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Colin M1BUU

@m1buu.bsky.social
336 followers 129 following 208 posts

Likes hills, countryside and radio. QRP, SOTA, radio kit building

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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Tried my 50th Anniversary Tuna Tin 2 today from Hutton Roof Crags G/LD-052. 5 QSOs, including an S2S, but the rig needs work. Couldn't get RX mute to work - thankfully I had my manual switch with me. The RX front end protection I put in attenuated the receive signal too much also.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
When I first got my A licence, I used to operate quite a bit on 17m. It was my fave band, and the QSOs were relaxed and friendly. I'm attempting to get active on 17m again. Yesterday, I had a great QSO with WA0CRI in MN, and today, I contacted W1WCC in Cape Cod, both with my QMX, at about 4 watts.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Somehow I found myself making 5 QSOs from G/NP-028 this afternoon with the 1976 original W1CER (W1FB) Tuna Tin 2! Great to get friends in the log too - thanks M0VFC and G4IVV!
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Yeah, pump troubles are not great! You can see the blister in this pic taken at Telford Hamfest today.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Apologies for the QLF, I trapped my finger in a bicycle tyre pump on Wednesday, sending CW wasn't the most pleasant experience today! Glad to give you the QSOs. 73
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
It's the Yorkshire in me - I'm wincing a bit at the £17 buffet fee!
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Anyone know what the vegetarian food offerings are like at the G-QRP Convention at Harper Adams Uni? Not sure whether to brave the buffet or not. TIA
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Are you implying my favourite car looks like a toy?
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Yorkshire 🥰
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Yes, I prefer SMT too. I'm just getting to the age where I can't see resistor values unaided but I guess I've done quite well. With some readers or a magnifier I'm fine.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Yeah, I miss those days. The MTR-5B was definitely my favourite build, it's an awesome rig. I didn't care so much for the later rigs. Every so often I have the urge to build something, I wish I had some Weber kits to go at! I usually a build a RockMite as I have the PCBs and parts to hand.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Agreed, I sold most of my QCX radios. Both the 40m and 10m versions I have were built by others and I fixed them up. I have a nice QCX Mini-20m which I constructed on Great Whernside G/NP-008, with a gas soldering iron, and then used it to qualify the hill, I feel that I can't sell that one!
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Interesting to see just how small the QMX really is!
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Sorry to learn that, Peter.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Attempting to re-visit some long ago shelved projects. First up is a 20m Soda Pop. Just needs the case finishing off.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I think I'll smell of T-cut for weeks! Was fun driving a pre-war car again.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Actually turned a soldering iron on today
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Kirkstone Pass earlier this week. Really enjoying the sunny days.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Pen y Ghent today. Some QSOs on 40m and 20m CW with my old Altoids tin Mountain Topper.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Goodness, that takes me back. I did work experience at Microvitec back in the 90's, I calibrated monitors and did fault finding on PCBs.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Night time SOTA activation on 160m, Friday night.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
This morning's commute, a 5 mile bike ride as the sun was rising over the Yorkshire Dales.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Some pretty nice views at times yesterday
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
No need to apologise for QLF, it was a successful two way radio contact! Thanks for the CW QSO, great to work you. Random pic from today.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Low effort lunchtime SOTA. Cardputer does the QSOs and logging whilst I eat snacks.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Enjoyed playing with SD Kez this morning. 😀
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
I'm hoping bringing our Standard home soon. A couple of hours were spent fettling yesterday.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
I can assure you that it's a normal sized, average pencil. Here is the same pencil next to my Morse key.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Trying out Mini-FT8 V1.3.2 today. 6 QSOs in the automatic log.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Had a QMX+ on my bench last week, I had to update the QLG3 GPS as it had the date rollover issue. The firmware fought me too, bricked on first try, had to do hardware reset. This week I've had a regular QMX build on the bench.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
github.com/wcheng95/Min...
github.com
GitHub - wcheng95/Mini-FT8: Mini FT8 on M5 Cardputer for portable operations
Mini FT8 on M5 Cardputer for portable operations. Contribute to wcheng95/Mini-FT8 development by creating an account on GitHub.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
The Cardputer managed 2 FT8 QSOs by itself. I switched to FT8TW on my phone to compare and the phone was definitely better. I need more time operating the Cardputer and I'm sure the firmware will improve. Maybe setting the system time via GPS will improve things.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Trying FT8 with my QMX and Cardputer from Whernside G/NP-004 earlier.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Ha! These are T37 toriods, not exactly huge! I do use T30, T25 and FT23 in my RockMites occasionally though.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
QMX+
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Mmmmmm, doughnuts!
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
All those kinds of rigs with parallel BS170 PAs are sensitive to VSWR excursions. The absolute worst thing you can do is tweak an ATU with the rig at full power. Either use an attenuator (e.g QRPOMETER) or reduce the rig supply voltage to tune up and then increase the supply voltage once tuned.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
My QMX has been fine, I haven't tripped the SWR protection with the latest firmwares - I think the default was put up to 3:1. I run either a home made dipole or home made 7MHz EFHW on 40m and 20m.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Great to catch up with Trainee Search Dog Jura at Kendal Mountain Festival today. It was meeting Jura last year that inspired me to volunteer with my local MRSDE group as a 'body'.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Drove to Barnard Castle this morning. 👀
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
This Traveller was good only for scrap or total rebuild. The original engine did come back to life with a replacement cylinder head which happened to be laying around. The engine was sold for project funds.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
It's not stupid fast, but it can keep up with modern traffic. With the six speed box it cruises on the motorway with ease. Yes, the brakes are good and the mass is low anyway.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Yeah, a little bit more up to date to make it usable. I tripped the engine management light yesterday, looks like we'll have to plug into the OBD port again.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
No need for a key, no clockwork in this Moggy. 1.8l VVC twin cam provides the go.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
AA batteries are generally a poor power source, but they'd probably work to some extent. A lipo battery and charger would be a good investment and needn't cost an arm and a leg.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
150 mile road trip over Shap yesterday, just for fun!
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
3S lipo 2200mAh, it's just a nice size and lasts for a long time.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
It was a bit cloudy yesterday.
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Ignacio, EA2BD, captured my CW from northern Spain today.
youtube.com
M1BUU/P in Mt. High Willhays
YouTube video by EA2BD
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Colin M1BUU @m1buu.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
Seems to have been flying ant day on High Willhays G/DC-001 today. 11 QSOs in the bag using my old MTR2B.
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