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Back home
A Radio Amateurs Learning Journey
  • Search
  • Home
  • About
  • UK Band Plans
    • Ham Radio Q Codes
    • Local Repeaters
    • United Kingdom Band Plan – 70cms
    • United Kingdom Band Plan – 2M
    • Data Mode Frequencies
    • UK Band Plan 4m
    • UK Band Plan – 6m
    • VHF Marine Channel Frequencies
  • Links
    • M7SPI – An amateurs learning journey facebook page
    • M7SPI Github Repo
    • Quansheng UV-K5 UK Users Facebook Group
    • Quansheng UV Series Radio User & Modification Group Worldwide
    • TIDRADIO TD-H8 Support Group
    • South Lancs Amateur Radio Club
    • Hubnet
    • Amateur Radio Notes Website
    • DMR-UK
    • Brandmeister Network
    • Ofcom
    • RSGB
    • UK Repeaters
  • Contact Us
  • Downloads
  • Events
  • Gallery
  • WebSDR

145 Alive Event Certificate

A little certificate from the last 145 alive event from the day before the NARSA ...

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M7's allowing others to transmit under your callsign explained

In this tutorial im going to try to explain how as like myself as an M7 callsign ...

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How To Flash The ATS20+ Using Avrdudess and a USBasp

In this tutorial im going to explain how to flash the ats20+ sdr receiver using ...

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145 Alive Event - April 12th 2025 - NARSA 2025

On Saturday 12th of April from 12pm – 3pm, two friends from two different ...

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Tidradio 10% off coupon

As some may know i was fortunate to product test the Tidaradio H3 & H8 radios ...

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145 Alive January 2025

On Sunday, January 26th, I will be hosting a net for the 145 Alive amateur radio ...

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Raspberry Pi Setup For DVSwitch

These instructions should work with RPi 2, 3, 3+, 4, or any computer running a Debian ...

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DVSwitch Dashboard

DVSwitch has a Dashboard, that can be accessed via a web browser. To access this ...

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DVSwitch Mobile App For Android

Setting up the app on an Android phone or tablet Install the DVSwitch app onto ...

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Unboxing The Tidradio TD-H3 Handset

A video of myself, Stu-M7SPI unboxing the Tidradio TD-H8 Handset M7SPI – ...

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Tidradio TD-H3 Wireless Channel Setting Files Transfer Between two TD-H3 Radios

Tidradio TD-H3 Wireless Channel Setting Files Transfer Between two TD-H3 Radios One ...

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Tidradio TD-H3 Frequency Unlock: Step-by-Step Guide

To frequency unlock the Tidradio TD-H3 to access all frequency bands simply follow ...

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145 Alive Event May 11th 2024

The next 145 Alive event will commence Saturday 11th May at 13:00 UK time. See ...

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PI-Star Updated 4.2

Their is a new update for the PI-STAR firmware. It now on version 4.2. A reflash ...

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Quansheng UV-K5 Free Valetines Giveaway Competition

***Competition Time*** Once again the group that im involved with will host ...

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145 Alive Event January 2024

This Saturday, there will be an amateur radio event named the 145 Alive Event. It ...

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How To Create A Channel Settings File For The Tidradio TD-H8 Using Chirp Next & Repeater ...

The configuration i will use for this is aimed at UK Licened users. You will need ...

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Change Between Frequency Modes Tidradio TD-H8

This radio is capable of 3 different frequency modes. You have Ham Radio Frequency ...

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Unboxing The Tidradio TD-H8

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Set up a headless Raspberry Pi

A headless Raspberry Pi runs without a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. To run a Raspberry ...

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citizens band

Citizens Band Frequencies UK and EU

This is a table of approved radio channels for Citizen’s Band in the UK and ...

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Setting up an OpenWebRX Receiver On A Rapberry PI

This is a basic tutorial to getting Openwebrx set up on a raspberry pi computer. List ...

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How To Add Channels In A Scanlist Usining Chirp Next On A Quansheng UV-K5

1. Click a memory row to highlight it (Note: Highlight multiple memory rows to edit ...

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How To Create A Channel Settings File For The Quansheng UV-K5 Using Chirp Next & ...

The configuration i will use for this is aimed at UK Licened users. You will need ...

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How to fix the no pub keys error whilst updating your Pi-Star DMR Gateway

During a routine update on my pi-star gateway i got given the no pub keys error ...

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QUANSHENGUVK5

Program Quansheng UV-K5 Using Chirp NEXT with Developer modules

THIS IS NOW OBSOLETE DUE TO CHIRP NEXT NOW SUPPORTING THE QUANSHENG UV-K5 SIMPLY ...

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Quasheng UV-K5 UK North West Region Channel Settings File

So here is my codeplug for Quasheng UV-K5 within the North West UK Region. This ...

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Retevis RT3S Opengd77 firmware codeplug

This codeplug will only work if you have installed Opengd77 firmware on your Retevis ...

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retevis rt85

Unlock The Retivis RT85 Full Advertised Frequency Bands VHF UHF

To unlock the full frequency bands on the Retivis RT85 foll the instructions ...

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Amateur Radio Antenna Length Chart

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A little certificate from the last 145 alive event from the day before the NARSA rally at the Norbreck castle hotel in Blackpool. Myself Stu M7SPI & Chris Smith M7CCS under the WALES DIGITAL RADIO GROUP/GRWP RADIO DIGIDOL CYMRU callsign MC5WRG.

145 Alive Event Certificate

In this tutorial im going to try to explain how as like myself as an M7 callsign (m7spi) can allow new potential radio hams or any other person with a general interest in amateur radio can transmit under the direct supervision using your own equipment under your own individual M7’s callsign and within your own m7’s licencing terms and conditions. […]

M7’s allowing others to transmit under your callsign explained

In this tutorial im going to explain how to flash the ats20+ sdr receiver using a usbasp programmer and avrdudess software. If like myself you picked up a cheap chinese Ats20+ sdr receiver and like my own could not flash via the micro usb socket, you will need to program with a usbasp programmer and connect to the programmer to […]

How To Flash The ATS20+ Using Avrdudess and a USBasp

On Saturday 12th of April from 12pm – 3pm, two friends from two different radio clubs who met through dmr radio during the Wales Ragchew net come together to host a 145 alive event as dual net control, both M7CCS Chris Smith from Wales Digital Radio Group & M7SPI Stuart Parr from SLARC – South Lancs Amateur Radio Club are […]

145 Alive Event – April 12th 2025 – NARSA 2025

As some may know i was fortunate to product test the Tidaradio H3 & H8 radios courtesy of Tidradio. Ive been able to secure a 10% off voucher for us all if you purchase via their website https://tidradio.com/ All you need to do is use my referral link: https://tidradio.com/?ref=m7spi

Tidradio 10% off coupon

On Sunday, January 26th, I will be hosting a net for the 145 Alive amateur radio event, representing the South Lancs Amateur Radio Club on the frequency of 145.550 MHz as the net controller. My name is Stu, with the callsign M7SPI, and I am located in Wigan, with a locator of IO83QN. The event will take place from 12:00 […]

145 Alive January 2025

These instructions should work with RPi 2, 3, 3+, 4, or any computer running a Debian based Operating system such as Ubuntu, or Linux mint, however “Mileage may vary”. First thing you need is an Operating System. These instructions are for the RPi. Download Raspbian, at the time of writing, the latest version is called “Bookworm” however if you wish […]

Raspberry Pi Setup For DVSwitch

DVSwitch has a Dashboard, that can be accessed via a web browser. To access this you need the IP address of the RPi or computer you are using, which for most home networks will be something akin to 192.168.xxx.xxx The IP address can be obtained in a variety of ways.On the RPi or computer you have installed DVSwitch, open a […]

DVSwitch Dashboard

Setting up the app on an Android phone or tablet Install the DVSwitch app onto the android device you will be using with DVSwitch, this is available in Google Play. Start the DVSwitch app. Top of screen click on Accounts, highlight one of the entries. Protocol set to USRP Hostname is the IP address of your Raspberrypi Port 51234 TX […]

DVSwitch Mobile App For Android

A video of myself, Stu-M7SPI unboxing the Tidradio TD-H8 Handset M7SPI – A Radio Amateurs Learning Journey Official Website:https://www.m7spi.co.uk M7SPI – A Radio Amateurs Learning Journey Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/M7SPI Github:https://github.com/M7SPI/Tidradio-TD-H8-and-TD-H3-Ham-Radio Tidradio Facebook Users Support Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1421913055342893 Tidraradio Official Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/TIDRADIO Tidradio Website:https://www.walkietalkiesoftware.com/

Unboxing The Tidradio TD-H3 Handset

Tidradio TD-H3 Wireless Channel Setting Files Transfer Between two TD-H3 Radios One cool thing about the TD-H3 is how you can copy stuff between radios wirelessly. It’s a piece of cake. –  Switch off both radios.–  Hold the lower side button and power on the radio.–  You’ll see “Wireless Copy” pop up.–  Do the same for both radios.–  Press the […]

Tidradio TD-H3 Wireless Channel Setting Files Transfer Between two TD-H3 …

To frequency unlock the Tidradio TD-H3 to access all frequency bands simply follow the instructions below. Firstly press the ‘PTT’ Button whilst holding down the ‘*’ key whilst swithing on the device. You will be presented with 3 options. 1 – Ham 2 – GMRS 3 – Normal (Frequency Unlocked Mode) Simply select the option you desire.

Tidradio TD-H3 Frequency Unlock: Step-by-Step Guide

The next 145 Alive event will commence Saturday 11th May at 13:00 UK time. See below for regional allocated frequencies.

145 Alive Event May 11th 2024

Their is a new update for the PI-STAR firmware. It now on version 4.2. A reflash of the memory card is needed has the upgrades Buster to Bullseye. https://www.pistar.uk/downloads/ 05-Feb-2024 **Version 4.2.0** – Available for Download.    This release upgrades the base OS from Buster to Bullseye.        Binaries / Dashboard are all the same as 4.1.x chain.        There will be some of you that […]

PI-Star Updated 4.2

***Competition Time*** Once again the group that im involved with will host a free giveaway competition, the prize is a Quansheng UV-K5 donated by and courtesy of Quansheng Electronics Co., Ltd. This competion will run from today until Valentines Day 14th February 2024. To paricipate you simply must be a UK resident, also be a member of this group Quansheng […]

Quansheng UV-K5 Free Valetines Giveaway Competition

This Saturday, there will be an amateur radio event named the 145 Alive Event. It will run on the 2 Meter band across the 145 MHz Spectrum. This event will be hosted by over 30 regional net controllers within the 32 nets being held UK-wide. Below is a table displaying the allocation of frequencies alongside the names of the volunteer […]

145 Alive Event January 2024

The configuration i will use for this is aimed at UK Licened users. You will need chirp next installed, if you dont have it already, please download from Chirp Next. You will also need my stock config from the downloads section, In this tutorial i will use the frequency unlocked version. DOWNLOAD You will need to extract the file using […]

How To Create A Channel Settings File For The Tidradio …

This radio is capable of 3 different frequency modes. You have Ham Radio Frequency Mode, GMRS Frequency Mode and Frequency unlocked mode. To select a mode you just need to do has follows, in all these instances we will have the radio turned off, this will reset your device: To select Ham Radio Frequency Mode, You need to press the […]

Change Between Frequency Modes Tidradio TD-H8

Unboxing The Tidradio TD-H8

A headless Raspberry Pi runs without a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. To run a Raspberry Pi Raspian OS headless, you need a way to access it from another computer. To access your Raspberry Pi remotely, you’ll need to connect your Raspberry Pi to a network, and a way to access the Raspberry Pi over that network. To connect your Raspberry […]

Set up a headless Raspberry Pi

citizens band

This is a table of approved radio channels for Citizen’s Band in the UK and EU, along with their frequencies in MHz. ChannelNumber Frequency (MHz) Modulation Channel Number Frequency (MHz) Modulation UK 1 27.60125 NFM EU 1 26.96500 NFM UK 2 27.61125 NFM EU 2 26.97500 NFM UK 3 27.62125 NFM EU 3 26.98500 NFM UK 4 27.63125 NFM EU […]

Citizens Band Frequencies UK and EU

This is a basic tutorial to getting Openwebrx set up on a raspberry pi computer. List of items you need: Procedure: Create a User management account (via SSH): Port Forwarding: You’ll need to create a port forwarding rule on your home router in order to see the websdr outside of your network. The default port to use for this is […]

Setting up an OpenWebRX Receiver On A Rapberry PI

1. Click a memory row to highlight it (Note: Highlight multiple memory rows to edit common settings of more than one memory at the same time). 2. Right-click the highlighted memory row and choose ‘Properties’. 3. In the ‘Edit details for memory’ window, click the ‘Extra’ tab. Or simply click ‘View’ in the menu bar and enable ‘Show extra fields’ […]

How To Add Channels In A Scanlist Usining Chirp Next …

The configuration i will use for this is aimed at UK Licened users. You will need chirp next installed, if you dont have it already, please download from Chirp Next. You will also need my stock config from UV-K5 Stock config You will need to extract the file using winrar or win zip to your computer. The stock image contains […]

How To Create A Channel Settings File For The Quansheng …

During a routine update on my pi-star gateway i got given the no pub keys error and headed straight to facebook groups for assistance. I came across a tutorial put together by fellow radio hams namely Chris-smith Robbins and assited by Antonio Pablo on the W.D.R.G WALES DIGITAL RADIO GROUP page. During doing updates i noticed an error stating ‘no […]

How to fix the no pub keys error whilst updating …

QUANSHENGUVK5

THIS IS NOW OBSOLETE DUE TO CHIRP NEXT NOW SUPPORTING THE QUANSHENG UV-K5 SIMPLY DOWNLOAD CHIRP NEXT FROM THE LINK BELOW To program the Quansheng UV-K5 on Chirp Next using developer modules your firstly need to Download chirp next CHIRP NEXT Next we open the chirp programming softwarethen click on help tab , Now click load module from issue , […]

Program Quansheng UV-K5 Using Chirp NEXT with Developer modules

So here is my codeplug for Quasheng UV-K5 within the North West UK Region. This is unfinished and still under development. It holds the channels for UK PMR Channels 1 – 16, 2 Meter Amateur Band Simplex Channels, 70CM Simplex Channels, Repeaters and Gateways within 50 Miles of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It also holds the receive frequencies for a few […]

Quasheng UV-K5 UK North West Region Channel Settings File

This codeplug will only work if you have installed Opengd77 firmware on your Retevis RT3S I initally edited the codeplug currently created by m0xrs Original Link. I rearraged the North West Zone to put repeaters in distance order from my home QTH in Wigan, adding a few more repeaters along the way.I have also added a few more Brandmeister TalkGroupsI […]

Retevis RT3S Opengd77 firmware codeplug

retevis rt85

To unlock the full frequency bands on the Retivis RT85 foll the instructions below. First you need to enable frequency mode with memory mode, their are 2 possible ways to enable this. First,turnthe radio off normally. Then,press”F” and”1”key at the same time and turn on it. Now,press”#”key,it will enter and display VFO mode. Input frequency to check whether VFO works. […]

Unlock The Retivis RT85 Full Advertised Frequency Bands VHF UHF

Amateur Radio Antenna Length Chart

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