Steve M0BPQ
@m0bpq.bsky.social
Steve's ham radio tweets. What can I break today?
Couldnt resist calling @gu0sup.bsky.social on 12m FT8 just now - nice to see you - sorry Im not DX :)
November 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Couldnt resist calling @gu0sup.bsky.social on 12m FT8 just now - nice to see you - sorry Im not DX :)
No hail - just heavy rain this weekend @scarefest.
November 2, 2025 at 8:18 PM
No hail - just heavy rain this weekend @scarefest.
Fire in the hole! - Ive been given this to repair. I won't embarrass the manufacturer or owner......
October 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Fire in the hole! - Ive been given this to repair. I won't embarrass the manufacturer or owner......
Thats hard with moving parts! the 3D printed hat is designed to help....
October 7, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Thats hard with moving parts! the 3D printed hat is designed to help....
With a huge amount of help from M0MDS, the rotator now has a 3D printed rain hat. And yet another new pot in the base
October 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM
With a huge amount of help from M0MDS, the rotator now has a 3D printed rain hat. And yet another new pot in the base
My final radio job was to replace the active device in a 2m MHP. Imagine my surprise to find spiral cracks in the coax between the antenna and the preamp. Guess this is fake LMR 400 then!
September 21, 2025 at 7:10 PM
My final radio job was to replace the active device in a 2m MHP. Imagine my surprise to find spiral cracks in the coax between the antenna and the preamp. Guess this is fake LMR 400 then!
At the shack end with elements touching the ground. All the right dips in all the wrong places. It’ll come good when I crank the tower
September 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
At the shack end with elements touching the ground. All the right dips in all the wrong places. It’ll come good when I crank the tower
So I sent through the various coax joints to find an intermittent n male. Took the offending connection apart to find it was a solderless type. It’s now soldered!
September 21, 2025 at 5:26 PM
So I sent through the various coax joints to find an intermittent n male. Took the offending connection apart to find it was a solderless type. It’s now soldered!
My OB16-3 has been miss behaving so I finally made and fitted a choke to replace the so239 that’s caused issues previously. Invoked a bolt snapping and redrilling and tapping news holes. But that didn’t fix it! 1/
September 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
My OB16-3 has been miss behaving so I finally made and fitted a choke to replace the so239 that’s caused issues previously. Invoked a bolt snapping and redrilling and tapping news holes. But that didn’t fix it! 1/
Here’s the feed point of an optibeam yagi. The rusted screws go through the square transmission lines and I suspect into the element. How to I get them out? I’m nervous about drilling them and not being able to put something else in.
September 14, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Here’s the feed point of an optibeam yagi. The rusted screws go through the square transmission lines and I suspect into the element. How to I get them out? I’m nervous about drilling them and not being able to put something else in.
I needed a replacement part for my Heil headset. It was $70 inc shipping from the US so i 3D printed one. Had to unclog the nozzle, realign the carriage and update octopi, but printer working better than ever now!
September 6, 2025 at 4:13 PM
I needed a replacement part for my Heil headset. It was $70 inc shipping from the US so i 3D printed one. Had to unclog the nozzle, realign the carriage and update octopi, but printer working better than ever now!
After a few months of building work, I’m starting to reinstall a remote shack. Still need to replace those ceiling tiles though!
June 29, 2025 at 6:54 AM
After a few months of building work, I’m starting to reinstall a remote shack. Still need to replace those ceiling tiles though!
Some progress today on my low cost 2.3,3.4 and 5.6GHz set ups. The plastic enclosures are flexing so alignment isn’t perfect and 28V supply for 13cm pa is dead. Hope to have a few contacts in the RSGB UKAC this month
June 15, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Some progress today on my low cost 2.3,3.4 and 5.6GHz set ups. The plastic enclosures are flexing so alignment isn’t perfect and 28V supply for 13cm pa is dead. Hope to have a few contacts in the RSGB UKAC this month
Second time lucky! 3D printed box for four way coax relay and PTT to enable microwave band transverter switching.
June 13, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Second time lucky! 3D printed box for four way coax relay and PTT to enable microwave band transverter switching.
3D printed a box for this relay and some rca sockets to allow easy switching of microwave band tvtrs. Fits great, if the relay is on the outside. Doh! V2 printing now. I even printed a thin test to check hole position before going all in……
June 9, 2025 at 6:35 PM
3D printed a box for this relay and some rca sockets to allow easy switching of microwave band tvtrs. Fits great, if the relay is on the outside. Doh! V2 printing now. I even printed a thin test to check hole position before going all in……
I got lucky today. Keep going! @clublog.org suggests that there have been fewer than 10k Q over the last 20 years so it’s really in demand.
April 29, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I got lucky today. Keep going! @clublog.org suggests that there have been fewer than 10k Q over the last 20 years so it’s really in demand.
Spent a few hours riding off road with my boys today strava.app.link/DSrFV1Q2ISb this table top looks much bigger (and scarier) when you are on it!
April 20, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Spent a few hours riding off road with my boys today strava.app.link/DSrFV1Q2ISb this table top looks much bigger (and scarier) when you are on it!
New (to me) amplifier set up. Looking forward to trying it out!
March 16, 2025 at 2:02 PM
New (to me) amplifier set up. Looking forward to trying it out!
Well that’s certainly blown. No electrical testing needed there!
March 8, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Well that’s certainly blown. No electrical testing needed there!
My cw practice by the pool is getting better. The last one was correct but I did t log it fast enough to count. It’s
Becoming much more intuitive.
Becoming much more intuitive.
March 5, 2025 at 8:50 PM
My cw practice by the pool is getting better. The last one was correct but I did t log it fast enough to count. It’s
Becoming much more intuitive.
Becoming much more intuitive.
What kind of connector is this? The mating socket on the PCB is damaged!
February 7, 2025 at 5:40 PM
What kind of connector is this? The mating socket on the PCB is damaged!
I building stuff for a new remote site and this time I can learn from all the mistakes at GB2GP! Today I made a gm3sek mains filter
February 2, 2025 at 8:55 PM
I building stuff for a new remote site and this time I can learn from all the mistakes at GB2GP! Today I made a gm3sek mains filter
Well done to the Camb Hams for winning RSGB AFS Phone despite my contribution....... I came 20th in the individual rankings. I have much to learn!
January 27, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Well done to the Camb Hams for winning RSGB AFS Phone despite my contribution....... I came 20th in the individual rankings. I have much to learn!