Ham Radio Operator - M0YKS

Its been just over a month since I installed my new antenna and what a difference it has made. I have the Cushcraft MA5B mounted on a home brew tripod with a short mast and HYGAIN CD45II rotator. The antenna set up is not as high in the sky as I would have hoped for, but nether the less it is working really well. I have made lots of good QSOs across the Atlantic when the band has not been very good, I have noticed that the vertical and Carolina Windom are miles apart from the reception quality of the MA5B. I keep hearing big signals on the beam and when I switch to the other antennas I can barely copy the same signal. I suppose I should have expected this from my many previous experiments with beams and verticals on vhf where I have worked satellites on 5 watts with my arrow or IOIo antenna and struggled to achieve any contact with a vertical. With the new antenna working so well on bands that are not as good as they could be, I can't wait until the conditions are cooking! The

This years summer holiday has been excellent as I enjoyed lots of family time at our holiday shack and also plenty of Van Camping in the DX Machine. I also managed some great ham radio contacts and got my Cushcraft Beam up at my QTH  which has made a big difference for me, its working well! Its come around quick as I am back to work next Tuesday but I have certainly made the most of my time off. The family have had a great time and we still have the bank holiday weekend to enjoy. Best 73 and here are my latest contacts followed by some pictures I caught out and about on the Welsh Island of Anglesey and also the East Yorkshire coast during my summer tour.

After a great holiday on the Island of Anglesey with the family away from it all, I got back home and took my Cobweb antenna down. The time had come to get my Cushcraft MA5B out of the shed and up in the air. I have had it for a number of years but had not had the opportunity to use it. I must say I am quite impressed so far with the performance of the "mini beam"and I can see quite a difference in signal reception. I have already started working some good DX with the MA5B 3 element Yagi, lots of North and South America and also Bob VP8LP from the Falkland islands. I am very happy that I put it up even though it is not as high as i would of liked. Hope to hear you on the bands soon! 73 de Simon M0YKS

           M0YKS Holiday Shack The bands are fairly quiet, the British summer weather is as mixed up as ever but the holiday shack is as excellent as ever... As you can see I'm getting some rest bite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life as we all enjoy plenty of fresh air walks and radio. As you can imagine there is lots to do exploring the outdoors and the family have a good time doing so.  I brought my telescope and let my oldest have look at last night's moon which was very exciting for her. She keeps wanting to make some qsos as well so maybe you will hear her soon. I also have my handheld transceivers charged and ARROW satellite antenna set up ready to go if the chance arises. In the shack I am running my FT-767, 817 and 2600m and active mainly on 40m and 20m so far. I hope band conditions start to improve throughout the week, I heard but didn't manage to get back to YB71RI Indonesia and VU2RCT India yesterday eary evening on 20m. Their signals we

After 6 months of testing I decided to take my 40m delta loop down. The verdict was it tuned up amazing from 80m through to 10m but was no better than the Carolina Windom on performance. The biggest positive to come out was the visual impact of the fibre glass pole and delta shaped wire which has been engraved on the YL and neighbours minds so my Hustler 6btv could sneak in to the open without being noticed. With this in mind I carried out some servicing of the Hustler, soldered up some new coaxial feed and hammered a new mounting stake. I used a sold steel 40mm diameter bar as my ground spike and some stainless box section which slides over snug. The job went well and the result is good with the Hustler 6btv up away from the trees. Last night the bands were quiet but I made a couple of nice qso using it. The next job will be refitting some radials.  Catch up with you all soon. Thanks for the visit, best 73 De M0YKS Simon 

The ISS caught my eye just now as I let the dog out. I caught ISS on my Samsung Galaxy S5 as it hurtled past high in the sky at a speed of 7 miles a second. 73.

Operating from the holiday shack is still as good fun as ever! The bands are not particularly good at the moment but I still managed a few  qso' s and some good radio time on my old setup that I use at my holiday shack. Listen out for me playing radio throughout August as I continue to enjoy family time and holiday's. 73