Posts

My Current Antenna Setup

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Just incase you you don't subscribe to my Ham Radio YouTube Channel here is my latest video showing my antenna setup at my home QTH. 73, tnx and see you again soon.

Always use the ham code lol

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Operating The DX Late Shift

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The bands are opening up after dark and M0YKS is operating the DX late shift! Listen out for me on 20m and 40m and maybe 80m after 20.00 utc (once the kids are sleeping).

Beware of the YLs

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It was fun for all the family as we spent the weekend at our holiday shack up on the Yorkshire moor tops. As you can see my daughters are growing up fast and it won't be long before my shack has  YL voices booming out across the airwaves. I made some good Qso on 20m using my old FT-767GX and hustler 6btv and suprisingly I caught some troposphere lift as 2m simplex was alive and kicking on my old FT-2600M. Back at work now but the spring bank holidays are only 8 more work days away! 73 happy DX

Playing around with my homebrew 40m Delta Loop

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I moved the 40m delta loop over the weekend and managed to get it higher up in the air by an extra 5 meters. I have been checking it out across the bands and so far it seems hopeful with QSOs into the Azores on 40m as well as Iceland and I just worked Puerto Rico up on 20m. CU2CO - Paulo, Signal Report 5/9. Band 40 meters. TF8KY - Keli, Signal Report 5/9. Band 40 meters. KP4DKE - Peter, Signal Report 5/7. Band 20 meters. I will be experimenting throughout the week with the delta loop where I will check it out against the other antennas which are Hustler 6BTV, Cobwebb and Carolina Windom 80. I hope to be about in the shack this week after 20.00 utc on the HF bands so keep your ears on standby. 73,   Happy DXing!

Once again it's time to catch the band's wide open

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It has been a while since the conditions have been any good during my usual HAM radio operating time which is normally when the kids are in bed fast asleep. However the past week or so has been very good, I have had some excellent DX contacts on the 17m, 20m and 40m bands where reports have been 5/9+. I got to talk to Mike - W2YP as I made my supper using my dining room shack which is currently hooked up to my trusty old YAESU FT-890 and homebrew 20m Delta loop, as mentioned in the video below. The qso was a solid 5/9 pipeline quality across the atlantic with both stations on less than 100 watts. Sunday Eve 21.50 utc: Another night of good conditions. I just worked into ARUBA up on 14.168 MHz with another 5/9 signal both ways from P45A Jean Pierre, this time I was in my main shack running the FT-1000MK V and 40m Quad loop that I recently made. Lets hope the good conditions and big DX signals are here for a while or a few more evenings at the very least, you can be sur

Last coffee of the day gets me into Bolivia

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I fancied a last cup of of coffee before I went bed and as the kettle boiled I powered up my dining room mini station to see if anything was happening on the HF bands. My Yaesu FT-890 pictured below is one of my original spare transceivers that I have had since the beginning of my Ham intrests  and works great especially on receive hooked up to a full wave 20m delta loop. This evening/morning at around midnight the coffee was smelling good when I tuned my FT-890 onto 14.209.5 MHz where I heard CP6XE coming in loud and clear from Bolivia. Normally I would have rushed to the main shack station which is my FT-1000MK V but the signal was so clear peaking at 5/9 I decided to call Miguel - CP6XE on the dining room listening station my little FT-890. To my pleasure the home brew delta loop and 100 watts of old school FT-890 did the trick and I made the contact into Bolivia with a 5/3 signal! A great way to end the evening, the only snag is I am feeling thirsty again and fancy ano