M1VPN

Amateur Radio Adventures

2025 Contests

I've started a bit late this year, already missing the New Year SARTG and BARTG contests, but life has been busy and I didn't manage to carve out the time to participate in these.

Here's the running order of the contests I want to participate in this year ;

EAPSK63 Contest – Mar 8th-9th BARTG HF Contest – Mar 15th-17th CQ WPX SSB – Mar 29th-30th

EARTTY Contest – April 5th-6th IG-RY WW RTTY Contest – April 12th-13th (New) PACC Digi Contest – April 19th BARTG RTTY75 Sprint – April 27th

Volta RTTY Contest – May 10th – 11th (New) EU PSK DX Contest – May 17th – 18th CQ WW CW Contest – May 24th – 25th (New)

ARRL Inter. Digi Contest – Jun 7th – 8th (New)

CQ WW VHF Digi Contest – Jul 19th – 20th

SARTG WW RTTY Contest – Aug 16th – 17th WW Digi DX Contest – Aug 30th – 31st (New)

CQ WW DX RTTY Contest – Sep 27th – 28th

Makrothen RTTY Contest – Oct 11th – 12th CQ WW DX SSB Contest – Oct 25th – 26th

WAE DX RTTY Contest – Nov 8th – 9th

ARRL 10M Contest – Dec 9th – 10th

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Amateur Radio Goals from 2024

In a somewhat optimistic manner, I collated a list of goals for the radio year that was 2024. What I'd not foreseen was that post-July I didn't really turn the radio on much with a period of time that I just didn't feel like doing radio at all. Personal life was difficult at the time, and where I'd usually lose myself on the bands, this was actually the issue so I took some time out for myself to deal with things.

Mental wellbeing is important, and whilst radio has got me through one of the worse imaginable life events, sometimes it too needs to take a back seat for things with more priority. I'm glad to say that I'm much better now, and back on the radio a bit more, but acutely aware that hiding away from the world (sat in my corner, as my friends call it) isn't always the best way to deal with real life. Lesson Learned.

Now, what did I want to achieve and how did I do ?

DXCC – ✘ – I didn't do too badly, with 242 worked, and 233 confirmed. A little away from the 250 goal, but still steady progress towards 300. I'll keep going, and get those 11 confirmed.

5 Band DXCC – ✘ – 80m is just a bit stubborn, and I'm stuck at 95 confirmed. I've worked 113, but need those 5 confirmations to make it over the line. 8-Band DXCC, if I can get those last 5 ! No pressure.

VUCC – ✘ – 6m was shockingly bad this year, even for the limited operating time that I had. There was just not the lifts as usual, but it did liven up a bit at the end of the season. 336 squares confirmed, 370 worked. The maximum I can achieve here with the antenna set-up I currently have is probably 400.

QO-100 – ✘ – Transverter still in the box it arrived in.

Other Awards – ✘ – Not much progress, more JA stations but not those 3 prefectures I need ! Still awaiting the ELK station too, I keep an eye on the cluster for that one.

Contesting – ✔ – I did get some good results with the SO2V station, and enjoyed getting that running, albeit with a slightly cobbled together station. I now have a micro Keyer II to do this properly. Some good scores this year, and happy that progress is still in the right direction.

4404 QSO's this year in contests.

Projects – ✘ – The K3NG rotator is nearly completed ! Final boxing and adding display/push buttons to do, but it works. Didn't start the QCX yet, but one for the winter nights perhaps.

The sit-stand desk design is now complete, with some decisions to make about possible SO2R Radio's, and the space needed, the same for Linear Amps too. I've built some adjustment into it, as things will change ! Now awaiting the Flexispot sales in the new year !

Portable Ops – ✘ – Not really had the chance to do portable ops, and now I have an EV, with a glass roof, mobile ops aren't going to happen either. The Shack is pretty well equipped now, Antenna is about the best I can get it, without a Tower which isn't going to happen.

I'm content with what I achieved this year, considering. I'm slowly getting back on the bands, and enjoying digital, as I always have. Added some CW operating too, and took part in some CW Ops sessions to keep me going, meeting some really nice people on the way.

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Installing the Microham Keyer II for SO2V

Following on from the previous post on SO2V using the equipment I had in stock, and successfully using the configuration in a few contests, I wanted to do this properly. By chance, the local pre-loved radio emporium, Lindars Radio had a Microham Keyer II in stock, with a FT-2000 cable. This was too good an opportunity to miss, so I dropped by and purchased it.

Now, the Keyer II is somewhat deprecated now, with the Keyer III now available with it's 24bit Soundcard and OLED displays however at an eye watering £450 price point, this was purchased for £250. I have £200 to spend on something else, or that's how I look at it.

Microham micro Keyer II Microham micro Keyer II

The DB37 cable enables the radio to be connected to the Keyer II, at various ports to enable CAT, Sound and PTT functions, allowing for CW keying, SSB voice keying and of course digital modes, whilst supporting the second VFO for SO2V.

The Microham Router software is installed on the shack PC, to enable Keyer II management and virtual COM ports to support the other CAT software, in my case Omnirig, N1MM and Fl-digi.

The Install

Having had the combination of a Signalink and the G4ZLP interfaces for SO2V, I had to remove a few USB's and signal cables first, tidy up the cable trays and install the DB-37 Umbilical which went without incident. The Foster 8-pin for the front of the radio is ok for now, but I want to get a right-angle connector for this, as the cable bend radius is a bit tight, I'll work something out.

Microham micro Keyer II Rear Microham micro Keyer II

Sitting resplendent on top of my prized AEA PK-900 TNC, it was all ready for the software install which again was very easy to do. It prompted to remove all USB's that could be FTDI, and when to power on the MK2II. It immediately prompted for a Firmware upgrade as my unit was on 4.x, and the latest is 6.x, which then downloaded and installed. A quick final check on Device Manager, saw all the sound and ports registered with drivers and all was ready to configure for my particular set-up.

First off, re-configuring of Log4OM, via OmniRig where I created a virtual COM port in the Router software (COM16) and re-pointed Omnirig at that port, and it immediately connected and confirmed CAT communications ! Next up was JTDX, and changing the sound card settings to the Microham codecs, again fairly simple and then just a level set on the front panel pots. Now I configured N1MM+, only partially because SO2V without any RTTY signals is pretty hard to do so I'll wait for some action on bands for that bit, but the CAT connection was set up like OmniRig with an additional virtual COM port (COM15) and the application re-pointed at this. Again, all good to go. I'll come back round to the SO2V config and Sub-RX for N1MM+ digital later.

Finally, Fl-digi was a repeat of the above and all worked fine, but alas no PSK31 signals on band to try.

A quick check on the air with FT8, on a noisy band and everything seemed to be good. WebSDR showed a good signal, not overdriven and ALC was set to 0, via the front TX pot.

I'm really pleased with this, especially as it's a pre-loved and therefore cheaper to buy. Need another one now !

Things left to

Set up the CW part of the router and build a longer cable for my Begali Paddles.

Understand the voice part, and whether routing my ESSB set-up through the MK2, or in parallel is the best choice. I'm thinking the latter.

Find a right-angle Foster 8-pin connector and replace.

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Rebuilding a QO-100 Station

I last used my QO-100 station on January 1st, 2024 but on coming to use it again in April 2024, it seemed that my ADALM Pluto was no longer working. I tested it in the lab, and could see that transmit was not operating correctly, for some reason. I don't understand the degradation of transmit, because it had been used in the same way throughout its life, connected directly to a CN0147 Pre-amp and then to the SG-Labs PA. It's one of those things, but reliability of the Pluto has not been great, this is the second one that I've had for experimentation and though no fault of my use, they are unreliable.

Whilst the station in 2023 was a learning exersize, I now want something more stable and reliable. I did get to 50 DXCC, which was the aim so now to build something to get to 100 !

QO-100 50 DXCC

New configuration for 2024

A more traditional approach this time, utilising the DX Patrol Upconverter and SDRPlay RSP1B SDR Receiver. The other components are reused, however the addition of a Ice Cone Feed for the antenna to get back on the air quickly, with then time to refine the DC6YCL YATT in slower time.

To start, I will be operating the station from my office, which is next to the dishes in the garden, thus minimising the coax lengths between the RSP1B and Rig to Upconverter, I will then look at what is needed to link back to the main shack in the house. I do have twin-wall conduit under the garden for most cable paths, but this particular one is not direct and whilst the RX cable will not suffer too much as the LNB output is high, and the RG6U is cheap too, the Rig to Upconverter coaxial cable would be 25m long, at 144Mhz, utilising Ultraflex 10 !

QO-100 Station 2024

Upconverter Configuration

The DX Patrol Upconverter is easy to configure, with just the IF frequency needing to be set and the power adjustment lowered from the factory set 90mW, back down to 50mW for the SG-Labs 20W PA input. I also enabled the external clock from the Leo Bodnar GPSDO, which was changed to 10Mhz from the 40Mhz that was set to support the Pluto.

SDR Console

Using SDR Console with an external radio is quite simple, and because I already use Omnirig to support CAT operations with my station anyway, this was configured already to support the radio in use. SDR Console has an External Radio function, which connects to Omnirig. This interface is excellent, and very easy to ensure it was working. The Tracking parameters and direction can then be set. In this case, I set the RX to TX tracking for Freq and Mode. Clicking on the RX waterfall then sets the External transmit frequency. The Transverter settings then sort out the freq shift needed.

The only issue to point out is that when tracking the TX and RX, you must wait for the external radio to confirm the Freq shift before selecting a new frequency. This isn't a bug, it's just a matter of sequencing.

On the Air

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Custom Keypad for N1MM+ Contesting Using the ELSTRAsmart PK-2068 Keypad

After progressing to SO2V, it was clear that some of the key combination shortcuts could be better implemented on a programmable keypad. A search of viable keypads was then started !

RPi or Arduino based keypads, such as the ones available from Pimoroni would work well in this usecase, but needed both assembly and programming, and building a case (3D print would work well here) A good example is this one – https://www.on5mf.be/2016/03/26/arduino-leonardo-external-keypad/

One-handed Gaming Keyboards looked like an option too, although some of their specific gaming features and additional display would not be supported within N1MM+ natively and I was not sure I wanted the additional work of writing software.

POS terminal keypads – Fulfil the use case and are pre-packaged and have programming software already built.

No surprises that I went with the last option, and one of the cheapest options here was an ELSTRAsmart keypad, at £37.

ELSTRAsmart PK-2068 ELSTRAsmart PK-2068 Keypad

Not much to say about the keypad, apart from the device itself is sturdy, and has a good footprint on the desk, and has removable keycaps (tool included) to put new labels in for the new key function and two modes, one as a traditional keypad, and one for being a fully customisable keypad.

Programming software isn't exactly intuitive, but with some testing started to understand what was going on. There are a few issues with Numlock etc, but all workable. The software driver download was fairly easy and install was typical for Windows.

The other good thing with this keypad is that I can actually configure it on another machine with the client software, but then use it on my Shack PC. The software looks fine, but isn't signed and therefore was sceptical about installing onto the shack machine as it's well configured. I have the Shack PC backed up weekly, and also image the whole disk to a spare on a regular basis using Acronis too.

N1MM+ Config

The first config plan was to have along the top row (both modes), the following ;

Move Focus to VFO A and start CQ – CTRL + < (1 sec pause) F1 Move Focus to VFO B – CTRL + > Move Focus to VFO A – CTRL + < Duelling CQ Alternate VFO's – CTRL + F1

Row two are the typical N1MM+ QSO keys ;

Call CQ – F1 ( CQ TEST de M1V M1V) Answer – F2 ( xxxxxx 599 001 001 M1V) TU – F3 (xxxxxx TU, M1V QRZ) M1V – F4 (M1V M1V)

Row Three, Bandmap Navigation ;

Prev Spot – CTRL + up Next Spot – CRTL + down Prev Mult Spot – ALT + up Next Mult Spot – ALT + down

Row Four, Band Switching ;

VFO A – Up – 160 > 10 – CTRL + PgUp VFO A – Down – 160 < 10 – CTRL + PgDn VFO B – Up – 160 > 10 – CTRL, Shift + PgUp VFO B – Down – 160 < 10 – CTRL, Shift + PgDn

N1MM+ skips the band that the other VFO is on.

Row Five is only 3 keys ; Used for FT8 Ops, distinctly labled.

FT8 Enable/Disable FT8 HALT FT8 Erase

and Row six is also 3 keys ;

FT8 TX1 FT8 TX5 FT8 TX6

N1MM+ Keycap Labels

Microsoft Custom Labels, defined as 13.04 mm Square.

Typed in the Key functions and printed/sliced on 80gsm paper. Can print onto A4 Label sheets instead when settled with the layouts.

ELSTRAsmart PK-2068 Keypad configured and labeled for M1V Contesting

Performance

To be Confirmed !

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Building a Single Op, Two VFO Digital Contest Station (SO2V)

Following on from the blog post about how to progress in RTTY Contests, I decided that SO2V was the cheapest and easiest way to get extra stations in my contest log. I already have the Yaesu FT-2000 Transceiver which is Twin-Receive capable, so an additional Soundcard input is all that is needed above what I have already.

FT-2000

Station Logging is via N1MM+, again SO2V capable so just needs configuration. This is available from the N1MM+ documentation website.

Audio

The Yaesu FT-2000 provides second receiver audio via the rear AF socket, on the Right channel of a TRS plug. As I take my main VFO audio from the Packet port currently into a G4ZLP interface, I built a new cable for my Signalink USB, to pick up the additional audio input, and take into the PC.

[AF Out Socket] > [TRS] (Main/Sub/Gnd) to [Signalink USB Interface]

Software

Software changes are also needed for RTTY decoders, with another folder for MMTTY , GRITTY and 2Tone applications, and the secondary DI config setup for the additional audio input.

Screen Layout is important for Context switching, therefore I have VFO A on the Left Screen, VFO B on the Right, which are a mirror image for window placement. This may develop as I use the set-up.

Operating

N1MM+ operating for SO2V requires a number of new keystrokes. The main one is CTRL + < or > to move between TX VFO. There are others that you need to review on the N1MM+ Documentation Site.

Contesting

As ever, the best way to get an understanding of just how SO2V works, is to enter a contest and try it ! In this case, the EAPSK63 contest was a good place to start, as geographically I'm never going to get a great placing in this contest and it is similar enough to RTTY, but less complex as there is only one decoder to configure, FLDigi in my case.

I started off with just the main VFO, and listening around on the sub VFO to understand how usable it was. One of the down sides of SO2V from SO2R is that you loose receive on the second VFO on TX. This means that you do miss quite a bit of the other VFO signal decodes, but there is enough between CQ calls on the main band to be of use.

With main VFO set to CQ repeat, it is then easy to tune around another band looking for stations, and more importantly multipliers. I started with main VFO on 20m, Sub VFO on 10m but there was not much to work on 10, surprisingly. A shift to 40m did bring some more stations, enough to understand the S+P on one band, Running on the other. With 20m degrading with the daylight, 40/80 were then up, and more activity followed.

Running with S+P in the gaps started to work well, and when the rate dropped, I then turned to Running on two bands. This is as daunting as it sounds, and thus took some time to work through the keystrokes and procedures, but again learning by doing, it resulted in a lot more QSO in the log.

Summary

Overall, the SO2V experience was a positive one, and almost certainly improved my score significantly. The mental load however is high, and whilst with practice this should be easier, I was very tired after only 15.8 hours in the contest, with sleep in the middle.

The downside of SO2V, loss of receive on TX can be managed, but is a significant factor between SO2V and SO2R. That said, I don't have two Multi-band Antennas on HF to allow SO2R, or the investment into a SO2R controller at this time, so SO2V gives me a chance to at least try to compete with SO2R stations.

Improvements after one contest. – EAPSK63

I reused my SignalinkUSB for the Sub VFO audio channel, and this is OK, but the radio output is very low, and the SignalinkUSB does not have enough gain to bring the signal up, and at full level is quite noisy. I need a better external USB soundcard so will keep an eye on Ebay for a pre-loved Focusrite Scarlett or Presonus Audiobox USB 96 unit.

The SO2V keystrokes on N1MM+ are quite a feat to keep up for multiple hours. For Dual Band Running, CTRL and F1 are distant enough to hurt after a while, so I need a programmable Keypad. The ELSRA Keypad looks like a good choice, and highly configurable. Not sure how it will cope in an RF situation, but I have very low RF in the shack, so should be fine. At £37 from Amazon, looks to be a cheaper alternative to the more expensive units.

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Beyond contesting with a wire, How to move up the HF Contest Scoreboard.

I'm at that point that consistently getting into the top 5 in G means that if I want to progress, I need improve contest operations or my equipment. Changing QTH isn't going to happen, and that's fine.

Analysis of the stations placed higher reveals a consistent equipment difference, namely a directional HF Antenna. RF equipment-wise, it's not that different against my FT-2000 based station, maybe a Microham Interface instead of my G4ZLP one but on paper these are fairly evenly matched in performance.

One of the lowest cost options would be to move to SO2V, as the FT-2000 is already capable of that mode of operation. N1MM+ can automate, but I would need a new sound card and cabling to support dual receive.

Other RTTY options here are a Microham interface, which I've always wanted but at £400 inc cables, is quite expensive for functionality that I already have. I could look at the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface, but is £50 – £130 used on eBay, as a second USB Sound Card, but it may need work on RF immunity.

Cost – £400/£130 – 24bit External USB Sound Card (RTTY Contesting) Benefit – 2 bands – 1 for Running, 1 for S+P. Difficulty – Medium Complexity – (Need to develop Op Skills)

Antenna Improvements could make a difference, with perhaps a Hexbeam on a portable, guyed mast for contest weekends. Not as usable as a tower, but I'm never going to get Planning Permission for a Permanent Tower at the current QTH. I already have a BevFlex Beverage which works well, at just 264ft in length and is a real benefit on Phone Contests.

A Push up / Swaged mast, guyed with rotator and Hexbeam would be possible, although quite hard work for a single op to get ready every contest weekend. I already use a similar set-up for 6m in the Sp.E season, so it is not an unknown. It is certainly capable, but not a low cost option.

Cost – Mast + Hexbeam = £250 + £700 Benefit – Additional directional antenna for 10 – 20m Difficulty – Low – (Already have rotator integrated into Log4OM for 6m)

Not withstanding the above, the actual ultimate station upgrade for this location would be a Trailer mounted 100ft Tower, with an Innovantennas XR7 and Prosistel BigBoy Rotator, guyed with Mastrant Cables. If stations couldn't hear me with that, they never would, but the sheer economics of this option would be a big investment.

Cost – Trailer Mast + XR7 = £9,000 + £1,300 Benefit – Directional antenna for 4m – 20m (7 bands) Difficulty – Low

So, what do I do ?

Reality is that SO2V means more multipliers and log entries, and needs the smallest investment in equipment. The operating skills will need practice, but can be transferred to SO2R if that ever became an option. I can repurpose my Signalink USB and the Sub-RX on the FT-2000 to get started too.

The Hexbeam option, when set in context with storage, installing and clearing down, makes this not viable at the current time, and cost is high for the potential improvement in scores.

Tower/XR7 is a serious investment in Amateur Radio and I'd need to be convinced I could use it more than just contest weekends at this QTH. I don't believe that 100ft of tower and an XR7 wouldn't raise comments from neighbours, even if it was only extended on contest days !

73 de M1VPN, damian.

2024 Contest Calendar

It's that time of year to sort out the schedule for contests, and how to fit them into everyday life of a working, only parent. It's not particularly easy for the big 36/48 hour contests with some of the break rules but we make it work. I've learned a few ways of organising and planning home and radio so it means I get to contest, and daughter manages to not be bored, or need things.

This year's contests have already started, but here's my intended working list ;

  • SARTG New Year RTTY Contest – Jan 1st [69 Q's – 4 hrs]
  • ARRL RTTY Round-up – Jan 6th-7th [444 Q's – 18.5 hrs]
  • BARTG RTTY Sprint – Jan 27th-28th [535 Q's – 18 hrs]
  • CQ WPX RTTY – Feb 10th-11th [844 Q's – 29 hrs]
  • RSGB FT4 Series – 1 [56 Q's – 1.5 hrs]
  • EAPSK63 Contest – Mar 9th-10th [394 Q's – 15.8 hrs]
  • BARTG HF Contest – Mar 16th-18th [602 Q's – 25.8 hrs]
  • RSGB FT4 Series – 2 [61 Q's – 1.5 hrs]
  • CQ WPX SSB – Mar 30th-31st [340 Q's – 14 hrs] – Illness caused short entry.
  • EARTTY Contest – April 6th-7th [431 Q's – 15.8 hrs]
  • PACC Digi Contest – April 20th (New Contest) [93 Q's – 6.5 hrs]
  • BARTG RTTY75 Sprint – April 28th (New Contest) [108 Q's – 4 hrs]
  • RSGB FT4 Series – 3 – April 29th [ 61 Q's – 1.5 hrs]
  • EU PSK DX Contest – May 19th [ 54 Q's – 3 hrs]
  • WAE RTTY Contest – Nov 9th-10th [ 248 Q's – 9 hrs]
  • RSGB FT4 Series – 5 – June 17th [ 65 Q's – 1.5 hrs]

Year Totals [4404 Q's – 168.8hrs]

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Starting off the Radio Year

The start of 2024 has also announced the start of the World Wide Award stations, to celebrate the 150th Birthday of the Marconi.

Lots of stations to contact, lots of activity on all modes and a chance to chase a list of stations. After 2023, I thought my CW skills were probably good enough now to chase some stations, but little did I know my intention would turn into a bit of an obsession! Although I've got many contacts with SSB and FT modes, som RTTY too, I have lots on CW ! Many of them new DXCC for CW. Now, it's hardly a stretch to send Callsign & 5NN, TU however its more about the operating than the sending when you are new. No matter how much LCWO or morse copy prepares you for sending with a pile of other Ops, usually Split too. (Up Up, says the band police)

I've also found that I'm less worried about contacting that CQ calling station on the bands now too, so it's made me more comfortable with CW. I'm still not a great RagChew Op, but I'm not on Phone either! I've always been a digital modes station since I found them and enjoy all of them, from HF Packet to FT modes, RTTY and PSK. Something more exotic like Olivia, or even AMTOR/PACTOR.

So, M1VPN is now on Phone, Digital and CW, QO-100, HF and APRS VHF.

73 de M1VPN, damian.

Amateur Radio Goals for 2024

For 2024, I want to further consolidate what I have so no more new equipment unless it results in more Q's, or more DXCC. Tough for a equipment junkie like me, but a harsh reality of a lower budget for the foreseeable future. I have plenty of kit so maybe a clear out/swap for things that I no longer use, or have two of.

DXCC, I'd like to break 250 confirmed which is a hard total with what is left to get, but achievable with the station I have. I want to get more band slots too, to improve DXCC Challenge Score.

5 Band DXCC, Get those 80m slots filled to finish this. I should also get 30, 17 and 15m endorsements as these are either done or close. 160m won't be achievable with the current antenna, nor 6m.

VUCC, I'm not sure my current station/antenna for 6m has much more than 350 squares in it, so getting to 350 confirmed would be nice to do. A new 6m Yagi might help marginally with this. I have looked both at the Powabeam and Innovantennas, as a possible replacement for the 3 Ele, but would it be worth it based on the location ?!

QO-100, I'd like to get to 100 DXCC, and 200 Sq. Also improve antenna situation for receive, as that's not as good as it can be. A DL6YCL helix was part built in 2023 ! The station build went well so it just needs refining, no major changes needed that I can see.

Other awards, I'd like to get the ELK award, so need to work a OH73ELK station Op to get that. I'd also like to finish the Worked All Japan Areas (WAJA) Award, but I am 3 Prefectures short and have been for a while.

Contesting, Improve SSB Contest Ops, maybe add SO2V capability as the FT-2000 is capable of it and I need to Run more than I currently do. S+P works fine in some conditions but I can usually achieve better rates when running. RTTY has got better so just need to keep at that. There is a limit with wire antenna's though, so adding a directional antenna would help, but not an option currently. (Analysis of the stations placed ahead of me with similar station equipment usually have a Hexbeam or at least a Tri-bander)

General Station Goals, I'd like to achieve the ones left over from last year too, so QSL cards need to be up to date to start with, then re-cable the antenna's and patch cables. (This needs some digging in the garden for conduit laying) I want to add a switch the UHF/VHF antennas across radios and some cable tidying required on the back of the IkeaHacked desk, and finally finish the Audio chain install. (Sort out the boom mic, and further EQ settings)

Projects, Finish K3NG rotator controller (at least the basic pointing functions) before May and SpE season, and start my QRP Labs QCX build.

Stretch Goal and very much budget dependant, I want to build a sit/stand operating desk based on the Flexispot 4 leg chassis. From my IkeaHacked current desk work, I was made aware of a self-flat-pack service from a local sheet wood distributor who can CAD cut to size, so I need to break out the CAD software and build an extendable, future proofed, desk/console ! Easy, huh ? This is looking quite expensive, so one to plan at least in 2024, and design.

Finally, I want to make time to go out portable like I used to do. Maybe SOTA like I did back in 2004 – 2008, or just some HF operating.

Circle back in Dec 2024 and see what I actually achieved !

73 de M1VPN, damian.