Space weather effects our weather, our communications & things like the Northern lights. Dr. Tamitha Skov gives regular reports on what is happening is plain & easily understood English.
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Whilst looking at your link, which is very interesting, I was also thinking ‘what’ was the internet Programme that we use to use sometimes to mainly speak with Ham friends…and I did not get any further on as saw this…
Quite useful maybe…have not listened as yet…
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There are lots of online receivers. The best in Europe being at the University of Twente in Holland.
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/
There is also a very good one at the secret! nuclear bunker at RAF Hack Green.
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I am sure I shall learn a lot from your posts… Gee3
I have only been transmitting the one time since moving here 6+ years ago!!!.I only turned on a transmitter recently, having got my Husband to connect the Beam Antenna again with new PL259’s…
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I did an introduction to construction course at the local collage whilst in my last year at school in 75 & as part the electrics segment, we did electronics. The tutor spoke about electronics as a hobby & asked if anyone liked radio. I put my hand up & said I liked listening for all of those exotic names that were on the radio dials at that time. He told me it was Medium Wave DX’ing & Short Wave Listening, gave me some copies of Practical Wireless & took us into the back room where he had a shack set up. He put out a call & I exchanged a greeting with someone MM (Maritime Mobile) in the Atlantic. I was 15 & hooked.
I brought a cheap shortwave radio & then built my first single transistor transmitter. A few months later I heard a familiar voice on a radio station & sent him a reception report. He was running his own free (pirate if you prefer,) short wave radio station & shortly after that I built my own shorwave transmitter.
By 1979 when CB began to become fashionable in the UK, I was on Echo Charlie (6.6mhz) And spending many Sundays in woods & fields helping to run a broadcast station.
In 1980, aged 20, I took a one year course at collage to take my amateur radio exam, (RAE.) But then missed the exam due to my motorbike breaking down 150 miles away. And the collage wrongly told me I could not re sit the exam without taking the whole years course again. So I went back to SWL, broadcasting & Echo Charlie.
During the late 70’s & early 80’s I worked on a number of different radio stations, operated a few myself, ran a P O Box for stations to use, which was aiding & abetting & liable to a £2000 fine & thus I got to know a few Post Office/DTI officers. I was even named in the house of commons as a known & persistent offender against the Marine Offences Act, so got my name into Hansard. lol. I was raided a few times, but unlike some friends, I was never caught with anything that could use against me.
I love radio but for me the way radio works, both engineering & science wise, is what I really love.
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That really was an amazing insight into your beginnings
My was just through a late friend of My Husbands…he was on the CB and told my Husband all about it…When we then took up the Hobby, it was a fun Hobby until we were led onto the Sidebands of CB Frequencies… Then it was time to buy better radios…Superstar 360 which was the same as the Cobra 148…all sold state and American…A larger Antenna…fitted on the back wall of our first own home together, in Beddington…
Soon life pushed us on to take our Amateur Radio Licences. Husband passed in August 1984 and myself October 1984.
6.6mhz dabbled occasionally ,but so near the Miltary bands etc…Was taboo to be honest.
Enjoyed broadcasting and got to know and meet many other Hams.
One couple we spoke with often, Bill and his wife Joyce, they lived in the middle east and Bill was allegely Licensed like many of course… but they worked day and night for their dream of buying Yacht and sailing around the World.
They succeeded and we all arranged to met up in Cambrills, near to our place in San Juan de Alicante.
We bought the food and they took us out on the Yacht for the day. Asked if we would like to stay over and yes, that would be good…well it was unitl we realised the shower was the sea…
Husband said his excuses and we got back home early evening…Was a great day really was Bill played organ and sang so we all joined in.
Husband had the bobs up and down for the next few hours…I was fine…
Us out camping somewhere with the station at the time…
guessing late 80’s to early/mid 90’s
So our Hobby was really more social than anytthing else.
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So you took the two part RAE. That was no easy task. Plus passing the key test.
Respect.
Yes I did but we went to college for part 1, the course was really good…lots and lots of old exam papers helped me…parrot fashion,
the morse was through a morse gadget tutor…very compact could use is anywhere. Husband was a natural and flew through his…I struggled, but made it on the first take all the same…Have not used the morse ever though…
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