******** The Official amateur radio thread ********

I am glad it decoded, it told me there was a virus threat, but I may have mistyped the file suffix initially. But yes, it's come on apace and a dish need not be more than say 1 metre diameter for superb results.
 
Yeah, I've spent some time looking at it again and as you say, it's relatively straightforward to do now but it's still effectively a repeater, even though it's in space.

I was chatting to my mate posh Rob at Newark last year as they had a demo set up and he went through it all, what's needed, etc and at the end, I asked him if it was really any different than listening to the local repeater or a D-Star reflector and he looked at me, sighed and said "no, not really. It's like any of these, you get the same people and once you've listened to it or watched the ATV for a few days, it's just the same thing over and over again".

I think the technology is fantastic and you're right, ATV has come on massively since I last played with it. It's a huge step upwards from those grainy, small signals we had years ago but I just can't get excited about ATV, whether it be FSTV at super high resolution or rubbishy little 240x180 SSTV pictures.

I'd be concerned I'd spend all that time and effort setting it up, just to be bored with it within a couple of days.
 
I know and agree with what you are saying, it is of course merely a repeater, but for me it's playing with a new media and the technology that entails.

One little spoken of fear is if the hardware and software becomes too black box and simplified the bandwidth of the satellite, which is pretty limited, will be overwhelmed. It's already getting pretty busy on there.

I think I read somewhere that there may be another satellite potentially being launched with further ATV bandwidth, which would have course help, but demand either a second or steerable dish to use both birds.

Quite a few ATV'ers show off their considerable artistic talents alongside technical ones, which is another facet of this, (one I pretty much lack I am afraid).

The one thing I would disagree with is seeing the same people, there's a healthy turnover with people leaving and new faces constantly appearing.
 
I sent your video to a friend of mine, Chris - By a total coincidence, he'd just finished setting up his own station for QO100 with a 1m dish, he FaceTimed me and was showing me what it's all about.

Anyway, just worked 4W1A on 12m CW for #292 which I'm pleased with. I also picked up VK9W on 17m on Sunday for #291.
 
Feek said:
I sent your video to a friend of mine, Chris - By a total coincidence, he'd just finished setting up his own station for QO100 with a 1m dish, he FaceTimed me and was showing me what it's all about.

Anyway, just worked 4W1A on 12m CW for #292 which I'm pleased with. I also picked up VK9W on 17m on Sunday for #291.
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Ha! Small world. I have never had the vigour to try and learn CW, hell it takes me all my time to make the effort to speak to the wife :) I hear the dits and dahs and I m amazed someone can process these sequences in their heads, in real time. Kudos! There have been a couple of newcomers on the satellite today, I hope he enjoys his time on it.
 
I'm not good with CW at all, I know the alphabet, if I'm trying to work a contest, I have to listen many times to the sending callsign before I get it and so I use machine tools to help me. I can recognise my own callsign easily enough so if I'm trying to work a pileup, I can tell when I'm replied to. I don't even own a key so I use the built in memory keyer on the 890 to send. There's no way I could run a contest station or a dxpedition on CW, or even have a rag-chew, it's very much a case of send my callsign, wait for the other station to acknowledge me, then send 5nn tu and that's it.

Blagging it like that has got me 235 countries worked on Morse ;)
 
With blagging like that you should enter politics old boy :) And there was me thinking you were but a blur on the key, with the ears of a veteran Morser>

(I made a new word up just for you...) :) OK I found a few tinnies in the workshop...

Whatever, that's a lot of countries however you chat with them, respect!
 
Back in late 2011, I visited the Newark rally with something very specific in mind. I wanted an antenna analyser and had spent some time looking at different models. I knew that RigExpert were going to be there and I was seriously considering buying an AA-200 but wanted to get my hands on one, have a play and understand how to use it.

The problem was that the two gentlemen on the stand didn't really seem to know how it worked. I asked them to demonstrate how to check the SWR of an aerial but they struggled with the most straightforward function of an analyser. I was so put off by their lack of knowledge that they effectively unsold it to me. There was no way I was going to buy something that even the company representative couldn't use!

I ended up buying a miniVNA Pro the following year and then replacing that with a miniVNA Tiny in 2017. As the name suggests, they're full VNAs rather than just an antenna analyser so can do a lot more. However, someones one needs something that's perhaps a little less capable and but be quickly used to check and set up an aerial without having to drag a laptop out somewhere.

Against my original feelings, I've been looking at RixExpert again and the AA-50 ZOOM caught my eye. I've done some research, read some reviews, watched this video and I think it's the one for me.


I think I'll be ordering this in the next week or so.
 
The AIM 4170 is superb if you don't need a handheld, probably the best thing out there, at an affordable price. I love mine and there was one for sale secondhand from someone I know in Welshpool on Ham Radio Deals. I can't search for it for you as I got banned for replying to an advert with "PM Sent". I think I am allowed back tomorrow. I don't think it sold. You can access the AIM 4170 remotely if you want.
 
Thanks Chris but I do specifically want a handheld one this time. I've still got my miniVNA which is great in the shack but not for out and about.
 
OK, I can quite see why a handheld is mega useful, I quite fancy one myself, but I am moving my radio gear to another room and need to save some pennies to get that sorted before I buy yet more "stuff" :) I found something yesterday I didn't even recall buying, not sure if it's a sign of rampant consumerism or senility...
 
Chris Wilson said:
I found something yesterday I didn't even recall buying, not sure if it's a sign of rampant consumerism or senility...
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Neither. It's when sober you receives a present from drunken you.

Anyway, the analyser has arrived, very good.

M4Dp8w2l.jpg


I did look on HRD to see what the 4170 was going for but couldn't find it. I don't really like that place very much.
 
Feek said:
Neither. It's when sober you receives a present from drunken you.

Anyway, the analyser has arrived, very good.

M4Dp8w2l.jpg


I did look on HRD to see what the 4170 was going for but couldn't find it. I don't really like that place very much.
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Neither do I, or at least not the guy that seems to run it... But it does seem the go to place at the moment unless there's something on the likes of Facebook?

The AIM 4170 was from a while back, Ron someone is / was the seller, he used to sell Acom amps and tested valves for them. Also owned Vine Antennas. Nice chap, I bought my AIM off him years ago, and two 100 metre crates of LDF4-50 brand new as he was moving.

Anyway, you're sorted and it certainly looks the business, very swish! What's its highest and lowest frequency coverage?
 
Oh, that’ll be Ron Stone GW3YDX. He’s very ill at the moment, in fact terminally ill and in a nursing home. I bought my first Acom from him and my Power Master II :(
Such a shame, he was probably the most helpful and friendly dealer I’ve ever used. A genuinely nice guy.

The RigExpert I bought is the model 55 so it’s good up from 60Hz up to 6m. I don’t need it to go higher than that really, the only VHF aerials I have a Diamond verticals. If I want to check anything at VHF or above I can use the miniVNA or this which goes from 137 MHz to 2.7 GHz.

N1201SA UV RF Vector Impedance ANT SWR Antenna Analyzer Meter Tester 140MHz - 2.7GHz: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy N1201SA UV RF Vector Impedance ANT SWR Antenna Analyzer Meter Tester 140MHz - 2.7GHz at Amazon UK.
amzn.eu
 
How sad, he is indeed a nice chap and very helpful.

I bought one of those MiniVNA devices and have had a brief play with it, it was a bit fiddly, I really need to spend some time on YouTube looking how best to operate it.
 
Chris Wilson said:
I bought one of those MiniVNA devices and have had a brief play with it, it was a bit fiddly, I really need to spend some time on YouTube looking how best to operate it.
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A fiver says you got a nanoVNA, not a miniVNA ;)

nanoVNA - About £50
G4altjt.png




miniVNA - About £400
5WHy60P.jpeg
 
Oh dear, that's sad news, I must admit I didn't know him well, but he was a damned sight more helpful than a lot of folk selling amateur radio gear whenever I di buy anything from him that needed a few questions answering.
 
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