Ham Radio Operator - M0YKS

HF radio conditions have been pretty grim on an evening back in the shack lately so I decided to try and optimize my Hustler 6 Band Trap Vertical in the hope that I may get a bit more of a helping hand on the 40 meter band. My new Pup Finn is already showing interest in antennas and is inspecting the new radials for size! I decided to go with the recommended radial sizes seen below taken from the Hustler 6BTV user manual. I used some 2.5 mm multi-strand PVC coated copper wire which is typically used in electrical installations. With the help of my larger soldering iron I was able to join three radials to two sides of the mount giving a total of six radials which worked out as, two for 40M, two for 20M and two for 10M. I might add some more bands later as the result so far are providing excellent SWR readings less than 1.2 without the ATU. I just need some half decent conditions to get some good DX signal reports down on 40M and I shall post the outcome. In the meantime check

On the way in to work I was fortunate to get my 100 watts and FT-857 /m heard by  AL - ZL1BD  I have been hearing AL ZL1BD on and off in the mornings for the past week or so but today was especially good conditions as his signal was peaking at 5/9 as I drove over Baildon Moor. I had a good couple of overs into Hamilton New Zealand and received a 5/3 signal report back to the van. The Shack of ZL1BD AL

Hello from Finn, our new 8 week Lurcher pup. Finn will soon be learning about Ham radio, especially portable operations once he is big enough to embrace the great outdoors.

Sadly My Beloved Companion and Loyal Friend Passed Away On Wednesday The 28th Of December 2016 Dudley was the best dog I could have ever hoped to have had the pleasure of sharing 13 years of pure happiness with. He will be in our hearts forever, My family and I are feeling very sad and hope the New Year brings some good times for everyone.

Up early and checking the bands on Christmas eve, I found two nice stations to work. The first was Bob VP8LP located on the Falklands Islands and the second was Santa Claus operating as OF9X from the Arctic circle. My two young daughters were in the shack and heard me talking with Santa just before he gets ready to set off on his reindeer powered sledge delivering lots of presents.

We hope you have a lovely Christmas and a great holiday!

5T5TI     Mauritania Ahmad 5T2AI and Vlad 5T9VB Tidra Island Mauritania It's always worth that last flick through the bands before bed. I just got lucky with a new DXCC in the log on 40m with my Hustler 6btv and 100 watts out of the FT-1000mp. Now it's time for bed 73

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