Also in GB2RS this week…
The latest versions of the UK band plans have been published. RSGB Members will receive a copy within the February edition of RadCom, and the information is freely downloadable from rsgb.org/bandplans.
Two more 2018 RSGB Convention videos are now available for Members to view on the RSGB website. Convention favourite Ian White, GM3SEK can be seen speaking about VHF baluns, where he takes a critical look at some long-established methods for feeding Yagi antennas and identifying a new list of do’s and don’ts for modern conditions—watch VHF Baluns – Fact and Fancy by Ian White, GM3SEK. Ray Burlingame-Goff, G4FON discusses the pitfalls of learning Morse and the work of the German psychologist Ludwig Koch that Ray used in his freeware training software. Drawing on his own experience and over 10 years of feedback by users of his software, Ray offers practical advice on how you can move from simply working stations with a 5NN TU reply to effortless casual rag chewing with them—watch Improving your Morse Skills by Ray Burlingame-Goff, G4FON. Go to rsgb.org/videos to see these and many other videos.
Looking ahead a little, The St Patrick Award is asking amateurs to come and celebrate on the air for St Patrick’s Day on 17 March 2019. The award will be running over 48 hours from the 16th at 12 noon until the 18th at 12 noon to follow the worldwide celebrations. This year a new digital award has been added covering such modes as FT8, DMR, D-Star, JT65, Echolink, etc. To claim it you must have made 20 contacts with a registered St Patrick’s Day station. For more information go to stpatrickaward.webs.com.
More than 80,000 contacts went into logs at Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) suffix stations and others participating in December YOTA month, with most operations in IARU Region 1. The final tally included 46,989 on SSB, another 28,064 on CW, some 3,814 on FT8, and the rest on various other modes. This year, as many as 44 participating stations made 82,938 QSOs in December. You will be able to read about events in the UK in the March RadCom. A full report can be read at iaru-r1.org.
There are a number of vintage radio and amateur radio related ebooks available for free download on Project Gutenberg. Among them is Letters of a Radio Engineer to his Son by John Mills. Written in 1922, in his letters the author teaches all about radio-telephony with simple explanations and “contain only what is important in the radio of to-day and those ideas which seem necessary if you are to follow the rapid advances which radio is making.” For more details see gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=radio.
Category: GB2RS Headlines
