On August 6, 2025, a new page titled “Antennas” was added.
RSGB high-altitude balloon (HAB) Competition
On Saturday, 20 September 2025, at approximately 11 am BST, the RSGB will be launching a high-altitude balloon carrying a relay.
The flight will last around two hours, and the balloon will reach a height of 90,000 feet, approximately 27.5 km.
The challenge is to build your tracker and try to contact the relay, which will pass call details to the ground.
The recommended approach is to use the LoRa Wireless Tracker ESP32-S3FN8+SX1262+UC6580 development board.
Lora Development PCB
Download the required software and use Visual Studio Code to build the software image, upload it to the board and configure it for use.
All that’s left is to get the highest gain Yagi you can and see if you can make contact.
I have the board, so I just need to build the image and test. At least I have a few weeks to prepare.
Posted in Gadgets, Ham Radio, Software
Leave a comment
Officially retired
I am now officially retired. It’s a bit strange not having a clock to watch, commuting, etc.
My first Monday in retirement is forecast to be unseasonably stormy, a good time to stay home.
I have a few projects that I can spend time on, such as the CW Morse Code Decoder DIY Kit, CW Trainer, and the Morse Code Decoder I bought on Amazon. Learning Morse code (CW) is not a high priority, but I feel that I am not a valid amateur radio operator unless I can read and send using Morse code.
Posted in Ham Radio, Morse (CW)
Leave a comment
One month in
The first month of semi-retirement has come and gone. It has been an unusually warm and dry spell, so gardening is going well. Veg is growing, and flowers are in full bloom. The front garden is a building site as I have gone for a complete strip-out and replant. Prep time for this is going to be extensive, but it will be completed for next Spring, all going well.
I have also achieved my Amateur Radio license, and I am working on setting up a High Frequency Antenna and a separate VHF/UHF antenna. Planning rules make this a bit challenging, as does the limited garden size.
I am already running out of available time, but enjoying every minute.
