Category Archives: Operating

operating my amateur radio station M0INI.

General, Operating

ICOM 726
ICOM 726 avatar

As you know, my classic rig, my ICOM 725 failed quite some time ago, and it turned out that the square chip behind the display gave off some smoke.  Since parts were not available, I have missed operating my classic ICOM 725.

Replacement ICOM 725

The search for another ICOM 725 started with an eBay search and a reminder being set up should one come up for sale.  I would even accept a “parts donor” rig, that would allow me to get either one working such was the fun and nostalgia I have had operating my classic rig.

Unfortunately, everything that came up, was at top bat price for a very average rig.  There were no “parts donors” that came available.

So, I widened my search to include the ICOM 726, a very similar rig that also includes the 6 metre band.  I have never transmitted on 6 metres nor 4 metres, so this may be an option should one become available.

After 18 months, the only 725 I saw was a very expensive average condition one, and for 726’s, two, both expensive and in Japan..!

Mint condition ICOM 726

Well last week, Graham M3XXG, posted to eBay a mint condition ICOM 726, and I was very interested.  The price was a little high, but, for the condition, and the fact that it was been well kept drew my attention.

After making contact via eBay, I decided to purchase the rig, and drove over to Graham’s QTH to collect.  The rig has a very nice receive, and we put out some calls on 40 metres, but it was a very busy pile up.  Hay oh, such are the bands sometimes.

So, the 726 is now back in my shack, replacing the failed 725.  I am very pleased with my purchase, and hope to operate it mobile some day as well.

Thank You

A big thank you to Graham, M3XXG, for selling me the rig and for keeping it in such a nice condition.  I certainly will keep it in good condition during my ownership.

Operating

Cornwall 2025
Cornwall 2025 avatar

I took the bold step not to bring any amateur radios with me on holiday this year, and only pack CB’s instead.  As you know, I love all types of radio and choosing CB for my holidays was a change.

I have with me my Harvard “Good Buddy” on UK FM only, and a pair of Maycom AH-27 handhelds.

CB Radios Are Useful

When travelling and towing, some of the service area car parks for vehicles towing trailers, boats and caravans can be busy, and sometimes frankly a free for all.  Asking Mrs M0INI/XYL to pop out with a handheld CB certainly assists with any reversing blind spots.  We usually use channel 33 or 36 on UK FM for this.

Walking the handheld

Where we are camped, at Cambrose Touring Park, is very close to RAF Portreath, the remote RAF listening post on the north Cornish peninsular.

So today, in the blisteringly hot Cornish sunshine, I put on my boots, and went for a hike with a Maycom AH-27.  Does this make it a “walkie talkie”?  LOL – sorry for that..!

RAF Portreath

Anyway, at the summit of the hill, I could see the very impressive antenna array of RAF Portreath and a snow white radar golf ball in the distance.

As we are so high up, I can see why the RAF chose this location as a remote early warning listening station.  The take off for transmitting and receiving even with a handheld CB is excellent.

I plan to return another day with fresh batteries and see if I can make some European contacts as 26TM998/M.

Events, Operating

DXpedition South Andaman Isles 2025 – Callsign VU4AX
DXpedition South Andaman Isles 2025 – Callsign VU4AX avatar

Expedition News

DX-Adventure is thrilled to announce our upcoming DX-pedition to the beautiful South Andaman Islands (IOTA AS-001) operating as VU4AX.
From March 10th to March 20th, 2025, an experienced team of 12 operators will be active from South Andaman, operating 6 stations around the clock on bands from 10m to 160m (incl. WARC + 60m), using CW, SSB, and DIGI.  Months of careful planning and preparation have brought together an international team of experienced DX-peditioners, including: ON4AMX Marc, ON4HIL Patrick, ON5UR Max, ON5RA Pascal, ON5TN Karel, ON6CC Marc, ON7FT Jonas, ON7USB Geert, ON7RU Franky, ON8AZ Francis, PA3EWP Ronald, PA9M Marcel.
Six stations mean a lot of material and it is a big challenge to transport it all to VU4. With 1.150kg of equipment meticulously prepared, we will try to offer the best experience possible for you, covering 24/7 operations to maximize the change on having a QSO with us. VU4 ranks as #28 for the USA and #53 worldwide, making it a rare and exciting challenge.
Needless to say, your support is essential to make this DX-pedition a success. We deeply appreciate our sponsors and suppliers for their ongoing support and welcome further contributions to help us achieve a memorable DX-pedition.
Stay updated with the latest news at www.dx-adventure.com.
Licensing, Operating

Update to Tango Mike DX Group
Update to Tango Mike DX Group avatar

A little update to my Tango Mike CB callsign and the TM DX Group’s directory listing.

I moved from Lancashire to Shropshire in 2013, but, I forgot to inform the Tango Mike registrar of the move, so the directory entry for me, 26TM998 no longer reflected my QTH and so needed updating.

Today, I kindly heard back from Simon, G7UFS, that the entry has been updated.

Many thanks Simon.

Here is the Tango Mike directory listing for England.

Events, Operating, Stafford and District Amateur Radio Society

JOTA 2024 Event Report
JOTA 2024 Event Report avatar

Today (Saturday 19th October 2024) the 1st Ashley Air Scouts had a very successful JOTA (Jamboree On The Air) from Hugo Meynell school in Loggerheads with help from the Staffordshire and District Amateur Radio Society along with myself.

My main role today was educational, to teach the Scouts, Cubs and Beavers some of the phonetic alphabet and explain why we use call signs to identify stations and why we speak the call signs in the phonetic alphabet they have just learned due to poor operating conditions.  Some already knew their phonetic alphabet, and as one young cub pointed out, I didn’t even know the normal alphabet..!  I was just testing them, or rather, that was my excuse.  LOL

After their lesson, they were let on to the club’s HF station, an Icom 7300 connected to a DX-Commander operated by Paul, and with his assistance, contact was made with other JOTA stations, and very basic messages were exchanged, like names and with what they had just learned, the spelling of their names phonetically.

Between 10:30 and 15:00, I believe contacts were made in York, Hebden Bridge, Jersey, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Vietnam, Mauritius and Taiwan.

The conditions of the bands were very noisy, 40m being the worse, so in the late morning, I got the impression that everyone was crowding on 20m in order to make a JOTA contact.  In the afternoon, the 40m band picked up again, but, signals seemed distant, quiet, and faded in and out.  A very difficult band to work today.

Due to these really difficult working conditions, GB1SDS did try listening out for GB4FAS (operated by my radio club The West Manchester Radio Club), but, despite trying, GB1SDS simply could not hear GB4FAS 70 miles away.

Overall, a very busy and fulfilling day, I would definitely do it again.

I would like to say a big thank you to the members of the Staffordshire and District Radio Society for their assistance in helping this local scout group do this and the troop gain their JOTA badges.

Operating

Antenna Analyser MFJ-266B Question
Antenna Analyser MFJ-266B Question avatar

An antenna analyser question. I have a MFJ-266B, note the “B”, the later improved version, and have had it for checking HF antennas for about 10 years. It always gives the same SWR as a meter on HF, so I have never suspected it, or doubted it, until today.

Today, as it is my birthday, and I fancied spending it playing radio, I thought I would have a go at making a home made mobile 2/70 antenna on a quick release to go on my cars mag mount.

With all the components assembled, I am expecting a 1/4 wave to be between 19″ and 20″ to be resonant around 145 MHz and 435MHz ish.

The analyser shows the 19.4″ whip to be resonant at 113MHz, 130MHz, 446MHz, and 471MHz. No amount of adjusting the length of the whip causes the analyser to deviate from these resonant frequencies.

These numbers just don’t look correct. Surely, the UHF readings should be somewhere near a multiple of x3 of the VHF resonant frequency.

Putting my 10m antenna on the car, it shows a resonant frequency with the analyser of 28 MHz, which is expected, as I also use this antenna for UK FM CB as well as for 10m.

I have never used this analyser for VHF and UHF before, and I am suspecting it is not reading correctly above HF.

Has anyone used an MFJ-266B for VHF/UHF before? And, how accurate are they on these higher bands?  Thoughts everyone please…

 

Kindest 73’s,
Mark M0INI
mark@m0ini.radio

#AntennaAnalyser #MFJ266B #M0INI

Operating

Operating Mobile CB 22/09/2024
Operating Mobile CB 22/09/2024 avatar

On a Sunday, I take my son to his Taekwando lesson.  Parked up waiting for Samuel, so, mobile today doing some CB for a change, what with the storm and the strong Russian stations clearer than UK ones, it was very difficult when only running 4 watts. Unfortunately, I don’t speak Russian.

I can hear Rob 59ST02 in Greece clear as a bell on channel 40, from the island of Rhodes, but, other stations just stomp on my replies! So I never got an over with him.

With a Thunderpole whip on a mag mount, a slightly off SWR of 2:1, and all this heavy rain, I was really struggling.

For next time, I will see if I can get the SWR lower, I used to achieve an SWR of 1.2:1 when I used the same antenna on a roof rack mount.  Oddly, my SWR is higher with the mag mount.  I would have expected the other way around.

Until next time…

73 de Mark, 26TM998
“Spark Transmitter”

EDIT: The SWR is now down to 1.2:1.  It was found that there was some tarnish on the centre pin of the coax from the antenna.  Overhauling both ends brought the SWR down nicely.