Category Archives: General

Have just received my Science week (“The Man Who Shrank the World”) award. This is an award for working stations during the Science Week Friday 10th March to Sunday 19th March 2006. I worked most of the stations on Friday 17th, with a few others during the week.

If I take part next year, I will certainly try to improve my score or 33 points.

I kept forgetting to send of the ScoreSheet and fee, but earlier this week I finally remembered.

I must also congratulate the WAB awards manager for swift actioning of paperwork.

For more info from the Worked All Britain Web Site Click Here.

Here I am writing this post (although will add later) during the Practical Wireless 144MHz 2m contest. We are helping the local Scout Group and using the Club call GX7SAC/P.

We are not looking for the top score, but to get some scouts interested in Amateur Radio who will be taking their Foundation Licence Course and Exam soon.

The Rigs used include Yaesu FT-817 and Yaesu FT-290 as they can do the required Max of 3watts. Antennas we used included 2 Beams (a smaller one until we could get the large beam erected) and a collinear.

At time of writing about half way through we had about 16 contacts including one over 200kms.

As I post this at the end of the day, we got a meagre 23 contacts but enjoyed the day, and both the Scouts and the adult organisers had fun. Will we submit score to PW? Who Knows it wasn’t an incredible score, but watch out won day we will compete seriously.

Have just won auction on eBay for the above item. Decided to risk auction rather than BuyItNow, which worked OK as I was only bidder. Saved about £15 buying that way.

Next month will find a rotator in my price range and soon shall be entering more 2m contests.

After months of chatting on MSN, IRC, Echolink, and working on HamTests.co.uk, I finally managed almost by accident to work M3PHP.

I guess I will have to write that QSL card I have been theatening to write for months.

Wasn’t direct though. Worked via GB3VA in Brill.

Now I think is time to buy a Beam and Rotator and work the UK.

Earlier in the day (when it was still raining) I decided was no good just thinking about repairing my RG58 cable for HF, I should do something about it.

I rolled the cable up into my shack and cut the damaged (was torn away from plug earlier in year) part off.

I was going to leave it at that, but thought I will just prepare for soldering. This was promptly done and then I realised I had screwed the plug on without the jacket so had to remove to add and then screw plug back on again.

I then thought as I had come this far, may as well solder the plug on. This was uncharted territory for me. Soon the Soldering Iron out of the plastic bubble it came in and then solder was prepared. I did a cold run as was my first solo attempt at soldering to make sure things were where I needed them.

The Soldering was soon completed (although slightly messy) and it had stopped raining. So with the PL259 now on my RG58 cable I re-attached to my 1/2 sized G5RV.

2E0TZO is now back on HF (reminder, tidy up the RG58).