Thanks for the info. Sounds like your KX3 was a good buy.
I also have a KX3, which I use for SOTA. I bought it second hand three years ago loaded with all the options apart from 2m/4m. There are so many good things about the KX3, but above all it is such a good receiver for digging out weak HF signals, and the variable selectivity is marvelous. Just wondering what made you change from the KX2 to the KX3.
Cringle Moor is such a lovely summit, with glorious views.
It just seemed good value Dave, bought on impulse when I did the sums. So after selling the KX3s mic and key for cashback plus another £150 added on to the sale of my KX2 I got a fully loaded KX3 with the built in ATU, more power, a good battery and better filtering. I forgot to mention it also had the perspex cover as well and it included a “nifty manual”. I don’t miss the Loewe case as I have an old “brick type” Motorola phone case from the 1990’s which is a perfect fit for the KX3. The KX3 to me has a more solid feel than the KX2 when handling it, I think it may be due to the build standard of the case, it just feels more sturdy.
Ofcom have just announced that updated licence conditions are available including the EMF changes and some other stuff.
If you hold a UK call and didn’t get a direct email from them then there is something wrong with either your licence details or your email/spam system.
Thanks for this. Time to get the calculator out and review the latest RSGB spreadsheet. I already have my dimensions to the neighbouring at risk areas.
No great rush, you’ve got till November to sort out 2m and above, May 2022 for other frequencies above 10MHz and November 2022 for frequencies below 10MHz. Presumably following the anticipated timeline for development of the assessment tools.
As far as I can see this is still a work in progress and carries a catch-all disclaimer…
Yes, the RSGB spreadsheet has been a work in progress since Ofcom announced it and started talking to RSGB about the need for licencees to embrace it. I gave up months ago when the spreadsheet turned pink whilst calculating the near field measurements under 10 MHZ. Its good that we have more time to produce figures for the lower frequencies that some of us use. I only go down as far as 1.8 MHZ myself from home, although I have operated there portable SOTA in my early SOTA years.
Don’t know about you Phil but no matter what numbers I put in I still get a pink cell saying distance is 1.98 m when clearly my distance in at least 8m. Maybe offcom are worried about flying insects being fried.
Have just had a thought. I wonder if the separation thing means that anyone getting within that distance is in danger and tht’s why it’s in pink as the photo shows
As the requirement is not required for 144 MHZ and up I have decided to ignore the OFCOM request until 1st November and then do the math using the latest RSGB spreadsheet available at that time. It will surely change again before then.
If you look at the latest spreadsheet below dated 07/04/21 you’ll see it is still a prototype for evaluation purposes. So I decided to wait until the final refined version is published before I do the math. For the antennae I use on frequencies below 144 MHZ I will wait until 2022 to do the calculations for those.
As it says in the spreadsheet the cell is highlighted when near-field assessment is recommended. This is when the “Ofcom Separation” distance is less than the “Near field zone” value. In practice this is going to be the case for pretty much any QRP HF setup. But then many of those QRP HF setups will come below 10W EIRP anyway.
?? the thick bit Allen. Thick is where, having the spreadsheet and the video I still conclude that the only way to keep activating safely is to drop down to 10W
73,
Rod
For SSB the 6-minute averaging extends margins a lot. Above 10 MHz you’ll be fine for practical power levels (say 50W or even a bit more).
It will be interesting to see revised guidance below 10 MHz, but for worst case I envisage not keying up if a visitor sits close the antenna, if running > 10 W EIRP on 80m or 60m.
Hi Richard. I just downloaded the new calculator etc. and filled in all the bands on my max of 50w and they’ve all passed now with flying colours, so I’m over the moon now. Thanks all for their help though it’s really apreciated.
For linked dipoles on summits there is an early version of the RSGB Pre Assessed Configuration (PAC1) which uses a 40m dipole supported at the centre in a fairly typical SOTA configuration. Below 10MHz it gets a bit harder as calculations need to be based on peak not average values. Spoiler exclusion zone needed 2.6m from the antenna (50W on 40 or 80m) - but that simplifies to stop transmitting if someone is near the ends of the antenna… … Second spoiler - below 10 MHz this is not implemented until May 22 - at least partly as there is still some debate about interpreting limits. The link is an interesting read and goes into some detail. Paul
