Go to: Back to Essex Ham Chat... Forum Index | Latest Forum Posts
Dragged screaming and kicking back to Radio - my story (2 replies and 1 comment)
Fully understand what you mean about enjoying the technology without having to make idle chit-chat, that's me as well to a large extent.
Also consider the VHF contests on Tuesday and Thursday nights, you have to talk but only to exchange callsigns, locator squares and signal reports.
Personally, I wouldn't waste money on Chinese stuff for HF, second hand good brands would be better, data modes need a stable radio.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the kind words about the site, and welcome back to the hobby.
It is ah raining not here also!
73,
Pete
Cheers Pete
| Search the Essex Ham Forum: |
Go to: Back to Essex Ham Chat... Forum Index | Latest Forum Posts
Hello all
Mark here - G7RBY & G7BGS (long story)
Not an Essex chap, but love your website and club ethos.
I live in Buxton Derbyshire, home of GB3HH and GB7BUX.
I was first licenced back in 1988 and I really enjoyed the hobby back then, buying dirt cheap Pye Wesminsters and crystaling them up for various channels. Picked up an old Pye pocketphone and converted it for listening in on the local Police chatter channel prior to the airwave digital implementation. we had some laughs with that
Since then I dropped the hobby. Why? to be honest (whispers...) I find most QSOs stultifyingly boring. I really dont care at all the weather and temparature where you are. just listen to some QSOs and time how long it is before the weather is mentioned. Seriously - not interested :-)
Anyway I let G7BGS lapse and a couple of years later I applied for a new licence G7RBY because I was attracted to Packet radio. I had my first PC Amstrad 1640 with 40 Meg hard drive (impressed eh?, especially as we can now get 1TB on an SD card ) my TNC and my converted Pye Wessie. The relay on transmit was quite noisy and my wife, (OK OK my XYL) was somewhat exercised about it going off at all hours but it was fun for a bit until I had mastered the mode.
Time passes I decide to re-edufercate myself and end up going to uni - to study IT. I found I was quite good with electronic communications, satellite, optical fibres etc because of the same interest that brought me to ham radio.
So why am I back???
Good question - I became aware of the new digital modes and all the hoo har surrounding single board computers... combined with a whole host of cheap Chinese radios.
I'm working through the DMR modes which are familiar to me with being a consultant to the Airwave contract for the civil nuclear constabulary in a past role.
Great fun to make stuff work with a cheap Raspberry Pi and an MMDVM. I'll soon get bored of it I know...
Many many thanks for the recommendation on the USB dongle reciver. As has been said here - "best £10 a ham could spend" - Where I want to be is on HF trying FT8 and similar modes where I dont have to speak with anyone (ha ha listen to me :-) ) but I can mess about with bits of wire, poles & pulleys and the like. I'll wait until a cheap Chinese HF set comes my way, or build a little QRP set and get going (recommendations welcome)
Right that's me
Mark
PPS the weather here is ... like you give a damn :-)