Amateur Radio ← M0JCQ's Ham Blog

How to Give Useful PSK31 Signal Reports 2

Jan

2

2014

While using the PSK31 mode you often see people giving signal reports using the RST method (Readability, Strength, Tone). This was originally devised for Morse Code use, but has also widely been used for other modes like SSB (where Tone is dropped). Naturally many operators come from CW and SSB backgrounds when getting into data ...

The Average JT65 QSO

Nov

7

2013

I’ve recently branched out from my usual PSK31 operating and started with JT65. This is a mode that i’ve been meaning to get into for a while especially due to its effectiveness at very low power. The first big change i noticed is that JT65 has a very structured QSO format certainly which certainly doesn’t ...

Amateur Radio and Digital TV RFI 2

Nov

5

2013

I was recently talking to a neighbour and he asked casually if we were experiencing any loss of signal with our digital Freeview TV reception. I said we had (the XYL had mentioned it) and he went on to say that he had received a leaflet through the post saying TV reception may suffer due ...

Common PSK31 Abbreviations 4

Oct

24

2013

A number of abbreviations are used during an average PSK31 QSO, these are all borrowed from Morse code abbreviations. These may be familiar to you if you’ve had any CW experience, but for me this was all new so i had to learn it from scratch. The initial PSK31 contacts i decoded were a little hard to ...

How to construct a multi-band dipole using speaker wire 25

Sep

15

2013

I decided to build a multi-band dipole antenna as soon as i found out our new flat had loft access. After previously being constrained to a magnetic loop strung up in front of our living room window this was very exciting. In addition to this i even acquired an extra bedroom in which i could ...

Constructing an Ugly 1:1 RF Choke Balun 8

Sep

15

2013

While constructing my multi-band dipole it became apparent that an ‘Ugly Balun’ or to be more precise a 1:1 RF Choke balun would be needed. I’m cheap, so not wanting to pay for a commercial balun i decided to build my own. Why would this be needed? Well a dipole is a balanced antenna while ...

Top PSK31 Tips for Beginners (Part 2) 8

Aug

21

2013

I originally wrote my Top 10 PSK31 Tips for Beginners post to help others overcome the hurdles i had to work out for myself. The blog post has proved quite popular, so i thought i’d continue with some additional tips i have learnt since writing the first post. I hope you find something useful here to improve your ...

Beginners Guide to PSK31 Macros 18

Aug

8

2013

PSK31 operating is all about the macros. These are pre-canned sets of common information that you need to send on a per QSO basis, these obviously save you from typing a lot and they do get a lot of use! Macros are also helpful for non-English speaking amateurs, as they just need to setup the ...

Beginners guide to amateur radio

Jul

24

2013

When my interest in amateur radio was reinvigorated last year, the first question i had was how do i go about getting started? My interest in amateur radio started as a child by listening to Short wave radio and straying into the amateur bands on single side band (SSB). At that point i didn’t have ...

Elecraft KX3 Portable Operation 3

May

22

2013

I recently purchased and constructed the Elecraft KX3 Transceiver for portable operation. I specifically wanted this for SOTA (Summits on the Air) operation. I wanted to do a test run to make sure everything worked as expected, before i go and attempt to activate my first summit. The first test run was botched and saw me ...