Ham Radio Operator - M0YKS

Last weekend I carried out the planned work on my Cushcraft MA5B which was the swapping over of antenna masts. In the end I decided not to go with the telescopic mast as it seemed slightly flimsy compared to my 50 mm diameter tube so I ended up just carrying out some maintenance checks on the fixings and rotator. The higher end of the HF bands have been unreliable on an evening for the past couple of weeks so I have been having a listen down on 40 meters as well as 80 meters where some activity has been found but nothing to write home about. I have been pleased with the performance on 40 meters from the vertical Hustler 6BTV since I re-sited it away from the trees. The Carolina Windom has also had some of my time as I decided to get the feed point higher up in the air from around 20 feet to 30 feet, which seems to be working out reasonably well on 80 meters. Hopefully the conditions will be improved on the higher end of HF and I will be able to use the beam but for now its

Just finished making a new clamp system to use with a telescopic mast. I am planning to swap it over this coming weekend and it will be used for the Cushcraft MA5B.

As usual I caught some of the Contest on video.

4 Days To Go! I am getting my amateur radio station ready to participate in this years CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest.  The CQ WW is the largest Amateur Radio competition in the world. Over 35,000 participants take to the airwaves on the last weekend of October (SSB) and November (CW) with the goal of making as many contacts with as many different DXCC entities and CQ Zones as possible. More info on CQ WW DX 2016 Last years CQ WW DX 2015, I finished with an England 16th position with a score of 50,050, the year before I was the 17th highest score in England. So its 15th highest scoring out of England to aim for or higher this coming weekend! Hopefully the antenna tweaks and new beam will give me what I need to succeed but most of all good band conditions are what I am hoping for.  The Contest starts at  0000 UTC Saturday 29th     Ends: 2359 UTC Sunday 29th Last years Certificate for M0YKS Hope to catch you in the contest. 73. Good DX!

I cant believe how ten years could pass by so quickly! I have enjoyed sharing my growth in amateur radio as I have gained experience over the past 10 years, it has been fantastic to have made many friends over the years through comments and emails. I just want to say THANKS to you ALL for stopping by and taking the time to check out my latest ham radio antics.  Its truly amazing to see how many visitors that there has been to this blog from all over the world as well as how many hits some of the more popular posts like Delta loops, Satellite ops, and what HAM stands for have had. I hope to continue with this blog, my main site and my YouTube channel for many years to come. Once again thanks for stopping by at Ham Radio Operator dot Blog-spot dot Com.         Best 73, happy DXing and see you on the bands soon.

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

Today is YORKSHIRE Day and as I am born and bred in Yorkshire I always enjoy myself and feel proud to be part of this special day. Whilst we were out and about in the Yorkshire Dales earlier today I worked special event station GB0YD from my DX mobile up on the 2 meter band. GB0 Yorkshire Day was operating from a high point on the North Yorkshire Moor Tops known as Garrowby Hill which was about 50 miles east of my mobile location. It made the day complete getting a qso with the Yorkshire Day call sign, my own call M0YKS also has a Yorkshire ring to it. That's all for now apart from.."Si Thi later..73..Av a Appy YORKSHIRE DAY"!

Just two days to go before I take my summer leave from the College and I cant wait to play some Ham Radio during my month off! Who knows where I will be operating from? The shack? The Caravan Shack On The Moor? The DX Mobile? You can bet I will be active from them all as well as by the seaside and other places of interest. Listen out for M0YKS across the bands. 73 enjoy the summer!

Attention all radio hams and short wave listener's. Watch out for a brand new 2hr contest coming your way this month courtesy of the South America Sprint group. Please read the message below if you haven't already been invited. It sounds like it could be lots of fun and I will be active during it. Best 73. We would like to invite you to the SA Sprint Contest. This is a new contest organized by several South American amateur radio clubs and groups. The contest is only two hours long, the rules are really straightforward and we have included the QSO/QSY rule to make it really fun. You can see the full rules at: www.sa-sprint.com/rules Several logging programs have included support for our contest: www.sa-sprint.com/software The contest will take place on July 23rd, 2016. From 2100 to 23 UTC, on SSB and CW (40 and 20 meters). Everyone can contact everyone for QSO points credit. Mults are SA prefixes. Please feel free to tell your friends about the SA Sprint. Th