FITSAT morse in the sky

http://www.fit.ac.jp/~tanaka/fitsat.shtml posted this on twitter. the morse bit is cool but it has an onboard camera with shots like these.

being transmitted on a 5.84GHz link real satelite TV 

Blogway test

Seen this android app and giving a go.

Slow to type on a phone but ok for quick posts

CB or not CB

I've dugg out my old scanner ( bought to moitor bands I didn't have rigs for) and was looking up the current state of play in UK of what you can and can't listen to it comes down to

1. Broadcast
2. Ham Radio
3. CB (big change from the old days
4. and an odd one navigationl broadcasts?

dose PMR446 come under CB?
and is there anything on CB 27Mhz as from investigation look like it's 80channel ( old UK 40 + EU 40)?
no licence great but set up scanner with best I can UK 40 is an odd offset.
not a sausage!
got some distant under the squelch on 10FM nothing I could make out. SSB-10M was better.
CB nothing.
if anyone is using CB let me know, it would be nice after all though people protested to get it in the 70s and 80s.
is PMR446 the new CB?
and can you listen to it to find out?

Little people invading?

Seen a lot of radio stuff with 433Mhz written on it recently. I have a clock with temperature display and a remote transducer with the said mark. So I got my uv-3r out and had a scan around and found it’s burp on 433.920Mhz but if I go up 5khz and open squelch I get an almost constant stream of chirps and burps. Further investigation found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LPD433 , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-power_communication_device  and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_keyless_system. Low and behold my car keys give out a buzz near there.

As well as that we have http://ukhas.org.uk/general:beginners_guide_to_high_altitude_ballooning doing some cool stuff on 434.075Mhz, http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:tracking_guide. They have their own protocol http://ukhas.org.uk/communication:protocol looks simpler than APRS and works ok, this is the sort of thing we could all be doing if not for http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/spectrum/amateur-radio/guidance-for-licensees/samplelicence07.pdf section 9(3)

9(3) Without prejudice to Clause 1 of this Licence, the Licensee shall not establish or use the Radio Equipment in any Aircraft or other Airborne Vehicle.

We could make use of this simpler protocol on HF? For direction finding as that is the only way we can beacon other than 144.800Mhz without NOV (notice of variation)

I also noticed we were turfed out of parts of 70cm for the Olympics. 70cm is a nice big band in a prime part of the spectrum and we have it on a secondary basis, if we don’t use it others have the right to do so.

If you a Foundation Licence see table A in the licence, it’s your highest and biggest apart from 10Ghz. So cherish it.

Balloons in uk?

http://ukhas.org.uk/
they are using a FSK signal on licence free 434.075Mhz in 70cm Amateur radio band, but you can't put an Amateur transmitter in one. not sure why we are limited in this way?

could you hang a becone or video transmitter under a tethered baloon or kite as http://ukhas.org.uk/communication:licence_exempt states

Video: 2.400 – 2.4835 GHz 10 mW EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) 20 MHz Bandwidth

can be used?

lots of cool stuff and you can view live on google maps at http://spacenear.us/tracker/

PCB-guide

I design PCB's for a living but I still like to learn, check out this site-
http://www.frontdoor.biz/HowToPCB/HowToPCB.html
as people always ask how you start.
15years in electronics in my case.

Where should I get on……?

This is a big question for Radio Ham’s looking at a new band or home. Being new to HF TX short wave listening I’m an old hand at but that was at a different QTH. I looked on the web to help me with this question. I discovered http://www.voacap.com/coverage.html , I think was written originally as a tool for VOA (Voice Of America) a broadcast station. But this online tool can give you some idea of your HF coverage although the map is a little small. Give it a go it’s free.

Going for a more detailed option there is http://www.cplus.org/rmw/rmonline.html an online version of the radio mobile package by ve2dbe see here http://www.cplus.org/rmw/english1.html . For the online version you will need a login and a good read of the documentation but it can give you an idea of good portable sites and links to your best buddy at the radio club.

Got a screen shot of the 2M range from my favourite site Billy in Llantrisant.

so I missed the date

it was in 2011 but amazing any way!

http://www.trackuino.org/

http://www.trackuino.org/
had to post when I found and you can follow real time on the map.
http://aprs.fi/?call=K6RPT-11
a balloon on a mission.
build your own from http://code.google.com/p/trackuino/

UV-3R trick!

If you want to use it as a scanner and are worried you may touch the TX button on a frequency you are not licenced for. The trick is to set the repeater shift to 39.99Mhz on vhf or 69.99Mhz on uhf and the software will stop you transmitting outside the band.( 136-174 MHz and 400-470 MHz)

Also the volume button opens the squelch if you hold it down. Seen this one here http://www.uv3r.com/images/UV_3R_CheatSheet.pdf

they sell them at http://www.uv3r.com/Index.html not where I got mine, so can’t vouch for them.

seen some very brightly coloured ones on e-bay as well.
by the way I set this up on the VFO's for UHF and VHF and got in a real knot when I had to QSY from my stored repeater channel.