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Lightweight 2 metre &
70cms Yagis, Dipole,
Accessories & Poles
www.sotabeams.co.uk
ZLP Electronics
"DigiMaster"
Sound Card Interfaces
& CAT, CIV rig control
interfaces and
programming cables.
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MØMTJ
IARU Grid
Square IO82VO * WAB Square SO89 *
CQ Zone 14 * ITU Zone 27 * 52:35:48N 2:12:16W * 125m a.s.l.
"AMATEUR
RADIO
- THE GREATEST OF ALL SCIENTIFIC HOBBIES" I.A.R.U
 Hi,
my name is Mike, welcome
along and thanks for
visiting my amateur radio pages.
I also have a page on QRZ.com here: http://www.qrz.com/db/M0MTJ
I have been
interested in radio since I was about eight or nine years of age. I
was keen on listening to our local BBC radio station, Radio Birmingham
at the
time. I also took great interest in the subsequent launch of the first
commercial radio stations in my area; BRMB Radio and Mercia Sound which were
superb examples of local radio with a real community spirit.
I think my fascination
with radio resulted, in part, from my Grandad 's
interest in the subject, he was a keen listener and had many different
radio
receivers. Additionally an aunt gave me the Ladybird book "Making A
Transistor Radio" written by George Dobbs. This introduced me to
building
radios and electronic circuits and as a youngster I built many crystal
sets and TRF radios including one based on
the ZN414 I.C. that was published in the magazine 'Everyday
Electronics'.
"There's Nothing Like A DS19/87B Radio Valve"
As youngster one of my
favourite LP records was an episode of the radio play Hancock's Half
Hour called The Radio Ham.
I
remember
listening
to
this
vinyl
record
repeatedly.
The
Radio
Ham
was
brilliantly performed
by
Tony Hancock and expertly written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. This
fuelled
my interest in radio and very likely sowed the seed of interest to
become a
licensed radio amateur - one day!
I went on to become
a
keen Short Wave Listener, at first using my home built
short wave regenerative receiver and later various other commercially
bought short wave receivers and a scanner. I was also interested in
citizens band radio (CB)and for some years would regularly burn
the midnight oil - falling asleep over the microphone in the early
hours! All of this has given me a good grounding in
radio, - if you'll excuse the pun.
In all
honesty I should have
become
involved in amateur radio long ago, but I will admit that I was put off
by the complex
maths and the requirement to take the Morse Code (CW) test. Even when
the "Novice" licence was introduced in the 1990's I should have taken
the test then but did not!
Some years later the
amateur licence requirements were changed again to the form that they
exist in today, that is Foundation (M3 & M6); Intermediate
(2EØ)
and Advanced
(MØ).
In 2007,
after a lapse of a few years, I became interested in short wave
listening and CB again. I
soon realized that I wanted more - I needed to become a properly
licenced amateur
radio operator, so I joined a local amateur radio club to learn more!
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The Path To A Full Amateur Radio Licence
In January 2008 I decided
to join my local amateur radio club, perhaps with a little trepidation
at first.
After my
initial studies I
took the
first exam for the Foundation Licence in March 2008 and was really
pleased to obtain my
M3 licence and callsign M3WNQ.
I
was so keen that even while studying for the Foundation licence, I
was also working towards the Intermediate Licence by intensively reading
the the
RSGB book "Intermediate Licence - Building On The Foundation" AND
attending the Advanced Licence evening course on Tuesday
nights!
Immediately
after I passed the
Foundation Exam I applied to do the Intermediate Exam. Naturally
there was more
detail involved in the Intermediate course and a number of practical
excercises to complete, but as I enjoy the practical side of
electronics, construction and building projects I enjoyed the work and
the challenge.
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Onwards to 6th April 2008 when the time came to sit the Intermediate
exam. I
was overjoyed that all my hard work had paid off when I passed the exam
and received my new Intermediate Licence and call sign 2EØMDS.
I completed the advanced course
being held at the club in May 2008. In fact this was
extremely hard work, since I had joined this evening course about a
month late. Because of this I had a great deal of catching up to do.
This entailed
constant studying of the RSGB book "Advance! The Full Licence Manual"
and following the excellent advanced licence course on the BRATS
website. [BRATS no longer have training pages]
Between January and May I was attending the weekly course at the club
and spending an hour or so every day plus many hours every
weekend reading the book and following the BRATS course. I am
extremely grateful to Jules for being so patient with me while my head
was firmly placed between the pages while regularly tapping away on the
calculator!
I eventually sat the Advanced exam on 22nd May 2008. On 26th
June 2008 I was extremely pleased and very relieved to learn that I had
passed the exam and received my Full Licence and shiny new
call sign from
Ofcom - MØMTJ
I
achieved my advanced licence in around six months, which is unusually
quick time. This was with great
help and encouragement from local radio amateurs and, of
course, with vast amounts of intense personal study. I
am very grateful to Dave Gourley G0MJY for all the
training, support and encouragement offered during my intense training - Thanks
Dave!
All that hard work, 'blood sweat and tears' paid off in the
end,
but now I have got to catch up with all the houshold chores that I had
to completely neglect during my non-stop study period. But it was all
worth it and I hope my story will encourage you to send off
the the RSGB
book "Foundation Licence Now" from the RSGB or Practical Wireless
magazine and get on the amateur bands too!
So,
if you are
not already a
licenced radio amateur I hope that these pages may encourage you to
take the
test and initially gain your Foundation Licence and get your M6 call
sign. If you
have an interest in radio, short wave listening or Citizens Band radio,
you will
probably know much of what you need to pass the Foundation exam already
and a
small amount of further reading may be all that's required!
I have written these pages in the hope that they may be of inspiration,
even of help, to newcomers and beginners.
Now that I have my
amateur radio licence and done a little Morse in the
Foundation exam, I am also tempted get to grips with CW and learn Morse
Code
properly some day. But that's for another day.
Maybe we'll talk on the bands one day.
73
Mike
MØMTJ 
MØMTJ
IARU Grid
Square IO82VO * WAB Square SO89 *
CQ Zone 14 * ITU Zone 27 * 52:35:48N 2:12:16W * 125m a.s.l.
Good Amateur Radio
Operating Practices
| Showing Consideration For Others
• Remember that radio contacts are not private — the amateur radio community is a public place.
• Use language that is clear and will not offend.
• Leave music to the broadcast stations.
• Keep a copy of the band plans to hand and follow them.
• Use amateur codes and abbreviations on amateur bands when they are appropriate (e.g. Two
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Echo Zero, QSY. 73. 588) and avoid codes or jargon from other radio users (e.g. CB, PMR, military, marine)
• Keep overs short as you would in a
conversation — new friends might want to ioin in or conditions might change such that your signals fade away.
• lf you find another station on ‘your'
frequency politely ask them to move, or move your QSO to a clear
frequency - propagation may have changed and they may have been there
all the time.
• Find a clear frequency to tune up on and keep a note of your ATU settings for quick retuning next time you use the band. |
• Answer CQ calls once then listen; only call again if no other station has been identified - be patient.
• lf the station you are calling is not working anyone near you wait a while and try again later - be patient.
• Try calling CQ on bands that sound dead - others may be waiting for a call.
• Remember, there is no need for ‘CQ’ on a repeater just ‘M6XYZ listening through GB3UB’ is enough.
Helping Others
• Keep the hobby growing and help
newcomers to get started.
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• Offer friendly advice to help others
improve their skills.
• If you can hear someone calling CQ and no one is answering, give them
a call, even if it is just to let them know their signals are getting out.
• Always give accurate signal reports – if you need 3 repeats, they cannot be 5&9.
• Inspire others to be good operators by being one yourself.
• If someone needs help (e.g. with putting up an antenna) lend a hand - you may need help next time!
Being Active
• Use the bands without abusing the
privileges that your Licence gives you.
• Join in club activities (local, national or both) – they provide an
excellent opportunity to help others and to learn more about the hobby.
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• Reduce power to minimum whilst
tuning - it's safer for your radio and less interference to others.
Calling Other Stations
• Listen carefully to the CQ call — is it a general call to all or a specific call to one continent or country?
• Only call if the CQ is general or for your area (e.g. ‘CQ UK’ or 'CQ
Europe') or your callsign group (e.g.‘calls with zero only') your turn
will come - be patient.
• Always give your callsign in full and remember to send the other
station’s call first (e.g. 'Delta Six Eight Charlie from Golf Echo
Alpha Bravo Charlie)
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Learning More
• Familiarise yourself with your own radio equipment (e.g. Know how to work ‘split’)
• Read through the whole of your Licence - the training doesn’t cover
all of it but you must comply with the parts that apply to you.
• Read up on topics of interest (the RSGB operating manual is a mine of information).
• Try new ways of operating e.g. back- packing, data modes, satellites, gaining awards, taking part in contests.
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• Experiment with different antennas bands, modes – learn by doing.
• If you don’t know something, try to find the answer, search the web, read some books or ask for help.
• Set yourself some goals e.g. To upgrade your licence by the end of
the year, to work 100 countries in a year / month / weekend, to learn
Morse and get a proficiency certificate.
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Download this RSGB Leaflet here: http://www.rsgb.org/tutors/pdf/good_operating_practices.pdf
Join the
RSGB
-
The
Radio
Society
of
Great
Britain - http://www.rsgb.org/
Get A Licence - http://www.rsgb.org/getlicence/
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Operating Procedures and Amateur Radio
Ethics (IARU / RSGB pdf download)
RSGB Guide To Good_Operating_Practices - PDF Download
Maths Primer to help with the methematics
involved in the Advanced course
More useful Amateur Radio Links here >
**JOIN** The Radio Society of Great
Britain - Representing the best interests of radio amateurs against PLT
IMPORTANT -
H.F. Radio Threatened with obliteration from HomePlug PLT Networking
Adapters:
The precious radio spectrum from 2 MHz
to 330 MHz is under threat from Power Line Network adapters - PLT / PLA
- supplied by, among others, BT, BT Vision, Comtrend, and Belkin etc.
These devices are not compliant with the Wireless Telegraphy Act - yet
the UK's inept and useless radio spectrum 'regulator' fails to act.
Ofcom's incompetence and willful neglect must be challenged. Please
Donate to the Spectrum Defence Fund: Donate here
Help Save the H.F. Short Wave Radio Band
PLT: PowerLine Networking
is a technology that can be used for computer networking. It is also
proven by EMC experts to
be extremely
harmful to the radio
spectrum by causing very severe radio interference. PowerLine
Networking is being widely
promoted by telecoms and computer companies - despite NOT complying
with accepted technical standards
known as Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC).
This
technology is also known variously as PLT, PLA and HomePlug networking.
HomePlug adapters, PLA's, are the electronic devices used to create a
network. The most common and most disruptive adapters are the Comtrend
type, supplied by British Telecom with their BT Vision service.
If you
are
thinking
of
buying
Powerline Networking
Devices
then
DON'T !
PLEASE
RECONSIDER
Similar PowerLine Networking adapters are also being pushed by computer
suppliers such as PC World and Maplin etc under many brand names
including Belkin, Netgear, Devolo,
Linksys etc. PowerLine Network Adapters cause terrible
radio interference and are also completely unnecessary and do not meet
basic EMC legislation - although our incometent governement and Ofcom
deny these facts:
A better and
more
reliable can easily be established at a fraction of the cost of PLT by
using a very simple and very cheap and reliable network cable.
Using
a
passive
network
cable
is
also
FAR
GREENER
since
it
consumes
no
additional
energy
- unlike a PLT adapter which will invariably be
left powered up continually therefore wasting expensive electricity 24
hours a day, adding to the carbon footprint.
HELP
save
world
band
radio
from
"PLT"
-
If
you
are
thinking
of
buying
Powerline
Ethernet
Devices
then
DON'T
-
Please
Reconsider.
PLEASE.
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Universal
Declaration of Human Rights 1948-1998
Article
19 says:
Everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.
In this respect the deliberate or otherwise jamming
of world band radio (shortwave) and amateur transmissions is in direct
conflict with this act!
|
"All
that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing"
**JOIN**
The
Radio
Society
of
Great
Britain
-
Representing
the
best
interests
of
radio
amateurs
against
PLT
The precious radio
spectrum from 2 MHz to 330 MHz is under threat from Power Line Network
adapters - PLA / PLT - supplied by, among others, BT, BT Vision,
Comtrend and Belkin etc. These devices are not compliant with the
Wireless Telegraphy Act - yet the UK's inept and useless radio spectrum
'regulator' fails to act.
Ofcom's incompetence and willful neglect must be challenged.
Please Donate to the Spectrum Defence Fund:
DONATE
on-line
to the RSGB Spectrum Defence Fund at
www.rsgb.org/defencefund/
**JOIN** The Radio Society of Great
Britain - Representing the best interests of radio amateurs against PLT
|
