Month: May 2024

I love using WSJT-X for making contacts in FT8 mode. It’s simple to set up, it works and it connects to my logging software (Log4OM) so I don’t have to manually enter contacts when I make them. But I absolutely hated the standard bright white UI. It gave me a headache, particularly at night. even…

Last week I finally sat down at my desk and programmed/configured my wonderful little IC-705 to connect and work with my Zum Hotspot. It took a few hours to get my brain around what I was doing and how I was doing it but in the end it all worked andI enjoyed myself immensely which…

Recent weeks have seen the HF bands at times completely dead due to extreme solar storms. This has proved quite frustrating to say the least. This weekend however has been very different. I fired the radio up on Saturday morning and the CW portion of the band was completely alive with contacts. I’ve no idea…

A few days ago I fired up my FT8 client but instead of it filling with scrolling numbers of FT8 contacts all shouting out CQ, there was almost nothing in the lefthand decode window. Everything worked OK, everything sounded OK but nothing on any band worked. I looked at the waterfall and that was full…

***************An Important Message From Chris Day, the man who designs, makes and sells the CatTouch and other CatX products. I will say only purchase you products from Chris directly via his web site at https://www.catknobz.com*************** You may be interested to learn there is a chap called ‘Larry Grant’ trying to sell CatTouch & CatKnobz on…

I have a little bag of cable adapters that I have collected over time. You know the thing, you need an adapter so you go to Amazon and they sell just what you want but only in packs of 7!! So you use 1 and put the other 6 away for later. Later arrives and…

For many years I’ve been the owner of an Icom IC-R20 scanner/receiver and I have been nothing but impressed with it. However, it’s getting a little bit old now and I wanted to upgrade. My obvious choice was the Icom IC-R30 scanner/receiver. Similar to the R20 but just with much improved overall performance, better screen…

I treated myself to a new Ham Shack Clock this week and it arrived in the post yesterday. Un-packed it, powered it up, set the time and date and placed it in the best location I could find to give it an “always on” power supply. I have to say that it looked very good…

It’s a debate I see all over the place on the interweb, is FT8 real radio? or alternately is FT8 killing real Radio? I’ve thought about it a lot and I have come down on the side that FT8 is real radio and what’s more, I think it opens up long distance, weak signal HF…