Hello all,
There’s a new episode of the TX Factor (online HAM radio show sponsored by the RSGB). This episode has a big segment on YOTA as well as some EME at Goonhilly Earth Station. Worth a watch!
Cheers,
Peter Barnes
M0SWN
As some of you may be aware, last weekend I went to Guildford to attend this year’s EMF camp. Electromagnetic Field is a camping festival geared towards hackers and makers. The weekend is filled with interesting talks, demonstrations and crazy projects.
Arriving on Camp
My idea of a camping trip!
I arrived on site with a reasonable idea of what to expect, but this was reinforced when someone whizzed past me in a Sinclair C5. This turned out to be only a taster of what was to come.
I was to be joining a group of amateur radio enthusiasts who were running the EMF hams village. There were 16 of us and we had all come with a variety of equipment. Using the special event callsign GB4EMF, we operated using the following stations:
This was all made easier by the network of datenklos (data-toilets). These were power and networks hubs being kept dry using porta-loos. Over the weekend we maxed out at over 100kW pulled off two generators, 66 Wi-Fi access points, 4500 networked devices and 3.5TB of data going between our network and the internet.
Things to see
There was a lot of ‘stuff’ at EMF this year. A few honourable mentions go to the high altitude ballooning village, fire pong, just add sharks laser cutters, blacksmithing tent, lockpicking tent giant guitar hero, the music powered quadruple flamethrower, retro arcade tent and the amateur radio village of course.
JustAddSharks Laser Cutter
HABville’s weather balloon tracking station
Pub sign!
Overall EMF camp this year was a fantastic event, full of technology and ideas. The talks I attended were very interesting, and all available of the EMF Youtube account. I’m definitely signing up for the event when it next runs in 2018. For more info see emfcamp.org, wiki.emfcamp.org, and for more photos see https://www.flickr.com/groups/emfcamp/pool/.
View of site
PS: I’ve got my new callsign, 2E0UAR
-Peter Barnes (M6KVA, 2E0UAR)
I use a Wouxun KG-UVD1P handheld radio for all my operations. A few extra features can be used with the addition of a programming cable. These include:
The cable required currently costs £5.69 from Ebay (link). Looking at the specification of the cable, I decided to look into the option of making one myself.
Parts List
Build
The build process is very simple. Three connections need to be made, as shown in the below diagram.
As I used a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable, I simply cut it in half, and used a multimeter to match the wires up to the correct connections on the plug. I used some heat-shrink to make everything look nice, and then I was finished. I made sure to check the connections before using the cable.
Usage
In order to use the cable, you need to install a driver, and Wouxun programming software.
Once that is done, you should be set to go. You can download the Wouxun programming software from their website (link). To program the radio, plug in both headphone jacks, and turn the radio on. Wouxun’s programming software will work automatically and is fairly easy to use.
Conclusion
Despite being slightly harder to set up than the official cable, this DIY option is much cheaper and does the job. Hopefully you find this guide useful, and if anyone has any questions, just post them in the comments below.
-Peter Barnes
