Today I’m out in the antenna field tackling a handful of maintenance jobs that have been on the list for a while. We look at why my planned 160m vertical can’t be installed quite yet, why coax and radial wires seem to disappear into the grass, a simple way to label coax so you never end up plugging the wrong antenna into the wrong radio, and my thoughts after running a Luba robot mower around a field full of antennas.
Nothing revolutionary… just a wander around the field, a few practical tips, and a chance to catch up.
QSO Director - Is This the Future of Ham Radio Logging?
James M0YOM has spent the last couple of years building something rather special.
QSO Director is a brand-new amateur radio logging and station control package, written completely from the ground up. During this first look, James walks me through the software while I install it, connect it to my TS-990S and see what it can do.
We cover:
• Installation and first-time setup
• Rig control and the "buttery smooth" spectrum display
• Flexible layouts and multiple band maps
• DX Cluster integration
• QRZ lookup and logging
• Importing your existing ADIF log
• Cross-platform support (Windows, Linux & macOS)
• Cloud synchronisation and the future roadmap
This isn’t a paid promotion or sponsored video. James is a friend and fellow amateur radio operator, and I wanted to show you what he’s been working on and let you make up your own mind.
▶ 14-day free trial: https://qso-director.com
If you’ve tried QSO Director, let us know what you think in the comments. James will be reading them.
We’ve all seen them… Big bold text. Bright colours. Dramatic lighting. AI-generated images. Shocked faces. Red arrows! So… are YouTube thumbnails getting worse, or are creators simply adapting to an increasingly competitive platform?
In this video I have a relaxed discussion about modern thumbnails, AI as a creative tool, and the constant battle every creator faces for your attention.
I also show how I use ChatGPT – not to create my videos, but as a creative assistant to help refine titles, descriptions and thumbnail ideas. Ultimately, the ideas, the filming and the editing are still mine.
For me, there’s one simple rule:
**A thumbnail should earn the click… but the video has to deserve it.**
Whether you’re running a Special Event Station, activating a lighthouse, a castle, a hill, or you simply find yourself with a wall of callers – everything changes!
This isn’t a video about working stations faster – it’s about looking after the people waiting to work you.
We’ll cover:
The Rule of Three
The Rule of Two
Why callers are participants, not spectators
How to manage a queue without losing the fun of amateur radio
After all… A pile-up isn’t a reward. It’s a responsibility.
Today I decided to try something a little different – AM on the UK 60 metre band.
A few of us had been chatting on 40m during the week and it got me wondering how AM would sound on 5 MHz. The result surprised me!
In this video I show:
• How I set up AM on the Kenwood TS-990S
• Why carrier power matters
• Why I turn the speech processor OFF
• How to achieve approximately 100% modulation
• A real off-air recording from the Hack Green SDR
My AM Setup Checklist:
✓ AM mode selected
✓ Speech Processor OFF
✓ Compression OFF
✓ TX Bandwidth = 100 Hz – 4 kHz (or widest available)
✓ Carrier adjusted so ALC is at or near ZERO
✓ Mic Gain adjusted for voice peaks approximately 4× carrier power
✓ Monitor audio sounds clean and natural
Example:
Carrier = 25W
Voice Peaks ≈ 100W
This gives approximately 100% modulation.
If you’re active on AM, let me know your favourite setup, microphone and operating frequency in the comments below.
Note: On AM, the audio appears on both sides of the carrier. So a 4 kHz audio bandwidth results in an RF signal approximately 8 kHz wide. If that seems a bit generous, try 100 Hz – 3 kHz instead. It’ll still sound great and occupy roughly 6 kHz of bandwidth.
The 4-Element Vertical Array I Might Actually Build
A few people asked about the 3-element vertical array I mentioned recently – so I fired up MMANA-GAL and had a play.
In this video I model a simple vertical, then add a reflector, a director, and finally look at a four-element/bayed version that starts looking rather silly at low angles.
This is fixed-direction, monoband, and not for everyone – but for seaside operation, contesting, or a dedicated DX direction, it could be an absolute flamethrower.
DXFest 2026 is almost here! The registration form is now live. If you’re planning to attend, please complete the form so we can get an idea of numbers:
Date: Saturday 15th August 2026 (12:00 Noon to 16:00)
If you joined us last year, you’ll notice a lot has changed. We’ve added more antennas, the 4-Square system is fully operational, the main tower is up, and there are plenty of new projects to see around the field.
On the day:
• Live operating stations on multiple bands
• GB1NHS special event station
• Demonstrations and antenna discussions
• Software demonstrations from James M0YOM
• RSGB attendance
• Opportunity to operate the stations yourself
• Main tower lowering demonstration at 3pm
• Plenty of radio chat, tea, and antenna-related mischief
Special guests expected include:
• Tom M0YOM
• Jonathan M0JSX
• Ian G0CNN
• Darren M0CX
• Mike M0N
Whether you’re interested in antennas, operating, contesting, portable radio, station building, software, or simply meeting fellow radio amateurs, there should be something for everyone.
Keep an eye on the channel on 14th August for a couple of additional announcements, and another update on the day itself.
For years, people have asked me where the DX Commander concept actually came from. Did I invent it… or discover it? That’s what this video is about.
Because the truth is – none of us invent physics. Physics already exists. What we do as engineers and radio amateurs is discover arrangements that work… then try to package those discoveries into something practical, repeatable and reliable.
This video takes you through 24 years of my obsession with wire antennas:
• hundreds of experiments
• failures and dead ends
• strange prototypes
• Cornwall in 2013
• the very first multi-band vertical attempts
• and how the DX Commander gradually evolved from all of that experimentation.
Along the way, I explain:
• why creativity often comes from obsession
• why experimentation matters more than theory sometimes
• the difference between discovering physics and inventing a product
• and why most engineering is really about solving practical problems.
I’ve still got photographs of almost every antenna experiment I ever built — including some truly awful ones! Hopefully this inspires some of you to go and experiment with antennas yourselves.
PL259 or N-Type? It’s a debate that has been going on in amateur radio for decades. Many operators assume N-Type connectors are dramatically better than PL259s, particularly when it comes to loss, performance and weatherproofing.
But are we worrying about the wrong thing?
In this video I look at measurements made by the late Jim W6LG, who compared twenty PL259 connections against twenty N-Type connections and measured the actual difference.
The result might surprise you.
Perhaps instead of obsessing over connector types, we should be focusing on better coax, better antennas, improved grounding and station improvements that genuinely move the needle.
