Getting started with FT8: a practical checklist
FT8 can make contacts when you can barely hear anything. Here is what you need, how to set it up and the mistakes to avoid.
M6OER · blog
Blog
Your first contest: a friendly guide
Contests are the busiest the bands ever get. Even a casual hour can bring dozens of new contacts – here is how to join in.
Q-codes and abbreviations: a cheat sheet for the bands
QTH, QSB, 73, FB, OM… the shorthand you will hear every day on the bands, in one handy table.
Test your antenna with WSPR – the “whisper” mode
A few hundred milliwatts, a two-minute beacon and a world map of who heard you: WSPR is the cheapest antenna test there is.
CQ CQ de M6OER – welcome to the shack
Welcome to my little corner of the web! I’m M6OER, a radio amateur based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. This blog is where I’ll share my contacts, antenna…
Radio in the great outdoors: POTA and SOTA for beginners
Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air turn a walk into a radio expedition. Here is how the two programmes work and what to pack.
Confirming a QSO in 2026: paper QSL, eQSL, LoTW and QRZ
Four ways to confirm a contact, what each one is good for, and which ones count for awards.
2 m FM: repeaters, CTCSS and the S20 calling channel
A handheld radio is many people’s first step into amateur radio. Here is how 2 m FM works in the UK, from simplex to repeaters.
A band-by-band guide to HF
From 160 m to 10 m: what each HF band is like, when it is open and what you can expect to work.
What does IO91 mean? A quick guide to Maidenhead locators
Four characters that tell another radio amateur roughly where you are – here is how the Maidenhead locator system works.