Friday 27 April 2012

EI4FMG On The Move!!



EI4FMG will be off the air for a few days to facilitate it's move to Monasterboice. The 4m Gateway will be shut down on Sunday and will return to the air shortly, during its short time off I will be upgrading the sound card and putting more RAM into the computer, at the minute it is only running on 256MB of RAM, I will be increasing this to 1GB.
Also I will be replacing the cables running between the Radio, Interface and computer with screened cables to minimise any stray RF from getting into the system.
When the Gateway returns on air it will be at it's new location outside Drogheda at an elevation of 700 feet ASL.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

EI4FMG in use. Ben (EI4IN) talks to Tony (EI4DIB) using echolink.



Ben (EI4IN) from Skerries, County Dublin, on holidays in Toronto, Canada uses a HTC mobile phone to connect to EI4FMG (4m Echolink Gateway on 70.350Mhz, located in Drogheda,County Louth) to chat back to Ireland.
Tony (EI4DIB) is using a Simoco PRM-8020, tuned to the 4m band running 5w into a folded dipole antenna.
Radio programmed by EI4DIB.







Tuesday 17 April 2012

Bahrain 70 MHz beacon A92C/B


At 09:00 UTC on February 11, 2012, a 4m propagation beacon with the callsign A92C/B became operational on 70.085 MHz (CW).
It is located at the club station of the Amateur Radio Association of Bahrain (ARAB) located in Mina Salman, a suburb of Manama, LL56HE.
The beacon has a transmit power of 10 dBW (10 WATTS) and an ITU emission designator F2A. The antenna in use is a vertically polarised folded dipole mounted on a lattice tower at a height of about 20 metres above sea level.


Friday 13 April 2012

Pirate Operators on 70 Mhz.


I would like to ask your help in tracking down non ham radio operators who are illegally using the 70 Mhz band. There are at least 2 people using 70.375 Mhz as a business channel.
These people can be heard regularly during the day discussing their work and giving directions etc.
If you hear any transmissions can you please email me details, names or any locations given etc. This info I will pass on to COMREG.



Thursday 12 April 2012

Regular net activity on 70 MHz.



Might be worth keeping an ear for these Net's on 4m 
when the band starts opening during the summer.

Area
Time
Frequency
Edinburgh
9:45am on Sundays, after GB2RS news broadcast
70.425 FM
Manchester
Sundays, after GB2RS news broadcasts
10:55am and 9:25pm
70.425 FM
East Cheshire
from 19:30 on 2nd & 3rd Mondays of each month
70.425 FM
Moray Firth
Tuesdays, 7pm local time
70.450 FM and 70.200 USB
Midlands
Tuesdays, 8pm local time
70.260 AM
Poole, Dorset
Flight Refuelling ARS
Tuesday nights, from 8pm
70.4 FM
Eire
first Tuesday of each month, 8 to 10pm
70.2625 FM
Reading & District
Tuesdays, 9:30pm Local time
70.425 FM
Wednesday nights, from 7pm
FM channels
South London (Coulsdon)
Wednesdays, from 9pm
70.45 FM
North London
Southgate ARC
Wednesday evenings
70.4 FM
Scunthorpe
Fridays, 7:30pm
70.4625 FM
Newquay
alternate Friday evenings
70.400 FM
Weymouth area
most mornings
70.45 FM & 70.2 USB
Leeds
most evenings, from 7pm
70.4 FM
Bristol Channel
most evenings, usually from 10:30pm
Thursday evenings, from 10pm
70.45 +/- 0.25 FM
70.4125 with 2E0OTF-L
SW Wales
Llanelli ARC
up to 25 stations, active most evenings
70.4375, 70.425 FM
Vale of Leven (Scotland)
Alexandria/Dumbarton
every day
70.45 FM
South Yorkshire

70.425 FM
Stoke-on-Trent

70.375 or 70.400 FM
Anglesey

Listening 70.45 and 70.2625 FM
West Midlands

70.475 FM
Bromsgrove area

70.4625 FM

70.375 FM
Lincolnshire

70.45 and 70.425 FM

Monday 9 April 2012

View from site of EI4FMG.


I was up in Fieldstown this morning and took a photo of the view with my camera phone to show the take off from the sight when EI4FMG is finally located up there, I will bring a camera and take better photos the next time I am up there:

View from underneath EI4FMG antenna (click photo to enlarge).


4m Antenna ready for Gateway Installation.

Sunday 8 April 2012

Sirio CX 4-68 VHF 68-73Mhz 4m Base Antenna.


This is my main 4m Vertical Antenna,it is a 3/4 wave "J" pole. I bought this second hand from a ham radio operator in Northern Ireland (Seamus GI4SZW). I have it over 2 years an have made some very long distance contacts on it. It is a basic and light omnidirectional antenna but works very well,I would recommend it to anybody who was looking for a vertical antenna for the 4m band. 

Main 4m Vertical Antenna, top of 10m pole.





Description:
An aluminium mono-band base station antenna for use on 4m band.

Base station antenna
Mono-band
Omnidirectional
Tunable 68-73MHz by tuning chart
Protection from static discharges
DC-Ground
Made of aluminium alloy
Electrical Data
• Type: 3/4λ coaxial J-pole
• Frequency range: 68...73 MHz tunable by diagram
• Impedance: 50Ω unbalanced
• Radiation (H-plane): 360° omnidirectional
• Radiation (E-plane): beamwidth at -3 dB = 60°
• Radiation angle: 3°
• Polarization: vertical
• Gain: 2dBd - 4.15 dBi
• Bandwidth @ SWR 1.5: ≥ 1.7 MHz @ 68 MHz
• SWR. @ res. freq.: ≤ 1.2
• Max. power: 500 Watts
• Feed system / position: gamma match / base
• Connection: UHF-female

Mechanical Data
• Materials: Aluminium, Brass, Stainless Steel, Nylon
• Wind load / resistance: 97 N at 150 Km/h / 150 Km/h
• Wind surface: 0.08 m²
• Height (approx.): from 2700 to 3360 mm
• Weight (approx.): 1900 gr
• Mounting mast: Ø 35-42 mm

Friday 6 April 2012

Ballytober Old Timer's Group on 4m.


The Ballytober Old Timer's group have regular activity on 70.300 FM Vertical,from County Antrim, Northern Ireland.    
Start at 20:00 hrs until around 22:00 plus or minus depending on how the craic is going. 
And again on Sunday afternoon from 13:00 hrs until 14:00 hrs local time. 
For more information contact the Chairman GI0ISQ Davy.