www. radioenthusiast.co.uk (NOW mNcoRPORATING) Wuikk OCTOBER 2023 THE UK'S NUMBER ONE AMATEUR RADIO MAGAZINE HOME | Kit receivers * Build a BUILDS | UNUN + ipiesbi Pst 4 Investigating Morse atest news and views from jj the world of Morse code ) Coding an SDR dongle to g scan for DAB frequencies oer ; 5 timeless classic AR88 simple two-band vertical Dissecting the RCA-Victor AR88 BESS SEER Designing a temporary project for the receiver built in the late 1930s 2m & 70cm bands after moving home LATEST NEW TT YOUR SAY Meee MecoumucsuEime cc oceinesucMbcaucem Letters from fellow readersKYSELA day a] aan By Eee Heh a cibe product! ParaPro EQ20 20W Parametric Equalisation Audio Units rue : : Par Faerie Ul are ie a ae: ey that improves the audio clarity of amateur signals” In-ine|Moduleje159:95) Poin) Peet Excellent/reviewjin}Jan\-23/QSTI Compact In-Line 2100.98 }- Hear weak signals clearly - Easy to use with “real time” audio adjustment - Use with headphones or a loudspeaker ene ec DESKTOP MIG 2270.05 noise cancelling speaker OW Amplified - 8 to 40dB noise cancelling DSP noise cancelling - Audio bypass feature) base station speaker - Compact rugged speaker - Easy to use controls - Use mobile or base station - 8 DSP filter levels - Supplied with = “Real time” integral 2M audio lead, fused DC power lead & manual radios incl’ SDR - Speaker and NEDSP19624KBD New line level inputs Amplified DSP noise e713 9195) cancelling pcb module - Boost ¥ your extension speaker with NEDSP1901-KED this easy to install retrofit 21208 module - Audio bypass feature - Simple control with LED and audio indication - | : Low level audio Install module for Fitting kit supplied plus instal ( Yaesu FT-817, FT-897, FRG-100, [com 706 manual and speaker labels, MKIIG, Kenwood TS-50 and many other enzo radios or receivers bhi Ltd, Burgess Hill, RHISORR.UK Tel: 01444 870333 - www.bhi-ltd.com [FJ V/SAlzxcan™)WIRELESS incorporating RaGiOUSer October 2023 Vol. 99 No 10 Practica Wirsloss Wommers Coup Pableations ple Bourne nes PEO SPH rans 2k Talore tooo attr Proctcalneessewararsqroup ook Mie Eoeds ke edasowamersgrov.co.k ‘Révertiement Manager ita Gres rsa greenpmamersgrou.co.k Manager Production ol lssop@warersgoup.co.sk iether Bown {ethernebrowngwarergroup cok Martin hart Bane ‘Charlot bnfordewamerspoup.cok Fosedemet| rotmawarergroup cok Photocopies & Back Issues ‘Wecan spl bales bu we only "hem for am year young es rie tere tayo re et oon me asl pve dt are the aca sue we fan aways Supt a peorpy PF leo te ‘rte ‘Technical Help erat tt dE inesral, ples {btscnesl ques cnt be gen oer te telepone oytechncal ques are uk to rece mete atetn eof yourequre fe wh probes rego topes coed YW eae eter cota te ato o he re ‘tect ote or send an cel th Eto ad we 1 estore a bon we can Cn Seepage efor dts of ur ites spel subscription ofr Fr further deal eal = 0178 395161 Fad on any deve, nye ane at biiyi sub? Keep up date on Fcetook, ‘vt aba com/rasaemsiat Fallow son Titer (Ghenthsoste Key ines ot alot of rai for mein the past month, Nerceirorstet si any ase the bands seem tohavebeen relatively quiet Butin early September Inotch up SSyears licensed, which gotme thinking ‘Amateur redo has played big partin my fe throughout that time. t got me started ina career intelecoms, and kept mein touch with matters technical when ass typical, moved mor from ‘the engineering side to, in case, marketing and strategy. Domestcally. | would say the hobby has keptme sane as an antidote tote inevitable pressures off, both from work and from the ups and downs of fami if, And thence thing about amateur radi, of courses that tsa hobby that canbe enjoyed from home but also offer pent of scope for socialinteractons, ‘whether through arado club, volunteering for roles within the hobby (was on various RSGB ‘committees for over 30 years) of in my case, going of on expeditions with riends. Cf course, formysel ve been in amateur radio Juralim for very longtime to, Inmy ety days wrote for Monitor, the 'SWL magazine, as secretary ofmy university radioclb eited the regular newsletter andate along with Martin GGIZAY,Itookon the editorship of the RSGB's ‘weekly DX News Sheet. And tated ta me writing monthly for Amateur Radio magazine, Ham Radio Today, RedCom and now (for almost ten years) Pw. (neof the goo things about the hobby is that it has so many aspects, from operating to building, from routine to esoteri, should we so choose, Andi’ something that we can keep coming back o~ even my own involvement, although constant, has varied in intensity according to work and family commitments at any given time. For example, my more ambitious DXpeitoning only started after the children had lefthome and had both the time andthe funds todo so. MoreonMarconi Following my recent visit to Marcon family home (s reported in eptember Pi), decided needed tleam more about thiseonic inventor, entrepreneur, political payer and much more. | therefore bought copy of Mare Raboy's biography ofthe great man and reviewed by David Harts in the December 2016 issue of ‘acoser). Unfortunately theres litle technical material inthe book despteits 863 pages, but the stor is nevertheless fascinating. was particularly stuck with one quote apparently from 1914 in which Marcon write, “The popular anticipation of pocket wireless telephones ‘bymeans of which a passenger ling in an aeroplane over France or aly might ing up" 2 frend walking abou the streets of London wit receiver inhi pocket cannot be saidto have been as yt practical realized but there is nathing inconceivable or impracticable about such an achievement andthe progress of wireless telephony seems tobe pointing in that aretion’. What an astonishing prediction tobe making at atime when wireless was stil zy much nits infancy! 4M In our Letters pages this monthis one froman ‘ld fiend of mine from Reading days, Dave Self GGOTKY. Dave is making the case for more CAFM facilis inhi part of he world Speaking with Dave, he believes that CAFMis the Rolls Royce to the Vauralls of STAR and DMR. Having yetto use any of them, other than for ref tests, Fmaotina position t comment. Is Dave right? ‘And does it mater, given that gather there are number of gateways that trensate between ‘thedifferent digital voice standards? And while ‘many of we od timers may fel that any ofthese ‘madessnot ‘rea amateur radio as Dave says ‘they perform a valuable service and, indeed, may encourage uses to become moreinvolvedin the wider hobby, as CB didin the Bos ‘and while onthe topic of dial voice, there was quite fury of activity on HF digital voice afen years ago, wth different systems being tested and promoted. But ital seems tohave gone very quiet. Can any readers give us an update oris HF digital voice dead inthe water for amateurradiouse? DonField CSXT Editor, Practical Wireless Magazine Read more radio news and reviews at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/news cobs 2029 PRACTICRL WIRELESS 3Contents 3 Keylines Don ook back on 55 yeas license, 6 News Hrs monty roundup of nen fom the UK and internationally, inuding new products cub news and recent events, 8 Rallies Locate a alo event par you; we have our usual comprehensive ist. 9 Radio Bookstore You one sop shop forhoby elated ites, biog his, reference tiles, historical accounts techicl Adie and successful uldng projets. ‘10 ERA Georg Wiessla puts together a temporary RTTY/CW reciving station ih some intage gems rom the makers fhe ERA Mroreade and avoids computers together once, ‘14 The World of VHF Tim Ky GWAVKE as plenty of VHF and above news, espe an apparent downturn Sporadic E atvty ang July 17 Data Modes ike Richards GAWINC continues his look at WSJEX ‘measurement oos and thenen Vara release 20 Makeshift PSU Bily McFarland GMDX escrbes hon toreurpose a Pcpowe suppl foc amateur radio se 24 Build your Own Gear? InPet 2, Tim Walford G3°Cycemplees his stu sion of home constuction by desing two pica lowcost kts, 28 Antennas Ket Rawlings GEMIU talks ear though the design of atwoband vertical fr the 2m and Tdom bands, 32 Valve & Vintage Php ost MOP gt sands on ate case eA 38 HF Highlights le pepton oy avebeen own dng te sumer, Ste Tees ome PLD as pleny ‘oer 41 CW Bandpass Filter Design Inte frst of twopart atic Ne Cee HABKT takes alok testing aC bandpass te. 44 The Morse Mode Roger Cooke G3LDIhas another broad selection of Morsereated news 46. Building an UNUN for an EFHW Antenna Mike Ounstan G2GYWexpains how tbl you own LUNUN fran en al ave antena, 48 What Next Colin Rednaod GEM introduces readers tothe various options fr starting ono progressing with the amateur radiocence lvl 50. The Quansheng UV-KS Xeth Rings aM reviews trp 700m bane om Chia 52 Amateur Radio on a Budget Tocomplement is lst featureon transmits, Damon Tiley GAUSItuns his attention to simple 56 Airband News David Smith as the test news, starting with ews of anew contol fait for Heaton. 58 DAB Band Scanner Kevin Ryan codes upan SOR dongle to can the DAB frequencies for band openings. 62 Vintage Television & Radio eth Hamer end Gary Smith contnue the special ‘erie looking back atthe B8C' conerage of Coron tins since 1987. Thee ls Croaton vintage eles advertisement rom the archives, inudng etal of Murphy Radio's wartime productos. Also featured isthe conning saga dealing 10 years of BC Scoané At, plus the concuing instalment sou the BBC Cymr-les Centenary. We aso cantinue the series abou the development of Swiss Ratio and Television since 1922 turing ou ater tion tothe start of broadcasts to schools in 1932 nd rity intervention dng the War 66 Book Review David Haris eviews anew bok that coves thee of pioneer rato amateur Gerlé Marcuse G2NM. 68 Readers’ Letters ‘Thins Letters cover olds ne software or Fate, ACIDC ses, AFM and mre Sign up to our FREE email newsletter at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk PRACTICAL WIRELESSFEELING THE PINCH? Save £1 every issue. One monthly payment. Cancel anytime | No catch! PRACTICAL 7 satin pRAGTIC! ARRIVING IN c« THE UKSOON (@ On sale date and price of the keenly-awaited Tcom IC-905 all mode transceiver announced | {sop antennaTests insi¢ se toon tnsieene Bl (BA The face | EUSHONW The General (i behind thecallsign rage Receiver PYAR A te A ey Subscribing really is the cheapest and easiest way to receive Practical Wireless every month, saving you time and money. To view our latest subscription offers go to: www.bit.ly/pw-subs2023 cobs 2023 PRACTICAL WIRELESSHave you got something to tell our readers about? Ifso, then email practicalwireless@warnersgroup.co.uk New from Icom comUkarepleasedtoannounce that ther latest amateurradiohand portable. TheD-S0Eisnow avalabefor salefrom authorised om amateurradio dealers witha suggested etal price of £449.99 nc VAT ‘Aswellas operating as anormalFM radio thel0-S0Eisdesignedto work ‘onthe STAR Digital mart Technology for Amateur Radio) network WithD-STARcompatbilty users gain access toanextensivenetwork ofrepeates, reflectors and inkingcapablitis greatly expanding ‘communicationpossblitis. TheO-STARDV modecan send notonly voice butalsoimagedata. Photos roma smart device canbeimported Intothel0-S0Eusingthe SFIDS0A/W pictureutltysoftwaretoexchange photos and St cards, ‘The D-50E Band Scope and Wateralldsplayscan visually show active channels witha widespanandtimelinsoitiseasytofindactive channels by sight. The Dualwatch unctiondoubles OS0 opportunities to ‘monitor VHF/VHF, VHF/UHF and UHF/UAF bands atthe same time, ‘Thel0-50EcanalsoreceivebaththeArband andthe FM bands, Moreove almost allo theoptional accessories forthe 0-52/0-51/ 10.31 series transceivers can beshared. Alarge-capacty batterypack, £307, for thelC-705 isavailableas well. For further information about his new mode visit the 0-50 Dual-Band D.STAR Digital Handheld Radio Transceiver productpage: https: ingur comm ye7Srésp com Ukarealso pleased to provide etalls of anew receiver coming toltsamateurradioandreceiverproductrange, thelC-R1S wideband ‘receiver, Unveiledatthe recent Tokye Hamfair2023,the CRIS was surprise show fr visitors, capturing ther interest wthitsimpressive designand range of features. Thenew C-R15 wideband eceiverhas frequency range of76t0 ‘500MH2and supports AM/FIM/WFM modes. Lkeits predecessor, the 1G R30, thereceiverhas two VFOs andcan simultaneously receivetwo signalsinall frequency bands. Thereceiverhas alargecolourL.CD screen {and feature Bluetooth connectivity, arecording function anda Micro ‘SO card slot.Inadditon,itispossibletocharge the C-R1SviaaUSB-C connection swith otherrecenticom models, this receiver features an improved userintrface, making teaser, especially forbeginners who wanttoget straightonto listen to whateverison heal Experiencedradioamateurs andmonitoring professionals wllalsofindthelC-R15 aneasytouse listening deviceforany purpose. Thereceivercan be seen asamustfor those ken onlistening to Aitbandbroadcasts. ‘Alsoat the Tokyo Hamfair the leom booth showeaseditsfullange ofamateurradioandreceiverproducts, including the IC-PW2 linear ample, fr which furtherdetalishave beenmade available on new Ic-PW2 webpages. comUk wllofcoursepublsh details about launch dates and pricingfor theIC-R1Sand PW2ontheirwebsiteand socialmediachannelassoonas theyhavethem, vv icomuk. co.uk(0n28 July the RNARS celebratedthe 30th anniversary ofthe moveof their Shack from HlMS Mercuyto HMS Collingwood. The HO Shack Inks Colingwood was formally opened by /Admiralofthe Fleet irEdward Ashmore CB SC, PatronoftheRNARS on 20 July 1992, Commodore Paul Sutermeisterwasthelast (Commanding Officer of MMS Mercuybefoelt wasclosedin 1999.andtheSignalSchoolwas mavedto HS Collingwood. The celebration was attended by the Society's Patron, Admiral SirPilp Jones, GC OL former 1stSeaLor,by the Societys President Commodore Paul Sutermeister LRN, by Captain TimDaveyRN Commanding Officerof MS Collingwood by WO Mark Gower, ase Warant Officer MS Colingwood by representatives of theRadio Society of Great Britain. ofthe Royal Signals Amateut Rado Socity of ocalradio ‘clubs inludingFareham District Amateur Radio Society Horndean andDistict Amateur Radio Cub sleof Wight AmateurRadio Society, FortPurbcook Amateur RacloClb, chen Valley ‘AmateurRadio Club andbymembersof the NARS. Thecelebraton was opened withprayersof rededicationledby Rex. JohnBackhouse, Naval Padre. ‘Commodore Sutermesterdescribedthe events around the decision bythe Admiralty toclose the Signal School in HMS Mercury andtransfertto HMS Collingwood. Southeast Builders Club update Havingestablished core membership of20 the groupheldthe first AGM and activity dayin June 2023. The activites involved 2m foshunttotestoutthe tapemeasure DF antennas made atthe May 2023meeting. The foxhuntheldon the downs nthe Guldfordarea hhada competitive element and was wonby JonMOTWM. The AGM. followed the foxhuntand wasattendedby RSG8RRIOKeith GAJED voaddressedtne group and presented the foxhuntprizeto.tonand theRSGBAilaton Cerificate which wastecelvedby Ele MOREQ theclub'sco founder. Theclubwas duetoreturntoeveningactivives InSeptember wth planned evenings ona VLFRX project, Shack ‘Automation with Microcontrollers and Home Assistant Devices and ‘from scratchKiCed project. Theclub callsignis GBKVU and the felevance of thillsignis outlined onthe GEKVU QRZ page. ‘ps: fw facebook conhamradiobulders hhamradiobuders@gmail.com Theclubmeetsonthe third Wednesday of the month 19.30-21.30 atGrefham Room, Horsham Road, Grafham GUSOLJ. ‘Thewhat3words address forthe clubis: Ming hedgehog prayers Intps:twan.cofhiring hedgehog prayers RNARS 30thanniversary of HQ move toHMS Collingwood Cdk GD’Doug'HotchkssRN (Rets) GWABEQ - date too rom: ‘pes. comsupportdomlonds/3002 ‘You can get the updated fare from Gt: psa con/pot 22.5 playground you ace comfortable wth computer fia, thes probably allyouneed i youre ess comfort: abi, thenhave look though some ofthe videos that deseribe the process pu quancheng uv extend mate intoyour favour search en sine. SDRConnectpreviewrelease Users ofthe SORPlay receivers and perhaps ote, willbe anarethat SDRPay have been woking ona new piece of software, sORCaneet work incon [unton wih the eens, soRComecthas been bile a beng ose lt form ~inoter words, wilunon Widows Linux or Mac (05) Anche big advetan othe softwares that youvilbe ableto run asa seer pets ata remot cation ~ and ten youcan tunaSDRComect cet at ome along auto {une rece ai ou ween he Boho: tons willrequean internet connection of ere! ORComecwilruncnaRaspery Pieonpute, wich could be ery useflfor keeping the mai shack computer efor ote things. ve ett determine om power aRaspheyPWlbere ured forthe software oun wel SORPIay haverleasedapreiew release ofthe software whichthey says eayinthe develop- iment process, Nevertheless, based on aquicktest af the softwareon my Mactook what t does, Four metres FM for £20? ‘Tim Kirby GWAVXE has plenty of VHF and above news, despite an apparent downturn in Sporadic E activity during July. oes very well. was able tolisten tothe FM broad: cast bandin good quality as well as tuning across the 20m amateurband on CW, during the Worked Al Ewope GW contest, Iyou ae curios, then SORPla heveproduoed some videos introducing 'SORConnec which are well worth look, Youcan find the videos at ‘non siplay com/strconnectvidgides Theexisting Windows based, SDRUo continues tobe avalabl ad indeed can union the same ‘machine as SORConnect, ooking forward to seeing the software de ‘velop but even now, itooksauseful option espe cially for non-Windows users ‘TheVHFDX podcast you areinerestedin FA ing youmay enjoy ‘heVHFDXpodeast avaiable on jour favourte podcast paform. Presented by MekLangan ard Bryce Foster, isis predominant US focuses, ‘houghtheeis some European content. makes a ‘goad listen ~ listened toa severalepsodes ona long eriverecenty The8mband Roger Lapthorn G3XBM (Cambridge) is backon FTB usinghisFF817 wth 2.5 and aipole. Hes recently been spotted in ie Poland and Portugal. Rogers ooking frwardto the F2 season with an ‘eyeon making contact wth the Caribbean USA ‘and Canada. Roger also notes that the Begin PTT have agreed to 2 40MH2 allocation - greatnews for everyone intersted in his fascinating pat of the spectrum Incidental, for UK amateus interested in 40a the recent OFCOM consultation madeit lear that they have no plans for an amateur a location at 40M Icould saya great deal about this, butitis whettis. However, OFCOM do make itclear that they arehappy to issue Imovation ‘and Tial licences to those interested in 40M Unfortunately,thelicence costs £50 per year, but Sign up to our FREE email newsletter at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk 4 PRACTICAL WIRELESS 0:Ena Aire ya sty Fig. 1: The Quansheng UV-KS ~ avery ch of getting on 4m FM. Fig. 2: The Sony Cam ~ dating from 1966 Fig. 2: G2VKV G0-100 TV uplink system. Fig. 4: 30 days of FUDX reception from Simon rans in Gloucestershire. Fig. 5: Adam Wisher receiving Romania on 102.4H2 FM. atleast theresa rout for genuine experimenters ‘oworkon the band. Paul Farley GTPUV (Sussex) operating as (G8PUV on, wie, not oo much oreport on MHz although have managed to work few European stations when 've spotted some Es on theband, Mentoring activity is much ower this _year guess asthe novely has wor off ndpeople ‘etuo to their regular bands. On the 1th ddman- age get agged by WWIL via Es, vrylate nthe season fr tansatanticopenigs but taster hope) of things to come withthe predicted F2 peak this autumn. ‘The6mband Kevin Hewitt 2826 (irl) was active from home anthe &m band using his IC-7300 and ‘moncband whi with counterpose poked out of his window. tations worked incude EATCQ (N83), EATGCH (N73), EATHS (NB), EAZAR (0692), EASDG (INT), EABDNT (1.38), EBTEB {N83}, FBLCU (N03), FSOWTT (NT) HBALO (UNAS) LASLJA (JP50),LABYA (53), LAGEMA (Jat), L860 (4059) and UT7UV (KO40), ef Vanaepenbusch ONBNT (ltr has afew notableloggings forthe month aon FT8, GJ6WRI { (N89), EABW (138) and 0Y9U0 (P62) Iwas really good hear fom Hugh Goodwin (GMBFXD (lovenesssice) who wrote about his experience on 23 July “havea modest 6m setup consisting of an{C-7300 and homebrew sloping {olde dpolemade fam laden at maximum height of Sm, which have used fr about five years onthe magic band havenevereverheard a JA ‘onthat band. t OB30UC tomy astonishment heard several FT signals rom Japan and when -FBONF esched 58, just for fun called him and ‘was tralyamezed when he gave me-15dB end we completed the 0S0. then added JA7WS28A7OMI {othe logusing an inverted-ee HF doublet -ruly ‘magi. By 0930 hey had faded away. So, tue when conditions are right you can werk 6m DX on Tew bts o wie? ‘Stove Telenius-Lowe PJ4DX wrote" seems asif the 6m Sporadic E season came oan abrupt end on 25 hy AS of9 August havent decoded any T8 signals the than local ones} nthe two weeks since then. This year’s Sporadic E season des ot seem to have been as goodas thoseafthe last few years though was away forthe whole of ina, 30 probably mised the best oft “Inthe week before 25 Juy there were cou ‘ple of ood openings though On the 18th) ‘worked G7TPL, GOBNR, GOJHO, GHSWA, GMTTY, Re ad more radio n: cote 2023 PRACTICRE WIRELESS and re" IMAL, GMTPKT, GWAFR, MOCTE MUSOU, -MMJOAM and MMOZBH plus 17, DGTCMZ and vuwezu. “There was anther opening onthe 24th when worked GAIFX and GARRA plus stations in Fance Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. “Final onthe 25th there was abref pening in nhich GMBIEM, EGFR and E17BA were worked but, ‘since then absolutely nothing? “Lets hope for some more propagation, perhaps ‘even F2 around the equinox and into October Roger G3¥8M reports he's received both the USA and Japan on FT8.on the band during the month Phil Oakley 60BVD (Grea Torngton) hast had ‘mach neo get onthe arthis yea but has en- joyed somes openings onthe band, working into M,OH,EA, ON, SP and YO as wellasAUIA, ‘Don G3XTT (viel, Somerset) copied FRAOO on FT8.at good strength between 1610 and 1630UTC on 15 August. Here at WAVE (Goodwic) thas definitely seemed a poorer s season than recent eats. seem toremember a negative corelation between the solarcyceandEs season thebettr the soar conditions, the pooterthe Es. lam not sue this isanecdotal or whether theres some scientficbe- vw.radioe sistolt Nevertheless, Ive been happly picking of some new id squares, mostyin Scandinavia and Egstem Europe. 1A rom the Knights of Nal was aie new DXCC forme fram Wales, worked ‘nF 0n28 July. Therehas been some occa sionallongerDX to work: F804 (FX36) on 24 Ju PY2XB (6666) on 27 July, aswel as WIL (FHS) onthe 26th. Mek TFISP7VC hes ben travelingin Joeland and has activate @ numberof interesting squares by meteor seater ands. The4mband Jef ONENT worked EATL(IMBE) on the 4m band (0n2 uly. Dave Thorpe GAFA (Ampthill hasbeen experimenting wth a personal beacon, 4FKI/8.on 71,0950. runs SW of CH andFTBinto adipole {eom092SA. The beacon ie based onan RF Zero board. Dave says thats active most evenings, although plans to have itonarmore often in due couse Dave report thatthe Buxton beacon, (GB3BUXissillof the ac (on 6m too). ‘The2mband During VHENFD on 2 Jy Jef ONBNT worked .G3CKRYP (1093) and GWIZTT/P (1082). lan BontoftG4ELW (Bridgwater) caught the Es thus’ co.uk/ne" 18,Bn Meese sty ‘opening onthe evening of 12 August and was pleased to work OETILW/? (JNBB) while running ‘SW anda Slement Yah ‘Stewart Wilkinson GOL (Ohttenham) kinly alertedmetothe same opening during which he worked HATFV (INET) and beard HAIVQ and YO2BET. was out when Stewart messaged but was abe toremateinto my 2m station and could see couple of Uand YO stations coming though cn FT here at WAVE. On6 August, Iwas pleased to work GNOHBK (1077) while was using SOW of FTBtoavertcal, The70cmband using the 70em FT8Aetvty session on 12July ef ONBNT worked GWEHOF (081) Je lsomen- tions that a proposal exissinthe Netherlands use 420-440MH2 or short ange communication ‘on anonvnterference basis. Needless to say the Dutch national society VERON want protection across the primary allocation, especialy inthe weak signal ares 432-433 and 425 ~ 436MH2 Hopefully this proposal wil resisted, butts ‘reminder tat other people have an eye onthe bands, which perhaps weare inclined totake for ante. Satellites Ker 78261 wites that he was active on the Teve satelite forthe frst time working G00 (1093), ERTPA(IN71), EA7JHK (M66) IKTEMQ (JNO), ERICJ (JNOT),EASEA (NOT), DLSGAG (JNA?) 'MS4FS 1090), GEUST (092), DK94C (N35), SRS (N36), EAACYG (78) and EABARY (118) ef ONBNT monitored the SS Schools contact on 21 dulyat1758UTC. Patrick Stoddard WOBEWK (Phoenis also ‘mentions the TEVELsaelites and says that weekends nomally se three ofthe TEVEL satelites active, Pack say thathehas heard that some European amateurshave successfully tried using0-STAR on these satelite, something that Patrick and Endaf N6UTC have donein the Usa Patick ites, “GreenCube (0-117 has been working fora fen weeks, Tere have been times here the cgipeateris off, andthe command sta tin intaly's no able toreactatet. Thankful, itisworking and has helped satelite operaters werk mare countries, and seen more awards ike the DXCC or WAS gong to those operators. Burt FG80Jis neath end ofa Canbbea tp, operating rom ferent islands (St Barts Saba/Pi6 and the ointy administered island of St. Marin/FS and al) after atnp to France itl while back- mostly on reenCube. Others aremaking rad tips to rave Iyheard US states for GreenCube activations. And theres now aresdent satelite operatrin Hawai Erie KH6MI, near Honoulon the sland of Oahu BWI has gone out to other Oahu locations for beter views ofthe sky to work GreenCute. lam not ‘amare of anyone in Alaska working GreenCube right ‘0m butts relly ice to have someone in Hawa who is happy to work satelite OX a GreenCube’ Television Graham Jones G3VKV (Cheltenham) writes that hh waslooking inthe lft recent and founda ‘SonyCam, Fig. 2.Itwasmade in 1966 by Sony and is complete wth its case and trod. Apparent was thefist consumer camera to bemarketed and itll works after57 years. The monitor pictured with the camersisaitle moc modern. Graham stillsaysheuses a Sony camera on the Q0-100 satelite. Graham kindy sent a icture of his @- 100 uplink equipment Fig. 3. Microwaves ‘Ona recent visit to Cheltenham, was ablet visit ‘the shack of John Hawes G8COX to ty out my ‘Adalm Pluto SOR along withaPCB antenna, which Jha ad kindly made Joa has a shack window ‘at faves noch across Cheltenham and we were abl to test my receiver using the G8GZME bes cconl Shropshire. [was delighted tofind that us ing thereceiver and antenna, eouldreceivethe ‘beacon an bath2.3and 3.4GHz at good strenth ‘The ceiver was slighty of frequency and there was some if butt was great tofind thatthe everything was working on 13 and Som, Wedid ty listening for GBSZMEon 5 76H2 but werent able {ohear anything. Thanks to John forthe intrest ingress ‘Another es with Graham G2VKV ad Andy {MOuLY saw us on22em FM. I wanted tryout ‘the modified QuanshengUW-XS handheld, which ‘ce updated fmware has been installed as. | metiond eats supposed to work, on care atleast between around 1 and 130042 ‘Unfortunatly the ite rig could notreceie ether Graham or Andy on 23cm FMI wllinvestigate further. Dave G4FK says tat he hasbeen doing some portable beacon montringon10GHzusinga (GAHJW converter ich uses anLNB fran anten- ‘na, Dave reports good reception ofthe Leicester ‘and Cambridge beacons even nside avec. "oesmeas hadetheardof the GAHJW converter before but ‘quick search revealed a video, hich explains a litle more bitps:archive.orgdetals/yotube-xTHu3sKB70 Davetellsme that he kts reno longer ava able FMandDAB ‘Simon Erans (Twyning) fees there have been few ers operings during July, but eve so, his map of station heard over 30 daysisstilimpressiv, Fig. 4 Simon has also been spending sometime looking et DAB signals and writs, ‘fe the topo ‘opening in June there hasbeen itl to affect Band 3.1use a program called IRX on my main PC with ‘an RTLSDR fd via 0B on iter to keep band out Each day do a scan the whole band 175 2402 usin my 2m/70em colinear. My cline, whichis aComet GP, s very good as ageneral vertical polarised antenna fr VH/UHE eception. By the way al1DAB ransmitersuse vertical polar sation, any unusual OAB mux found then i vestigate. nthe oft have Triax Sel beam facing East and onthe masta Blake Sebeam. The RX program reads athe Tilcodes within @ MUX and clsplys them on aap’ Adam Wisher (Cheltenham) writes, I's been another fairy quiet month fr Es in band2, ut yesterday (12/08) suddenly came alive with the best opening to central Evope that ve ever expe rienced, Lotsa tations from Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Poland and even Austria and ‘Germany, alltheway up the band to J0BMHZ fora [ot ofthe time. A highlight was getting Ro 1 from ‘Slovakia on 10.4 and Rao omnia Actuate on 102.5(Fig5} both wth ROS when the local Heart staan on 102.4 from Chuchdown Hlldecided 0 chop completely of airfora hie” (On alday in south Devon, Adamhad some tropa success, seeing signals rom the RNE tansmiters atLisqanesin Cantabie and QucésinAsturas on ‘August. Adam alsoreeived two new French DAB MUxes from Best (9A) and Rees (10/10). Thatitfr this month, Thanks to everyone a's been in touch See younex time. PW Sign up to our FREE email newsletter at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk 16 PRACTICAL WIRELESS 0:10820Mike Richards GAWNC raclcalieless@Qwarmersgroup.couk ar smn cing yea Tiere it io WSsTeiinconet uae tntese iste ote Pre the Gode Te nltocns pe hen tread cule, ory a SSintttn tht esas itunes derbi spent ttetcdapconr arpa uy ‘tat arstai especie telus pinanretsente3oe Thorteyuhoy pre acon se Gri Sundrauotecte messy Sitar aenroeegetane omits thsl2ns tg hepato umn stan Tho nacre ara UKTA sitconttaesags oe Sandg shh ee wean ium wenlseatietaneste’s ode Sin tuys ponte ‘Snot sO res) noc fauewets pone atten ane Sheba vers ee iy le tance lina be oped Sita eso ies sed opine weeha ee oiorapase ‘ia oy ately ce Deepen heaps argent tee fico a paste Br Secmponate Beppe Sie opens hefeas conan aom space jason nye wh esta ha ef npensreeesret rope op ete Een hihspeermper sans ich Sc gap dy str sth Sloe eee ose Sree stereo heen alos erin stegany eee passe oso Selec dequnces be aoee sy da nen cilia cpr Hwee HS noe it eure beqalunetbedte "hes slnteeeqnteaton trie scene Stetogastam selene Seen ey hottest pene tet Reece ‘Suter fon mah pean fete Mebstwoy sinless aden tated jou sens toh lec Sp toiote see mewn cee re {hsv oneness fe asamp ote lee ant dose pry etn Yves be Shvetecoy sed wei SPEC Cololy ae naa: More on WSJT-X and VarAC Mike Richards G4WNC continues his look at WSJT-X measurement tools and the new VarAC release. side. Beloreyou starts probably worth erasing relocating other WAY ils in this decor. That ‘way, youllony have valié MFSK1A signalsin the directory Youan begin the two-step equalisation process once you have recorded afew ansmissions. The first step measures your receivers phaseresponse using the recorded signals, andthe second builds the equalisation cuve. Hete'sa step-by-step guide ‘tousing thephase equalisation: + With MFSK144 selected as the mode, enter the callsign of you reference stationin the Dx Call bo. + Goto Tools and select Measure Phase Response. You wl sees pop-yp announcing that Phase Talingis enabled. This acts a toggle totun phase training on and of + With phase training enabled goto theFilemenu, select Open and choose one of your recorded MFSKI4¢ les + You should see the decode of your reference sta tion withthe hat) symbol showing Fig. 1. This Indicates that the phase esponse i being caleu- lated and wllchangeto& when complete * Nest, open and play another recording from your reference station + When al sample processing concludes, theesuts ae saved in poef fils inthe log directory. +The next steps to check and appl the phase equalisation as flows: + Goto the Tools menu and select Equalization Tools, Fig. 2, and click Phase. This wllopen te fe browser, where you can se lect the appropriate poef fil. You should see a time stamped. coe efor each recorded rete ence signal. + Once selected, you il see proposed equa sation curve onthe graph. Repeat hs for each sample to ensure youhave consistency between samples. + fy happy withthe curves, lick the Apply curve to complet thephase equalisation. Thatfnishes the phase equalisation process, so your station il beat ts best for meter scatter operation. VariCnewversion8 VerACis enjoying increasing popularity andis gradually working ts wayup the sctity charts ‘asmore operators start enjoying this very etfs: tiveeyboardo-keyboaré mode. As VatAC grows andincludes evermore features, theres risk thatthe interface could get over complicated and becomean obstacle fornew uses. The VarKC development team have tackled thatissuein the latest release by introducing Simple/Advanced UL (User Interface) modes. On the ist installation ofetson 8, VarAC startin simple made only showing the essential contol and displays, ig. 3. Experienced users can switch tothe advanced ‘mode by ticking the box a the top right of the screen, This weleomeadition wil tthe program ‘grow without overcomplicating theinterfacefor Version 8has introduced anew executable in stalation filet simply instalation and upgrades. "Nomorecopyngfies;youjustrunthe instal, hich iether upgrade your existing install Read more radio news and reviews at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/news cobs 2023 PRACTICRE WIRELESS a7Phase a. |— canoe |]? “boa o00 00 aa00 0 red q ‘amt ene Fm) bees 0 ie ae oho te eae Fig. 1: WSJTX phase equalisation signal measurement. Fig. 2: WSJTX Dhase equalisation panel. ig 3: VarAC ~ Simpl interface mode. Fig. 4 VarAC Val rely istration. Fig. 5: VarAC Patfinger panel Gane Oniginator tion or add a nen one. llyouneed to dois select where you went the software installed. When up racing you installn the same directory as your existinginstalaton. Another great additions the Pathfinder tool that supports Vail delivery VarACs Val fetes canbe very useful and include an option torelay ‘Vals va an intermediate sttionif youcar rectly reach the intended recipient. Forexample,| recently wanted to senda Vinal to Vieor €29NB, butmedidnt have wrkable propagation path betweenus. The solution was formeto send the ‘Val to anintermediate station that could receive usboth and relay the message, Fig. 4 The elay process operates automatically inthe background sothelntermedat station operator oes ned to take any action. Youcan even use snunatended station olay the message. The problem has aways been how do youknow which Staton to use asthe intermediary? This is where ‘then Pathfinder tol comes tothe rescue. Pathfinder wll automaticaly fnd stations that haverecertly heard the tage station. nm ex ‘ample, licked the Pathfinder option and entered {G3JNB asthe target callsign Fig. 5. My Pathfinder request was then broadcast onthe current caling ‘chanel. ny station recently hearing G3JNB auto- Fig. 6 VarAC Pathfinder response. Fig. 7: VarAC profile switching panel ‘matical epi wit broadcast stating when the station was head andits SNR esl I this exam ple, EA7KOH responded, confrming that G2.NB had been heard the previous day with an SNRof 1748, Fig. 6. That was good enough forme, 0 initiated connection with EA7KOH. Once the con nection was established on the cling channel, received an automated message saying the ope ‘orwes away but allowed auto OS. sent 20SY signal to move downto Slot, so! could upload Victor's Vinal, Once the QSY was complete Idou- ble licked onmy Outbox to open it. Next ight ‘licked Vicor Vinalland selected relay though ‘connected station. That caused the Vinal to up load toEA7KOM, and received a confimation ‘message when the upload was complete then <0 PATH TOGRNB> <0 PATH TOGRNB> -HELRO> GAN @ 2021030160118 on 1410510017) «asking why you would want to separately contol your fits already inked with WSJTX, While es sential band selection ad tuning ae handled well by WS, there are many other controls on your Figthatyou might wantto change, suchas band width, antenna switching et. Imagine how useful Itcould beta havea customised pane on your PC here you could ring al your stings together. Youean do just that hanks trigt and alte hep fom Node-RED. show youhow next time. Softwarehelp ‘meurentycomping is of Dat Mode sot ware nd would appreciate you he Just op me {nema vt alistof your favour DateModes software. mparicuaynteested inary ot ware that automaticaly identifies ard decodes dtasignals. Pw AMATEUR RADIO FORTHE GREAT OUTDOORS Carbon-6 Ultra-light Mast £48.50 A ccarbon-fibre telescopic pole, ideal for lightweight end-fed wire antennas. > SOTABEAMS Www.sotabeams.co.uk All tems shipped from our UK factory. Prices exclude p&p. Tactical 7000hds Mast £73.50 A heavy-duty fibreglass Extended length 6 metres telescopic mast. Packed length 43cm Weight just 315g Extended length 7 metres Packed length 59cm Small enough to fit in a rucksack, Weight approx 1.65kg tall enough to support your antenna. Strong and compact. A highly portable light-duty mast. Supplied with camo bag. Read more radio news and reviews at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/news cobs 2023 PRACTICRL WIRELESS 19.Billy MeFrland GM6DX gn6dx@outlook.com hen tomes to Power Supply Units (PSUs) topower your transceiver there ate various types to choose from, wheter feed voltage, arable voltage and low or high amperage. Depending on what your needs are wil determine which you purchase butof late even the basic 26A PSUs seem to costa small fortune, lam unsure if this sa result ofthe Covid vius or merely the cost of theliving. For most people a power supply of up ‘030A continuous covering 12-13.8V will suit thelrneeds. One wayin which we can keep the costo this hobby down sto constructor adapt ‘8 PSUTor your owa needs. have done exactly ‘that many times using a PSUor a personal ‘computer andin this article we willook at how | adapted one of these PSUs for amateur radio use Like any project you wil ned afew items: *APCATX PSU anywhere between 6501 to 800. + katte’ lead to connect the PSUto the mains + Apremade (or make your own) fused power lead that suits your transceiver + Some solder and heatshrnk “Lxmassve cable tie Some ofthese parts can be seen in Fig 1. 20 = PPS-500BR @ PPS-650BR. = PPS-550BR = PPS-700BR, = PPS-600BR m PPS-750BR Makeshift PSU Billy McFarland GM6DX describes how to repurpose a PC power supply for amateur radio use. Before we progress ensure thatthe PSUIs NOT connected tothe mains electrical supply, the kettle lead is nat connected and plugged in. The fist stepis to open up the cove ofthe PSU, Remove the serews onthe upper cover. Be sureyou select the correct screws and that youarenot unscrewing the ones holding the fanin place. These screws canbe seen nig. 2, Now you need to cut the warranty seal as seen in Fig. 3. Some PSUs have the DC power leads going tothe fan on one side of the PCB ‘meaning you can it the cover off and sititto the side allowing access to the PCB within the PSU, Others have the transformer on one side and fan power cables onthe other. This means that you need to cut the power cables tothe fan and rejoin later in order toremove the cover ‘toone sidefor PCB access. This wllreally {depend on which make and model of PSU you have purchase. (nce the tp coverhas been removed the ‘next steps to cutall the cables coming out ofthe PSU. Take some sharp scissors or ‘snips and cut the wires leaving about 150mm ‘of cable protruding outof the boxes seen in Fig 4. After you have rimmed the cable feed ‘these back through theole on thecase and inte the PSU housing. you are lucky enough {or smarter than me) you wllhave purchased ‘aPSU inwhich he cables are mult-coloured ‘meaning they are easy to identify, however, lke me, you ae unlueky and the PSU has rived all wit black wires then you need ‘look forthe coloured heatshvink around ‘the group of wires leaving the PCB es seen inFig. 5. We don' needa of thesewires so \weneed to make them safewithin the PSU housing, n order todo this, group al he wires together that are contained within the orange heatshrink. Twist the wires around each other ‘and place apiece of heatshinkat the end. Be