Getting back in to Amateur Radio

[Peter.N.]

Look at the very bottom end of each HF band, that's usually where the CW enthusiasts gather.

Peter

[G4_Pete]

My return to Amateur radio came via a chance encounter with an old radio friend who told me that there was a local top band net active with some of my friends from the past. I bought a fairly simple pocket synthesised radio that covered the shortwave bands and found what can best be described as an active top band experimenters club. There are about 6 core operators all operating in highly compromised situations as far as antennas are concerned with some operating portable.

Every week brings in a new experiment from someone, From Home brew TRF valve RX/TX to an experimental call in from a lay by way out of county via a remote connection to a local station internet enabled radio.
For myself this has involved restoring a codar AT5 ,several HRO,s , and an old Ajax Radio telephone plus dozens of different antenna combinations from large magnetic loops to my current folded counter poise plus vertical all on top band.

But the key enabler for all this and part of my enjoyment has been using all the test equipment that is now available cheaply on the surplus markets and junk sales. Be that noise bridges , quality RF bridges, oscilloscopes etc. Many years ago at our radio club someone with professional links brought in an antenna vector analyser. As an antenna was tuned we all looked in awe at this completely unaffordable piece of equipment. However now on a modest income I own one which probably has similar specifications to this once completely unaffordable network analyser.

So whilst much can be achieved with the ubiquitous SWR meter one of the various network analysers now available or a simple noise bridge used with a portable cheap synthesised portable HF radio is also worth having if you enjoy experimenting with feeders and antennas.

[Jon_G4MDC]

Interesting last few posts - haven't looked at this one for some days.
The military stuff always seemed to be somewhat limited to me. The parts issues raised most interesting.

I found on the floor of the Cambridge branch of Lowe's a Yaesu FT70G - it sort of looked at me. Ended up coming out of the door with it under my arm - somewhat poorer. It is 100Hz synthesised with thumbwheel switches (since replaced). Originally 2-30MHz I think, a diode/resistor bodge up got it into Top Band OK (low pass filter ? Antenna Q renders unnecessary for mobile - right!)

I used it for Top Band net on the way to work for some years. SSB performance - marginal - no talk power. CW using the tune switch to take your over - solid copy every time. They got to understand that MDC would reply CW as range increased...

And that is the thing about Top Band. It used to be true on 2m. (AM/FM/SSB - they bust a gut to work you) but no longer - your deviation is very low OM.
AM>>FM in 1981/2 or so on 145.2MHz.

[HamishBoxer]

Normally one or two on 160M most nights around here. 2M I am afraid having bought a hand held last year, I await my first contact!

[G4YVM David]

Top band AM??

[Jon_G4MDC]

I have used my FT70G as a Top Band AM, SSB & CW portable.

A short G-whip on top and then the case can be quite tickly to touch on CW/Speech peaks. There is no-where for the ground current to return except through you!

Southwold beach in particular. Pictures are not available now until I get back to home PC.

[GSBX1220]

Good to get the perspective on the Clansman 320 from someone who has worked on them. Again, something to think about. I was quite keen on this, as my gear if old was always re-purposed stuff.

Upsized j pole will be looked at. Don't know why I never thought if that one.

Keep the suggestions coming guys!

[ex seismic]

Most of us with Clansman 320s think they're marvellous bits of kit. They do very well with their 20 watts. What they are not good for is scanning across the bands, this is because they were never designed to do so. The rotary frequency select switches do not go round and round so you are forever turning them back and forward. I don't know anyone who has bothered to do so but you can probably take the stops off the switches so that they will go round and round, which would make life easier.
And mine were purchased directly from Withams, the official MoD disposal agents so no worries about provenance.

Gordon
G7KNS

Originally Posted by Peter.N.

Look at the very bottom end of each HF band, that's usually where the CW enthusiasts gather.

Peter

Thanks but that's not what I meant, that is, online forums, etc. I still have to find somebody who consistently has CW contacts on the 2m band.

[G4YVM David]

Originally Posted by ottavio

Thanks but that's not what I meant, that is, online forums, etc. I still have to find somebody who consistently has CW contacts on the 2m band.

We tried it with FISTS...even we couldnt achieve this

[HamishBoxer]

Originally Posted by G4YVM David

Top band AM??

No not AM, 160M SSB.The only AM I know is 80M and 40M mainly from VMARS members with the 19 Sets etc.

[G3VKM_Roger]

Originally Posted by G4YVM David

Top band AM??

Often hear AM on 1977kHz, especially during the long nights.

73

[G4YVM David]

I'll have a listen.

[G3VKM_Roger]

Originally Posted by HamishBoxer

No not AM, 160M SSB.The only AM I know is 80M and 40M mainly from VMARS members with the 19 Sets etc.

Quite a few European AM stations meet on 3600kHz and the Dutch favour 3705kHz.

Cheers

Roger

[G3VKM_Roger]

Originally Posted by GSBX1220

Good to get the perspective on the Clansman 320 from someone who has worked on them. Again, something to think about. I was quite keen on this, as my gear if old was always re-purposed stuff.

Upsized j pole will be looked at. Don't know why I never thought if that one.

Keep the suggestions coming guys!

Try this site for a comprehensive write-up on the PRC-320.

https://moffatig.plus.com/g0ozs/PRC-320.html

[SiriusHardware]

Originally Posted by Station X

I now recollect that I do have an Alinco rig with CTCSS, so I'll dig it out and have a go.

As a matter of interest, Graham, the ADI AT-600 you moved on a year or so ago has CTCSS

Quite a high spec radio for its day, as CTCSS would have been an expensive optional plug-in extra on many of its contemporaries from Icom, etc.

I've just had it in bits to re-coat the button rubbers as some, especially the on-off button, were getting quite hard to press. Working nicely again now.

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by JohnBG8JMB

RT320 20W hf set. beloved of SAS and no one else. obsolete when put into service, like most of the rest of the sets. Tuning Inflexible for amateur use.

And ask "how did it get from UK MoD to ebay"

John G8JMB

I'd disagree entirely.

The "Prick-320" as it was known in the 1980s is still a serious radio for use on the HF bands.

OK, its 'safe-cracker' decade-tuning dials make it really less-than-ideal for HF band-scanning, but if you know the frequency a particular DXpedition's operating on, you set the dials and there it is. 30 years from production my PRC320 is still within 250Hz of a frequency I dial up, even on 28MHz.

As to "how did it get from MoD to Ebay": the entire Clansman series of radios were declared obsolete 20 years ago. Palletfuls of them were sold through various auction-sites - the same places that handled old 'Wolf' Land-Rovers and the '"Green Goddess" Bedford-RL fire-tenders.

You could get a pallet of "Clansman radio gear" - shrink-wrapped - for £500. Which would include a few dozen PRC320s, VRC321 stuff, hundreds of headests/random power-leads and antenna-stuff. Entirely "per lot, sold by weight".

That's how the likes of the PRC320 got into the real world/. OK, in a shrinkwrapped bundle you'd find 2 or 3 radios that were first-class, 2 or 3 that were working-but-suspect, and another ten that would be best cannibalised-for-spares.

The 320 is a good radio; the VRC321 is a nightmare!

[Aub]

I believe there's still a Sunday morning Topband AM net in the Hinckley ( Leicestershire ) area, on 1960 Khz. Start time 0930, if memory serves. Its been running since, at least, 1981, when I was first on the air as G4KQL.

Cheers

Aub

[Station X]

There's an AM net on 1.977 MHz at this very minute.

[G4YVM David]

Theres a flood of clansman prc320 on the market at the mo. All being auctioned.
I quite fancy one...relive my TA Sigs days