banjo48 928 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Whilst perusing the threads have come across a few mentions of the "old" cb'ers and cb radio in general. I used to have one of the early 27mz rigs in the early days, as my neighbour was a trucky and had access to such things. Anyway as the hobby progressed to legallity, I lost a bit of interest and decided to become a radio amateur. I gave all my now legal gear to my mum, who was a widow and fairly lonely, thinking it would give her something to do with her time. Anyway she became very active on the radio and had many new friends, who often used to pop in for a cuppa with her. It basically gave her a new lease of life in the final years of her life. Living up near Mapperley tops she had great coverage of the whole of the nottingham area. She used to regularly talk to the truckies going up and down the M1, which she could just see from her lounge window in the far distance. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 When was that and what was her "Handle" Banjo48? I had CB for a while during 1981-ish. I was "The Morris Dancer" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
banjo48 928 Posted November 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Being a gardener her handle was "Busy Lizzie" I think. One of her very good friends was a bloke called "Ripley George" really nice fella, but had a major stroke and lost his speech pretty bad, but could still say "Bloody Hell" and gradually that became the only words he could say ! and he used to get very frustrated, as his brain obviously thought he was chatting, but all he could say was that ! very sad. He passed on a little later and it really upset my mum. Bit like losing dad all over again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 I don't recall either of them - it was always a long-shot though Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 You active Banjo, never was a CBer but sat for my ham ticket around 20 years back, KM6MB is my ham call, going to get back into digital modes as soon as I can locate some Pakratt for windows software... Loved packet and played with some RTTY back in my early Ham days.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulus 541 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 What??????????????????????????????.....................it's another world..................good buddy!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Had a dabble myself, then went Ham Radio in 88, ( G0 NVS ). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Is my old mate Alan G8SSL still about Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 He's still got a listing on QRZ Mick... When I'm on top of my jobs I will be digging another hole to fill...... Story of my life! This one will be for the base of my tower to plant some aluminium on.... I'll start to get active on 15 and 10 metres again then.... 20 metres is OK, but to qualify for ragchewing on that band you have to have had three heart bypasses, three hernia repairs and several other unmentionable operations.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 I am just resetting up my Icom IC-R 7000 and Yaesu 8800. I have discone for the former but nothing for the latter as yet. Long wire perhaps? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 Longwire if you have a tuner Mick, but unless you have a tuner they are a poor choice, look up G5RV antennas, they are an all band antenna both good for listening and good for transmitting on, but alas to get the best out of them, a tuner is a must. I'd probably set up a half wave wire dipole for 80 metres, it is a multiple wavelength on 40, 20, and 10 metres and should "hear" 15 and 17 metres. The only problem with dipoles and longwires is they can only pick up signals from front and rear Mick. Have you anything for vertical?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 16, 2012 Report Share Posted November 16, 2012 This is my tri band Yagi up at 54 feet when we lived in California, yep it does snow in Cal...LOL The antenna is for 10, 15 and 20 metre ham bands and when conditions are good can hear a pin drop in Moscow airport.. I've had contacts with fellow hams all around the world, used to have a daily schedule with a couple of hams in the West Midlands. The antenna on the gable end of the house is a dual band "J" pole I used for 2 metre packet. (digital modes) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
banjo48 928 Posted November 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Strangely enough I got my recipricle ozzy licence a few years ago! Had a G1 restricted power (no morse code) in the UK. And here in oz they gave me a full VK6 HF ticket with no exams etc. I've got a Yaesu FT 897 multi mode sitting at the side of my bed in my RV with LDG 897 tuner. Had a multi tap mobile antenna on my truck but found it very limiting in some ways, and did not really have the right spot for the rig, and I do not really like HF mobile, so currently looking for something more suitable for RV use as I am currently full time on the road for a while. Looked at the G5RV and still considering it, also a Sqidpole or similar set up. but at the moment I just use a long wire and do a bit of listening and thats it really. My other option is the yaesu ATAS-120 but heard reports they are not too reliable, but would be a good option for my use as the rig is designed to drive one. I currently have many things on my bucket list and convincing the other half to spending money on such things - need I say more ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Yes John, I have the FRT-7700 tuner. I am not just interested in listening to Ham Bands. I never took the Ham due to the morse requirement. Tho I do have the ERA Microreader for Morse & RTTY. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Morse requirement has been eliminated now Mick, so you don't have any excuses!!! Yes a longwire will work then, but I note the R-7000 goes almost DC to daylight in frequencies, so the higher up it tunes, you will need an antenna to cover those, as you said a discone will hear well into the ghz range. Banjo, never had an HF rig in any vehicle, never appealed to me, used to have a dual bander in my truck for a long time, but hams around where I live are so few on the ground I removed it. There is no 70cm worked that I have found, around here, 2m is about it. When I was in California I had just finished working a VK and was just about to call it a day on 10 metres when someone shouted Hi John this is VK2........., The call didn't mean anything to me, but I responded, "It's Mike, your old mate" he said...Mike??? I couldn't recall a Mike.... It was a miner I used to work with out of Wollongong, we all knew him as Mick. He dropped by my place a couple of years back when he was touring the states with his wife, nice to see an old mate after some 30 years! My wife is a licensed ham too, she used to have a weekly net on 10 metres when we lived in California. My two rigs are a Yaesu FT 1000MP for HF work and a FT 736R dual band with 6 metre module I fitted when it was new, both aging radios now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Is my old mate Alan G8SSL still about I remember Alan, Plod, yes ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Catfan Yes, ambulance is main job. Distinctive voice Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Catfan Yes, ambulance is main job. Distinctive voice Used to chat to him quite reguarly, not been "active" for many years myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Been a fair few years since I fired the radio up too, over eight years now, I don't have any antennas up at the moment, ironic really, as here I'm free of planning restrictions and bitchy neighbours complaining... I also have absolutely no QRM or N, it's really an HF operators paradise.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 Re the IC-R7000, during peak sunspot cycle in the 80s, I picked up Fire Engines attending calls. I could pick it up in Carlton but 'Rifleman' (CB handle) in st anns could not hear it. I did tape it, I never threw the tapes away, so should be somewhere. I think it was Cleveland FD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ab&mb 0 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 Alan is still about, apparently he uses top band a lot. I work with one of his part time associates, I will point this forum out to him and get him to tell Alan about it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 Emergency services use VHF Mick, have done for many years, are you sure it wasn't "ducting" you had???? Sometimes caused by heat inversions..We used to get a lot of those in the Sacramento Valley. There are other natural phenomena that assist long distance VHF communications as well. I once picked a ham up on 2metres on my HT when I lived in Sacramento, the other ham was in Reno Nevada, ordinarily impossible due to Reno is well below the summat of the Sierras. We had raging thunderstorms over the Sierras at the time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 Back to CB , I remember those sunspot activities of the 80's and sitting on Dorket Head in the wee small hours, talking to a couple of blokes up in Ozarks hunting big horn (Or something) IMMSC Murdoch (My old mate Nick) had a QSL card from them a couple of weeks later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 At the peak of a sunspot cycle you can work the world with 5 watts or less using a "wet noodle" as an antenna, as we hams say. I was referring to Micks post, he mentioned he was listening to some fire department, emergency services use VHF frequencies which are not affected by the sunspot cycle, they are affected by other things like temperature inversions... These can cause some very odd happenings, even huge T/storms can cause "ducting" on those frequencies. Emergency services use what we call "low band" or "high band" The bands below the 2 metre and above the 2metre amateur...(144mhz) radio band. During certain conditions over here the police tend to have problems from up to two states away on their frequencies causing chaos with emergency traffic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 Thanks AB&MB It would be good to hear from Alan again after all these years. John The frequency I recall was around 39-43mhz? It was the vehicle radio transmission not the base as I recall? Yes Ian I think we should split this topic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.