What are your other hobbies?

[m0lsx]

My other hobbies are Amateur (Ham) Radio my callsign is M0LSX. And magic. I do something called mentalism & got into magic via escapology & hypnosis. So opening locks & hypnosis also interests me.
I am also a big lover of most forms of older vehicles, be they truck, tractor, motorbike or car & I own a 1959 ex Police Velocette LE motorbike on which I have an original & appropriate model of Pye radio that I have modified to work legally on a Amateur radio band.

 

[PanzoN88]

My other hobbies are Amateur (Ham) Radio my callsign is M0LSX. And magic. I do something called mentalism & got into magic via escapology & hypnosis. So opening locks & hypnosis also interests me.
I am also a big lover of most forms of older vehicles, be they truck, tractor, motorbike or car & I own a 1959 ex Police Velocette LE motorbike on which I have an original & appropriate model of Pye radio that I have modified to work legally on a Amateur radio band.

Wow, those are some unique hobbies

 

[Jess S]

Watching my dad pull Ghoulies out the toilet..

Who's the handsome fella behind your dad?

(Sorry, just joking! Couldn't resist)

 

[Jess S]

If he can fit in that toilet he must be a wee chap

 

[MassExodus]

My other hobbies are Amateur (Ham) Radio my callsign is M0LSX. And magic. I do something called mentalism & got into magic via escapology & hypnosis. So opening locks & hypnosis also interests me.
I am also a big lover of most forms of older vehicles, be they truck, tractor, motorbike or car & I own a 1959 ex Police Velocette LE motorbike on which I have an original & appropriate model of Pye radio that I have modified to work legally on a Amateur radio band.

That's actually awesome. You going to take the intermediate test for Ham? I'm considering getting the amateur license as well. Ham is underrated. For those that don't know, one of its benefits is that, in the event of grid down, it will be the only way to communicate long distance. In the event of emp, the old motorbike will be one of the few vehicles still running. You're a prepper, aren't you? I dabble.

 

[m0lsx]

That's actually awesome. You going to take the intermediate test for Ham? I'm considering getting the amateur license as well. Ham is underrated. For those that don't know, one of its benefits is that, in the event of grid down, it will be the only way to communicate long distance. In the event of emp, the old motorbike will be one of the few vehicles still running. You're a prepper, aren't you? I dabble.

Good luck with the foundation.
I have a full licence. My QRZ page can be found at, http://www.qrz.com/db/M0LSX"
The closest I come to prepping is that I am a emergency radio network operator, so I am on call for local & national disasters where radio coms are required. To that end I have kites to lift antennas & solar recharging & other such kit to keep me on the air where ever I am.
I have a portable radio set up in a ready to grab box & can be on air with local & international coms capability within 15 to 20 minutes.
The classic bike is because I LOVE classic vehicles & the working radio on it is because I am a radio enthusiast who loves valve radios.
Another part of the radio hobby I love is special event operating. I use my full licence to get a special GB callsign from Ofcom & then show people what radio is all about. There are numerous chances for doing this. Museums on the air, windmills on the air, Railways on the air etc etc. Plus the biggest Scout event JOTA. This is when over half a million scouts from over 100 countries talk to each other via radio thanks to Jamboree On The Air. I take my equipment to a scout hut or camp, build an antenna system for the weekend & then let the Scouts make contact with others including Scouts from around the world. I also offer the chance to take electronics or communication badges too.
One of the JOTA's I was at, had a call from the guys on the Internation Space Station. That is right the ISS called the Scouts, it was the middle of the night & they even sent our guys a picture via the radio link & all within thier 2 - 3 minute pass over us. And I will not mention Doppler Effect. At the 125th anniversary station for the Boys Brigade we chatted to two different guys as they drove across the Sahara Desert. They could not hear each other, but it showed the guys at the Boys Brigade what we can do & grabbed their imagination.
I have operated from a Church, a science museum, the footplate of a moving steam engine, a once secret RAF radar bunker & from within a emergency planning nuclear bunker. Among other places.
I started my radio interest at school listening to domestic radios & trying to find interesting new stations. At 15 I was introduced to electronics & amateur radio via the local tec collage & that led to me starting to build my own transmitters & running land based pirate radio stations back in the late 70's & early 80's. Radio is part of my DNA.

 

[MassExodus]

Good luck with the foundation.
I have a full licence. My QRZ page can be found at, http://www.qrz.com/db/M0LSX"
The closest I come to prepping is that I am a emergency radio network operator, so I am on call for local & national disasters where radio coms are required. To that end I have kites to lift antennas & solar recharging & other such kit to keep me on the air where ever I am.
I have a portable radio set up in a ready to grab box & can be on air with local & international coms capability within 15 to 20 minutes.
The classic bike is because I LOVE classic vehicles & the working radio on it is because I am a radio enthusiast who loves valve radios.
Another part of the radio hobby I love is special event operating. I use my full licence to get a special GB callsign from Ofcom & then show people what radio is all about. There are numerous chances for doing this. Museums on the air, windmills on the air, Railways on the air etc etc. Plus the biggest Scout event JOTA. This is when over half a million scouts from over 100 countries talk to each other via radio thanks to Jamboree On The Air. I take my equipment to a scout hut or camp, build an antenna system for the weekend & then let the Scouts make contact with others including Scouts from around the world. I also offer the chance to take electronics or communication badges too.
One of the JOTA's I was at, had a call from the guys on the Internation Space Station. That is right the ISS called the Scouts, it was the middle of the night & they even sent our guys a picture via the radio link & all within thier 2 - 3 minute pass over us. And I will not mention Doppler Effect. At the 125th anniversary station for the Boys Brigade we chatted to two different guys as they drove across the Sahara Desert. They could not hear each other, but it showed the guys at the Boys Brigade what we can do & grabbed their imagination.
I have operated from a Church, a science museum, the footplate of a moving steam engine, a once secret RAF radar bunker & from within a emergency planning nuclear bunker. Among other places.
I started my radio interest at school listening to domestic radios & trying to find interesting new stations. At 15 I was introduced to electronics & amateur radio via the local tec collage & that led to me starting to build my own transmitters & running land based pirate radio stations back in the late 70's & early 80's. Radio is part of my DNA.

That's fascinating! I was way off. Welcome to the forum. Maybe I'll talk to you sometime, once I'm certified. I was already excited about getting into it, now I'm stoked.

 

[m0lsx]

. I was already excited about getting into it, now I'm stoked.

Make sure you get the latest Foundation Now book, as it contains everything you need to pass.

 

[MassExodus]

Make sure you get the latest Foundation Now book, as it contains everything you need to pass.

I'll check it out right now.

 

[Tnoob]

If he can fit in that toilet he must be a wee chap

Nah, they just have bigger toilets in Scotland.

 

[MassExodus]

Make sure you get the latest Foundation Now book, as it contains everything you need to pass.

Ah, I didn't realize you're from the UK..I was all excited because I found it in pdf format, free, then realized it said UK. I'm from the US, so in my "free" country, I have to buy our version. . Thank you though.

 

[m0lsx]

Ah, I didn't realize you're from the UK..I was all excited because I found it in pdf format, free, then realized it said UK. I'm from the US, so in my "free" country, I have to buy our version. . Thank you though.

In America it is not a foundation Licence but a Technician Class Licence. You will need to look at the ARRL site, linked to below.
Like the UK's Foundation exam, the Technician exam is very simple being just a 35 question multi choice exam. You need to get 26 correct to pass.
The manual you need is the ARRL Ham Radio Licence Manual 4th Ed. As it covers current licence conditions & questions.
Both the USA & the UK have a 3 tier licence system, but due to different licencing conditions the exams are very different.

http://www.arrl.org/home

 

[MassExodus]

In America it is not a foundation Licence but a Technician Class Licence. You will need to look at the ARRL site, linked to below.
Like the UK's Foundation exam, the Technician exam is very simple being just a 35 question multi choice exam. You need to get 26 correct to pass.
The manual you need is the ARRL Ham Radio Licence Manual 4th Ed. As it covers current licence conditions & questions.
Both the USA & the UK have a 3 tier licence system, but due to different licencing conditions the exams are very different.

http://www.arrl.org/home

Yep. I just enrolled in the first test. Should be a breeze. I ordered a decent study book. I'm on the way. Tonight I'll research which radio to buy. Any suggestions?

 

[m0lsx]

Yep. I just enrolled in the first test. Should be a breeze. I ordered a decent study book. I'm on the way. Tonight I'll research which radio to buy. Any suggestions?

What do you want to do? I am not fully familiar with the American licencing system, but I believe you can only use 10 meters & up at the Technician level. But I am not sure what the power limits are for your classes of licence there.
And you really do need to know what you want & what you can legally do, before you buy.
10 meters, (28 to 30MHz,) just above CB frequencies, are great during the summer. I often work the New York repeater on low power (5 to 10 watts) from here on the east coast of England. The NY repeater use to be on top of one of the twin towers. Sun spots run on a 11 year cycle & currently we are at a low, so 10 meters is not great. But we still get odd days of decent activity due to other things happening to our ionosphere.
50 Mhz, (6 meters) is another good low power summer band due to the condition of the earths atmosphere during the summer months. I have worked Poland from my car using a small antenna & just 2.5 watts. But again this is not a every day thing, just a when the ionosphere is right thing.
2 meters & 70Cm (144MHz & 433MHz) are for me pointless, other than for working the satellites. A small handheld radio & a small homebuilt handheld antenna can get you into these for well under $40 if you buy a second hand radio & are creative with the parts you use for the antenna.
If you simply want to chat to people, then if you have a VHF or UHF repeater within range, a simple & cheap far east handheld can get you onto those bands for $20 secondhand & if you want to use digital modes then for under $50 if you look around.
I can legally use up to 400 watts here, with no limit on what I can do with antennas. And antennas can make a big difference. But I often operate at low power. It is possible to work a million miles per watt, using morse code, but on voice, you are lucky to work a decent % of that. Although I know someone who has worked 14,000 miles on a voice mode from a battery powered 10 watt radio set within a backpack. so 1,600 miles per watt & that using a small compromise antenna attached to his backpack.

Take a look at the following she is well worth watching.
https://makezine.com/projects/make-24/homemade-yagi-antenna/

 

[nedaK]

My other hobbies are drawing, biking, snowboarding, gaming, and attempting to sleep, which I never can seem to do. I practically have permanent circles under my eyes .

About gaming, I play on PS4 mostly, I also have a PC. The games I play on PS4 are Apex Legends, Titanfall 2, and Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. For PC I usually play Ark: Survival Evolved, Banished, Stranded Deep, and Jurassic World Evolution. Titanfall 2 has to be my favorite game I’ve ever played. It has everything you want in and FPS (first person shooter). Grapple guns, rocket launchers, drugs that make you run really fast, but most important: massive robot mechs that have homing missiles and laser guns, they are called Titans. This was just multiplayer. It also has a short but extremely fun single player campaign that has lots of replayability. I’m 99% sure nobody gives a sh*t about anything I said.

 

[ilovebrachys]

My other hobbies are drawing, biking, snowboarding, gaming, and attempting to sleep, which I never can seem to do. I practically have permanent circles under my eyes .

About gaming, I play on PS4 mostly, I also have a PC. The games I play on PS4 are Apex Legends, Titanfall 2, and Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. For PC I usually play Ark: Survival Evolved, Banished, Stranded Deep, and Jurassic World Evolution. Titanfall 2 has to be my favorite game I’ve ever played. It has everything you want in and FPS (first person shooter). Grapple guns, rocket launchers, drugs that make you run really fast, but most important: massive robot mechs that have homing missiles and laser guns, they are called Titans. This was just multiplayer. It also has a short but extremely fun single player campaign that has lots of replayability. I’m 99% sure nobody gives a sh*t about anything I said.

LOL @Kaden Alexander anyone who's massively into gaming seems to suffer from a lack of sleep....you are not alone!you got some cool hobbies there-keep it up!-you might get some sleep eventually

 

[nedaK]

LOL @Kaden Alexander anyone who's massively into gaming seems to suffer from a lack of sleep....you are not alone!you got some cool hobbies there-keep it up!-you might get some sleep eventually

I think I get my sleepless nights from my dad. He barely can sleep as well. My grandma too. I have heard that blue light causes you to get tired slower. My clock emits blue light and Apex Legends does and my phone so... there’s a lot of things it could be. I also think to much when I sleep I believe.

 

[menavodi]

I also think to much when I sleep I believe.

LOL

 

[Jess S]

Yep. I just enrolled in the first test. Should be a breeze. I ordered a decent study book. I'm on the way. Tonight I'll research which radio to buy. Any suggestions?

Sorry for completely changing the subject, but have you ever come across any of the old T's ( alive, dead or a moult even) you released on your land to live out what was left of their days?

Ever since I came across you mentioning it in a thread, it has fired up my curiosity! Lol

 

[MassExodus]

Sorry for completely changing the subject, but have you ever come across any of the old T's ( alive, dead or a moult even) you released on your land to live out what was left of their days?

Ever since I came across you mentioning it in a thread, it has fired up my curiosity! Lol

Don't worry, change the subject whenever you want, I come here for discussion. I've released avics in my stables, those are the only ones I would see occasionally. The others walk away and disappear, like cowboys riding into the sunset I like to think they find A anax females and get laid before the end. Or get in other adventures. Lol