Month: June 2026

There was a good turnout and once again Rakesh brought his recalcitrant FT-950 that wouldn’t do FT8, but this time we beat it into submissions!  The issued turned out to be the laptop, on which the audio controls showed a line in and out which obviously we used, but when we dug much deeper it turned out that the external USB audio dongle was identified as mic and speaker.  Once we selected those it burst into life and in no time we had a QSO with Spain and were heard in Australia (grey line time again).

There remains an issue relating to sidebands below 10m because the radio automatically selects LSB when we want USB for data, but one thing at a time.

The evening will run from 7:00pm until 10:00pm, but the room is usually available from about 6:30 onward if anyone wants to arrive slightly earlier (e.g. to set up any kit).

As July 7th is likely our last meeting at the school before the summer break (which doesn’t preclude meeting online or in nearby pubs) we’re planning to make it an open evening with HF and VHF stations running, some APRS and experimental equipment and some handouts, plus drinks and nibbles, so bring your ideas along this week.

Everyone is welcome to bring their own equipment to show or test, but if it requires table space please drop us a line so we can coordinate what goes where, both in the room and outside. Please check with Dave or JJ before setting up your own equipment and operating because we’ve had some near misses working the same bands and even the same frequencies, and also be aware of the audio volume as the sound level in the room can build up.

Anyone coming by car is encouraged to use the gated carpark (to avoid neighbours complaining about parking). The roads in the area tend to be very busy until at least 6:30pm, so don’t arrive too early.

If you’re using Google Maps or Waze and probably others, it seems that Google has decided that the entrance you need is in another street as two people ended up there recently, so make sure you’re going to St. Dunstan’s Road, W6 8RB, and you want the gate in the southwest corner nearest to Beryl Road.

To access the room (and car park) you will need to be let in through the security gates. Once you’re right outside the gate just summon someone using a handheld on 145.500MHz. If you can’t use a radio for entry then contact us in advance and we’ll provide a mobile number you can call instead.

Wi-Fi is available in the room (although it’s sometimes problematic so we’ve had to rely on tethering), along with a toilet, a kettle if anyone wants hot drinks (you’ll need to bring your own cups & beverages) and you can bring your own snacks and drinks, alcoholic or otherwise.

Don’t forget that the Events calendar on our website https://www.m0xhs.uk/events/ has some links at the bottom that allow you to synchronise it with Outlook, Google or iCalendar so meetings will automatically appear in your normal calendar.

As usual check the Discord server for up to the minute info and chat. Email for an invitation link if you don’t have one.

Despite the storms earlier which may have put some people off, the weather brightened up just before the meeting and it turned out to be a beautiful summer evening.  There was a decent turnout and although the bands were a bit dead, we spent most of the evening discussion the forthcoming open evening next month, and trying to get FT8 working with Alastair’s QMX transceiver – which baffled all of us. Sometimes the audio would burst into life but then after doing something like attempting to transmit, the audio would go dead again. We suspect firmware in the QMX.