On Wednesday I had to make a mad dash to Cobram on the Vic/NSW border for work. I had seen advertised on vkclassifieds and at the local vk3 hamfests the radio book store. So I took the time to drop in and say hello and have a browse. http://www.radiobooks.com.au/ The book store is run by…
WSJT, MAP65, WSPR, and WSJT-X are open-source programs designed for weak-signal digital communication by amateur radio. Normal usage requires a standard SSB transceiver and a personal computer with sound-card. WSPR (pronounced “whisper”) stands for “Weak Signal Propagation Reporter.” This program is designed for sending and receiving low-power transmissions to test propagation paths on the MF and HF and VHF/UHF…
I’ve been planning a trip to the Kimberley for a while now, and part of this process has been setting up the car. Satellite phones are now common, and many people have moved to this technology for remote area contact, but many still use the good old RFDS/HF radio phone network. I was lucky enough…
Cheap and Cheerful. The new world order in Ham radio gear. In the last couple of years, a range of cheap ham radios have started to come out of china. These radios were not great a couple of years ago, but now they offer good performance for not a lot of money. I was looking…
We recently got a new car, and with this came the old issue of “where to mount radios” One of the forums i read, pointed me to this neat and nifty “no holes” holder system from HoldmyPhone The system uses brackets specifically designed to click on vents and dashes for a range of cars without…
Modern cars are fantastic, but not always conducive to mounting radios. Its easy to take to them with a screwdriver, but modern plastic and resale value really takes a whack!, to solve this with my old car and my icom 706 head unit, I looked wider and came up with the below. Taking a screwdriver…
Being a mac user, the options for ham radio software can be limited, but in recent years the quantity and more importantly the quality of programs available has really increased. My logging program of choice is MacLoggerDX, this nifty native mac app allows logging, spotting, contesting and remote rig control (to my ic9100) http://www.dogparksoftware.com/MacLoggerDX.html Don…
A neat little toy, the Youkits HF antenna analyser, its handy to check the resonance of my antennas’ small, portable and quick!. my version goes from 1-60mhz, and have adjustable tuning control. you can read the manual at http://www.youkits.com/ its pretty simple, and has a built in Li-on battery. this is a version one model, the…
The MWRS club guys last night emailed around an interest to try Slow Scan TV, not having played SSTV before, I decided to join them and have a play!. we started on 14mhz, but didnt have any luck, so we moved to 7mhz and was able to make/receive pics from Melbourne to Sydney. I used…
In late June, an email arrived on the VK APRS list promoting another High Altitude Ballon Launch, this time from Bendigo (central Victoria). run by the http://projectspaceballoon.net/ guys!. The Launch was slated for midday Saturday July 6th (what a nifty birthday pressie for me!), a small balloon carrying a Raspberry PI payload with Camera and LIPD 434mhz…