Tuesday 18 March 2025
I was really pleased with a new QTH. The shore at Blithfield Reservoir, which happens to be POTA park GB-1648. I called CQ DX in the hope of reaching my Australian friends but didn't mind when Raca YU7RQ from Serbia and Paul DL6UEF from the eastern border of Germany answered for a chat.
I was more surprised to hear a UK station, the first I have worked on the 20m band. Despite the fact that the critical frequency was around 10MHz Clive G3NKQ gave me a 529 report and we managed a short QSO. I looked him up and found that he lives very near Graffam Water in Cambridgeshire, so I guess we both were using the water to our advantage.
The best thrill came with Patrick VK2IOW sending in a cracking signal with his 3-element Yagi. With no fading at all, we chatted away for a good thirty-five minutes.
I shall definitely return to this spot. It's a 40-minute drive from home, so a little further than Cannock Chase. But the extra effort is rewarded with a very peaceful scene and a great take-off for HF radio signals.
Tuesday 11 March 2025
I woke at six so that I could get to Cannock Chase in time to rendevous with Australian stations in the CQ QRS Group at 0800. The weather has really changed and in contrast to Sunday's shirtsleeve operations, today the temperature was just 2C.
I'm pretty quick at hooking up the JPC-12 antenna now and for this transglobal operation I chose to fly a union flag from it. The flag didn't bring me much luck though. I heard just one VK station - Mark VK2KI - and I had to keep dodging other Europeans who were calling over me. The CQ QRS - Alerts WhatsApp chat is very handy for letting people know where I was but my Xiegu G90 maxes out at 20W and that was just not good enough today.
My efforts were not entirely fruitless. From Slovenia Milan S58MU answered my CQ DX calls, followed by Val LY2BNL in Lithuania and Henry DL8NBG in Germany.
Back on 40m, I worked Peter G0GYY.
Sunday 9 March 2025
I had a great time at the National Radio Centre yesterday, making a dozen QSOs. I was pretty tired but decided the beautiful sunshine should not be wasted so set out looking for another quiet spot from which to operate. After a couple of likely places turned out to be unsuitable, I pitched up at a picnic site near the old Huntington Colliery. It had a lot going for it - good parking, a pleasant spot and low RF noise floor. The only thing against it was the traffic noise.
Under the oak trees, I joined the FISTS Ladder activity and found Phil 2E0DPH and Tony G3ZRJ on 40m.
I moved to 10m and had a quick QSO with LZ2SO but by then I was really fatigued, so I headed for home.
Thursday 6 March 2025
Having found that the nearby country park has a low noise floor, I set out today and made five very pleasant QSOs in sunshine that was so warm that I was able to sit in my shirtsleeves. The 20m band is reliable so I started there, working Fede IZ1AWE in northern Italy.
On the 40m band, my friends David and John answered my call from the National Radio Centre GB3RS. They were using a straight key and I could tell the difference between them.
David is a big fan of the 10m band. My half-size G5RV doesn't work very well for me on 10m so I was keen to find out what the JPC-12 could do. I was really pleased to see that my 10W signal was being picked up widely, including in Costa Rica. I had QSOs with Alex RA3RKG, Gennady RD3DN (both in Russia) and Kolyo LZ1DB in Bulgaria.
Tuesday 4 March 2025
Sunday's activity in the sunshine reminded me what I was missing in operating from home. Sure, it's really convenient to sit in a comfortable chair in a warm house and to get on the air within minutes. The laptop on my desk allows me to check callsigns on QRZ.com and to look around for signals on my favourite web-SDR and on the RBN CW Club Spotter. But one of the attractions of low power radio in CW mode is that it's elemental. It's an inconvenient way to communicate that exposes us to fundamentals. I have compared it to catching fish from a river with a rod, rather than picking up a fillet from a supermarket freezer.
Operating outdoors under a simple antenna under the sky that carries the signals for many miles without mains power or an interenet connection forces me to use very limited resources.
To enjoy all this though has entailed a 30-minute car journey to Cannock Chase. Wouldn't it be even nicer to do it locally, even within walking distance?
This led me to wonder how far away from housing I would need to be in order to get a really low noise floor. I looked at the satellite view in Google Maps and planned some experiments which I conducted yesterday.
At home with my half-size G5RV antenna, I have a noise floor of around S5 on both the 40m and 20m bands. I put up the JPC-12 antenna in the back garden and found that it produced about the same levels, plus a regular ticking QRM at a rate of about 2Hz. Vertical antennas are more prone to interference from household devices, so this was no great surprise.
I drove to a nearby playing field and set up the radio and antenna in its centre, which was around 100m from the houses and buildings that surrounded it. I was suprised to see that the noise levels weren't much better than at home: S5 on 40m and S3 on 20m.
I set off again and set up in a country park which is about 30 minutes walk from home. From the empty corner of a field where I planted my antenna,the nearest buildings are about 430m to the south. There is another street of houses to the east which are 500m away and one to the west which is about 700m away. Even better, there are large bearing ranges in which there are no buildings for up to 1km. I was absolutely delighted to find that on 40m the noise was S3 - perfectly workable - and practically S0 on 20m.
I'll definitely try this location for a proper radio session soon. And it's good to learn that I need to be around 500m away from housing to get a really low noise floor.
Sunday 2 March 2025
I verified that my new 10m length of RG174 coaxial cable works well by taking my radio gear out under a bright blue sky to Cannock Chase (POTA GB-0261) for the afternoon. It's about half an hour away from my home and the S0 noise floor is glorious. I can hear much weaker signals than I can pick up in (electrically) noisy Wolverhampton.
Even as I was setting up on the edge of the Aspen Car Park, a young couple appproached me and asked politely what I was doing. I relish these encounters with people who are curious and genuinely interested. We had a twenty-minute conversation about radio and about what led me into the hobby. It took no more than ten minutes to get everything plugged in and the JPC-12 antenna erected, so I was able to show them what signals I was able to pick up from the UK on 40m and around Europe on 20m.
Once I bade farewell to my visitors, Markus DC1MTS/P and I met on 40m. He was working portable from POTA park DE-0081, the Ohre-Drömling Biosphere Reserve, near Wolfsburg.
I retuned to 20m by sliding the loading coil along a little and worked another portable German station. Dieter DF1SDR/P was sending beautifully steady CW from Castle Ebersberg, near Stuttgart with his Yaesu FT857d and we chatted away for a good fifteen minutes.
Just one kHz down, IK1IYU/P had activated IT-0962, near the town of Asti in Northwest Italy, and we had a brief exchange.
It hadn't occurred to me to 'spot' myself on the POTA app. I haven't bothered before but it was clear that there were a number of POTA operators out and about on a Sunday afternoon. I called CQ POTA and was soon answered with brief exchanges with EA2DT, Helmut DF1RL and IS0HDP.
The coax and the new little Putikeeg mini key proved themselves and I shall look forward to doing more in the outdoors in 2025.
Friday 28 February 2025
Another afternoon of quality on 40m. First contact was Bryan G0GSY who told me that, like me, he enjoys playing with microcontrollers. His favourite is the ESP8266.
Next up was Ian G4HJM in Leicester, followed by another Ian G4MLW in York. His signal was one of the strongest that I've heard, pushing 90W from his Flex 6600 to produce a signal strength of S9 +30dB here.
Thursday 27 February 2025
I was sorry not to be able to understand Frank OV1CDX, who was too fast and didn't want to slow down or put any gaps between his words.
I had much better luck with Juergen DL4KAJ near Bonn who uses a G5RV antenna like me.
The big moment of the day came with a QSO with my friend John G4FZA. It was my 500th CW QSO and feels like another milestone.
Wednesday 26 February 2025
Many amateur radio operators have a wider interest in technology and its history. Andy was operating as GB9OCH to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first experiments with radar. He was operating from one of the early Chain Home radar stations in Great Baddow, near Chelmsford.
It's always a pleasure to work new operators so up on the 20m band I found Manu IU6TPC working with a nice fist from near Ancona, Italy. According to his QRZ.com page, he has only been using CW since November 2024. He has made remarkable progress.
Finally, also on 20m, I worked Hans OE7AJI in central Austria, who was only using 5W power.
Tuesday 25 February 2025
I briefly thought about taking my radio out to work portable but thought twice about sitting still in the cold. So after lunch, I found Alan G0TAM on 40m.
I was pleased to get a new country in my log. Tony T77C from the principality of San Marino was calling on the 15m band, which I don't visit very often. It was a perfunctory exchange as he worked a long queue but nice to get his call in the log.
I finished with a very pleasant ragchew with Steve G0EAT in Holme on Spalding Moor, Yorkshire.
Sunday 23 February 2025
It's been a busy afternoon. We have very strong gusts of wind and before I could get on the air to join in the FISTS Ladder activity for the second time, I had to do some antenna repairs. I found that the telescopic pole which supports the central feedpoint of my G5RV antenna had partially collapsed. It's not as dramatic as it sounds. The sections are tapered and rely on a tight fit to stay standing. One of them had slipped down, which meant that one leg of the antenna was sitting in the plastic gutter of the house. I had to disconnect everything and undo the clamps that hold the telescopic pole and I suspect I'll need to find a more solid way of securing it all.
Back in the house, I switched on at 1400 and worked four stations in an hour, three of them for the first time, beginning with Phil 2E0DPH in Ely. Next up was Bryan G0GSY in Cleethorpes, followed by Norbert ON4ANE in Belgium and lastly Rich M0RPA in Newcastle.
My operating was made a bit easier today as I have secured my WT 8Amp key to a small bamboo chopping board (£6 for a set of four from Lidl). This makes a surprising difference to the way I send with the straight key. I need to use less force and can be a little quicker.
Friday 21 February 2025
With friends at the NRC, John G4FZA organised a little gathering at 7036kHz this morning. Not quite a net but a friendly chance to meet on air. Conditions were excellent on the 40m band and all stations were 599 to me.
I moved along and, for the first time, worked Terry 2E0CWP near Durham. He was also using a straight key and has an excellent fist.
Thursday 20 February 2025
It's been quite a while since I worked old friend Keith EI5KJ in windy Wexford. He's my most worked station.
Monday 17 February 2025
I've been getting a little better with my Putikeeg mini straight key and worked three stations this afternoon.
First, DJ6UX on 40m.
Then, on 20m and from Schekino, south of Moscow, Alex RA3PMM followed by Genek SP3DGV in Przeclaw, Poland.
Incidentally, I've been playing with the Perplexity AI agent and have used it to help generate the HTML code for each of these blog entries from data extracted from my logbook. I wonder if anyone has connected a large-language model to a Morse generator for a QSO yet?
Friday 14 February 2025
I found John calling as GB3RS on 7035kHz this morning and we passed a few pleasant minutes before visitors came into the National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park. After me, he took a call from an old friend of mine, Paul G0OER. I listened and when they finished, suggested to Paul that we QSY up 1kHz. We chatted away for 15-20 minutes.
Later in the day, I QSO'd with John G0UBE over a distance of just ten miles.
Wednesday 12 February 2025
I'm in the habit of an hour of radio in the afternoons these days and today's effort was rewarded with two excellent QSOs. I found Steve G3ILO/P calling CQ from his narrowboat near Gloucester on the FISTS frequency 7028KHz. I moved up a couple of KHz and put out a CQ call which was answered by Cliff GI4CZW in Enniskillen. Cliff's style is really clear and I felt relaxed head-copying his code for a good 20 minutes. We both lamented the grotty weather that we have at the moment. Both Northern Ireland and the English Midlands are sitting under high pressure. I told Cliff that I'm looking forward to some warmer weather when I travel later this year and that I will be taking my radio with me. We might even be able to arrange a QSO.
Tuesday 11 February 2025
Two really nice straight key, 5W QSOs on 40m this lunchtime. Richard G4TPJ in Tonbridge, Kent, sent fairly brisk but perfect code. It was as fast as I can head-copy at the moment, probably around 17-18wpm but the clarity and accuracy of his sending meant that I got every word. When we finished, Mike M6MPC came on and used his distinctive bug key from the Peak District.
Monday 10 February 2025
On 40m with a straight key, I passed a very pleasant hour in the company GM4HBG, Steve PA2A and Chris G3XVL. It was Chris who introduced me to the FISTS Ladder activity yesterday. I'm keen to do it again in a couple of weeks.
Sunday 9 February 2025
I have been a member of the FISTS Group for quite a while (member number 22169). They hold a relaxed 'ladder' activity with two, two-hour sessions on the second and fourth Sundays in the month. I made three QSOs with other FISTS members today: Chris G3XVL in Suffolk, Pete M5ABN in Torbay and Bryan G0GSY near Grimsby, all using my straight key. According to the rules, that would have gained me 9 points. I haven't done anything remotely competitive in radio. The fast and furious contests don't interest me at all but the FISTS Ladder sounds good.
Wednesday 5 February 2025
Just a quick exchange with DA0FWK,the committee for the Wattenscheider carnival in the Ruhr Valley, followed by a very pleasant fourth chat with Alan G0TAM in North Norfolk.
Monday 3 February 2025
I'm enjoying the straight key at the moment and to get more live practice I made three QSOs this afternoon on the 40m band. First using 5W with Didy DM2BRF in Dresden then, with just 1W, my namesake Simon GOFOZ in Christchurch, Dorset and finally with Horst DK4AC near Hannover. Horst lost my 1W signal in the QRM as someone else was operating close to our frequency but when I powered up to 10W he had no difficulty.
Friday 31 January 2025
I had the special honour this afternoon to work Larry Bennett who was using special callsign GB1GKA to commemorate the centenary of the Portishead Radio Station. Larry worked as a radio operator from 1980 to 2000 and his code was a joy to listen to. I thought it apt to use a straight key as well but my fist is very shaky. This recording is a good comparison of a vastly experienced operator with expert skills and a rookie like me.
Wednesday 29 January 2025
Just one quick QSO today. Another call with the National Radio Centre at Bletchley Park GB3RS. This time, Mike was on the straight key on 7020kHz.
Tuesday 28 January 2025
I sometimes use the HamAlert app to let me know when some of my favourite operators are on the air. It works by using data from the CW skimmers that are run by operators all around the world.
This morning it alerted me to the fact that GB3RS was calling CQ on 7020kHz, so I turned on the radio. Today's operator was Brian, who kindly dropped his pace so that we could have a QSO. The NRC was quiet and there weren't any visitors in the radio room at the time.
Brian moved on to other frequencies and after our chat ended, I was called by Gerald G3MCK. It's the second time that we made contact and his 40W signal from Rutland was very clear and strong.
Sunday 26 January 2025
I made my 500th QSO using my Xiegu G90 radio this afternoon. I worked Drew G0CZE, in Hertforshire, who was using his clever 95AN solid state paddle. It was great that this special occasion was a proper ragchew rather than a perfunctory exchange. Our chat was only curtailed when Drew told me he had to go out in the sleet.
When the opportunity came up to buy the G90 in a silent key sale in April 2023, I was a bit unsure about it. At that time, I was learning CW but hadn't had the courage to get on the air. I hadn't even made an HF QSO from my own home before. I thought that the G90 would be a good introductory radio which I could try out to see if the amateur radio hobby was really for me. With a very small budget, I went ahead hopefully and it becaame an early 60th birthday present from my wife. It's a decision which I have never regretted.
The G90 has a software defined radio (SDR) architecture. This means that most of the signal processing is done digitally. The user interface is through a detachable control deck which has three knobs and twelve multifunction pushbuttons to adjust various settings. They're a bit fiddly but as it's the only radio I regularly use, I quickly mastered them. Until a few months ago, I kept the controls integrated with the main body but I now really enjoy having a tiny device on my desk. Even when working portably, I find that separating the control deck from the radio is ideal. I can angle the screen towards me using a mounting bracket that was designed for under-the-dashboard mounting in a vehicle.
The maximum output power is 20W, which is plenty for CW. Youtuber Walt K4OGO uses voice only but he loves the G90 so much he made a video about the purchase of a second:
Xiegu releases new software from time to time. Mine is still runing version 1.73. which seems fine to me. Later versions changed the setting of the filters, which has hindered CW operation acconding to some.
So will I be trading in my G90 for a bigger rig? No, it really does everything that I need.
Saturday 25 January 2025
Welcome to the Putikeeg Mini straight key, which joined my stable today. I christened it with a QSO on 14058.5kHz with Raz IU1HCC who was operating with his straight key from his home in Savona, on Italy's beautiful Ligurian coast.
The Mini will be perfect for portable operating. It's going to take some getting used to but I'm impressed with the quality of its cast metal construction. It's finished in a matte black which makes the bright red spherical knob really pop.
Before the excitement of getting to grips with a new key, I worked old friend Marco IU4PTG in Modena and new-to-me Alex HB9DTA in Lugano, Switzerland. As soon as I heard Alex's signal, I knew he wasn't using a modern transceiver. Sure enough, he told me that he has a 1980s Italian ELMER military radio with 20W power. I liked its characterful tone.
Thursday 23 January 2025
On my favourite 40m band, I began with Wim PD0HRS for a very pleasant chat and then had a good call with Jean F6GNG in Rouen.
Wednesday 22 January 2025
A little more time today, so I began with a chat with Martin EI2IAB, who's doing well to master the key.
I stayed on 40m for a first qso with Kieran G8HCB near Bromley in South East London and then finished with Roy OP5K near Antwerp.
Tuesday 21 January 2025
I popped onto 20m to work Ray DG4FDQ near Frankfurt.
Monday 20 January 2025
Just a quick one on 40m today. Alan G0TAM near Cromer with a very steady fist.
Friday 17 January 2025
You often hear that CW operators are the most encouraging and patient. That may not be universally true but the four that I worked today were excellent examples who show that there may just be something in this stereotype.
After a week on the straight key, I picked up my lovely Putikeeg heavy duty paddle and tuned the G90 on the 40m band looking for some friendly contacts.
Conditions were excellent and I heard Lindsay G3VNT and Alan G0TAM having a nice chat. I followed on to talk with Lindsay and then, after a very pleasant chat with Richard G0MIE in Glouscester, Alan andswered my CQ call.
I fancied a change, so dropped onto the 20m band where the conversations tend to be more brief but with operators who are farther away. I was delighted that Pierre F5LLY answered my CQ call. Although his signal was quiet, his code was flawless and was easy to copy. He lives at the foot of the French Alps, which I am visiting in a few months. He very kindly said that I am welcome to pay him a visit when I take my radio on a long adventure in a couple of months.
I've been thinking through how I will operate and what I will need for my trip. It will be good to be able to use both a paddle and a straight key, so I have decided to buy another Putikeeg. This time, it's the small but perfectly formed Morse Mini.
The gear that I use for working portable will need to be compact and safely packed so I have been looking at storage options. I'm really pleased to have found a neat way of arranging everything to fit in a small backpack which I already own.
The JPC-12 antenna has its own carry bag and I can stash the 10m length of RG58 coax inside. The bag fits in the backpack along with a 4 litre plastic storage box that contains everything else.
Wednesday 15 January 2025
I'm slowly getting the hang of the straight key as my muscle memory improves. Over the course of an hour I ragchewed with Alan G3ZIK in Bolton and, for the fourth time, with Ian G4HJM in Leicester.
I have worked out a simple system for noting down the essentials on paper, which I can transfer to the log that I keep on Google Sheets. My new system isn't foolproof but I use two rows on a sheet of plain paper to record them in a consistent sequence:
Time Callsign RST (received)
Frequency Name RST (sent)
Underneath these I write any other information that I want to record, including the operator's location, working conditions etc.
Tuesday 14 January 2025
Where does the time go? I've been practising copying using both the Morse Code World Word Trainer and by listening to a web-SDR but I thought I should fire up the radio again. I've been enjoying practising with my straight key too, so I used it on 40m for an hour to work David M7LLH, who has held his licence for just under a year, and Ian M7OPR, who was licensed in 2023. It's great that new operators like us are using CW as our main mode. Until 2003, passing a 12 words-per-minute Morse test was part of the licensing requirement for operating on the HF bands. I'm sure this requirement led many people to resent CW and led them to drop it as soon as they could. Now it's purely voluntary, I'm hearing that it's seeing a little resurgence.
Tuesday 7 January 2025
One of my goals for 2025 was to make a contact over 1000 miles away using 1W power. Well, I achieved it in the first week of the year!
To my joy, Vilius (Willy) LY2PX heard me when I replied to his call on 20m. I was so excited I botched his callsign several times before I sent it correctly. Willy lives in Vilnius, 1121 miles (1800km) from Wolverhampton.
Before that, I had a nice chat, also on 1W, with Jean ON5DE on the 40m band.
Saturday 4 January 2025
Another enjoyable shift volunteering at the National Radio Centre. The cold weather and threat of snow later in the day kept visitor numbers down but we still had really good conversations and engagement with those who came. I made ten QSOs as GB3RS, many of them with visitors alongside who were fascinated to see how we use SSB and CW on the HF bands and on the satellite station.
Wednesday 1 January 2025
The new year is off to a flying start on tiny power levels, which have become my favourite thing. Peter DL9EBA was doing well to copy my 1W signal with a 319 report. Horst DL9FI was using 2W from Saarbrucken, which made our QSO my lowest total-power contact to date. Back on 40m I chatted with Steve M0STN for the third time. His IC-705 sounding very nice indeed and worth every penny of its 5W output.