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Sunday 7 January 2018

first post of 2018

I haven't posted anything since before the New Year so a belated, if by a few days, Happy New Year, and I am going to try and get more radio into 2018.

I have missed the first 2m FMAC of the year as it was so close to New Year so plan to get on in February for the contest, they've changed the names of the sections to 10V and 50R, I will enter in the 50R, as I went and replaced the OS on my main laptop to Linux I will have to compile Minos from scratch so it will run (the code is available), though most people would do this the easy way and run the precompiled Windows version under Wine, I prefer to do the hard work of compiling these things if possible, though most Linux software is in the package repositories for each distro, I already have access to Echolink this way and a copy of Chirp.

I'm also looking at magnetic loops again, a project I did not ever get off the ground, as I cannot operate HF at all here without one, whether that be the HF bands allocated to Amateurs or the frequencies around 27MHz for CB, as since watching a show on Netflix set in the 1980s it has piqued my interest in CB again, my two CB HTs will be getting fitted with Eneloop Pro batteries as soon as possible as the batteries in the Intek H-520 are failing and only hold a charge for a short time and won't allow the radio to key up at full power, the batteries in the Midland 42 are holding fine for the most part but still could stand to be replaced with the Eneloop batteries I alluded to as they are the best rechargeable batteries on the market.

I also plan to get the bicycle on the road again next month by refitting the pedal that worked loose, this requires me to go get a nyloc nut for it, and reinflating the tyres best I can as my tyre inflator no longer works and I only have a bicycle pump at present, this will allow me to work on fitting some radio gear to the bicycle, though I still need a battery and some method to charge it.

I also hope to repair my groundplane antenna for 2-metres as I have the vertical section in my shack, it would require me to remove the Sugru on the SO239 and fitting a PL259 plug to the feeder which as you know was cut while I was at my old QTH, the rest of the antenna is at the rear of the shed, somewhat hard to access right now and I'd need to reinstate the weatherproofing after completing the repairs and retuning the antenna, the whole job may take a while but the antenna vertical can be soldered back on in a matter of moments and I would need to get hold of some PL259s to fit one to the coax.

I look forward to getting more time on air this year than any other year thus far

73 de 2E0EIJ/26CT730

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