M0MJH on his travels

GS3PYE

2010-03-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well, time for another blog post me thinks...

GS3PYE

For the 1st 2 weeks of May, 3rd-14th off the top of my head, myself along with a number of other radio amateurs from the Camb-Hams group will be operating from the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides (EU-010). We will hopefully be operating on most bands from 160m-10m as conditions allow, on SSB and datamodes. There is a possibility that there will also be some 5Mhz operation as a number of us have NOVs for the experiment. Callsign will be GS3PYE (Callsign of the Cambridgeshire Repeater Group) from the cottage we will be staying at and probably our own callsigns whilst out on trips around the island and other islands which we may be going to.

Planning is still taking place but, as many of the group members did this trip last year as well, most of the details will be the same.

I must say, I am looking forward to this trip a lot as it will be the first larger scale trip I have been on and will be more organised than any trip I have been on before.

Not sure there is much more I can add to this at the moment.

As always, keep an eye on the cluster whilst we are up there. If you are a friend of mine, please be aware that I will not be able to be contacted via mobile phone whilst up on Harris as I am on Orange and Vodafone is the only network that works.

2009-04-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

*DAY 4 ON EU-116*

Well, yesterday was nearly a bit of a washout; it was cold, wet and very windy up at the point of Ayre! Never the less we did manage to work about 60 stations on a combination of 80, 40 and 20m.

Today we are going up to the North West of the island (Not sure of the name of the place) for the last day of operations. As ever, look out for us on 80/40/20 and possibly 2m SSB/FM.

73 de all

2009-04-29T01:15:00.000-07:00

*DAY 3 on EU-116*

Well, yesterday was quite good. Operation from the first hill (that I can't remember how to spell) was good, Kevan and I managed about 40 contacts on 40m whilst Matt and James managed the contacts they required for the activation of the summit. We then drove down to Laxey and got the train up to Snaefell (I can spell that one! :P), once we got to the top we took a look around and then set up the 2m station (Yaesu FT857, 7m fibreglass telescopic pole and sota beam), initially trying SSB and struggling to make contacts. We were called by a friend of ours in Essex (2E0WMG) but he was right at the noise level as were many other stations, so we decided to switch to FM. This proved a good move as it didn't take long for all 4 of us to work the necessary number of stations to 'activate' the summit (This being the first summit Mark M(D)0MJH had sucessfully 'activated' however he was using GT7SRA this time)

Special congratulations must got to James M(D)0ZZO for his 150th unique summit activation (Snaefell)!

Right, today goes as follows:

We will be at the Point of Ayre for the majority of today running a number of bands/modes. Please look out for us on 80m/40m/20m SSB and possibly datamodes (PSK31 probably) and 2m SSB/FM.

I best get a move on as I think they're waiting for me down in reception.

73 from all here

Mark

2009-04-28T01:04:00.000-07:00

*DAY 2 on EU-116*

Another lovely day on the Isle of Man, well, so far. There is a chance of rain later this afternoon/this evening.

We are just getting our gear together and will shortly be heading out from the hotel. Today's plans are as follows:

We are driving over to Slieau Freoaghane (GD-002) where James MD0ZZO and Matt 2D0XIS will be climbing it to activate it on 2m/70cm. Meanwhile , Mark MD0MJH and Kevan 2D0WMG will be setting up on HF (most probably 40m around 7.150). (Hopefully today's HF operation will be more fruitful than yesterday's where we struggled to work more than about a dozen contacts between the two of us.)

After GD-002, we will be making our way over to Snaefell (GD-001) and all be heading up there. Operation will be on 2m FM/SSB.

73 for now from all here.

2009-04-27T01:38:00.000-07:00

*DAY 1 on EU-116*

You join us here on what looks like it could be quite a pleasant day on the Isle of Man (EU-116 for IOTA).

Today's plans are as follows:

James MD0ZZO and Matt 2D0XIS will be climbing South Barrule (GD-003), Mull Hill (GD-005) Bradda Hill (GD-004). Exact activation times are not yet known.

Meanwhile Mark MD0MJH and Kevan 2D0WMG will be active somewhere on either 80m (around 3.685) 40m (around 7.150) or 20m (around the IOTA frequency of 14.260). Also active may be GT7SRA.

Plans for later in the week are yet to be finalised but will include a trip up Snaefell (GD-001) and up to the Point of Ayre at the very northern tip of the island. Keep checking this site for any further details

73 from all here.

DXPEDITION NOTIFICATION

2009-04-13T14:08:00.001-07:00

Right, still not sure if anyone ever looks at this blog... but, as I have put it onto my entry for an expedition on RSGBIOTA.org that I am doing, I thought I'd best update it!

MD0MJH

Myself (M0MJH/MD0MJH) along with Kevan (2E0WMG/2D0WMG), Matt (2E0XIS/2D0XIS) and James (M0ZZO/MD0ZZO) will be on the Isle of Man (EU-116) between the dates of 26th April and the 1st May 2009. Activity will be on HF (mostly 80/40/20m but possibility of higher bands if conditions allow and 160m if space allows) from most locations across the island with the addition of VHF/UHF whilst on summits, of which Matt and James hope to do all 5 on the island.

Also look out for club callsigns of GT3CO and GT7SRA.

As we are told there will be wifi access in the hotel we are staying at, I should be able to post to this blog whilst we are there.

Can't think of anything more to add at the moment.

73 de M0MJH

MJ0MJH :D

2008-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, after months of 'planning' (most of it was just chucked together to be honest), myself and Kevan 2E0WMG are in Jersey (EU-013). Drove down in my car down to Weymouth and got the ferry from there at 1200hrs. Had to stop off in Guernsey's port for some of the passengers to disembark and then it was back to the sea for the final leg to Jersey. Once we got off of the ferry we were driving towards the customs queue and Kevan said "Oh gawd, please don't stop us! I don't want to have to unpack any of this lot!" (talking about all the radio gear in the back) and I think he jinxed us. As I was getting the landing cards out of my pocket, one of the customs officials waved us over. We had a nice little chat, he asked us how long we were staying, where we were staying, the reason for the trip etc. Kevan did his speal about amateur radio and he sent us on our way. We finally got to the hotel at about 5pm.

We went out and went onto 20m earlier from my car. Countries worked included Brazil, Malta, Saudi Arabia and Iraq! Not bad for 50w and a 20m hamstick (I think I used 100w temporarily for Iraq)!

73 DE MJ0MJH

MJ0MJH

2008-04-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

Well... I haven't posted to my blog for ages so I thought I'd better!

On the 20th of this month (April 2008) I, along with my friend Kevan (2E0WMG), will be travelling to Jersey (IOTA ref EU-013) for a week long holiday with a strong radio theme to it. We intend to be active on the radio as much as possible but have no schedule set in stone. We also hope to be able to go and activate Les Minquiers reef (IOTA ref EU-099) 12 miles off of the south coast of Jersey at some point during the trip.

We shall be taking a variety of different aerials (Verticals, dipoles, mobile antennas, portable antennas for Les Minquiers) and radios will be Yaesu FT857s for normal use (Kevan may be taking his FT897 if his 857 isn't back from repair in time) and Yaesu FT817s for any spur of the moment trips out and probably on Les Minquiers. Operation will probably be on 80m and above with a possibility of 160m but this will only be with a low dipole and 100w maximum (Kevan is limited to 50w under licencing conditions). Special time slots will be observed for QRP or mobile stations, hopefully at 1/2 hr intervals.

Callsigns will be MJ0MJH and 2J0WMG respectfully.

QSL is via home calls for each operator either via bureau or direct, details are available for both operators on QRZ.COM. If cards are being sent direct, we ask for return postage to be included. This can be in the form on 'Green stamps' or current valid IRC (International Reply Coupon).

Please be aware that these operators are fairly new to pileup operation so may seem slow to some. Depending on if we can operate from the hotel we are staying at or not and whether the wifi connection is stable enough, we may or may not have access to the DX cluster or email whilst operating.

Pictures will (if WIFI connection is OK in our hotel room) be uploaded to Flickr (LINK) and video will be uploaded to Youtube sometime after the trip (http://www.youtube.com/M0MJH).

Right, I don't think there is much more to say on the matter.

So, 73 for now and we hope to hear you when we are on Jersey.

Sparky

2007-09-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

Right, I'm fairly sure that no-one reads this blog but hey! I've kind of put the whole big travelling on hold for a while. Various different reasons.

NORTHERN TOUR 2007

Some good news however, I am escaping next week! Well, I'm going away for a week. Me and only me, I'm leaving my parents at home and getting away from everything for a bit! It's only up to Yorkshire and Lancashire for a week but it should be good. I will be staying around Rotherham for a few days, going to a radio club or 2, going to a radio shop in Barnsley (LAM Communications - www.lamcommunications.net), going to see some friends near Selby and then going over to Blackpool for 3 or 4 days to see a mate of mine I haven't seen for about 2 or 3 years.

I should be active on the radio a bit whilst I'm travelling and when I'm up there. Probably just on 20m on the way up there and maybe a bit of 2m/70cm at some point... which reminds me, I really should look at the hatch mount I mucked up. I've managed to pull the coax out of the mount ever so slightly, you can't see that there is a problem but the SWR goes sky high when you transmit so I must have bust it!

I've been rather busy at the moment with a play I'm in. It's called "A kick in the baubles" (yes, it's a christmas play). This is being performed on the stage at my local town hall in Clare (www.clare-uk.com). What with that and other things, I haven't been able to get on the radio much. I have however heard 3B7C (www.3b7c.com) a couple of times on 40m SSB which has suprised me somewhat! Especially when I was hearing them on a 115ft long windom aerial that was not up in the air properly! The centre was at about 30/40ft, the live leg went down to about 6ft and the ground leg was nearly vertical and then going along the ground. They seem to be working the pile-ups with great accuracy and at a good rate. People are praising them on the forums anyway (http://www.qrz.com/board.html).

Anything else to report? Nah, I don't think so at the moment.

If anyone is reading this, give me a shout sometime. Email m0mjh@yahoo.co.uk

73

Sparky

It never rains, but it pours!

2007-07-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

Not really much to update... I still haven't managed to get to STA in Cambridge, I've just been too god damn busy! I can't go this weekend because of Long Melford rally (GB4LMR), next Saturday I am meeting up with a mate of mine who I haven't seen since last year sometime, I might get over there by the end of this month!

GB4GFD - Glemsford

Well, the Glemsford Fun Day (GB4GFD) was nearly a washout! I got there just after 11am and started setting the aerial and mast up (it was raining then), I had to pop home (about 5 miles)away as I'd managed to leave the power cable for my FT847 at home, got back to the site and it was still raining, got the gazibo up and set everything up, by that point a thunderstorm had started but, eventually, the sun came out for the last hour and a half or so. Conditions on bands were pretty terrible what with the storms, contest on 20m and just plain crap propagation! Not sure how many QSOs we got but I don't think it was much more than a page at the most! Also, only 1 other club member turned up... I'm glad he did, as he was the one bringing the gazibo!

GB4LMR - Long Melford

Ah well, as I said, Long Melford rally this weekend and the weather forcast at the moment is looking quite promising. Barometric pressure will be rising from 997mB reported at the moment to 1013mB or so on Saturday so we should see temperatures rising up to about 19/20c and weather stabilising a little more than it has been of late! I've just seen a funny picture on BBC weather website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/images/banners/weabnr_01.jpg) Quite apt for the weather we've been having!

Possible trip to Jersey

I was at a BBQ on Saturday afternoon/evening over at one of the Harwich Amateur Radio Interest Group's (HARIG) members houses and I was speaking to one of my mates, Kevan 2E0WMG and we were talking about when he went to Guernsey earlier in the year and he said that he was thinking of going to Jersey in September. I said, hmmm I've been wondering about going over to Jersey, if only just to activate the callsign MJ0MJH!" He said "Why don't you come along with me?". So, I might be going over there in September. I doubt that my trip to Malta is going to happen, my sister and her boyfriend seem to go off the idea and then bring it up again and I just don't reckon it will happen at the moment... Maybe next year... Maybe 2008 will be my big year of travels... who knows. So, watch this space. Details of MJ0MJH 'expedition' may appear shortly...

In the meantime...

Ciao for now

Sparky

2007-06-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am again.

Another update

Things didn't really go how I'd hoped they would! I didn't make it over to STA Travel today as I didn't get up until about 1130 so it was 12 o clock before I got myself ready to leave the house, then I had some lunch, checked up on emails and web forums and then I thought "Oh crap, I remembered I have to go and get my hair cut".

So, I trundled off to Sudbury to get my haircut... God knows how long I was sat in the hairdressers for, there were about 3 guys in there already waiting to get their hair cut and there is only one hairdresser in that shop. There was a quite attractive girl (about 2oyo) cleaning up so there was something to look at whilst I was waiting. Well, it was about at least 1500 when I left there and then I went into town to get a few bits and pieces, I then went to get my car washed as it hasn't been done for ages so it was about 1600 by the time I left Sudbury and STA travel close at 1700 according to their website, so there was no way I was going to get to Cambridge, park and get to the place on time, so I didn't bother :( What really pisses me off is that I won't get over there for ages now as next Saturday I've got to be in Glemsford all day and the Saturday after I am over at Ipswich for a DF hunt and BBQ. Ah well.

Ciao

Sparky

2007-06-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Blimey, second post already! "What's going on?" I hear you ask. Well, the answer at the moment would be "not much". What I am writing to say is that I will hopefully be taking a trip over to a place in Cambridge called "STA travel" tomorrow. They have come highly recommended, by a friend of mine, as a company who may be able to come up with a travel plan and package.

I'm leaning towards a trip to the East coast of Austrlia and also to New Zealand at the moment, I just don't 100% know exactly where I wanna go to be honest. It's a long ol' flight over to that part of the world and I don't wanna travel all the way and then decide "Hey, this place isn't really for me".

Well, I shall see what kind of thing this STA travel company can come up with and let you know

Cya

Mark

The idea...

2007-06-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Well, here's the situation... I am 21 yrs old (22 in August), I work in a boring office working as a systems support admin for 37.5hrs a week and feel I am not really going anywhere. It's not a bad job I suppose, the pay isn't terrible, the people in general are ok but it's the same thing over and over again! I'm getting bored of it... Getting up everyday, eating near enough the same breakfast, travelling the same route, seeing the same people, seeing the same sights, doing nearly the same things, day in, day out for what seems like an eternity... and what do I get in return? BOBBINS! Where's the fun in that?

The idea... I've got an amount of money saved up and a bit of a question to ask myself. Do I A) Keep saving the money and use it as part of my retirement fund (hey, I don't expect to have much of a pension the way things are going at the moment!) or B) Take that money out and travel the world seeing new sight, meeting new people, trying new things and new food, having new and exciting experiences...? It seems like an open and shut case for me really!

The plan... Well, at the moment, I don't really have a plan as such. I don't even know really where I want to go fully, all I know is that I want a change and I want to travel a bit before it's too late. I know that sounds a bit morbid or something but, what I actually mean is that, at the moment, I have nothing that's keeping me in this one place; I have no dependents, no loans, no mortgage, no real commitments that are stopping me from living out this dream I've had. OK, so I don't have a passport at the moment, that's a tiny details I'm getting sorted soon, but what else have I got to stop me? Nothing! I'm a single man with a dream... who know's, this trip may open up new horizons for me. I don't pretend to be able to give magnificient things to the world, but the world could do magnificient things for me. There's a big wide world just waiting for me... and I'll tell you what, I've certainly heard it calling me over the last couple of weeks!

Anyway, I'll try and keep this blog up to date with my travel plans, I'll probably add bits and pieces about special event stations and bits that I do over here as well, just so there is actually some activity on the blog in the meantime.

We (Sudbury and district radio amateurs - AKA SAnDRA) have got 4 special event stations coming up over the next couple of months. Next weekend, the 23rd June, we have the Glemsford fun day at Glemsford Village hall. Callsign will be GB4GFD. On the 7th and 8th July, we have the Farm Machinery Preservation Society's annual steam rally at Melford Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk. Callsign will be GB4LMR. On the 4th and 5th August, we have the Thurlow and Haverhill Steam and Country fair at the Horseheath Point-to-Point racecourse near Haverhill, Suffolk. Callsign will be GB4TSR. The final special event station is on the August Bank Holiday Monday August 27th and is the Lavenham Rare Breeds car show at the recreation ground in Lavenham. Callsign will hopefully be (this is the only callsign I have yet to apply for) GB4LRB.