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RingSurf Amateur Radio World Ring Owned by
m0clz
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Some Info on my interest in radio I got interested in radio in 1980 when cb was all the rage and was happy with this but was always wondering if I could become a Radio Ham. A lack of confidence in myself held me back for many years (to many) . In 1992 I plucked up the courage to attempt the radio amateurs examination to become a Radio Ham so enrolled at Basildon College, I took the rae in December 92 and got my vhf/uhf callsign g7oed in febuary 1993. I started of on 2 mtrs with an FM radio that I begged/borrowed, I used this for about 3 months while I saved for my 1st radio which was an FT 290. I constructed a 5 ele quad and had a lot of fun chatting to people all around local europe. After About A year I was introduced to Packet Radio and upto 1999 this has taken up the majority of the time I can spend on the radio. I Have also dabbled with SSTV and in the future I would like to get into PSK31. Last year (1999) with the introduction of the 5wpm morse examination for full access with limited power (100 watts), I decided to try again to learn morse. I did this by going on air with a good friend Tom M0ABA and we sent slow morse in qso (chit chat) style for about a month so I could take my test at the Radio Society of Great Britain headquarters in Potters Bar. I was under the impression that I was getting ready for my 5 wpm (words per minute) morse test and was very surprised when a couple of days before the test Tom told me I should take the full 12 wpm test as he had been sneaking the speed of our qso's up to and above the 12 wpm level (Thanks Tom). I was dubious but took him at his word and succesfully passed the 12 wpm test on the 19th June 1999. I recieved my new call M0CLZ 6 days later. I am still very active on packet but have enjoyed many contacts using SSB (single side band), and since january 2000 I have been having a go at cw (morse) but my recieve is still slow and I get nervous occasionally when sending, hopefully the nerves will clear up soon, and I know the recieve will get better with time. Recently I have been mainly active on 10 mtrs cw but am also active on 15 mtrs and 20 mtrs, I am mainly on 20 mtrs looking for my good friend Shahryar EP3SP so I don't call but do listen quite a bit on the cw section. If you hear me calling I would be pleased to have a qso. 73 de Dick
Ham Radio is quite simply 2 way communication via radio. Most countrys in the world allow their citizens to take an exam which while requiring a bit of work is not to hard (Can't be I did it). In the U.K. to get on uhf/vhf you need to pass the radio amateurs examination. To get on HF at the moment you need to learn the morse code but within a couple of years this will not be necessary. With the licence (�15 pounds per year in U.K.) you can build or buy equipment. Transceiver (2 way radio/ transmitter + receiver) Antenna (simple wire or massive arrays) Power Supply or a Car Battery if mobile (car/motorbike/boat) With a simple inexpensive Transceiver and a wire antenna you can make contacts worldwide on HF. Besides speech and morse code there are also many digital modes, there are even satellites that amateurs can use to increase their range and if you really want to get carried away you can even bounce signals off the moon. For more info take a look here Radio Society of Great Britain
Packet Radio is my favourite mode and can be used with most computers. I started of with a c64 but now use a p300, but an old xt would do just as well. A way of connecting the radio to the computer is also needed (same as an internet connection needs a modem), Most people use a tnc (terminal node controller) but you can use a simple interface with easily available software. With simple software you can type live to stations in other countrys, exchange files, send mail to other hams worldwide via a very extensive free to use (but contributions always received greatfully by sysops), or just chat to friends locally. The system I use Sally is fully automatic and collects and delivers mail/bulletins at set times. Here are some links with information and programs.
Slow Scan TV is an interesting mode in that you can send and recieve pictures, Interfaces can start with a very cheap and simple Hamcom interface to more expensive units. G0ITP Amateur Radio SSTV
PSK31 is a new mode which I havn't had a chance to play about with yet. It is a narrow band mode and you don't need an expensive tnc or converter box. You can use your built in soundcard as the interface. I will post more info as and when I get any. The Official PSK31 WWW homepage