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Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:51:43 +0100 (BST)
From: John GM4SLV <gm4slv@sighthound.demon.co.uk>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
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On Thu, 19 Jul 2007, Dave Sergeant wrote:

> On 19 Jul 2007 at 9:56, John GM4SLV wrote:
> 
> > Can anyone give me a clue as to how long OFCOM/RSGB take to process
> > the SRP applications. I posted mine on Wed 4th July, so it's been 2
> > weeks and counting.
> 
> Mine came back within just a few days, but that was back in April.
> 

That's interesting! Thanks Dave. I wonder if at the beginning they 
handled applications as they arrived but now they're "batch processing" 
once a week or fortnight?

> Let us use it for real experimentation rather than one or two people 
> transmitting (probably nowhere near the shack) and the rest just 
> licenced listeners.

Fair enough comment Dave. There's no point getting a NOV and building 
TX equiment if all you can hear is beacons and there's no-one to talk 
to.

When there's activity at reasonable signal strength I'd agree that it's 
best not to run beacons. Unfortunately over most of the country this 
isn't the case. Perhaps beaconing should be left to those stations 
either running very low power or geographically remote from the centre 
of activity where they aren't going to be a nuisance to others wanting 
to have QSOs and have wide-ish filters? (I've just made a 100Hz AF 
filter because the AR7030 is a bit wide at 1.3kHz, but haven't had a 
chance to try it out yet.)

The "band" is so narrow at 3kHz that once local station density 
increases to a good level there isn't the space for beacons to fit 
alongside "real live" QSOs, and therefore there's no need for them, as 
long as there's activity from the stations that are there.

For the rest of us who are out on a limb (I know I'm a bit of an 
extreme case!) then just being able to hear a signal is encouraging, 
whether it's a beacon, QRSS or (best all round) a 2 way CW QSO.


As a progress report, I now have a 750uH - 1.05mH variometer sitting on 
the bench at work after a lunchtime tinkering session. That range should 
be enough to resonate my inverted L.

All that remains is a matching transformer, although initial 
measurements with a homebrew RF bridge show the antenna R to be about 
50-80 ohms, so might match well enough without.

GPO key is poised and ready to go.

Now all is in the lap of OFCOM....

Cheers, John 'SLV

-- 
G-GRP-Club 2377, QRP-ARCI 12384, SKCC 3214
Member : RSGB, ARRL
Shetland Islands (EU-012) IP90GG
Lerwick Radio Club : http://www.gm3zet.org