S.H.R.G. QRM REPORTER
The South Hampshire
Repeater Group take QRM to our repeaters quite seriously. We have now
set up a very quick and simple reporting submission form.
We are asking our users to report any interference either input or output
that has interfered with their use of the repeater.
The QRM maybe legal or an illegal source but we have to document this over a period of time to make a full submission to OFCOM
Thank you for your help in making and improving our repeaters
Click Here For The On Line Form You can also e-mail any reports that you may have collated to Andy G4MYS qrmshsu@gmail.com
The QRM see picky QRM 1 which is the display of a spectrum analiser, it displays from just below 434.5MHz to just above 436.5Mhz, it shows the pairs pulses which make up the QRM, as the Horizontal bars the red line up the middle is the input to GB3IW, We can see from this the deviation on the input signal on IW and the wide deviation signal of the QRM.
So We know:
* its data,
* Is on from around 0830 to 1230 each Monday / Thursday, only.
* It is vertical, the horizontal signal is way down in signal strength,
more work will be done on measuring that tomorrow
* its across the 70cm Band, of interest,
is its not so close to our outputs, as if they are deliberately not running
near our outputs!
there are several pairs which appear and disappear in an order, you can see overlapping signals to the right of the vertical red line, the lower display is called a waterfall, and this displays a moving display from now back in time over around 30 seconds, the top display shows how powerful in relative terms the signals on any given frequency.
* The strongest at
the repeater site comes from the north
From the roof of the repeater site we can detect many signals and directions,
we attempted to locate the strongest which comes from the North. We looked
for this signal in the Winchester area, and it is so strong the receiver
could hear it without an aerial, Ive never known that receiver do that
before, we were in open country no where near any mast! So we know
*its not running low power
It can, and does jam at the same time:
GB3SU Thornhill, Southampton
GB3IW Hills above Ventnor IOW
GB3AW Ashmansworth Andover
We are interested
in suggested hot areas spots far we have:
Southampton western docks although we know who operates kit in the docks
and they suggest this is a false lead.
Woolstone area
fareham
HMDY Portsmouth
After the One from
the north has been tracked down, We'd like another to go find!
Please feed us with information , like signal strength + direction GB3SUSH@Gmail.com
At this time all
of this bring up more questions:
The purpose of all this QRM?,
legality?,
who's running it?
also why only weekday mornings?
wheres it coming from?.
Answer some of
these questions and we may get to work this QRM out! and get it dealt
with!
As to why have we not heard it before? simply as we had an inefficient
aerial that could not hear it!
Put up a proper aerial like a 4 stack and we inherit QRM!
Can I help?- yes
get out and df your local strong signal please and let us know what you
find! photograph what you find! or feed us information! GB3SUSH@Gmail.com
Click to Download Analyser Video HERE
QRM 1 (Click to Make Bigger)
Aerial Improvement programme started.
We have started on our aerial improvement programme, delayed of course by the needs of controlling COVID, the first pair was GB3SU and GB7IV, who's aerial is carrying GB7MT signal. The costs of getting on air, and resultant depletion of funds, and interference had resulted in the previous temporary "get you going" system, which saw SU using a low dipole which was screened to the south East.
SU is on a 4 stack "TETRA" style commercially use intended, Jaybeam aerial, these are rated for 155 MPH winds., we for our part have installed the aerial system to a high mechanical standard, as you can see from the photographs using three SMC mast clamps rather then two, adding brass washers on the plates to spread the load, thick wall 2" commercial grade aluminum tube has been used, the feeder has been cable tied up the 4 stack for the VHF operations of GB7IV. The aerial connections are protected by insulation tape, encapsulated with "Denso" tape which is used by commercial riggers and Gas fitters, to prevent rusting of gas fittings on steel pipework, as it is 100% effective, for decades! Its a corrosion preventive tape can be described as a gauze in a green snotty, slimy muck, which sticks by the nature of the "muck" to everything, esp hands. It can be brought from Ebay, for £7 for 10M, and unlike the inferior self-melting tape does not have a short shelf life!
The SU aerial is giving a good account for itself and we really welcome reports good and bad, it seems that from reports so far that its been a win, win, win situation.
GB7MT is on the IV aerial, until its 4 stack is fitted next month, this install will take much more effort from our installers, and will take two days to achieve as a new feeder has to be drawn through, The colinear for SH will need beefing up first, and tested, thus that too will gain from being at full working height.
Having partly achieved a good aerial system for SU, we are frustrated by unexpected interference issues of pulsing noises which seems only to occur in the working week from around 0900 to 1200 ish, and is only noticeable when someone is transmitting, ( on the input ) We would like further information on this QRM. As to where it is, please, and DF information please - for instance can you hear it? on the input?... bearing in mind to hear it there needs to be someone else transmitting you can also hear! The reason for this is its wide band and really one needs a wide band ( FM broadcast style ) filter to hear it!! We are actively encouraging as part of the self learning part of our hobby the tracking down of this QRM..using low cost home built aerials such as the HB9CV.
We have been asked: is it the on site weather station ( ISOUTH 502 ) which is on 868Mhz? The answer is no, as Andy G4MYS, and G7POC, have exactly the same type of wx stations, while they do pulse, its only about once a minute, our QRM is around 90 pulses a minute, and we would of sussed that some time ago,- its not a problem!
Is it the traffic lights was another? We don't know yet! However it only seems to operate when its needed viz 0930 till 1230 weekdays!
Email to GB3SHSU@gmail.com many thanks
We give our thanks not just to the three lads involved in the fitting of the aerials, but also to all the working members who by their actions like sales at rallys, and selling donated equipment, to which we also say a big thanks to our kind donors, We have got the funds together to purchase over £1000.00 worth of new aerials and feeders to make this project as good as we can get it.
SH & MT will
receive their new aerials soonest COVID restrictions , the weather allow
as of mid July this looks like mid August! Around the 14th !
4 Stack GB3SU / GB7MT
GB3SU
Fawley
View REPEATER DAY (UPDATED 04/07/2020)
We have been invited
to play on a usually switched off UHF repeater on SUNDAY
5th JULY, 10:00 - 17:00. Possibly
to 19:00 if required.
This is a very well sited repeater to the west of Winchester, high up
on a mast! - for doing range testing of the repeater site. You are invited
to join in using handhelds, mobile and base stations.
RX 438.400MHZ (NO TONE). TX 430.800MHZ
(NO TONE) that is to say neither CTCSS or 1750Hz tone burst is needed
to get in!
Of course running 71.9Hz wont hurt, its simply not needed!
Programme up your radio before you go, as the splits are non standard
: Note RX on 438.400Mhz and TX on 430.800
a minus (-) shift of 7.6Mhz is used!
We have particular
interest in:
Romsey, and surrounds,... the A338 Ringwood to Salisbury.... parts of
the New Forest in particular along the A31, if you want to wander of the
main roads on a hand held please do so, call in and let us know the national
grid reference
In particular we'd
like you to think about where your going before hand, and work out your
national grid squares.
( They start SU in Hampshire area or SZ for the Island ) at the places
you intend to call in from!
We'd also like you to log your journey with us in advance to try and ensure we don't all go to the same place! You can do that by contacting john.benton@raynet-uk.net
Ideally we would like you to pull over and specifically work the operator station callsign ++++++ at the specific points you have identified.
If your having trouble with the National grid system you can chat to myself Andy G4MYS on our repeaters SH SH MT repeaters about it, as I was with the Ordnance Survey for a number of years, and am very familiar with national grid reference system! or e-mailGB3SUSH@gmail.com
There is a website called Grid reference finder gridreferencefinder.com on which you can get a National grid reference to to either 6 or ten digits
Andy group Chairman.
Our Weather station "ISouth502" is back on air after the problems were fixed today, Mon 15th July, we are pleased to say and Thank those involved, one of whom is also a ham for their hard work and diligence in sorting out what was a complex fault,
So go enjoy: You can look it up directly as "ISouth 502"
go via "Undergroundweather" and follow the on screen instructions, which is hard work,
or go via our opening screen on GB3SH.CO.UK tab "WEATHER"
Andy
STREAMING & WEATHER
Both Broadcastifty
our live radio audio stream service to the internet, and the On site weather
station "Isouth 502" which is available on Weatherunderground,
have been out of order for a while due to different faults which are nothing
to do with us!
Broadcasfifty have been having trouble with their computers and hand over
systems in the USA, they should now be running as usual, and you are invited
to also inform us of problems at GB3SHSU@gmail.com
The problem with "Isouth 502", the weather station is very different
in nature, being down to the route between our repeater internet switch
and the outside world. We are informed that this should be in order by
mid next week, and look forward to seeing the data once again.
The Wx station itself, is still gathering information, and is sending that data via a UHF link to its base station, which talks to a USB hub, there should be no need for intervention to recommence the data stream. The station is privately funded by members of the committee, for the sole purpose of monitoring wind speeds on site, for assessing potential wind damage to the aerials,.. so far the highest speed experienced was 96MPH last November, which is excellent news for white stick colinears as -- were still on air!
Our thanks go out to those involved in sorting out the problem, which has proved interesting to say the least!
After COVID 19 is over we plan to add a camera to the station, looking at the horizon, for weather observation purposes, which will make it significantly more interesting.
Andy
Communications Manager | April 17, 2020
Watch The Video Click Here
The Radio Society of Great Britain, working in partnership with the NHS, has launched a new campaign called “Get on the air to care” to support the emotional health and wellbeing of 75,000 licensed UK radio amateurs – just some of the 3,000,000 worldwide.
Paul Devlin, NHS England Emergency Care Improvement Support Team and RSGB District Representative, says: “Now, more than ever, we need to optimise all modes of communication to help reduce loneliness and isolation within communities. Amateur radio provides a wonderful, unprecedented opportunity to help make this a reality”.
World Amateur Radio Day on Saturday 18 April celebrates this innovative, global community. Whilst amateur radio evolves continually to include technologies which are at the forefront of modern radio communications, radio amateurs can “Get on the air to care” with a simple handheld device.
Steve Thomas, M1ACB, General Manager of the RSGB explains: “Please help to increase amateur radio activity through club and repeater group nets, chatting with your friends or just by calling CQ. If you’d like to show your support for the NHS at the same time, Ofcom is happy for radio amateurs to add “/NHS” to the end of their call signs.”
GB1NHS, the UK’s National Health Service radio communications station will be on the air as part of this campaign so listen out for it!
Our new “Get
on the air to care” web page at rsgb.org/gota2c
includes our launch video so do take a look.
As you get involved
in “Get on the air to care” by being more active on the radio,
please share your photos, video clips and news with us via comms@rsgb.org.uk
and also on social media using the hashtag #GOTA2C
GB3SH - OFF AIR
Were are sorry to announce GB3SH is of air due to a fault in the receiver,
due to the Covid 19 were not in the position to do anything about it for
some time, we do have another receiver of course but still we cant fit
it! As this is a rx based problem the TX and logic sound fine and hopefully
the CWID will keep you and me company for many weeks, meanwhile service
is normal on SU & MT.
Andy G4MYS
GB3SU CW ID
We have noticed that the cwid on GB3SU is very LOUD, were sorry about
that! as a quick work around set your CTCSS in decode also and you will
not notice the CWID
Need less to say there is nothing were going to do about it for the time
being - as its a fault in the audio generation of the pips & CWID
which is likely to be a dodgy skeleton pot in the G3RKL mk1 logic board
which is around 23 years old! which means the CWID & pips may totally
misbehave: it may go loud or soft or anywhere in between before we get
the chance to repair it.
Andy G4MYS
We were due to be set up in April at Kempton Park but as you will read this has been postponed.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM RADIO FAIRS TO TRADERS
With the current situation of what is now called a pandemic break-out of the Coronavirus COVID-19, it is with great regret that we have to announce that it has been decided to postpone the Kempton Rally that was due to be held on Sunday 19th April 2020. We have been able to secure a date for the postponed rally of Sunday 15th November 2020.
After a lot of thought we considered it would be prudent to do so due to health considerations. It has been postponed on the grounds that it is advisable to avoid and keep away from gatherings or events where there is an increased possibility of contracting or spreading the virus regardless of appropriate measures being taken. As you will be aware we have lots of people attending who are advancing in age and may not be in the best of health, added to which the event is normally very crowded and there is no way of avoiding close contact.
If you have booked already and payment has been made, we will hold the money over for the next event. Please keep the paperwork that you will have already received.
By November we hope that it will be business as usual.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused, we hope you will understand and continue to support us.
Paul Berkeley
Radio Fairs
Technical Update
The groups technical team has been working on getting a set of duplexers
working for GB7IV, the greatest problem here is the new cost of such units
new which is around £2,500. Second hand units have there own problems
as we have found which includes theft of parts, parts not being suitable
on the ham band, and stowage corrosion, which can be in the base and internally
on second hand kit.
In order to get just 4 filters going we have brought a number of "cans" and made the very critical length cables after a lot of careful research, and have selected the best pairs to work with. We have checked them, and need to do further work on the caverty jump cables lengths.
More alignment and testing will happen in the next two weeks, after that On air testing will happen, with the D-star repeater before its moved to the repeater site. And then even more testing will have to happen to settle down two VHF repeaters very close together. Affer all that the D-star repeater machine wont be internet connected as we are still trying to understand the Centross operating system.
We understand some
of you are asking about a Fusion repeater, the simple answer is The IV
group has a D Star repeater, We may be able to borrow a fusion repeater
to play with, but at over £1000 if you want us to run one on VHF,
then hands will have to go into pockets! Let us know its for the "fusion
fund" then we will know if these are serious "wants" or
just someone else can pay for it, and ill use it requests.
It has to noted that most of the funding comes from a small percentage
of our user base, and the efforts of the committee at rallys ....
Southampton Amateur Radio Club Meeting WEDNESDAY 18th March 2020
The Southampton Amateur Radio Club meet at The Peartree Inn Southampton on the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
We The South Hampshire Repeater Group are also there for any questions and to report progress.
You can also get information on the Radio Amateur courses for those starting and those who wish to progress.
New and old members always welcome. Good to see some of the old members coming back and returning to the airways.
WEDNESDAY Evening: 18th March at the Peartree Inn, Woolston, SO19 7GZ
19:00 for 19:30 : large car park, no worries parking!
Drink policy: we purchase our own they sell soft drinks / Coffee, water and booze! however they don't do meals.
Southampton Amateur
Radio Club Meeting WEDNESDAY 19th February 2020
The Southampton Amateur Radio Club meet at The Peartree Inn Southampton
on the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
We The South Hampshire Repeater Group are also there for any questions and to report progress.
You can also get information on the Radio Amateur courses for those starting and those who wish to progress.
New and old members always welcome. Good to see some of the old members coming back and returning to the airways.
WEDNESDAY Evening: 19thFebruary at the Peartree Inn, Woolston, SO19 7GZ
19:00 for 19:30 : large car park, no worries parking!
Drink policy: we purchase our own they sell soft drinks / Coffee, water and booze! however they don't do meals.
The new four stack antenn system being tested in Chandlers Ford. There is also a picture of the monitoring antennas that we installed for the web monitoring stream on line very soon.
Instalation of the four stack to the MT SU site will be soon whern the weather improves.
The Engineers insist on warm no wind and plenty of hot soup!
G4MYS
CLICK IMAGE TO OPEN IN FULL
Its a Brand new aerial from "Jaybeam wireless", A 4 stack "tetra" style dipole array aerial nearly 10 feet high! rated to withstand 160MPH winds and handle 200 watts of power, We will also With a the new aerial for GB3SH as well !
We'll also have an FT 100M the Yaesu Fusion mobile used to work GB7MT for your interest.
Bring your cameras!
The next meeting is at The Peartree Inn
Wednesday 15th January 7:30pm SO19 5GZ