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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment.

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Old 18th Jul 2014, 10:58 am   #61
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

I came to amateur radio a bit too late. In the late 1950's/early 1960's the mags were full of designs for simple valved CW and AM transmitters. The parts were easily available, but I didn't have the money to buy them. By the time I did have some money everyone had gone SSB and that presented difficulties when it came to home construction.

When I got my G8 callsign in 1970 there was still a lot of AM on 2 metres and it was common to use a 2 metre converter serving say an AR88. That was rapidly replaced by FM though.

I enjoy restoring old AM transmitters, but one day I must bite the bullet and build one from scratch.

As others have mentioned the biggest problem these days is S9 noise levels. It pays to check stuff in your own house first though.
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Old 18th Jul 2014, 4:25 pm   #62
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As others have mentioned the biggest problem these days is S9 noise levels. It pays to check stuff in your own house first though.
That does seem to be the consensus of opinion, EM pollution is not real pollution is it? So no one cares. I can launch a halfway decent signal, but can't hear any replies, if anyone can hear me! Could this be a justification to ask for a NOV to increase power to around 4kW? If we all did it who knows.
I've mentioned in my other post about running off batteries with the mains disconnected, no difference at all sadly.
I've checked my own EM housekeeping first, and I'm not causing myself a problem, I do check anything I brought in to the house and a Dynamode external hard drive enclosure was the last thing that had to be rejected for excessive interference.

My current interests are in a noise cancelling or nulling system that would allow me to get on air again, self training in wireless telegraphy eh? More of us should try it, anything too easy just isn't that challenging is it.

Last edited by Tyso_Bl; 18th Jul 2014 at 4:29 pm. Reason: Cat on keyboard
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Old 18th Jul 2014, 4:36 pm   #63
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

You could always operate /P to get away from the noise?

Look at SOTA [Summits On The Air] for example.
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Old 18th Jul 2014, 5:19 pm   #64
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I gave up on my 'down the garden' dipole long ago, I now use a Welbrook loop at the end of the garden for receive and an autotuned 10m vertical 1/2 way down for transmit. Still some QRM but a lot less than the dipole one end of which went over the top of the house.
 
Old 18th Jul 2014, 9:13 pm   #65
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

Hi all,

I have just been reading through this thread and have read a lot entries saying they do not go on the air now as the contacts available are not interesting to talk to to.

Me too. Like many, I have also been distracted with (ok family stuff initially) more modern technology and all the fun this has offered. But these days I feel my life is dominated by computers and the internet and, I guess, have a bit of a yearning for something simpler (maybe it's an age thing....).

I have been off the bands for more than 20 years but have recently had some fun dusting off the old kit (HW101), which thankfully I still have, and servicing it. It's now ready to go.

So why don't we all get together and try and bring some life back into the lower bands? Or is this just turning into an 'old timers' net.....?

Ralph

S55CX/GM4MHE
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Old 18th Jul 2014, 11:43 pm   #66
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

Well Ralph, I'm game for it as soon as I can hear anything on 80, how do we go about it then, Sunday morning / afternoon / anytime what frequency to call out / listen on? If we're near our radios at any other time leave them on a listening watch, maybe call out now n again?
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Old 18th Jul 2014, 11:53 pm   #67
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

I think a vintage radio net on 80m would be an excellent idea but not a lot of use until the propagation improves. Perhaps those of us that are active can keep a listen out and let us know.

Peter
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Old 19th Jul 2014, 12:08 am   #68
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I now use a Welbrook loop at the end of the garden for receive and an autotuned 10m vertical 1/2 way down for transmit. .
I think you're ahead of me there, the last time I did some serious experimenting was about 2 years ago, had the radio on batteries well away from the house, trying a combination of a homebrew loop, an inverted V, end fed V, TTFD, longwire, and a grasswire, in various combinations to try and get the most signal out with quietest reception.

It does seem to be a way forward in a high QRM location, using separate systems for RX and TX.

There was one effect the I haven't accounted for yet and it has stuck in my mind, as I was packing up for the night, the radio was on RX from the loop, picking up the usual 9+ hash, with nothing else audible, and I was coiling up the various lengths of wire, I had on piece that I'd been using with a huge jumper lead size croc clip on the end, I clamped it on to the side of the loop just avoid loosing it on the ground, and believe it or not the QRM dropped to almost nothing (from S9+), there was the faint squeak of ssb audible, tuned it in, a couple of stations on the east coast, not much more than a couple of points above the remaining noise. I've not forgotten it but not had the chance to investigate further since.
Weird.
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Old 19th Jul 2014, 7:37 am   #69
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

Quite frequently I try to listen to the RSGB news on Sunday morning, on 80m from Bristol.
About half the time I can manage it and on a couple of occasions I have also contacted him (dont recall his call sign now).

It needs a good strong signal to get through the QRM here.
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Old 19th Jul 2014, 10:06 am   #70
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

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I think a vintage radio net on 80m would be an excellent idea but not a lot of use until the propagation improves. Perhaps those of us that are active can keep a listen out and let us know.
There are already several vintage radio nets on 80m. The Vintage Military & Amateur Radio Society (VMARS) runs weekly nets on USB - mainly for military radios - and LSB for vintage amateur SSB sets.

The 3615 kHz Saturday morning AM net is also run by VMARS, but you don't have to be a member to join in.

More info at http://www.vmars.org.uk/

VMARS covers a rather different range of interests from the BVWS and has a very good quarterly journal for specialists. They also run an online archive of technical manuals, most of which is freely available for anyone to use.
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Old 19th Jul 2014, 11:57 am   #71
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

If I may add my "three penorth" to the thread.
@ Junk box Nick. I too was an amateur of the 60's (Still am G8BZY)..where building your own VHF equipment was the thing, then the dreaded Liner 2 came along and virtually overnight 2M AM was killed. Much the same with the HF bands, I remember Harry G3WVD then G3CQQ, building HF valve equipment, only to be supplanted by a KW Vanguard or similar, a wire 80M dipole, it was either "keep up" or die.

I listen on 40 and 80 using my Eddystone 750, and keep thinking of making a SSB exciter, but other things are still more important.
At the moment I am, in association with a gentleman in Australia, developing a PLL synthesiser controlled by a PIC micro controller, but more of that in another thread.
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Old 20th Jul 2014, 12:14 am   #72
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I think a vintage radio net on 80m would be an excellent idea but not a lot of use until the propagation improves. Perhaps those of us that are active can keep a listen out and let us know.
I was thinking specifically for the forum.

Peter G0HET
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Old 20th Jul 2014, 6:03 pm   #73
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

Just out of interest...
This afternoon I had a play in the RSGB Low Power contest (80m and 40m CW). With just 3W from my K2 I had 15 QSOs on 80 and 25 on 40, mainly inter-G. Signals fairly weak with this sort of power but the nearer stations were S9. Yes, 80 can be quiet during the day in the summer, but it is largely due to low activity rather than lack of propagation.

73 Dave G3YMC
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Old 20th Jul 2014, 7:38 pm   #74
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

I wonder just how many of the 'hardcore' low-HF-band types have got themselves a NoV and migrated to 5MHz?

[Yes, I'm one such. 30 watts of SSB from a Clansman PRC320 into a 100-odd-foot end-fed lets me natter with Iceland, Belgium, and a few other Scandiwegians].
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Old 22nd Jul 2014, 8:41 pm   #75
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Well Ralph, I'm game for it as soon as I can hear anything on 80, how do we go about it then
I am only just getting myself back on-air after a long absence - plus a move to another country, so still learning how it 'feels' from over here.

From the last few evenings listening, I can say that 80 and 40 seem pretty lively places over here, but almost no English voices. I did hear GA14CG from Stirling this evening on 40m, though only about 5 by 6. I have big booming signals form Italy of course, and from the countries around here, but almost nothing heard from the UK.

So, I guess for me, I'll need to wait until conditions improve. Incidentally, I seem to be lucky not to have much QRM, with the S Meter sitting about a 3 on 80m (lightning crashes excluded). So if you want some peace and quiet, then maybe a move to rural Slovenia is the answer?

Ralph
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Old 23rd Jul 2014, 7:00 am   #76
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

A very interesting thread - thanks to all who have contributed - and a wide range of views, many of which I can associate with.

To me personally the hobby has always been about the challenge. For practically any pastime these days one can quickly find an off-the-shelf solution and many DO, failing to appreciate the benefits of a learning curve that 'starting from basics' can deliver.

The idea of amateur radio is still, for me, entirely about homebrew equipment. The black box solution have never had any appeal. The skill sets developed through homebrewing would serve many of today's youngsters well in the modern world and, I'm sure many would agree, the level of technical competency in the day-to-day world has declined disturbingly (there used to be a time when everyone I knew could wire a 3-pin plug - these days I know of teenagers who get electricians in to do it!).

Electrical (wiring), electronics, metalwork, woodwork, soldering, mathematics (albeit limitied seems to be enough to put most young people off completely these days!), mechanics - you name it, amateur radio encompassed it.

A quick look through the various threads on this forum will quickly reveal the extent of skills built up in a radio community.

But in a society where instant gratification is the norm no one wants to 'work' for their pleasure, they want it on a plate. And the market is there to satisfy that craving.
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Old 23rd Jul 2014, 12:25 pm   #77
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

kellys_eye: I couldn't have put all of that any better myself!

Al.
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Old 23rd Jul 2014, 1:49 pm   #78
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

Aggreeing with Kellys_Eye and Skywave, I think it's fair to say that amateur-radio is an impressively-broad church, and that it offers a 'niche' likely to offer interest to most people in some way, whether it's restoring/using WWII-era ex-miolitary gear, converting ex-commercial PMR radios, modern- or 'classic'-styled homebuilt stuff, designing/constructing antennas, mobile/portable operation, hardcore contesting, leading-edge digital communications, moonbounce/satellites, CW, SSB, boatanchor AM, television...

As spinoffs, as noted, you gain associated life-skills, some of which can be career-paths, others could be useful survival-skills if ever the zombie-apocalypse ever happens. It can work the other way too: I think most of us here are intrigued at "creative" adaptations and repurposing of household items/other people's junk for electronic purposes - the same goes for knowledge we may have accrued in our personal careers or vocations.

My biggest grumble [there had to be one] about the current promotion of amateur radio in the UK is the current lack of any sort of 'technician'-level entry: I've spoken with plenty of my work-colleagues over the years about their getting licenced, but when they find out they need to do a series of very-low-level courses they tend to lose interest. Someone who's been designing/certifying avionic systems for BAe for the last 15 years, or was responsible for the design and rollout of the UK's largest 3G phone network doesn't want to be taught how to solder in a class of ten-year-olds.

Something more than "entry-level" access to an amateur licence would, to my way of thinking, be a great help for improving recruitment. Truth is, the age-profile of the UK amateur population does not look good.

Maybe we should start a net on 80?
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Old 23rd Jul 2014, 7:26 pm   #79
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Default Re: Activity on 80 metres?

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the level of technical competency in the day-to-day world has declined disturbingly (there used to be a time when everyone I knew could wire a 3-pin plug - these days I know of teenagers who get electricians in to do it!).
I asked a electrician to wire a three pin plug only a few weeks back.

These days in certain environments it is necessary to use 'qualified' persons for any kind of task where safety is an issue.

My only qualification of an electrical kind is the RAE and three pin plugs were not in the syllabus when I took the exam.

At the same time a piece of non-working electrical equipment was inspected. Once the cover was off, over the shoulder I realised that I understood more what the likely fault was but as I have learned (a bit late) in my life sometimes it is wise to act dumb. The item went for scrap.

I have been wiring three pin plugs since I was ten or eleven.
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Old 23rd Jul 2014, 11:50 pm   #80
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The inexorable advances in electronics technology is slowly killing off Amateur Radio as a hobby on several fronts:

1. If a youngster shows some interest in electronics, he soon finds out that much of today's electronics uses components that require special tools to use and a magnifying glass to see them. That, obviously, presents a barrier to the "I'd like to try that!" attitude. Many years ago, standard components were much bigger, chunkier devices and were much more robust, hence it was much easier to make something with them and less chance of the finished item going 'pop'.

2. Electronics these days - unlike yesteryear - is intrinsically embedded with software. If it's only hardware that appeals, then your avenues for exploration will be limited by using only modern technology.

3. Years ago, in personal communications, there were far less choices than today. So the thrill of talking to someone, voice to voice, has now all but faded: we have the Internet, e-mail, etc. - and of course the phone - which now includes what was once referred to as 'walkie-talkies'.

Me? I still repair electronic stuff (when I can) and still tinker around making electronic things and occasionally fire up one of my SW radios to listen around whilst keeping myself busy in the shack-cum-workshop. But in this location, the 'output' on the 80 m. Amateur Band is a mere shadow of what it was in the 1960s. Which is a pity.

Al.
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