This news page is maintained primarily for archival reasons and is no longer actively linked to (although the stories it contains should be current).
My RSS Feed is the best way of obtaining these news items, and the most recent are also displayed on my amateur radio homepage.
- RSGB AFS Contest
[This news item has no summary. Please click the page link to view the article.]
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2010/rsgb-afs/
19:02:55 16 Jan 2010 UTC - M0BLF Year In Review 2009
[This news item has no summary. Please click the page link to view the article.]
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/archives/year-in-review/2009/
11:53:40 1 Jan 2010 UTC - MM0BLF/P IOTA+SOTA Sept 2004: Logs online
Log search from my IOTA and SOTA operations in September 2004 is now available.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2004/gm#logsearch
15:58:05 5 Dec 2009 UTC - VE2/M0BLF/P and W1/M0BLF/P (2003) log-search added
My logs from my 2003 DXpedition to the islands of the St. Lawrence Passage and US Eastern seaboard are now online and searchable. I have also added a direct link for requesting bureau QSL cards to all log search results on my site.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2003/ve2#logsearch
22:03:23 28 Nov 2009 UTC - G7WJF Log now available
It has been a big project to type up over 1500 QSOs recorded on paper, but the logs for my old 'class B' callsign, G7WJF, are now available to browse and to search on my site. I held this callsign from 1996 until 2000 (although most of my QSOs from 1998 onwards were made with my current M0BLF callsign).
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/qsos/g7wjf/
16:52:23 24 Nov 2009 UTC - MW0BLF/P August 2009: Logs now in SOTA database
With apologies for the delay (I had misplaced one of the bits of paper I logged on), the logs from my SOTA activations in Snowdonia in August are now on the SOTA website. They can also be browsed and searched on my site.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2009/gw
12:47:14 24 Nov 2009 UTC - CQ WW DX SSB 2009: M4A
I was one of 14 team members at M4A for the CQ WW DX SSB Contest. Claimed score is 4,586,025 points from 3,566 QSOs.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2009/cqwwssb/
14:24:17 1 Nov 2009 UTC - CQ WW DX SSB 2008: M4A win First Place M/S England
Received a certificate this morning: M4A got 1st place in England, Multi-Single in CQ WW DX SSB 2008.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/cqwwssb/
14:23:56 1 Nov 2009 UTC - Successful DXpedition to Ilha Culatra (EU-145)
Our DXpedition to the Ilha Culatra (EU-145) on 5th-6th September was a big success, with over 400 QSOs made.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2009/ct/
14:22:42 1 Nov 2009 UTC - DXpedition to Ilha Barreta (EU-145) Announced
I will be one of a large group of operators activation Ilha Barreta, off the coast of Faro in Portugal, on 4th-6th September 2009.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2009/ct/
09:18:51 29 Aug 2009 UTC - CQ WPX CW Contest
I made 101 QSOs in the CW leg of the CQ WPX contest.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2009/wpx-cw
20:15:13 31 May 2009 UTC - Dartmoor Radio Rally
Sorry I've been rather QRT of late - PhD thesis is getting near completion and has been taking over my life. Today was the annual Dartmoor Radio Rally, however, and I was helping out as usual. Photos are on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnas2/sets/72157617689720488/ and, if you missed last year's video of the rally on YouTube, a reminder that it is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYeM-KqedZs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnas2/sets/72157617689720488/
21:15:10 4 May 2009 UTC - 2kg of bureau QSL cards sent
I today posted nearly 2kg of QSL cards to the QSL bureau, only two months after the last 1kg load. In addition, recent logs for both M0BLF and M4A have been uploaded to LoTW.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/qsl-cards/
13:19:44 7 Jan 2009 UTC - RDXC Contest Results
The results from the Russian DX Contest held on 15th/16th March 2008 were released at the end of December 2008. I came 54th of 254 entries in the SOSB/20 category, 47th of 182 in Europe. After log-checking, I had 335 QSOs, giving a total of 181,104 points, a reduction of some 19% from the claimed score.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/rdxc/
09:45:47 3 Jan 2009 UTC - Year in Review 2008
During 2008, I made a total of 1164 radio contacts as M0BLF, in 83 DXCC entities.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/archives/year-in-review/2008/
16:12:22 1 Jan 2009 UTC - M0BLF in CQ WW DX CW Contest
I made 200 QSOs in 51 DXCC entities in the CQ WW DX CW Contest, which I entered part-time in the SOSB(A)/40 LP category.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/cqwwcw/
17:37:04 1 Dec 2008 UTC - QSL Cards sent
I have sent large batches of QSL Cards to the bureau and also direct today. Most of the bureau cards were for GH6UW (Les Minquiers Islands, September 2007).
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/qsl-cards/
16:19:52 17 Nov 2008 UTC - M4A claims 4,246,532 points in CQ WW DX SSB 2008
The Cambridge University Wireless Society entry in the 2008 CQ WW DX SSB contest was one of the most successful in recent years, with a total of 4,246,532 points claimed.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/cqwwssb/
09:49:44 29 Oct 2008 UTC - CQ WW DX SSB 2008
I will be one of the team operating the M4A station in the multi-single category in the CQ WW DX SSB contest this coming weekend.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/cqwwssb/
12:40:43 22 Oct 2008 UTC - Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) - GB2WDS
This coming weekend (18/19th October) the Dartmoor Radio Club are operating a special event station on behalf of West Devon Scouts for the annual Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). Look for GB2WDS on HF bands, around the World Radio Scout frequencies. We would be glad to contact anyone, especially other JOTA special event stations, and would appreciate you taking time to receive 'greetings messages' from the Scouts. Unfortunately, we will be unable to start until about 12:00 UTC on Saturday due to another event in the hall, but will then be on-air until Sunday afternoon. We are expecting potentially well over 100 Scouts to come so it should be quite fun. I understand that the local media have also been invited. We will be operating from Lamerton village hall (Map: http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=lamerton&countryCode=GB ). Please note that there is no internet access at this location, and so we will not be able to participate in JOTI. 73 es JSW :)
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/social-events/2008/jota/
16:56:33 17 Oct 2008 UTC - Ham 2.0 presentation online
The presentation that I gave at the RSGB's HF Convention on 12th October 2008 is now online. Entitled 'Ham 2.0', it looks at the convergence of amateur radio and Web 2.0, both in terms of Web 2.0 services (Part 1) and technologies that we need to introduce in amateur radio to take advantage of this, particularly focusing on XDIF (Part 2).
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/social-events/2008/hfc
13:29:18 15 Oct 2008 UTC - TF/M0BLF logs on LoTW
The logs from my operation in August 2008 on Grimsey (EU-168) and Heimaey (EU-071) islands, Iceland, are now on the Logbook of the World.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/qsl-cards/lotw/
09:15:36 24 Sep 2008 UTC - GH6UW Logs on LoTW and Log-Search at m0blf.org.uk
With apologies for the long delay, I am pleased to announce that the logs for the CUWS trip to the Les Minquiers islands as GH6UW in September 2007 are now on the ARRL Logbook of the World and can also be searched via my website.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2007/minquiers/
17:23:38 23 Sep 2008 UTC - CQ WW DX SSB 2007 Certificate arrived
The postman managed to fold it while putting it through my letterbox, but this morning the certificate for our 2nd place in England in last year's CQ WW DX SSB contest (multi-single category) arrived.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2007/cqwwssb/
11:10:07 16 Sep 2008 UTC - IOTA talk at Dartmoor Radio Club
On Thursday 4th September 2008, I will be talking about the Islands on the Air award scheme at the Dartmoor Radio Club's monthly meeting. The talk will cover some of the history and background of IOTA, the equipment that I use for DXpeditions and the video of the GH6UW DXpedition to the Les Minquiers islands in September 2007. If time permits, some of the raw video of TF/M0BLF in Grimsey and Heimaey islands may also be shown. More information about the Dartmoor Radio Club can be found at http://www.radioclubs.net/g1rcd/about.php and any visitors are welcome.
http://www.radioclubs.net/g1rcd/events.php?events_id=914
13:22:12 1 Sep 2008 UTC - TF/M0BLF Log-Search now available
Log-Search for my recent (August 2008) operations from Grimsey and Heimaey islands in Iceland is now available at http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2008/tf/ Please note that this is for QSOs with me, TF/M0BLF, only; not the other operators on the trip.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2008/tf/
09:22:59 13 Aug 2008 UTC - TF/M0BLF - Grimsey and Heimaey Islands
I'm back from Iceland, after operating from Grimsey Island (EU-168) on 4th-6th August, and Heimaey Island (EU-071) on 9th August. Some more information about the trip is now on my website (m0blf.org.uk) and photos are on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnas2/sets/72157606686872083/ Logs will be added in the next couple of days.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2008/tf/
15:33:40 12 Aug 2008 UTC - ARRL DX CW Contest 2008 Results
After log-checking, my score in this February's ARRL DX CW Contest was reduced to 24,795 points (145 QSOs, 57 states), a reduction of about 10% on the claimed score. I came near the bottom of the European SOAB(A) category, which was won by DD2D with 1,196,775 points.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/arrl-dx-cw/
13:21:56 30 Jul 2008 UTC - IOTA Contest abandoned
I managed 50 QSOs in the IOTA contest on Saturday afternoon until a fault developed in my vertical antenna just as darkness fell. This resulted in an SWR of more than 5:1 on every band. I am still investigating the cause but obviously I was sadly unable to continue in the contest.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/iota/
07:55:59 27 Jul 2008 UTC - DXPedition to Grimsey, EU-168
From 4-6th August, I expect to be active from the island of Grimsey to the north of Iceland, IOTA EU-168, as TF/M0BLF, along with TF/M0SCH and TF/G3ZAY.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2008/tf/
16:52:06 22 Jul 2008 UTC - Comments on young people in contesting
An email I sent to the UK-Contest email list as part of a thread about participation in contests, especially by the younger generation.
http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/uk-contest/2008-July/010860.html
08:05:06 18 Jul 2008 UTC - CQ WW DX SSB 2007 UBN received
This morning I found the UBN report from the CQ WW DX SSB contest last October waiting for me in my inbox. After log-checking, M4A's score was reduced by 13.2% to 2,355,210... mainly due to carelessness with the band-change rule. Something to watch out for next year!
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2007/cqwwssb/
10:57:14 17 Jul 2008 UTC - IARU Contest
A very problematic contest for me, but I'm quite pleased with the 285 contacts that I made. Claimed score: 70 485 points.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/iaru
13:40:05 13 Jul 2008 UTC - IARU Contest
During the weekend of 12-13th July, I will be active in the International Amateur Radio Union contest from my home QTH as M0BLF, in the Single-Operator, Mixed-Mode, All-Bands (Low Power) category. My target this year is to improve on my 2006 QSO total and to make at least 300 QSOs.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/iaru/
09:22:40 8 Jul 2008 UTC - G6UW (Cambridge University Wireless Society) archives now catalogued
As a result of the Cambridge University Library's Janus project, the archives of the Cambridge University Wireless Society, dating back to 1920, have now been catalogued on the University Library system. The full details of what the box contains can be found at http://tinyurl.com/6akhk3 (TNX: M0HSW)
http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0265%2FSOC.96;recurse=1
10:14:10 20 Jun 2008 UTC - Log-Search in Beta
The log-search facility on my website has now been launched into beta. Please note that not all logs are available yet and it is very much a beta-test. So, you might ask, what is special about yet another log-search? This one is rather different. Every QSO that I have ever made is referenced by a static, hackable, URL which contains log-data in the computer-readable XDIF format and I think I am probably the first person to do this. I'm still working out what the use of this could be, but I suspect other developers will have ideas about what could be done. Anyway, full technical info is linked from the log-search page at http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/log-search/ Please do give me feedback.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/log-search/
14:49:19 25 May 2008 UTC - More thoughts on technology in amateur radio
The debate over the integration of new technologies in amateur radio seems to be hotting up with the advent of CW Skimmer. My post on the UK-Contest reflector gives my opinions on this matter.
http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/uk-contest/2008-May/010468.html
12:17:03 3 May 2008 UTC - California DXpedition Cancelled
Owing to G3ZAY's family commitments, our trip to the Visalia DX Convention, combined with the DXpedition to Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz islands off the Californian coast, which had been expected at the end of this week, has been cancelled.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/w6
08:34:54 14 Apr 2008 UTC - QSL Information
I have dealt with recently received direct QSL requests for all callsigns that I manage this morning. Bureau cards have also been processed, but will not be mailed until the RSGB has completed moving the QSL bureau.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/qsl-cards/
12:34:25 13 Apr 2008 UTC - DXPedition Annoucement
Martin G3ZAY (NU2L) and Dominic M0BLF (W6/M0BLF) plan to be QRV from Santa Catalina (NA-066) from 2300z Sunday April 20th to 2000z Monday April 21st, and Santa Cruz (NA-144) from 2000z Tuesday April 22nd to 2200z Wednesday April 23rd. QSL to home calls.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/w6
15:03:21 1 Apr 2008 UTC - My Shack
I have added to my website details of the radio equipment that I currently own.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/shack/
16:25:06 22 Mar 2008 UTC - Russian DX Contest
I was active from 15th-16th March 2008 from the Cambridge University Wireless Society shack in the Russian DX Contest. This was a part-time operation, due to work and the CDXC Dinner on Saturday evening, SOSB on 20m only.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2008/rdxc
10:49:05 19 Mar 2008 UTC - Engineers without Borders: Field Communications
The presentations that I wrote on licensing and HF and VHF equipment for the course on Field Communications held in Cambridge for Engineers without Borders are now online. More information on the course is also at http://www.ewb-uk.org/node/3362
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/training/presentations/
15:07:06 8 Mar 2008 UTC - RSS Feed is back!
A re-design of my website in July 2007 resulted in the accidental dropping of the RSS feed for the amateur radio sub-section of my website. I have now managed to reinstate it.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/rss.php
15:49:47 2 Mar 2008 UTC - BFBS on HF to Iraq
Five years on from the Iraq war, I have decided to release a rare recording of BBC Radio 4 via BFBS Radio 2 on HF (Short-Wave) radio to the Gulf, which I recorded in late February 2003.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/archives/2003/bfbs/
15:48:02 2 Mar 2008 UTC - rsgbiota.org Launched
Yes, finally I can have a life again... almost three years since I started writing it, this evening we have finally launched the new RSGB Islands on the Air website and web-based software. You'll be able to see it just as soon as the DNS has propagated (lots of people are already using it, but it may take a few hours to reach you). Let me know what you think.
http://www.rsgbiota.org/
19:55:53 21 Jun 2007 UTC - IARU Contest (2006) Results
I was surprised this morning to receive a certificate through my letterbox from the RSGB. Turns out that I my small entry in last year's IARU Contest actually resulted in my winning first-place in England for the SOAB (Mixed) LP category! Perhaps even more suprising is that I came 6th place overall in England. Congratulations to all the other participants. My accuracy also seems to have improved somewhat: the claimed score was 74,235 and the adjudicated score was 71,344, meaning that I lost a total of about 4% in log-checking. (I suspect most of these were CW QSOs, which still needs some practice.) Full results
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2006/rdxc/
11:53:38 14 Jun 2007 UTC - WPX, IOTA, SOTA
In the WPX CW contest this weekend, I managed a total of 151 contacts, with Colombia as the furthest. Thanks to everyone who put up with my weak signal! Progress with the new IOTA website continues apace, and we should be launching very shortly indeed now. I've just uploaded some video guides to registering and starting on the new site, which users are strongly urged to check. More information at http://www.rsgbiota.org This coming weekend, Mike G7VJR, Martin G3ZAY and I will be in the Peak District area of northern England, to activate some peaks for Summits on the Air. Look for us probably on 40m CW and 2m FM. (The exact SOTAs we will climb are to be decided)
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2007/wpx/
17:36:29 29 May 2007 UTC - CQ WPX CW Contest 2007
So, this weekend is this year's CQ WPX CW Contest (for the benefit of non-hams this means that for 48 hours we try to speak to as many people as possible in Morse Code. I'm in the SOSB(A) 20m LP category, which means all my contacts have to be around 14MHz.) Unusually, I'm doing this one from my flat in Birmingham, which has been somewhat limiting on the antenna front. Some pictures of the equipment I'm using can be found at http://www.domsmith.co.uk/wpx07/ About 22 hours into the contest, I've just managed to pass the 100 contacts mark, and I've managed to reach people from Canada to Cyprus. It's been very tough work being heard with the limited set-up, and my score certainly pales in comparison to the thousands of contacts that the 'big-guns' are having. It is fun though, honest...
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2007/wpx/
22:09:08 26 May 2007 UTC - Dayton Hamvention(R) 2007
So here we are once again at the biggest amateur radio event of the year, the Dayton Hamvention. This year, I'm working on the RSGB stand and also giving presentations about the new IOTA software on the Icom stand. Check out this video to watch some highlights of the convention today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j9srlPQ8G4
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/social-events/2007/dayton/
23:08:14 18 May 2007 UTC - Visalia DX Convention
The Visalia DX Convention closes after breakfast this morning. The convention has been a great success, by and large, and my presentation of the new IOTA web-based software received some very positive comments. The convention's theme is "Elmering new DXers is job #1" but I'm slightly concerned whether everyone there is ready to take on this challenge. Some interesting discussions in the DX Forum included the use of DXpedition sponsorship money and in the Contest Forum the possibility of making contests more transparent through the public release of UBNs and audio recordings. Anyway, tonight we're flying back to the UK and I'll be landing back at Heathrow at about 15:30 tomorrow.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/social-events/2007/visalia/
14:27:26 29 Apr 2007 UTC - IOTA Software launching soon
A post that I've been hoping to make for some time... I've spent the last three and a half years coding it, but the new web-based software to run amateur radio's Islands On The Air award scheme should (unless there are any last-minute glitches) be launching in early May. Here's the basic plan: Next weekend, I'll be flying to California, where Martin G3ZAY and I will give a pre-launch demo at the IOTA Dinner at the NCDXF's Visalia DX Convention in Visalia, CA, on 27 April. After that, I'll be flying back to the UK and will spend a couple weeks tidying any final bugs whilst IOTA checkpoints finalise their databases. We'll then switch off the current RSGBIOTA.org website, which I designed some five years ago very much as a 'temporary stop-gap' and upload the checkpoints' databases to the new server. We should then go live sometime around the second week of May, just before Martin and I fly back out to the States. I'll then be demo-ing the new software on the ICOM stand at the Dayton Hamvention(R) in OH on 18th / 19th / 20th May. Keep checking rsgbiota.org for the latest progress reports, and see you in Visalia or Dayton.
http://www.rsgbiota.org/
07:08:23 16 Apr 2007 UTC - Coupe du REF SSB 2007
I'm going to be in Cambridge this coming weekend, and plan to pop over to G6UW to operate the Coupe du REF as M0BLF/P from there. I haven't seriously done this contest since 2004, so it should be quite interesting.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/
16:48:04 19 Feb 2007 UTC - New amateur radio rules
The other day, I actually read all the way through the new rules for the Amateur Radio Licence and noticed a rather odd feature. Much has been made of the fact that we are now allowed to perform unattended operation of the station, controlling it remotely. Foundation and Intermediate licensees must perform this control using RF links in amateur bands of up to 500mW PEP, and us Full licensees may use this method among others. But clause 10 also says that the link must be secure so as not to allow others to use the link, whilst pointing out that Messages cannot be encrypted or otherwise obscured. (The definition of 'Message' in 17(1)(x) would seem to include control commands). So, Ofcom seemingly envisages us having a secure yet unencrypted control system over an RF link. Ideas on how to do this anyone?
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/training/
14:41:48 5 Feb 2007 UTC - Amateur Radio review of 2006
During 2006, I made a total of 687 radio contacts as M0BLF and M0BLF/P. A total of 60 countries were contacted, including 57 on speech-based modes, and 38 using Morse Code. I also made a handful of data-mode contacts. As expected during the bottom of the solar cycle, most contacts were on the 14MHz band (426). A full band and DXCC breakdown is below. During the year, VU/L (Lakshadweep Is.), 3X (Guinea) and HZ (Saudi Arabia) were new DXCC entities for me. Sadly I missed Peter I when it was on last winter. I also participated in the IRTS, ARRL DX CW, ARRL DX SSB, RDXC, VHF National Field Day, IARU DX, CQ WW SSB and CQ WW CW contests, many of which were from M4A. Looking into 2007, the main highlight for me should be the launch of the new IOTA software, which I have been writing for the Radio Society of Great Britain for the last 3 years now. We also have the new relaxed rules to get used to - listen out for my first QSOs with the new /A suffix while I'm at my term-time address in Birmingham. 2006 DXCC Breakdown: 3.5MHz: 17 QSOs in 10 DXCCs 7 MHz: 99 QSOs in 24 DXCCs 14MHz: 426 QSOs in 52 DXCCs 18MHz: 1 QSO in 1 DXCC 21MHz: 79 QSOs in 29 DXCCs 28MHz: 30 QSOs in 14 DXCCs Plus a further 35 VHF QSOs.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/archives/year-in-review/2006/
17:01:33 26 Jan 2007 UTC - CQWW DX CW 2006
My entry is CQWW DX CW this weekend, in the SOSB(A)/20LP category was anything but serious, but I did manage a grand total of 81 QSOs (about 4,000 points). The biggest problem was that my attempts at building a keying circuit before the contest failed due to my poor soldering. As a result, all the Morse was being manually sent. When you only have 35W behind you, I discovered that it sometimes needs several calls before people hear you, and my wrist was soon very tired! An interesting experience, and hopefully M4A will do a more serious entry next year.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2006/cqwwcw/
08:47:42 27 Nov 2006 UTC - CQWW DX CW 2006 Plans
I had not been planning to a major entry in the forthcoming CQWW DX CW contest, but it has now been forced to be even more casual by the University asking me to come in for a seminar on the Saturday afternoon. (Grrrr....) So, I will be on in the SOSB(A)/20m category, except that I will be missing a significant part of the time that 20m is open. Operation will be from my Birmingham QTH (but probably operating without the 'portable' designator, under clause 7(3)(b) of BR68), limited to about 35 Watts to avoid QRM-ing all of my neighbours, using a mobile whip on my balcony. I'm not expecting a winning score!
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2006/cqwwcw/
20:06:06 14 Nov 2006 UTC - OY/M0BLF QSLs; Policy Change
I received the first batch of blank QSL cards for OY/M0BLF/P this weekend, and all outstanding direct responses were posted yesterday. Apologies again to those of you who sent your requests by mail in the summer for the delays. Meanwhile, I am making the following change to my QSL policy: Direct QSL requests which are mailed to me postmarked on or after Monday, 13th November 2006 must not include old yellow IRCs, or IRCs marked to expire on 31 December 2006. The only IRCs which will be accepted are those with an expiry date of 31 December 2009. The reason for this change is that because I am a student, I am not normally resident at my QSL card mailing address in Devon, and so I may not receive cards mailed in December until the New Year. Green stamps are, of course, always welcome. For more information, see my full QSL Policy.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/dxpeditions/2006/oy/
17:34:09 2 Nov 2006 UTC - M4A - CQWW DX SSB 2006
I was at M4A for the CQWW DX SSB contest this weekend. A report can be found on my website at www.domsmith.co.uk/contests/cqww06, which also contains links to pictures and a short audio-clip. Claimed score is 2,551,086.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2006/cqww06/
17:22:33 31 Oct 2006 UTC - CQWW DX SSB Contest 2006
Probably the biggest event in the contesting calendar, the CQ Worldwide DX contest (SSB leg), takes place next weekend. I'll be at the Cambridge University Wireless Society operating with the contest callsign M4A alongside Tim M0TDG, Phil M0DEG and Mike G7VJR, plus some others. Hear you on the air!
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2006/cqww06/
22:18:57 20 Oct 2006 UTC - RDXC 2006 Results
The preliminary results from this spring's RDXC contest have just been released. I was placed 120th out of 205 entrants in the World Single Operator - 14MHz category: not bad for my poor QTH, low power and limited time on. The crucial bit of the UBN is that I had the following penalties: bad calls = 1, not in logs = 1, bad exchanges = 2, and 18 QSOs which did not score. This makes my resulting score 31694, down from the claimed 49476 by almost 36%.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/contests/2006/rdxc/
14:30:36 18 Oct 2006 UTC - QSL Cards
QSL cards from our trip to OY in July have now arrived, but were accidentally sent blank to the bureau (not by me, I hasten to add!). We are in the process of retreiving them, and I will start dealing with the requests that I have received as soon as this is done. In the meantime, just over 100 cards were sent to the bureau by me at HFC at the start of October. I also have a number of direct requests that I received over the summer which should be posted shortly. Apologies for the delay on these, but I got seperated from my blank cards while moving in July, and have only just got myself organised again. I will update the QSL information pages on my website with this news over the next day or so, and will also post recent logs (including OY) to LoTW soon.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/qsl-cards/manager/#oy-06
11:36:15 18 Oct 2006 UTC - RSGB HF and IOTA Convention
I spent the weekend before last at the RSGB's annual HF and IOTA convention, where I gave a (slightly problematic) presentation on the new IOTA software which is being prepared. The photograph shows part of the CUWS table at dinner: Tim M0TDG, Martin G3ZAY, Hugo M0HSW and Christian M0SCH.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/social-events/2006/hfc2006/
07:42:48 17 Oct 2006 UTC - IOTA Presentation at HFC
This Saturday I'll be giving the IOTA session at the RSGB's HF and IOTA Convention in Gatwick a sneak preview of the new web-based IOTA software which I have been writing over the last two years.
http://www.domsmith.co.uk/amateur-radio/social-events/2006/hfc2006/
08:46:29 5 Oct 2006 UTC - RSGB Fked up
Ooops.... seems that while I was away enjoying myself in France, somebody at the RSGB decided that it would be a good idea to release a statement to the effect that the new IOTA software has been launched and that there would be more IOTA Contests in the future on the GB2RS news script. It was removed before broadcast, but it is still being displayed online at the time of writing, and has also been emailed to the recipients of the weekly news headline email. I can assure people that I am still writing the software, so it has certainly not been launched, and there are also no plans for new IOTA Contests. (Edited to add link, and correct grammar)
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16:45:14 18 Sep 2006 UTC - Clipperton DX Convention
I'll be at the Clipperton DX Club convention in Arcachon over the weekend of 15th-17th September.
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19:05:30 6 Sep 2006 UTC - CQWWSSB 2005 - Results
Ahh - Found them :) Seems the CQWW SSB results have also been leaked onto the internet. I came second out of three (sounds impressive until you compare my score to G0TSM's 450,072) with a score of 70,356 in the SO(A)AB LP category - not too far away from my claimed 72,535. Looks like some of the busted calls might have been due to M0WLF also being on, though with a score over 645,000, he did a lot better than I!
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20:43:39 31 Aug 2006 UTC - CQWWCW 2005 - Results
Just found a copy of the results from CQWW CW last November. My claimed score was reduced from 106505 to 90125 after log checking, placing me sixth out of eight in the SO(A)AB LP category. Oh well, I suppose it's not bad given that my operation was pretty-much limited to only one day. Anyone kind got a copy of CQ to hand so I can find out my SSB results, please?
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20:25:56 31 Aug 2006 UTC - Back on HF
Spent far to much money doing it, but I took a trip up to RadioWorld this afternoon, and have purchased a Hustler 20m mobile whip. So, hopefully, I'll be on the air for field day this weekend and be able to give out a couple points. (Maybe All Asia too, but I don't hold out that much hope while SF is 74, using only about 25W.) Anyway, we'll see what results it brings. At least I'm back on HF from Birmingham.
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20:12:37 31 Aug 2006 UTC - CUWS Promo Film
As last year, I have edited a promotional film for the Cambridge University Wireless Society, primarily for the Societies Fair in October. A low-quality (5MB) version of it is now on this site
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16:28:14 26 Aug 2006 UTC - Direct QSL route unchanged
You will see various notes across this website that I have recently moved house. Radio amateurs should note that despite this, my direct QSL address has not changed (it remains as per QRZ). I use my parents' address for direct QSLs, since they are likely to be moving less frequently than I.
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15:02:13 15 Aug 2006 UTC - No IOTA Contest :(
No IOTA Contest for me this weekend, as I have been having problems (ie. no hot water) with my new flat. But the exciting news is that I'm thinking about ways of getting a rig into the new place. Let me know if you have thoughts on the best way of using a rig on the 11th floor of a tower block. (I'm thinking QRP CW with a mobile whip for 20m on the balcony).
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23:00:00 29 Jul 2006 UTC - Back from the Faroe Islands
I am now back from our week away in the Faroe Islands. A short diary, map and a link to photographs from the trip can now be found at domsmith.co.uk/dxpeds/2006/faroes
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07:11:59 27 Jul 2006 UTC - 6m from the Faroes
Due to popular demand, our forthcoming trip to the Faroe Islands may also operate on 6m. (Although this will be relatively low priority, since OY9JD in particular has been very active from here on 6m recently).
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10:33:44 15 Jul 2006 UTC - OY/M0BLF: 17-24 July
From 17th to 24th July I will be part of a Cambridge University Wireless Society team in the Faroe Islands (EU-018). More information is now available at www.domsmith.co.uk/dxpeds/2006/faroes
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16:41:39 9 Jul 2006 UTC - IARU DX Contest
Not a bad contest, though in total I only operated for about half of it. As ever, it was very hard form the bottom of my Dartmoor valley with only the vertical (which won't tune on 80m SSB) and 100W and I was only able to make about 300 QSOs search and pounce. The most dissappointing thing, I think, is that the hill to the south of me meant that I heard nothing at all from the WRTC in Brazil. The highlight for me, however, was using my Heil headset and Bencher paddle (both bought in Dayton) for the first time, and they were a great improvement. I was able ot make a fair number of CW QSOs now that I don't have a key that falls apart, although I still need to work on sending at speed accurately. It was also encouraging to have some QSOs on 10m (Es, I presume) for the first time in over a year. The eventual claimed score is 74,235 points, including 161 SSB and 149 CW QSOs. With the exception of 3 USA QSOs, all were in Europe and Asiatic Russia. A total of just 30 ITU zone/bands were contacted, and 75 HQ/bands. Win-Test 3 worked like a dream, although it took a little while to convince it to talk to my 706.
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16:18:54 9 Jul 2006 UTC - IARU DX Contest this weekend
Originally, I had thought that I would not be able to do this contest, but now I should be free and at home, so listen for M0BLF. As usual, I'll be using IC-706Mk2G, 100W to a Hustler 6-BTV vertical and probably a 40m dipole. Logging with the newly-released Win-Test v3. I'll probably mainly be S&P due to my weak signal, and mainly listening out for GB5HQ (of course) and all the guys in PY for WRTC, especially the WWYCers out there. Have fun and get some good rates going, guys!
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23:39:08 4 Jul 2006 UTC - VHF National Field Day
I have been giving out points today in the VHF National Field Day on 2m SSB, from a portable location at SX50736890 Maidenhead IO70wl (608feet ASL), not too far from my home. Best DX this afternoon was MM0CPS/P at IO84bt (482km). Hopefully, I'll be able to go there again tomorrow morning for a little more. Equipment is my IC-706Mk2G with 30W to a SOTA beam 3 element beam, about 10m high on a telescopic fibreglass pole.
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18:56:27 1 Jul 2006 UTC - Faroe Islands - July 2006
As previously announced, I am part of a trip from Cambridge University Wireless Society which will be in the Faroe islands later this month. Unfortunately, the announcement didn't make it into this week's 425, so here are the details: A group including G3ZAY, G7VJR, M0BLF, M0DEG, M0SCH and M0TJH will be active from the Faroe Islands (EU-018) for about a week from 17th July. Callsigns will be OY/homecall, and QSL as per the operator's instructions (for me it will be via M0BLF). We will be active with amplifiers all on standard bands 80m-10m (though I suspect 10 is unlikely at the moment!) and also 17m. Operation will be predominantly SSB, but some CW and datamodes will be possible too. More information and a dedicated webpage on this site shortly. [Edit: Corrected an error in two of the callsigns 14-Jul-06]
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18:50:27 1 Jul 2006 UTC - This weekend in Snowdonia
A wonderful day on Saturday when Mike G7VJR and I climbed Tryfan and activated Summits on the Air NW-006. I made 14 QSOs from the summit, on both 14MHz and 144MHZ. Sunday saw much worse weather for our planned entry in the 50MHz contests, so we decided not to enter but rather just give out points. We operated from a position at approximately SH698615 and I made 27 QSOs using Mike's FT-847 and 60W to a dipole. The entire operation lasted less than an hour, however, as the wind was blowing and we were getting soaked in the rain. Pictures from both days are at domsmith.co.uk/dxpeds/2006/snowdonia
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22:12:31 18 Jun 2006 UTC - This weekend: SOTA - Snowdonia
This coming weekend (17th/18th June) I'll be in Snowdonia with Michael G7VJR and Martin G3ZAY. We'll be using our own calls (portable in Wales, of course) and aim to climb Tryfan (915m/3002ft) which is the 8-point summit GW/NW-006 for Summits on the Air
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22:41:53 13 Jun 2006 UTC - WWYC Presentation at Dayton
Just got back to the UK, and I've had an email saying that the copy of my presentation from Dayton was corrupt. It should now work OK and can be downloaded here. Apologies.
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15:18:23 22 May 2006 UTC - Dayton Convention
As previously reported, I am flying to Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday for the world's biggest amateur radio event, where I am also presenting. We hope to have internet access there and, if we do, photos will be uploaded to domsmith.co.uk/dayton06 as regularly as possible. That page will also have a link to a copy of my presentation from Saturday evening Eastern time.
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22:05:19 15 May 2006 UTC - Dartmoor Radio Rally
I had to come home for personal reasons this week, so took the opportunity to help at the Dartmoor Radio Rally, held yesterday at Tavistock College. I have to say, it was one of the better rallies I have been to recently -- it even had some radio gear and was well organised by Rob 2E0ONO and the turn out was quite good. Rather positive given the current decline in local clubs and rallies.
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10:42:26 2 May 2006 UTC - M0BLF hits Dayton
So, the word is now out -- yes, I am going to be at the Dayton convention next month, and yes I am speaking at the Contest Forum about Worldwide Young Contesters. The presentation isn't quite ready yet, but it's getting there and will be on this site after the event. (Otherwise no-one will come!) This is the first of a few radio trips I have lined up this year. Incidentally, you might be interested to hear that my flight (and all the flights I expect to make this year) are carbon-offset, thanks to Climate Care.
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16:51:13 26 Apr 2006 UTC - QSL Management
This is a summary of the status of recently received QSL cards. Please see the main QSL Management page for more information. I am very sorry for the delays, but the problem is mainly that I am rarely in Cambridge and the current students don't always send me logs when I ask for them. If your callsign is below, I have received your request, so please do not send duplicate requests. I am currently waiting for more QSL cards to be printed for EI/G6UW/P on 19th-22nd June 2001, and for GM6UW/P on 13th-14th July 2002. (DL8YTM, I1CRB, I1JHS, OH1TD, RV9DC, UA9OGF, YU1EQ & SWL R4H-73) I do not have any G6UW logs since January 2006 yet. (K2DUX, KB6QWJ, N4MRM & SWL SM8 8058) I have no logs for G6UW operations on 5th and 24th October 2003 (7L1TTH, 7N2OZY, 7N2TNI, 9A6DCR, HB9ZS, IZ8BLV, IZ8EDG, JA1DKT, JA1FEW, JA2BHQ, JA8JCR)
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10:47:15 24 Apr 2006 UTC - Russian DX Contest
Only had time for about 5 hours in this one, and was planning to do S&P on 20m, but my CW key became unreliable again, so I was almost only on phone. 118 QSOs (798 points) in 27 DXCCs and 35 oblasts = claimed 49476 points. Unfortunately, though, I know that some of these are busted: I don't know whether it's my voice or the compression on the 706, but a lot of the Russian stations copied my number '4' as '2' and my '8' as '6'. Maybe I'll have to learn Russian numbers in time for next year :S
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14:10:46 19 Mar 2006 UTC - ARRL DX Contest SSB 2006
As I expected, I could only afford three hours on Saturday afternoon to play in this contest. I operated from the G6UW/M4A station with my own callsign, M0BLF/P, as nobody else was there. I had planned to be Search and Pounce only, but (amazingly) found a clear frequency on 20m and decided to CQ, which was almost immediately spotted. So I found myself running as well. Conditions seemed terrible: 15m was barely open (I made 7QSOs S&P and 0 after 15 mins CQing) and so everyone was on 20m, which made the splatter-floor unacceptably high. Anyway, I had 105 QSOs, so not too bad for a non-serious entry.
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22:03:54 5 Mar 2006 UTC - ARRL DX SSB, CDARC Rally
This weekend, I'll be back in Cambridge for three radio-related events: Firstly, I'll be at M4A briefly tomorrow for an short entry in ARRL DX SSB. Then in the evening, we have the Cambridge University Wireless Society annual dinner, followed on Sunday by the Cambridge and District Amateur Radio Club rally.
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12:07:52 3 Mar 2006 UTC - ARRL DX Contest CW 2006
Probably my worst contest ever, but nevermind. As planned, I did it SOSB(A)/40 LP, and was pleased with the 40m dipole I put up, which was about 2 S-units above my vertical. A couple people struggled with my callsign, but most were OK so either I was strong, or SCP was doing its job :) The problem was that I was ill on Saturday night, so I missed the whole opening during darkness on Saturday-Sunday. With other family commitments, I only had 6 hours on-time. The final (very feeble) score reflects this: 67 QSOs, but I was pleased to have 22 mults, giving a total of 4,422 points. In the SSB leg, M0BLF won't be on, but hopefully I'll be able to spend a couple hours op-ping M4A, before the CUWS annual dinner at Caius college.
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10:00:13 20 Feb 2006 UTC - ARRL DX Contest CW 2006
During this weekend's ARRL CW contest (starting at 00:00 on Saturday 18th Feb, UTC), I will be operating a part-time non-serious SOSB(A)/40 LP entry in the contest. If you have a Firefox webbrowser, you should be able to see a live map of where my contacts are as and when I make them, at the address below. Sorry it doesn't work in IE (yet) but no apologies for the lack of prettiness - it is only a prototype of an idea I had for some code to be used at public special event stations. Let me know what you think. View the ARRL Contest map
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20:06:03 17 Feb 2006 UTC - Faroe Islands - July 2006
I have today booked tickets to join the CUWS DXpedition to the Faroe Islands between 17th-24th July 2006. A more formal announcement of the DXpedition, locations and other information is expected shortly.
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13:18:47 17 Feb 2006 UTC - G6UW/TF QSL Cards
Once again, many apologies to those of you who have been waiting for direct cards for the G6UW/TF operation from the Westman Islands, Iceland in July 2005. The cards were received from the printer yesterday and have been posted to you this afternoon. Thank you for your patience.
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13:16:49 17 Feb 2006 UTC - Visit to Ofcom Baldock
Yesterday (Monday) I visited Ofcom's monitoring station at Baldock. It was a fascinating afternoon, and many thanks to Ofcom for allowing the Cambridge University Wireless Society to invade! It was impressive to see them take DF bearings on an 'A' beacon on 40m while we were there, having also helped trace an off-frequency Chinese broadcast in the 17m amateur band that morning. Particularly amazing were their unattended monitoring stations which they can dial up and listen to in the heart of most major UK cities.
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21:42:54 7 Feb 2006 UTC - QSL Cards to be sent
My next batch of QSL cards is now ready. 12 direct cards will be sent out and about 400 bureau cards will be taken to RSGB HQ early next week. Apologies again to those still waiting for cards from G6UW/TF in the IOTA contest in July 2005. The cards are currently being printed and I plan to send them out by Easter.
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23:11:29 6 Jan 2006 UTC - IRTS 80m Counties Contest
A quick entry this afternoon in the last 20 minutes of this Irish contest. Managed a grand total of 6 QSOs in 6 counties.
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15:18:28 2 Jan 2006 UTC - M0BLF 2005 Summary
During 2005 I worked a total of 1213 QSOs under my own callsign in 96 DXCC entities (78 Phone + 69 CW).
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15:16:00 2 Jan 2006 UTC - HamELog v0.2 Released
Thanks to Mike G7VJR who has been continuing development of HamELog since the v.0.1 beta version I wrote last year, HamELog is now available for download from g7vjr.org
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19:21:55 16 Dec 2005 UTC - CQWW DX SSB Contest
I operated the CQWW DX SSB contest this year from home with my own callsign (instead of going to M4A as usual). The claimed score is 72,535 and a full write-up is on this site.
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11:02:20 31 Oct 2005 UTC - Back from 2nd WWYC Meeting Poland 2005
I returned last night from the 2nd Worldwide Young Contesters meeting in Darlowko, Poland. My photos can be found at http://www.sq6tqm.info/component/option,com_zoom/Itemid,/catid,24/
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17:28:21 24 Aug 2005 UTC - Summits on the Air: Snowdonia
This weekend I have been active as MW0BLF/P from Snowdon (18th June) and Mynydd Mawr (19th June). QSL via M0BLF. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW and SOTA.org.uk shortly.
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22:16:04 19 Jun 2005 UTC - Advance Notice - G6UW/TF IOTA Contest 2005
I will be part of the Cambridge University Wireless Society team operating from Heimaey, the Westman Islands (EU-071) off the coast of Iceland as G6UW/TF in the Islands on the Air Contest on 30th and 31st July. More information to follow.
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12:21:09 30 May 2005 UTC - Santa Catalina island and NCDXC Convention, Visalia, CA
On Sunday 10th April, I am flying out to California for about a week. On 12th April, I plan to activate Santa Catalina Island, NA-066. QSL will be direct or bureau to M0BLF respectively. On 16th/17th April, we'll be at the NCDXC convention in Visalia.
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11:06:04 9 Apr 2005 UTC - M0BLF in EU Sprint contest
I should be able to participate in the EU Sprint SSB contest on Saturday, 9th April as M0BLF, giving the name 'Dom'. Because I am going to California the following day, it might take a couple weeks to put the claimed score on my website, and it might just be necessary for me to start taking down my antennas before the end of the contest too.
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19:18:44 4 Apr 2005 UTC - GJ6UW/P - QSL via M0BLF
Tim M0TDG and Martin G3ZAY are using the Cambridge University callsign GJ6UW/P in Jersey for the next few days. QSL will be direct or buro to me, M0BLF.
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17:23:01 31 Mar 2005 UTC - WPX SSB and EU Sprint contest entries
Last Saturday, I operated for the first 24 hours of the WPX SSB contest from home, making a total of 95344 claimed points. The weekend after next, 9th April, I will participate in the EU Sprint contest.
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17:11:42 30 Mar 2005 UTC - M0BLF in WPX SSB Contest
I will be active in the WPX Contest (for one day only due to family commitments) from my home QTH, probably SOAB/LP. The entry will not be serious, but is a good chance for me to test my new Hustler vertical and investigate just how bad the QTH at the bottom of the valley is.
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11:25:00 20 Mar 2005 UTC - M4A ARRL DX SSB Contest Results
Our claimed score for the multi-one (without mult station) entry is 956,238 points. More information on the contests page.
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21:33:34 9 Mar 2005 UTC - M4A in ARRL DX Contest
I will be part of the Cambridge University Wireless Society team operating as M4A (multi-one, with a run station only) in the ARRL DX Contest. Last year, with the benefit of the Granta contest group's assistance, we got about 1.2 million points in the multi-two category. How will we fair this year?
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09:37:45 1 Mar 2005 UTC - GX6UW 1st place in England: CQ WPX 2004 SSB SOSB-15-HIGH
I've just found out that I (operating GX6UW) came first place in England in last March's CQ WPX SSB in the Single Operator, Single Band (15m), High Power category. Admittedly, GX6UW was the only entrant in the category but never mind :)
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18:49:12 27 Jan 2005 UTC - New vertical antenna up!
My new Huster 6-BTV Vertical went up at home today, so I should be more active from home this Christmas. Seems to be working well on the higher bands but needs some adjustment for 40m and 80m.
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19:05:57 17 Dec 2004 UTC - CQ WW CW 2004
I operated in CQ WW CW contest for a short time. I only made a total of 49 QSOs but the object of the exercise was to improve the number of countries I have worked, which, with 8 new ones during the contest, now stands at 218.
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16:57:33 30 Nov 2004 UTC - M4A in CQWW SSB Contest - Claimed Results
The combined Granta Contest Group / Cambridge University Wireless Society effort in CQWW SSB is claiming 4,667,256 points in CQWW SSB this year. Full details are on the contests page.
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12:37:59 9 Nov 2004 UTC - M4A in CQWW SSB Contest
During the 30/31 October, I will be active from the Cambridge University club station (G6UW) with the contest call M4A as part of a Multi-Single operation in the CQWW SSB Contest.
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12:34:16 26 Oct 2004 UTC - HF and IOTA Convention
I was at the Radio Society of Great Britain's HF and IOTA Convention at Gatwick airport over the weekend of 23/24 October. On 24th October, gave a talk on Wire Antenna design, aimed at new Foundation and Intermediate Licencees. More details are at http://www.domsmith.co.uk/wireants/
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12:32:52 26 Oct 2004 UTC - Leicester Radio Rally at Donington Park
Visited the Leicester Radio Rally at the Donington Park Exhibition Centre today, since I have now moved to Birmingham and it is no longer far away. I managed not to spend all my money (only bought some co-axial cable) but it was good to meet up with various friends.
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11:27:25 3 Oct 2004 UTC - DXpedition complete
We are now back from our DXpedition to the Hebrides. A full write-up will appear on the DXpedition page shortly.
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11:24:46 3 Oct 2004 UTC - GM6UW/P and MM0BLF/P DXpedition underway
I am on the Cambridge University Wireless Society DXpedition to the Outer Hebrides during the coming week, which should include a number of Summits on the Air references and a day on the Monach Islands (IOTA EU-111). More information and the latest developments should be regularly updated on the DXpedition's page throughout the trip: www.domsmith.co.uk/hebrides04
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17:12:14 3 Sep 2004 UTC - M4A in IOTA Contest
I was part of the M4A team operating in IOTA contest. A fuller write-up is now on the contest page. Score around 2.2 million.
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14:41:52 21 Aug 2004 UTC - DXpedition announcement
Information about the Cambridge University Wireless Society's forthcoming trip to the Outer Hebrides, including a trip to the Monach Islands, has been released.
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09:04:38 21 Aug 2004 UTC - SOTA Activations
During the last two weekends, I have been involved in two activations of mountain summits for the Summits on the Air award programme. Last weekend, on 31st July, I was on Stoney Cove Pike and on 1st August, I was on Knott, both in the Lake District, with G3WGV, M0TDG and G3ZAY. On 8th August, G3ZAY and I went to Snowdon for another activation on 2m FM.
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06:17:30 9 Aug 2004 UTC - IARU Contest
M4A will be active with a WRTC-style entry by M0BBB/5B4AFM and 5B4WN. I will be on for a few QSOs this afternoon from G0UIH's QTH as M0BLF/P.
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10:27:47 10 Jul 2004 UTC - VHF Contests
This morning I visited the Cambridge & District ARC club VHF/UHF contest site near Shelford and then went back to the shack for my first 10 VHF contest contacts, including my first 6m QSO and my first out-of-the-UK contact to ON on 70cms.
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07:27:05 5 Jul 2004 UTC - Professor Sir Maurice Wilkes visits the G6UW shack
Sir Maurice, who was first licensed in 1929 before doing his PhD thesis on LF ionospheric propagation, and who later went on to invent microprocessors and become one of the pioneers of the early computer age today visited the G6UW shack. He held the G6UW licence until 1971.
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21:31:26 26 May 2004 UTC - AFS Results out
Affiliated societies results are now out and CUWS came in 24th place; me in 47th place.
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17:44:04 20 May 2004 UTC - Coupe du REF SSB
Should be able to operate in the SSB Coupe du REF for a few hours, depending on work.
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14:45:22 8 May 2004 UTC - 200th DXCC Worked!
A quick detour to the shack on my way back from work in the library rewarded me today with a QSO with VR2 - my 200th DXCC entity worked!
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08:43:12 8 May 2004 UTC - Russian DX Contest / DXCC
Decided at the last minute to do an entry in the Russian DX Contest. Final score was 31001 points from 100 QSOs, and an explaination for this terribly low score is on the Contests page. Also, my parents have now informed me that sometime in the last few weeks, my DXCC 100 certificate arrived at home.
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08:42:54 8 May 2004 UTC - EU Sprint
Had a short (40 minute) play in the EU Sprint contest, making 21 QSOs.
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08:41:10 8 May 2004 UTC - CQ WPX
I will participate in CQ WPX SSB from the G6UW shack as GX6UW SOSB-15.
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08:40:36 8 May 2004 UTC - ARRL DX
Not only is it my college ball tonight, but also I'll be joining the Granta Contest Group (M4R) and the rest of the CUWS guys (M4A) at the CUWS shack for a mega-entry in ARRL DX. Should be fun, and very tiring!
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08:39:15 8 May 2004 UTC - Stevenage show
Not been on-air for a few weeks because of work but should put in a brief appearance at the Stevenage show today, probably somewhere near the bar ;)
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08:38:15 8 May 2004 UTC - Coupe du REF / CQWW 160m CW
Sadly I only managed about 10 QSOs in Coupe du REF CW because of work, and none in CQWW 160m CW because of problems with the dipole.
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08:37:42 8 May 2004 UTC - RSGB Club Calls Results Out
My casual effort at operating GX6UW in the RSGB Club Calls contest in November with Stavros M0BBB has yielded an unlikely result: 1st place and a new contest record to boot! <a href="http://www.contesting.co.uk/hfcc/results/2003/clubcalls2003.shtml">Full results</a>
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08:36:45 8 May 2004 UTC - RSGB Affiliated Societies
I participated in the RSGB Affiliated Societies contest as M0BLF/P from G3PJT's QTH near Cambridge, whilst M0TDG was in the G6UW shack. Sadly, I didn't meet my personal aim to beat my 2002 score of 2020 points; Tim equalled it but I got 1850 points. Still, not bad!
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08:35:52 8 May 2004 UTC - 80m CC SSB
I attempted an entry in the 80m Club Championships SSB today, but the skip was very long, and there were not many UK stations to be heard. Total score was 9 QSOs in 1.5 hours!
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08:35:08 8 May 2004 UTC - IOTA Certificate
I received my basic <em>IOTA 100 Islands of the World</em> certificate today, so I am now a bona-fide <em>island chaser</em>.
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08:34:18 8 May 2004 UTC - ARRL 10 Meters
A brief appearence today and yesterday in the ARRL 10 metres contest, but with my poor antenna at home and a family visit, I could only make 18 QSOs.
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08:33:32 8 May 2004 UTC - CQWW CW
Yestderday and today I have spent a couple hours in CQWW CW, mainly chasing new DXCC entities. And I actually enjoyed CW for the first time, so you may even hear me a bit more in the future.
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08:33:00 8 May 2004 UTC - RSGB Club Calls
I will help to operate GX6UW in the RSGB Club Calls Contest in the evening
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08:32:19 8 May 2004 UTC - HF Convention
I was at the RSGB's HF Convention, where I presented talks on the new IOTA website which I designed, and also my time in Quebec in July. I also had my first 112 cards checked for DXCC, so I should soon receive that certificate, in addition to the IOTA one.
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08:31:47 8 May 2004 UTC - CQWW SSB Contest
I was active in CQWW SSB as one of the ops at M4A. About 2.5 million points are being claimed. The summary sheets and log-search are now available via the contests page.
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06:46:24 8 May 2004 UTC
