This is a simple modification that takes around 5 minutes but makes a big improvement to the already great TM-V71. The fan on this radio is very loud and runs at full speed from the moment you press the PTT then stays on for a few minutes after you release the PTT. This isn’t a problem in a mobile setting where there is usually more background noise but it is very loud when using the TM-V71 in a quiet home shack.
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GB3EK Repeater
I’m lucky enough to have been given to opportunity to become the next keeper of the GB3EK repeater, an iconic 70cm repeater on the South East coast with 40 years of history and service to the local Amateur Radio community.
Ardufox RDF transmitter V1
It’s been a long time coming but now, it’s here!
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the ArduFox V1!
FT-857 Manpack revisited
See part 1 here
It’s been a while since I featured my FT-857 manpack on here and I’ve been using it well for over a year now so I thought I better show some sort of update.
So here it is. The FT-857 Manpack as it stands today…
The pack all ready for use…
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QRO 1:1 Choke
I’ve been meaning to build a good 1:1 choke or line isolator for a while now and the parts have been sitting on the shelf for over a year. Well today I finally got around to it.
I chose to build something that would handle the full UK power limit (400W) with no problem and used G3TXQ’s excellent chart to select the best combination of core and windings.
Special event station – GB1MSM
Had a great time at the Manston Spitfire and Hurricane Museum today setting up and running a special event station for museum on the air weekend.
We had 2 stations set up, one on 40M and a second on 20M using the excellent 5B4AGN bandpass filters that I made to stop the stations from interfering with each other.
IC-7200 Mic upgrade
Just a quick post about the stock microphone on the Icom IC-7200. If you have a “made in China” version of the HM-36 then you can make your audio a lot better.
Forget messing around with the mods listed over the internet and jump right in with a kit from AB5N. His microphone element along with the associated modifications will transform your HM-36 into a great sounding microphone.
I tried 4 different modifications and the AB5N came out on top. Highly recommended.
FT-857 Portable Manpack
See part 2 here
My poor FT-857 has had a rough life. It’s been used portable and usually ends up being thrown in a bag with the ATU, battery and other parts. I decided it was time to show it some respect and create a military inspired manpack to keep it safe and secure.
Icom IC-7200 QRS mod
I’m a keen user of ALE on the HF bands and recently purchased an Icom IC-7200 to use as a dedicated ALE station. I picked the IC-7200 as I liked the form factor, the fact that is is a dedicated HF radio and that it has a built in USB interface. The only problem with using the IC-7200 for ALE use is that the TX bandpass filters are switched in and out using relays as the radio scans through the bands. This causes an annoying “click, click, click” sound when the radio is changing bands and, when scanning at 5 frequencies per second, can put considerable wear on the relays. Luckily, there is a fix for this problem…
Baofeng BF-888s charger modification
I have a few Baofeng BF-888s radios and they are great radios for the price but the charger does not exactly fill me with confidence. The drop in charger comes with a single insulated twin core cable which is very thin and a 2 pin plug with a 3 pin adaptor. No fuse and no secondary insulation make it a dangerous mix so I have replaced the cable on all of mine with some proper twin core mains cable and a 3 pin plug with a 3 Amp fuse.
ILLW 2013 Final Call Log
Here is the final call log for GB0NFL over the ILLW weekend 2013. We made a total of 217 contacts of which 2 were duplicates giving GB0NFL 215 unique contacts during 7 hours of operating.
If you worked us and your call is listed wrong then please contact me so I can correct it.
ILLW 2013
Wow, what a weekend!
Saturday 17th
After months of planning, organising, and working with the local council (who were very good and helpful) the International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend had finally arrived. A keen group of volunteers and Hilderstone Amateur Radio & Electronics Club (G0HRS) members arrived at Joss Bay car park for 11:00 UTC and started to assemble a portable HF station whilst the North Foreland Lighthouse stood tall in the background.
100W dummy load
A quick post about my homebrew 100W dummy load.
Made by following the excellent instructions over at http://www.k4eaa.com/dummy.html, the basic dummy load is easy to build, cheep and effective. Every shack should have one. I used a 1 Litre paint tin and filled it with liquid paraffin to keep things cool.
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A real “Shack in a box”
We have all seen the black box radios that have attracted the term “shack in a box” but I wanted a real shack in a box.
I have limited space at home and wanted to enjoy a bit of portable operating but didn’t want to spend out on extra equipment for portable use and didn’t want to keep unplugging the HF radio and associated bits. The solution was to build a “go box” or “jump kit” that contained all of the equipment needed for home operation and could also be packed up quickly and used for portable operation.
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