#DXCC

Over 25 years of poorly built and installed antennas, i have finally achieved #DXCC with 100 confirmed countries on Ham Radio. In the last couple of months with Covid19 Lockdown in Australia, i repaired my poorly built HF wire antenna and have started playing FT8 when time permits. This mode divides opinion, is it real…

Max Howden Crystals

I was sent this photo the other week from someone who had removed these Max Howden crystals from an old radio. An Interesting crystal holder, Max ran this company in the 1970’s and his son continued the business into the 1980’s I’m informed. Another piece of the A3BQ / VK3BQ callsign history.  

Fixing a Radio Noisy Prado 150 Diesel

The trouble with operating from a car is, modern cars with electronic systems can be RF noisy! The diesel D4D engine in my Prado 150 series is no exception. With many sources of noise on the HF bands. From throttle noise to electronic injector noise, and base car background noise. Operating on some parts of…