Happy New Year from Delboy

New 'Waterproof' Baofeng UV-XR

Yet another Baofeng!!!!

The Baofeng UV-XR 'Waterproof' 10W handheld.

Features:

1. IP67 Waterproof and Dustproof.


2. High power 10W


3. Up to 128 memory channels.


4. Cross band reception/Transmission.


5. A variety of display channel number, Frequency, Channel frequency, Channel name, etc.


6. CTCSS and DCS


7. Tone end of transmission


8. VOX function(Voice operated transmission)


9. DTMF emergency alarm


10. ANI code


11. Frequency step 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/20/25/50kHz


12. Frequency reverse


13. Battery saving function


14. Emergency SOS sound and light alarm


15. Programmable by PC


16. Broadband(Wide 25kHz/Narrow 12.5kHz)


17. Commercial FM radio receiver(65MHz-108MHz)


18. Display illumination and programmable key board


19. Built-in LED flashlight

Price: Around $50 + Shipping

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Seasons greetings and best wishes to everyone who has visited the blog this year (Over 2 million of you)!!!!

It's been an interesting year, poor band conditions but a great upsurge in the number of operators taking to the air on the weekly nets. SSB has never been so popular here in the UK and even AM is making a small comeback in some areas.  

Several new weekly nets have joined the ever growing list, with operators taking to the hills to make some amazing contacts (well done and many thanks to those of you who devote your time in this way). I wonder how many more new nets will make an appearance in 2019?

2019 is expected to be the bottom of the solar cycle so things can only get better as they say!!!!

As for the radios themselves, a multitude of generic AM/FM radios announced by President which have mostly been given the thumbs down. But one ray of light is the President McKinley, the ONLY new legal SSB radio on the cards and due in early 2019. Will it be a hit or is it too little too late? I guess the PRICE will make or break this radio. Reports of a price approaching £300 will put all but the very enthusiastic (or stupid) off I'm afraid! I really do feel that CB radios sales could simply fall off a cliff in 2019. Who wants to pay £300 for a CB when they can pick up a second hand Icom, Kenwood or Yaesu for around the same price?

The Anytone/CRT multimode radios dominate with those who are not already using HAM gear on the CB bands, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  

PMR 446 has seen interest increasing over the year with plenty of new legal models along with the wider use of Baofeng and other HAM radios on the band and don't forget we have SIXTEEN channels to play with now! I'm hoping that new nets and events will take place on PMR 446 during 2019.

DMR/D-STAR/FUSION radios still divide the community - Is it real radio? - Some love it, some hate it - I must say I'm not particularly impressed. I do see the advantages of Digital Radio but I just cant get away with the robotic sound to the voices ----- EXTERMINATE! I find DMR most useful for listening to local businesses and security guards!

I guess it gives people something to do while the bands are quiet, although there are still contacts to be made if you listen for them! (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, India, Canada, USA and many more all heard here during 2018)

Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all, I hope Santa Claus brings you plenty to play with over the holidays and  I pray for better conditions on the bands in 2019.

27 MHz CB radio in Australia

Video:YouTube/vk3ye

An interesting video from Peter VK3YE giving an Australian perspective of the current band conditions on 27Mhz CB Radio.

CB Radio Skip 19/12/2018

A short but very welcome return to the propagation on 19th December 2018....

Some really strong signals and great to hear several special event stations operating for the Xmas period.

BaoFeng BF-UVS9 - New Model

Video:YouTube/QRZnow Ham Radio



The latest in a long line of cheap Baofeng radios.....





Brand Name: BAOFENG
Model Number: Baofeng BF-UVS9 walkie talkie
Walkie Talkie Type: Portable
Frequency Range: VHF 136-174 MHz UHF 400-520MHz
Storage Channel: 128
Is_Display: Yes
Talk Range: 2-10KM
Dimensions: 112*60*35mm (not include antenna )
Maximum Range: 5km-10km
Material: ABS+PC
Type: Long Range Walkie Talkie
Walkie FM radio function: 65-108MHz
Output power: 8W
Battery: 2800mAh Li-ion Battery
feature 1: usb cable charger
Charger: Multiple Charging Mode
feature 2: car charger cable
Color: black&silver&red
Upgrade of baofeng BFUV-S9

CRT Space-U - Unboxing & On-Air Test

Video:YouTube/Mike1074-DX

In this video Mike takes a look at the CRT SPACE-U, a cracking little radio (Ideal for the PMR446 guys!)

Price - Around £60

Norm	UHF MOBILE RADIO PROFESSIONAL
Mode	FM ( Wide / Narrow )
Frequency range	RX / TX : 400 - 470 mHz programming by PC
Power	HIGH : 17Watts / MIDDLE : 10Watts / LOW : 5Watts
Memories	199 channels
Channel spacing	12.5 kHz / 25 kHz
Step of increment	2,5 / 5 K / 6,25 / 10 / 12,5 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 50 kHz
RELAY MOD / OFFSET	Yes : allows to enter a relay with two different frequency
SQUELCH	Yes : elimination of background noise (adjustable)
MICRO GAIN	Yes : (via menu) adjusts the gain of increasing or decreasing the audio power
CTCSS / DCS (encoder/decoder)	51 CTCSS / 1024 DCS : sub-audio code to activate repeater like selective tone manière sélective
TOT function	Yes : time out timer
CTCSS / DCS SCAN function	Yes
SCAN function	Yes : automatic search of busy channels
TX/OFF function	Yes : forbidding emission
BCLO function	Yes : busy Channel Lock
REVERSE function	Yes : the current channel RX frequency will be switched to TX frequency
TALK AROUND function	Yes : switch RX/TX frequencies and CTCSS/DCS code to avoid using repetear
APO function	Yes : automatic power off (programmable)
Various functions	Keyboard lock + channel name édit + RSSI
Bonus	Power cord with plug cigarette lighter solder - External speaker jack 3.5mm
Mike	UP/DOWN selection
Display	LCD display
Level display	Display channel / frequency / function setting
Programmable by software	Yes
Includ	Bracket, hardware kits, fixed microphone, fuse 5A, product manual in French and English
Size	10.5 x 10.5 x 2.5 cm
Weight	434 gr
Guaranty	2 years

Upcoming International Space Station Contact

Upcoming ARISS School contact!

An ARISS educational radio contact is planned with Kenilworth School and Sixth Form, Kenilworth, United Kingdom, direct via GB4KHS. The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS and the scheduled astronaut is Serena Aunon-Chancellor KG5TMT.

Contact is go for Friday 14th December 2018 at 12:55 GMT/UTC

Downlink signals from ISS will be audible above parts of Europe on 145.800 MHz narrowband FM; contact will be in English. RX only! 

Credit: AMSAT.