Do you remember playing as a kid with the short range 49 MHz walkie-talkies ? We used to play with these often as a kid, and the range was shorter than your voice ! With an output between 5 and 50 mW these could often struggle to communicate more than a few meters. Still the […]
14 MHz 2e Homebrew Quad
Homebrew 2e Quad for 14 MHz The project was to build and test a 2e Quad antenna for 14 MHz, I wanted it to be lightweight and portable. The antenna had to be packed away in the car after a contest, so some parts of the antenna had to conform. The boom could be no […]
CQ WPX RTTY Operating Report
Managed to work a few in the CQ WPX RTTY contest this weekend using a basic setup at home. The rules for the contest can be found online and the exchange is 599 and sequential number. Station Kenwood TS990 @ 30 to 200w. Antenna 1 – Doublet Antenna 10m per leg @ 10m Antenna 2 – 9m […]
0dBm 1mw input – Wideband Amplifier
Adventures of a broadband amplifier. Updated product 1 to 930 MHz amplifier 2w Or this low-cost version These products often change, you can view a similar one here Some radios are equipped with a 0dBm (1mW) output that can be used to drive an amplifier. The advantage of this output is it usually works over […]
Working Hellschreiber from a cold war bunker
Today I was able to operate the special event call sign GB0SNB from the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker. Hellschreiber was my mode of choice, its fun and easy to identify on the air and also quite rare. Operating was completed from the original home office radio room deep inside the bunker. Here you can see […]
472 kHz reception on WSPR
Having played around with the Wellbrook loop on 7 MHz the other evening I decided to try some 472 kHz reception on WSPR. I had never tried 472 kHz before, as the combination of local noise and poor antenna has always put me off. The Elad FDM-DUO seems quite sensitive down to 100 kHz (the […]