FRN client on Android

For some time now there has been a Free Radio Network client for Android doing the rounds known as GRNClient, and in that time I have never been able to get it to work, until now.

I purchased a hudl this week, this is a £119 Android tablet sold exclusively by British supermarket chain Tesco, and is as near as makes no difference a stock device aside from a Tesco button on the bottom left of the screen.

The GRNClient app is not available in Google Play, you have to download the apk file, allow the device to install from unknown sources, and then you can install it.

Given that some of the example screens are in Italian on the website it comes from I'll post some English screen captures here from my Samsung Galaxy S4 as it is yet to have the GRN client installed at time of posting and this makes a perfect excuse to do so.

1. Allow the phone or tablet to install from unknown sources, you do this by:
   
   
   

   

   Selecting "Security"

   
   

   

   Ticking "Unknown sources"

   
   

   

   and tapping "OK"
   
   

   
   
   
   
2. Next you want to download the client, click here, the page will be in Italian so you can translate it if you wish, scroll to the bottom and you will find a QR code, if you have a barcode scanner on your device simply scan this, if not there are free barcode scanners on Google Play that you can use.
3. Click the link the barcode scanner gives you, it will look like this, or you can simply press "open browser and it should download.
   
   
4. The download will be in the notifications at the top of the device's screen, pull it down and tap the apk
   
   You will be presented with the following
   
   
   Tap "Install" to install the app, you should then see install progress like this
   
   
   
   
   And when it is done it will then give you the option to open the app like this
   
   
   
   Tap "Open"
5. With the app started you need to do some final things before it can work, you will be presented with this screen
   

This is the screen that will display other clients in the net on the server that you are in, you need to press menu, this will present the following options

If you tap "Settings", you will get something similar to the following

All you need to do now is fill in the information, be aware, however, that you must specify a port number if it is not 10024 or the client will crash, for example if you were to connect to 446Muppets (where my gateways are) you would need to enter the address as normal but add :10025 to the end, this is the port, I figured this out through some trial and error.

And that is it, now you can use your tablet or phone on the Free Radio Network like you would your shack computer, you may find that for best results you should plug in a headset.

Remember to test in the Test room first, use the messages option to send message to start the parrot if you need to.

73 de 26CT730

VHF CB coming to the UK... maybe? hopefully

After doing a check to find out if AM/SSB has been legalised or not yet (that is in July still as has always been the case) I discovered that we may get a VHF CB allocation and the radio community are very keen on this idea.

From what I can tell, an idea being put forward is a block of 20 channels, and because VHF equipment already exists for Amateur use it could in theory be modified for use here, however Ofcom may stipulate a that equipment has to be type approved in line with other license-free radio such as the existing CB allocation on 27MHz or the PMR446 service should this be approved, hopefully if this is given the green light and approved, it means the more civilised and serious CB operators, including myself, have further channels to use, and the antenna lengths are more practical for mobile use, also VHF would be immune from the Russian taxi drivers that currently plague the 11m band.

I say UK operators push for this allocation, the frequencies are being made available so why not put this across to Ofcom before they give them to something else, I like the idea of a VHF allocation, shorter antennas and more suited to handhelds, the consultation document can be found here, as well as a means to respond, please do so, you will be helping make VHF CB a reality in the UK.

73 de 26CT730

Scooter CB... the reality coming soon maybe?

As you may recall I have been planning on investing in a 50cc scooter to get me about as I am finding bus fares costly and they have indeed gone up, a second issue that has since arisen is cuts to all the bus services in the local area that are not commercially run, that would be 95% of them, you may also remember I plan to install a CB radio and chose a Midland Alan 42 Multi for this very reason.

Once I have the scooter I can properly look at fitting anything needed, including a cigarette lighter socket for radio power, though I plan to fit one anyway for my phone as I may need to charge it on the go.

once I have looked at the scooter and located where best to fit the coax, mount, and the radio itself, as well as fitting a headset in my motorcycle helmet then I should in theory be able to chat on the move on the CB in a limited capacity, what I would also need to check is that the engine, a GY6 type engine, doesn't generate any QRM, if it does generate any it may be difficult to isolate, however I can only check for this when the engine is running and running at various different RPM as any QRM may get worse at different RPM.

I'll keep you informed.

73 de 26CT730

Shack tidy up

I figured today I should have a little bit of a tidy up in the shack, this is for a few reasons.

First and foremost I will be getting the shackcam back online at some point soon, and if the shackcam is on I'd rather have a tidy shack than a messy one.

Secondly as I plan to do a short video of any new and interesting radios I get for publishing both on the blog and my radio communications website I would prefer the shack look reasonably tidy before any filming takes place

Thirdly, as the desk was getting extremely cluttered it was difficult to work which is not at all helpful, also some other things needed moving, it looks somewhat better now.

Due to issues with the CB gateway that still cannot be resolved (heavy CPU usage sending false audio indications to the Free Radio Network client, I am thinking of using that computer for the shack computer again and using my newer laptop for the CB gateway as it has unfortunately suffered damage rendering it's internal display inoperable, as it is currently at my work I will be retrieving it this week, and looking at how I could get it to work for this purpose, though the CB gateway may, in the end, remain on the existing machine, but I'll see what happens.

I'll keep you updated and I aim to get the shackcam working this week as well

73 de 26CT730

The DX5000, is it worth it?

I am looking into treating myself to the K-PO DX5000 for my birthday in April, the question is though, is this radio worth the money?

I have heard mixed reports about it, and over time it has got better, the current version is version 6.

This radio is also known as the Anytone AT5555, the Maas DX5000, the Intek HR5500 and other names

Out of the factory it is generally programmed for the 10-meter Amateur band and thus sold as a radio for that band, but it is expandable to cover the 11-meter band as well, generally this has to be done with a data cable.

Power outputs are reportedly 12 Watts AM, and about 40 Watts FM and SSB* however this is adjustable on AM and FM (not SSB as the power output is dependent on your audio going in).  Though the UK gets SSB and AM on the midband this year, the power output is 12 Watts PEP for a legal radio on SSB and 4 Watts on AM, and as this radio exceeds it it would not be legal to use on the midband for SSB and AM.

When I get this radio, I will hook it up to a dummy load and see what is what with it, and can report further, receive would require me to connect it to an antenna, the antenna that I have in my loft for the CB gateway works OK on receive but it also is very prone to picking up QRM owing to it's location, but at least I'll have some idea if I do, and having looked at the mic pinout it appears I can avoid plugging the mic in for receive, though to use my powered desk mic I'd have to wire 3 out of the 4 wires.

So, will this radio be worth the money I will be paying for it? We shall see, and I hope it to be the first radio I can connect to my Sirio GPE 5/8 as that antenna will be going up when I get a house, and there's only so much you can do in a council-rented flat, and an antenna with radials on it won't get past the planners, housing, or my grumpy downstairs neighbour, a shame really because I'm on a hill and that's a good location for good DXing.

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled, a DX5000 will hopefully be appearing in my shack very soon.

73 de 26CT730

*SSB power output is measured as PEP (Peak Envelope Power)

PS, I will probably make a small video on my thoughts of the DX5000 after I get it, that will be available here and on YouTube, probably with another video later, keep watching this space

CB testing

I recently constructed a dummy load, using instructions I found on the Internet, that consists of nothing more than salt water, a container, a SO239 in top of container, some silicone sealant, and two pieces of copper wire (Google search for "salt water dummy load" if you're interested and want to make this yourself), because it contains salt water and a large amount of RF will heat it up, it makes it perfect for use on legal CB radios that output at 4 watts, at the moment it is connected to my Midland 78 Plus Multi B, though I plan to swap it to my Moonraker FA5000 as I reserved the Midland for car use.

The primary reason for connecting it up is because I had built it some weeks ago and had initially calibrated it on the Midland, and after that it had been stood for some time so I was not sure if it was still working as it did when I built it.  I do own a Zetagi DL50 dummy load that can take 50 watts but reserve this for serious rig testing (for example if I suspect the finals have blown in a CB), this saltwater load, which I keep connected to a spare SWR meter, is for using the rigs short range, for example testing the received audio on the Free Radio Network CB gateway, as I suspect right now that it is a bit over the top on some rigs, it appeared to be on my Midland 78 so I will look into dropping the volume down a touch, the test room parrot may be of some help here, thus the secondary reason for connecting it to a radio.

I have to go to conduct the remaining audio tests on the gateway, as well as other things, so will return soon with more of my goings on in the world of hobby radio

73 de 26CT730

Updates

I have not been able to update this in a while as I have been very busy, not been able to get on air much either but that should be set to change.

The CB gateway is now operational part-time, I managed to get an antenna up in the loft, an "excalibur" antenna which is the smallest antenna I could find and the only one that would fit in there, though still had some SWR issues so have had to use a matcher as a stop-gap, but I can hear it on a handheld at least two miles away on it's rubber duck antenna so it must be getting out fine, it's times of operation, though not totally set in stone, are 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday, it may not operate on Sundays, and we're almost into week three with it.

I have yet to achieve my Amateur radio foundation license but I hope to get that this year if all works out well, and GB3IR, the local 2m repeater, is still operating, something I sometimes listen to either on my Wouxun handheld or the RTLSDR though that is currently purposed for something else right now.

Once I got the RTLSDR going properly I was able to receive APRS, pagers (which surprised me), ADS-B at 1090MHz, GSM phones (though for obvious reasons I was not able to decode them), the television band (which is solely occupied by DVB-T and DVB-T2 transmissions), some VHF business band transmissions, PMR446 (including the Richmond PMR446 FRN gateway which of course is in the same room), the broadcast band, the airband, and a radio controller for a novelty inflatable robot that operates somewhere in 49MHz (I think) and interestingly using AM to carry both voice and it's data packets to control the toy it goes with, I was not successful in receiving any CB traffic though the tuner can tune down there, even to 27.555MHz.

I have also put together a salt water dummy load from instructions I found on the Internet as I had all the parts required and it works reasonably well, not perfect but I only need it to dump RF into if there is no antenna rather than test power output which is what my manufactured dummy load is for.

I also discovered another issue with radio's public enemy number one, PLT adaptors, it has been found that these things not only wipe out radio spectrum but they also have the potential to connect to other houses in the same street, there's evidence on the Internet of this where BT Internet customers have found their connection suddenly change to TalkTalk, which without the PLT devices is not possible because the BT Home Hub cannot authenticate to TalkTalk's systems, so a massive security hole there, perhaps less of these things will be in operation now for fear of other people connecting to them and "stealing" internet.

I'll try and update more often and I should be back on the air properly soon

73 de 26CT730