G7TSX

G7TSX-9 APRS

Andy — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:24:39 +0000

Finished the APRS mobile project, I just popped it into the boot and been out for a quick drive. Nothing on aprs.fi…! I’ll put this down to the poor APRS coverage on the Wirral at present, though I note both of the reasonably ‘local’ iGates are both showing as being ‘on air’.

I’ve used the data output from the Icom 2820 to provide NMEA sentences to avoid the need for a second GPS RX in the car. This feeds the APRS modem via a MAX202 RS232 level driver to fool the 2820 into sending data (It needs to see a true -8V RS232 level or it outputs nothing) to it. The radio is my oldish FT-51 with the broken battery pack. Try finding a replacement part these days so I hard wired some power cables and use it for projects such as this. Whole setup is very neatly installed in a small enclosure and hidden away in the boot.

Will ensure I have it enabled for the trip to the office tomorrow and see how I get on.

APRS RX Only iGate

Andy — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:09:08 +0000

I’ve been having a look at APRS over the last few days since I started sending the data from my weather station to CWOP. XASTIR has been installed on one of the Linux machines in the shack and sucessfully configured. I don’t have a TNC so I’ve been using Soundmodem as a software TNC connected to the audio output of my 2m Yaesu.

Hopefully I’ll be able to get an APRS TX unit in the car to see if the software is perfoming. Currently I see a large amount of infomation from the net but not much on 144.800 to really test the setup.

Watch this space but hopefully a useful APRS RX only iGate will be on the Wirral soon.

Weather Station Update

Andy — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:55:12 +0000

Currently there seems to be an issue with the sensors on the masthead hence there is no wind speed or direction being report / recorded. The barometer is reporting data but is long due a calaibration. Hopefully an hour can be found this week to investigate.

On a related note, my WX data is now being posted on APRS and to CWOP in addition to the long standing post the the Weather Underground.

HTC Desire

Andy — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:06:32 +0000

So, I have finally entered the world of the smartphone. Picked up my HTC Desire last week and am starting to get to grips with it. I dare say it will get a whole section to itself on the site.
Plenty of features, thousands of apps to download (many of which are free) and of course the Android operating system. I’ve even created this post on the Desire using the WordPress app! More to come.

Noctilucent Clouds Sighted over Europe

Andy — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:11:06 +0000

Every summer since the late 19th century, Earth’s polar skies have lit up with gossamer, electric-blue clouds, twisting and rippling in the twilight sky. They’re called noctilucent (“night-shining”) because they can be seen after dark. The origin of the clouds, which hover at the very top of Earth’s atmosphere in close proximity to space itself, is uncertain. They have been linked to causes as varied as meteoroids, climate change, and the icy exhaust of the space shuttle.

The 2010 noctilucent cloud season has just begun in the northern hemisphere, with sightings over Russia, Scotland and Denmark. Although noctilucent clouds were once a phenomenon of high latitudes only, in recent years they have been sighted in the United States as far south as Colorado and Utah.

Picture For Stu

Andy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:49:55 +0000

Satellite image of the majority of the UK covered in snow. Full resolution image.
Picture For Stu

Jupiter’s Travels And Dreaming Of….

Andy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:46:12 +0000

Ted Simon, what a guy. Having read Jupiter’s Travels, one of the inspirations for Long Way Round, a while ago I was eager to grab Dreaming Of Jupiter albeit a few years after it had first come out. Indeed I had never even heard of the original book until Charley and Ewan mentioned it while featuring Ted in Ulan Bator. Round the world on a Triumph in the 70′s for the original book, the follow up is a second take on the world on a BMW at the turn of the millennium and all without a flashy entourage…

I had picked the original Jupiter’s Travels book up after a recommendation from a Norton riding friend and didn’t put it down until I had finished it. I was struggling with Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance at the time, that could be another post…!

In the modern world of the BMW GS1200 with all the trimmings, camera crews and satellite ‘phones it all seems so easy to conquer the world. Almost every corner of the globe has been trodden now and true wilderness and adventure is hard to find. Ted had none of this in October 1973 when he left to conquer 63,000 miles and 45 countries over 44 months. In January 2001, with German engineering instead of British, he did it again. The subject of the second book, Dreaming Of Jupiter. This time 59,000 miles through 47 countries over 29 months.

If you like motorbikes or travel, or even both you can’t fail to be disappointed.

I won’t harp on. Buy the books. Visit the Website. Dream the dream. Ted also announces his upcoming location at various venues throughout the world on his website so keep a close eye out and there are opportunities to order signed books and his DVD of Dreaming Of Jupiter also.

‘The future is not what it used to be’

Noctilucent Clouds

Andy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:55:23 +0000

One of the most magical and mysterious types of cloud is starting to appear across the UK, and may be seen over the coming weeks. Noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds hover on the edge of space, about 80km above the surface of the Earth in the mesosphere. They are the highest of clouds and can be observed in northern latitudes on summer nights.

In such latitudes, beyond 45 degrees North, for about 1 month before and after the summer solstice, the clouds are illuminated by the Sun owing to their height in the atmosphere while the observer on the surface of the Earth is in darkness. Around midnight and looking west, noctilucent clouds have a characteristic bluish silver-white colour.

It is puzzling that in theory these clouds should not exist, the mesosphere is extremely dry and with so little moisture it would seem implausible that these clouds could even form. Often muted is the increase in methane pollution in the upper atmosphere leading to the increased frequency of this phenonmenon. Some would have you believe they are a thermometer for climate change.

East Of England Storms, 15th June 2009

Andy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:44:47 +0000

Decoded NOAA 17 image from a pass at 2113h UTC showing the weather over the East of England this evening which caused widespread flooding and disruption.

Link To The BBC Story

Image is a NO colour IR enhancement (GOES/NOAA) decoded by WXtoImg.

Weather Graphs Updated

Andy — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:20:07 +0000

I’ve taken the opportunity to update some of the Weather Station graphs posted on here. Added in have been graphs for Wind Speed / Gust Speed and Wind Direction in both 24 hour and 7 day flavours. Removed is the Relative Humidity graph. The new Temperature graphs now include a Wind Chill indication and overall a few changes in plot colours and styles. As ever, the update period is every 5 minutes. Enjoy!