AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

AIRE VALLEY REPEATER GROUP 

We Need Your Help (Cash!) Urgently We are asking for donations urgently from regular users and supporters in the area to ensure we can keep our local amateur VHF & UHF radio repeaters operational. The cost of maintaining amateur radio repeaters is increasing every year and in common with many groups across the country, we are now struggling to keep our repeaters on the air. Background: As you would expect, the major costs are site rent and electricity. In addition, much of our equipment and infrastructure is becoming old and unreliable so we have a “shopping list” for future replacements running into several thousand pounds already. Apart from the generous donation of equipment and funds from Adam 2E0LXA, Karl G1YPQ, and the Keighley RAYNET group, all costs have been covered by the repeater keepers for several years now. This simply can not continue. Reluctantly, we will have no choice but to close down the repeaters in the district (GB3TP, GB3XL, GB7TP & MB7UL) by June 2015 if we fail to raise additional funds in time. Next Steps: If you feel you can help with a small cash donation, there are several ways you can give. PAYM: e-payment from your current a/c to mobile 07 454 316 603 PayPal: g8zmg.avrg@yahoo.com Cash: In person to Geoff Priestley G7JZM at the Keighley Amateur Radio Society, Parkside Social Club, Butt Lane, Haworth, BD22 8QJ, Thursday evenings from 20:00 We intend to publish a list of all donations received on the AVRG website and on the AVRG Facebook group page. If you wish to make a donation anonymously, please let us know and we will withhold your details from publication. Thanking you in advance for your continued support. Aire Valley Repeater Group Keepers: Phil Holmes M0IRK Steve Watson G8ZMG

(c) Phil Holmes M0IRK  & Steve Holmes G8ZMG 

blog produced by Phil Cole M1PAC

This blog (c) m1pac productions 2015

THE HYTERA DMR PD365 A WELCOME SURPRISE

HYTERA DMR PD365 

My Hytera PD365

My Hytera PD365 & My mobile/cell phone

I WON 2 OF THEM

When you enter a competition for something that you normally could not afford to purchase, in my opinion you are always in with a chance of winning after all there's the old adage that you've got to be in it to win it.
Imagine my surprise after waking up one morning and reading all the congratulations from some of the people I know on Facebook as radio hams and friends . There in front of me was  the post telling the lucky people they had won and to check our e-mail, so I checked my e-mail and sure enough there was the confirmation that I had won and could I please supply my shipping address. Part of the deal to winning a pair of these radio's was to write a review using more than 2 pictures of the actual radios with no less than an 800 word count.

 So to work then  

Now lets have a look  at  the main features of this wonder of modern technology. Starting with its elegant design .The radio is pocket sized and easy to carry so those with a cell phone wont notice the weight of only 160 grams and the measurements are only 106 X 54 X 23 mm and that it is it .

I think my cell phone is heavier.The big advantage is the belt clipThe clear display from the 3 lines single colour LCD display is adequate. This will mean that  with the 1 touch feature your text messages of no longer than 64 characters can easily be read,there is a capability of using the predefined short text messaging that can be set up in the CPS. Purchasing the programming lead  is essential and is £25 

On the front there is the big rocking button that will help you to select menu's so you can navigate through and read or select them , it can also be used for voice calls .

The radio features a micro usb port so it can be charged with the most micro usb power supplies .Plugging it  into your computer's USB port will also charge it with a standard usb  lead used by most mobile phones.
The  Standard internal battery is rated at 2000mAh @3.7v  and should help users keep in contact for a long time.

In digital mode the battery operates for up to 12 hours using  a 5-5-90 cycle and in analogue mode about 10.
There are 4 programmable buttons on the front that can be used 
The range of frequencies are : 400-440 MHz/430-470MHz/446 Mhz with a Variable Output Power of 3W/1.5W and it has a 256 Channel Capacity. 

The radio is programmable via the usb port and anyone familiar with the hytera CPS will find it a doddle to set up. There is also the ability to use CTCSS/CDCSS  on the analoug frequencies  this will  prevent unwanted conversations on the same frequency added to the fact you can enable it to scan continuously on the analogue and digital channels .

With the  Analogue and  digital dual modes, using it  ensures a smooth analogue to digital migration. I see this radio in use mostly for covert or security operations so the fact that the optional speaker mics can be worn discreetly with a secure 2.5 mm socket  to ensure you don't loose contact along with a high quality speaker for clear audio from the set .

Word of mouth is a wonderful thing and when someone tells you that a thing is good you just have to try one out for yourself . I can tell you I am not disappointed and have been telling all I can just what a great little radio it is . Here are my findings.

After Receiving the radios from the courier, I went over to my friend 2E0STZ's  shack and we loaded a code plug for our local DMR Marc repeater network then programmed the radio's .

There are  three DMR Marc networked repeaters in our area.

1 GB7TP  Aire valley repeater group         439.6875

2 GB7TD  Five towns Repeater group       439.1625

3 GB7HX  West Yorkshire repeater group 439.5750

Standing in the garden of  the location that we were in we were able to open and operate them from the rear garden  of 2E0STZ,s location  and  I was able to open GB7HX which is approximately 13.7 miles away GB7TD is 12.5 miles away and we could operate that also. I used my radio whilst I was on a rest period I was able to talk to my friend 2E0STZ.
The belt clip supplied with the radio is a joy to use , it is so simple to connect  and disconnect the radio from it . There is a top tab that clicks into place when you have secured it properly into the clip and it just needs the twist of a finger to detach it .the belt clip itself fastens securely onto most of the belts I have tried, including a tool-belt that I use for work.

Being local to one of the repeaters (GB7TP) I am able to use the low power setting on the handset . I live in a block of flats and have a twin lift shaft to the right of my shack, and on high power I can open and operate an analoug repeater called GB3XL .The little handset continues to astound me on it's capabilities  Even if I hadn't won a pair of these wonderful little devices I would have purchased one  to try it for myself .

So to anyone that reads this go out and buy one , you won't be disappointed .And should you want to purchase one of these wonderful little bits of kit then please visit the HAM DMR website site and order it from Adam .PS tell him I sent you ;)  

HAM DMR WEBSITE

(c) m1pac productions 2014 

Fear and loathing in Pudsey west yorkshire

The Jolly Green Giant

The Jolly Green Giant  ( or JGG  as it will now be known ) is an old military radio telescopic  mast and was kindly donated to my fellow radio ham M6STZ by another radio ham  M0DIT who was in need of the space and the JGG was taking up considerable room in his garage.

 I put the JGG in my car and took it over to the QTH of M6STZ who was pleased as punch.

Since we erected it the  mast has been up and down like a Brides nightie for various reasons. It came with a canvas bag full of guy lines and this enabled us to  fix it in position when the  terrible winds  that we knew were due came . It survived them with aplomb, and there was a LOT of wind , speeds of up to 70 mph were bandied about.

Now with the advent of DMR radio  LINK to explanation both me and M6STZ have both obtained radio's to utilise that particular mode of transmission.There are severel DMR repeater's and one of the local ones is GB7TP   Link to details  I use it both on local and roaming as I am only 3.72 miles or 5.99 kilometres from its location as the crow flies.

The group that maintain both GB7TP and GB3TP are the aire vally repeater group  whose web page can be found here  .

The JGG and M6STZ

This day called for the JGG to be taken down for maintenance, the installation of some low loss coax supplied by  adam from specialist radio and here is the link,as well as the fixture of a dual band  yagi antenna for 144MHz and 70 cm that is fixed and  pointing in a southerly direction . The mast stands at about 6 M6STZ's or 36 feet .

Thank you for reading my blog  

Please note all pictures (c) m1pac productions 2014