The event will see over forty-five sponsored Amateur Radio stations contact as many other Amateur Radio stations throughout the UK and around the world to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Some of the stations are individuals operating from home whilst others are groups operating special event stations. Sixteen special event stations will be operated from lifeboat stations, including all of the Cumbrian and Orkney boat houses.

For further information about the event, or to make a donation to the RNLI in the name of the event, please visit the SOS Radio Week web site.

I was able to work several DX countries including the USA and Argentina using various PSK digital modes. Alison provided a really tasty Lancashire Hot Pot for lunch too.

Equipment used was a Yaesu FT-897 HF transceiver, HP G61 laptop, Buxcomm Rascal digital interface and Snowdonia Radio Company (SRC) vertical HF antenna mounted at about 10′ – 12′ above the ground.

The SRC antenna is almost perfect for this type of station, being quick and easy to erect and very economical with space.

As an aside, it is with sadness that we have witnessed the demise of SRC as they produced a great range of cost-effective wire and vertical_HF antennas that really do work.

Instead of the more usual CW (Morse) or Phone (talking) modes, PSK is a mode that enables Radio Amateurs to communicate using computers, keyboard to keyboard. The fantastic thing is that twenty, or more, different PSK contacts can take place in the space within the Amateur Radio band that would normally be occupied by a single phone contact – it is very, very efficient.

Furthermore, PSK contacts can be made when phone contacts can’t because of man-made (QRM) and/or natural environment (QRN) interference.

I try and chase awards whenever possible to record my performances and am pleased to have received new awards from both the European Phase Shift Keying Club and Belgian Digital Modes Club.

Attending the Warrington Communications Fair today. This is a new rally on the calendar and has been attended by several regular exhibitors, plus some local computer companies.

What makes this rally unique is that is held in public – right in the middle of the Warrington Maker (upstairs). What a great idea. Instead of running the rally behind closed doors for Amateur Radio operators only, this rally takes the hobby to the public.

If I’d have had the foresight I would have offered to run a special event station to show the public what Amateur Radio was all about and to raise some interest. Never mind, that’ll be the plan for next year.

I have to say that organising a public rally was a great idea. From a traders perspective they’ve got more people to sell to. From a club’s perspective there’s a new market to promote our hobby to. This has to be the future.

You need to use a CTCSS tone on your signal of 82.5 Hz to access the node.

The node is located on top of Holborn Hill on the border of Aughton and Ormskirk, about ten miles North of Liverpool.

I’ll post some more details and photographs of the node over the coming weeks.

For more details about the node see the specifications, instructions and links pages.

Signal reports sought

Obviously I can’t test the range of the node myself as I have to switch it off when I leave the premises so I would be interested to receive your signal reports.

Please specify your location pretty accurately as ‘Southport’ won’t really give me an idea of the true range of the node as Southport is several miles long and wide. I would also appreciate it if you could let me know what antenna and power you’re using. Many thanks.

K8CW was 57 on to Mynydd Mawr at the foot of the Lleyn Peninsula and I received a 57 from Alan.

Equipment used was an Icon IC-706MKIIG transceiver, LDG Z-100 automatic antenna tuner and Snowdonia Radio Company (SRC) HF 8010 vertical antenna mounted on the car. The new 75Ah leisure battery and MFJ power distribution board also proved to be very useful.

11:39 – Application declined, I should have read the instructions properly. There are too many nodes in this area and no available frequencies for another on 2m. Found a 70cm frequency that has no local nodes, so re-applied for 434.525 MHz.

SOS Radio Week 2011

Over the weekend of the 22nd/23rd January I will be down in Wales supporting two Amateur Radio groups with their SOS Radio Week operations.

On the Saturday and Sunday I will be operating at the Porthmadog and District Amateur Radio Society (PADARS) special event station, GB0PLB, which will be based at the Criccieth Lifeboat Station. This station will go live around 11:00 on the Saturday morning, work right through the night, and cocnlude around 16:00 on the Sunday afternoon.

Around mid-morning to mid-afternoon on the Saturday I plan to be with the Merion Amateur Radio Society (MARS) operating under their club callsign, GC4LZP, at Porthmadog Tescos shaking some tins, doing a bit of videoing and operating.

Please do try and make contact with as many SOS Radio Week stations as you can to help the event raise as much money as possible for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). For further details, please visit the SOS Radio Week web site.

The 144MHz AFS Contest is for Amateur Radio Clubs affiliated to, and members of, the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB). The event started at 10:00 and finished at 17:00 and five members of the Southport & District Amateur Radio Club took part as a team.

Things weren’t to bad in the morning, but as time dragged on past lunch time fewer and fewer new contacts were to be heard. This isn’t because there weren’t any around, they just couldn’t be heard because propagation conditions were a bit on the poor side and there was lots of interference on the band.

Anyway, the event’s over now and you can find out how I got on on my Amateur Radio contest page. Once my submitted log has been confirmed I will post final results there.