GB2CW - Morse Corner - September 25th

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Published: 25 September 2020

Last Updated: 25 September 2020

Historical Video.

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Commercial Morse Code is relegated to history with the advent of satellites, Internet, and so on. KPH is still on the air amateur wise though and can be worked most weekends on 14MHz.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzN-D0yIkGQ&ab_channel=ABC10
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Amateur Morse Code or CW is obviously still a very popular mode as can be witnessed by listening in any CW event on the HF bands.
If you don't use Morse Code, you are missing out in two ways:
1 A great deal of pleasure and fun events.
2 You cannot use over 40% of the HF bands due to your lack of knowledge and ability.
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Lockdown provides you with a huge amount of time. Devote some of it to learning a new skill. You cannot learn to be an operator in a week or even ten, but dedication will provide you with a hugely useful tool with which to work DX and keep the brain active.
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Those that do it can vouch for that, and we do it, not because it is easy, but because it is hard!

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Locally in Norfolk our numerous classes have trained lots of new operators who are enjoying the mode, operating in the contests too, as can be seen by the number of logs submitted.
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Classes will be starting again soon, indeed Chris G4CCX is still taking his. So, if you are thinking of learning CW, now might be a good idea to sign on for one of the classes locally. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can do it all by yourself. You will develop bad habits, probably poor sending and then wonder why you don't have any QSOs. It's muc better to join a class and learn properly. This applies particularly to sending.
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Email me with input, queries, keys, paddles, classes and so on Hopefully I can help or know a man that can!
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Short version this week. Or as Jim wold say, 12 words, end of message!
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73 de Roger, G3LDI GB2CW Coordinator. May the Morse be with you.

Propagation News, Friday 25th September 2020

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Published: 24 September 2020

Last Updated: 24 September 2020

HF News

We finally broke our long-running record of zero sunspots last week thanks to active region 2773.

This new solar cycle 25 spot appeared over the Sun’s limb and pushed the solar flux index to 73.

The end of the week also saw unsettled conditions due to a high-speed stream from a coronal hole. The hole in the Sun’s North-Eastern quadrant pushed the Kp index to four on Wednesday evening and five by Thursday morning.

A pre-auroral enhancement on Wednesday saw MUFs rise to nearly 21MHz over a 3,000km path, but by Thursday morning they were struggling to reach 14MHz.

As the month has moved on we have started to see an improvement in HF conditions generally. Laurie G3UML reported working ZL4RMF in New Zealand on 40m SSB at 0645UTC on Tuesday and Andy G3SVD worked FK8IK New Caledonia at 10:06 UTC on 20m CW.

If you are looking for South Pacific contacts, Rob F5VHN reports that Jim E51JD on the South Cook Islands is often on around 14.225MHz SSB most mornings.

Next week NOAA predicts the solar flux index will be around 70 again. The week may start unsettled thanks to a coronal hole, but the Kp index should improve as the week goes on.

We expect HF DX conditions to improve as we move towards October and hopefully, we can expect to see some more sunspots from solar cycle 25 as well.

VHF and up

The weather patterns at this time of the year can be very fickle as the major driving jet streams can be seriously distorted by former-hurricanes from the USA side of the Atlantic. The predicted return of Tropo after midweek in the week just gone, was a bust for that reason.

Other major distortions of the driving jet stream pattern are likely in the coming week, so the story is one of unsettled, changeable weather with periods of rain or heavy showers. That should mean another good week for rain scatter on the GHz bands, but tropo will not get much chance during this period.

Moon declination is rising this week, going positive late on Thursday night, so we’ll see longer Moon visibility windows as the week progresses, reaching a minimum, on Thursday.

Path losses are still increasing until we reach apogee on Saturday. 144 MHz sky temperatures are low all week, but low peak Moon elevations early in the week won’t help.

The daytime Sextantids meteor shower peaked today but should still be active until the 9th of October. Continue to check around local dawn for the best random (non-shower) meteors.

NARC Live! TONIGHT - Tony's Repair Shop LIVE

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Published: 17 September 2020

Last Updated: 23 September 2020

NARC Live Wednesday

This week an experiment for NARC Live! as we recreate our clubs own radio repair guru Tony G0MQG's workshop in our studio for a Covid-safe live programme on how he fault finds and repairs things. As well as sharing with us how he goes about analysing fault finding, he is going to do a special feature on Microphones including how to test them, fix them and adapt different microphones to work with different rigs.

What do YOU want him to show you how to test and fix? Let us know either in advance by Tuesday evening or send in your questions on BATC or Facebook live on Wednesday evening and Tammy and I will relay them to Tony!

As well as our Radio Repair Shop Special, there will also be your news and views and our weekly fun competition, who works from a shack like this....

Let us have your news, views, your favourite Radio or Technology book or anything else for the show emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Remember this is your radio club and its great to meet every Wednesday...don't forget to let us have an email if you would like us to send a special NARC greeting card to help make someones day...

Watch live here:

73, David G7URP & Tammy M0TC

Did you miss last weeks NARC Live! with Martin Lynch G4HKS...

I have had several emails from people who could not watch live last week asking where can they watch the recording.

Well every edition of NARC Live since March 2020 are available on the clubs Facebook page for anyone to watch. And if you specifically want to see last Wednesdays you can watch it here:

Facebook direct link:

https://www.facebook.com/norfolkamateurradioclub/videos/803168713759323

And this week also on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/9GpFRZt5-0I

Who works from a shack like this?......

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Published: 10 September 2020

Last Updated: 22 September 2020

Every week we show you the shack of a NARC member and ask you to guess whose shack it is.

Below is a picture from this weeks shack who is a NARC member, but who works from a shack like this?! 

If you think you know whose shack it is (or just have a guess!) please email David & Tammy with your guess to  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  - the Deadline for answers is 3pm on Wednesday and be sure to watch NARC Live on Wednesday evening at 7.30pm to find out who's it is!

GB2CW - Morse Corner - September 18th

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Published: 17 September 2020

Last Updated: 17 September 2020

FEEDBACK

I received a very nice email from Stephen M6KYF this week, assuring me that the IS sombody there! I think the same applies to anybody writing pieces like this. If there is NO feedback, then why are we bothering? It is nice sometimes to receive that confirmation.

Anyway, Stephen was also kind enough to submit a link for you to look at.
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//vimeo.com/user6859645
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There are several historical videos on here, not necessarily all devoted to CW, but a lot of them are, because of the era from which a lot of the gear originates. Well wortha look. Thanks Stephen.
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I was pleased to hear that Stephen is keeping up with his pracice when possible!
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Classes will be starting again soon, indeed Chris G4CCX is still taking his. So, if you are thinking of learning CW, now might be a good idea to sign on for one of the classes locally. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can do it all by yourself. You will develop bad habits, probably poor sending and then wonder why you don't have any QSOs. It's muc better to join a class and learn properly. This applies particularly to sending.
.
Email me with input, queries, keys, paddles, classes and so on Hopefully I can help or know a man that can!
.
Short version this week. Or as Jim wold say, 12 words, end of message!
-----------------------------------------------------------
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73 de Roger, G3LDI GB2CW Coordinator. May the Morse be with you.

SARL News Bulletins

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Published: 22 August 2020

Last Updated: 22 August 2020

There is a library of News Bulletins from the SARL. Just follow this link and download whatever you wish to read. You may remember the talk at NARC and how active the SARL is.

https://sarlnewsbulletin.wordpress.com/