Well it’s been quite a while since I last did a blog on here!
A few things have happened since then, most notably that the summer holidays are nearly 2 months old (well for me, at least!) and there’s 69 days left until the start of Semester I of Year 2 – can you tell that I’ve been counting the days?!
I haven’t been very active on HF or VHF of late, I don’t know why though as I have been known to say “I’m bored” a tad too often. I finally got HRD installed onto the laptop and it makes a pleasant change from one of the very early v3.4 builds I used until fairly recently on a desktop and got a USB to dual RS232 9 pin serial converter so I can plug in the ZLP interface and have CAT control for the FT-857 on the go at the same time 
I’ve also been footering with MS Train Simulator with the Irish Enterprise Route pack and designing a very simplistic NI route, in no way related to the MakingTracks Irish Enterprise Belfast-Dublin route, for my own amusement, the only difficulty is trying to lay the track graphically as close to the actual coordinates of the Larne, Londonderry/Derry, Bangor, Knockmore-Antrim, and Newry lines.
And in future I must remember to update here and my YouTube vLogs more often as I have yet to publish my 2nd vLog after publishing the first in January past, whoops!
I’m sure some of you saw a story on Lidmag about some interesting new inventions to be conceived in Northern Ireland. For those of you that haven’t:
Unconfirmed reports have reached the LidMag Newsdesk of an undisclosed number of new inventions, conceived in Northern Ireland, which, if true, could revolutionise Amateur Radio.
Northern Ireland is no stranger to inventors or producing new fangled gadgets – the first pneumatic tyre, developed by John Boyd Dunlop arrived onto the streets of Belfast in the late 19th Century. Perhaps you may be familiar with the portable defibrillators carried in Ambulances – yet another Northern Irish invention, by the late Professor Frank Partridge [...] .
Few details are known at this time, though, our source did let it slip of a product referred to as ‘SWR Grease’, claiming this product could revolutionise antenna installations in so much that it could effectively permit any random piece of wire to be 100% efficient as a radiator of RF energy. It remains to be seen how such a product will work in theory, and in practice is another matter entirely.
Either way [...]. Such a product could save valuable time in emergency communications or simply field day contests. It appears, in this early stage, that ‘SWR Grease’ [...]. Early indications also show that it should be available for sale by the beginning of January 2009, once the Health & Safety Executive has conducted tests to ensure it is safe for consumer usage.
Well, a little later than expected, I received word from HSENI, after asking if there were any developements, that they have given the go-ahead for this revolutionary product to be mass produced. They said that a number of tests were used to determine the structure and subsequent risk of the product. Thus, as it contains a large amount of Calcium hypoclorite – Ca.2Cl-H-O – they have designated it with the Hazardous Substances Databank Number: 914. Extreme caution should be used and protective clothing is required.
Let’s see how well it performs…
I have published my QSLing policy.
It may look quite demanding but it really is just common sense and will make life so much easier and enjoyable if it is followed. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any comments.
73, Jon MIØJVI
Well, a long time longer than originally planned, but I’m glad to say that I’m back on HF for the foreseeable future with 100W and a Yaesu FT-857. I’ve even managed to cross off a few call signs from the “to contact list” Still have a few to contact…
<drum roll> My new callsign is…….MIØJVI </drum roll> 
It appeared pretty quickly on the Ofcom Online Licensing Centre, given that the form was only posted late on Monday evening past Now for the EI one to arrive, when I finally get around to sending it to ComReg 
Well, this time yesterday I was waiting on the train to Dublin from Belfast Central. After a 2hr journey, I was standing on Dublin’s Amiens Street bound for Lower Abbey Street, the site of the ComReg Offices which took a moment or ten to find!
1350GMT arrived and I was shown into the Room where I would be doing the exam by the 2 invigilators from the IRTS, EI7CD and EI4GK. After the rules were read out and formalities dealt with we started the paper at 1400GMT – 3 sections (A- Radio Theory, B- National and International Regulations and C- Safety and EMC), 60 questions and pass of 60% in each section to pass overall.
Ninety minutes later, having finished and read through the paper a few times, I submitted it and left along with a few of the other chaps doing it, heading back to Connolly Station, and arriving back in Belfast shortly after 1900GMT where I got the Derry train back to Ballymoney.
Upon reflection, the whole experience was a good one- Dublin has been the farthest I’ve travelled on my own and the experience of a proper Radio Licence examination was good as before now I’ve only ever sat them in radio clubs’ meeting places and not at a Government Agency’s HQ before.
Let’s just hope I get good news in the next 2 weeks………
UPDATE: Today, 14/October/2008 I have found out that I passed! So watch this space for the new callsigns…
As you are more than likely aware, I’m planning to sit the Advanced RCE sometime within the next few months, having heard that a local(ish) club is planning to facilitate the exam in December 2008. For this exam, and the course they are offering, they want £105 (the last time I checked).
This got me thinking last week…and I wondered if it would be less expesive to travel to the Republic of Ireland to sit the exam in the ComReg offices in Dublin. To my pleasant surprise, when I included return train tickets to Belfast and on the Enterprise Service to Dublin Connolly, inclusive of the cost of sitting the exam and the study material provided by the IRTS, the total came to £60.
I’m quite happy to self teach the material for the Advanced Exam or for the Experiementer’s Exam (in RoI) and with the vast difference in the cost of sitting each I’m increasingly considering going to Dublin, after which I may apply for both an EI callsign and use the HAREC facility (due to the fact that the Republic of Ireland, like the UK, is a CEPT signatory) to apply for a ‘Reciprocal’ licence with Ofcom.
Comments please…
Sorry for lateness……
The 26th Enniskillen Rally took place on the 13 April at the Share Centre, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh.
As usual there was a good turnout, both of the GI and EI Amateur populations, with Experimenters as far as Dublin travelling up to the rally. This was my 6th time travelling to Fermanagh for the event which prior to 2007 was held in Enniskillen town itself but for reasons beyond the control of the organisers it was relocated some 13 miles south of the town on the banks of the Lough Erne-Shannon Waterway.
It was an early start for grandad and I who had to travel the 110miles or so, to make it for 12noon opening time.
Purchases were few on the ground, the event becoming more of a social occasion. I did buy two RSGB publications on HF aerials and got another bunch of cards from the bureau, including one from JA7COI (thank you Ichiro!) It was also good to meet up with amateurs I’d only ever spoken to and not actually met, and of course the one’s I’ve met on several occasions.
Chances are we’ll head to Fermanagh again next year so watch this space!
Since just before Christmas 2007, I’ve been QRV on the digital HF modes (namely PSK31, RTTY, and Olivia).
I bought an interface from G4ZLP and it is working very well. Still figuring out what to do seeing as at the moment I have very little time to even listen on HF.
If anyone would like a sked on HF Digi or even Phone, send me an email using the contact form on this site.
