AmateurRadio.com

On the internet you can buy a dual-band handheld with antenna, battery, chargers(2), earpiece and belt clip for just £25.29. At this price I find it unbelievable they can make a profit. I think it is even cheaper if you buy a batch of 3.
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See http://www.banggood.com/LBaofeng-UV-5RA-Yellow-Dual-Band-Transceiver-Radio-Wakie-Talkie-p-947385.html  .

Shipping is just 29p. shipped to the UK by registered air parcel. It is available in a variety of case colours.

W5OLF WSPR beacon – complete – no PC needed

This WSPR-AXE really is a very impressive little rig, in my case for 10m WSPR.  Because of my current disabled state –  I find all electronics building just about impossible – Jay very kindly sold me a built unit to evaluate. Results in just a few hours of operating have been truly impressive. No PC is needed as long as the push button is pressed at the start of an even minute. Jay says it stays stable for weeks thereafter. I ran mine for 3.5 hours and got masses of decodes. After lunch it has been getting LOTS of spots from the USA. I am sure it will reach Australia soon.

The unit needs about 15 minutes to frequency stabilise and after that it always on, but it randomises the slots within the WSPR transmit window. This means it is unlikely to be “clobbered” by more powerful stations or cause others co-channel issues.

Best DX report (so far) today is FR1GZ (9724km).

10m WSPR – unique spots with the W5OLF beacon today, arranged by distance

If you want to buy one Jay W5OLF may be contacted on [email protected]t .

Jay has been working on new versions of his little WSPR beacons. All being well I should receive a 10m 500mW out version in the next few weeks.

Jay is writing the manual(s) and has asked me for my feedback, which I shall, of course, provide. The new version is a single board (again) but transmits continuously, randomising the TX frequency on each TX burst to minimise interference to/from others. It needs several minutes to thermally stabilise but uses the uP to generate everything needed such as the WSPR tones, so no PC is needed. The transmission is started manually on the start of an even minute with a push button. The PA can be separately enabled.

This should be fun. I’ll give more information when it arrives and I get a chance to try it on the air.

Some years ago I went to a BBQ where someone had a wi-fi controlled quadcopter remotely controlled from an iPad. It was very impressive with its on-board cameras for navigation and filming what was happening down below.

I see AE5X has a video showing the inspection of his antennas (from above) using one of these. My antenna farm is trivial by comparison and can be pretty well examined at ground level.

See http://www.ae5x.com/blog/various/youtube-de-ae5x/

See http://www.kanga-products.co.uk/ .

Kanga is one of the classic names in QRP kits both in the UK and the USA. They make some fine products at quite reasonable prices. Shown below (linked from their website) is their OpenQRP transceiver.

http://www.kanga-products.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=78

See https://www.youtube.com/user/ve3cnu

It is always fun to take a peek into other people’s radio shacks. This YouTube channel is hosted by Canadian VE3CNU. He has a nice shack and some nice gear.

I am amazed by how much money some people seem able to spend on the hobby.  This is, of course, a very individual decision and I am not criticizing anyone. Some pay a lot more to play golf, for example.

What I would say though is the hobby can be enjoyed on a shoestring if you build simple QRP radios and/or buy good second hand rigs. My own approach has been a mix of some homebrew and a few commercial rigs.

Others prefer to buy their rigs new (often with long guarantees) and experiment with antennas and peripherals. This is a very individual hobby that can be enjoyed in a number of ways.

Others just enjoy chatting on the air.

Darn it! Yet again I forgot this most excellent contest last weekend, although I would have been very restricted as we had our little grandchildren staying. They take priority. I must try next year. Last year I missed it as I was in Addenbrookes Hospital still very ill. The last time I caught it was 2012.

Although I do not much like contests, this one is always a good test and I often fill a few logbook pages with DX contacts. Exchanges are simple and quick. CQWW is usually a good way to increase the DXCC score. I always use real QRP power.

I dislike CW contests as they are too much like hard work. On SSB you can usually work stations, even with 2-5W QRP, especially later on when the big stations have already worked loads and are glad of extra points.