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Old 27th May 2022, 6:21 pm   #1
G6Tanuki
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Default Great Circle maps.

In days-gone-by the wall of every SWL/Ham's shack was adorned by a large Great Circle map showing the directions to aim your beam [if only...] and the ham-radio prefixes of different countries.

Mine came from "Short Wave Magazine" some time in the early-70s; I remember the annoyance of the postman at having to deliver this five-foot-long cardboard tube.

I guess that these days the 'functional' replacement would be a bit of software running on your phone/tablet/laptop/PC, probably connected to your beam's rotator so you can tap the screen and a few seconds later you're aiming at a particular country - but I'd rather like to re-create the decorative effect of a wall-hung Great Cirle map.

Can anyone recommend a _modern_ supplier of a full-size [sides at least 48-inches] Great Circle map marked with the current ham prefixes?
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Old 27th May 2022, 9:13 pm   #2
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

Don't know who it was but at the last few rallies at the Braehead centre in Glasgow there was a stall selling a variety of large format maps. Rather good quality.

DAvid
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Old 27th May 2022, 10:17 pm   #3
bikerhifinut
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

Mines from the RSGB shop, but it's not 48 inches square.

Andy.
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Old 28th May 2022, 6:55 am   #4
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

Now very tattered but the RSGB one still hangs on my shack wall - can't be bothered to find a ruler but guess is is about 20 inches each side. I also have the old 'QRA Locator of Western Europe', similar size, and a somewhat smaller 'World Map of Amateur Radio Prefixes' (even more tattered) which are excellent for quickly seeing where places are and far better than the maps they do for the new locator system.

73 Dave G3YMC
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Old 28th May 2022, 7:57 am   #5
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

The RSGB web site quotes the one available now is 610mmx610mm, about 24 inches square.
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Old 28th May 2022, 12:23 pm   #6
Graham G3ZVT
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

I had one on the shack wall surrounded by QSL cards.
I remember the dilemma of deciding whether to put the map pin at London, the map centre or Manchester where I was. I opted for the latter, not that it made much difference.
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Old 28th May 2022, 1:19 pm   #7
Terry_VK5TM
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

There's a couple of places that might be of interest where you can get/do printed maps:-

Printed - https://www.dxmaps.co.uk/product/great-circle-map-2/ - only 24 x 24 inches though.

Or https://ns6t.net/azimuth/azimuth.html - this one you can download and will have to take somewhere to be printed for the larger sizes - 90cm x 128cm (~35 x 50 inches).
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Old 30th May 2022, 10:46 am   #8
G6Tanuki
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

A 24x24-inch map seems stupidly small; does it come with a voucher for Specsavers too?

I _might_ be able to get the printable one printed - someone I know has access to a big professional colour printer they use for producing advertising posters....
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Old 30th Jun 2022, 8:08 pm   #9
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

I kept an eye open in Friedrichshafen

All the great circle maps I saw were around A3 sized

Bigger grid square and world maps but not Great Circle

Fred
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Old 30th Jun 2022, 9:43 pm   #10
majoconz
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Default Re: Great Circle maps.

Save the results from "https://ns6t.net/azimuth/azimuth.html" as a pdf and take it to a printer. Get your 5-year-old to colour it in!
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