Are you on 4m??

As the title says are you on 4m ?
I have been on/off active on the 4m band since it was given to me back in the 90's.
It is a band which depending on the area of the country you live can be active or completely dead.
Over here in Drogheda,Co Louth 4m is beginning to make a come back.
For 4m I use a PMR rig an Ascom SE550 running 25 watts and a Yaesu FT-847 Running 15watts to a vertical Antenna at 30 feet.
Unfortunately there are not many commercial rigs made for this band.
The only rigs at the moment are the FT-847 and the AKD 4001..
There is a local Net on most evenings and the frequency is 70.400 fm.
Most amateurs tend to use 12.5 khz spacing but sometimes older kit is used with only 25khz spacing.
My best DX so far on 4m fm is Cumbria in England
4m is an up and coming band as more and more countries are being granted the frequency.
4m is like 2m simplex but seems to travel better and seems not to be affected with buildings and local
Terain.
So take a listen on 70.400 you maybe missing out on local chatting.
Perhaps hear you on the band.

Dundalk Amateur Radio Society - morse and 4m nets

The Dundalk Amateur Radio Society has begun live Morse tuition on Tuesday nights commencing at 20:40 on 145.675 Mhz (EI2CCR)

This gives National and International coverage with the Repeater linked for live streaming on the Internet.

The idea is to send some Morse at a slow and easy pace
with good gaps between words. It is hoped to help those of you who are just starting out and those that want to sharpen up. So please tune in to EI2CCR with pen and
paper at the ready.

The 4m (70 MHz) band is growing in the north east and
Tony EI4DIB would like to suggest a 4m activity night which would start after the IRTS news on a Monday night, 8:30pm approx.

It is suggested that stations who have 4m to QSY to
145.400 MHz and 70.400 MHz (FM), after the news call-ins on the DAR Repeater. Anybody wanting to do a test on 4m can call out on 2m to arrange a test. Do not worry if your 4m radio does not have 70.400 MHz as we can QSY to your frequency.

More info is available on the Dundalk Amateur Radio Society website at www.ei7dar.com 

Ascom SE-550 Info

A very popular transceiver on Four, thanks to the thousands of ex-Water Board units which have appeared on the surplus market in recent years. The conversion to the amateur band is by means of a fimware upgrade, effected by replacing the EPROM inside the set. Several versions of amateur firmware have circulated, the most popular of which is the "RATS mk3" or "PA4DEN", which allows control of many functions from the front panel.

Andy G0BEQ has compiled lots of information about this set, which is accessible from his website. This includes a manual for the PA4DEN firmware, and instructions on how to fit the memory back-up battery. This is indispensible when using the mk3 firmware, since Without it, the channel memories and user set-up will not be retained when the set is disconnected from its DC supply. The memories are useful, since the radio can then be set to scan all your favourite 4m channels, so you won't miss any activity.

Denis G4KWT has produced a very useful single-page instruction on how to align the Ascom, including setting the transmit deviation and squelch threshold. Some users have found that the transmit deviation is very low, but please take care when increasing this, so as not to spread into adjacent 12.5kHz channels.
Beware that when aligning the SE550 it is necessary to re-assemble the set outside its case, and without the PCB guide slots on the inside of the case, it is all too easy to mis-align either of the two sets of edge-connectors when connecting the two boards together. Mis-connection of these can produce all sorts of weird errors, and may even cause permanent damage to the set.

The mk3 firmware allows access to an "AUDIO" sub-menu, on which may be found "RX MODE" and "TX MODE". These appear to switch the pre-emphasis and de-emphasis filters between "FM" and "PM" settings. All users seem to prefer the received audio of the "PM" setting on RX, but the prefered TX setting depends on the microphone insert in use: try both settings with a few different stations, and get their reports. Note that if the back-up battery is not fitted, this setting will have to be made each time the set is powered up.

Many users have found that as the set is turned on, the receiver audio is too loud for use in a quiet room. On some sets, reducing the volume to zero, and then back up one step, produces a comfortable level. Others have fitted a volume control or attenuator in the loudspeaker lead.

If upgrading the firmware from mk2 to mk3, in addition to changing the EPROM, the RX VCO will have to be re-set. The G4KWT page referenced above gives details on how to do this - all you need is a voltmeter!

Apart from the Ascom fist-microphone, other boom or desk microphones work well with the set. The microphone connector is a standard 0.1" pitch header, and the connections are given in G0BEQ's manual, see above. There is a DC voltage on one pin, which can be used to bias electret inserts. Note however that the RX audio out from the mic connector is independent of the volume control, so it may not be suitable for a headset application.

Summary compiled by Ross G6GVI