tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9533978412555625322024-03-13T03:55:58.345+00:00G4ILO's BlogStealth ham radio, QRP, digimodes, APRS and moreAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.comBlogger1164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-22536949228552731172014-08-16T21:52:00.000+01:002014-08-16T21:52:44.040+01:00Wouxun KG-UV8D memory managementI have had this radio for about three months now. I have not found out how to program any of the memory channels. If anyone learned the secret please post a comment here.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-3729208722401781442014-08-11T10:50:00.000+01:002014-08-11T10:50:57.680+01:0011 August Beacons of hopeUnenthralled by the prospect of a life lived in bed, hoisted from pillow to pot, I have allowed myself to believe that I'm not going to "beat the bugger", in other words survive the tumour with sufficient faculties intackt to lead a normal life. I have decided to leave my whissper beacons running for as long as I'm capable to supervise them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-41539052774449155572014-07-19T20:01:00.000+01:002014-07-19T20:01:08.895+01:00HFI gates QRTI have taken down my HFAPRS gates. The reason is they all use my MFJ magnetic loop antenna. At this time of the year it needs constant retuning due to temperature variations in the loft. So it is not practical to use it when I can not be in the shack to tweak the turning .Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-15365830652837095402014-07-17T13:48:00.000+01:002014-07-17T13:48:00.053+01:00Ultimate U3 beacon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rqH5Cv6znBQ/U8fA30lXugI/AAAAAAAADxs/pbLHQY30_Go/s1600/QRSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rqH5Cv6znBQ/U8fA30lXugI/AAAAAAAADxs/pbLHQY30_Go/s1600/QRSS.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It is here already.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Thank you very much, Konstantinos .</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Now, all I have to do to find the yahoo gro</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">up and sutable power suply.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-69567091789110465952014-07-01T20:32:00.000+01:002014-07-01T20:32:44.318+01:00Sporadic E2014 Es is gettig ander way. I will be keeping an eye on 6m and 10m bands. Now is the time for WSPR. This requires a computer. I've managed to get the WSPR software running on the shack computer using Windows remote desctop which allow me to see whole screen on the laptop. This is more useful than I expexted. Olga discovered the shack computer keyboard is broken. It prints one letter from the next column. The funny thing is I sought it was my brain broken not the computer.<br />
I had hoped to be using one of Hans Summers Ultimate kits I purchased several weeks ago. But I think it is beyond my ability to buibd this. Shame there isn't a bild and tested version. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-65170403250558273142014-06-15T21:18:00.001+01:002014-06-15T21:18:16.212+01:00Shack in a bed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8gCHG69KLQ/U539naprIgI/AAAAAAAADxE/tP-yjcYZUuI/s1600/2014-06-14_Julian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8gCHG69KLQ/U539naprIgI/AAAAAAAADxE/tP-yjcYZUuI/s1600/2014-06-14_Julian.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Elekraft KX3 has become my shack in the bed. It is connected to the antenna using 10 m cable from eBay. Olga takes radio upstairs to charge batteries. I wish the charger had a tricle charge so we could leave radio connected to power continuously.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-69183125866416546162014-05-31T19:37:00.000+01:002014-05-31T19:37:03.581+01:00Better buy localMy WOUXAN KGUV8D handheld radio with faulty keypad just returned from a quick trip to ML&S. Which expierience convinsed me of the wisdom of buying chinese radios from UK dealer. Whithin couple of hours of calling them ML&S had arranged UPS carrier to collect the radio to take it for exchange. No making costomer pay return postage (other dealers please note). Next day the radio was on its way back to us. Next day it has arrived. Imagine the trouble I would have returning it to seller in Hong Kong. No more buying radios on eBay for me!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-61017906972705641142014-03-03T17:31:00.000+00:002014-03-05T12:01:34.105+00:00Events in UkraineI have just got off the air after making several contactsintoRussia and Ukraine on 10m PSK31. Ham radio transcends political boundaries and engenders friendships betweenpeople of all nations. All politicians could learn from it. My thoughts today are particularly with my radio friends living in Ukraine I hope that peace and normality are restored soon<br />
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д<b>о свидания!</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-43899801037679059562014-02-15T17:27:00.000+00:002014-02-15T17:27:17.522+00:00SSN data file goes AWOLI've not updated the VOAProp file <i>ssn.txt</i> for a while as <a href="http://onefootingrave.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/10-februarytyping-tripe.html" target="_blank">some irritating health issues </a>kept on getting in the way. I thought I would have a try today butit seems the <a href="ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/SOLAR_DATA/SUNSPOT_NUMBERS/sunspot.predict" target="_blank">NOAA data file Iused to update it from </a> has moved to a new address. Does anyone know where it has gone to?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-6159977577140536852014-01-26T14:04:00.003+00:002014-01-26T16:00:12.206+00:00Tracking wildlifeI watching a wildlife programme on TV the other day which had a feature about urban foxes. The naturalists had fitted radio collars to some of the foxes and were able to track them over a wide area.One fox went off on a trek that lasted a couple of weeks and covered a distance of several kilometres.<br />
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In another programme radios have been attached to larger birds such as geese and ospreys to track their migration paths.<br />
I wonder what frequency is used? One of the maturalists in the urban fox project seemed to be trying to DF a fox using what looked auspiciouslylike a 3 element 2m Yagi. I've seen similar antennas used o locate larger animals in Africa.<br />
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I would love to know what technology they use. My Kenwood TH-D7E APRS radio - despite being too big to use as a tracker for anythimg much smaller than an elephant - can run for only a few hours with the GPS enbled and the power set to a sufficient level to enable tracking over a reasonable distance.using a less than optimal transmitting ntenna.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-76542692319155043642014-01-18T15:56:00.001+00:002014-01-18T15:56:48.221+00:00Across the pond on 10m with 200mWWSPR never loses its ability to astound. Today I've been WSPRing on 10m, still with 0.2W. My signal was decoded by 5 different Stateside stations.<br />
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: black; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><tbody style="border: none;">
<tr><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Timestamp</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Call</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">MHz</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">SNR</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Drift</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Grid</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Pwr</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Reporter</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">RGrid</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">km</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">az</th></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-18 14:26 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126105 </td><td align="right"> -25 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> KZ8C </td><td align="left"> EM88pm </td><td align="right"> 5973 </td><td align="right"> 287 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-18 14:36 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126145 </td><td align="right"> -22 </td><td align="right"> 1 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> KB9PVH </td><td align="left"> EN53oi </td><td align="right"> 5959 </td><td align="right"> 296 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-18 14:44 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126131 </td><td align="right"> -16 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> VE3SWS </td><td align="left"> FN06ge </td><td align="right"> 5201 </td><td align="right"> 293 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-18 15:18 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126107 </td><td align="right"> -9 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> N2NOM </td><td align="left"> FN22bg </td><td align="right"> 5267 </td><td align="right"> 286 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-18 15:38 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126104 </td><td align="right"> -23 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> K9AN </td><td align="left"> EN50wc </td><td align="right"> 6175 </td><td align="right"> 293<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-43031299634164161042014-01-13T17:22:00.000+00:002014-01-13T17:22:35.308+00:00More WSPR with 20mWI've been WSPRing on 30m today, still with a power of 0.2W. I think WSPR is more interesting when you use low power: it's always interesting to see how far you can get.<br />
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20mW is not the lowest power you can use, though, it's just the lowest power the K3 will comfortably produce. (You can set the output power to 0.0W but I'm not sure how accurately the rig will maintain the power at such a low level - something to check.<br />
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Today my 0,02W into the MFJ magnetic loop in my attic was received by 30 different stations. Here's the list:<br />
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<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: black; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><tbody style="border: none;">
<tr><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Timestamp</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Call</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">MHz</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">SNR</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Drift</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Grid</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Pwr</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Reporter</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">RGrid</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">km</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">az</th></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 11:52 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140243 </td><td align="right"> -11 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> ON7KO </td><td align="left"> JO21ce </td><td align="right"> 637 </td><td align="right"> 124 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 11:52 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140209 </td><td align="right"> -23 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DL8HAF/P </td><td align="left"> JO53dm </td><td align="right"> 899 </td><td align="right"> 92 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 12:32 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140206 </td><td align="right"> -26 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DK6UG </td><td align="left"> JN49cm </td><td align="right"> 973 </td><td align="right"> 121 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 12:54 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140217 </td><td align="right"> -22 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DC5EO </td><td align="left"> JO31ed </td><td align="right"> 760 </td><td align="right"> 117 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 12:54 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140210 </td><td align="right"> -18 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> G8CRB </td><td align="left"> JO02bf </td><td align="right"> 355 </td><td align="right"> 138 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 13:18 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140195 </td><td align="right"> -19 </td><td align="right"> 1 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> G0GSJ </td><td align="left"> IO84jc </td><td align="right"> 61 </td><td align="right"> 170 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:20 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140199 </td><td align="right"> -19 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> G4ILR </td><td align="left"> JO02pp </td><td align="right"> 379 </td><td align="right"> 124 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:20 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140224 </td><td align="right"> -29 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> M0BLP </td><td align="left"> JO02ad </td><td align="right"> 359 </td><td align="right"> 139 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:30 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140210 </td><td align="right"> -20 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> OH8GKP </td><td align="left"> KP24rt </td><td align="right"> 1945 </td><td align="right"> 43 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:30 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140203 </td><td align="right"> -19 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> GM4SFW </td><td align="left"> IO77sn </td><td align="right"> 331 </td><td align="right"> 349 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:30 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140199 </td><td align="right"> -11 </td><td align="right"> 2 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> OH3HTI </td><td align="left"> KP21ag </td><td align="right"> 1760 </td><td align="right"> 54 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:30 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140182 </td><td align="right"> -13 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> LA5GOA </td><td align="left"> JO29oi </td><td align="right"> 737 </td><td align="right"> 41 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:38 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140197 </td><td align="right"> -23 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> OZ7IT </td><td align="left"> JO65df </td><td align="right"> 1001 </td><td align="right"> 80 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:38 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140194 </td><td align="right"> -13 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> SA6BSS </td><td align="left"> JO68 </td><td align="right"> 1084 </td><td align="right"> 60 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:48 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140189 </td><td align="right"> -21 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> SM6WZI </td><td align="left"> JO67mp </td><td align="right"> 1067 </td><td align="right"> 65 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:56 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140208 </td><td align="right"> -21 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DC8SE </td><td align="left"> JN48xi </td><td align="right"> 1155 </td><td align="right"> 122 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 14:56 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140180 </td><td align="right"> -7 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> ON7KB </td><td align="left"> JO21ei </td><td align="right"> 634 </td><td align="right"> 122 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:04 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140204 </td><td align="right"> -11 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DK4TJ </td><td align="left"> JO31fc </td><td align="right"> 768 </td><td align="right"> 117 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:04 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140236 </td><td align="right"> -25 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> PA1GSJ </td><td align="left"> JO22da </td><td align="right"> 586 </td><td align="right"> 117 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:14 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140238 </td><td align="right"> -21 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DL1WER </td><td align="left"> JN58dd </td><td align="right"> 1189 </td><td align="right"> 122 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:24 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140195 </td><td align="right"> -13 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DL1KCQ </td><td align="left"> JO33uc </td><td align="right"> 746 </td><td align="right"> 99 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:36 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140188 </td><td align="right"> -25 </td><td align="right"> -1 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> M5LMY </td><td align="left"> IO91oi </td><td align="right"> 405 </td><td align="right"> 154 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:36 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140197 </td><td align="right"> -12 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> PI4THT </td><td align="left"> JO32kf </td><td align="right"> 729 </td><td align="right"> 107 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:36 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140196 </td><td align="right"> -15 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> LA9JO </td><td align="left"> JP99gb </td><td align="right"> 1949 </td><td align="right"> 26 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:36 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140191 </td><td align="right"> -20 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> SM0FGT </td><td align="left"> JO89xg </td><td align="right"> 1384 </td><td align="right"> 60 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:36 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140182 </td><td align="right"> -12 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> LA5GOA/RX2 </td><td align="left"> JO29oi </td><td align="right"> 737 </td><td align="right"> 41 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:46 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140222 </td><td align="right"> -12 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DC0DX </td><td align="left"> JO31lk </td><td align="right"> 776 </td><td align="right"> 113 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 15:46 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140215 </td><td align="right"> -17 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DC4LC </td><td align="left"> JN48np </td><td align="right"> 1088 </td><td align="right"> 123 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 16:22 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140208 </td><td align="right"> -17 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> DK4LA </td><td align="left"> JO54ae </td><td align="right"> 868 </td><td align="right"> 88 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-13 16:48 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 10.140196 </td><td align="right"> -23 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> HB9FGQ </td><td align="left"> JN36kk </td><td align="right"> 1163 </td><td align="right"> 137<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-63094457411845813852014-01-13T16:44:00.001+00:002014-01-13T16:55:50.691+00:00A new batch of QSLs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qr_KagyRH10/UtQUaSIfxzI/AAAAAAAADwc/hguf4Romb50/s1600/qsls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qr_KagyRH10/UtQUaSIfxzI/AAAAAAAADwc/hguf4Romb50/s400/qsls.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A batch of QSL cards arrived from the bureau today (thanks, Ian.) Here are just a few of them.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-15755334895234919102014-01-13T11:25:00.000+00:002014-01-13T11:25:04.293+00:00News for kit builders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpIRZWdw6_U/UtPLpKVVkPI/AAAAAAAADwM/Y6sHyBokBZA/s1600/ea3gcy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LpIRZWdw6_U/UtPLpKVVkPI/AAAAAAAADwM/Y6sHyBokBZA/s400/ea3gcy.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Javier Solans, EA2GCY, maker of the Iler 20 and 40 kits is now selling a range of kits from <a href="http://www.youkits.com/" target="_blank">YouKits</a>. The new kits are already listed on his <a href="http://ea3gcy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/iler-40-4-5w-qrp-ssb-monoband.html" target="_blank">very impressive-looking web site</a>. If this means that the Chinese-made kits will now have building instructions to the same high standard as Javier's own kitsit is very good news for kit-builders.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-87182626387779208302014-01-08T16:24:00.000+00:002014-01-08T16:24:32.613+00:00Whispering with 20mWMany people who operate the weak signal mode WSPR use too much power. If you don't use very low power (QRPp) you'll never find out what this mode is capable of. So to remind myself I thought I'd do some whispering on 10m using 20mW of power. It's easy to use low power with the Elecraft K3 as the power level is adjustable in 0.01 watt increments.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xXp9TLm28B8/Us16T__iXLI/AAAAAAAADv8/4mZnciTTb_g/s1600/10mwsprqrpp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xXp9TLm28B8/Us16T__iXLI/AAAAAAAADv8/4mZnciTTb_g/s1600/10mwsprqrpp.png" height="370" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10m stations hearing or heard by G4ILO on 8 Jan 2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's a pity that the WSPRwebsite can't display a map showing only spots of one callsign. The map shows spots <i>involving</i> one callsign. sent or received. So the map shows WSPR signals I decoded, not only those who heard me. Some of those stations were using as much as 37dBm - whatever that is in watts. Here are the stations that decoded my tiny signal. My 20mW into an attic diopole made it across the pond on several occasions<br />
<br />
<table style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: black; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><tbody style="border: none;">
<tr><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Timestamp</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Call</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">MHz</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">SNR</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Drift</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Grid</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Pwr</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">Reporter</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">RGrid</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">km</th><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-right: 1em;">az</th></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 15:44 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126104 </td><td align="right"> -24 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> W9HLY </td><td align="left"> EN70mt </td><td align="right"> 5930 </td><td align="right"> 291 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 15:24 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126112 </td><td align="right"> -21 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> KZ8C </td><td align="left"> EM88pm </td><td align="right"> 5973 </td><td align="right"> 287 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 15:24 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126104 </td><td align="right"> -27 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> K4RCG </td><td align="left"> FM08xl </td><td align="right"> 5688 </td><td align="right"> 284 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 15:06 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126103 </td><td align="right"> -24 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> W8AC </td><td align="left"> EN91jm </td><td align="right"> 5649 </td><td align="right"> 289 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 15:06 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126110 </td><td align="right"> -18 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> KB9VLR </td><td align="left"> EN54vj </td><td align="right"> 5845 </td><td align="right"> 296 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 15:06 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126144 </td><td align="right"> -19 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> ND6M </td><td align="left"> EM55se </td><td align="right"> 6594 </td><td align="right"> 289 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 14:56 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126106 </td><td align="right"> -21 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> KB9AMG </td><td align="left"> EN52tx </td><td align="right"> 5964 </td><td align="right"> 295 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 14:46 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126167 </td><td align="right"> -22 </td><td align="right"> -1 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> KC9YSR </td><td align="left"> EM69il </td><td align="right"> 6175 </td><td align="right"> 291 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 14:38 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126106 </td><td align="right"> -18 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> VE3SWS </td><td align="left"> FN06ge </td><td align="right"> 5201 </td><td align="right"> 293 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 14:18 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126098 </td><td align="right"> -26 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> K9AN </td><td align="left"> EN50wc </td><td align="right"> 6175 </td><td align="right"> 293 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"> 2014-01-08 14:00 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126101 </td><td align="right"> -28 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> ZR6LU </td><td align="left"> KG43av </td><td align="right"> 9468 </td><td align="right"> 152 </td></tr>
<tr><td align="right">2014-01-08 13:40 </td><td align="left"> G4ILO </td><td align="right"> 28.126015 </td><td align="right"> -7 </td><td align="right"> 0 </td><td align="left"> IO84hp </td><td align="right"> 0.02 </td><td align="left"> LZ1OI </td><td align="left"> KN22id </td><td align="right"> 2470 </td><td align="right"> 113<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-78482966576181971362014-01-07T12:10:00.000+00:002014-01-07T12:10:28.139+00:00Watts conversionThe original version of K1JT's WSPR software had pop-up "tip" windows that showed the power in watts when you hovered the mouse over the dBm setting. Very useful for duffers like me that can't do a watts to dBm conversion in my head. The new version WSPR-X doesn't, however.<br />
<br />
I found (or more truthfully Google did) an <a href="http://www.rapidtables.com/convert/power/Watt_to_dBm.htm">online watts to dBm converter</a> on the web which I have duly bookmarked.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-81168912805903784412014-01-04T14:01:00.004+00:002014-01-04T15:24:49.092+00:00Struck by lightningThe night before last Olga and I nearly jumped out of our skins after a tremendous thunderclap which sounded as if it was just a few feet away. I wasn't concerned for the radios as I didn't think attic antennas would suffer from a lightning strike unless the house itself was struck but in any case both antenna switches were in the grounded position after I had heard thunder a few days earlier.<br />
<br />
I checked both the K3 and the FUNcube Dongle which was the only other radio connected to an antenna and both seemed to be OK so I thought I had got off scot free.<br />
<br />
That afternoon Olga noticed that the Netgear DECT Skype phones were not displaying the amount of money in the account. Later I tried to make a Skype call and was informed that Skype was offline We could still make landline calls from the phones but only if we dialled manually. Any attempt to call a number in the Contacts list using the landline received the message "The number you have dialled has not been recognised."<br />
<br />
Poking the Netgear base unit's Reset button with a sharp stick didn't solve the problem. It looks as if the SPH200D base unit is broken. I'm rather sorry about that because it's an obsolete product and new ones are unobtainable - although eBay has a used one on offer for several times what it cost when new.<br />
<br />
Olga uses Skype a lot to talk to relatives in Ukraine so it was very useful to have Skype connected all the time and not just when she was using the computer, but it's looking as if we will have to live without that facility.<br />
<br />
That evening we turned on the Humax Freetime box to watch some TV and there was no picture. We checked the voltage from the power supply, which is a small 12V 4A "brick rather than internal switched mode supply. Zero volts. We checked the fuse and that was intact. Unfortunately the Humax power supply has an unusual type of plug so I can't use one of the collection 0f wall warts that I have in a box in the garage to test if the satellite receiver itself is working or whether it's just the power supply that has failed.<br />
<br />
There is no proof that lightning really did cause these items of equipment to fail - everything else including the broadband router are still working - but it's quite a coincidence it it isn't.. SoNow all I can do is wait until next week and order a new power supply from Humax. Oh happy days! At least we can still watch TV as I kept the old Freesat box as a backup.<br />
<br />
Postscript. According to a neighbour a house a few streets away was damaged by the lightning bolt. Doesn't seem near enough to have blown up two items of equipment though.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-48105083968875919462014-01-02T15:42:00.003+00:002014-01-02T15:42:54.440+00:00WebProp is brokenMany of you will have seen these propagation banners on many ham web sites. They are generated by a script on the <a href="http://www.g4ilo.com/" target="_blank">G4ILO's Shack website</a>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o-5V5OabUQY/UsWBdiFNAVI/AAAAAAAADvs/BfSQ-MD71Xc/s1600/webprop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o-5V5OabUQY/UsWBdiFNAVI/AAAAAAAADvs/BfSQ-MD71Xc/s1600/webprop.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WebProp propagation banner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It appears that NOAA changed the format of the <a href="http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/latest/wwv.txt" target="_blank">wwv.txt</a> solar data file with effect from I January . When I turned on the computer I was greeted by a pile of "bad data" messages from the PHP script that processes wwv.txt and turns it into an intermediate data file which is used by WebProp (and also <a href="http://www.g4ilo.com/voaprop.html" target="_blank">VOAProp</a>) to display the current solar data.<br />
<br />
Unfortumately I cannot fix iy. My vision is too confused to read type very well and my brain is too befuddled to deal with technical compouter stuffany more. Even typing a blog post is a trial for me at the moment. I have hade to make dozens of corrections even to get this far (one reason for the dearth if blog postings recently.<br />
<br />
Is there anyone who knows PHP who would be willing to take a look at the script and fix it so tyhat it will work with the current bersion if the wwvntxt file?<br />
<br />
I foolishly thought that if I just left erything as it is then it would juat carry on running without any work from me. Unfortunately things get updated and require changes to be made. Maintaining this website has become burden I could do without right now It causes me a lot of stress and upset that I can't manage to do things i could easily do before. The easiest solution might be just shut down <a href="http://g4ilo.com/">g4ilo.com</a> for good.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-5939975071204219182013-12-24T15:03:00.001+00:002013-12-24T15:03:27.098+00:00Website woesThe tranquility of my morning was disturbed by receiving an email "Disk Usage Warning" from the web hosting service for the <a href="http://g4ilo.com/">g4ilo.com</a> website.<br />
<br />
This was worrying as I had not made any significant changes to the site for several months. I was concerned that hackers might have found a way to upload files to the server so that it was serving porn or some other equally objectional stuff.<br />
<br />
After a look around using the disk management tools in cPanel the public_html directory seemed to be excessively large.<br />
<br />
I FTP'ed in to the server with FileZilla and found that the error_log file was astronomically large. I took a look at it and the file was full of warnings about a deprecated PHP function:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3e43; font-family: 'segoe ui', 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3e43; font-family: 'segoe ui', 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">PHP Deprecated: Function split() is deprecated in /home/g4ilo/public_html/lib/classes/class.contentoperations.inc.php on line 881</span><br />
<br />
<br />
A sI hadn't changed anything my suspicion was that the web host had changed some global PHP setting. When I submitted a support ticket they didn't admit to anything but with a bit of help I was able to turn error logging off. This seems to have solved the problem so I am crossing my fingers that 's the end of it.<br />
<br />
It was fine maintaining and supporting a website when my mind was sharp and my eyesight good. But I don't find messing with this kind of thing very easy nowadays and I could do without the hassle and stress of things like this.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-62429805262765335832013-12-16T13:16:00.001+00:002013-12-16T13:16:55.017+00:00Seasonal GreetingsIt's that time of the year again, the season when digimode operators blow the dust off their festive macro files in order to send seasonal greetings to those with whom they make contact.<br />
<br />
At G4ILO it is no different.I know some folk deprecate the use of macros, but with my eyes the way they are the ability to complete a contacxt just by clicking a few macro buttons is a godsend. I just can't type accurately enough now to send live in real time.<br />
<br />
This year I have opted for a politically correct "happy holidays". Instead of a happy new year I will be wishing everyone good health in 2014. Without good health nothing else matters as mucxh. I'm sure you know where I am coming from. As Joni Mitchell once sang (albeit about something different) "you don't know what you've got till it's gone."<br />
<br />
So happy holidays and good health in New Year 2014 to all my readers.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-40556132891850859642013-12-09T17:36:00.000+00:002013-12-09T17:36:24.658+00:0010m still livelyStill seeing plenty of transatlantic stations on 10m WSPR. I wonder how long it will last?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6IXc5CAx_Yw/UqX_Ga0X66I/AAAAAAAADvU/0LSkE_uGBRE/s1600/10mwspr.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6IXc5CAx_Yw/UqX_Ga0X66I/AAAAAAAADvU/0LSkE_uGBRE/s400/10mwspr.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WSPR spots on 10m band at G4ILO</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-50218659966788812042013-12-08T15:19:00.002+00:002013-12-08T15:19:56.843+00:00Messages from space<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L87Q2vflSKo/UqSNyrjITvI/AAAAAAAADvE/4LzI_ZijQDY/s1600/funcubemsg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L87Q2vflSKo/UqSNyrjITvI/AAAAAAAADvE/4LzI_ZijQDY/s640/funcubemsg.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Messages decoded from the FUNcube-1 satellite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-83182279692985160712013-12-07T14:10:00.000+00:002013-12-08T16:05:50.385+00:00The lunatics have taken over the asylumThis is a repost of a posting made in 2009. It is still as true today as it was then.<br />
<br />
I received an email a couple of hours ago to tell me that the Windows setup file for <a href="http://www.g4ilo.com/voaprop.html">VOAProp</a> is reported as containing a trojan at <a href="http://www.virustotal.com/">VirusTotal</a>, so I checked for myself. It's true. Thei nstaller is reported as containing a trojan by 8 out of 41 scanners none of which I have heard of or have any reason to take seriously.<br />
<br />
I checked the original copy of the KComm setup file that I have here just in case my web site had been hacked and a trojan planted. But the result was the same. I also checked the downloads of a couple of other programs of mine including <a href="http://www.g4ilo.com/morsegen.html">MorseGen</a> and <a href="http://www.g4ilo.com/voaprop.html">VOAProp</a>. They produced virtually the same scan results as for KComm.<br />
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<a href="http://www.g4ilo.com/uploaded_images/falsealarm-791100.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.g4ilo.com/uploaded_images/falsealarm-791098.gif" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 62px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>For years I have advised people that if they have downloaded a file from a source they would trust and their security software flags it as suspicious, they should scan it at VirusTotal to get a consensus of opinion as to whether the file really is a virus, a trojan or spyware, or just a false alarm. Unfortunately, VirusTotal has kept on adding new virus scanners to its armoury regardless of whether they are any good or not. The lunatics are taking over the asylum and as a result, VirusTotal has become useless as a tool for ordinary PC users to check whether a file is suspicious. I recommend <a href="http://jotti.org/" target="_blank">jotti.org</a> instead.<br />
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Some of my programs that are accused of containing a trojan were last updated several years ago. They have since been downloaded by hundreds or thousands of people. It is inconceivable that they could have contained a trojan that remained undetected all that time. The thing that all the programs have in common is that the installers were all created using the same setup generator. The likelihood is that somebody used the same setup generator to create an installer package for a trojan and the third rate scanners are picking up on something in the installer package that is not unique to the trojan.<br />
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I have no desire to waste my time contacting the developers of obscure anti-virus products to inform them about this false reporting of my programs. Nor do I have any plans to repackage all the programs using a different setup generator. I'm sorry, but third rate virus scanners are not my fault and I don't have the time or the inclination to deal with the problems they cause. If you choose to trust your virus scanner instead of me I won't argue with you.<br />
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Some of the scanners are flagging the fact that the files have been compressed using <a href="http://upx.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">UPX</a>. This is a harmless tool used to make executable files smaller.<b> It is not a malware</b>. But I don't know how users of these scanners are supposed to know that.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-81909136557599825012013-11-28T14:13:00.000+00:002013-11-28T14:13:23.368+00:00FUN cubedI have just received my first telemetry from the FUNcube satellite, a.k.a. OSCAR 73. It was a piece of cake, one of the easiest things in ham radio I have done. What helped make it easy was that I was using a FUNcube Dongle Pro as the receiver (thanks, John!) . The FUNcube dashboard software supports it out of the box. No drivers to install or soundcards to configure. It was a piece of cake.The Dongle automatically tunes to the right frequency.<br />
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Of course, the whole project has been designed to be used by teachers with no previous experience of this kind of stuff. So you would expect it to be easy for a seasoned radio ham!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-92orLhKoo9I/UpdKZIiOlsI/AAAAAAAADuc/kq5x5cTkGyA/s1600/funcube.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-92orLhKoo9I/UpdKZIiOlsI/AAAAAAAADuc/kq5x5cTkGyA/s640/funcube.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The FUNcube Dashboard software</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The whole thing went something like this:<br />
<ol>
<li>Download and install .NET Framework 4.0 from Microsoft.</li>
<li>Download and install FUNcube Dashboard from <a href="http://data.funcube.org.uk/">http://data.funcube.org.uk/</a></li>
<li>Register your call at the FUNcube data warehouse <a href="https://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/">https://warehouse.funcube.org.uk/</a>.</li>
<li>Download, read and follow the instructions (PDF files) from the FUNcube site.</li>
<li>Connect dual band colinear to FUNcube Dongle.</li>
</ol>
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Sit back and wait for a pass.<br />
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I was not present when the satellite went over as I was downstairs having lunch.<br />
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There are no suitable passes over this location this evening or tonight so I will have to wait until tomorrow for another try. Unfortunately apart from an FT-817 and the dual band vertical I don't have equipment that can operate 2m ans 70cm so I'll have to leave tryi ng to work through the transponder to someone else.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-953397841255562532.post-85620579813071573032013-11-21T14:51:00.000+00:002013-11-21T14:51:41.574+00:00Desk stand for an Elecraft KX3A surprise package dropped through the door yesterday afternoon. (I do like surprises!) It was a SOTA Beams desk stand for the Elecraft KX3, customised with my callsign.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0AMTvvdTBA/Uo4XfYnH2SI/AAAAAAAADt8/oQqjSHpYX1E/s1600/kx3stand4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="556" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f0AMTvvdTBA/Uo4XfYnH2SI/AAAAAAAADt8/oQqjSHpYX1E/s640/kx3stand4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SOTA Beams desk stand for Elecraft KX3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the absence of instructions and with the aid of a couple of the photos on the <a href="http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/radio-stands/" target="_blank">SOTA Beams website</a> it took my poor brain a couple of minutes to work out how it went together. Actually there are a couple of self adhesive rubber feet and a length of edge trim the purpose of which are still not entirely clear to me.<br />
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The stand is robustly made from a laser cut perspex type material and holds the KX3 at the perfect angle for desktop use. (I'm not sure how that would be with the KXPD3 paddle. I didn't try it as with my shaky hands I can only send dits at the moment. :)<br />
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This stand is exactly what I have been looking for to hold the KX3 when operating sitting on the ground with the rig beside you. The viewing angle is just right for that too - much better than standing your nice radio on the damp and dirty ground. The bright orange of the one SOTA Beams sent me (they are also available in black or red apparently) makes the stand highly visible and so less likely to be accidentally left behind on the summit or other operating spot.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--82tZbF49R0/Uo4cYZT7JqI/AAAAAAAADuM/CYdHDS0F1rs/s1600/kx3stand3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="274" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--82tZbF49R0/Uo4cYZT7JqI/AAAAAAAADuM/CYdHDS0F1rs/s320/kx3stand3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The perfect angle for desktop or portable operation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thanks, Richard! This is definitely going in the case with the <a href="http://blog.g4ilo.com/2012/06/looping-loop.html">Alex Loop</a> ready forwhen my health improves enough for me to take a radio into the Great Outdoors again.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11984840704237681015noreply@blogger.com0