I bought a new radio.

Hi all.

I bought a Baofeng clone this week... Pofung 5R-UV. Cheapest one I could find on Amazon with same day delivery included for £31. Well pleased with it. Obviously just using it for listening atm not being of the Ham community....yet, but its another inch closer to taking the plunge. Just need to purchase a data lead and new antenna for it now. Sadly I can't program PMR on it. Speaking of... I took my cheap little Tesco walkie talkie up in the attic to try out today and managed to pick someone up on channel 8. First time ever I've heard someone on it. 
Not sure about putting up an antenna for 11m on my roof but I think I'll get away with a small 2m/70cm twig. I have a redundant mag-mount since I bought the heavy duty base for my tank whip. Its a small sigma centre load whip with a small 4 inch mount. A possible conversion to 2m perhaps. Why buy if you can build. 

later chaps

73's

Paul

Nice to see I am not the only one who has sat in the loft with a handie, we should start a club lol. I sat up in mine wearing one of my caving hard hats with light on and took part in a local 2m net a while back, my thinking being if that worked out I'd buy a 2m mobile unit and put a twig up there. It did and I did, and have great fun with it now

Oh man you do caving? I was talking with my nephew about that the other week. Its scares the crap out of me. Just the thought of being in some of them smaller vents, or whatever you call them, sends shivers down my spine. It's nightmare material for me. Watched a video about someone getting trapped doing it on you tube. The Nutty Putty cave incident. I was anxious watching it. 
 https://youtu.be/d1nuqpAULpE
Anyway....a bit off topic there. I think I will be spending a bit more time in my attic now. Luckily mine is an actual room rather than a loft space with a staircase leading to it, though my knees wouldn't agree with the luckily statement. It's where my 11m mobile twig is on an upside down bin. Doesn't work well for that but hey, 2m antenna is a lot shorter than 11m so more incentive to get my ticket and get a small antenna on the roof outside rather than inside. 

Oh man I'm gonna have nightmares again tonight now thinking of Nutty Putty . 

You take care Neal.

73's fella

Thanks Paul i just watched that video.
Going to open the shack door now it feels small in here.

Hi Alan.

It does get you that way doesn't it. That must have been awful not just for the poor soul who was trapped but for all involved. The thing is though we must follow our passions otherwise there's only regret at the end of the tunnel....no pun intended. There are lots of things I'd loved to have done in my youth but fear always got the best of me and still does to this day sadly.

Thanks for posting that vid, I hadn't seen previously. Whilst giving nightmares to some, that sort of watch more for me just reminds to not to get complacent, take my time to risk assess, and when going alone always give someone details of exactly where I am going and when I am due back (127 Hours is a great reminder of the latter). Butterflies actually fill me with more terror, but we are all wired differently

Edging it back on topic, one person I guided around an old underground stone quarry once brought along walkie talkies, and I got them to leave them in the car as they'd be little use. Since then in Box Quarry Cathedral a person I was with got out their mobile phone and actually managed a signal. Was most impressed. Feel free to search pictures if you want of the location (a massive cavern, not scary). Only nearby opening was a 2m by 2m metal grilled hole at least 30m above our heads with solid stone (apart from quarried passages) for miles in all other directions. Where I am going with this waffle, is that if a radio signal can get deep down under the ground like that, then lofts/attics should be pure magic for radio, and they are for some people *puts hand up, I am one of those people*

Envy you having a room in your attic. If mine was decked out as a proper room I would live up there (more than I do now), would make an awesome radio shack. That said, I know it wouldn't as I probably would lose it to my better half for another purpose. Enjoy the space, you're so lucky. And good luck making some twigs, a part of radio I enjoy 

if it has the 6.25 step will make a great pmr radio i suffer from night terrors i in the bed roome and i am fighting but there is nothing there but i can see it and the good wife helps me back to bed its all from my past once every 3 weeks for the next episode

Hi Paul
It's worth considering the Foundation licence. There are so many good resources available online and the exam is pretty simple. The RSGB manual has everything in it you need to pass it. That way you would get a lot more use out of your radio.
Tim M0TJJ