A net is a virtual meeting, on the radio. Similar to an internet chatroom, but as with all amateur radio, it is en-clair, open to all listeners.
Most clubs run a net of some kind, where members gather on the radio to keep in touch. Conversational topics generally range around radio related subjects and general interest matters.
Commercial activity and inappropriate language are not permitted.
Nets are one of the key ways radio amateurs use to keep in touch, and are unaffected by lock-down.
You will need a radio capable of receiving at the frequency in use and which supports the type of transmission.
Our club can help you set up any one of these radios, using freely available Chirp software, and training, which comes freely with club membership. See below for more details.
Budget hand-held radios can be very inexpensive, for example, a Baofeng UV5R can be secured for under £20. Make sure yours comes with a charger if you buy one.
Budget mobile radios suitable for car or home base-station use can be secured from around £60, such as the Leixen VV-898. You will need a 12 volt power supply to use one of these at home.
Deeper pockets can secure Yaesu, Icom and Kenwood radios which offer superior features, performance, and build quality compared with the budget devices. Prices range from £100+ to sub £1000s for very high quality mobile/ base station radios, such as the Yaesu FT857 or FT450. A Yaesu FTDX3000 at around £2,200 will provide a marvellous range of base-station features and very high performance for many years of use.
Techno Wizard tricks
Other listener options, for the technically aware, include an SDR radio using the RTL2832 series of chips, and GNU radio or similar open-source software. These dongles can be secured for around £10. The GNU software is a free download. You will need a Raspberry Pi and linux skills, or a Windows or Apple Mac and suitable software. The Funcube Dongle is more expensive, but offers a wider frequency range, superior stability, and is specifically designed to help with receiving research satellite signals. You will need a good antenna, see below.
Radio purchases can be made from eBay and Amazon, but caveat emptor. If you are unsure, then seek advice.
Dedicated vendors such as Martin Lynch and Sons, Moonraker, Nevada and Waters and Stanton, often charge a little more than little known eBay shops, however, they provide a full customer service wrap, which many radio amateurs feel is very worthwhile, and can provide well-priced second-hand radios with quality guarantees.
Maybe your kitchen, it really depends on where you are, and how many of the stations you hope to hear. You will generally get better performance by going outside your house, though.
The closer you are to the centre of gravity, or to one of the participating stations, the more you will hear. Do not expect to be able to hear all stations from a budget handheld in the kitchen, or even the street. You will need a little more for that.
To get the best chance of hearing many of our stations, take your radio to a high-up location, preferably with line of sight to Crockenhill. Even a handheld radio should be able to receive several club stations, and if licensed, you should be able to transmit to, or work, some other club stations. You do not need to be a member to join our net, you do need a licence to transmit
You can walk or drive to a suitable location. When you arrive, look carefully around you, are there buildings or trees close-by? They will compromise your signal. Try to keep clear of obstructions generally.
Replacing the supplied handheld antenna with a higher performance, longer, antenna usually shows significant improvement. A Nagoya NA-771 can be secured for under £10, but make sure it has the proper SMA connector for your radio. If in doubt, consult your local club!
To further improve the performance of your handheld, you can add a roof antenna to your car easily, using a magnetic mount, and running the cable through a side window, and then use a suitable adaptor to connect to the radio.
Most handheld radios now use an SMA connector for the antenna, which may be male or female depending on the radio. The magnetic mount will probably use a PL259, so you will need an adaptor cable with an SO239 on one end and an SMA male or female plug on the other. They are inexpensive, generally less than £5, and readily available.
You will need an antenna for the magnetic mount. There are several types of mount:
A good budget device such as the Moonraker Mag 270s costs around £25, and is supplied with both mount and antenna.
You will need an antenna suitable for the 2 metre, 144 MHz band, with a PL259 in order to fit the magnetic mount. The least expensive and effective is a ¼ wave whip, about 25 cms long. Better but more expensive antennas are â… wave or longer, about 125 cm long, some are dual or multi-band.
A high quality Diamond dual-band SG-7900 Antenna 144/430MHz & Nagoya RB-400 gutter mount can be secured for under £40 from eBay.
Safety: you can drive the car with the antenna fitted, however, beware of low-hanging branches and other height restrictions. If you drive rapidly enough, you could dislodge the mount. Don’t drive whilst talking to a fist microphone - use a hands-free kit instead.
Running a handheld radio such as a UV5R will clearly flatten its internal battery. A car power lead can be secured from ebay for under £4.
A Diamond X30 can be secured for under £55 or a Diamond X50 for under £70. These provide base-station performance, but need to be mounted properly and fitted with suitable feeder, coaxial cable. The X30N and X50N use an N-type connector for the feeder. These are superior quality, but a little more expensive.
These can be secured for, depending on load and height, around £70 to £100s and more. They are extremely good for temporarily mounting a base station antenna at a layby or car-park or your garden. In general, it helps to get the antenna at least 2 metres off the ground, but any height is better than none.
Safety: watch out for mains distribution cables. Do not, ever, raise an antenna close to a pylon, as a flash-over is very likely and can easily kill you.
To connect your base station antenna to your handheld or mobile radio, you will need a coaxial feeder. For very short lengths of 1 or 2 metres, the quality is not critical, however, it must be 50 Ohm cable, and must have the proper connectors on each end.
The base station antenna will usually have an SO-239 or N-Socket. Your feeder will need a PL259 or N-plug.
Budget mobile radios will generally have an SO-239, higher quality ones may use an N-Socket. Again, your feeder will need a PL259 or N-plug.
Dedicated vendors will be able to supply a pre-made cable, if you are not confident enough to make your own. Your local club can help teach the skills to make your own, and help identify which you need.
For temporary feeders, you will need ‘stranded’ core, flexible, coaxial cable, which can withstand regular physical movement without damage. Common high quality cables include URM67/ RG213. Aircell 5 and 7 cables offer superior performance, but need special connectors. Again, vendors often sell pre-made leads.
A good quality base station antenna, mounted high-up on your house, with a high-quality feeder for connection to your handheld, mobile or base-station radio, will generally deliver good performance. If you are several miles from the centre of gravity of the net, you may not hear all stations. If you are behind a huge hill, you may not hear any, so the mobile options above could be better.
The X30 and X50 types already described are suitable and low-profile. They could be installed by any competent antenna installer, however, the proper cable type must be used, as Satellite/ TV cable is not suitable. Larger antennas such as the X500 offer better performance, however have a lower wind-load rating, so can suffer storm damage. Always check the spec.
Permanent installations can use coaxial cable designed for permanent installations, which can have yet better performance, but the price may be difficult to justify for marginal improvement. Again, club advice can make all the difference here.
DVRS offers a full range of courses from Foundation licensee, through Intermediate and Full, to ‘Beyond Exams’. There is no training charge, it is a club benefit.
An excellent monthly magazine, which provides a range of articles aimed at both beginners and experienced listeners and licensed amateurs. It includes articles on building antennas, and simple but useful equipment, reviews of commercial equipment, and advice pieces on making contact on different bands, reviews of older equipment often available second-hand. There are also adverts for suppliers of radio equipment and components which can be helpful, as well as club and event news.
The RSGB represents the interests of radio amateurs in the UK. It provides a monthly magazine with more technical articles, club news, up to date band plans and other useful information for anyone interested in technology. The RSGB also publishes a range of books useful for radio amateurs, and manages the examinations for licensing in the UK.
