Getting Started, Resources, Equipment

RoundyMooney

A few sites that folk may find useful:

Irish Radio Transmitters Society-for those who hold, or wish to hold callsigns

Comreg-Communications regulatory body for Ireland.

QRZ-Radio Amateur Resource, for looking up callsigns, among other things...

www.eham.net-Reviews of equipment, antenna set ups, articles, and more

http://www.vintage-radio.net/-Radio collection and restoration, for those with an interest in how stuff used to tick.

If anyone has any more, add them to the thread, and I'll keep them all in one place.

Thanks.

cbr900

http://www.hamradio.co.uk/
http://www.rsgb.org.uk/
http://www.vinecom.co.uk/
http://www.wsplc.com/
http://www.arrl.org/news/enforcement_logs/
http://www.cebik.com./radio.html
http://www.buxcomm.com/
http://www.dxpub.com/links.html
http://www.printed.it/default.asp?lang=ENG (I use this company for Qsl's)
http://www.ac6v.com/ (100's of links)
http://www.dxzone.com/

Enjoy

Slippin Jimmy

Thanks for the links cbr900.

Another link for scanner frequencies is www.scannerz.da.ru

cbr900

Here are a few more,
http://www.armyradio.co.uk/arsc/customer/home.php
http://www.radioamateuronline.com/
http://www.aade.com/links.htm
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/reference/radio/
http://www.r-clarke.org.uk/ham_link1.htm
http://www.va3cr.net/
http://www.qth.net/
http://www.mapability.com/ei8ic/

Enjoy --... ...--

RoundyMooney

Here are the most up to date (according to ComReg.ie) frequency allocations for Ireland.

Heathen

http://www.radiowaves.fm -- Radiowaves.FM is a totally independent site about Irish radio
http://www.radiowavesforum.com -- Their Forum
http://www.searg.com -- South Eastern Amateur Radio Group
http://www.n3kl.org/sun/noaa.html -- Current Solar Data (from NOAA)

DannyD

www.FrequencyDB.com 1400 Irish radio (scanner) frequencies and forums (400 members).

Bluenarf

http://Hamradioteens.org

A site for those under the average ham age!!

PauloMN

Anyone know good suppliers for antenna bits and pieces like poles, support insulators, coax, brackets etc.?

I guess for the actual antennas I'll need to order from the UK.

I know Maplin have some brackets, but I guess there's better (cheaper) places for the stuff like coax etc., and Maplin don't have suitable poles from what I can see.

Can I suggest a supplier sticky for this thread?

Any info appreciated thanks!

les45

Paul.

I ordered a drum of coax from www.nevada.co.uk , it arrived within two days of ordering , from memory they have most of the bits and bobs you would require for any antenna project .

John

PauloMN

Thanks John. How much was the shipping as a matter of interest on a drum of coax?

I'm just wondering whether it would be cost effective to get such big items shipped from the UK (like coax drums and 12' poles etc.) rather than being able to collect them from a supplier in Ireland.

PauloMN

Cool, a sticky!! Ok I'll start with the well-known UK suppliers, but I'd like if any Irish suppliers could also be added here:

UK suppliers of radio equipment/accessories:
Radioworld
Nevada
Haydon Communications
Waters & Stanton
Martin Lynch and Sons
Rocket Radio
P & D Amateur Radio Supplies (NI)

Irish suppliers of radio equipment/accessories:
South East Communication
Long Communication

les45

Paul.

I have had no dealings with Southeast , Long Communications are decent people to deal with , Nevada charged 11 Stg for postage on a roll of Westflex . I always try and do business here in EI but 9 times out of ten when you call someone in EI they have to order it in , and if you are like me you want it today .

John

watty

Budget Aerial rotator about €40 plus €45 postage from Belgium
(Takes a 4.5m long VHF YAGI) Up to 45kg load.
http://stores.ebay.ie/TRENDYFUNSHOP

About 1/2 price of cheapest Yaesu, which is only needed for HF beams or Quad x 4.5m VHF yagi.

LesRitaMitsouko

Hey radioheads - anyone here recommend the kind of gadgetry needed to get started this area?

watty

It's a very very broad hobby.

Listening:
MW & SW Broadcast, Offshore Marine, Amateur and Aeronuatical: A "world band" radio with AM and SSB Connect to PC via Ear out and Line in for RTTY, Morse, PSK31, SSTV and WEFAX reception.

Inshore Marine/Coastguards, Aircraft, Amateur Repeaters, Services (see charter), TV sound: VHF /UHF FM 50Mhz to 900MHz at least, AM 110MHz to 137MHz. A basic Scanner Connect to PC via Earphone and Line in for Weather Maps.

Advanced Listening:
Ship and aircraft transponder and passive radar receiving systems

Licence Free Transmitting
PMR446 walkie Talkies. No mods and only internal aerial

CB CE /ETSI marked with 1W AM and 4W FM and/or SSB. Any non directional aerial you like from rubber duck, car mag mount to "homebase" 21' whip.
Also Licence free are video Senders, WiFi, iTrip etc as long as CE marked and Comreg approved.

Licenced Transmission: (Wireless Experimenter Licence, exam required.)
Also known as Radio Amateur and Ham.
Various frequencies from 137kHz to over 20GHz.
Powers from 1W to 400W.
Almost any kind of aerial.
Allowed to build transmitters.
Google ARRL, RSGB and IRTS.

http://www.comreg.ie/radio_spectrum/search.541.874.10007.0.rslicensing.html

LesRitaMitsouko

Thanks Watty. I guess I'd be in the first category. Someone recommended a Uniden UBC3500XLT to me. Would this fit the bill?

watty

Some eBay people for radio and components.

Caveat Emptor! Buyer Beware!

* http://stores.shop.ebay.ie/radiofactoryhongkongsuppliers__W0QQ_armrsZ1
* http://stores.ebay.ie/sureelectronics4_W0QQsspagenameZL2222QQtZkm
* http://shop.ebay.ie/merchant/katillycomms_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZ
* http://stores.ebay.ie/Fastcomponents-Electronics-Kits_W0QQsspagenameZL2222QQtZkm
* http://stores.ebay.ie/PW-ELECTRONICS
http://stores.ebay.ie/LCI-electronics
http://stores.ebay.ie/LittleDiode

I've ordered stuff with no problem from all but the last two. I may order some stuff from them.

But your own mileage may vary. Only suggestions, not endorsements.

FarmerGreen

Out of copyright M.I.T. Radiation Laboratory Series, all 28 vols.
WW2 Radar technology.
http://www.bunkerofdoom.com/lit/mitser/index.html

FarmerGreen

Ham Radio Magazine (1968-1990), 268 Items.
"Ham Radio was a monthly amateur radio enthusiast magazine published in the United States from February 1968 to June 1990"
http://www.archive.org/details/ham-radio-magazine

Index available here :-
http://hamwaves.com/antennas/books/ham_radio_cumulative_index_1968-1990.pdf
http://www.stroobandt.com/antennas/books/ham_radio_cumulative_index_1968-1990.pdf

martinsvi

I posted this on some other resources, might as well post it here, just to raise an awareness of certain shop: radioworld.co.uk

First - the prices you see there are very close to prices in other UK online shops, unfortunately nowhere does it say on the website that they exclude VAT! VAT is added after you supply your credit card information when you are one click away of finalizing the purchase, This is an unfair business practice according to EU standards. I took out some of the things from my list, purchased them from nevadaradio.co.uk and saved myself a fortune.

Second - I did have to buy some of the items from radioworld that I didn't find anywhere else - here comes next surprise - if your delivery address doesn't match the address you have supplied to your bank (it has to be a 100% match, if a single dot or a letter is different - their software will mark it as a different address) they will take the money but will not dispatch the items until you provide a transaction authorization code. This is a anti-fraud solution mostly used in USA but has been widely replaced by 3D and other more modern security methods. Anyway, I'm with Bank of Ireland, and to get this number I have to spend half a day on phone because apparently no one knows what it is. In most European banks, even British, this number is visible on your online banking page right next to the transaction.

I hope I saved someone countless hours of unnecessary stress

Deerhound

I have some dealings with some of the lads on this forum recently, the they are a great bunch and very helpful for anyone interested in HAM.
Learners are very welcome.

http://www.preparedham.com/

FarmerGreen

Out of copyright scans of Practical Wireless, Radio Constructor, Wireless World and many others

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/index.htm