Monthly Archives: October 2013

Splatter or Receiver Overload?

Some operators mistake what is actually their inadequate receiver circuits as “splatter”. Genuine splatter that causes annoying interference on the band is very rare. What is more regular is operators assuming that the products they are hearing is splatter. It’s probably not.

m0mcx-ts-2000-with-goldline

TS-2000 suffers with close-in strong stations

For years, I ran an FT1000MP at home and I would curse under my breath, those stations that slid up to me in a contest, just a kHz away and started calling CQ, particularly the 80m activity nights. I would hear that typical crackle and scratching sound which was louder than the station I was in QSO with. I would bail-out and find another frequency. I couldn’t believe these stations had the staying power to stick next to me since clearly they would be receiving the same crackle from me – as I did from them. Or did they? Something was odd.

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Budget Tilt-Over mast from Barenco

(This article contains an animation)

barenco-special-screenshot(Note, this product is at the “enquiry” level, it is not a stock part from Barenco)

If you haven’t heard of them, then you should. Barenco make the finest brackets and supply other amazing stuff for the amateur radio hobby. Here’s Brian’s link:

http://www.barenco.co.uk/

I dropped an email last month to Brian asking him for some custom work but explaining something in writing that will produce a piece of engineering can cause spurious results. I therefore used my new (free) toy, a 3D modelling program called SketchUp to show Brian what I was after.

Essentially, it’s an off-set, side-mount rotator bracket that is also tilt-over. Since the bottom of this mast will only be about 2.5 above the ground, I’ll easily be able to secure the rotator bearing, undo the bolts at the top and carefully lower the mast down with a 6:1 pulley set I have.

Here’s the walk-through as an animation:

Special Event Operating Procedures

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Callum, M0MCX

This note will be particularly beneficial to those who may be required to run a special event station either on the lower bands or maybe on VHF. These tips & tricks will also help you anywhere on the band, regardless of your circumstances.

Preface: There are a number of aspects that appeal to me in this hobby, fancy radios, interesting antennas and GREAT operating. I enjoy making my hobby more fulfilling by operating well, and I don’t just mean following my license conditions. I like to mimic great operators, those guys that sound clear, even under QRM and QSB, they mean well, they act professionally, like they’re in Mission Control during an Apollo Mission. They inspire their contacts to act professionally – even the Italians don’t scare them! Someday, I hope I might be half as good as them 🙂

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