Ham Radio Operator - M0YKS

Tonight I spent a couple of hours down on the 40m band as I called CQ PSK31 on 7.038MHz. I called longer than usual before I could complete my fourteenth QSO of the challenge. After a while I was answered and I made my first QSO of the day. The first station that I worked tonight on 40m PSK31 was Jordi - EB3JT at 21.52 utc (See below the QSO with reports and QTH information). Our two stations are located 871 miles apart and when I looked Jordi - EB3JT up on QRZ.com, I noticed he had a nice looking station.  I also found out that Jordi was also a Satellite chaser. Perhaps I will work him again on VHF via an amateur satellite. In the meantime its another great QSO in the February challenge log. Below is a screen shot of the QSO decoded using PSK31 Deluxe. I Copied the text from the PSK31 Deluxe window and pasted it here for anyone who might be interested! RX> 2Ø:33:26 UTC TX> 21:5Ø:48 UTC CQ CQ CQ de 2EØHTS 2EØHTS 2EØHTS CQ CQ CQ de 2EØHTS 2EØHTS 2EØHTS

My thirteenth challenge QSO was made this evening at 21.23 utc as I worked Nikolaj - UR5BFX via the SO-50 Satellite. I have worked Nikolaj - UR5BFX from KN29TN (The Ukraine) many times but not for quite a while, so it was a real pleasure to hear him coming in 5/5 loud and clear via the Sat. I received a 5/5 report back and went on to work a next station before loosing the "bird" which happened to be SP5XSD. The total distance between UR5BFX and my station is 1203 miles. The SO-50 Sat is orbiting at an altitude of 412 miles above Earth. That's another nice QSO in the log and another completed challenge for the day!

Every Sunday morning since I can remember I always make the effort to listen to the local  RSGB News broadcast , which transmits from 9.30 local time on 145.525MHz FM. This months GB2RS News is read out by G4KQJ - Bill, who is located about 10 miles away from me in a town called Brighouse. After the news Bill - G4KQJ moves down frequency to 145.725MHz and invites stations to call him with any reports or comments. My February QSO challenge Day 12 was completed by working Bill - G4KQJ, who was 5/9 on 145.475MHz at 10.02 utc. I was also 5/9 at his end and we had a nice QSO with quite a few overs exchanged.

Earlier today I was working portable from an alternative location where I was demonstrating amateur radio to three students. I took my FT-857, FT-817, my home brew tripod, 80m - 15m - Hustler mono band antennas, as well as my ARROW MKII Sat yagis and hand held transceivers. I demonstrated the equipment to the students on the HF bands and then moved up to 2 meters FM hoping to make an actual QSO. At around 13.15 utc I put a call through a local repeater - GB3TP  (145.125MHz input 145.725MHz output, 82.5 CTSS) and was pleasantly surprised to work three stations that all came back to my call. The three Stations were very familiar to myself  and each other, I knew all three in person and it was an absolute pleasure to make my challenge QSO with M1PAC - Phil (Keighley, West Yorkshire). I also worked  M0DIT - Josh (Keighley, West Yorkshire) and 2E0NTT - Richard (Skipton, North Yorkshire). The GB3TP repeater is located high up on the local Moor Top and has an excellent footprint that

I fired up the shack later than usual due to a busy evening. I heard a few Contest/Club Stations warming up their equipment for this weekends Dutch PAAC Contest . I carried out my usual tune around the HF bands to find some big signals coming in well especially on the 40M band. I tried busting a pile up that KK1KW was creating on 7.128MHz for a good 30 minuets without success, the operator - Fred pulled the plug before I was heard. I continued to listen around 40M as there was plenty of activity, on 7.096MHz I heard Contest Station CN3A located in Safi, Morocco booming in at 5/9 +. At 21.47 utc, I called a couple of times and managed to penetrate another pile up to work CN3A with a 5/9 report completing today's QSO challenge! The Total  distance between our stations is 1565 miles short path. It will be interesting to find out how many miles I end up covering in the end.  I shall add up the total mileage of every completed QSO challenge, if I manage the whole of February

Day 9 of the QSO challenge was completed whilst operating down on the 80m band (3.583MHz). This portion of the band is used by stations operating PSK31 and is always busy with plenty of activity to choose from.   I watched my P.C screen whist running the PSK31 Deluxe Super Browser where I  then made a nice QSO with ON5UN - Erwin. During our QSO I was using 30W, FT-1000, RIGblaster plus and C.W antenna. The software I use for PSK31 is PSK Deluxe. ON5UN was at a total distance of 305 miles away from my station. Our QSO can be seen below with the time and station information. The actual PSK31 QSO RX> 21:34:48 UTC CQ CQ de ON5UN ON5UNCQ CQ de ON5UN ON5UNCQ CQ de ON5UN ON5UNPSE K oe TX> 21:35:11 UTC ON5UN ON5UN de 2EØHTS 2EØHTS RX> 21:35:23 UTC p- o***2EØHTS de ON5UNHI DEAR SimonUR RST 599 599MY NAME ERWIN ERWIN MY QTH LOCHRISTI LOCHRISTI LOC JO11WC JO11WCHOW COPY? BTU 2EØHTS DE teen5UN PSE KN tet nI t r .L s ia TX> 21:36:29 UTC ON5UN ON5UN de 2EØHTS 2EØHTS

After a busy day I finally fired up my shack and began listening up and down the bands to see what I could hear and possibly work. I spent an hour or so checking out the HF bands to find most of the bands to be closed down for the day. I checked out the lower bands where I heard a Japanese station coming in with a weak signal working a huge pile up down on 80m. Apart from that nothing much of great interest was going on. At 22.15 utc I had my Satellite antennas beaming a 315º and my Ft-847 was on standby for LEO SAT Saudi Oscar 50 -  SO-50  , when I heard CT2GOY - Jose. CT2GOY was coming in well at 5/9 when I gave him a call via the SO-50 Satellite. We made our QSO at 22.21 utc where I received a 5/7 signal report back from locator IM58KP. We worked each other via the SO-50 Satellite cross band repeater orbiting Earth at an altitude of 405 miles. Our QSO was made using a 145.850MHz uplink and  436.795MHz  +/-  downlink from the Space craft. The distance apart between our two gr

Today's QSO was with GM4PPT - Dick from Ayrshire Scotland. GM4PPT is what I consider as a radio pal as I have worked Dick many times from my other shack over the years with lots of great rag chewing taking place on 144 SSB. I worked GM4PPT at 20.52 utc on 144.336MHz (2 Meter band) during tonight's RSGB 144MHz UKAC . Dick - GM4PPT was a 5/1 signal at my end (IO93CU). I received a 5/2 signal report and serial no back from GM4PPT in IO74SK. For the Day 7 February QSO challenge, I was using my YAESU FT-847 with 50W into my 5 Element Cushcraft Yagi. GM4PPT runs an Icom IC910X into 2 x 12 Element M2 stacked Yagis and a Dressler D200s Amplifier. The total distance between our stations is 154 miles which on 144MHz ticks the box that says DX. 73

Today's challenge was the most difficult so far. I tried to make some QSO's via VO-52 and SO-50 without any success so I spent some time listening around 20m and 40m in the hope of hearing an interesting or possible DX station to try and work. Conditions were not so good but eventually I did find VE2CAQ coming in loud and clear up on the 20m band. VE2CAQ was operating very well and managed to get through many of the stations that were calling him. I tried calling for about 15 minutes when I got lucky and finally punched through the pile up. VE2CAQ - Chris was 5/9 at my end and he said I was coming in the same 5/9 signal with good audio from my Heil Goldline GM5 base Mic. Our QSO took place at 20.04 utc on 14.265MHz. My computer log notified me that I had worked Chris back in March 2006 on the same band Another completed challenge for Day 6 and an opportunity to see the shack and antenna array of VE2CAQ at a total DX Distance of 3057 miles short path to Sherbrooke, Queb

The QSO challenge for Day 5 was made on the 80M band at 20.11 utc where I worked DO1HEP - Hermann operating SSTV on 3.730 MHz. I was sending some slow scan CQ Calls when Hermann - DO1HEP received my signal and came back with some of his own slow scan TV images as seen below. DO1HEP - Hermann was using Yaesu FT-897, 100W into a long wire antenna. I was using 25W from my FT-1000 with a RIGBlaster plus interface and Mmsstv software into my Windom antenna. I don't operate SSTV as much as I would like to and enjoyed making this QSO. Our stations are at a total distance of 515.6 miles apart, I am pleased with my completed challenge of the day. 73

I was up early as today the College I work at had morning "Taster" sessions for local schools booked in. I teach welding and fabrication and was required to be present and able to deliver a couple of sessions to 20 students. On my journey in I had my FT-100 mobile transceiver switched on to the 20M band where I stumbled across Henk - VK2GWK . VK2GWK was working many stations as I drove on my journey listening on 14.173 MHz, I was hearing Henk at a signal of 5/5 - 5/8 through my mono band Maldol 20M antenna. VK2GWK heard me calling /mobile and came back with a 4/4 report for me at around 08.13 utc, I gave a 5/8 report back. Henk also remembered our previous QSO up on 15m from my shack and was pleased we could do it again on a different band and from my mobile at a  total distance of 10500 miles short path or possibly 14357 miles long path. Either way another fantastic challenge for day 4 completed. VK2GWK Station comprises of  Yaesu FT 2000, Emtron Linear

It was nice to leave work in the day light as Friday is a slightly earlier finish time. When I arrived home a checked the bands to see which were open where I heard stations on 10M, 12M, and 15M. Despite all of the interesting activity I was hearing, I thought I would have a listen down on 40m as well. I tuned around and found a nice pile up on 7.170 MHz where I received a big signal coming out of Moscow. R2DA - Valery was booming in to my Ft-1000 with a signal strength of S9+20 with very good audio. I waited for the right gap to appear in the pile up and put one call out which was heard at R2DA - Valery's station at 16.28 utc. My report back from Valery was 5/9 and I managed to find out that R2DA was running a 4 element yagi, 40m above the ground. It was doing a fine job for him, I was using my Carolina Windom antenna. Total distance apart short path 1571 Miles. This is fun! Day 3 challenge complete, See you tomorrow and have a nice weekend! 73

Tonight's challenge has been met!  I caught a nice DX station coming in well on the 15M band earlier this evening. I am pleased to report that Day 2 see's AI0L - Mark from Northern Colorado entering my February log. I worked AI0L - Mark at 17.34 utc on 21.252 MHz, I heard AI0L 5/9 solid copy with a 5/6 report back. Mark was running an ICOM IC-756 Pro 2, with 400 watts into 4 element stepper antenna. He was sounding great at my end with a DX distance of 4482.6 miles between our shacks. I am enjoying the February QSO Challenge as set by M3TLL - Louise, very much. Its working out pretty well so far with a couple of nice contacts in my log, I wonder what tomorrow will bring? 73

I accepted the challenge set by Louise without too much persuasion and I am pleased to report my first QSO of February. The QSO took place today at 18.01 utc on the 15M Band where I managed to catch Bill - VY2LI located on Prince Edward Island (IOTA NA-029). Bill was 5/5 with QSB to my FT-1000 and Carolina Windom antenna, I was given a 5/3 report also with QSB back from VY2LI - Bills station. So I guess I have got off to a nice start working a total distance of 2699.5 Miles short path for my 1st of many February QSOs. I was also pleased with an opportunity to work on 15M catching the bands last minutes before it closed down. I have read the comments from Bas - PE4BAS and Paul - M0PCZ and hope we bump into each other one evening somewhere on HF, it would be very nice indeed! I hope to succeed in this terrible challenge Louise has ordered hi hi I wonder what the prize will be ;-) 73 for now, I shall be back  tomorrow with hopefully another nice call sign in the log, until then t

Hi everyone, Louise (M3TLL) here. Louise - M3TLL and ham-in-the-making Elsie Just thought I'd share with you a radio-themed challenge I've set 2E0HTS which begins tomorrow. Every day throughout February Simon must make at least one contact on the radio. There's no conditions other than he must post the callsign, frequency and time he works the contact here on his blog. It can be any band, any time of day, any country, mobile, portable or from home. Feel free to join in his February QSO challenge or just visit his blog to see if he actually can make at least one radio contact every day. Listen out on the bands for 2E0HTS who should be more active than usual this month. Now I just need to think of a reasonable forfeit (if he fails the challenge) and get some earplugs (in case he succeeds and I get sick of it!) Good luck Simon! M3TLL - Louise