use a slinky suspended from my curtain pole in my ground floor flat and i added a 9 to 1 balun using a torroid from an old pc psu it got me into europe and i used to use it for sdr lol i also have a moonraker magloop for my ft817 (widebanded). i have a tyt md380 and an anytone 868 for DMR and a yaesu FT70d for fusion and an icom id51e for d-star (my ic7100 also has d-star) and i have an 8w analog baofeng UV-8HX plus a few portable aerials. I must get a hatch mount for wifes new car as i keep meaning to, i can then go mobile with my FT817 as i have a lafayette sg7900 supergainer and a HF mobile aerial 80 - 6 metres with taps.

 

[Drago]

How did you find programming the MD380?

 

[m6mal]

How did you find programming the MD380?

i used v1.30.0 md380 programming software

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Yeah i use SDRuno and DSD Plus for decoding the digital voice. I also use registered version of Multipsk for hf modes and i use Ham Radio Deluxe V6 registered when i am using my Icom IC7100 (widebanded) & LDG IT-100 tuner as i like working PSK31. OH for freeview on the SDRPlay i use SichboPVR it is free unrestricted and open source and i run all programs with Windows 10.... i used to use a slinky suspended from my curtain pole in my ground floor flat and i added a 9 to 1 balun using a torroid from an old pc psu it got me into europe and i used to use it for sdr lol i also have a moonraker magloop for my ft817 (widebanded). i have a tyt md380 and an anytone 868 for DMR and a yaesu FT70d for fusion and an icom id51e for d-star (my ic7100 also has d-star) and i have an 8w analog baofeng UV-8HX plus a few portable aerials. I must get a hatch mount for wifes new car as i keep meaning to, i can then go mobile with my FT817 as i have a lafayette sg7900 supergainer and a HF mobile aerial 80 - 6 metres with taps.

Not at home today . I threw up the Rybakov, portable vertical, see photo somewhere earlier in thread, yesterday and ran a few tests.Did SWR checks on all bands from 160m to 6m, tried it on the bypass on the ATU and tried the internal tuner in the 7300 but the main bands weren’t that out of whack. 9:1 unun and 7.4 m of copper wire. I ran some FT8 on some bands to see if tx’ing was okay . It would be ideal to run as a stealth antenna if and when I move. I have my eyes on the SteppIr vertical though, if they do senior citizen reductions .
I’ve only stopped using HRD the old free version since it just won’t run on reliable on 64 bit windows as DM780 is brilliant but logging now is done on Log4om.

 

[Drago]

i used v1.30.0 md380 programming software

Was it straightforward though?

Done a bit of PMR scanning this morning. J pole thought a Philips PMR programmed to the 446 fee as is ideal for receiving Dx.

Been reading up some more on AMSAT. Definitely going to start gearing up for that.

 

[Drago]

Order a cheapo Baojie 218 dual Bandar for the car. Tiny and cheap, so a bit of fun.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

CQ CQ Santa is about
(OH9S) is on most bands during the day

 

[Drago]

I do a low of SWL'ing. My olde watson active antenna is getting a bit flaky. I might take it apart this weekend, see if I can ID the fault. If no joy then it might be time for a long wire.

 

[Glow worm]

Over on medium wave, VOCM radio on 590khz from St Johns, Newfoundland Canada has been coming in nicely in the small hours recent nights here. Really good signal around 4-5am this morning. Also something N. American on 930khz but too weak to id. I'm guessing another Canadian from St Johns- CJYK (KIXX Country), though it's listed as only 3.5kw at night, so another shout could be New Brunswick's CFBC (50kw). WEGP, Presque Isle, Maine is another regular here on 1390khz and one I've yet to get, but said to be a common UK catch is WINS on 1010khz from New York City. Should be a v. easy catch when the Dutch close down Groet Niews Radio on 1008khz at the end of the year (the last remaining high power medium wave transmitter in the Netherlands).
Listening on a small SONY portable, no ext. wires.

Edit - no idea why the weird font on that post!​

 

[m6mal]

I have loved radio since i was 14 year old, i used to like picking up different thing and in 81 i decided to go CB but i liked making aerials etc and making my york jcb863 portable in a satchel with 12v battery and a halfbreed aerial connected to a piece of wood on the rig bracket, i lovedchairing nets back in the day also. I then became a serious SWL'er having owned numerous radios including icom icr8500 and jrc nrd 525 and a nrd 545. I loved the frog 7 yaesu frg7 aswell and i started with a matsui transistor swl radio from currys at 100 quid was a bargain as it had full sw without gaps and had a bfo aswell and a digital readout, i then bought a lowe srx30 and well the fun continued with decoding wxfax etc along with rtty n morse and some sstv, aaround the same time i got into scanning aswell and have owned a lot of them aswell in the past, i still have an aor 8200 mk3 handheld and a icom icr20 handy plus the sdrplay and a realistic pro 2600 lol. It was shortwave and CB which attracted me to becoming a HAM just over 10 years ago. Happy Days 73

 

[Drago]

I use an old NASA/TARGET receiver with a Tecsun tuned loop antenna for MW work.

 

[Glow worm]

I use an old NASA/TARGET receiver with a Tecsun tuned loop antenna for MW work.

Any sign of Caroline on 648khz over there? I've been blown away by how well they're getting out on just 1kw. The Orfordness tx location no doubt a great help with all the salt water around there. It's rock solid day and night here with only a hint of Slovenia (10kw) 'underneath' audible here at night. Caroline's return to medium wave last November has made me a very happy man indeed!