Here you can see some of my QSO,s from the South of the UK. My location on the map is the purple square.

Whats interesting about this map in amateur radio terms is that the contacts in USA and Canada and also to Asiatic Russia were made on a Yaesu 817 using only 5 watts of power on a home made vertical antenna on 20mtrs.

These contacts were on SSB (voice) so that makes it  much more special.
Distance was over 3000 miles.

What was also interesting was even though I was on 5 watts my contact in Canada was using 1 KW of power back to me, he gave me a 5/7 report which was awesome over that distance.
These are confirmed contacts which is great.

Brachypelma Smithi update.

Its been a while since I updated but its not through being lazy its through being  busy doing the one thing I hate the most and that's work. I know that we all have to work to pay the bills but I don't have to like it.
 Coming soon will be a live web-cam of my Brachypelma Smithi tarantula it won't be streaming all the time but maybe a few hours on my days off.

There is no point in switching on the camera yet as my "T" is in its 11th day of hiding behind a substrate wall that has completely blocked her cave entrance. I am pretty sure now that a molt is on the way.
Any day soon I am expecting her to charge from her cave much bigger and demanding crickets, or something like that!

The picture here is not her (although she looks the same) I borrowed it off the internet and I promise to give it back. I just needed something to remind me of what my spider looked like.I know I keep referring to my "T" as a she it may be a he as its not big enough to sex yet, although if I can get to the molt I may have a better idea.

So far keeping a tarantula has been great, very exciting and very very interesting, if its a girl she could be with me for 2o years or more and a male 10 years or so. So I guess in the big picture two weeks hiding in her cave is not a problem, watch this space

Ok its here, my Mexican Red Knee tarantula is here in fact its in the very tank that is show here.

The spider arrived on the 12th Jan 2012 and was delivered by post haha yes post how cool is that Mr Postman!

I never saw the spider for the first 10 days it just stayed hidden in its cave, it never ate but I think it came out at night to drink (a little).

Two weeks later my B.Smithi is nicely settled in it has taken and eaten 3 crickets and will not need feeding for another week. When the spider pounced on the cricket , and I don't use that word lightly, it was fast really really fast. Wow this type is supposed to be slow, really?

So every evening the tarantula comes out and sits in the enterance to her cave, its well cool. Its a juvenile spider about 6cm at the moment and over the next few years she will grow into a big bad spider, I hope.

Picture of the scary thing  coming soon.

QSO map and radio info.

Check out my Amateur radio map below to see all of my latest ham radio contacts. Most contacts are QRP/portable but a few are PSK 31 when I get the shack up and running.

My Yaesu 817 with a homemade vertical antenna and connected to a Elecraft T1 tuner makes a pretty good portable set up. In fact I often get great comments from the quality of signal being sent.

Its a great feeling when you break through on a contact with a operator using up to 1kw and you have a 5/8 5/9 copy with them using 5 watts.

For more info on my radio hobby check out my page on QRZ.com and search out my call sign M0GYY (mike zero golf yankee yankee)

The link below will take you to a map showing my latest contacts around the world, it makes for a great visual of how my signal transmits remembering that I am only using 5 watts of power. A single normal house light bulb uses 60 watts of power?   QSO map 

If you are interested in becoming a licenced Amateur radio user check your local area for clubs and groups they are a great starting point to get your licence. If you want to know more contact me and I will point you in the right direction to get you started on this great hobby.

My new pet, coming soon.

http://www.thespidershop.co.uk

This is a photo of a Mexican Red Kneed Tarantula which will soon be my new pet.
I have been thinking about a spider for many years and now that the children have grown up (a little) its time to get the new family member.

The funny thing about this is that many years ago I was absolutely terrified of spiders, and I don't use the word terrified lightly.
I managed over the years, (and I'm 46yrs now) to overcome my fear of spiders. I began to understand that I was a 17st bloke and a 2cm spider really could not really be a threat especially as UK spiders didn't even say boo!.

So why the change of heart? I really like the thought of a spider that should give me many years of pleasure, the mystique of a pet that is challenging but at the same fascinating.

I have to say that I am not the most excitable person but he thought of my new spider arriving in the near future really gets me going.

This is the new housing for my new spider, I have not yet bought the housing or the spider and I am not expecting the new arrival until after April 2012 due to work and family commitments.

I am currently in contact with http://www.thespidershop.co.uk to arrange this complete housing set up for my spider.

As mentioned this is not a sudden decision as I am aware that this spider could be with me for up to 20yrs so its not something that should be taken lightly.

I have plans to keep my blog updated regular with the progress of my new pet and also a webcam feed is in the pipeline. Lets see what happens, exciting times.

Radio Days Are Back: Ham Radio Licenses At An All-Time High | Fox News

Radio Days Are Back: Ham Radio Licenses At An All-Time High | Fox News

This is great news and hopefully the UK will have a similar rise. With the newer Foundation licence in the UK it is clear that a lot of people young and old are giving radio a go.
Radio equipment is now coming down in price with good quality imports coming in that are giving the big names like Yaesu and Icom a run for their money but at the moment mainly on hand held's.

I think the main players are really going to take a fall if brands like Wouxun and Baofeng take off, I have recently bought a Wouxun dual band and I have to say I am very pleased with it.

If you have ever had an interest in Amateur radio there is not a better time to get yourself enroled on a Foundation course and get started, courses have a very small cost and you can learn a new hobby within a few weeks.
Once you have your licence you can get on the air with a new hand held radio for as little as £50, a lifetime hobby at a small cost I think.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/17/radio-days-are-back-ham-radio-licenses-at-all-time-high/

Voidhawk

by Jason Halstead (Goodreads Author)

 

I have followed Jason on Twitter for a good few months now and became intrigued by his tweets.

This was the first book that I downloaded to my laptop and then transferred it to my Kindle by usb cable, I mention this because the formatting on my Kindle was not great and I am not sure why. I had various numbers and characters which regularly appeared somewhere each chapter.

The book itself was a great read and I have to say that it was one of those "I cant put it down" books and I found myself looking forward to my next free spell on my Kindle to read it.

I was never sure about the craft they used and more importantly how it worked in space I think I kind of got it but it never really fitted in my mind, however the mode of transport turned out interesting but to me not overly important. I figured it was a ship that floated in space and it transported them into lots of trouble, there easy.

Where this books strength lies is in the characters and the diverse personal situations, relationships and flaws that these traders have. I was completely taken in with all of the characters and actually by the end of the book felt that I was a witness to what had occurred. I found myself trying to build the characters in my head and make a real visual image of them.

The story was fitting to the characters and I am not going to go into it at all because this book was such a good surprise to me it would be nice to others to feel the same.

I would recommend this book to you all as a very good read and all that is left for me is to get the follow up.

I like this one