There were some nice conditions on 6m yesterday evening and while tuning around I heard SV9GPV on Crete working a long string of stations. I joined in the throng but in half an hour of calling I didn’t manage to get through the pileup. In the end he QSYd to 4m so I tuned further […]
Days 194, 195 and 196 – I’ve got a new wireless!
As you can see from the above, I’m now the proud owner of a Kenwood TS-590S. I spoke to the insurance company on Thursday morning and we went through the details of my claim. Only one item was questioned as they’d managed to find the same model laser printer I’d listed at £40 cheaper than […]
Days 190-193, the insurance claim is nearing completion
I was expecting to be at work on days #190 and #191 but that didn’t happen and so for the first time in nearly two weeks I had some real free time to play radio. I started on day #190 by working DL0YLA, Annette on 40m and then having a very quick QSO with E77WM […]
Plans for a new aerial mast
As documented elsewhere, I did significant work to my VHF aerial system last year consisting of a new rotator, cable and masthead preamplifier. This has been all very good and has given me a half decent VHF aerial system but it’s also shown weaknesses. My location isn’t great for VHF, the aerial would benefit from […]
Days 185-189, two visits from the insurance company
Not many QSOs during these days but that’s not too surprising as my shack really is decimated with no computers, a bare minimum of an Internet connection through a dodgy router and a borrowed radio balanced on top of my old broken radio. On day #185 I spoke to PA/ON4IPA, Martin on 40m, on day […]
Review – June
Luckily I keep a paper log as well as a computer log so I am able to provide some statistics for the month of June. I can’t give as much detail as usual but the basics are here. QSOs made: 301 QSL cards sent: 231 DXCC entities worked: 49 New DXCC entities worked: 3 DXCC […]
Days 178-184, lightning, security and insurance
Day #178 saw me just working the higher bands, I spoke to DO8ABS, EW6DX and IZ5ENZ on 10m and HA5JI, YO5OHY, SP7HKK and HA6NL on 6m. Day #179 was the day of the lightning strike but luckily for the project I’d worked W4DXX, Eric on 20m in the morning before leaving for work. It’s unusual […]
QSO365 struck by lightning, future in jeopardy
At around 17:05 yesterday (28th June) my house suffered a very near lightning strike. My wife and daughter described it as a very bright white flash and a simultaneous bang which sounded as though a huge goldfish bowl had smashed right behind them. My neighbours have described a feeling of something going through them and […]
Days 175, 176 and 177 – I’ve now worked 100 DXCC entities
I’ve done a fair bit of data over these three days, largely but not exclusively down to a contest at the weekend which was 75 baud RTTY and PSK63. Day #175 didn’t include a contest though but I still had a go with some PSK – I worked SP3SLO (Paul), F8KHR (Dom), OK1DOZ (Beda), UT1PA […]
A magazine article on the future of amateur radio and my thoughts about it
A recent correspondent in the letters section of an amateur radio magazine admits to having “caught the bug” of amateur radio, agrees that there should be a proper licensing test of operating procedures and the use of appropriate instruments to prevent interference, but “cannot really see the point of everyone having to learn basic electrics […]
