President Lincoln 2+ UK Price Revealed!

 

With stock due to arrive soon in the UK, Nevada have become the first to announce the price they will be charging for the updated President Lincoln 2+

Lincoln II Plus InformationLatest version of this very popular 10/12m all mode transceiver ! Makes a great mobile or base station, you can work some real DX on 12m (24MHz) and of course on the very exciting 10m (28MHz) band.
Features :- 

• Rotary switch and Up/down channel selector
• VFO Mode (continuous scanning of 24.880 Mhz to 24.980 Mhz and of 28.000 Mhz to 29.700 Mhz)
• Volume adjustment and ON/OFF
• RF Power
• Manual squelch and ASC
• Multi-functions LCD display
• Frequency display
• S-meter
• Public Address
• Vox function (Hands free)
• ANL filter , NB and HI-CUT
• RF Gain / Mike gain
• Clarifier
• Channels and memories scan
• 6 Memories
• CTCSS (38 tones)
• DCS (104 codes)
• Dimmer control
• MENU function key
• Beep Function
• Roger Beep
• Mode switch AM/FM/LSB/USB/CW
• Dual watch
• Key locking
• SWR (Power Reading /SWR)
• Preset emergency
• TOT (Time Out Timer) adjustable
• Front microphone plug
• External loudspeaker jack
• Back light colour selection : Orange/Green/Blue
• Dimensions H x W x D (in mm) : 52 x 170 x 250
• Weight : 1.4 kg

      Technical characteristics :-

• Bands 10/12m   24/28MHz
• Modulation modes    AM/FM/LSB/USB/CW
• Frequency ranges 28.000 MHz to 29.700 MHz / from 24.880 Mhz to 24.980 Mhz
• CTCSS 38 tones
• DCS 104 codes
• Antenna impedance 50 ohms
• Power supply 13.2 V
• Dimensions H x W x D 52 x 170 x 250mm
• Weight 1.4 kg
• Accessories supplied power cord with fuse
• 1 microphone and its hanger
• 1 mounting bracket with fixing screws

      Transmission

• Frequency allowance +/- 300 Hz
• Carrier power 12 W AM / 35 W FM / 35 W USB-LSB / 12 W CW
• Transmission interference inferior to - 50 dBc
• Audio response 300 Hz to 3 kHz
• Emitted power in the adj. channel inferior to 20 µW
• Microphone sensitivity 3 mV
• Drain 6A (with modulation)
• Modulated signal distortion 2 %

      Reception

• Maxi. sensitivity at 20 dB sinad 0,7 ?V -110 dBm (AM)
• 0,35 ?V -116 dBm (FM)
• 0.28µV-118 dBm (USB/LSB/CW)
• Frequency response 300 Hz to 3 kHz
• Adjacent channel selectivity    60 dB
• Maximum audio power 3 W
• Squelch sensitivity    :mini 0.2 ?V - 120 dBm
• maxi 1 mV - 47 dBm
• Frequency image rejection rate 60 dB
• Intermediate frequency rej. rate 70 dB
• Drain 400 mA nominal, 600 mA max

PRICE: £249.95

Link to Nevada Website: CLICK

NEW ICOM IC-7610

Seen at the Tokyo Ham Show, this is the new Icom IC-7610. 

The IC-7610 is the successor to the IC-7600 and will be a dual-watch capable HF+50MHz 100W base station with built-in antenna tuner. The LCD will be touch screen and you will be able to connect an external display.

Price: TBC

Video:YouTube/IZ0KBA

NEW Yaesu FT-991A - Coming Soon!

Expected in October is the NEW Yaesu FT-991A - Building on the success of the FT-991 the new updated model will feature a REAL TIME SPECTRUM SCOPE and MULTI-COLOUR WATERFALL DISPLAY. (All other specifications are expected to be the same as the original radio)

The original model muted the receive audio when the scope or waterfall display was in use due to the radio only having a single receiver, something that was criticised by many when the radio came out. This update fixes this issue.

Furthermore existing FT-991 users who wish to have the new features will be given the chance to upgrade their radios by means of a hardware update (Price to be announced).

The upgrade is likely just a plug-in board which adds a second receiver to the radio along with a firmware upgrade to make use of the new features. 

The Recommended Retail Price for the new FT-991A is expected to be around £1189

OFCOM - New Online Licensing Portal - SOON!

OFCOM have announced that their new Amateur Radio Licensing Portal will be going live next week.

The new system will enable a more effective way of managing personal information and amateur radio licences, including club licences.

They expect the new system to be live on the OFCOM website from Wednesday 27th or Thursday 28th July 2016.

LINK: CLICK HERE

NEW: Baofeng UV-50X3 Tri-Band Radio

Baofeng have announced their new Tri-Band mobile radio - The UV50X3

(Click images to enlarge)

"The BTECH UV-50X3 is a tri-band radio with Full Duplex capabilities (which enables simultaneous TX/RX within VHF/1.25M/UHF) - as well as dual V/V and U/U receiver capabilities. The UV-50X3 operates on 136-174MHz, 222-225MHz, and 400-480MHz

The UV-50X3 is more than just a radio - it can also act as a full cross-band repeater! Allowing you to connect or extend the range of your repeaters, handhelds, and mobiles. The Cross Band repeater works in between VHF and UHF frequencies.

The UV-50X3 will transmit at 50 watts on both UHF and VHF; and it will transmit at 5 watts on 222-225MHz.

AIRBAND (AVIATION AM) AND WIDE RECEIVER RECEPTION

The UV-50X3 was includes a wide receiver that can receive beyond the transmitting frequencies on VHF/1.25M/UHF.

The UV-50X3 can also receive:

.5-1.71MHz (AM Radio)

76-108MHz (FM Radio)

108-135.995MHz (Air Band (AM))

136-250MHz

300-399.995MHz

400-520MHz

INDEPENTENT - VFO, AUDIO LEVELS, AND SQUELCH

The UV-50X3 includes separate volume adjustments for the independent VFOs. The UV-50X3 has dual speakers in the LCD panel - allowing stereo audio when one station is being received, but separate monaural speakers when both VFOs are active - which are controlled by the separate volume knobs. A third speaker is located on the radio body - which can be set as the only speaker, simultaneously be used with the panel speakers, or can be unused as well.

The UV-50X3 has both line-in and line-out jacks that allow you to output the radio audio to your own speaker system. The UV-50X3 allows you to listen to a line-in source while still monitoring your local nets.

The squelch is adjustable on each side of the display. Separate wide and narrow ceramic filters enable true narrow band operation.

1000 MEMORY CHANNELS

The UV-50X3 has 1000 memory channels and 2 separate memory banks (The Right VFO has 500 channels, the left VFO has 500 channels). You can program both active (TX/RX Channels) and passive (RX Only) channels into the same Memory bank.

SEPERATE, CUSTOMIZABLE FRONT LCD PANEL AND DTMF MICROPHONE

The UV-50X3 has a front panel that is separated from the main radio body. The panel is connected with standard Ethernet cable (15' included) allowing the radio body to be remotely (or trunk) mounted. The Front Panel includes several mounting accessories including a suction cup mount. You can set the LCD Panel to 8 different colors.

The Front Panel has a built-in microphone which allows you to either use either the included DTMF Microphone or Panel Microphone. The Separate DTMF microphone can also be plugged directly into the Main Radio Body.

PROGRAMMABLE AND CUSTOMIZABLE

The UV-50X3 can be completely programmed without a computer (including Channel Alpha-numeric names). 

The UV-50X3 is FULLY supported through the free CHIRP programming software (requires the PC05 Programming Cable). The UV-50X3 is the first radio to exclusively only use CHIRP software for programming. CHIRP is compatible on Windows, Linux and OSX (macOS).

GROUP TONES SUPPORTED

The UV-50X3 supports the most common Analog Tones. It supports CTCSS, DCS, and DTMF calling methods. Set-up your calling methods to call by group tones. Tone calling (private line) is required by most repeater applications and the UV-50X3 supports the latest standards.

The UV-50X3 can send DTMF tones. This allows for sending ANI (Caller ID) or remote commands that require DTMF tones.

THOROUGH QUALITY CONTROL

Each UV-50X3 is individually tested during extreme temperatures (-22 F) to ensure every radio can meet advertised performance requirements. 

The UV-50X3 can endure harsh environments and still perform in the most extreme situations."

Price: Starting at $339

NEW - Wouxun KG-D901 DMR Handset!

Seen on Martin Lynch & Sons Facebook page:

"Gary has been playing with the prototype of the Wouxun KG-D901 DMR handheld. Honestly, it really does exist!"

There has been talk about this new DMR handheld from Wouxun for months and here it is the first photo of the radio 'in the wild'.

(Click Image To Enlarge)

I'm sure it will be a cracking little radio but as it's a SINGLE BAND radio (VHF OR UHF) I think that Wouxun have missed a trick. Most people, including myself, are waiting for a DUAL BAND DMR handheld.

VHF Version: 136 - 174MHz

UHF Version: 400 - 470MHz

Price: TBA (Has been seen on some sites listed for 299 Euros - This is way too much and will need to drop)

VIDEO - New Yaesu FT-891

Video: YouTube/Laboenligne.ca

Yaesu FT-891 - NEW PHOTOS!

Seen at the Daytona Hamvention, the Yaesu FT-891 is a new amateur HF transceiver covering the 1.8Mhz to 50Mhz bands with 100 watts output power. No word on price/availability yet!

(Click Images To Enlarge)

More photos: CLICK HERE

RSGB - Exams Standards Committee Report

From the RSGB website:

"The first annual report of the RSGB Examination Standards Committee has been released.

It includes details such as committee membership, results statistics and reports from officers.

The full report can be found on the RSGB website (12-page/88.2KB PDF)"

An interesting report which among other things show how many people passed he various stages on Amateur Radio exams between 2006 and 2015:

 

    (Click To Enlarge)

As an example, in 2015, 84.9% of those taking the Foundation Exam, 92.5% of those taking the Intermediate Exam and 68.2% of those taking the Advanced Exam achieved the required level to gain the qualification. 

So, with around 9 out of 10 people passing the Foundation and Intermediate exams there is no excuse for not giving it a go if you are someone who's been thinking about it!!!!

 

CompareTheBaofengs.Com

Those guys at BaofengTech have produced a handy guide to the different Baofeng Radios to held you choose the one that's right for you:

    (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

I must say that I own most of the radios on the chart and I find them all to be very capable radios. They are certainly amazing value for money!

 

Tim Peake's Next Contact Announced

Tim Peake's next school contact has been announced on the ARISS website:

"The ARISS UK Operations team are delighted to announce that the ARISS Schools contact between Ashfield Primary School in Otley, West Yorkshire has now been confirmed for Thursday 5th May at 0808utc  (that’s 0908 BST/local time!) with Tim Peake on the International Space Station"

You should be able to hear Tim across the UK and Europe on 145.800MHz on a handheld radio or scanner.

Tim Peake Heard On The Space Station 23/04/2016 (Yaesu FT-857D)

Sounds like Tim Peake had a few problems making contact this time, with the school having to change frequencies a few times before contact was made.

Listening To Tim Peake - What A Difference A Beam Makes!!!!

Video: YouTube/M0DAD

This has to be one of the best recordings of Tim Peake I've ever seen/heard and it shows what a big difference using a small handheld beam antenna makes. 

Another Tim Peake School Contact Announced!

A further planned school contact has been announced:

"The ARISS UK Operations team are delighted to announce that the ARISS Schools contact between The Derby High School in Bury has now been confirmed for Monday 25th April 2016 at 1202UTC  (that’s 1302 BST/local time!) with Tim Peake on the International Space Station"

...and of course don't forget that Tim is scheduled to contact Wellesley House School in Broadstairs Kent on Saturday 23rd April 2016 at 1210UTC (that’s 1310 BST/local time!)

Tim Peake Heard On The Space Station 18/04/2016 (Wouxun KG-UV9D)

Wouxun KG-UV9D Unboxing

Baojie TM-218 VHF/UHF Mobile Radio

 

Another interesting item spotted on eBay, the Baojie TM-218. A tiny little radio that should fit perfectly into any vehicle, with up to 25 watts of output power and the all important 6.25Khz step!

Price is around £65

Feature:

• Dual display, dual standby & Dual Track
• Frequency adjusting
• Working mode selecting
• Scrambling encryption function
• Voice companding function
• Frequency/Channel scan function
• Reverse frequency setting
• Busy channel lock-out (BCL)
• Time-out timer (TOT)
• High/low power selectable
• CTCSS/DCS encoding and decoding
• Broadband (Wide)/Narrow band (Narrow) selectable
• Frequency Step Selectable 2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/25/50KHz
• Level Threshold “Squelch” adjustable from 0 to 9
• Tri-color background light selectable
• PC software programmable
• FM radio function
• Operation for manual channel memory and delete
• Automatic lock-out
• DTMF signal setting
• DTMF signal
• PTT ID Setting
• Remote control function
• Remote monitoring
• Remote stun
• Remote kill/shaking
• Remote reliving
• Alarm function
• Group calling function
• Team calling function
• Selected calling function
• Function key guide voice(BEEP)
• SFT/Slip frequency direction
• OFFSET/Slip frequency
• 1000Hz/1450Hz/1750Hz/2100Hz selecting

Specification:

All of our item are brand News
Model	TM-218
Color	Black
Frequency Range	UHF:400-480MHz&VHF:136-174MHz
System	F3E(FM)
Channel capacity	256
Input voltage	DC13.8V(±15%), negative grounding
Output power	H:25W, M:10W, L:5W
Channel Spacing	12.5KHz/25KHz
Frequency Spacing	2.5/5/6.25/10/12.5/15/25/50KHz
Squelch way	CTCSS/DCS/DTMF
Antenna impedance	50 ohm
Frequency stability	±2.5ppm @ -10°C~+60°C
Working temperature	-20°C~+60°C(-4°F~+140°F)
Max. Frequency deviation	±5KHz
Noise radiation	<=-60dB
Flexibility	<=0.2Uv(12dB SINAD)
Max. Audio output	2W @ 8 ohm 5% distortion
Working current	Receive	0.3A(SQL)
	Transmit	5A(Max.)
Dimension	105*30*106mm(width*hight*depth not including the outparts)
Weight	About 0.5kg

Package Includes

• 1 x New Black TM-218 Machine
• 1X Handheld Microphone
• 1X Mounting bracket
• 1X Power cable
• 1XUser's manual

eBay link: Click HERE

 

TX Factor

For those of you who haven't already discovered this excellent show, the TX Factor is a professionally produced High Definition show about the world of Amateur Radio. 

Now in it's third year there are TEN full episodes along with a few shorter EXTRA episodes to watch. 

Episode 10 is the latest show and is available to watch below:

"In this episode the sky's the limit as Mike Marsh discovers when he returns to his old school! We visit Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall and return to the site of Marconi's early test transmissions. Bob McCreadie checks out the FT-991 all-band transceiver from Yaesu"

The full episode play list is available HERE and the TX Factor website can be found HERE

Meet the presenters . . .

Bob McCreadie G0FGX

Bob began his broadcasting career in the Arabian Gulf as a presenter on Radio Bahrain and as a news reporter for the TV service. That's also where he held his first amateur radio licence as A92CX.

Bob returned to the UK in 1986 to become G0FGX and to begin his UK radio career which has involved presenting and management roles at several of the west country's leading commercial radio stations.

Bob is currently the Morning Show presenter at Radio Plymouth www.radioplymouth.com
yet also finds time to write and publish children's books. www.fredthefabulousflamingo.co.uk

Bob's amateur radio interests are very broad: he's active on HF, VHF and UHF and particularly enjoys working through satellites and operating mobile.

"I would describe myself as a real technophile; I love anything to do with science and technology, so amateur radio is the perfect hobby for me," says Bob. "After a hard day at work talking to people on the radio I can come home and . . . talk to people on the radio!

Working on TX Factor is a fantastic opportunity to combine my broadcasting experience with the hobby I am so passionate about."

Mike Marsh G1IAR

Mike has been a music industry professional for over 30 years having started as a trainee recording engineer in a multi-track studio in Devon. "As a kid I grew up loving music and pushing buttons so it seemed like an ideal job!"

In the early 90s Mike fulfilled his ambition to broadcast in wideband FM mode by becoming a weekend radio presenter on one of the largest commercial radio stations in the south-west of England. "Radio was great fun. I presented a variety of shows including The Saturday Night Dance Party, the Saturday sport show and the Sunday morning breakfast show.

Mike is now senior mastering engineer at The Exchange Mike Marsh Mastering Studios in Exmouth, handling releases for record companies and international artists including Elton John, Depeche Mode and Oasis.

"I'm active on most bands and getting to grips with the world of digi-modes. I'm still eager to get my first QSO logged with the ISS but that's another box yet to be ticked!

I love all my hobbies but radio is probably the one I've enjoyed for the longest time. That's why I'm super excited to be part of TX Factor, helping to make programmes about the fast-changing world of technology and amateur radio in the 21st century."

Nick Bennett 2E0FGQ

Nick began his broadcasting career in the pioneering days of commercial radio in Plymouth and Exeter during the seventies and eighties. Although a broadcast engineer and studio technical operator Nick was equally at home in front of the microphone presenting a rock show for 12 years.

Nick's own broadcast engineering company Media Concepts designed, installed and maintained broadcast radio stations for the Orchard Media Group overseeing the construction and subsequent refurbishment of its portfolio of radio stations. He later joined the GWR Group as regional chief engineer and gained responsibility for maintaining the Group's six south-west studio centres which provided seven programme services feeding 14 FM and AM transmitters via a proprietary digital distribution and satellite network.

Nick also worked as a studio sound supervisor on one of the UK's largest regional ITV stations and today spends his time as a freelance TV and film sound recordist and documentary producer.

Nick says, "If the TX Factor filming schedule allows, I promise to attempt the Full licence sometime in 2016! I tend to operate on most bands and modes, but love the unpredictably of 6 metres and 2 metres during a lift. I'm also a keen SOTA chaser."

Steve Saxon's Guide To HAM Radio (A little bit of Easter fun)

Part 1

Part 2

Foundation Guide To Amateur Radio By VK3YE

Here we have a couple of excellent informative videos from Peter Parker - VK3YE. 


'Frequencies, Bandplans and Activity'



'Breaking In'


Peter also has a great website with lots of interesting information: CLICK HERE