I am not quite sure what to publish on this new blog but it will probably be mostly related to Amateur Radio and/or Mountain Biking.
I am a licenced Amateur Radio operator located in Ayrshire, S.W.Scotland.
My HAM callsign is MM7WAB and I enjoy working the HF HAM bands using Voice (SSB) and also dabble with various narrow band Digital modes.
Although we are at currently at the bottom end of the 11 year solar cycle and propagation conditions are somewhat poor I am happy to say I am continuing to prove the protagonists of doom are most certainly wrong, The bands are NOT dead !
Having worked hundereds of stations in 72 countries on six continents over the past six months using home-brewed wire antennas with a maximum of 10W ERP I can most certainly state there is life on the bands and it IS possible to make contacts.
Working HF is a challenge that never ceases to entertain those who are prepared to put a little effort into it. Like many things in life, the more time and effort You put into something, the more You will get back out of it.
Most of the equipment I use is old, second hand stuff that was either scrapped or sold off very cheaply for spares or repairs. All of the equipment in the shack is old, repaired, restored or rescued except for two Network Radios, The Inrico TM7 and the Inrico T199 were both brand new gifts from very good friends. But after a bit of time and some careful repair/restoration work everything is working well and gets put to good use almost every day!
The winter shack setup at my home QTH
73 de 'Hairy Paul' MM7WAB
