Thank you for looking up my call-sign page. I'm Toby, in my 40s and I have been licenced as M6TBY since May 2011 and 2E0TBO since May 2012. I am a member of the Whitton Amateur Radio Group who I took my Foundation licence with, and Cray Valley Radio Society but I passed my Intermediate licence with Sutton and Cheam Radio Society.
My radio interests started at a young age making crystal radio sets and listening to pirate radio stations on MW. In 1980 I started to use CB radio on AM and a lot more on FM after legalisation. Radio took a back seat after my teens and I only took the hobby up again in 2010 after I returned from working abroad.
My main interests are working DX on most bands, my favourite band is 10m. I am very much a part of the contesting team for WARG (M2W) and I am very much in the thick of setting up any contest or event station with antennas and any IT equipment used.
In 2012 I was privilidged to be included in the team that organised the 2O12L special event station for the London Olympic and Paralympic games, as the IT Manager. It was an incredible experience, and really helped with my operating skills.
I do not have a station at home, due to unsympathetic neighbours, but I do live close to Epsom Downs (IO91VH) where I can work /P with a Yaesu FT857D and Solarcon A99 which has been tuned to the 10m band. It will tune happily on 12m, 15m and 17m so as long as the conditions for the HF bands are good, I have worked VP8LP from there using 10W. Radio weekends in East Sussex (JO00EW) also happen.
I have just made a Cobwebb antenna for 10m, 12m, 15m, 17m and 20m, following the plans from G3TPW. My first attempt at a complex antenna and after two attempts and a lot of searching on the net for the correct dimensions, I have managed to test it up at my favourite /P location. Here is the antenna on 20' of poles.
I am very happy with the results, both the tuning and impedance but also the contacts made during mediocre conditions. The next project will be a two element cubical quad.
Many thanks for those who worked me on the 9th March 2013.
Equipment I have are:
Radios
Kenwood TS 2000
Yaesu FT857D (mobile setup)
Yaesu FT902DM
Quansheng tg-uv2 (HT)
Magnum Omegaforce S45 10m
Antennas
Homebrew Cobwebb five band.
ECO Antennas four band trap vertical with 8 Am Pro ¼ wave mobile whips, 2 for each band as counterpoise
Solarcon A99 (Portable antenna for 10m, 12m, 15m and 17m)
Sirio Vector 4000 J pole for 10m
Alpha Delta DX-EE
Tonna 9 Element yagi for 2m
Yaesu ATAS-120A (mobile setup)
Diamond Mini Super Gainer dual band (mobile setup)
