Hobbies! - Page 6

Mondo · 21-04-2009, 00:10

okay, i thought i will learn some Coldplay tunes....managed to learn The Scientist then i thought i give Clocks a crack.......until i saw this...

It titled slower version............

Feek · 01-06-2009, 20:09

I've not been very active for a few years but I'm a radio ham. Over the last week or so I've got enthusiastic about amateur radio again, I dragged my wireless out of the loft and I've got the aerials sorted out. I had a 9 element beam on the side of the house that I couldn't turn because the cable was caught.

At the weekend I got it all sorted and it's all working fine. Conditions are very good at the moment and I've just been working into Holland and Germany. Not huge distances, around 400-500 miles or so but it's really quite refreshing to be doing it again after so long.

Here's my radio which is pretty old now but is still working rather well:

And here's my small aerial farm:

Knipples · 01-06-2009, 20:12

Feek, I am genuinely intruigued as to what you do with these? Would you mind letting me in on it.

Feek · 01-06-2009, 20:21

I talk to people. The front beam aerial is rotatable so I can turn it round to point directly at damn johnny foreigners and we talk! The vertical at the back is an omni-directional aerial that's used for local chatter.

Feek · 01-06-2009, 20:30

Actually, there's more to it than that - I used to be very involved with radio contesting where the idea is to work (talk to) as many people as possible over a set period of time. Points are worked out using distance and square multipliers. The whole world is mapped out as a series of locator squares so it's possible to determine where someone is to within quite a small area.

In contests, people exchange their callsigns, signal strength, serial number of the contact (serial numbers start at 001 for the first contact during the contest and increase per contact) and locator and from this the final score is calculated.

I've done a lot of contest operating over the years and I really enjoy it.

Knipples · 01-06-2009, 21:14

Interesting to say the least!

What people did before MSN/Facebook/Twitter etc hey?

Pheebs · 01-06-2009, 21:16

You don't have to climb onto your roof do you?! Please don't fall off!! Or if you plan on doing so, stick a few feathers to your arms before hand

Sounds very intriguing! What kind of things do you end up chatting about?! Or anything?!

I'm still LOVING my magic. Like... proper now! I absolutely heart the people I have met (apart from one... but one bad egg out of 20 ain't bad) and yeh. I can see me getting properly into this!!

Got an awesome chap popping over from Switzerland to do a leccy next week. I'm a bit YAY and Boo over it as I think he's going to show off a rope routine I really like, which I'm hoping to do in a few weeks time. If he does I will just have to adjust it and make it more silly

Canny wait to see you all next! I'm no Derren Brown but I'll show you some faberoo tricks

Feek - getting me one of they thingys you showed me in Chester this week (hopefully!) I've been told they do quite a selection and that if I get one that kind of fits and dip it into hot hot water I can mould it to fit me better so it won't be mahoosive

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Knipples · 01-06-2009, 21:23

*bounces up and down like a big Kid and demands to see some magic soon!*

Feek · 01-06-2009, 22:43

I'm really looking forward to seeing your magic, Pheebs - As I said early on in this thread, I used to do a fair bit of illusion stuff but I just didn't have the desire to perform so I just let it drop a while ago. Good stuff about what you're getting, I did the same thing with mine for a decent fit.

I didn't get on the actual roof to do the aerial work at home, we were able to lower the mast and work on it at a lower level (although we were standing on a flat roof that you can't see in that picture). I have spent a lot of time on roofs in my youth though, I was regularly on the roof of our house in Harlow.

At the weekend we were working on this little array at a Martello Tower at Point Clear:

That's very high up and is a great radio site.

As for what we talk about, when it's not contest stuff it's just general waffle. I was chatting to a dutchman earlier who has holidayed in my town and we were talking about how it's changed over the last fifteen years. When the RF conditions are up (as they were tonight) then the contacts can be pretty quick, a short talk about equipment, power and location and then it's onto the next one.

Tomorrow evening we're operating a contest from the tower, I'm really looking forward to that. We should exchange details with well over 100 people during the 2.5 hours that it goes on for.

BBx · 01-06-2009, 22:56

I used to do hospital radio. I really should do it again now I have wheels.

I would put gardening - if I had a garden.

Does baking count?

BB x

21-04-2009, 00:10	#51
Mondo Absinthe Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,174	okay, i thought i will learn some Coldplay tunes....managed to learn The Scientist then i thought i give Clocks a crack.......until i saw this... It titled slower version............ __________________ My Website / MSN / Email / Flickr / Blog

01-06-2009, 20:09	#52
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	I've not been very active for a few years but I'm a radio ham. Over the last week or so I've got enthusiastic about amateur radio again, I dragged my wireless out of the loft and I've got the aerials sorted out. I had a 9 element beam on the side of the house that I couldn't turn because the cable was caught. At the weekend I got it all sorted and it's all working fine. Conditions are very good at the moment and I've just been working into Holland and Germany. Not huge distances, around 400-500 miles or so but it's really quite refreshing to be doing it again after so long. Here's my radio which is pretty old now but is still working rather well: And here's my small aerial farm: __________________

01-06-2009, 20:21	#54
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	I talk to people. The front beam aerial is rotatable so I can turn it round to point directly at damn johnny foreigners and we talk! The vertical at the back is an omni-directional aerial that's used for local chatter. __________________

01-06-2009, 20:30	#55
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Actually, there's more to it than that - I used to be very involved with radio contesting where the idea is to work (talk to) as many people as possible over a set period of time. Points are worked out using distance and square multipliers. The whole world is mapped out as a series of locator squares so it's possible to determine where someone is to within quite a small area. In contests, people exchange their callsigns, signal strength, serial number of the contact (serial numbers start at 001 for the first contact during the contest and increase per contact) and locator and from this the final score is calculated. I've done a lot of contest operating over the years and I really enjoy it. __________________

01-06-2009, 21:16	#57
Pheebs Deep Throat Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 6,512	You don't have to climb onto your roof do you?! Please don't fall off!! Or if you plan on doing so, stick a few feathers to your arms before hand Sounds very intriguing! What kind of things do you end up chatting about?! Or anything?! I'm still LOVING my magic. Like... proper now! I absolutely heart the people I have met (apart from one... but one bad egg out of 20 ain't bad) and yeh. I can see me getting properly into this!! Got an awesome chap popping over from Switzerland to do a leccy next week. I'm a bit YAY and Boo over it as I think he's going to show off a rope routine I really like, which I'm hoping to do in a few weeks time. If he does I will just have to adjust it and make it more silly Canny wait to see you all next! I'm no Derren Brown but I'll show you some faberoo tricks Feek - getting me one of they thingys you showed me in Chester this week (hopefully!) I've been told they do quite a selection and that if I get one that kind of fits and dip it into hot hot water I can mould it to fit me better so it won't be mahoosive Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! __________________ http://www.spiffingdesigns.co.uk

01-06-2009, 22:43	#59
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	I'm really looking forward to seeing your magic, Pheebs - As I said early on in this thread, I used to do a fair bit of illusion stuff but I just didn't have the desire to perform so I just let it drop a while ago. Good stuff about what you're getting, I did the same thing with mine for a decent fit. I didn't get on the actual roof to do the aerial work at home, we were able to lower the mast and work on it at a lower level (although we were standing on a flat roof that you can't see in that picture). I have spent a lot of time on roofs in my youth though, I was regularly on the roof of our house in Harlow. At the weekend we were working on this little array at a Martello Tower at Point Clear: That's very high up and is a great radio site. As for what we talk about, when it's not contest stuff it's just general waffle. I was chatting to a dutchman earlier who has holidayed in my town and we were talking about how it's changed over the last fifteen years. When the RF conditions are up (as they were tonight) then the contacts can be pretty quick, a short talk about equipment, power and location and then it's onto the next one. Tomorrow evening we're operating a contest from the tower, I'm really looking forward to that. We should exchange details with well over 100 people during the 2.5 hours that it goes on for. __________________

01-06-2009, 22:56	#60
BBx Reverse SuBo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: London Posts: 8,673	I used to do hospital radio. I really should do it again now I have wheels. I would put gardening - if I had a garden. Does baking count? BB x