RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - PI4: the Digtal mode for beacons and why it is a success

RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - PI4: the Digtal mode for beacons and why it is a success

Bo Hansen, OZ2M.
Many digital modes have been tested for VHF beacon use and have been found to have problems. PI4 was developed by a team in Denmark to overcome these issues. The first PI4 + CW + carrier beacon, OZ7IGY, has been using the mixed mode for more than five years. The presentation explains why PI4 has become a success both among many VHF beacon operators and users. Today more than 25 beacons use PI4 transmissions in their sequence with at least eight different hardware implementations available and more are planned.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - Improving your Morse skills

RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - Improving your Morse skills

Ray Burlingame-Goff, G4FON.
Nobody would claim that becoming proficient at Morse Code is easy but, once learnt, the results are very satisfying. In his talk Ray discusses the pitfalls of learning Morse and the work of the German psychologist Ludwig Koch which G4FON implemented in his freeware training software. Drawing on his own experience and over ten years of feedback by users of his software, Ray offers practical advice on how you can move from simply working stations with a “5NN TU” reply to effortless casual rag chewing with them.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - FT8 Secrets

RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - FT8 Secrets

Neil Smith, G4DBN.
Neil investigates what really matters when you are aiming for the ultimate performance with FT8 and other digital modes. He demonstrates and explains the most common problems which affect the receive and transmit paths on analogue and SDR systems. Using real-world examples of each of the pitfalls, Neil presents practical tools and techniques to help you improve your digimode performance from LF to microwaves.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention 2018 lecture - IOTA news

RSGB Convention 2018 lecture - IOTA news

Roger Balister, G3KMA.
Roger announces several interesting additions to the list of groups qualifying for the IOTA Programme. This forms the first part of the five-yearly review of the list scheduled for 2019. Also Roger explains the way the programme rules developed during the early years, lifting the curtain on the reasoning that drove the decisions.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention 2018 lecture - KH1/KH7Z Baker Island DXpedition

RSGB Convention 2018 lecture - KH1/KH7Z Baker Island DXpedition.

Don Greenbaum, N1DG. Baker Island is an uninhabited atoll about 2,000 miles south-west of Hawaii. Until recently it was one of the top ten most wanted DXCC entities on the planet. Don, one of the team leaders, describes the planning process, setbacks, solutions and outcomes from the July 2018 DXpedition that made around 70,000 QSOs and tested the new FT8 data mode under DXpedition conditions for the first time.
The expedition also commemorated Amelia Earhart, the aviation pioneer, who disappeared near Baker Island in 1937 and the Hawaiian students who attempted to found the settlement of Meyerton on Baker in 1935.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention 2017 lecture - Sporadic E: a propagation update

RSGB Convention 2017 lecture - Sporadic E: a propagation update.

Chris Deacon, G4IFK and Jim Bacon, G3YLA.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - VHF Baluns: Fact and Fancy

RSGB 2018 Convention lecture - VHF Baluns: Fact and Fancy

Ian White, GM3SEK.
Our ideas about HF baluns have changed dramatically in recent years. The focus today is very much on suppressing unwanted common-mode RF currents, to reduce both the received noise levels and the risks of causing interference on transmit. Now Ian extends those ideas into the VHF-UHF spectrum, taking a critical look at some long-established methods for feeding Yagi antennas and identifying a new list of Do's and Don'ts for modern conditions.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention 2018 lecture - Sporadic E revisited - is it any clearer?

RSGB Convention 2018 lecture - Sporadic E revisited - is it any clearer?

Jim Bacon, G3YLA.
Sporadic E is a complex propagation mode so Jim starts with a review of where we are with current understanding of Sporadic E, ideal for the many newcomers to amateur radio. He develops an easy to use guide for operating during openings, using information readily available for the amateur equipped with internet access. The talk also examines some of the events of the 2018 season to see how our collection of ‘rules’ stand up to the test of real events… or not!

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention 2017 lecture - Combined mode propagation on 144Mhz enables ultra DX contacts

RSGB Convention 2017 lecture - Combined mode propagation on 144Mhz enables ultra DX contacts

Tim Fern, G4LOH
It has long been speculated that the plethora of propagation modes available on 144MHz may occasionally be coincident and enable spectacular long distance contacts. This presentation provides a non-mathematical overview of what has been observed and speculates what might be possible.
All DX propagation modes on 144MHz are rare, existing for minutes or perhaps hours, in some particular direction each year. Mode combinations are therefore extremely rare, being the product of two, small probabilities. Ultra-DX contacts will not happen by chance. With patience and understanding however, many stations might achieve spectacular results they had previously thought impossible.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Botswana revisited, A25UK 2017

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Botswana revisited, A25UK 2017.

Tony Bettley, G4LDL Tony's presentation looks at the history of the DXpedition to Botswana, their previous visit and why they went back. He talks about the location, resources, actual set up, performance and issues, final statistics, as well as some anecdotes.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - VHF-UHF DX - the Game of Decibels

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - VHF-UHF DX - the Game of Decibels.

Ian White, GM3SEK In a talk aimed at all technical levels, Ian explains that decibels are the 'currency' in which we measure our station's performance. We can count our gains and losses, save our decibels or throw them away, and eventually find our own answers to the age-old question: "What is one decibel really worth?" Ian explains why we use decibels; why even 1dB can be worth more to VHF-UHF DXers than almost anyone else; and how 'counting the decibels' can point us to the next station improvement.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Antenna selection for the 6G DXpeditions

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Antenna selection for the 6G DXpeditions.

Mike Chamberlain, G3WPH

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - M1N-the-Middle, a flexible hardware control add-on for your K3

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - M1N-the-Middle, a flexible hardware control add-on for your K3.

James Patterson, M1DST. James has worked on an open source hardware/software project to allow him to take control of his K3 using external add-ons in an interesting and inexpensive way. It is small enough to take to a contest site or DXpedition where you can take your workflow with you.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - E51LYC brings Pukapuka Atoll (OC-098) on the Air

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - E51LYC brings Pukapuka Atoll (OC-098) on the Air.

Last activated more than 22 years ago, this rare IOTA group was in demand by 92% of the IOTA members. The temperature oscillated between 33C during the day and 28C, sometimes higher, with a humidity of 80-90%. Using an Icom IC-7000 with 100W and a multi-band vertical, a total of 5631 QSOs were logged with 3310 stations in 79 DXCCs. About 76% of all contacts were in CW, on all bands from 10 to 40 m, with the rest in SSB.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Pi in the shack

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Pi in the shack.

Mike Richards, G4WNC.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Ionosonde data and HF propagation

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - Ionosonde data and HF propagation.

Jim Bacon, G3YLA.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - SDR: The station of the future

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - SDR: The station of the future.

Software Defined Radio is not new but improvements in design and cost reductions mean that it is rapidly becoming mainstream technology for discerning radio amateurs. SDR is as much a disruptive technology as were the advent of semiconductors or synthesisers. It is said that in five years it will no longer be possible to buy a new radio that is not SDR. We look at what SDR offers us as radio amateurs and what our stations might look like in a few years' time.

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - HF Propagation at Sunspot Minimum

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - HF Propagation at Sunspot Minimum.

When is it? What can we expect? How can we make the most of the HF bands for the next few years as we approach and pass sunspot minimum?

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - HF Mobile DXing

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - HF Mobile DXing.

HF Mobile DXing presented by Alan Birch G4NXG at the RSGB Convention 2017

Tim M0BEW.

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - ZL7G DXpedition

RSGB Convention lecture 2017 - ZL7G DXpedition.

ZL7G, Chatham Islands, was the third DXpedition by the 6Gs Group. Putting on a successful DXpedition requires meticulous planning. This presentation provides an insight into how the 6Gs go about choosing a DX location and planning the DXpedition. It concludes with the sights and sounds (RF sounds that is) from the DXpedition.

Tim M0BEW.