Here’s a summary of the activity on the Essex Ham Monday Night Net this evening, Monday 22 April 2013.
The net started at 8:00pm on GB3DA, which so far, touch wood, is working ok.
For details of the net, see www.EssexHam.net
Here’s the attendance list for this week’s net:
- Pete M0PSX in Southend, in the chair
- Jim 2E0RMI in Chelmsford
- Dean M6BYF in Kent
- Peter G1FOA in Chelmsford
- Lucy M6ECG in Brightlingsea
- Bruce 2E0CPQ
- Phil M0IMA in Swanscombe
- Fred M6BZW in Maldon
- Tom 2E0TNC in Tiptree
- Neil G0RNU in Tilbury
- Rob M6KDP in Maldon
Topics for the evening as follows:
-
Pete’s Wireless USB Weather Station Last Saturday’s International Marconi Day – good fun day. G1FOA, M6BZW and M6ECG were involved in ops, and 2E0RMI and M0PSX were listening!
- Thousands of applicants for a one-way trip to Mars. Anyone know the radio lag for the round trip? (3-29 mins apparently, depending on the distance)
- Aeronautical mobile Not allowed in the UK, but allowed in some other countries
- Things you’re not allowed to listen to: aircraft band, taxis & pirate radio. You can own a scanner, but not listen to certain things. What about listening to the marine band?
- Listening to ‘Numbers Stations‘… no… I didn’t know what they were either.
- Scanners – Apparently, scanner users can be detected by tuning to the scanner’s local oscillator… same principle as TV Detector Vans. Anyone believe this theory??
- CB – It seems a lot of tonight’s attendees started in CB – And Lucy M6ECG is still using CB, and says it’s alive and kicking in Essex.
Handy Links
- The £10 USB radio dongle is the Realtek RTL2832
- Home weather monitoring: Get yourself a Wireless Weather Station (I use the Wireless USB Weather Station, £59 from Maplin)
Please show your support for GB3DA and GB3ER by joining the Essex Repeater Group, or making a donation.
Interesting net tonight… thanks everyone. We wrapped up at 22:30pm
Got a comment about this week’s Monday Night Net? Please add it below.
Interesting talk last night on the net about scanners – prompted me to get out my old realistic scanner & have a listen again…. Found some info about the legality of all this –
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/89037/Guidance-on-Receive-Only-Radio-Scanners.pdf
so it appears the general view was correct. I cannot find if anyone has actually been prosecuted – I guess it would depend on just being sensible, ie don’t listen to military aircraft frequencies whilst standing at the perimeter fence of a USAF base ! I can’t see anyone being prosecuted for listening to the London buses !
Anyone interested in the Numbers Stations – here’s a link to a brilliant documentary –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnXPqUU6fI0
Go for ‘The Lincolnshire Poacher’ – if the player doesn’t work, hit the download which will take you to my mediafire storage, but just make sure you click the correct download button. (If it still doesn’t work just ask me for a copy).
Cheers
Jim
Thanks for the links Jim, I’m interested in in those ‘sinister’ Number Stations!
Lucy
The last British subjects to be prosecuted for listening to aircraft, civil or military, was a group of British plane spotters on holiday in Greece. Although listening to military aircraft in this country is still frowned upon, civil aircraft can be listened to without incurring the wrath of the government provided you can prove that you are interested in aircraft and not using the information for anything other then your own personal enjoyment, i.e. not plotting to cause damage to the aircraft you are listening to. That said, I have on a number of occasions sat at the public parking area of Lakenheath Airfield with my scanner in the car and a member of the military security service standing next to the car listening in to what is being said by the pilots talking to the tower on final approach. I would say that the Yanks are more relaxed about it then the British are!