Andrew Garratt M0NRD 📻

Logged on to the Ofcom portal to update amateur radio licence for new address - only to discover it has triggered the revocation of my old foundation licence M6GTG - which was chosen in honour of my father. Will be calling MM6GTG until it is. nerdsville.blogspot.com/2013…

We are relocating & clearing 33 years of tech hoarding! These predate that, my 1980s computers that set me down my career path, with tapes and CF2 disks, books and manuals. Brother is having them, so will be going back to the family house where I spent hours learning to code. – at Newark-on-Trent, England

Out and about yesterday and briefly up on Normanby Top (Wolds Top) and tried out the homebrew antenna, getting a very strong signal.

Out testing the 23cm yagi, drove out to a nearby high spot this afternoon and using the satellite finder received GB3VL ATV repeater, thankfully didn't need the LNA as it didn't survive being fed 18V. Not sure who was working through it.

First fit, need to check dipole as resonant frequency too low.

A rainy afternoon project! A 23cm yagi with PETG 3D printed supports and clever former for the folded dipole. Stainless steel elements, copper tubing and aluminium boom. Total cost around £21 ATM.

There is some local ATV activity at the moment and spotted an old Amatrad analogue satellite receiver on eBay sold as spares or repair. Freed the stuck standby button and it lives. Now to see if I can receive GB3LX

Really 10 years ago @g8nwc

Nice to catch up for a chat this morning.

Sorting out the garage and find the high altitude balloon payload that I flew in 2015 at the National Hamfest. It was before Bertie's time and he was intrigued by the backup crew!

Picked up a handy USB RS422/RS485 Serial adapter (with isolation) at a recent radio rally for £1 - could have got a new one for £200

Morning at the Wiltshire Radio Rally, couldn't resist some nostalgia. More of a Z80/6809 child but did some assembler on school BBC

Struggling to find some information on the Cobra MRF75 marine radio, principally wanted to know the speaker-mic was wired - then remembered the FCC database and bingo! Everything I needed, manual, schematic etc fcc.report/FCC-ID/BBOMRF75

The £35 rally find Marine radios rx seems good. Getting Humber coastguard strong using an old PMR antenna. Immaculate unmarked unit apart from the power lead hacked off and is missing the speaker-mic, but can't tx anyway.

Anyone know if Ceecom antennas ceecom-antennas.com/ are still trading? Placed an order - got an acknowledgement then nothing else. Then noticed the warning on the home screen about not placing orders!

Went to the RetroTechUK fair yesterday and picked up a radio like my grandmother had (and I dismantled it as a child learning about radio) Powered it up and it works, but sounds like receiving transmissions from the 1950s

Met office radiosondes are landing nearby, so out again this morning before work. Opted for a longer walk from the North to get it, rather than trying to cross two busy carriageways of the A1 on foot! Still transmitting so had exact position - but spotted the string!

Little detour on the way down to the Cambridge Repeater Group radio rally this morning to pick up a radiosonde.

Picked up this intriguing vintage MSF clock kit at a recent rally, circa 1980. LEDs covered in red cellophane all CMOS 4000 series chips. Found the original designer who has sent me some details and fault finding instructions. cambridge.atspace.co.uk/2013…

Enjoyable couple of hours at the Yeovil ARC QRP Convention/Rally – at Sherborne, England