The pages in this section deal with anything radio related. Such items covered are the building on various antennas such as the Cushcraft MA5B mini-beam and the Comet H-422 rotary dipole.
Also mentioned are several of the antennas by SteppIR.
I have been involved in the builds of the vertical antenna the SteppIR BigIR, the 2 element SteppIR, the 4 element SteppIR and also the 4 element SteppIR with the 30 & 40M add on kit so I have a basic understanding how they work.
Several photographs will also be shown but many more will be found in the Gallery under the various categories listed.
Additionally there is a section that gives operating advice (from a Belgian operator),
advice and help that you may or may not find helpful.
I have also included the erection of a ‘Tennemast’ 15m free standing antenna mast that is currently in use here at my QTH. It shows photo’s from the preparation of the base right through to the adding of the cage and subsequent antenna(s). The mast is ideal for anyone who can only manage a small mast due to planning, size of property or other local restrictions. I guess it all depends on your level within the hobby but nevertheless it’s sufficient for my needs!
The final item of the moment is the modification i have done to the Acom 1000 Amplifier. The modification only consists of adding a second fan to the unit and again, you may or may not find it useful.
Also mentioned are several of the antennas by SteppIR.
I have been involved in the builds of the vertical antenna the SteppIR BigIR, the 2 element SteppIR, the 4 element SteppIR and also the 4 element SteppIR with the 30 & 40M add on kit so I have a basic understanding how they work.
Several photographs will also be shown but many more will be found in the Gallery under the various categories listed.
Additionally there is a section that gives operating advice (from a Belgian operator),
advice and help that you may or may not find helpful.I have also included the erection of a ‘Tennemast’ 15m free standing antenna mast that is currently in use here at my QTH. It shows photo’s from the preparation of the base right through to the adding of the cage and subsequent antenna(s). The mast is ideal for anyone who can only manage a small mast due to planning, size of property or other local restrictions. I guess it all depends on your level within the hobby but nevertheless it’s sufficient for my needs!
The final item of the moment is the modification i have done to the Acom 1000 Amplifier. The modification only consists of adding a second fan to the unit and again, you may or may not find it useful.
Enjoy the information and if you have any comments both constructive or not, by all means drop me an Email or add an entry to my Guestbook.
Thanks & 73 de Charles….
Again, as several other sites, Bolton Ings is recently aquired and is a beatiful spot tucked away down in the Dearne Valley of South Yorkshire, Northern England.
as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds – some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
spring, the sedge warbler is easy to see because it ‘pirouettes’ up into the air from the tops of the bushes, singing its scratchy song as it goes. In spring, watch the display flights of redshanks over the wetlands. Also look out for the adults walking through the water, showing off their long, red legs. The warm days of summer bring dragonflies out and about, with banded demoiselles a particular highlight. These iridescent green and black damselflies flutter over the surface of the water. The reedbed warblers will be feeding chicks and kingfishers whizz to and fro carrying fish for their young. Broods of ducklings can be seen feeding with their mothers.
stop their ‘mobbing’ attacks until the danger has passed.
Nature Reserve for the RSPB and another great place to come and see the Wildlife whilst combining it together with the hobby of Amater Radio. The skies, fields and open water areas are teeming with birds throughout the Year. 
programme of events, there is something for everyone to enjoy including children on school trips and groups or individuals wanting a more one on one guided tour.
as well as the new additions to the families of the wildfoul and other Birds. dragonflies were also in abundance even if they were difficult to catch on camera! Old Moor is very important in the Winter time as it is a regular stop to over 8000 Golden Plovers. Current sightings of a Bittern on the reserve was great news too!
decline to an amazing 93% between the 70’s and present times and at that time there were only 4 pairs breeding on the site. Today however there are approx. 50 breeding pairs and individually over 400, another good result for Old Moor.
volunteering on the site for some time and this has enabled the RSPB at Old Mill to begin a fruitful partnership with Mencap nearby in the city of Leeds. They have also included an ”insect hotel”, made out of salvaged bricks, pallets, and old roof tiles amongst other things!
Throughout the next 90 minutes I managed to work 16 JA (Japan), 3 DU (Philippines), Luis in HI9 and several others stations in Asiatic Russia. (See log extract below).
The 2 x G3TXQ Hexbeams (built by Ant MW0JZE) were the first up and then we worked on the Windom for 40 and 80M. Everything ran as a well oiled machine and shortly after lunch, all three antennas were up and we moved inside to set up the stations.
Then worse to come was that dreaded smell – something was on fire. A subsequent check showed a hole on a transistor within the PSU and sadly totally n-repairable for here at least. We were now down to two stations.
It became very obvious that conditions were giving us some Sporadic E propagation so they started pushing the higher bands (17, 12, 10 & 6) to give the Island IOTA to as many that required it. We had an amazing time, many stations commenting on how pleased they were to get EU-124 onto the new bands and in particular many ‘G’s that needed it as a new DXCC Band slot. Ant had been slogging away on 6M for a long time with a huge pile up and handed the Mic to Charles to continue. 6M continued to be very good and in total we finished with well over 396 qso’s & 29 Countries on one run on 6m, the better one maybe CN in Morrocco? Before we left we set ourselves a target of 4000q’s for the whole trip and by midnight we closed on 4035 q’s, amazing and very pleased but that was to be short lived.
The black cloud descended over us and we spiralled into depression. We worked several theories for several hours and eventually decided to run the spare ‘Robin’ generator only and to run 100w only. We never gave up the fight and tried many theories were explored over a pot of Porridge (thanks Jane!) and we came up with a plan! Greg (RSPB Warden) kindly offered to allow us yet another Generator which could give us 6Kva so the mood lightened and again, we weighed up our options over a chat until 0930………
We were kept awake most of the night with the predicted ‘bad weather’. Sadly it was worse than expected. Torrential rain was hammering at the windows of the barn and roof and the wind was tremendous. First light at 0400 saw 2 x Hexbeams both leaning to the side and getting buffeted by the very strong wind. There was little we could do, they were unusable in that state so after a chat (again over a bowl of porridge) we decided they needed to be taken down to prevent damage. We all donned out wet weather gear and got stuck in. Taking them down took 15 minutes for each Hexbeam with us all working on the same antenna at the same time before moving on to the other. It initially appeared that the fault was either the rotators not being up to the strain of the wind or the strain on the stub mast and clamps were too weak. Another thought for another day but they were all down and we left the Windom in place. 
We spent the remainder of the morning inside the barn, we dismantled all the equipment and packed it away just leaving the Elekraft K3 and the Windom to use later in the afternoon with a view to making the few required qso’s which would give us 6000 contacts.
We got the gear down to the slip and from that point it took us 50 minutes to load the boat, do the crossing, unload at the Lifeboat Slip, carry the gear up to St. Justinians and to load the Van for the trip back to the farm.
Aethelwold took up residence instead. Among other acts, 
Saint Cuthbert introduced special laws in 676 protecting the Eider ducks, and other seabirds nesting on the islands; these are thought to be the earliest bird protection laws anywhere in the world.
The Rabbit and Puffin populations use the same burrows at different times, the Puffins being strong enough (with a vicious bite) 
to evict the Rabbits from the burrows during the nesting season. The islands also hold a notable colony of about 6,000 Grey Seals, with several hundred pups born every year in September-November. A total of 290 bird species have been recorded on the Farnes, including in about 1760, an example of the now extinct Great Auk. (Photo above – Ian M0BFO working 20M SSB station on Inner Farne).
age, the Farnes were left as islands. Because of the way the rock is fissured, Dolerite forms strong columns. This gives the islands their steep, in places vertical cliffs, and the sea around the islands is scattered with stacks up to 20 metres (66 feet) in height. Many of the small islands are bare rock, but the larger islands have a layer of clay subsoil and peat soil supporting vegetation. 
The dales themselves are ‘U’ and ‘V’ shaped valleys, which were enlarged and shaped by glaciers, mainly in the most recent, Devensian ice age. The underlying rock is principally Carboniferous limestone (which results in a number of areas of limestone pavement) in places interspersed with shale and sandstone and topped with millstone grit. However, to the north of the Dent fault, the hills are principally older Silurian and Ordovician rocks, which make up the Howgill Fells
From a gentle stroll or relaxing picnic to a long-distance walk or heart-pumping adventure, the countryside provides every opportunity for enjoyment and relaxation.
and you’ll help to protect the countryside now and for future generations.
The Inn is the ‘Highest Pub in Great Britain’ and being 1732ft ASL it has a great take off for Amateur Radio for sure. But don’t be lead into a false sense of security as the Snow Mobile parked outside the pub is there for a reason! (see inset). Although it wasn’t snowing, it was lashing it down with rain and setting the Cushcraft A4S up was literally a real dampener on our spirits to say the least. Nevertheless we cracked on and were qrv by late tea time on the Friday and for the next 36 hours. Well, some of us were qrv, the other ‘die hard Amateurs’ found that the 10 second walk into the pub itself to sample the goods on offer 
were more of a temptation than they could handle, ‘Theakstones Real Ale’ not being the only thing on offer for some! 
sections. Running clockwise around the coast, these are the south Pembrokeshire coast, including 
Pen Beri and Garn Fawr, together with the extensive moorland on Mynydd Carningli and Mynydd Preseli, give an exposed
Proximity to the major cities of Manchester and Sheffield and the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire coupled with easy access by road and rail, have all contributed to its popularity. With an estimated 22 million visitors per year, the Peak District is thought to be the second most-visited national park in the world (after the Mount Fuji National Park in Japan).
Howden Dam is of solid masonry construction, and 117 ft (36 m) tall, 1080 ft long. and impounds 1.9 million gallons of water, from a catchment area of 5,155 acres (20.86 km2). During the Second World War the reservoir was used by pilots of the 617 Squadron for practising the low-level flights needed for Operation Chastise (commonly known as the “Dam Busters” raids), due to its similarity to the German dams. Occasional flypasts of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight are staged to commemorate this (As shown in Photo).
The National Park covers 555 square miles (1,440 km2) of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire, including the majority of the area commonly referred to as the Peak. Its northern limits lie along the A62 road between Marsden and Meltham, north west of Oldham, while its southern most point is on the A52 road on the outskirts of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. The Park boundaries were drawn to exclude large built-up areas and industrial sites from the park; in particular, the town of Buxton and the adjacent quarries are located at the end of the Peak Dale corridor, surrounded on three sides by the Park.
designation “National Park” means that there are planning restrictions to protect the area from inappropriate development and a Park Authority to look after it, but does not imply that the land is owned by the government, nor that it is uninhabited. Many of the rivers of the region are unpolluted and low enough in sediment levels to provide a home for the native white clawed crayfish. Ancient woodlands like these have much more wildlife value than plantations or other new woodland. Rocks and scree slopes (formed by the effect of frost on the cliffs above) have developed specialised flora with mosses, lichens and flowers such as herb robert. If movement stops, eventually screes become flower rich grasslands, or woodland, with a great variety 
of attractive flowers. The flowers encourage a range of insects including butterflies and moths. Grasslands have been 
satisfies the needs of the red grouse and is created by controlled burning of the countryside. The red grouse is easily startled and its whirring chuckling flight also startles walkers usually when its not expected!