Just passed Foundation level.

[Wulfshead]

Thanks Briggs and Hamradioop, and I know what your saying.
I have a vertical dipole for 2 metre and I can hear the repeater very well @ 100 miles away.
If I tune into the East London repeater @ 30 miles I can't hear a thing (some would say that's a blessing)

As for HF, I'm only blessed with 10 metres at the mo but I'm also keen to try out the 6 metre VHF band my quad-band comes with.
I Have just finished a 1:1 air choke balun to run my 6 & 10 inverted V dipoles from.

Thanks again,

Wulfshead (who will PM you my callsign when I've got the gumph back from the RSGB)

[Hamradioop]

Hi Wulf,

If GB3EL is as bad as the old GB3WL (west London) doubt if you are missing much and it could well be turned off due to abuse. I wonder if you can hear GB3NE on 145.762.5 which is located in Newbury, Berkshire.
73
Kev

[Wulfshead]

Hamradioop,
Do you happen to know if there is a regular net on GB3NE ?
That would be my best bet at hearing activity on that repeater output.
I'll get a map out and have a look at what might get in the way between my QTH and GB3NE. If it's looking like a problem I dare say I have some stuff in the workshop to make a usable 2 metre yagi.

As for GB3EL, I have been following the comments about EL on various amateur websites and I'm just curious to hear the traffic on said repeater.

Wulfshead

[Briggs 2.0]

@hamradioop

From our past conversations you know I'm plagued with noise. I've tried a half wave G5RV with Balun , a 20m end fed UNUN plus I'm now using a Sigma Magitenna. No difference, the background noise remains at a constant on all bands. If I switch off the power to the house, the noise remains so it's not from my house. If I go portable on my 857 and Clansman, the noise drops to nothing so it's not my kit.

I'm thinking of going vertical with a Sigma resonant as a last resort for HF at home. What do you think?

[Wulfshead]

Briggs,
I remember only a couple of weeks ago a topic of noise was on one of the nets on one of the Essex club's nets.
It turned out that after much ticking off likely causes it was traced to a telephone relay box in the near locality.

Just a thought,

Wulfshead

[Briggs 2.0]

Briggs,
I remember only a couple of weeks ago a topic of noise was on one of the nets on one of the Essex club's nets.
It turned out that after much ticking off likely causes it was traced to a telephone relay box in the near locality.

Just a thought,

Wulfshead

It really is twisting my melon. I'm trying to isolate what it can be.

[Hamradioop]

Briggs, are you in a built up area, common cause of noise are wall charges and those horrible little devices that people to lazy to set up proper ethernet networks plug into the mains. they sound like this http://rsgb.org/main/files/2012/11/EMC_ ... 11MHzW.wav

Other thing are switchmode power supplies, Plasma TVs Baby alarms the list goes on and on.

If it appears only at home when plugged into the mains it may be mains borne. If you can identify the source Ofcom are very helpful.

have a look here for some info on emc issues http://interference.org.uk/forum/forumd ... php?fid=13

[Briggs 2.0]

Briggs, are you in a built up area, common cause of noise are wall charges and those horrible little devices that people to lazy to set up proper ethernet networks plug into the mains. they sound like this http://rsgb.org/main/files/2012/11/EMC_ ... 11MHzW.wav

Other thing are switchmode power supplies, Plasma TVs Baby alarms the list goes on and on.

If it appears only at home when plugged into the mains it may be mains borne. If you can identify the source Ofcom are very helpful.

have a look here for some info on emc issues http://interference.org.uk/forum/forumd ... php?fid=13

Cheers, I do need all the suggestions you may have. At home, I have one neighbour very close by. He is moving soon so that will hopefully rule out his property/equipment but before that, I'm thinking of setting up the RT320 on the whip and taking a walk, then a drive out of the village to see where the noise drops off.

Failing that I think I'm going down the digital Dstar route or a similar route via Yaesu FT2DE just so I can at least get something out of the hobby while I'm at home. Portable, I'm all set with the 320 (rain or shine) and if funds allow I may treat myself to an FT817 for the summer.

[Hamradioop]

wulf in answer to your question there is a Newbury club net on Tuesday evenings. some call to note M0NKS Bernie, G3LLK Gus, G3ZGC Richard amongst several.

I would suggest a normal am radio for your DF work as the 320 will probably be to sensitive. a 500 metre Radius should be adequate. An alternative to buying an new rig would be to install and join Echolink on your computer http://www.echolink.org/ for windoz and http://www.kj6zd.net/?page_id=100 for ubuntu info.

[Wulfshead]

Hamradioop,
funny you mention echolink, I was gonna bring it up here myself.
I need the letter with my candidate number before I can copy and send the front page of my licence off for access.
That's a pain as I know the keeper of the echolink thingy here in my bit of Essex.
The training manager mentioned echolink to me some time back but it was still quite a shock hearing two Americans coming through my radio 5/9 when I was going up and down the 2 metre band.
I'll take another look at echolink and set one of my 2 metre radios to it. I only skimmed over the subject in our clubs overview so will need to reread it a few times to get it to sink in, that's dyslexia for you lol.

Wulfshead