Author Archives: admin

Requested Call-Sign

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OK, I can’t keep it in any longer.

When I sent off my Paperwork for my Foundation Amateur Radio License, it asked which Call-Sign you wanted. After a phone call my first choice had gone, but the second I put on the application was (and still is) available.

And the one I requested is M3TZO or Mike, Three, Tango, Zulu, Oscar.

The ones that used letters from my nickname had gone, but after trying to think of words that had 5 letters starting with ME, I then decided on 3 letters that didn’t have acronyms with it.

Hopefully I will get it! 🙂

On another Radio point, I have on Friday installed my 52ft (2x26ft) G5RV antenna in my loft. Took an hour or 2 of crawling around but is up an running. All I need now is my grounding wire.

QSL Card

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Have started work on my QSL card. It’s a kind of postcard you send to other Amateur Radio operators when you have made a contact. Click continue to view a lower resolution version of the image.

I used an old Black and White map of Sutton in the 1800’s and Photoshoped it to add the Colour and a Texture to give an old feel. At the moment I cannot add my Call-Sign as I still don’t have one, but hopefully soon.

If you are wondering, my house is where the fields are in top right corner.
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Icom OPC-478 Connector

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Info for this Connector was obtained from ICOM CI-V Hardware Page

Here are some images of the OPC478 connector someone is making for me.

Icom OPC-478 Interface.

The ICOM design for the OPC-478 interface is a simple transistor circuit used for cloning. The version by Chris VK3JEG http://uk.geocities.com/blakkekatte/hardware/opc-aus.jpg gives equivalents for the transistor and diode parts. That version is the one commonly found on the internet. However the one from ICOM Japan’s site http://uk.geocities.com/blakkekatte/hardware/opc478-japan.jpg has a few modifications. I have added the transistor and diode equivalences from VK3JEG’s copy of the earlier version of the interface. WA0SXV http://www.wa0sxv.us/ci-v.html has some reservations that this design might not properly implement the RS-232 protocol.
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