Category: HF

Days 287, 288 and 289 – A bit of (almost) everything

There’s a bit of everything in this update.  Variety is the spice of life! I only had two QSOs on day #287 though, I first worked KD4FNI, Glenn on 15m and then I heard EA3JW, Jim calling CQ DX on 40m.  I wound the power down to 10 watts and asked if he’d mind working […]

Days 283, 284, 285 and 286 – PSK31 sign-offs

Day #283 was the first day back home after I’d been away all weekend for the RSGB Convention and I realised very quickly that morning that perhaps I should have taken the day off to recover.  Although I’d been sensible and not had really late nights while away, they were still long days and I […]

Days 276 to 282 – The RSGB Convention and getting a US amateur radio licence

Here’s what should be one of the last ‘regular’ updates that consists of just a list as it brings me up to date.  I’m not saying there won’t be lists in the future when I work a lot of stations such as during a contest but they’ve served a purpose here and I’ll be shifting […]

Days 266 to 275, Alimast sections are all assembled

Lots of QSOs over these ten days, with quite a few data contacts during contests.  Here’s a list. At the weekend I finished off the assembly of my Alimast sections.  I’d done a lot on Saturday as per my previous update but having ripped so much skin off my knuckles, the first thing I did […]

Days 256 – 265 and more Alimast building

Another bumper update so again it’s a list – It makes sense (to me anyway) to provide a list like this as it saves extra typing! I’m especially pleased by the QSO with TR8CA using PSK125 – I’d seem them work a few stations and suddenly there was a change in the audio, I was […]

Band conditions – wallop, what happened there?

Today is Saturday. I woke up and got up around 08:00, at 08:15 I was on the wireless giving away a few points in the CQWW RTTY contest.  I only operated S&P and in 45 minutes I’d worked 25 stations starting off on 40m and switching to 20m after a while.  I worked all over […]

Days 246 to 255

To get me back up to date, I’m going to do a couple of big updates and because each one will cover around ten days it’s going to be a log extract in the form of a list as I reckon that’s the easiest way to do it.  There’s a nice range of contacts there […]

Days 243, 244 and 245 – Late night data

These days were while I was still on holiday and as tends to happen when I’m not at work, I become slightly nocturnal.  On one day in particular I went to bed, really couldn’t sleep and ended up getting up, coming back into the shack and playing radio. On day #243  I first worked OK1DX, […]

Days 240, 241 and 242

I’ve become a bit lapse in updating the blog with QSO details and so I’m a few days behind here – I’ll try and catch up over the weekend.  But just because I’m not writing the blog doesn’t mean I’m not using the radio. On day #240 I first worked a few more stations on […]

Operating portable with homebrew aerials

One of the things I love about amateur radio is the fact that there are so many facets to the hobby that there’s always something new to try.  At the meeting of the Colchester Radio Club last month there was a talk by Kevan, 2E0WMG about operating portable with lots of photographs of him operating portable […]