There is no such thing as the “perfect” coax. Everything depends on the application.
In this video I go through the coax I use for:
– patch leads
– portable operation
– permanent HF installations
– direct-bury runs
– low-loss feeder
– hardline
We also discuss:
– coax loss in the real world
– why 3 dB isn’t always a disaster
– reading coax spec sheets
– bend radius and durability
– branded vs unbranded coax
– connector losses
– HF vs VHF/UHF considerations
Setting Up SSB Audio Properly - Mic Gain, ALC & Proc
Setting up SSB audio on a modern HF transceiver is actually much easier than many people think… once you understand the balancing act between:
– Mic Gain
– ALC
– Compression / Processing
– Output Power
In this video I show you the exact process I personally use whenever I set up a new radio.
We look at:
– What ALC actually does
– Why overdriving sounds terrible
– Why no ALC is important for digital modes
– How compression stabilises your signal
– Why your power meter jumps around on SSB
– Mic technique and distance
– Common mistakes new operators make
– Why “more mic gain” is often the WRONG answer
This isn’t a laboratory-grade engineering lecture – it’s simply the practical real-world method I use in the shack every day.
Whether you’re brand new to HF or you’ve been operating for years, hopefully this helps you get cleaner, stronger and more consistent audio on the air.
The DX Commander Open Day is NOT on Sunday 16th August.
It’s on Saturday 15th August 2026.
In this video I explain the correction, chat about what happens on the day, why I’ve never really been a fan of traditional rallies, and why I think amateur radio works best when people have time to stop, talk, have a coffee and enjoy themselves.
We’ll have:
• DX Commander shop open with 20% off everything
• B-grade poles available while stocks last
• Food available throughout the afternoon
• Plenty of antennas to look at
• Lots of radio chat
• A few familiar YouTube faces
• The usual collection of radio amateurs wandering around with coffee in hand
The gates open at 12:00 and we finish at 16:00.
A registration link will be published in a future video. There’s no obligation – it just helps us estimate numbers.
If you’re thinking of coming, leave a comment below and let me know.
Today we’re doing some unexpected antenna field maintenance… tree surgery! 🌳 The problem? The trees had grown so much that I could no longer clearly see the big Yagi from inside the shack camera. That might sound silly… until you’re rotating antennas and wondering what they’re about to hit!
We also need clearance for the prototype 160m vertical when the mast comes down, so out came the extendable electric chainsaw.
This video turned into a mixture of practical antenna maintenance, one-man-build philosophy and mild chaos… including my “full protective equipment” speech immediately followed by a shot of me wearing flip-flops. 🤦♂️
A lot of people say “just hire someone,” but running a small business and building everything around flexible one-man operation is exactly why these projects work in the first place.
Hope you enjoy the video – and if your antennas are disappearing into the trees… it might be time to get trimming!
PS – We’re not quite a 3-man business because we also have Gina who works part time and makes up all your accessory boxes. You can see Gina in this video: https://youtu.be/32D88rbkTwU
Today we finally build and mount the new 15m monoband Yagi at Holly Farm. This one is designed from the outset so I can eventually interlace a 6m beam into the same boom, so there’s a fair bit of planning, measuring, balancing and “that’ll probably work…” engineering involved along the way!
In this episode:
MMANA-GAL modelling and far-field plots
Building the boom and element mounts
Rapid Pole / fibreglass element construction
Heat-shrink engineering fixes that actually worked surprisingly well!
Mast #2 comes back down again
Fitting the boom-to-mast clamp
Temporary guying and “orphan” support lines
Falling derrick system in action
Raising the tower with the new beam fitted
First look at the new 15m setup at 12m / 40ft
The idea here is to have dedicated Yagis for 10m, 15m and 20m all running independently with 20m and 15m on seprate rotators.
Still plenty to do yet – coax, driven element, tuning, balancing and eventually the 6m interlaced build – but mechanically, we’re getting very close now.
As always, this is real-world amateur radio engineering. Sometimes elegant. Sometimes slightly chaotic. Usually both!
Last week we toured the antenna field – today we go inside the shack. This station has gradually evolved into a fully remote-capable multi-2 HF contest and DX station designed around flexibility, redundancy and experimentation.
In this video I walk through the overall philosophy of the build and show how the entire system works together, including:
* TS-990 operating positions
* Multi-2 contest infrastructure
* Remote mains switching using Shelly relays
* Antenna Genius coax switching
* Rotator Genius control
* Automatic band-pass filtering
* ACOM 2000 remote startup
* ACOM Director
* RUSTDESK RDP
* RF isolation between stations
* Coax entry and field routing
* Shack networking
* Remote desktop operation
* Audio routing and monitoring
* Behringer XR18 integration
* Power distribution
* Logging Software (N1MM and QSO Director)
* Monitoring cameras
* Future station expansion
The goal was never to build a “perfect” shack – only a practical one that keeps evolving as new ideas appear. One of the most interesting parts of this project has been solving all the little engineering problems that appear when you place multiple HF stations close together:
It’s still a work in progress, but hopefully this gives you some ideas for your own shack – whether you’re building a small home station or a fully remote HF setup.
* Mental Health Awareness *
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply start a conversation.
This event aims to help encourage people to talk openly and support one another.
“It’s okay to talk.”
“Strong men ask for help.”
“You are not alone.”
“Silence isn’t strength. Speaking up is.”
“Even the strongest need support.”
If you or somebody you know is struggling, please remember there are people and organisations ready to help.
Support Organisations
– Andy’s Man Club – A free peer-to-peer support group for men.
– Mind – Providing advice and support for anyone experiencing mental health problems.
* Tune in for awareness.
* Speak out for strength.
* Join us on air to support Men’s Mental Health Awareness.
A lot of new people have joined the channel recently, so I thought it was finally time to do a complete walkthrough of the antenna field here at Holly Farm.
From the switching system and remote-control setup, through to the four-square, delta loop, verticals, rotating tower, receive antennas, tilt-over masts and future 160m plans – this is how the entire station fits together.
We cover:
Antenna Genius switching
Rotator Genius control
Remote desktop operation
The 40m four-square
Delta loops & receive antennas
DX Commander verticals
Mast #1 and Mast #2
The tilt-over “falling derrick” system
Future 160m tower plans
Radials, grounding and experiments
The upcoming 15m beam project
There are separate videos covering many of these projects in detail throughout the back catalogue.
Enjoy the tour!
73,
Callum M0MCX
00:00 Introduction
00:37 Antenna switching system
01:52 Four-square control
02:37 Rotator Genius system
03:10 Power supplies & networking
04:10 Shack-to-field cabling
05:31 Loop-on-ground receive antenna
06:44 Delta loop receive antenna
08:43 Scrap-built 20m vertical
09:39 The 40m four-square
10:58 Mast inside the four-square
11:27 Four-square control box
12:03 Yagis on Mast #1
12:38 Winch and tilt-over system
13:33 Rotator & bearings
15:07 160m transmit plans
17:32 80m / 160m fan dipole
18:37 Main DX Commander vertical
19:36 Tri-band vertical project
20:12 Mast #2 overview
20:35 Orphan guy system explained
22:19 Future 15m beam project
23:12 Previous antenna experiments
24:10 Winch anchor point
24:49 Winter contest plans
25:12 Future shack tour teaser
25:29 Closing thoughts
Tower #2 is slowly becoming a proper little engineering project now. In this video I’m upgrading the guy spreaders to stainless triangular plates, replacing temporary hardware, sorting the orphan guy stakes, and generally trying to make the mast stronger, cleaner and easier to maintain before the 15m Yagi goes on top.
There’s also a bit of discussion about guy tension, shackles, turnbuckles and why getting the foundations right matters before adding antennas and weight. And yes… after nearly losing the tower recently, I’m double-checking everything now 😅
Next episode: the 15m 3-element Yagi build and why I managed to get a near-50Ω direct feed without a gamma match.
Last night, Mast #1 taught me another expensive lesson! I was checking the remote camera during some rough weather when I noticed one of the top guys flailing around in the wind. At first I thought a rope had snapped, or another shackle pin had worked loose. By the time I got up to the field, the weather had gone absolutely wild.
Turns out the culprit was a turnbuckle that had gradually undone itself under load.
This is exactly why I test things properly. You don’t learn much lowering towers every time the forecast looks a bit lively. You learn by discovering the weak points, fixing them properly, and improving the design.
In this video:
– Remote camera footage of the storm
– The moment I realised something was wrong
– Why the mast survived
– What failed
– Why the prototype 160m top section probably increased the wind loading
– What I’ll be changing next
Sometimes experience comes from books. Sometimes it comes from nearly losing a tower at night in a storm.
