Innehållsförteckning för April 2022 från Radio User

Georg Wiessala wiessala@hotmail.com Hello and welcome to the April edition of RadioUser. Much has changed in a month, and I am, not for the first time, reminded of a pertinent remark by our friend Jörg Klingenfuss: “In these times of war, remember the key fact: Short Wave (HF) is the only medium for inter-national and inter-continental communication that, unlike, for instance, SATCOM, landline connections, and submarine cables, cannot be blocked, censored, or cut off. What’s more, there are no call costs or monthly fees”. How true! The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought some last-minute changes to our lineup, and I would politely direct you to our Ukraine Appeal elsewhere in this issue. Chrissy Brand has the subject covered in New Media & International Radio, although it is more than…

Jörg Klingenfuss reports that solar activity is increasing rapidly and provides perfect HF propagation conditions. He has included updated radiofax schedules of Athens, Funabashi, Guangzhou, Hamburg, Kagoshima, Misaki, Shanghai, and Tokyo, which can be found on the Klingenfuss website. Jörg says, “In these times of war, remember the key fact: shortwave. HF is the only medium for inter-national and inter-continental communication that, unlike e.g. SATCOM, landline connections, and submarine cables, cannot be blocked, censored, or cut off. What’s more, there are no call costs or monthly fees”. (SOURCE: Jörg Klingenfuss, Klingenfuss Publications) https://www.klingenfuss.org/homepage.htm…

This kit for an 8-speed preselector can be used universally in ‘homebrew’ projects, inexpensive SDRs or receivers (Hardware: Heinz Stampfl, HB9KOC; Software: Ernst Kirschbaum, DL2EBV and Rolf Hasler, HB9QN). On the board, there is a low-pass filter for the frequency range up to 41MHz, as well as switchable LC band and 3rd order low-pass filters for different sub-bands. The filter is selected electronically, using buttons on the front panel. The preselector has a bypass function but is only suitable for reception. The kit is currently on offer at CHF350 (ca. £284). The assembly instructions (in German, with clear images) can be downloaded from the Heinz Stampfl website. Among the principal technical specifications are: Frequency range: 0-30MHz; Insertion loss: 1dB; and Operating Voltage: 11-16V. https://tinyurl.com/2s3tc5pw…

BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC FESTIVAL: The line-up for this year’s BBC Radio 6 Music Festival was announced on the station by Huw Stephens and Mary Anne Hobbs earlier. It was also revealed that Cardiff will host the festival, which will take place from Friday 1 – Sunday 2 April. There will be live performances, DJ sets, In Conversations and more across multiple venues in Wales’ capital city, including St David’s Hall […]. Mary Anne Hobbs said: “The most exciting element about the 6 Music Festival is the coming together, in a physical space, of our beloved 6 Music listeners and the staff at the station, with artists we love. Lockdowns have kept us apart since 2020, so this year’s gigs in Cardiff are going to feel super-charged.” (SOURCE: ontheradio |…

wiessala@hotmail.com The editor takes a closer look at two recent publications aiming at maritime communications enthusiasts and Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) monitoring hobbyists in the UK, Continental Europe and beyond. The choices of reliable resources for Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) hunters or ‘NDBDXers’ are not exactly abundant these days. By contrast – perhaps on account of the ongoing disappearance of broadcasting stations on Medium Wave – many hobbyists have been drawn to monitoring these CW transmitters from an earlier age of navigation, especially during the winter months, and at night time. Our very popular monthly Maritime Matters column shows that there are still plenty of beacons to receive, either in themselves or to aid with the prediction of propagation conditions, for example across the Irish Sea, Northern Europe and the Atlantic. On…

CYPHER MACHINES AND CRYPTOLOGY WEBSITE HAS MOVED: Dirk Rijmenants writes in the SWLing Post that, “the Cipher Machines and Cryptology website moved to a new location. The website now also supports hppts (SSL/TLS) so that you can visit securely and anonymously. The reason for the change of server and domain was due to the old provider decided to stop all their user web spaces. More about the move is found on our latest blog post […].” www.ciphermachinesandcryptology.com MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS: Most people think about the Earth’s magnetism only when they need to find their way in the wilderness. When we look at a compass, the earth’s magnetic field appears to be a steady guide. But in reality, the Magnetic Field is anything but stable. Ephemeral undulations, called micro-pulsations, ripple about…

With offers starting from as little as £12.99 a quarter, subscribing really is the cheapest and easiest way to receive the paper magazine to your door every month! SAVE UP TO 20% Save money every issue | Quarterly, annual or one-off options available To view our latest subscription offers visit bit.ly/raus-mysub22 or call 01778 395161 and quote RAUS/MYSUB22 Telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 8am–6pm and Saturdays 9am–5pm Read on any device, anywhere, anytime! Stay up to date on all the latest equipment reviews and news throughout 2022. PLUS, read the latest issue one week before it’s on sale in the shops when opting for the digital magazine! Visit bit.ly/raus-mysub22 to find out more. *Saving is based on UK annual Direct Debit rate and is correct as of print 27.01.2022.…

Richard Hillier, of WiNRADIO/RADIXON, wrote in to inform us as follows: “When the development of the G69DDC started, ‘Artemis’ was selected as its ‘straplinename’. However, with the increasing exposure of the NASA ‘Artemis’ Moon Landing Programme, many other companies have started using the name. For this reason, we have decided to rename the G69DDC so that we cannot be associated with any other product or project. WiNRADiO has a tradition of using ‘Excalibur’ for HF receivers and ‘Excelsior’ for HF/VHF/UHF receivers, so we have chosen to use ‘Excelsior Ultra’ as the new name for the G69DDC. Our website already reflects this change. A new software update (version 1.16) has also been released, which employs the new name (new desktop icons, updated help, User’s Guide, and so on).” [This new high-end SDR will…

mydogisfinn@gmail.com David Harris reviews a substantial new title about the BBC, which addresses its history against a backdrop of domestic and global events and discusses the many challenges and demands it has faced over the years. The date of 14th November 2022 marks the 100th Anniversary of the first regular radio broadcast by the BBC. From one medium wave station in the London area, broadcasting to a limited number of people, the BBC has now grown into a vast organisation. At present, it operates 61 domestic radio stations, 10 TV channels and the BBC World Service. It also runs the fourth most popular website in the UK. And yet, this vast global business with over 22,000 staff started up in 1922 with only three employees: John Reith, Arthur Burrow and…

Keith405625.kh1@gmail.com Garry405625.gs@gmail.com In 1950, the BBC extended its range of programmes for very young listeners and viewers. The first edition of Listen With Mother took to the airwaves on 16th January 1950. One of the main presenters was Daphne Oxenford who narrated the programme between 1950 and 1971 (Fig. 1). Each programme was introduced with the immortal words, “Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin”. The evocative piano theme tune was the Berceuse from Gabriel Fauré’s Dolly Suite. The final edition was broadcast on 10th September 1982. A landmark event in the history of radio and TV was the formation of the European Broadcasting Union on 12th February. The BBC played a major role here (Fig. 2). The story of this organisation has been told in RadioUser before (RadioUser, February…

wiessala@hotmail.com Over the last few years of DXing and experimenting, I have returned to certain kinds of aerial again and again. Ferrite Bars, for example, exert a, well, ‘magnetic attraction’ on me, mostly because of their connection with the reception of signals in the Very Low Frequency (VLF) band (RadioUser, January 2022: 51-55 and March 2022: 38-40). [By the way, elsewhere in this issue, our Aerials Now columnist Keith Rawlings is test-driving the new Reuter Elektronik RFA1A/B active magnetic indoor ferrite aerial for 130kHz-1MHz]. The second type of aerial that never fails to ‘reel me in’ is the loop kind. I currently have four regular loops in use in the shack, again for very different purposes: The Wellbrook ALA1530 as my outdoor HF mainstay, the UKRAA VLF Loop for VLF…

This is a Wide Frequency radio with digital tuning: It can receive FM, MW, SW, SSB, AIR, CB, VHF, UHF, UBD (user-defined) and WX (North American) National Weather Band. Thank you to Frank for sharing – via the US SWLing Post – an English-language manual for the HanRongDa HRD-747. This small radio has been called astonishing; a good receiving mini portable with a wide range and many features. Therefore, the manual is important, especially because there are only a few knobs to manage all functions. The manual defines the radio as, “It is an entry-level toy product for radio lovers, and also the auxiliary product for cross-country activity lovers (VHF/UHF Station reception). It can provide flight information for those who often take planes […]. (SOURCES: SWLing Post | HanRongDa) https://tinyurl.com/39mfnsw4…

March 1st 2022 Only legal stations are included. Most stations use low power, but a few use several kW. Note that UTC is used here - not CET! Abbreviations used: D = Germany, DNK = Denmark, FIN = Finland, NL = Netherlands, NOR = Norway F.pl.: future plan, Int’l = International, Irr. = irregular, LT = Local time, 24/7 = twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week Mo = Monday, Tu = Tuesday, We = Wednesday, Th = Thursday, Fr = Friday, Sa = Saturday, Su = Sunday. This list is published by Hartvig Media ApS. each first day of the month – based on details supplied by the radio stations, the stations websites, monitoring observations, HFCC registrations, and some presumptions. The list is not copyrighted and may be…

Building on Don's earlier books the 6 Metre Handbook and Six and Four, The Magic Bands adds lots lots of material on data modes operation, which has grown enormously in popularity in recent years with the advent of FT8. There is detail of the many new radios that have appeared in recent years with 6m and, increasingly, 4m capabilities. Readers will find two new antenna designs from Justin Johnson, G0KSC, of InnovAntennas especially produced for this book. There is detail of software too, not just for data modes but for remote operation, tracking of achievements and much else. There is even material highlighting the achievements of several of the leading operators on the 6m band. The 6m band is now almost universally available across the amateur radio world, while in…

ICAO Code: EGDM Frequencies (MHz) Boscombe Approach/Radar 340.250; 292.275; 126.700; 130.000 Boscombe Zone 256.500 Boscombe Director 362.050 Boscombe Talkdown 373.150; 130.000 Bocombe Tower 369.425; 130.750 Boscombe Ground 374.450 Boscombe Ops 376.725 ATIS Boscombe Information 232.850 Navaids Hold ILS/DME CAT I Runway 23 TACAN BDN 108.200 Runways 05 (3205 x 45m) 23 (3205 x 45m) 17 (2092 x 45m) 35 (2092 x 45m) 17 North (766 x 36m) 35 North (766 x 36m) Also: short grass runways 05/23 and 17/35 Notes (A-Z) Circuit Procedures High-intensity, multi-type, aircraft and helicopter operations occur to multiple operating surfaces as depicted on the Aerodrome Chart. All parallel runway operations are under positive ATC control. By exception, however, helicopters operating to Runway 05/23 Grass, as the only occupants of the combined circuit to the Grass and…

DAB: Union JACK Radio, Union JACK Dance and Union JACK Rock have all disappeared suddenly from the national SDL DAB multiplex. All three services are operated from Oxford by the JACK Radio Group, along with three local/regional stations – JACKfm, JACK 2 Hits and JACK 3 Chill. Both Arqiva (on behalf of SDL) and JACK Radio Group would not comment when contacted by RadioToday after the move at midnight yesterday. Ofcom told the RadioToday newsletter that it has not revoked any licence or licences relating to Union Jack services. Union JACK Radio, Union JACK Dance and Union JACK Rock are still available online. Earlier this week, three national services were put up for sale by their investor, who says they no longer wish to fund the business alone. Other services operated…

Inside the April 2022 issue: BUILD THE PW PASTON, PART 3: Mark Tuttle G0TMT moves this month on to the VFO board of the 40m transceiver project. VALVE & VINTAGE: Philip Moss takes a look at the Hallicrafters S20R Sky Champion Communications receiver. HOW TO CHECK PROPAGATION USING FT8: James Stevens M0JCQ explains how to use FT8 as an aid to understanding propagation and chasing DX. USING THE NANOVNA AS AN ANTENNA ANALYSER: The NanoVNA costs a fraction of the amount of even the cheapest antenna analyser. Although it’s a bit fiddly to do so, Steve Telenius-Lowe PJ4DX explains how this diminutive device can be used to measure an antenna’s SWR. There are all your other regular columns too, including HF Highlights, The Morse Mode, World of VHF, What Next…

9 April YEOVIL ARS: The Digby Hall, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3AA (Car parking charges apply on Saturdays). Doors are open from 09:30 am to 2:00 pm; Admission is £3 (regrettably, no dogs except guide dogs. (BB | TS | Club Stalls). Supported by RSGB, RAFARS & BYLARA. Regrettably, there will be no talks this year, due to Covid-19. https://tinyurl.com/fyj9vtca 24 April ANDOVER RADIO CLUB SPRING BOOT SALE: Wildhern Village Hall, SP11 0JE. (just north of Andover). Open for sellers at 9 am; buyers: 10 am. The cost is £8 per boot and £2 for buyers. Tables in the Hall £10. Organised by The Andover Radio Amateur Club: arac@arac.org.uk http://www.arac.org.uk 24 April CAMBRIDGE REPEATER GROUP RALLY: Foxton Village Hall, Hardman Road, Foxton, Cambridge, Cambs CB22 6RN; Doors open at 9.30 am…