Ham Radio
Experiments & Fun With Simon M0YKS
Yorkshire UK
Friday, February 25, 2011
Latest Home Brew Metal Work Project - Tripod Mount For Satellite Yagis
This week I continued with my latest radio project which was to be some kind of rotator mount that I could use to set up my latest Satellite array.
As mentioned in my last post, I am planning on fixing the new Satellite antenna high up on the house. However, before I can begin working on that installation I want to build everything up at ground level and give it all a good testing out, ironing out any problems there may be on the way.
With all this in mind I began to search through my scrap material pile that I have stashed away for a rainy day etc. I soon came across some heavy duty pipe and found some screwed/threaded bar. Then with a bit of sawing, grinding and hammering, I began fabricating the scrap pipe and metal which I finished off by welding it all up into a fairly substantial tripod.
The finished tripod can easily be dismantled and folds up nice and neat allowing it to be transported without any hassle.
I finished the job by painting it black, I then fitted the Yaesu GS5500 rotator to the top of it. (as seen below in the two images). Next, I was ready to install the two Satellite Yagi antennas.
I fitted the 435 X beam and the 145 Yagi with a short ally pole keeping the weight down to a minimum.
The video below shows the Satellite array up and running working well at ground level.
I have already made a couple of successful QSO via VO-52 as well as hearing AO-51 nice and loud last night. The new setup will be even better once I complete the full installation on the house.
I awoke nice and early on Sunday morning, walked the dog and then listened to the local RSGB news broadcast as usual.
Straight after the weekly news broadcast, I headed outside and began installing a CAROLINA WINDOM 80 (133FT offset dipole).
The CW-80 tunes nicely from 80M to 10M and after listening around the bands for a short while yesterday, it seems to be performing well on 40M, 17M & 15M. I will be testing it further on the rest of the bands and recording the results.
The CW-80 is suspended between the House and a reasonably tall tree at the far end of the garden, as seen in the picture. I shall be fixing the CW-80 higher up once I install a mast on the rear of the house which will help elevate the wire high above the roof. The next job was to begin work on the Satellite antenna array that I am planing to use. I began by asembling the two antenna systems that I will be using, a 5 element 145MHz Yagi and a 30 element 435MHz X beam. I built both antennas up to a stage that can be completed when I am ready to finish the installation. The next stage was to get the Yaesu GS5500 Azimuth/Elevation rotator set up. I wanted to check it and get it ready to be at hand for when I am at the construction/assembly stage. Now, the not so fun part! Yes this was the part when the hard work started.
I began runing 2 control cables and 2 coaxial feeders from out in the garden to back inside the shack. (located at the opposite side of the house = Sods Law!). I ended up spending a few hours doing the job of running the cables making sure that all cables were as neatly installed as possible. Finally I reached the back of my Yaesu FT-847 and GS5500 Azi/Ele Control unit, there I tinned/soldered the wires and connected them up ready for the outdoor work. I finished yesterdays antenna antics off by identifing which coaxial feeder was which, I did this simply by using a electronic test multi meter held across the SO plug connector at the shack end of the coax . At the other end I attached an old antenna socket shorted out with a croc link lead to the end of one feeder that I had suspected to be for 145MHz. All I need now is some more spare time and a pair of good ladders so I can fit the Satellite antennas up on the house with some nice heavy brackets that I made a while ago.
Despite another weekend of poor WX, I was determined to get started with the radial installation that I have been working on for use with my Hustler 6BTV antenna.
I decided to start with radials cut for 20M and wanted each radial to be 1/2 wave lengths.
I set about the second stage of the task by measuring four lengths of 2mm diameter wire and cutting them all the same. The four wire radial lengths were all cut at 34ft. I soldered small lugs on each end of the four wire radials, which I screwed to the brass stakes and brass mounting bracket (as seen in the previous post). To do this I used stainless steel self tapping screws.
The image below shows the mounting bracket installed. It is located directly beneath the Hustler 6BTV feed point.
The radial bracket is clamped around the ground stake as well as having a seperate short connecting wire fed directly from the antenna to the brass radial bracket. I will be adding more radials for 40m and other bands next time I get a couple of hours spare. Until then, I am happy with the first four radials cut for 20m. They seem to be doing a good job so far during a quick test just now, I am getting through to plenty of stations all over EU and USA without to much trouble on 50W.
I'm looking forward to more messing about with my antennas and plenty more posting on here. Thanks for the visit. 73
Since I installed the Hustler 6BTV at my new QTH I have been planning on making some radials similar to the ones I have attached to my other 6BTV which is up at the Moor top QTH. The original hustler has done me proud for over six years with its ground mount and simple wire radials.
I really like the performance of these antennas as well as there durability, that's why I had to go for a second one!
I got hold of some brass sheet which I cut into strips about 40mm wide. I then cut one end of each strip into a sharp V shape. The next job was to fold the opposite end over and tap it flush to provide extra strength when hammering the stake into the ground. I then folded the complete strip into the final V shaped angle approximately 45º creating a nice brass ground stake. The finishing touch was to drill a small hole to attach a soldered lug/wire radial which can be hammered beneath the ground surface in the garden.
The second part of the job involved cutting some more brass sheet which I formed into a circular shape to be fixed at the base beneath the hustler. I drilled lots of holes in the brass grounding plate allowing me to screw many radials into it. I also formed some 8mm round bar into a U clamp which I fit to the Brass grounding plate ready to attach to the 6BTV antenna.
WX permitting I plan to have a play with my new radial kit sometime over the weekend, I have a roll of 2.5mm wire, a hammer and tape measure ready on stand by. I will try get some pictures for you to see the result. Till next time 73 have a good weekend.
Earlier this week whilst out and about in my mobile I was lucky enough to hear one of my radio pals coming through 5/9 + on 14.216MHz.
I gave a call back to Marko - S56CW, who was working portable from SOTA S5/KA-018 (a summit located on top of a Slovenian Mountain).
Marko was running bare foot 5W QRP, using his Yaesu FT-817 which can be seen working superbly in the video below that Marko made from the Mountain top.
I have had the pleasure of working Marko from many locations whilst he has been out and about /P, from my mobile Yaesu FT-100 & Maldol HFC20 antenna. This particular summit was putting out a very nice signal from His SOTA station.
Until the next time, thanks goes to S56CW - Marko for the video and pictures. Hope that you guys enjoyed the video.
We have been in our new house for a month now and at last I am starting to get through some of the decorating and DIY that is required when moving in. With less than 5 weeks to go before "baby HTS" will be with us you can imagine the QTH is undergoing a serious facelift with the smell of paint becoming the normal everyday occurrence.
Over the last couple of weeks I have managed to temporally install 3 antennas allowing me to operate on HF and also hear local activity on VHF. The 3 antennas that I have erected for now, are a 135ft dipole with ladder feeder for 80m, a Hustler 6BTV (6 band trapped vertical) 80-10m and a tri-band vertical covering 50MHz, 145MHz and 433MHz.
As of yet the satellite antennas and new GS5500 azimuth/ele rotator set-up, is still collecting dust as a nice long ladder or scaffold tower will be required to go ahead with the satellite install. For now working the Sats will have to be when I am at my Portable shack on the Moor. As you can see in the background of the image below which shows the 6BTV, the Moor is less than a mile away as the new QTH is situated on the edge of the lovely moorland. The Hustler 6BTV HF Vertical antenna is ground mounted in the same way as my other 6BTV at the now portable shack. Here at the new garden The SWR is 1.1 without the ATU from 40m right through to 10M. The vertical tunes 80m up well with the ATU in line and has a very low noise level on receive. So far I have worked across the pond to the US on it with ease, I also heard some nice VK and ZL signals coming very well, as well as hearing signals out of HS land. The tri-band antenna works reasonable in its very temporary position but I am sure it will be greatly improved once it is up high on the top of the house. Louise will also be a bit happier hi hi. I dont know what she means when she says "it looks stupid there" Lou knows it wont be there for long!
The main problem I can foresee is how to evict her from my favorite seat in the house? As you can see she is not in a hurry to give up the shack seat just yet. If I do some more decorating maybe than she will move over and let me get to my lovely radios h.i For those of you that were wondering about Dudley the DX Hound, here Dudley can be seen getting himself acquainted with the living room carpet which lets face it looks like a great spot to catch some Zs if your a four legged type. The HTS family is settling in very well indeed, however if the decorating gets a bit much a quick drive up the road takes us back to the Moor Top Holiday Shack where my other Hustler Vertical, CW160, Delta loop, IO-10 Sat beam and Rigs are awaiting me.
73 hope to catch you from the new QTH or portable Shack on the hill.
Next months (February) RadCom magazine arrived earlier this week courtesy of the RSGB.
Inside the radio magazine I found myself appearing in the IOTA 2010 article which was a very nice surprise indeed. The picture inside RadCom shows myself in action during the IOTA 2010 contest which I enjoyed very much.
The picture was taken at my Moor Top shack which is now my portable location as I have recently set up a second shack at our new family home.
You can see my new table which is housing the FT1000mp and FT847 on the image above. The image below shows the page in Radcom where you can find 2E0HTS - IOTA Contest Station on page 26. The editor of the RadCom magazine has commented on my home made microphone mini tower which reads "Even the microphone is on a tower, but does it rotate?" The answer of course is yes! As long as you don't mind turning the mic by hand only, as of yet I haven't fit a motor h.i But you never know what I might get up to in my workshop next time I'm tinkering around!
CQD was the international distress code that predated SOS. It celebrates its 107th birthday today as on January the 7th 1904 it was established by the Marconi Company as the first international radio distress signal. CQD is transmitted in Morse Code as — · — · — — · — — · · and although it is widely believed to be an acronym for ‘Come Quick Danger’ that is not the case. It is a general CQ call followed by D meaning distress. Before CQD was established ships would just go missing at sea, when radios were introduced onto ships they initially used CQ as a general call, however the introduction of a distress signal was widely accepted to be a good idea. Sadly CQD was short-lived as it was replaced by “SOS” at the Berlin Radiotelegraphic Conference of 1906 as three dots, three dashes and three dots could not be misinterpreted by anyone hearing it unlike CQD . Still, happy birthday to CQD a ground-breaking use of Morse Code and radio, the introduction of which no doubt saved lives.
Hi All, I trust you are all having a great start to the New Year so far!
For myself this has been a very busy time. We have moved into our new QTH that I mentioned a few posts back.
So far the progress with the decorating is going well and I have temporarily installed a Hustler 6BTV and 135 foot Dipole allowing me to monitor HF in between the brush strokes and paper hanging. Louise (M3TLL) has also been busy propagating the baby which will be arriving in around 8 weeks time.
I will be shortly posting pictures of my new QTH/Shack, but for now this is a quick update and opportunity to say Happy New Year to you all and I shall be back online at the new QTH as soon as the new internet connection is switched back on.
73 watch this space for more info on the latest escapades.
Living with a radio ham means you instantly have ideas for Christmas gift buying. If you want to buy your radio amateur a hobby themed gift here are a few ideas you might want to consider.
Ideas for Stocking Fillers
* Anything with his callsign on it I can't begin to describe the joy on 2E0HTS's face when he received through the post from an Slovenian ham friend (S57CW/S57ORG) a miniature Slovenian registration plate with his callsign on it. I can only assume the same would apply for any merchandise with his callsign written on it. A mug, a tshirt, a woolly hat for his DXpeditions. The possibilities are pretty much endless.
* Earphones If, like me, occasionally you want some peace and quiet from the endless CQ calls and other amateurs tuning up then why not invest in a good pair of earphones. He'll think you care, you'll be able to watch telly in peace! Happy Christmas!
* Stationery A radio ham always needs something to scrawl on and with. I learnt early on not to leave any important documents within a 10 metre radius of the ham shack as they're likely to come back with random callsigns, names and signal reports written on. Why not buy him some nice writing equipment of his very own to show him you care this festive season?
Big presents
If you're wanting to spend a bit more on the ham in your life then the list is simple: radio, antenna, atu, power supply, microphone. Last year 2E0HTS was lucky enough to get an FT-817 from Santa. If you are going to buy something like this make sure you either buy new from a supplier like Waters and Stanton. Or, if you are wanting to go second hand ask another (trustworthy) radio ham to help you choose something. Some second hand equipment can be used and abused and the last thing you want on Christmas day is a radio ham with a present that doesn't work.
These are just a few ideas you might want to consider. Maybe some readers have other ideas? If so pop them in the comments below (I still don't know what to get 2E0HTS this year!!)
Base, Mobile & Portable Station eQSL Confirmed QSOs
Whilst sending out some recent eQSL cards I got curious and decided to check how many Countries I had actually worked/logged with eQSL. I was interested to see just how well I was doing from my mobile whilst out and about away from the shack. The eQSL /M cards can be few and far between as I have to depend on the other stations that I work whilst mobile to send their eQSL as I stick to driving rather than logging. So with this in mind you can imagine that plenty of nice QSOs/DX doesn’t always get confirmed by eQSL.
Thanks to all you guys that are keen eQSLers, I still managed to compile a good start to a hopeful longer list to come of Countries worked and confirmed. I also added Countries I have worked whilst mobile in Scotland and Wales.
I use a different eQSL card when operating from the mobile, the shack or any portable stations which can be seen heading each section.
Please don't worry radio amateurs from Wales, I will try much harder to make more QSO next time I visit ;-)
Mobile in England Operating as 2E0HTS/M
BALEARIC ISL.
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
CROATIA
CYPRUS
CYPRUS UK SOV. AREA
CZECH REP.
ENGLAND
FAROE ISL.
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
HUNGARY
ISRAEL
ITALY
KAZAKHSTAN
KUWAIT
LATVIA
LITHUANIA
LUXEMBOURG
MADEIRA ISL.
MALTA
NETHERLANDS
POLAND
ROMANIA
RUSSIA (ASIATIC)
RUSSIA (EUROPEAN)
SCOTLAND
SLOVAK REP.
SLOVENIA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TURKEY
UKRAINE
USA
Mobile In Scotland Operating as 2M0HTS/M
ENGLAND
GERMANY
ITALY
NETHERLANDS
SCOTLAND
SLOVAK REP.
UKRAINE
Mobile In Wales Operating as 2W0HTS/M
UKRAINE
Portable In The UK Operating as 2E0HTS/P
BELGIUM
ENGLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
KAZAKHSTAN
RUSSIA (EUROPEAN)
SCOTLAND
SPAIN
SWEDEN
WALES
QTH/Base Station Operating as 2E0HTS
ALGERIA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
AZORES
BALEARIC ISL.
BELARUS
BELGIUM
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
BRAZIL
CANADA
CANARY ISL.
CAPE VERDE
CEUTA AND MELILLA
COLOMBIA
CRETE
CROATIA
CYPRUS
CZECH REP.
DENMARK
DOMINICA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
ECUADOR
ENGLAND
ESTONIA
FALKLAND ISL.
FINLAND
FRANCE
GABON
GERMANY
GREECE
GUADELOUPE
GUERNSEY (BAILIWICK OF)
HONDURAS
HUNGARY
INDONESIA
IRELAND
ISLE OF MAN
ISRAEL
ITALY
JERSEY (CHANNEL ISL.)
KAZAKHSTAN
KUWAIT
LATVIA
LIBYA
LITHUANIA
LUXEMBOURG
MACEDONIA FORMER YUGOSLAV REP
MADEIRA ISL.
MARTINIQUE
MOLDOVA
MONTENEGRO
MOROCCO
NETHERLANDS
NORTHERN IRELAND
NORWAY
OMAN
PARAGUAY
POLAND
PORTUGAL
PUERTO RICO
QATAR
ROMANIA
RUSSIA (EUROPEAN)
SAN MARINO
SARDINIA
SAUDI ARABIA
SCOTLAND
SENEGAL
SERBIA
SLOVAK REP.
SLOVENIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
ST. LUCIA
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
THAILAND
THE GAMBIA
UKRAINE
USA
VENEZUELA
WALES
I have worked a lot more countries and many great DX from the Mobile that unfortunately haven't yet been eQSL confirmed, but I am always hopeful h.i. In the meantime, I shall keep shouting from the mobile and the shack enjoying all QSOs on the way. 73
I spent most of this afternoon on my computer logged on to the eQSL website confirming and downloading the latest batch of eQSL cards, which I then upload to my other blog - 2E0HTS QSL Gallery . I have been uploading eQSL cards that I receive from both Hams and SWLs to the site for a couple of years now. There you can find eQSL cards displayed that I have received dating from early 2004 to present day. If you have worked or heard my station active and have sent me a eQSL, it will be there somewhere.
Follow the older posts link found at the bottom of the page to find earlier eQSL cards I uploaded.
For the latest upload to the 2E0HTS QSL Gallery, I decided to put the received eQSL cards into categorised headings which slightly helps to organise things when dealing with a lot of uploading. In this case I had a back log of 131 eQSL cards to get through.
The new simplified Headings that I will be using from now are as follows:
Video of QSO between S57ORG and myself at Marko - S57ORG portable location in Slovenia on Sunday 7th November
Thank You Very Much for this Video Marko, its great to hear myself sounding nice and loud in Slovenia. 73 Hope to catch you again on HF and the Satellite Bands.
