I Started with a coax "bazooka" or flowerpot antenna which worked great to get me started until it got shut in the loft hatch by accident.

I then made a GPA antenna on a 259 chassis mount just like the video Ray posted and i couldn't be happier they are easy to tune, nice and compact (great if your only option is in the loft). i truly believe anyone can make one.

but the gain of a nice brought antenna does have its appeal

Hi Tony

That split frequency is very interesting . I have done the research on the FT-991A as well but not used it yet.
Well done for getting J51A . Talk about a pile up      .

QuoteAs of Saturday 7 March, the real headline grabbers are still the rare ones. 3Y0K Bouvet Island remains listed as active through 14 March (dates still subject to change), and J51A Guinea-Bissau is very much alive too — DX-World reported on 6 March that the team had already logged 164,500 QSOs after 10.9 days of operation, with roughly nine days still to run. For anyone chasing rarer DXCCs, those two belong right at the top of the watch list.
There is also plenty of workable activity on the air right now. T8OK Palau is active from 4–19 March on 160–6m using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. VP2E Anguilla is running 3–20 March on 160–6m with CW, SSB and FT8. 8Q7ZW Maldives is on from 28 February to 12 March, with a stated focus on the low bands, while TY5FR Benin is active from 4 March to 5 April on 80–10m using CW and SSB. Added to that, FG/HB9JAB in Guadeloupe begins today, 7 March, through 12 March on 20–10m with SSB and FT8.
Looking just ahead, PJ7AA Sint Maarten starts on 8 March and runs until 4 April on 40–6m, mainly CW with some SSB. JG8NQJ/JD1 Minami Torishima is also worth keeping in mind through 15 April, especially if you enjoy sniffing out 17m, 15m and 12m, where the operation is reported as mainly CW with some FT8. Then from 13 March, the next wave builds nicely with TX5EU Austral Islands set for 13–25 March on 80–10m using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 with three stations operating 24/7, plus JA0RQV/JD1 Ogasawara on 13–16 March and J79C Dominica on 13–20 March.
A bit further out, there's another one to pencil in now: S21WD Bangladesh. The team said on 4 March that they expect to arrive around 20 March, with on-air activity shortly after and operations planned through 1 April. That one has the potential to draw serious attention once it fires up.
This is exactly the sort of week where the little station details matter: a decent HF antenna, low-loss coax, good common-mode suppression, and a clean pair of headphones can be the difference between hearing them and actually working them 🎧📶

I managed J51A Guinea-Bissau on 10M, but not Bouvet Island yet. That was my first 'split freqency' QSO & the first time I had heard the calls 5up, 10up & 5 to 15up so quick learning was required.    

I use a Sharman X50 as I also operate 2M & 70cm with it, at my location it works quite well but if I wasn't such an old skinflint I would probably go for the X200.
Mine is on the top of the tv mast on the chimney.

QuoteDoes it cover all of the HF band or just different portions of it?

It's all across all of 5 bands Ray, 10/11/12/15 & 17M.

Let's hope it doesn't affect too many Thursdays, not too wooried about the rest of the week as I'm usually between 80M & 20M then.

"What PMR homebased antenna should I use?"

This question was asked on the Monday Night PMR net, so here is my take on what might work for someone coming into the PMR radio hobby.

I would first see where the antenna is going to be placed. Will it be on a chimney, pole in the garden or a pole on the side of the house and at what height?

With the location decided, this is the choice you have.

A Diamond/Sharman "white stick" antenna. There are many versions out, X30, X50, X200, etc. These are dual band antennas for the amateur bands but do work on PMR and the general rule is the bigger the number, the bigger the antenna and DB gain.

White Stick

Sirio make a couple of antennas that can be used on PMR, the weird looking CX-440, a Di-pole, there take on the "white stick" and beam antenna's

http://sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=85

http://sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_15&products_id=100

Thinking of a beam? Well once up, it will look like a TV aerial which will keep the neighbours happy and guessing if they see it moving round.

http://sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_15&products_id=103

The last choice would be to build your own. A little GPA can be made for next to nothing and will look small when viewed from the ground.

https://m0ukd.com/calculators/quarter-wave-ground-plane-antenna-calculator/

Hope this is some help.

Good luck and welcome to the hobby

Best 73

Ray 2290

Quote from: CT4013 on Mar 06, 2026, 03:35 PMThis still has me puzzled, after my post I had no noise any evening until Wed 4th (5 days) when it returned from 18 to 30MHz!
Yesterday listening on the SSB net it was clear with only S1-S2 all evening.

My thinking is that if the solar panels were the cause it would be the same every evening, or am I wrong?

This is the worse kind of interference, as it comes and go's at irregular intervals.

Does it cover all of the HF band or just different portions of it?

Hello and welcome

Here is my report for the Southern Area & South Coast SSB net held on Thursday 5th of March 2026

My location for the net was a Radio Corner, Ashdown 🌳 Forest in the county of East Sussex, where the weather was cool, cloudy and breezy. My estimated height above sea level is 213m or 699ft.

The net is held on channel 39 on the mid-block or 27.395 MHz and uses the LSB mode. The scheduled start time is close to 20:30 Hrs 🕣 and continues to 23:00 Hrs 🕙 or beyond. Local UK time

My set up for the net was an older version of the Anytone AT-6666 (no amp no power mic), powered by a car battery 🔋 and a Solarcon A-99 antenna on a 3m pole.

Here is my list of check in's and who heard and or worked who

TE 310 aka 3 to the 1 to the 0 - Kevin - Leigh on Sea - Essex 🥇
CT 3696 - Dave - Isle of Wight
RC 002 - Tom - Blackheath - Southeast London
CT 700 - Dave - Crawley Down - West Sussex
163/26 RU 08 - Rod - Brecon Beacon - Wales 🐉
RHP 342 aka Bartman - Andy - Reigate Hill - Surrey
TC 383 - Scott - Gillingham - Kent - Welcome to the net 👍
CCA 20 - Charlie in the Workshop - Hassocks - East Sussex
CT 1829 - Dean - Edenbridge - Kent
TC 156 - Steve - Gatwick - West Sussex
AM 167 - Dave - Maidstone - Kent - Welcome to the net 👍
GE 2020 - Matt - Ore Village - East Sussex
DDB 50 - Allan - Redhill - Surrey
TC 614 - Tim - Butts Brow - East Sussex
GE 167 - Murphy - Eastbourne - East Sussex
Joker aka RHP 285 - Steve - Reigate Hill - Surrey
OS 403 - Slywek - Wimbledon - Southwest London - Mobile 🚗
CT 4515 - John - Somewhere on Ashdown 🌳 Forest - East Sussex - QRP 5 watts
Tango 187 - Toby - Ashdown 🌳 Forest - East Sussex - Shotgun with QRP John
RM 427 - Mark - Dorking - Surrey
CT 5363 aka Shaggy - Shaun - Lewis - East Sussex
WT 148 - Tony - Hailsham - East Sussex
OP 525 - Dennis - Mereworth - Kent
XR 41 - Jerry - Hailsham - East Sussex
CT 5147 - Paul - Buxted - East Sussex - Mobile 🚗
FB 228 - Martin H - Hellingly - East Sussex
LT 01 - Jake - Highgate - North London
LT 555 - Jimmy - Chingford - East London - Welcome to the net 👍
009 - Tom - East London
LT 727 - Dave - Elstree - Hertfordshire
and me
CI 2290 - Ray - Ashdown 🌳 Forest aka Radio Corner - East Sussex - In the Chair 💺

Thank you all who called in a busy night. Sorry if you tried and wasn't heard, please try again Thursday night.

Now for the Numbers of the Night

0 Coffee's drunk as was too busy
31 In the log
2 Countries worked (26 & 163 division)
8 Counties worked
3 New operators welcomed to the net
4 London boroughs worked
1 QRP station worked

That brings my report to an end, and if you have spotted a spelling mistake or worse, I have left you off my log, let me know so I can put it right

Best 73

Ray 2290 with the paper & pen 📝

This still has me puzzled, after my post I had no noise any evening until Wed 4th (5 days) when it returned from 18 to 30MHz!
Yesterday listening on the SSB net it was clear with only S1-S2 all evening.

My thinking is that if the solar panels were the cause it would be the same every evening, or am I wrong?

I like using military and FRS radios on 4 metres