Also in GB2RS this week…

| July 30, 2021

Kevin, G0PEK and Lauren, 2E0HLR will be taking part in the Megacycle DXpedition as they cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats. It starts on Sunday, 1 August 2021, and they hope to be home by the 28th. They will be carrying radio equipment on the bikes and operating VHF bicycle mobile and APRS along much of the route. Some HF QRP operation may be possible too. You can follow their progress on the Megacycle DXpedition Facebook page.

The British Amateur Television Club (BATC) Convention will take place, on the 21 August 2021 only, at the Midland Air Museum. This event will be a meet up, show-and-tell and bring-and-buy event, with full test facilities. On 16 October 2021, part two of the BATC Convention will be a day of free online talks about amateur television. You can read more here.

This Sunday, 1 August 2021, is Yorkshire Day and for many of the participants of the Hambleton ARS daily net, it will be a double celebration. It is the 500th consecutive day of operation of their daily net on 2m FM. The net is open to any amateur or listener and was started to keep amateurs in the area in touch during the COVID lockdown. So far, 87 different stations have been logged since it started. A special Yorkshire-themed ‘Cabin Fever’ award is available for any station taking part in the net, issued via email by Tim, G0TYM. SWL reports are welcome and should be sent to hambletonars2020@gmail.com. The net starts at 11am on the 2m calling frequency and usually moves to S18 if clear.

Many stations will take to the airwaves between 2 and 15 August 2021 to celebrate the fourth anniversary of FT8. Commemorative stations will use call signs with FTDMC or FTDM in the suffix. Logs will be uploaded to Logbook of The World and eQSL, and QSL cards will be available. A list of stations due to take part can be found here.

The AMSAT Engineering and Operations Teams has announced that the satellite known as AO-109 is now open for amateur use. Users are advised to use efficient modes such as CW or FT4 for making contacts, as there are issues with the satellite that make SSB voice contacts difficult. AO-109 is an inverting linear transponder. The uplink is 145.860MHz to 145.890MHz and the downlink is 435.760MHz to 435.790MHz. Later, there will be 1200 baud PSK telemetry on 435.750MHz, but that is still non-operational.

Category: GB2RS Headlines