Great New Amateur Radio and Blog site found

Great New Amateur Radio and Blog site found

Keep updated and follow a journey in to Amateur Radio (ham radio) at http://www.amateurham.co

Raspberry Pi - Second helpings

Gave a talk at the Radio Club - "Raspberry Second Helpings"

This was a follow on talk from my introduction talk, the first Item was how to set you Raspberry Pi to run 'headless'

This involves setting up a static IP Address.

Using your favorite editor, setup the following:   (I use Vi).

edit /etc/network/interface (to match your network settings).

iface eth0 inet static

address 192.168.1.6

netmask 255.255.255.0

gateway 192.168.1.1

You also need to edit /etc/resolv.conf

Add the details for your dns server or your ISPs dns server

nameserver 192.168.1.1

Connect your Raspberry Pi to the Network

Connect the power supply and allow it to boot

Then use an ssh client to connect to your Raspberry pi

(I recommend putty from putty.org)

This will give you cmd line access, however you may want to make it a bit more secure

and easier to use.

Lets make the login secure

Using putty and pageant we will create a public /private key pair and use them to 

login.

Use PuttyGen and create a new pair of keys by clicking the “Generate” button. You can

keep all the options at their default settings. It is be a good idea to set a passphrase for 

your key. Then, save both public and private key to a safe location.

Name your public key .pub and the private key .ppk.

* Pageant / PuttyGen are also from Putty.org

Copy your public key to your /home dir

Then:

ssh-keygen -i -f key.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Replace key.pub with the path to your key. Now log out and setup pageant and restart 

putty.

If you are using a windows PC I recommend WinScp to use to copy your key.

In the picture above you can see your key file.

Problems ? Key Not working ?

Check the permission on the .ssh dir

Only the owner should have rwx

$ chmod 700 .ssh (for example)

Also check the authorized_keys

This should be rw write for the owner only !

This is all well and good but where is the GUI ?

For this we are going to install a VNC Server on the Raspberry Pi.

And a Vnc Client on the Windoze PC ! * not shown !!

Installing VNC on the Pi

Using the cmd line

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get upgrade

(before installing any software and from time to time it’s a good idea to update your o/s).

This can take a while if its not been done for some time.

$ sudo apt-get install tightvncserver

Once installed you need to run

$tightvncserver

Off to the BATC CAT13 again this morning, looking forward to some good stuff

Looking forward to more from the BATCs CAT13 today, on the Agenda for today Sunday 27th Oct. 2013

10:00    10 GHz tx multiplier from 13cms

10:30    PLL LNBs on 10 GHz

11:00  Locking PLL LNBs

11:45    HAM TV on ISS

13:30    ATV in practice - 10 GHz ATV in the N West

14:00    DATV express update & Narrow band modes below 432 MHz

14:30   Digital update - including the latest news from Digilite team 

The BATC 2013 event is streaming live from the Finningley Amateur Radio club - http://www.batc.tv/ch_live.php

Keep an eye on it and check the agenda to catch some fantastic talks today.

TNC-Pi Raspberry Pi Packet Radio Board

Just Reading round the Amsat Uk web site when I came across this:

TNC-Pi Raspberry Pi Packet Radio Board

Which is just what I was looking for, it comes in kit form which should be fun to build, not that my hands or soldering are that good, just as well that there no surface mounted components. Bonus !

Its looks like its going to provide me with  a low cost means of using amateur radio AX.25 Packet Radio and APRS.

Aprs is the thing I am most keen on, as well as Microwave and AVT.

Fun times 

see http://amsat-uk.org/2013/10/16/tnc-pi-raspberry-pi-packet-radio-board/

Sport Radio – UKACs – What is it all about ?

Sport Radio – UKACs – What is it all about ?

The main word that springs to mind for me is Fun! However, it is much more than that, by taking part in these my operating techniques have improved and there have been a number of other benefits as well.

When the word contest comes to mind, I used to picture one of those events on HF which has been likened by some as ‘Swimming with the Sharks’, but not anymore.

So what’s different about the UK Activity Contests?  Apart from the fact that they take place on VHF, UHF and SHF? Well to use an old term, I would sum them up as a, gentlemanly contest. Where everyone is very welcoming.

So who can take part in the UKACs? “All entrants and operators of UK stations must be RSGB members except visiting amateurs, not normally resident in the UK” Except if the operator is a member of an RSGB Affiliated Society (AFS).

When do these UKACs run? They take place on a Tuesday evening, between 19:00 and 21:30 (UTC), there are four sections you can enter – which are mainly dependent on your power output. You need to log your contacts and this is time, RST (Rx and TX) , Serial Number(Rx and TX),  Locator. Once the contest has finished you need to upload them to the contest web site. See the RSGBs web site http://rsgb.org.uk  for full information.

I like to operate portable /P which is a good job as my home QTH is down in a bit of a dip and although I hold a full licence I prefer to use a maximum of 10 watts, if I am operating on my own I use a pen and paper to log, backed up with a recorder. Then transfer to minos to upload, you can type your log directly online, but I have found minos works well for me. When I can find someone I prefer to get someone to log for me, and when I do this I get much better results, and less errors! (due to my poor handwriting)(HI).

A typical contest starts a couple of days before when I make sure my batteries are charged up and put my ‘sotabeam’ in my vehicle, log, tea making equipment etc. I plan when I am going to setup.

When the evening arrives, it’s normally a bit of a rush, getting home from work around 18:15 and getting setup on a site somewhere for the start. I can normally be setup now in 10 minutes, and I am getting used to it all now. I start off pointing the antenna, North and call CQ for around 10 minutes, then scan the band and then move North East and repeat the process, again and again. This works well for me but, I am sure you will find what’s best for you.

I find it useful to listen to a weak station until I hear the locator, and then move the beam by hand, so that it’s pointing in the best possible direction. If there are two of us my logger normally moves the beam for me, which helps.

I  find the evenings great fun !!, when I am finished I go home, put the kettle on and make a cup of tea, get the laptop fired up and go online to summit the results, then have a good look at other peoples submitted scores. I find myself checking the results section of the RSGB web site a couple of times a day. Once the new results are up, someone in the club normally post them on out facebook site and we have a bit of a rag chew.

Very often these discussions result in sharing ideas on how we can improve. I also found the people from other clubs are happy to help you improve too. Even if you are competing against them. This says a lot about the friendliness of the contests.

One of the other areas that I enjoy is getting those who are new to the hobby to come and take part, after we are all here to learn, and we all started at some point as a beginner.

Look forward to working you – Paul

Sota Summit G/SP-017 Billinge Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013 - A tail of two Summits ! Part 2

Sota Summit G/SP-017 Billinge Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013 - A tail of two Summits ! Part 2


We found a parking place, just past the 'old vicarage' and then a short walk on to the top of Billinge Hill. This is a one point Sota Summit and had some nice easy access.

On our way to the top of the Sota Summit.

Once you get to the top you will find the 'trig point' and a square 'folly' type building - here is a nice panoramic view from the top.

So we set up our Sotabeams and 40/80m dipole - and started to operate, once again we had quite a bit of QRM on 70cms / 2m /4m.

Here is Denis working 40/80m :

And Mick 2E0MKE - working on 2m :

We had an excellent day, despite the problems with QRM, thanks everyone who answered our CQ called - quite a few people on 40/80m wanting WEB Squares. 

Look out for us on another Sota Summit soon ! - please note that reports from SWL are always welcome.

Sota Summit G/SP-010 Winter Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013 - A tail of two Summits ! Part 1

Sota Summit G/SP-010 Winter Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013

Myself Denis M0USV and Mick 2E0MKE, left a bright and sunny South Yorkshire, to go and operate this Summit.

We had a good if show journey over to Winter Hill, we found  a place to part the car near the Summit, this information we found off the Sota Web site which had been posted by other people who have activated this Hill.

We made the short walk to the trig point, and began setting up our kit, the sky was overcast and the wind had got very cold, we were going to operate 70cms, 2m, 4m FM and 40m and 80m SSB.

40m and 80m being operated by Denis at 5watts and the other by Mick and myself. I soon found it hard going on 2m FM I was picking up loads of QRM from the nearby masts and working stations was difficult, thanks to the operators who helped I managed to work 12, but I had a problem with my electronic log and it lost the information for some of my contacts, so it was back to pen and paper. 

70cms was no better, and 4m was much worse. Well we had planned to activate a second summit. So we headed off to a nearby pub, for a quick pint, a bite to eat and to pick the next summit.

We had already been working on a short this. 

We picked Billinge Hill (not a great pick as it turned out). More later 

Sota Summit G/SP-002 Black Hill - Saturday 13th April 2013 (SE 078046)

Sota Summit G/SP-002 Black Hill - Saturday 13th April 2013 (SE 078046)

After such a great day the weekend before, it wasn't going to be long before we were back out again, some questions during the week about which day would be best weather wise. We picked Saturday.

Only three of us this time Denis, Graham and Myself, the route up taking us about an hour, there was still quite a bit of show about and some very muddy / boggy patches. The streams crossing the path being fun to cross.

We walked up following the pennine way, North to South to the 'trig point' on the summit.:-

The top of Black Hill is quite interesting, you might expect to see the trig point from some way off, but you are almost on top of it before you can see it.

Some views from the Summit ;

 Again I took my trusty, wouxun, and sota beam, 18 QSOs were soon, carried out. Put out a couple of CQs on 2m - nothing was coming back. The wind was now quite strong and it kept moving my beam back to the same direction.

I thought that it was about time I had some lunch and went over to see what Denis and Graham were upto.

I found Denis working a pileup on 40m - quite a number of people asking for his WAB Locator. Denis was using his homebrew 40m dipole and his FT-817 and on 5 watts was working Scotland, Ireland, and Parts of Europe.

Above showing Denis (M0USV) working 40m, (sotabeam in the back ground) and Graham (2E0TRU) (pictured) and myself causing some local QSB (HI).

Had a great time again, this Sota stuff is addictive ! Had quite a number of people stop and ask what we were doing, have to take some info next time !

Also had chance to use my map reading skills, was able to give help and advise to a number of walkers.

 

Sota Summit G/SP005 Pendle Hill - Saturday 6th April 2013

Well, I have been Hill Walking for years, and for a little over 2 1/2 years I held an Amateur Radio License. I had been up on a couple of Sota (Summits on the Air) hills before, but never activated them.

(see www.sota.org.uk ) for more information about Sota.

Well for a number of reasons we didn't, pick the quickest or the easiest route up. 

Our Route is pictured here :-

 
We had the afternoon to make the assent and activate the summit, I took with me my Wouxun KG-UVD1-p 5w on 2m FM and my sotabeam, (these were in addition to all the 'normal' safety equipment I take into the Hill). I had used the sotabeam a number of times before - so I was able to set it up quickly, and start some QSOs on 2m - they came flooding in.

After a short while the weather turned much colder and we started to pack up and make our way off the Hill. Stopping for a quick Photo at the 'trig point' before starting the journey back.

On the journey back we stopped to look at the cairn - in which there are a number of monument to Scouting - the one in the picture being of the 100 years (2007).

 Many thanks for a great day, to Denis M0USV, Graham 2E0TRU and Mick 2E0MKE. We are already planning the next Sota Summit.

Also thanks to Denis and Graham for the pictures and allowing me to share them.