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Linears in the UK
19 July 2015 | by I think the RSGB must be getting short of articles for RadCom.
Last month they reviewed a linear that cannot be legally used in the UK because of its high power. There were a couple of critical letters about this in the August RadCom. Why did the RSGB print this review at all? We, in the UK, have a power level of 400W pep on most bands and we should encourage UK amateurs to keep to this. I have rarely used more than 5-10W pep and even 100W sounds like incredibly high power! No, let us have more articles in the spirit of amateur radio. Not everyone is interested in big, overpriced radios, linears, towers and huge HF beams. Just a few watts is enough to span the globe.
Anyone can work the world with 1000W and an HF beam on a tower. You can also video conference world wide for free with Skype!
QRP is a real challenge. High power rigs, big HF beam and linears are more about egos. Personally they do little for me.
4 Responses to “Linears in the UK”
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Roger
This seems to be the way of RadCom these days, with “Sport Radio” one of their hobby horses. I have contacted them about poor operating practices during contests where high power stations just plonk themselves on a frequency and radiate QRM to stations occupying frequencies 1 or 2 KHz away. One guy in an RSGB contest fired up 1KHz higher than a large net I was on and wiped everybody out. He ignored polite requests to QSY so I called in as a contest QSO and politely advised him that he was causing QRM. His answer was “I am in a contest” and continued CQing.
Same in data contests where smaller stations are swamped by high power stations outside of their normal operating zone for that mode.
RSGB not interested in promoting good practice, that being shown in a piece they did about starting off in contesting, no mention of ‘don’t cause QRM to / be considerate of other users’.
The RSGB seem to promote contests and the article on the linear reinforces this. I read the last RadCom in about 10 minutes as there was so little in it of interest. having just 2 pages of letters is perhaps an indication of how disinterested they are in regular amateur’s views.
Charlie,
Inclined to agree, I dropped my subscription as I was not geting any value from it.
As a basic with honours (HF priveleges but not advanced) I am allowed 560 watts PEP. Advanced Hams in Canada are allowed 1000 watts. My three rigs are a Drake TR-7 – 150 watts; Alinco DX70 – 100 watts; and a YouKits TJ5A QRP rig – variable 100mw to 20 W; The TJ5A is my contest rig. When you can work Japan on 5 watts why go for real high power. I just don’t get the need to use maximum power when less will get you there. It’s part of the exam to get licensed – use the lowest power to get the job done.
All,
Maybe they want to show what is out there and what the rest of the world is using to make you proud of your 400W max 😀
About contests, it is fun and it would not be the first time I was harassed by a net while I’m already busy long time on a frequency and that frequency happens to be “their” frequency…. ..
And indeed, it is fun doing QRP, I also do it, but will you work all countries this life ?? The building part of QRP is fun indeed.
73 on6uu, OT5A 20mtr