HERE
Do you sometimes wish that you can tear down your entire amateur radio station and start again? Not me, it was perfect. At least perfect for my needs. Didn’t stop me wanting to buy new radios and antennas though :-)
This is the way.
Right now I’m sat in my van scanning the 2/70 repeaters and calling frequencies.
THERE
A house move has meant the station had to be dismantled and packed away. Gordon and Adrian (pictured above) assisted me in the dismantling, but it was still a sad moment. I had built the station over 6 years and have no idea how my new location will fare.
Me and the family will be moving over the border of England into Scotland. Nothing high altitude, only 86m asl, but it is on the side of a hill and has a couple of acres of space.
I swaped my VW Scirocco (plus some cash) for a VW transporter (that has a bed in) and managed to move a few scaffold poles up to Scotland.
I tied a vizi-vest to the front and back to comply with local road laws and had no issue.
I have successfully used scaffold poles to make a tilting mast but have plans (and permission from the station master) for something more substantial.
This was the tilting section of my mast as I took it down.
More details in the next post when we can move from this current between-home-limbo and can get into our new home.
GEAR
So the van is now my portable shack. Could be worse. Let’s face it... when time allows I can drive it up a hill and no doubt make lots of new contacts.
In the van at the moment I have my Yaesu FTM500, for 2m, 70cm, APRS and Fusion, an Anytone AT-779 for 4m, an Inrico network radio and the Thunderpole TX for CB. I need to swap the 4m antenna for the CB antenna as I only want two antennas on the van at any time.
Unless I’m parked up, then I can put up a 10m telescopic mast and dig out the iCom 705 for some HF fun. That lives in a pack I keep in the back during field trips.
I’ve a lot to think about when it comes to getting my new station up and running. I will not have a dedicated outdoor shed/shack but there is a room at the back of the house I can start with. I’ll be close to a lot of big trees but will have to make do before I eventually ‘sneak’ a mast up. There are not many neighbours but I’m not keen on annoying them from day one.
The antennas I have to hand are a 40m long wire, My ZS6BKW, a brand new 4M J-Pole from Ceecom, a Comet GP9, an 80m sky loop and a GPA-80FHP which might be what I get up first.
As I will be out of VHF/UHF range with all the friends i’m leaving behind, i’ll have a network radio sitting on standby to stay in touch. Just till I can get the HF part of the station fully operational.
Fun times ahead.
ONAIR
As I was packing the last of the boxes from the shack, my local repeater GB3OV burst into life with the weekend net. This repeater was my first port of call as a licensed amateur radio operator.
During Covid it had been a lifeline, but more than that, it's continued readiness is the heartbeat of the local radio community and beyond. A place where missives and conversations lead to long-lasting friendships.
Most of these interactions had been via net controller G4UXV but on this, possibly my last chat on the net, I keyed up to be greeted by Alan M0FDA.
Here is an audio clip from that net, enabled by a repeater I know better than any other. It felt like a final transmission but not a farewell. More a moment of gratitude.
The great thing about radio is that it knows no borders. With the right band and the right time, our voices can circle the earth. In the world of radio, distance doesn’t define connection and no friend is ever truly far away.
Thanks to GW8LGX Steve for being the first new voice I heard on 73fromG5DOC, the Zello Group for this newsletter.
Had a lovely chat with M7FWH Ed, who popped up on 4M while I was mobile, driving past Birmingham. He was very surprised to hear anyone and I was glad he had been listening to the calling frequency. You never know who might fly by.
I listened to a radio play on BBC Radio 4 documenting the 70’s Moorgate train accident. They discussed a sub surface radio technology called F.I.G.A.R.O which at the time was top secret.
ELSEWHERE
Love this gem from Bob Ross…
Should you want to decode Pocsag pagers
Some innovation in AI noise filtering
If you are already a fan of the SI4732 SW receiver you’ll be pleased to know there’s a firmware upgrade to make it even better.
A lovely bit of radio history.
Ukrainian drone company finds alternatives to GPS
Ye olde hurdy gurdy museum of vintage radio Via Hannah Lynch
This is my other more regular, slightly more eclectic email
Don’t forget the Zello Group for this newsletter is called 73fromG5DOC and the password is documentally
When it comes to learning morse code you really should play it by ear.
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FINALS
Thanks for reading this sporadic email. I’m hoping it will be less sporadic in the future.
As i’m sat here in the van, there is a guy on the 4m calling frequency i’m going to get back to.
Please share this wherever you think it might resonate. You are some of the more curious people in radio ;-) And I thank you.
Over
73 de Christian G5DOC
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