I recently set up a second desk in my living room, a communications corner if you will, where I have some of my radio equipment and a computer for the likes of the Free Radio Network, possibly Echolink, if allowed in the foundation class license for communication (which I will check with Ofcom and RSGB when the time comes), and logging purposes, and some updates to this blog also
My girlfriend and I plan to see how high the loft space is in the coming weeks, I hope to purchase a suitable loft-mounting antenna and install it there until such times I can install my larger 5/8 wave antenna, although a backup plan is an inverted v mounted to the trusses, having a working CB at home will be beneficial to me, in particular when I have a car so if I am out and girlfriend is here she can keep in touch with me, also be good to get back on the air again anyway, under the handle “red squirrel”, or, for DX work, the callsign 26CT730, my handheld is good and all but not really ideal to use indoors on it’s supplied antenna. The target date for this is the coming weeks, given that I’m already preparing the corner where the desk with the radios is located for use
I will most likely be on UK7 though will also monitor UK19, if, of course, you cannot reach me on CB, I am always available on the Free Radio Network, usually listening via my gateway but sometimes on the PC now, my gateway has my CB handle in the name, my pc only client does not, if the PC only client shows a grey icon I’m more often than not listening via a radio, which I am doing as I type this in fact, although the gateway is quiet right now.
I have had a few QSOs on the Richmond FRN Gateway (which I run) and direct from the comms computer on the Free Radio Network on the 446Muppets server, there are some nice people on there, so don’t be shy and try it out
I’ve also started up listening to GB3IR, the local 2m band Amateur repeater here in Richmond, although it hasn’t been as active as the FRN gateway in the day or two I’ve been listening to it, I’ve got my multiband receiver (item #8 on list to right) turned on right now listening to that as well, but at this time of day it’s a little on the quiet side, it makes for some good listening, in particular because I wish to get an Amateur radio license, hopefully this will happen in 2012
Oh, and a belated Happy New Year, hope you all had a good Christmas and certainly a good New Year’s celebration
73
