In the lockdown, no excuse not to be on air

So at the time of this post, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed a lockdown though we can still go out for a short bit of exercise and to the shops for essentials as infrequently as possible, so to fill in the time of boredom why not get on the radio, even if all you have is a handheld radio.

I can still go out to work as I am considered a key worker as I deliver food to people, albeit pizzas but that is still food, though I do risk being pulled over as I use my own car to do this, however the positive is that I have radios in the car and can get on 2-meters, 70cm and CB/11-meters, the latter being especially ideal right now.

At home I put up my 2-meter groundplane antenna however there is little to hear on 2-meters and also the wind got up on the day of posting to a point in which I decided to take the antenna down.

I am in a position though in which I can work on building the local igate I want to run though obviously in the situation as it stands an NoV may take longer.

This is also a good time for those radio related projects as well so why not dust off that soldering iron and those half-finished projects and get them finished off, even those portable antenna designs so when we are finally allowed back out again portable ops, even from a car, are there to be had.

And, as always, stay safe guys and play lots of radio and don't forget my YouTube channel, I'm trying to upload a lot more frequently this year and beyond.

73 de M0WNU/26CT730

COVID-19 update: 23rd March 2020

As the situation with the coronavirus pandemic gets worse and more and more places shut down for the safety of everyone, I have taken the decision to not travel out to Blackpool at all following advice from Public Health England.

This means my cancellation list as of today looks like this

• NARSA rally (even if it is still going ahead)
• Trip up Blackpool tower to operate /p with the Yaesu FT2D to see if it works where Baofengs cannot
• All meetings of the CRDARS until further notice, as we have the GB3IR repeater in our locality it is hoped these would be on-air instead.

The postponement list remains unchanged during this time though this can change quickly

A video to this effect will be released later on today and what I plan to do instead.

Catch me on 2-meters, the Hubnet, CB and Network radios, I have increased use of all during the pandemic.

73 de M0WNU/26CT730

More kindness from Amateur radio operators, Carl 2E0EZT to run Zello net for those who's foundation training is currently on hold

Another fellow YouTuber, Carl 2E0EZT is running a weekly net on Zello for those of you who cannot get on the air and unfortunately have to wait for a foundation licence, as he is also inviting those with a licence in too I may well call in too, as I like to give back to the hobby were I can, I like Carl's content and perhaps having a few full licence holders in there may help the foundation students get their questions answered as during this period they can study until tests resume when the situation improves.

I hope to do exactly what I did with Callum's 80-meter net and put this on YouTube, Carl has said he will be livestreaming it anyway though I would like to put some of it onto my YouTube channel as long as everyone is happy of course.

Thanks Carl

73 de M0WNU

PS, here is a video by Carl telling you what you have to do to join the net.

COVID-19 update: 20th March 2020

I post this now as at present there is now uncertainty on if the NARSA rally at the Norbreck Castle Hotel will take place, I am also continuing to monitor the situation with the goverment's travel advice and will update you further when things are known for certain.

As I work as a delivery driver for a well-known chain of pizza shops it is paramount that I do not put myself at any more risk of catching and spreading the coronavirus, this also extends to limiting travel where possible even for YouTube videos, portable operation can still continue from remote locations.

I planned a series of YouTube videos where I would operate from towns and localities where I spent parts of my life growing up, due to the pandemic I am going to have to put this on hiatus as it will involve a lot of travelling and stays at hotels for some of those videos and would increase the risk to myself, I'll be putting a video and post up with up to date postponements and cancellations in the next couple of days.

The uncertainty regarding the rally in Blackpool comes as the Northern Amateur Radio Societies Association announced on the rally website they will be meeting with staff at the Norbreck Castle Hotel, should this meeting result in postponement or cancellation I will let you know as soon as I can, as this will directly affect future videos for my YouTube channel.

I am going to start portable operations in the coming weeks on the 2-meter band dependent on weather and other factors, I may also operate /p on 11-meters however this is not set in stone, these portable ops I will be doing alone to avoid any chance of spread of the virus or catching it myself and at as remote a location as possible to help ensure this.

Stay safe guys and please remember to follow the advice of your local governments and public health departments, it could be the difference between life or death for not only you but those around you too, remember there are a lot of older people in this hobby that fall into the at risk groups, and some of the younger operators do too, hence why all clubs are cancelled and rallies are dropping like flies.

73 de M0WNU/26CT730

The kindness of a ham

In this time of crisis we need someone who will think about those that are elderly and vulnerable in our hobby and I have found that person as none other than Callum M0MCX from DX Commander, he is organising a net at 11am weekdays on 3.780 MHz +/- depending on whether the frequency is already in use or QRM or other factors for the older guys in the hobby who may feel isolated and alone during all this.

Credit to Callum where it's due and I certainly plan to buy him a beer (or tipple of his choice) if I meet him in person

73 de M0WNU

My postponements and cancellations due to COVID-19 - 17th March 2020

Currently mym plans for Blackpool remain unaffected by COVID-19, the Norbreck Castle Hotel have not been in touch yet regarding my booking and the NARSA rally is still going ahead, also further to this the Blackpool Tower is still open as normal at present, I as well as the organisations responsible for the establishments and the NARSA rally will no doubt continue to assess this ever-changing situation.

I start with the following cancellations correct as of today (17th March 2020):

• All meetings of the Colburn & Richmondshire District Amateur radio society for the foreseeable future, all members should have received an email to this effect from club secretary Chris G4FZN

Current postponements correct as of today (17th March 2020):

• Ripon & District Amateur Radio society rally due to take place on the 12th April, this is also repeated on their website and also the club announced it too has taken the decision to cancel all club meetings for the foreseeable

During this current crisis please keep yourselves and those around you safe and remember to follow only the official guidance from official sources, and keep doing the things you enjoy with this in mind

Further news of what is postponed affecting my radio plans for this year will be outlined in further posts as I get the information, in the mean time check out my YouTube channel, I do have plenty more to come and will also keep you up to date there too.

73 de M0WNU/26CT730

Hotspots and YSF reflectors

Yesterday on the YouTube channel I posted a video on hotspots for DV modes such as DMR, Yaesu System Fusion, D-STAR and some others, I briefly also touched on the YSF reflectors, and knowing fellow YouTuber and Amateur radio operator Carl 2E0EZT had made one on cloud hosting I thought about making one on a Raspberry Pi, so I did.

The process to create the YSF reflector was very long because on Raspbian Buster it did not work, on Raspbian Stretch it has worked fine, the Pi hardware itself is my remaining working Raspberry Pi 1B made in Wales version, the reflector is listed and is currently online and under test, I have a video for this in the process of being rendered, in the mean time I have the video for the hotspots available on YouTube and it is included below with the photo of the YSF reflector.

The video for the YSF reflector should be online later on today at time of posting.

73 de M0WNU