Practical Wireless

Summer finally arrived! I’m sure many of you have been enjoying the good weather and perhaps working on antennas or out and about operating portable. As I’ve mentioned before, there seem to be an ever increasing number of ‘…on the Air’ programmes nowadays – indeed, we feature one this month in our occasional In Focus series. Plenty of summer rallies too – maybe you visited one or more. But this, after all, is the October issue of PW – where does the year go? So it’s time to enjoy the enhanced autumn HF propagation (the autumn equinox around 21 September is usually a good time to enjoy good propagation, particularly on the low bands) and prepare your station and planned projects for those dark days of winter when you need…

SAVE OVER 20% PAY £51.99 FOR THE WHOLE YEAR* Written by expert authors and contributors, every issue of Practical Wireless includes: ■ The latest news ■ Reviews of the latest radio equipment ■ Regular practical articles and projects ■ Technical, operating and historic events ■ Features aimed at recently-licensed newcomers ■ Rallies and club news To subscribe visit www.bit.ly/pawi_subs24 or call 01778 395161 and quote PAWI/SUBS24 *T’s & C’s apply. Price applies when subscribing to Practical Wireless via a 12 month Direct Debit.…

News from India Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP reports, A special workshop on ‘Wireless Technology and its Practical Solutions’ was conducted for Rajkot - Police Wireless Department at Gujarat (India) on 20 July 2024. The venue was the Police Training Center at Rajkot Headquarter. Regional Coordinator of AMSAT-INDIA & The Amateur Radio Society of India, Mr. Rajesh Vagadia VU2EXP gave insight into various Radio Communication protocols, types of modulation, modes & various applications used in Amateur Radio & Police department. As this workshop was targeted for 25 technical wireless officers & radio operators, we focused on the radio communication enhancing methods, utilizing various techniques, using different antennas for specific applications and diagnosis of wireless setup with various measuring instruments incl. SWR/Power Meter, NanoVNA/Antenna Analyzer. We extended a handful of maintenance tips for…

In October 2024, Radio Amateurs in the UK and New Zealand will be celebrating and re-enacting the world’s very first trans-global two-way radio communication. Special callsigns will be active, and awards and QSL cards will be available for those who make contact with these special stations. At the turn of the last century, radio communication was in its infancy. The properties of ‘Hertzian Waves’ – what we now call radio waves - were only just beginning to be understood. Starting with Marconi, the use of a crude form of radio communication began to evolve. The development of the thermionic valve then opened up opportunities both in radio transmitter and receiver design. However, the conventional wisdom remained that the longer wavelengths of radio signals (as used by Marconi) were those most…

Nils Schiffhauer DK8OK dk8ok@gmx.net The third largest magnetic storm since 1985 occurred on 10 May this year. It shook the ionosphere. The global network of magnetometers was the first to feel this shock – the more northerly their position, the sooner, the stronger. Fig. 1 [1] shows the values of seven European stations from north (Reykjavik) to south (Vienna). The German stations Wingst and Niemegk are in fifth and sixth position. What hit the Earth at around 1705UTC had its cause on the sun. Around 60 hours earlier, an explosion occurred above a huge group of sunspots, Fig. 2, which initially generated powerful X-rays, Fig. 3. Within an hour, this flare tore over a billion tonnes of charged matter (plasma) out of the sun by twisting magnetic fields and hurled…

Jace Dale 2E0JIV jace_2e0jiv@outlook.com The Bunkers on the Air (BOTA) program was first established almost 20 years ago, back in 2005. It was the brainchild of Brian G8GMU and his grandson Joshua M3HBM, along with the Coventry Amateur Radio Society, with the aim of activating several Royal Observer Corps (ROC) bunkers in their local area. The scheme was later integrated into the Castles and Stately Homes On The Air Team (CASHOTA) by Chris Darlington M0DOL (now SK) in 2010. In October 2023, BOTA was relaunched and rebranded as United Kingdom Bunkers On The Air (UKBOTA) under the leadership of Bill M0DXT, Mark M0IXC, Carl M0ICR, Phil G7TVB and Rob M1EGP. This relaunch enhanced the original concept and added a fresh new element to this ‘On The Air’ activity. UKBOTA prides…