CB Radio - The North East Net 27th June 2018

Audio from The North East Net on 27th June 2018, chaired by 'Ozzy' 26LR006 located at Danby Head in North Yorkshire which is about 62 miles from where I was parked up in Mid-Northumberland.

Thanks to these stations who took the time for a chat with myself when I called into the net:

26LR006 Ozzy

26TM593 Chris

26BT30 Paul

26JB259 Jason

26NC01 Nigel

26PG018 Paul

26CT2608 Andy

26TM511 Gerry

YAWN! - Another AM/FM Radio From President - Truman II

Hardly worth a mention to be honest... It's beginning to feel like Groundhog Day when it comes to President and their 'amazing 12 months of super duper radio stuff' with YET ANOTHER AM/FM ONLY radio being announced for July!

It's the President Truman II, with specifications that you could copy and paste from many of the other radios President have announced so far this year.

40 channels AM / FM - (Multi-EU)

Manual squelch and ASC

Seven Display Colours

Public Address

ANL/NB

Key beep

Roger beep

SWR readout

Emergency (EMG 1 & 2)

Key lock

Let's recap:

So far this year....

JAN - President Ronald - AM/FM

FEB - President Bill - AM/FM

MAR - President Richard - AM/FM

APR - President Jimmy III - AM/FM

MAY - President Walker II - AM/FM

JUN - President Taylor IV - AM/FM

JUL - President Truman II - AM/FM

It's almost 'How many times can we get away with releasing the same radio in a different case?'

I truly applaud Presidents commitment to the hobby but come on, give us something that really is new and exciting with features people actually want!!!!!

The Big Net - Tonight's The Night!

Celebrating 4 years of LEGAL AM and SSB here in the UK, stations up and down the country will be taking the air so get your ears on good buddies!

PLEASE NOTE: There is another event taking place tonight but due to the threat of legal action from the event organiser I am unable to mention it.........

World CB Radio Allocations

I've had requests to publish my World CB Allocation list here on the blog which I previously featured on my "Delboy Enterprises" website, so here it is.

CLICK TO ENLARGE the image, right click to save it!

ISS Amateur Radio Transmissions Causing Interference?

It would appear that Amateur Radio transmissions from the ISS are causing interference on the 2m calling channel... I've been getting these transmissions for the past few days and the timing matches the orbit of the ISS. Can anyone shed any light on this problem?

Baofeng BF-T1 Long Range Test

Video:YouTube/Mike 26CT1074

PMR446 is a fantastic band and some amazing contacts can be made with standard radios, in this case a Baofeng BF-T1 (which has a little extra power) is used to make a 40+ km contact.

FT8, The New Ham Propagation Beacons?

Video:YouTube/HamRadioConcepts

Hearing musical tones on the bands... This is why!

Nato 2000 Bicycle Mobile

Video:YouTube/2j4ez

Delta Romeo Dx Group Net 24/06/18

Videos:YouTube/Solar earthling

Here we have a couple of videos from the Delta Romeo DX Net on 24th June 2018.

I must say that the Yaesu FT-981 makes a cracking CB radio!!!!!

NEW BTECH DMR-6X2

BTECH have announced a new DMR handheld radio, the DMR-6X2.

DMR-6X2 Information: Dual Band VHF (136-174MHz) & UHF (400-480MHz)

The DMR-6X2 uses a loud 1 watt speaker; with adjustable volume options (customisable in software) to set your preferences to accommodate both indoor and outdoor users.

The DMR-6X2 case is durable for the most extreme elements. The DMR-6X2 is rated IP54 for water and dust resistance.

The DMR-6X2 is firmware upgradeable with the free software and firmware update tools from BTECH.

DMR-6X2 Battery Life, Weights, and Dimensions

The DMR-6X2 can last for up to 35 hours on a single charge using the 3100mAh battery, and up to 18.5 hours on a single charge using the included 2100mAh battery.

The DMR-6X2 is: 5" tall (10.5" with included antenna), 2" wide, and 1.5" deep (2" with belt clip). 

President Liberty Wireless Microphone Teardown & Review.

Video:Youtube/MikesRadioRepair

International Space Station School Contact 19/06/2018 (Yaesu FT-991)

Not the most successful contacts as the ISS appears to be having problems receiving the school, located in Serbia, but still great to hear the ISS on the air!

Upcoming Space Station Contact 19/06/2018

An International Space Station school contact has been planned for Ricky Arnold KE5DAU with Tehnicka Skola Zajecar, Zajecar, Serbia.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday 19 June 2018 at 14:20 UTC/15:20 BST

The downlink signals will be audible in many parts of Europe on 145.800Mhz FM

Blast From The Past - Stan And Simon 26/05/2008

Found on an old hard drive, here we have Stan, 26AC08, and Simon The Wizard chatting on The Northumberland Net channel (38UKFM) way back in 2008.... Sadly Stan is no longer with us but I'd like to think that wherever he may be he's still blowing smoke on the old chicken box!

27th June - CB Radio's Biggest Night of the Year!

The 27th June 2018 is looking like it could be the biggest UK CB Radio event of the year with not one but TWO events celebrating 4 years of legal AM and SSB.

Firstly we have "The Big Net", a long established event which can trace its roots back to 2006 when we celebrated 25 years of legal FM CB Radio here in the UK. This years event will celebrate 4 years of legal AM and SSB and is the fifth multimode event to have taken place on 27th June each year. 

Calling will take place on the UK calling channels:

AM calling on channel 14 EU (27.125Mhz)

SSB calling on channel 27 EU (27.275Mhz USB)

Once contacts are made please remember to QSY so that the calling channels are clear for other stations.

You can post your intentions (Times/frequencies/locations etc) on The Big Net Facebook Page - CLICK HERE

Stations are welcome to join in from all over the UK, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Europe and beyond!

PLEASE NOTE: There is another event taking place but due to the threat of legal action from the event organiser I am unable to mention it.........

So all in all this promises to be a great night for UK CB Radio so make sure you get your radios tuned to the Mid Band, give out a call on channel 14 AM or channel 27 USB or flick through the channels to see if you can hear any of the regular midweek nets. 

This really is the best chance you will get to make some amazing contacts around the UK.

AND THERE'S MORE......

Later in the year we have two more big UK radio events. 

The PMR446 DX WEEKEND.....

Yes it's time to take to the hills or the highest point you can find and give out a call on your PMR446 radio! Many people think that these little walkie talkies are just for very short range communication but from a decent (high) location you will be amazed how far you can get. Contacts of up to 100 miles are commonplace and throw in a bit of (rare) Tropospheric Ducting and international contacts are also possible.

This years event is takes place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th August 2018.

The Big Net (November) 2018.....

Yes more action from "The Big Net". Celebrating 37 years of legal UK CB Radio.

Taking place on 2nd November 2018 the main net will be on channel 37 UKFM (27.96125Mhz) with additional USB calling on channel 27 EU (27.275)Mhz and AM calling on channel 14 EU (27.125Mhz). 

So we have a fun packed year ahead of us and don't forgot all the regular nets which take place around the UK on a Daily/Weekly basis. 

Here is the latest list:

(Click To Enlarge Images)

HB9HA Repeater 10th June 2018

Some decent conditions on 10m FM this evening. This video shows how the HB9HA repeater was coming into the North East of England. You will hear G0PXG, M0TEA and EA4BU.

CB Radio - 789 Mile QSO On A Midland Portapak

Video:YouTube/26CTX1837

Cracking contact video sent to me from Stuart who spoke to Roy in Corsica using his Midland Portapak...

CB Radio Skip 4th May 2018

Including the Channel 35 Gang from London.....

Great to speak to you guys!!!!

Why not check out their Facebook page: CLICK HERE

NEW TTI CB Radio Range

TTI have released their new catalogue which features an updated range of CB Radios....

Click Images To Enlarge:

Radio comparison chart:

2m SSB Net Scotland 03/06/2018

Video:YouTube/The Hoppy Hippie

Great to hear some 2m band SSB activity. I have tried to get the locals around me onto 2m SSB but there has been little interest so good on the guys in Scotland for making it a success.

PMR446 DX Weekend 2018

Heads up for yet another radio event here in the UK this year....

The PMR446 DX Weekend will take place on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th August 2018 across the UK and beyond. So why not take to the hills (or the highest point you can get to) and see just how far you can get on this remarkable band?

Calling will take place on Channel 8 (446.09375) then QSY to another channel please (We have 16 now!)

More information and a place to post your location/times of operation can be found on the PMR446 DX Weekdn Facebook Page - CLICK HERE

NEW Yaesu FT-4X / FT-4V

Yaesu now appears to have finally entered the low price end of the handheld market (currently occupied firmly by the likes of Baofeng) and has introduced the FT4X priced at around £60-£65.

Yaesu FT 4XE Features:

• VHF/UHF Dual Band FM Handheld Transceiver

• Ultimate Compact Design, Measuring W 52 x H 90 x D 30

• One Watt of Powerful and Clear Audio Output from the 36 mm Front Speaker

• 5 Watts of Reliable RF Power within a Compact body

• Three Selectable TX Power settings (5 W (High)/2.5 W (Middle)/0.5 W (Low))

•Over 15 hours Operating time with Supplied 1,750 mAh Li-ion Battery pack *1

• 3.5-Hour Rapid Charger (SBH-22) Included (Using SBR-28LI)

• QRK (Quick Recall Key): Two User Programmable Keys for Quick Access to Favourite Functions

• One-touch Alarm and Quick HOME Channel Access for Emergency Signalling

• VFO Scan, Memory Scan, Programmable memory scan (PMS), Memory bank scan, and Dual receive

• Large-capacity 200 memory channels

• 3 home channels and 10 pairs of PMS memory channels

• Selectable Frequency Steps (5/10/12.5/15/20/25/50/100 kHz)

• Split Memory (Two different frequencies (TX/RX)

• WX Channels with “Severe Weather” Alert

• VOX Operation with Optional VOX Earpiece Microphone (SSM-512B)

• PC Programmable with Optional Programming Cable (SCU-35)

• Transceiver-to-Transceiver Cloning with Optional Cloning Cable (SCU-36)

• FM Broadcast Receiver Equipped

• ARTS (Automatic Range Transponder System)

• DTMF Operation

• CTCSS/DCS Operation

• Busy Channel Lock-Out (BCLO)

• Battery Saver Function

• Automatic Power-Off (APO) Feature

• Transmitter Time-Out-Timer (TOT)

Frequency Ranges: RX 136 – 174 MHz

400 – 480 MHz

FM Broadcast 65 – 108 MHz

TX 144 – 146 MHz

430 – 440 MHz

Circuit Type: Direct-Conversion

Modulation Type: F2D, F3E, F2A

RF Power Output: 5 W/2.5 W/0.5 W

AF Audio Output: 1 W (Max power)

Case Size (W x H x D): 52 x 90 x 30 mm without Knob

Weight (Approx.): 250 g with SBR-28LI and Antenna

For slightly less cash (around £50) you can also get the single band FT-4V which is basically the same radio but only operating on VHF.

The radios can be bought in the UK from the likes of LAMCO - Website Link HERE