Category Archives: General

Again, I seem to leaving bigger and bigger gaps between blogging, so thought was time for another update.

Work:- I am still looking at finding another job and have even filled in for a quote for Voluntary Redundancy. Various reasons have made me do this mainly I can hopefully pay off my debts.
Phone:- A couple of days ago, I finally got a Altina GBT708 BlueTooth GPS unit and works with 6600 if anyone is interested. I ordered it from eBay and only took a couple of days to arrive from Singapore as was sent by Fedex.

I have narrowed down my Software list to 2 program, but still want to know if anyone has used these.

BlueSky:- Looks good but sometimes crashes if left for few minutes and not trial period ending (Could be quirk of Trial).
AFTrack:- More screens than BlueSky, but Map Screen not as good.

So come on let me know if they are Good, Bad, Indifferent or is there something Better???

Other Stuff:- My local council have screwed up. I have been over paying them for a while and am now owed about £500. Would have been more, but we owe some court fees from a few years ago. Now the next step for them to maybe screw up is getting the cheque to me. The Fun Begins.

When I does arrive, I have already decided 2 things.
1:- I am spending the money on me. My family normally surprise me with bills, debts and other things, but it’s about time I had some luck with money.
2:- I am getting another Amateur Radio unit which should be a Yeasu FT-817.

Also, because we were over paying the Rent, I have now reduced the amount I need to pay each month from £380 to about £260. Quite a difference!

It’s been over a year since first being licenced as a Amateur Radio operator. I have had quite a good year with it including making new friends at clubs and on the air, attending radio events like Kempton Park Radio Fair.

I have now started my second course (Intermediate Licence) and will take about 6 weeks at the Whitton (WARG) club. I may also keep my M3 call from next 11 months and not upgrade to Intermediate and do my Advance exam. Will mean I forego the added priviledges of the Intermediate licence, but if I don’t have them I won’t miss them. In 11 months if I haven’t got the Advanced, but passed the Intermediate, I will let the M3 laspe and get a 2E call.

Last month I went to the SRCC’s Junk Sale. I sold some items and made about £35 and then brought a 2M Trio for £5 and a couple of weeks later I got the VFO unit for it for £6. Not bad I think to get a working 2M rig for £11.

Just before Christmas we had the extra channels added again to our TV lineup and I am back to regularly watching Discovery Channel.

Yes, it’s back to watching programs I have mentioned before Salvage Squad and some I haven’t including Scrapheap Challenge & American Chopper.

But now more and more they have famous faces presenting TV programs and I am loving these as well.

These include (but not exclusive):- Tony Robinson in Time Team (including Sandi Toksvig on some digs), Rory McGrath’s Bloody Britain, Mark Williams On the Rails, Eddie Izzard’s Mongrel Nation, Violent Nation with Rik Mayall & Vic Reeves’ Rogues Gallery.

Anyway, enough said, it nearly time for Time Team!

The weekend just gone, I have spent a while on the Local Repeater (GB3HZ) talking to other Amateur Radio operators from London and Surrounding areas. This repeater is one of the best I can hear and chat through. It’s in Amersham, which from Sutton is 45 miles (73 km) and I run 0.5 watts from my handheld.

I even managed using my outside antenna connected to my Handheld Radio (Icom IC-E90) to have a direct chat from Sutton to someone is Chesham (don’t ask exactly where it is), and my radio running 5 watts of power made it 47 miles (77km).

Also before getting up out of bed to go to work, I had a chat with another station through the Repeater I had used over the weekend.

So anyway back to the chat now…

Steam engines could be eco hope – By Jo Twist – BBC News

My Modern Steam Engine? article!