Users of 2 metre Amateur Band?

[M0AFJ, Tim]

2M conditions have been well up the last few days, worked around 6 EA stations yesterday with a CT gotaway ( he heard me but had no TX gear ), Band very busy and no repeater useage!

[Peter.N.]

2M very active this morning still although I think today is its swan song. Worked a DL9 last night on FM but lost him half way through.

Peter

[russell_w_b]

Well, I did my bit for the cause and shouted 'CQ' this morning on two: Ten watts into the 'Slim Jim' 600' ASL. Had a good old natter with two 'band-stalwarts' in Eaglesfield and Crosby, 26 miles and 15 miles distant respectively.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[G4YVM David]

Still working on my rotator and mast at the moment it could be two twenty foot masts strapped together for a 30ft reach.

David

[FrankB]

The FCC here in the States just passed a law banning the use of the Baofung radios because they are not type accepted.
Huge arguments about the law. It is too all encompassing, eliminating converted commercial radios too, the way I read it. Knee jerk reaction to cheap, affordable imported radios.

[SiriusHardware]

Originally Posted by FrankB

The FCC here in the States just passed a law banning the use of the Baofung radios because they are not type accepted.

Over here (UK) holders of the higher than entry level amateur licences are allowed to use basically any bit of kit, whether ex-military, ex police, ex marine, or ex commercial which they can get going on amateur frequencies, on the assumption that they are sufficiently technically qualified to be able to ensure it does not transmit anywhere, or anything, it should not. I imagine that's how it was in the states until this law you mentioned was introduced.

Foundation (entry level) UK amateur licencees are only supposed to use either commercially made amateur specific transceivers or other transceivers (such as ex-PMR radios) which have been professionally set up and certified for conformity.

On that basis, it's doubtful whether they should be using the Baofengs / Wouxuns, etc. Probably not, since I doubt they have passed any sort of UK or European type approval. It amazes me that they are allowed through European or UK customs at all, to be honest. That said, I have a Baofeng UV5R-2 and it seems to work quite well, especially given the price.

I suspect the FCC's main problem with them is that (as well as being unapproved) they are so freely programmable, powerful and virtually uncontrollable once they are out 'in the wild', and no doubt many are being used as high-power FRS sets and unlicenced, unapproved GMRS sets, etc.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by SiriusHardware

On that basis, it's doubtful whether they should be using the Baofengs...

I read an article in an amateur radio magazine recently about one of these radios putting out all sorts of spurious signals. It's perhaps not surprising, when certain models are available for under £20!

[Radio Wrangler]

I've got a spectrum analyser and power attenuators.

Anyone with a Baofeng/Wouxun near here want to find out?

David

[Scimitar]

My contribution is in progress...

[Biggles]

I have never tried "motorcycle mobile" due to being too tight to pay for a decent professional helmet mic/earpiece set up, although I used to work on motorbike units a good few years back when Police and Paramedics had them. I have had motorbikes for a lot of years but always found them to be too noisy to allow home brew helmet kits to be used, and then there was always the problem of where to fit the aerial. On the Honda Pan-Europeans at work there was a lot of space to fit things, even though they had extras like data keypads and lights/sirens installed, but my current bikes are a bit "lean" in this respect, and I am not a fan of panniers and fairings, so keeping the whole thing dry is a bit of a challenge.
Alan.

[Phil G4SPZ]

I have on rare occasions operated ‘pushbike portable’ with a simple handie clamped to the handlebars and a suitable headset. The problem I found was the tendency of the other station to say “Back to you, OM” just as I had got to the top of an incline and was completely out of breath!

[russell_w_b]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

I have on rare occasions operated ‘pushbike portable'...!

I used to do that regularly when my colleague and I were on day-duty together. We had a 'sked' in the morning as I cycled to work. I used my Kenpro KP-202 with a lead-acid Yuasa 4AH battery in a converted camera bag slung over the handlebars, into which I also placed my rig and the lead to the battery.

It was all rather precarious and involved one-handed cycling but along a quiet country road with little traffic otherwise.

[G4YVM David]

Well im getting there...
Rotator sorted
Mast head preamp sorted
Mast sort of sorted...two ally poles should give me 30ft
Rig...ic706 with 20 watts

I'd like a linear.
I'd like a higher mast.


But in the next few weeks I shall be QRV on 2m again.

David

[G6Tanuki]

You *may* be just within shouting-distance of me! Wet-forest permitting.

[I have a FT897D and can lash-up a horizontal dipole to squirt some SSB in your direction]

[G4YVM David]

Ha. Okay, depends how high you are I guess. I'll let you know when I'm ready to actually tx.

[Peter.N.]

I can get into parts of Salisbury from Charmouth.

Peter G0HET

[M0AFJ, Tim]

I’ll listen for you from SW Cornwall...

[Peter.N.]

I can get into St Austell, don't know about Helston but give us a call when you are on. I keep my 2m rig on in the office so am within earshot of it for quite a lot of the day, or let me know when you are likely to be on and I will call you.

Peter

[M0AFJ, Tim]

Hi Peter, I can out a few calls out this afternoon, 1400 local, my site is not good back up country, lots of hills in the way. I’ll call on 144.30, I have 400W to a 7 ele horizontal, did work Austria on tropo the other day and Croatia on MS so it seems to work.
BTW it’s the IARU R1 CW contest today, rules on RSGB web site.
Tim M0AFJ

[Peter.N.]

Hi Tim, my beam is vertical and I only have FM, unless I can get my IC706 to work on ssb, it seems to have developed a fault so I doubt that would work. Last time I worked 2m ssb was in the '80s. Can you get into the St Austell repeater?

Peter