M6JDB Radio

What A Cracker !

2011-04-05T17:33:00.000+01:00

Well it had to be done some time or another.

My trusty Kenwood TS570D running just 10 watts into a half size G5RV only 20 feet above the ground and up pops VK3HCL
Yes that's correct. South Shropshire to Melbourne on 10watts SSB !

Hold tight for the confirmation email !!

New House and New Job !

2010-06-20T22:30:00.000+01:00

Sorry I haven't been around for a while but I have had to move house ! All my efforts in the garden flattened and returned to lawn. All my radio masts, aerials and wires taken down and stored. Had to eat loads of take aways because we hadn't got a cooker.

I am now completely skint from all the moving costs and other associated troubles.
On the upside I am now living a more rural life in a small South Shropshire village

Here's to the good times that will follow and to all the new challenges that come my way.

Give me a few weeks and I will be posting on a regular basis again. We only had the internet connected yesterday.
Thanks to everyone for the e-mails of concern and I will be replying in due course.

Let's have another happy day tomorrow,

James Broadhouse ( M6JDB )

Another amazing contact

2010-03-18T11:49:00.002Z

What a day, I came home for lunch and flicked the radio on while I was making a sandwich. I listened on the 10 meter band and although it was quiet I could hear some activity low down. I turned the 2 element quad around until I got the loudest signal, I could hear someone but the QSB was quite bad and the signal was fluctuating between a 3/0 up to a 5/2 and even 5/5 for a couple of seconds.
I couldn't quite catch the call sign but I could hear others calling in. I carried on making my sandwich and with the signals building all the time I kept listening.I still couldn't catch the call sign but though I would call anyway. M6JDB I shouted, no return. 3 or 4 times then I got a call back. The signal had picked up and the other operator was about 5/3 - 5/5 We made contact and exchanged signal reports. I asked for the call sign and Peter replied ZD7FT repeat ZD7FT. The is St Helena Island in the South Atlantic. 5,000 miles from my QTH.
After 3 laps of the kitchen I came and wrote this, back off to work now, skipping all the way !

James Broadhouse ( M6JDB )

10 Meter Contact Confirmed

2010-02-16T13:28:00.004Z

Well here is the proof !

I e-mailed Paul HS0ZIN yesterday and asked him to confirm the QSO on 10 meters

Frequency 28.495 mhz

Date 15/2/2010

Time 13:18 G.M.T

He returned an e-mail confirming the contact and also a photograph of himself Installing aerials at his QTH in Thailand. What a result !

Hi James I can confirm contact 28.495mhz your report r5 s /7/8 at 1318 uct good luck with the radio club I have one in Pattaya about 15 ex pats are members but very few turn up! I will be on 10m again today lets hope condx. good again

73's Paul HS0ZIN

So with only 10 watts out of a Kenwood ts 570 D and a 2 element boomless quad mounted just 22ft above the ground I made a contact over 6,000 miles away at the bottom of the sun spot cycle ! That must give hope to all newly licensed out there who only have limited power to play with.

Thanks for the speedy reply Paul HS0Zin

73's and Good DX

James ( M6JDB )

New 10 Meter Contact

2010-02-15T23:04:00.002Z

Just a quick note to say that today I broke my 10 Meter distance record by making contact with HS0ZIN operator Paul in Thailand ! That is 6,000 miles as the crow flies ! 6,000 miles with a 2 element quad and 10 watts ! I was so excited I ran round the kitchen for half an hour !
Anyway I have sent him an email to see if I can get the contact confirmed by email.

Fingers crossed

James ( M6JDB )

Kenwood VS-3 Installation

2010-02-10T22:57:00.009Z

It was my birthday a couple of days ago and I was bought a VS-3 for my Kenwood TS 570 D. I fitted it this morning. It was very simple to do and to illustrate this I am going to do a quick run through.

What is a Kenwood VS-3 ?

Firstly a Kenwood VS-3 is a voice synthesiser unit. It fits a number of Kenwood Transceivers including the ever popular TS 850, TS 2000 and my very own Kenwood TS 570D.

The VS-3 is very use full option for mobile, portable and partially sited sighted operators because it very clearly announces the frequency that you select and are either transmitting or receiving on. This is done without breaking the receiving audio which means that you can double check a frequency while still listening for a return to a CQ call etc.

The photograph above right shows the scale of the VS-3 against the upturned Kenwood TS 570D

How To Fit The VS-3

This task can be performed by a complete novice as I myself demonstrated today. The hardest part was finding the last of the 8 screws I took out so that I could put them back in.

Seriously it is that easy.

Turn the transceiver over so that the bottom is uppermost as in the picture top right.
Remove the 8 screws holding the case to the chassis 1 in each corner and 2 each side
Remove the casing and place to one side
Locate the slot for the VS-3, This is on the extreme right about 60mm up from the front face. It is clearly labelled VS-3 option
Slot in the VS-3 board. Make sure that the components on the board face inwards and the black cushion towards the outer casing. Note, DO NOT REMOVE THE PLASTIC SLEEVE on the VS-3
Make sure the VS-3 is fitted securely and replace the casing
The VS-3 Securely Fitted
Replace all 8 screws and turn the transceiver back to the correct way up
Reconnect, Mike, Power lead, Earth and Aerials.
Switch on and test. ( On the Kenwood Ts 570 D this is done by pressing the a/b button or the pf button on the top left of the front face.
Job Done ( Kenwood TS 570 D )

That is the job completed, very simple. Congratulations to Kenwwod for making these things easy by clearly labelling where the add on components go. All I have got to do is get to grips with the additional features which are accessed via the MENU button and the Multi Channel Knob.

When the transceiver is correctly set the VS-3 can be used to announce the operating frequency, memory frequencies, the full operating menu and current settings and even the signal report from the S-Meter on the front Panel. A fantastic piece of kit for people with restricted vision either through radio location issues when mobile or the visually impaired or even on field days and for clubs when multiple operators are present.

Inverted L for 40 & 80 Meters ( end fed )

2010-02-01T22:30:00.007Z

Maybe an idea for a new aerial ?

End Fed Inverted L for 40 & 80 Meters

Please click on the photograph to enlarge.

Well I had a difficult QSO with a couple of ham enthusiasts up in the North East of England this morning. They were talking on 80 meters and I was struggling to hear them and they were struggling to hear me.

At the moment I am running a 2 element boomless quad for 10 meters, a crude home made vertical for 20 meters and a half size G5RV mounted at 15 feet above the ground. Not ideal for the longer wavelength bands I know but I am working on it.

I have picked up the skeleton of a 4 element 10 meter quad ( cheers Dave M5AFD ) and intend to use it to make a 2 element quad for 20 meters and a 2 element quad for 10 meters ( which my dad can use ). This will reinforce my strengths on the shorter wavelength bands but still leave me wanting on the longer wave length bands.

However, the above diagram could prove the answer. It was kindly sent to me by G0ABY, and previously described to me by David M3MQR. I can utilise the 55ft length of back garden I have available and also the 30ft mast that my quad sits on. The only thing that is holding me back is the length of coax needed ! I also think that a more extensive ground system may be required than the simple earth rod that has been used in the diagram but that will be trial and error when the aerial is up and running.

I have a lot of aerial ideas at the moment but sadly not enough materials or the correct tools at the present. I shall keep my eyes open for some suitable wire going cheap and also some fiberglass poles. Something should turn up soon and then I can get out there and give it a go.

Meanwhile I can still be found most days calling CQ on 28.500. USB. So give me a shout and if you want to arrange a sked then drop me an email via my website http://www.m6jdb.co.uk/

73's

James

DX Trip Planning

2010-01-29T10:29:00.002Z

Last night we had a meeting of The Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society and all 5 of us decided that this year we will have a weekend trip to the Severn Valley Railway. This will enable us to transmit from a different grid square location and use a special call sign authorised by the RSGB.
It was a low turnout last night but us 5 die hards were still there. We need new members and the only way to do that is to raise the profile of the club.
I have added a couple more pages to the the society website, please take a look
http://sites.google.com/site/wolverhamptonradio/

Today I will contact the RSGB and also Wolverhampton City Council so they can link to the new website. I will also try and promote the society on W.C.R 101.8 FM which is the community radio station in Wolverhampton or the Voice of Wolverhampton as it is known. I work there part time on a voluntary basis. It is great and with a great bunch of people too. I can get plenty of experience interviewing local influential figures for the Wolverhampton Today Programme as well as working on my own projects too. Plus I get fantastic studio, editing suite and production training from skilled people with a wealth of experience an know how.

Hopefully with all of this publicity we can attract some new members and restore the Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society to its former glory.
Its not long until our centenary year so it would be great to get the society up to full speed again.

73's until next time

James (M6JDB)

New Website

2010-01-22T12:41:00.002Z

Well last night at the club meeting of Wolverhampton Amateur Radio Society it was decided that we should set up a club website. I promptly volunteered. I don't have vast experience in these things but I do have the desire to learn and at the moment I also have a bit of time on my hands.
It is thought that having a website will raise the profile of the club and in return increase membership. So far I have set up a holding page with directions to the meeting place. This can be seen at http://sites.google.com/site/wolverhamptonradio/ . As I get more information I will add it to the site, Committee members, active members, photographs etc,etc.
Hopefully I will be able to link it up to the RSGB website and encourage some new interest in the hobby.

RSGB membership !

2010-01-16T20:46:00.001Z

Well my RSGB membership pack came today and it is well worth the money !

As you can see from the photograph above the welcome pack contains

RSGB Members hanbook
RSGB Member certificate
Sample Issue of RADCOM magazine
Members Diamond Pin Badge
Members Book List to which I am now entitled to 15% discount
RSGB Bookmark

Plus you get loads of other benefits too. I am over the moon. My RADCOM magazine will be sent directly to my house for the next 12 months and that alone should cost more than the membership fee. True value. That is very rare these days.

Band openings

Back to the bands and boy they were lively this morning. On 80 meters and 40 metersAt around 7am I had most of Europe and central America 5/9 and some up to plus 30 which on a half size G5RV at only 5 meters above the ground is amazing ! I did make a couple of contacts but nothing spectacular.

10 Meters has been a bit quiet but I have made plenty of local contacts and some regular ones too.

I don't normally use many other bands apart from 12 meters ocassionaly

I have got a couple of ours before bed tonight so I am off to put the radio on now !
28.550.00 If any one is around,
73's
James (M6JDB)

Home brew 20 meter quarter wave vertical

2010-01-14T19:38:00.003Z

This is a quick snapshot of my home made 20 meter quarter wave vertical that I made out of an old CB half wave Silver rod. It is just over 5 meters in length and has 3 radials each 5 meters long and coming down at around 45 degrees. It works quite well and I have had some good contacts around Europe and even a few stateside ! The aerial isn't very efficient but does have a very wide bandwidth and an S.W.R of 1:1.1 is achievable across a large portion of the 20 meter band.

However the vertical will be coming down because as you can see, to the right of the vertical is the center of my half size G5rv. This is mounted in a fully horizontal position. It is not very high either at only 5 meters above the ground but it is does work well and is a good standard to compare my other aerials too.

I will be constructing a 40 meter delta loop and hopefully this will tune up on 20 meters too so that I can compare against the results from the vertical.

The idea I have for the 40 meter delta loop is a large horizontal triangle positioned at gutter height ( 5 meters above ground level ) and secured to the fascia board on the house and a conifer tree at the bottom of the garden. This seems the simplest method as the 4:1 Balun or even 9:1 Balun that I will use to lower the impedance to a more manageable level can be securely attached to the house and fed with the shortest length of 50 ohm coax possible.

Your thoughts and comments on this configuration are more than welcome.

73's

James (M6JDB)

New contact, no aerial faults. New aerial picture

2010-01-13T21:32:00.003Z

This is a photograph sent to me by Dave M5AFD.
He ran this aerial for years before upgrading to a 3 element Stepp ir.
I am off to pick it up in the next week or so and use it as it is or even modify it to a 20 meter quad.
Whichever way you look at it its a real bonus.

Cheers Dave !

Today I was trying to sort out the problem with my 2 element quad and half size G5RV but it didn't stop snowing. I shook the snow off both aerials and tried them across the bands. They both worked fine, in fact I even had a contact in to the Ukraine on the quad. His name was Yuri, UR7EP and we had a quick QSO which was 5/9 both ways and then I moved on.
Would you believe it ? ! ? ! ? Both aerials working fine ?
Well that's radio for you.
Anyway I shall probably get a couple of hours air time tomorrow so more tests then.

73's

James (M6JDB)

RADIO ON !

2010-01-12T22:23:00.002Z

Well at long last the radio is plugged in and turned on ! The G5RV seems to be working fine but the 2 element quad seems to be stumbling a bit. Maybe there is some water in the coax or the snow and ice has penetrated the PL259 plug and socket. This will be very annoying as I spent ages waterproofing it with self amalgamating tape. I also noticed that I can't quite rotate it through 360 degrees which was disappointing as the one chap I was talking to was in the blind spot !
On the plus side it was good to be back on air ! I had some good local contacts on 10 meters 28.5800 or round abouts.
M5AFD Dave Shrewsbury
M3MQR Dave Wolverhampton

Both operators were interested in my aerial projects including the 40 meter delta loop and also the end fed inverted L i have been thinking about constructing.
Plenty of advice, help and even materials were offered !
Does this happen in any other hobby I wonder ?

Both operators have previously constructed their own aerials and were keen to set me off down that track. From the 2 plans I have available and the materials to hand then I think the 40 meter delta loop will be the first one to be given a go. I have looked at the website of M0UKD and studied the plans for a 9:1 balun or unun and if i can get the bits then I will try it. However with my birthday just around the corner I could try to get my beautiful wife to by me one from the www.snowdonia-radio-company.co.uk They 9:1 balun seems quite reasonable at only £18 for one complete in a weather proof box including delivery.
I have got a reel of coax that I think is 75 ohm so that would be good to use as a matching stub for the delta loop.
I don't want to waffle on tonight, early to bed and early to rise so I can try and work out whats wrong with the quad and also try and catch some early morning DX.

73's

James (M6JDB)

No radio today !

2010-01-09T22:04:00.003Z

Still not very well so I haven't set the radio up let alone put it on !
I did get my fix of listening done though because when I telephoned my dad he was trying out his new SSB filter on his Kenwood TS 850.
It made a difference instantly and I could tell that over the telephone. It seemed to sharpen the signal without amplifying the QRM or QRN. My dads callsign is M6DWB but I doubt you will here him on the air, he is an avid listener but does make ocasional contacts but they are quite few and far between.
He loves his aerials and is looking to build a HEX Beam and with a bit of luck I will be following the construction project on this BLOG.
I am 100% committed to trying out my 40 meter delta loop, I have got the kevlar rope and now just need some aerial wire and a couple of 10 meter roach poles to carry out the project.
Hopefully my throat will be better by monday and I can contact the Snowdonia Radio Company to talk about there UNUN Transformer and also a 4:1 BALUN so that I can carry out some experiments.
Also I will try and add some radio contacts and Photographs to this blog to liven it up a bit.
73's

James (M6JDB)

HF radio ? Condensing boiler drain pipe freezing !

2010-01-07T20:35:00.002Z

Christ, not only am I ill and can't get all my jobs round the house done so I can get the radio set up and back on, but the bloody drain on the condensing boiler has frozen up !
The boiler is located in the kitchen and has been on constantly for the last 4 days. The drain pipe goes out through the kitchen wall and then into the down pipe from the guttering. There was water all over the kitchen work surface and when I looked closer I could see it was coming from the drain chamber underneath the boiler.
I thought Christ the boiler has had it and it's only 6 months old ! I emptied the trap and it was clear, i checked the pipe and that seemed OK, I went outside and had a look at the 9 inches or so of pipe out there and it was frozen solid !
It must be cold for such a short length of pipe at a 45 degrees to freeze solid !
The only thing I have got to thaw it out is some tea light candles !
What a nightmare this is !

Any way what I am trying to say is that if your condensing boiler starts to make some strange noises and stops working then this drain pipe is a good place to start !
I will be off to the D.I.Y shop tomorrow morning and get some lagging to try and stop this problem.
I didn't think I would be caught out in the so called "BIG FREEZE" but it looks like I have.

On the plus side, having been forced into action and having to think on my feet and do something has made me feel a lot better. I will have that radio set up by tomorrow afternoon and hopefully be getting some call signs in the log book !

73's and good DX

James (M6JDB)

P.S I have found the long extension lead out and am going to give that pipe another quick warm up with the hair dryer before I go to bed.

What a let down.

2010-01-06T20:32:00.003Z

Well it has been about a week now and I still haven't got my radio back on !
I feel like death warmed up, I can hardly move about but have had to put the effort in to look after my hens.
I keep checking http://www.dxwatch.com/ and every evening 40 and 80 meters is wide open to Europe and as far down as Australia and New Zealand !
How i would love a 5 and 9 from one of those places on a cold winter night !
My dad phoned today and told me he had bought me a hundred meters of Kevlar rope so it looks like I will be able to make my 40 meter delta loop as soon as I feel fit and well enough.
When I was out in the garden today my 2 element quad and half size G5RV were covered in snow and ice ! The home brew quarter wave for 20 meters looked like some kind of ice sculpture.
I am using my down time to do some research on baluns and especially a SRC 9:1 UNUN transformer. I am going to ring the chap at the http://www.snowdonia-radio-company.co.uk/ tomorrow as I think it might be a good tool to experiment with and have a play around with some long wire inverted V antennas. I will document all my trials and experiences and take plenty of photographs. I can't guarantee I will do much on my blog once the radio is back up and running, once my ear is tuned in its hard for me to do anything else apart from think radio.

Ashamed

2010-01-05T20:15:00.002Z

Still not very well and had to do an airport run today in all the snow on the M6.
Felt really rough so went to back to bed when I got in this afternoon.
I am gutted I haven't set my radio up but I really do feel rough. I am going to update my food diary and then I am off to bed again !
I cooked some good food today though and I will make sure I do tomorrow so I can get rid of this illness

Disappointed

2010-01-04T19:36:00.000Z

Very diaspointed, not very well at all today so I have been mainly sleeping, watching tv and eating rubbish !
I don't really watch tv and after a day in front of the box I can see why !
Non stop programs about buying a house, selling a house, buying stuff for inside the house, selling stuff at auction, buying stuff at auction etc etc etc ! What a load of rubbish ! I have really fell out with the tv now.
At least with radio you aren't compelled to sit on your fat arse while listening to it and you are free to do other things !
Anyway back to HF,
I love HF I really do. I can't believe I haven't had the set on since December 23rd 2009.
I have got to give some relatives a lift to the airport tomorrow so I have promised myself if I am well enough that the radio will be reinstalled tomorrow.
I did have a little look up at the aerials while I was out feeding my hens this morning.
That is a photograph of my 2 element quad for 10 meters

Pantomime today

2010-01-03T20:59:00.000Z

Radio is still under the bed but will be set up again tomorrow, probably only be listening though as I have a stinking cold and my throat is killing !
Well at least it will be good to get my ears tuned back in again and I bet you any money you like I will soon be shouting if I here some VK stations around.
I have been looking at some diagrams of 40 meter delta loops so I might rig one up soon !

Still no radio !

2010-01-02T11:31:00.000Z

Radio still not set up ! Family party tonight and a family visit to the pantomime tomorrow at wolverhampton grand theatre.
My radio is usually set up in the corner of the kitchen so as you can see it has to be put away for christmas.
I will get it set up again monday, hopefully the bands will still be alive.
According to www.dxwatch.com there have been several vk stations on 20 meters and also some south african stations.
It won't be long now................ CQ CQ CQ DX ..... can anyone hear M6JDB ?

No radio today !

2010-01-01T18:11:00.000Z

Well its the first of January and my radio equipment is still packed away so I can spend some more time with my family.
I have been keeping one eye on dxwatch.com over the festive period and I am looking forward to getting back on the air !

Day one !

2010-01-01T14:18:00.001Z

Happy new year and welcome to my radio blog.

I love HF and although I currently have a very limiting set up I try and do my best.

My aim is to update this online diary on a daily basis even if there is nothing to report.

I have started today even though my radio is currently packed away for Christmas.

My working conditions are normally a Kenwood TS 570 D, a half size G5RV at only 15ft above ground and a 2 element boom less quad which is designed, built and tuned for 10 meter operation. This is currently mounted at 20ft above the ground ( to the centre point )