These are few/far between these days. Used to be two or three around the Ealing/Harrow area when I lived there.
A weekend away close to LHR reminded me that (a) I've had an X+1 type urge to acquire another scanner and (b) Martin Lynch still has a shop in Staines.
Loads of stuff on the shelves from ancient to modern. I could have spent a fortune!
Managed to escape with just the Uniden 125XLTC I went in for.
I know Zeddo has an interest in this stuff and lives reasonably close.
Are you familiar with said emporium?
Amateur Radio porn!!
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>These are few/far between these days...
There used to be a radio/electronics store on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield which was a hangout for the amateur radio crowd. The real jewels though were the old valve radios that the owner repaired, refurbished and sold for peanuts.
I bought an early Motorola car radio from him which was a valve set with miniature vacuum tubes and the HT generated by an electromechanical oscillator.
>Amateur Radio porn!!
Weird. The place in Sheffield was turned into a sex shop when the owner retired but I could never find where they kept the old radios.
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As I understand it, owning a scanner is legal. Listening to any broadcast that you do not have permission to listen to is illegal, including aircraft, control tower etc. because you are not the intended recipient.
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/36/section/48
I am happy to be corrected.
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Yes I reserected my ham radio license G6MJT, Yes I know Martyn Lynch in Staines
Yes the 125 XLT isas good as any for the price, the antenna is useless tho, you'll need to bung a VHF stick up on the roof.
As for legality an offence is commited if the recipient reveals, discloses or acts upon the information. In short if you dont tell anyone you heard it, you have not commited an offence.
a good SDR dongle to attach to your laptop. Much more flexible in todays digital radio world.
Except for the Short Wave and High frequency bands, those below 50mhz where you need a good aerial, ( alength of wire strung the length of your garden is great) Much interesting stuff coming out of Crimea and Russia down there.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 3 May 25 at 23:33
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>> As for legality an offence is commited if the recipient reveals, discloses or acts upon
>> the information. In short if you dont tell anyone you heard it, you have not
>> commited an offence.
>>
Para (a) is pretty clear that using WT apparatus to obtain information etc is an offence. Disclosure is covered by para (b).
However, certainly so far as aviation is concerned, nobody seems bothered. The official position of the CAA is relaxed to the extent that they advised, albeit years ago, that one might cover oneself by seeking permission from local ATC to earwig them on the basis it was part of your PPL studies. One airport at least (Manchester?) would approve sets for use in the observation deck - there may have been an issue with some receiver types in the sixties.
The 125's aerial is a well known weakness. I have an airband specific do-dah in the loft but the supplied ducky is good enough for most of what I can get at home. One day I'll get around to hiring a cherry picker and re-arranging the stuff on the chimney; the band A specific TV aerial is redundant and I can't remember the last time I used the VHF tuner on the hi-fi.
There's a magmount airband thing kept in the caravan and a 2p coin glued to the roof upon which it magmounts!!
I have a couple of SDR devices as well as a proper HF receiver and the aforementioned wire down the garden (is anything better than bell wire?) and really ought to use them more.
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>> I have a couple of SDR devices as well as a proper HF receiver and
>> the aforementioned wire down the garden (is anything better than bell wire?) and really ought
>> to use them more.
In RF terms wire is wire, its longness is relevant to wavelength. Reception wise. If you want to transmit over it its needs to be balanced with a balon to tune its SWR
SDR's are good at VHF and above, USB dongle types less so at below VHF as you cant fit the required filters and stuff within the form factor,
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>> SDR's are good at VHF and above, USB dongle types less so at below VHF
>> as you cant fit the required filters and stuff within the form factor,
I got an early SDR Play thing c2018 and Mrs B to got a better one for my 60th.
Just need the time to use it properly.
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I have the Malahit-DSP2, great for carvan use
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>> These are few/far between these days. Used to be two or three around the Ealing/Harrow
>> area when I lived there.
Tottenham Court Road in the early 70s was the place to go.
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>> Tottenham Court Road in the early 70s was the place to go.
I don't think there's anything there now with the possible exception of Cex, doing electronics. Or Hi-Fi for that matter.
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>> >> Tottenham Court Road in the early 70s was the place to go.
>>
>> I don't think there's anything there now with the possible exception of Cex, doing electronics.
>> Or Hi-Fi for that matter.
>>
I recall looking around TCR in the '80s and '90s for the latest electronics / computers when devices tended to do just one thing at a time (phone, camera, walkman, discman etc) and of course HiFi.
Then RadioShack / Tandy went, then Maplins.
Shame.
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I think it might have been from here I started to use one of the online SDR sites -
websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901
Found some quite eerie stuff, the 'Stalingrad clock' or the 'the buzzer' especially when it's being jammed or taken over.
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>> Found some quite eerie stuff, the 'Stalingrad clock' or the 'the buzzer' especially when it's
>> being jammed or taken over.
You should have been around in the days of the Woodpecker, and the numerous number stations to be found. My ring tone is the station marker for the lincolnshire poacher.
However, without doubt the best days and fun were on the notorious GB3SL repeater on 2 meters in the late 70's early 80's
I think radio Caroline and Radio London pirate stations and the attempt by the home office to jkam them sparked my radio fascination.
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Amateur Radio Shops - Kevin
