Solar Flares, Dead Bands? There's still plenty of ham radio activity!
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- Lot's of negativity about the active sun killing HF and ruining ham radio.
I disagree! There is still lots to do.
Let me know if you agree or disagree with me.
73,
Fraser MM0EFI
#'hamradio #yaesu #vhf #solarflare #cme
Couldn't agree more Fraser. That simple activation looked fun. There is always something on the bands to work. I remember when I was first licensed a local amateur said to me 'I call CQ cos nobody can hear me listening' and I've remembered that to this day. 73 Chris M0RSF
Getting out with a radio is nearly always fun Chris 😆👍
Great video. I am new, only passed in May, and got very disheartened with 70cm/2m being so quiet. Had success with RTL-SDR and Uniden 125XT RX'ing. Only one TX success on a repeater. 2m/70cm needs more promotion. So much HF on social media, VHF/UHF seems to get cast aside. Thanks for promoting it. Hope to make contact one day. Have an 891, waiting on an antenna to get on the air ASAP. 73, EI6JHB.
Welcome aboard! 😁
I find that if I can get to a high spot that I can usually make a few contacts on 2m. SOTA also helps because you can self spot and chasers look for you. I hope you have fun experimenting and finding what works best for you.
Fraser MM0EFI
Nice one Fraser. It's good to see you getting out great. As for me I very rarely hear anyone anymore especially from Scotland. As you know I always used to get you and Colwyn at 59 and whether it is the sun flares or whatever I don't know but I struggle to hear anything here for the last couple of months. Anyways mate it's good to see both you and Mo look in really good health and long may it stay like that..Take care and stay safe and I will continue to listen out for you. Best 73
Thanks mate! I hope you're keeping well. Looking forward to our next QSO. 😀
Great video fraser, as you know I keep saying this also, great to know I am not the only one.
Got to be in it to win it, 👍
Love the cairn o mount, it's a great place for radio.
73
Cheers Duncan, The Cairn is a good spot, especially for VHF. Has a great take off down the North Sea coast to NE England.
Even if HF was "dead" there is still VHF (somewhat affected), and UHF (hardly affected). As pointed out, the 2 meter band was active all throughout the last two solar storms. Play a bit on the neglected 1.25 meter band, or the 70 cm band, check on GMRS (if also licensed for it) and try out Meshtastic. The higher the band, the less affected by solar radiation even in a G5 storm such as we had. That's not to say there is no effect. Diversify and experiment! For example, use a handheld on 220-250 mhz to check out what satellites are still broadcasting in your sky, or check out Unicom or Guard on airband to see if any aircraft are reporting navigation problems. There is more to radio than getting a QSL from half-way around the world or BS'ing with the boys on 40 meters. Storms pass and this has happened to Ham radio every 11 years for generations of Hams. 73 from Nampa, Idaho.
You nailed it!
73
I love this channel. Great video mate. 73s
Appreciate that, cheers 😁
Thanks for sharing mate, bands are never really dead. 2m and 6m always dead this far south, but 20m cw at greyline peak still giving me dx qso's.
Peak on greyline not always at darkness, down here 30 mins later.
I've had a qso everyday for the last 10 years. Give a call and patients.
73 mate. Zl3xdj
Right place, right time Brian. Patience needed at times, which some don't have.
73, Fraser MM0EFI
Good one Fraser most enjoyed the show thanks for sharing 73 de 2e0ree
Cheers Andy. I don't like to rant, but try to remain positive and offer solutions. Onwards 😀
Couldn’t agree more, I’ve never had so much fun on 2m when the bands were ‘dead’. Mull to Aberdeenshire summits all because I gave it a decent go!
2m has definitely saved your bacon on more than one sota summit!!
Used to live in Banchory, and we used to drive the Cairn O Mount road often.
It's a great road, less so in winter. It isn't on the priority list for ploughing. In 2020 it was shut for weeks at a time.
Great radio VHF take off down the east coast to NE England.
Cheers, Fraser MM0EFI
Foxtrot Uniform November. Too right Fraser. Just get out there doesn't matter if you get someone or not. Great job to the both if you.
73
Just downloaded Ham2K app (Android) for logging. Have you tried it
Thanks Motters. Hope you're well mate 😀
@@theradiorover downloaded Ham2K (Android) app last night for logging. Just to see if it helps when out. Have you tried it? I like how fast it pulls the details from qrz.
It’s an ongoing fight between SUN and HAM. #POFUNG #boafeng
The sun always wins 😆
Been dead busy here in Shropshire had 10SOTAs today and same again normal QSOs so yep wide open on 2M!!
SOTA certainly helps keep 2m alive, that's for sure. 2m works wonders from a hill top.
Great stuff, Fraser...things like SOTA, HEMA and 145Alive prove that good old fashioned 2m FM can be huge fun without spending huge amounts.
I get the impression that a lot of people don't routinely monitor their local repeaters and simplex calling frequencies...oddly, I've often found 4m more productive, perhaps because people are surprised to hear a call(!).
Something that seems increasingly common is the simplex "club channel" where a group of mates chat locally, this is all well and good but if you're from outside the area or whatever, it tends to be somewhat exclusive, especially as the actual activity is often pretty brief, so may not be picked up while scanning or tuning through the band...and if many in an area are just listening on that channel then the calling frequency becomes pretty much obsolete.
I'm hoping to become a lot more active once we've moved to Herefordshire, i should be able to put up some sort of VHF/UHF omni and the house were hoping to buy has a reasonable take-off in some directions, plus there are several summits locally.
73, G0CIQ
4m is a good shout! I have some 4m portable kit that I want to try out this year. Watch this space. 🙂
Herefordshire is a great location! Good luck with the move.
783, Fraser MM0EFI
If you are up a hill, a proper Scottish one, that’s most of the fun. Great video I’ll get my agent to call yours.
Cheque's in the post 😀👍
Forget about all that radio stuff. I'm impressed by how clean all your glass is in your vehicle. What's your secret?
This time of year it gets covered in pollen on an hourly basis, so it had been freshly hosed just before we set off!
This is the truth👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Yup, you know it Derek.
This is fun 100/100. Keep things simple.
Simple is best!! Love it. 😀
Just started building a new 4 band HF linked dipole 10m being the 1st wire on the dipole.
Cool. For portable use John?
Yea mainly for SOTA.
@excossack excellent! GL with that.
Great video ! I still making SOTA contacts everyday. Plus I’m building a TR-35 qrp rig as well .
Excellent! I'll have to Google that rig, but maybe not... I'm not allowed any more radios 😂
Cheers,
Fraser MM0EFI
Great vid!
Cheers Tim! Hope you're well mate. 🙂
Well done to everyone on 2m that day! It's a sporting drive over the Cairn O'Mount - but I will forever think of that lay-by at the top as the place where we had to stop and clean-up one of the children who reacted very badly to my driving on the twisty bits! 😲 73s
HaHa!! It is a good drive in summer. Mo was driving Gizmo the gti that day and she doesn't hang around. A great VHF spot. I have reached NE England from there over the sea path.
Fully agree Fraser; tell me, was the handheld a 2m FM rig?
cheers- Geoff vk3sq
Yes mate. Yaesu ft3d 🤙
the bands are not dead - only if we let them to be dead; bad conditions for sure are not going to crush one`s previous distance record but can still make local contacts; Fraser, I apologies if I'm to intrusive but what are those wires on the ceiling on your room ? would that be an indoor antenna?
Ha! You're not the first one to ask. I've had a couple of emails. They are simply a long string of tiny LED lights, criss-crossed across our bothy ceiling. They look nice on a winters evening.
As for the bands, I can't argue with you. There's always some activity to be found.
Cheers,
Fraser MM0EFI
This happens, it’s life, everyone will live till they die, some sooner than others
Steve, isn't there lots to cram in before that inevitably though!
@@theradiorover that’s what I am trying to say, things happen, I think I have been thru 2 maybe 3 of these radio black outs, still have my radio equipment, still enjoy it, there is always some maintenance that needs to be done an exercise in fertility that is if you want a nice radio that sounds good but if you don’t care, I guess you get what you pay for no worries mate because there’s none here