Had a little discussion with the wife - looks like I will be waiting a few months. 

Ah well I'm an Aussie but have been living in the UK 10 year so have picked up the lingo a bit!  Cop ya later!

I can only speak from an Australian 1990s perspective, but CB in the late 90s was still a lot of fun for 11m DX enthusiasts like I was. It wasn't anywhere near as crowded with bad behaviour and foul language as AM was, and when mobile phones took off that killed off AM, effectively killing off all the bad language folks.

CB DX in Oz was nice and civilised then. I cant speak for it now mind you. 

At least in Oz at the time (when I listened to Amateurs on the Frog 7700) behaviour was pretty good. The again I have never really listened to 2 metres...... maybe I am in for a surprise?

Good that you have come back! I just passed the equivalent test in the UK (last night) but apparently I can get my call on Friday with luck!

Hi Tom,

I believe the Foundation licence here has a bit more freedom than the Technician licence in the US - we get access to all the usual bands that an Intermeadiate or Full licence holder does, just with much reduced power of 10w. 1.8 to 30MHz + 50 +144 + more.....

I believe the 706 is the most popular ham radio ever?? How much better is the Mk2 over the original?

all the best

Scott

Thanks K0UA,

yes I am definately looking at PSK31 and CW, though to get my CW up to scratch for a slow QSO might take a while but I'm keen to give it a go. The desk this computer is sat at appears PERFECT for ham radio as it has 2 x radio sized cubby holes just to my left, and a bookcase bit to the left of that. A bit of tidying required thats all.

all the best

Scott

Thanks Don! I have already been persuaded to start a Intermeadiate Course next year - and I have no equipment yet!

If it came down to a 706 vs a 718 - which one would you take? As I say I think portable might be fun in the future.

all the best

Scott

Passed Foundation Exam tonight! Should have a callsign by the middle of next week..

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I very much appreciate it. At present I have no equipment other than 2 egg insulators and a couple of books!! I just passed my foundation exam tonight  so can apply for a UK callsign either on Friday or next Monday.

I'm probably looking at the band that will give me the most chance of making a few contacts and at the same time has a manageable antenna size - thats probably 20 metres and up. I think the hiking across the moors is a few years down the line when my daughter is a bit older and she might either like to come with me or do "girly things" like shopping with Jill in town. So its probably home vs portable from the car. Dartmoor is only a few miles from me and I would think offers good portable working locations.

My intial thoughts are a 100w rig I can turn down to 10w or lower. Something like a second hand IC718 looks OK, or a 706 that might be easier to take in the car. Is it really OK to run the rig off a car battery?? Buying a cheap one and popping it in the boot is a pretty easy thing to do. And of course if its set up at home I can sit in comfort and see whats what. My plan is to do a great deal of listening at first.

all the best

Scott

South Devon UK.

Thanks WX - thats the kind of setup at home I was thinking of - a dipole cut for 20m and an antenna tuner of modest capacity. I plan to run the dipole along  the back of the house either just under the gutter or a few feet lower along the plastic window sills. Failing that, we have a roof space thats triangular and about 4 feet high and 6 feet wide that runs the length of the house at ground floor level and I could easily put something inside there.

Since attending my first ham event yesterday I have been pondering this question - if I want to use HF  SSB for the time being (at least until I learn code) and I'll be limited to 10w by the terms of my licence, would I be better to operate from home (with unavoidably compromised antennas) or work out something portable I could pack in my car? Maybe even take hiking across the moors??

As I understand it at home I'll be subject to a lot more noise than I would be in the middle of nowhere, as well as the "problems" (which I am sure can be solved) of mounting a relatively stealthy antenna or two and running the coax to it, finding a place in the house for my "shack" etc etc....

Any advice would be good!

Went to my first "ham fair" today - plenty of stuff I would have liked to buy had I had the £££  - oh well. Instead I came away with 2 egg insulators and the RSGB Rig Guide and "Stealth Antennas" by Steve Nicholls G0KYA (this is BRILLIANT). Had my first real world look at the IC718 and the Alinco DX77 - they both looked like what I need but the Icom looked a bit more robust? As I thought all sorts of weird and wonderful things there - including a HF reciever that was ex-military and weighed 85 pounds, and some lovely old Heathkit recievers....collapsable verticals...

Also spoke to member of the local club who suggested getting a 2m tranceiver so I could join the regular conversations in the week - not a bad idea but I need to save my money....

I present my evidence (btw thats NOT me playing...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiuMwskhsGk

 

I'll be (hopefully) running a dipole cut for 20 metres just under the (plastic) gutter of my house 2 storeys up - with 10w. I don't expect to be blowing anyone away with that setup, but hope to have a little fun.

Hahah lets just say that will NEVER happen.  She doesn't like surfing, fell walking, the border bagpipes, bluegrass banjo, being on the back of a motorcycle..the list goes on.

But I love her just the same.