Once Again, Big VK Signals Into The DX Mobile

My mobile amateur radio set up has been doing a fine job as usual. For the second week in a row solar activity on the 20m band has continued to provide some fantastic openings into VK and I have heard many stations coming in really well early in the morning.

Today at around 7.10 utc I heard VK1MA - Matt from Canberra, Australia.  I had recently worked VK1MA just last week whilst mobile and this morning it was very nice to get another opportunity to test my YAESU FT-857 and MALDOL HFC -20 mono band antenna pictured below. My signal report from Matt this time was 5/6, he was a good 5/9 solid copy into the DX Machine...

I had a quick browse back through my blog and noticed I worked VK1MA back in March so I guess the 10500 miles between our antenna is almost a regular path for good two way communications on the move! 73

20M Is Wide Open

A great drive in to work this morning as I heard lots of VK stations from down under booming through on 20m.

One station - VK1MA heard me calling him and came back to my mobile call with a good report into the shack of Matt - VK1MA

XW-2(CAS-3) Satellites

Nine New Chinese Amateur Satellites 
If you haven't heard already you will be pleased to hear that over the weekend on Saturday China launched their new Chang Zheng 6 (CZ-6) Rocket and successfully deployed 9, XW-2/CAS-3 Amateur Radio Satellites into orbit.

Operational Information 

Current Position Of CAMSAT- XW-2/CAS-3 Satellites

More info via AMSAT UK

M0YKS Satellite Array

Beaming to the North with my 5 element 145MHz Yagi and 15 Element X Beam 432 - 437 MHz.

This weekend I shall try catch a few "birds" with my FT-847 Satellite setup. Hopefully I might even get some weather images from NOAA 18 and 19 to post as well as a QSO via one of the amateur satellites. In the meantime as we say in Yorkshire, "have a good un".
73 and let's hope that the HF bands will start to pick up again!

Starting School

This week my oldest daughter Elsie started school full time and as you can see she is making a good impression already. We are so proud of her obtaining an award certificate for being nice to her brand new classmates and teacher. Well done Elsie!

As for radio.... I have been active from my mobile on the usual 20m band but conditions have been flat due to a geomagnetic storm which is still going on. Back in my shack where it is coming close to bedtime I have just worked LZ215KF on 40m. I was operating with my FT1000mp MKV and Carolina Windom antenna, My power was around 100 watts and I received a 5/9+20 signal report. However right now at 23.30 local time the bands are almost completely closed down from 80m upwards with just the odd station coming in here and there. Hopefully the space weather will get back to normal as we approach Autumn and at least the LF and lower HF bands should stay open into the late night allowing me to have a few qso's here and there when the family have all settled down.  73 Happy Ham-ing!

BBC Weather Man - Paul Hudson

This week whilst enjoying a lunchtime snack outside in the fresh air I saw a guy walking by whom I recognised immediately as local BBC weather presenter Paul Hudson.
Paul was just about to be filmed making a new season of Inside Out which will be aired on BBC 1 this coming monday.
I had a sudden burst of excitement when I saw what was going on and of course I told Paul Hudson that I was a follower of the weather not only from the BBC but via NOAA satellites received in real time using my amateur radio equipment.

Here is a screen capture of Paul in action whilst broadcasting from the BBC television centre.

This one features Paul Hudson - BBC Weather Presenter in Keighley West Yorkshire and yours truly Simon Davison M0YKS Amateur Radio Satellite Weather chaser!

Below are a couple of of previously received satellite images from NOAA 19 using my 5 element yagi, satellite controller and FT-847 YAESU transceiver.

Other news. The 20m band has started to show signs of improvement since the recent disturbance caused by a large solar storm as I have managed some nice QSO's from my mobile station whilst carrying out my daily commute. My FT-857 and Maldol Antenna are still doing a terrific job and the reports I have been getting back from many stations have all been positive.  I worked into CYPRUS one evening last week whilst driving home and spoke with 5B station who said I my signal was very strong for a mobile. Yesterday I heard a VK Station booming in 5/9 + but had reached my workplace and was out of time so I had to be happy with hearing him rather than working back to his distant location on this occasion.  As we draw toward Autumn it will be interesting to see what DX will be available both mobile and back in the shack. 73 Happy DXing

I have got myself a new radio buddy

I didn't quite get his call?

Schools Out For Summer!

I have been having a good summer break away from my workplace and we have been camping in the van, riding on steam engines buying and selling motorbikes and generally having lots of fun up at the holiday caravan/shack.

Camping in the DX machine on the East Coast at Runswick Bay.

Back in time on the worth valley steam railway

More holiday shack fun as well as getting on my FT100 Portable station from our hilltop retreat

And finally I sold a couple of my old motorcycles in order to purchase myself a new toy which is absolutely awesome to ride.

I still have a couple of weeks left before I have to think about going back to work. The DX machine is fuelled up with diesel, food and water as well as a few other creature comforts. The family are ready and willing to go wherever we fancy so listen out for M0YKS maybe at home, /Portable or /Mobile. 73

A71A Qatar Amateur Radio Society Club Station

Once again conditions are favorable with some great DX to be made on 20m as I just smashed through a pile up with a 5/9+ signal into the station of The Qatar Amateur Radio Society A71A

Early Morning Mobile into VK3TJK

A great start to the working week as I pulled into the college car park in QSO /m with VK3TJK 

Late Night Short Skip Into EU - 124 Ramsey Island

I had another look around the 20m band before bed and noticed that conditions were up for short skip and DX communication. I could hear MC0SHL quite well so I decided to give a call and worked into EU-124 Ramsey Island, located off the coast of Wales. Great Conditions at the moment, short and long skip signals are coming in very well!  Unfortunately time has run out and now it's bedtime. Good Night & 73.

Amateur Radio Kids Day

I had a fantastic father's day today with my two lovely daughters and YL louise. I also got to enjoy my oldest daughter Elsie make her first radio contact using my call during Amateur Radio Kids Day


The video shows my daughter getting on Ham Radio for the first time during Kids Day. Just after the video she worked into Kaliningradsk her first ever qso with ham operator Valentin - R2FAF 5/9 +. Well done Elsie!

Keeping Me On My Toes!

I have been slightly preoccupied over the last few weeks with the dangerous duo pictured above, I am guilty of having too much fun as my girls run circles around me and as a result of light summer nights haven't managed to do any blogging. As you can see both of my lovely girls are coming on well and I cannot wait to get home from work to be with my family and have fun playing in the garden.
As for radio I have been enjoying operating both my mobile and home station under my recently upgraded call M0YKS. Both setups have been performing well and I have had some very nice DX contacts from my FT-857 mobile & FT1000mp base station.
Back in march 6 weeks after my licence upgrade (my birthday) my YL Louise M3TLL bought me a rather cool present which was a large A3 World map where you scratch off the map's surface to reveal the Country beneath. This was just what I needed as I have restarted working all of the Countries (DXCC) all over again as M0YKS.

The idea of scratching off the gold surface of the Country that I just worked has proved a hit with my oldest daughter who is happy when her daddy is on his radio getting new Countries to locate on the map and reveal exciting information and colours. I would recommend getting one even if you haven't got young extremely interested in everything you're doing children, which of course is priceless. The map is hanging in my shack and will be up for quite some time before I make a qso into all of the exciting DXCC awaiting me and all of the gold has been rubbed away and gone.
The buzz of working somewhere new into my log and map has once again made the hobby of ham radio fun and challenging. As an old friend once said "patient man ride donkey". So, I will get there in the end and now it's back to listening out for DX for me and very best 73 to all. It has been great to have caught up with you again, thank you very much for passing by ham radio operator blogspot !

Local Industrial Museum - Home to Radio Pioneer

As a radio amateur I was delighted to find some interesting radio equipment down at my local museum in Bradford. The Industrial Museum is packed out with fully working steam powered machines as well as some early motorcycles, cars, trams and steam engines. Everything you see has been made locally and are all in pristine condition, it sure is a sight to be seen. Another interesting exhibition is the one which I am sharing with you today as it is one of my favorite interests which is radio and DXing. I managed to find out that my neighbourhood is where a local radio pioneer first discovered how to DX. I am sure some of you will have previously heard of a radio expert called Appleton. Edward Victor Appleton helped establish the UK as a leading force in ionospheric research and was a local radio pioneer.

Edward Victor Appleton discovered that the ionosphere had a much more complex structure and he was able to work out how radio waves were reflected by of a number of different layers known to us all as The D, E, F1 and F2 layers. He carried out tests by using radio equipment on various frequencies at different times of the day where he discovered the effects of ionised layers bending the signal back to earth, just like we radio amateurs still do today when we are DXing.
Edward Victor Appleton found that the F – Layer (Appleton Layer) could reflect much shorter wavelengths that penetrated the lower e layer which allowed radio communications to travel great distances. A local radio DXer Legend!

Pictures of Appletons vintage radio equipment

So I will be carrying on the experiments and tests of the ionosphere just as they were back in the early days as I energise my radio equipment into the Bradford skies, just like the Great Radio Pioneer Edward Victor Appleton used to. h.i 73!

Late Night DX - Sable Island

I just got lucky as I tuned around the HF bands before bed I heard a faint signal calling CQ DX. I was listening carefully on 14.160MHz SSB and realised it was VA1AXC operating from Sable Island under the call CY0/VA1AXC.

 At first CY0/VA1AXC was coming in with a 5/1 signal at my end and I did not think I would be heard, I gave my call sign an airing and woe and behold I was heard first call 5/5 in Sable Island. As we exchanged information  CY0/VA1AXC came up to a nice 5/5 signal, I was running my FT1000MP, 100W into the Cobweb. As I am posting this I am still listening to CY0/VA1AXC who has a nice pile up going on and has decided to now work split frequency. I was very lucky to have been the first station he worked whilst it was nice and quiet, some good timing and not been afraid to try my PTT paid off well as there is only 6 people on Sable Island and I just worked one of them!. 73 GN!