Group:Amateur Radio: Difference between revisions

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{{Group
{{Group
|logo=Amateur-radio-logo.png
|name=Amateur Radio
|name=Amateur Radio
|when=1st Saturday
|when=First Saturday of the Month
|what=
|what=
|time=14:00
|time=14:00
|recurring=1}}
|recurring=1}}
[[File:M0hsl-interior.JPG|400px|thumb|right|Inside our radio shack]]


[[File:M0hsl-interior-feb-2020.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Inside our current radio shack (Feb 2020)]]
Welcome to the London Hackspace Radio Club, established in 2013.
 
We're proud to be a part of the [http://london.hackspace.org.uk London Hackspace: the world's largest co-operative workshop (by membership).]
'''In 2015, we won the prestigious [http://www.rsgb.org Radio Society of Great Britain] [https://twitter.com/m0hsl/status/591943687191588864 National Club of the Year]'''


The call sign of London Hackspace is '''M0HSL'''.
The call sign of London Hackspace is '''M0HSL'''.
The shack's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Locator_System Maidenhead locator] is '''IO91UN'''.


== What is Amateur Radio, Why Do it ==
== What is Amateur Radio, Why Do it ==
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Amateur radio complements many other interest groups in the space by providing a basis for the electronic and communications technologies that allow us to effectively explore and create cool stuff.  
Amateur radio complements many other interest groups in the space by providing a basis for the electronic and communications technologies that allow us to effectively explore and create cool stuff.  


== RSGB Affiliation ==
== Radio Society of Great Britain Club Affiliation ==
London Hackspace are an RSGB affiliated club. This means we can enter RSGB contests, get news coverage in Radcom and GB2RS easily and probably get some general promotion for the space, generally good things.
London Hackspace are an [http://rsgb.org RSGB] affiliated club. This means we can enter [http://www.rsgbcc.org RSGB contests], get news coverage in [http://rsgb.org/main/publications-archives/radcom/ RadCom] and [http://gb2rs.podbean.com GB2RS] easily and probably get some general promotion for the space, generally good things.


== Meetings, Events & Radio Shack Availability==
== Meetings, Events & Radio Shack Availability==
Meetings are monthly and normally held on the first Saturday, at 14:00.
Meetings are monthly and normally held on the first Saturday, at 14:00 (usually preceded by brunch in a pub).
 
The radio shack is available to members of the amateur radio club (and supervised guests) 24 hours a day. Use of transmission facilities is restricted to licensed UK/CEPT/HAREC amateurs only.  Access is restricted to those who have completed an induction to the shack.


The radio shack is available to members of the amateur radio club (and stewarded guests) 24 hours a day.
We have created some [[Amateur_Radio/Guidelines|guidelines for shack operation  - please study if you intend to transmit.]]


== Study Courses & Exams ==
== Study Courses & Exams ==
There are three levels of licensing in the United Kingdom: Foundation, Intermediate, and Full.  The first licence content (classroom and practicals) is typically taught on a Saturday with the exam on the following Sunday. Intermediate courses usually take a bit longer as it includes more practical coursework (soldering, kit assembly, radio operation) and assessment. The final licence stage is often done through a combination of guided and self-study.  
There are three levels of licensing in the United Kingdom: '''Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced.''' One new radio enthusiast's testimonial of acquiring all three licenses at another club is [http://www.hamblog.co.uk/advanced-license-from-zero-to-m0-in-one-year/ here.]


* We are currently planning our courses for 2015.
As the London Hackspace community tends to be familiar with the basic concepts of electronics involved in the amateur radio qualifications, our courses are self-study for the theoretical portions of these exams. There are usually assessors around during meetings who can handle practical assessments on an ad-hoc basis. London Hackspace is a RSGB registered exam centre. Exams are run as needed, based on demand and on the availability of invigilators (who have to give up several hours of their undivided attention).
* [[Amateur_Radio/Foundation_Course_March_2015|Foundation Course 7-8 March 2015]]
* [[Amateur_Radio/Intermediate_Course_Q1_2015|Intermediate Course 3 days across Jan-Feb-March 2015]]
* [[Amateur_Radio/Full_Study_Group_2015| Full Licence Self-Study Guidance & Subject-Matter Catch-Ups]]


One radio enthusiast's journey through all three licenses is [http://www.hamblog.co.uk/advanced-license-from-zero-to-m0-in-one-year/ here.]
If you're interested in doing your amateur radio qualification at London Hackspace, let us know on our [https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/lhs-radio mailing list].


== Contact ==
===Our training team consists of:===
*[https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/lhs-radio Mailing list]
* [[User:JJ|JJ]] - instructor, accredited assessor
*Internet Relay Chat (IRC), #lhs-radio on chat.freenode.net (or via [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=lhs-radio web browser]).
* [[User:Nigle|Nigle]] - instructor
*Twitter, [http://www.twitter.com/M0HSL @M0HSL]
* [[User:Marrold|Marrold]] - Exam Secretary
*[[Amateur Radio Callsigns|Member's Callsigns]] – Hackspace members' callsigns
* [[User:Mich181189|mich181189]] - instructor, accredited assessor
 
''...and anyone we've forgotten please add yourself or consider volunteering in the future!''


== Projects and Goals for the Club ==
== Projects and Goals for the Club ==
Line 44: Line 54:
*[[Project:Hacktenna|Hacktenna]]
*[[Project:Hacktenna|Hacktenna]]
*[[Project:Morse Code Training|Morse Code]]
*[[Project:Morse Code Training|Morse Code]]
*[[Project:Mast Trailer|Mast]] – 30M Mast Trailer
*[[Project:Mast Trailer|Clark Trailer Mast]] – 30M Clark Trailer Mast
* Encourage more active licensing of atypical amateur radio enthusiasts (younger demographics, women, minorities)
* Encourage more active licensing of atypical amateur radio enthusiasts (younger demographics, women, minorities) - it's a multicultural world, after all.
* Build a complementary bridge between other group efforts
* Build a complementary bridge between other group efforts - encourage other regional radio clubs to link up with other hackspaces
* Mount and install a variety of antennas on the shack (Rebuild the Yagi, install the 2 m Diamond antenna, rearrange cables in shack)
*[[Project:Antennas|Antennas]] - Mount and install a variety of antennas on the shack (Rebuild the Yagi, install the 2 m Diamond antenna, rearrange cables in shack)
* Participate as a club/team in some contests and possibly field activities like SOTA
* Participate as a club/team in some contests and possibly field activities like SOTA
* Explore more digital HF modes
* Explore more digital HF modes - digital data as well as newer digital modes like FreeDV/Codec2
* More Intermediate (second-level) licensing activities
* More Intermediate (second-level) licensing activities
* [[Amateur Radio/Wish List|Club Wish List]] - an equipment wish-list for the club - please consider donating / loaning equipment to the space!
* [[BaofengUV5R-TRRS]]
*[[Project:APRS iGate|APRS iGate/Digipeater]] - because APRS coverage in London sucks
* [[Project:Packet Radio|Packet Radio]] is cool again.


== Informative ==
== Informative ==
*[[Amateur Radio/Repeaters|Repeaters]] that everyone can get to (even if it's RX only).
*[[Amateur Radio/Repeaters|Repeaters]] that everyone can get to (even if it's RX only).
*[[Amateur Radio/Getting started]]. So you've got your Foundation licence and callsign, what now?
*[[Amateur Radio/Getting started|Getting Started]]. So you've got your Foundation licence and callsign, what now?
*[http://www.heavens-above.com/AmateurSats.aspx?lat=51.5322&lng=-0.0607&loc=E2+9DY&alt=17&tz=GMT Heavens Above] Amateur Radio Satellites passing above the Hackspace


== Slightly out of date ==
== Slightly out of date ==
Line 60: Line 75:


== Useful links ==
== Useful links ==
*[http://www.transmission1.co.uk/ Transmission1]
There are many places on the web for news about amateur radio, but one of the risks is that a lot of the information is outdated and incorrect. Here are some recommended sites for various bits:
*[http://www.hamtests.co.uk/ HamTests]
=== UK Specific Discussion Boards, Exam Prep, and Official Info ===
*[http://spectruminfo.ofcom.org.uk/spectrumInfo/licences Ofcom WTR]
*[http://www.transmission1.co.uk Transmission1 Amateur Radio Web Forum]
*[http://www.codeplugcentral.co.uk Code Plug Central - program your DMR/VHF/UHF radios with these UK-specific codeplugs]
*[http://www.opendmr.net/ OpenDMR/PHOENIX digital amateur repeater network]
*[http://www.bm-dmr.uk/dashboard/ BrandMeister DMR UK Network Dashboard]
*[http://www.hamtests.co.uk/ HamTests - practice your knowledge with the various tests available]
*[http://spectruminfo.ofcom.org.uk/spectrumInfo/licences Ofcom WTR Spectrum Info]
*[http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radiocommunication-licences/amateur-radio/?a=0 Ofcom Amateur Radio]
*[http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radiocommunication-licences/amateur-radio/?a=0 Ofcom Amateur Radio]
*[http://www.ukrepeater.net/ ukrepeaters]
*[http://www.ukrepeater.net/ UKrepeaters - find UK repeaters in your neighbourhood and elsewhere]
*[http://rsgb.org/ RSGB]
*[http://rsgb.org/ Radio Society of Great Britain - our national association protecting the interests of radio enthusiasts]
*[http://rsgb.org/main/files/2012/11/EMC07-final.pdf Protective Multiple Earthing and the Radio Amateur]
*[http://rsgb.org/main/files/2012/11/EMC07-final.pdf RSGB Document Highlight: Protective Multiple Earthing and the Radio Amateur]
 
=== General News, Info & Discussion ===
Current
* [http://www.southgatearc.org/ Southgate ARC Amateur Radio News]
* [http://hackaday.com/tag/amateur-radio/ Hackaday Amateur Radio Highlights]
* [http://reddit.com/r/amateurradio Reddit /r/amateurradio forum] or [https://www.reddit.com/user/molo1134/m/hamradiomulti aggregated 'hamradiomulti' filter]
* [http://www.dmr-marc.net/ DMR-MARC Worldwide Digital Amateur Radio Network]
Historical
* [http://n5dux.com/ham/files/pdf/ N5DUX Ham Articles PDF Archive]  & [http://n5dux.com/ham/pubs/ N5DUX Ham Magazine PDF Archive]
* [https://archive.org/details/73-magazine 73 Magazine Archive 1960-2003]
* [http://hamcall.net/cq CQ Magazine Archives (up to 24 months ago)]
 
=== Rigs ===
=== Rigs ===
*Useful resource for the [http://www.uv3r.com/uv5r.html Baofeng/Pofung UV-5R] and [http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/ Miklor UV-5R (and derivatives) Documentation]
* [http://www.yaesu.co.uk/files/FT-450D_OM_USA_EXP_EU_EH024H250.pdf Manual for the Yaesu FT-450D]
* Useful resource for the [http://www.uv3r.com/uv5r.html Baofeng/Pofung UV-5R] and [http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/ Miklor UV-5R (and derivatives) Documentation]
* UK-built and designed [http://sdrplay.com/ SDRplay] receiver capable of receiving from 100khz to 2Ghz
* Easy and cheap USB dongle receiver [http://www.rtl-sdr.com/ RTLSDR] - cannot do much in LF/MF/HF but does very well in VHF and above
* Another popular SDR Transceiver [https://greatscottgadgets.com/hackrf/ HackRF One] by Great Scott Gadgets.  Lower cost 100% compatible variants at [http://www.hackrfblue.com/ HackRF Blue]
* Powerful SDR Tranceivers by [http://www.ettus.com/product Ettus Research] can also be very interesting - often paired with [http://openbts.org/ OpenBTS] cellular telephony software.
* [https://rad1o.badge.events.ccc.de/ CCCamp 2015 rad1o Software Defined Radio Badge] given out to participants. Using similar API stack to the HackRF One.
  [[Category:Amateur Radio]]
  [[Category:Amateur Radio]]
=== Other Hackspace Radio Clubs ===
* [https://brmlab.cz/project/ok1rbm brmlab] - OK1RBM Prague, Czech Republic
* [https://wiki.muc.ccc.de/dl0muc Amateurfunk Clubstation muCCC] - DL0MUC Munich Germany
* [http://vancouver.hackspace.ca/wp/amateur-radio-club/ Vancouver Hackspace Radio Club] - Vancouver British Columbia, Canada
* [http://www.w3hac.org HacDC] W3HAC - Washington DC USA
* [https://wiki.hackmanhattan.com/Amateur_Radio Hack Manhattan] - Manhattan, NY USA
* [http://wiki.nycresistor.com/wiki/Ham_Radio NYC Resistor] - Brooklyn, NY USA
* [https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Amateur_Radio_Committee Dallas Makerspace] KD5MS- Dallas TX USA
* [http://www.sp9kgp.org/ Kraków Hackerspace] - Radio Club "Ryjek" SP9KGP - Kraków, Poland
=== Available Resources ===
* [[Radio_Programming_Cable_Library|Radio Programming Cable Library]] - Looking for an obscure radio programming cable? Maybe a member owns one.
* [[Project:Packet_Radio/TNC_Pool|Packet Radio / TNC Pool]] - Looking to get into Packet Radio? We have some TNCs available to get you started.
== Contact & Keeping in touch ==
Please get in contact with us!  We have many active forms of communication.
*[https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en-GB#!forum/lhs-radio Mailing list - general inquiries and radio related chatter.]
*Internet Relay Chat ([[IRC]]), [[https://kiwiirc.com/nextclient/irc.libera.chat/#lhs-radio '''#lhs-radio''' on '''irc.libera.chat''']] - (link to web browser IRC client).
*Twitter, [http://www.twitter.com/M0HSL @M0HSL]
*[[Amateur_Radio/Callsigns|Member's Callsigns]] – Hackspace members' callsigns

Latest revision as of 14:05, 22 January 2023

Amateur Radio
Amateur-radio-logo.png
When First Saturday of the Month, from 14:00
Members
Inside our current radio shack (Feb 2020)

Welcome to the London Hackspace Radio Club, established in 2013.

We're proud to be a part of the London Hackspace: the world's largest co-operative workshop (by membership).

In 2015, we won the prestigious Radio Society of Great Britain National Club of the Year

The call sign of London Hackspace is M0HSL.

The shack's Maidenhead locator is IO91UN.

What is Amateur Radio, Why Do it

It's the original 'nerd' hobby- building and playing with all sorts of communication over the airwaves! For those that are curious, more info available here.

Amateur radio complements many other interest groups in the space by providing a basis for the electronic and communications technologies that allow us to effectively explore and create cool stuff.

Radio Society of Great Britain Club Affiliation

London Hackspace are an RSGB affiliated club. This means we can enter RSGB contests, get news coverage in RadCom and GB2RS easily and probably get some general promotion for the space, generally good things.

Meetings, Events & Radio Shack Availability

Meetings are monthly and normally held on the first Saturday, at 14:00 (usually preceded by brunch in a pub).

The radio shack is available to members of the amateur radio club (and supervised guests) 24 hours a day. Use of transmission facilities is restricted to licensed UK/CEPT/HAREC amateurs only. Access is restricted to those who have completed an induction to the shack.

We have created some guidelines for shack operation - please study if you intend to transmit.

Study Courses & Exams

There are three levels of licensing in the United Kingdom: Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced. One new radio enthusiast's testimonial of acquiring all three licenses at another club is here.

As the London Hackspace community tends to be familiar with the basic concepts of electronics involved in the amateur radio qualifications, our courses are self-study for the theoretical portions of these exams. There are usually assessors around during meetings who can handle practical assessments on an ad-hoc basis. London Hackspace is a RSGB registered exam centre. Exams are run as needed, based on demand and on the availability of invigilators (who have to give up several hours of their undivided attention).

If you're interested in doing your amateur radio qualification at London Hackspace, let us know on our mailing list.

Our training team consists of:

  • JJ - instructor, accredited assessor
  • Nigle - instructor
  • Marrold - Exam Secretary
  • mich181189 - instructor, accredited assessor

...and anyone we've forgotten please add yourself or consider volunteering in the future!

Projects and Goals for the Club

  • Activities Master Spreadsheet via Google Docs - contact another member for edit access
  • Hacktenna
  • Morse Code
  • Clark Trailer Mast – 30M Clark Trailer Mast
  • Encourage more active licensing of atypical amateur radio enthusiasts (younger demographics, women, minorities) - it's a multicultural world, after all.
  • Build a complementary bridge between other group efforts - encourage other regional radio clubs to link up with other hackspaces
  • Antennas - Mount and install a variety of antennas on the shack (Rebuild the Yagi, install the 2 m Diamond antenna, rearrange cables in shack)
  • Participate as a club/team in some contests and possibly field activities like SOTA
  • Explore more digital HF modes - digital data as well as newer digital modes like FreeDV/Codec2
  • More Intermediate (second-level) licensing activities
  • Club Wish List - an equipment wish-list for the club - please consider donating / loaning equipment to the space!
  • BaofengUV5R-TRRS
  • APRS iGate/Digipeater - because APRS coverage in London sucks
  • Packet Radio is cool again.

Informative

  • Repeaters that everyone can get to (even if it's RX only).
  • Getting Started. So you've got your Foundation licence and callsign, what now?
  • Heavens Above Amateur Radio Satellites passing above the Hackspace

Slightly out of date

Useful links

There are many places on the web for news about amateur radio, but one of the risks is that a lot of the information is outdated and incorrect. Here are some recommended sites for various bits:

UK Specific Discussion Boards, Exam Prep, and Official Info

General News, Info & Discussion

Current

Historical

Rigs

Other Hackspace Radio Clubs

Available Resources

Contact & Keeping in touch

Please get in contact with us! We have many active forms of communication.

Retrieved from ‘https://wiki.london.hackspace.org.uk/w/index.php?title=Group:Amateur_Radio&oldid=55411’