Still fairly new to this POTA lark, but that’s a nice wee milestone. Getting out of the shack really does transform your experience and bring welcome levels of fun.
Will Leitch GI6HKE
@willleitch.bsky.social
Northern Irish amateur radio operator. Also, journalist, broadcaster, podcast host and producer.
Well that was nice. Put out a slightly-nervous “listening through” on GB3VM (2m FM) this morning and got a proper welcome from the locals. Great chats and craic. And it isn’t even a 145 Alive weekend. Imagine!
On holiday in G-land. Went up Titterstone Clee in Shropshire today and had some pota fun on 20m. Proper holiday activity.
The security camera company is desperate to sell me AI services. Won’t be happening. I’ve been on an unwanted “free trial” for ages. It keeps flagging up “Unusual Activity”. This consists of my wife and me going into and out of our house and getting in and out of our cars. Silly company.
Everyone in Europe please try and keep the noise down, Belgium has a hangover.
Had a slow start operating GB1500M yesterday, but a lively 90 min pileup on 40m last thing. Many ops, bands, modes in the UK home nations this week. Folk sad at ending broadcasting from 198LW - far more wondering when all that broadcast engineering expertise might be needed again… #amateurradio
Calling CQ with GB1500M on 7.189 SSB - marking the imminent end of 198LW transmission in the UK.
USA V Australia. I love how every time the US tv director shows us celebs in hospitality the BBC commentators go totally silent. Because they, like us, haven’t a clue who any of them are.
If you are anywhere in the UK having a bit of a warm spell, I just want you to know that in Northern Ireland we are having constant torrential rain, and although is keeping the streets empty, it is rather getting us all a bit down.
Loving the Curaçao national anthem for the sheer unending nature of it.
Few ssb qsos on 20m and 40m this morning but it was hard work for all of us. Golly those bands are noisy in this part of Western Europe. Thank you to everyone who persevered with my requests for repeated information. Will, GI6HKE
Enjoying coverage of a quite amazing Northern Irish Road Racing event - the North West 200. Upwards of 200mph on closed public roads. Respect to my RAYNET colleague providing secure emergency comms. You can watch free here: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
North West 200 - North West 200 Live - Saturday Racing
Watch live coverage of the 2026 North West 200 at the famous triangle circuit on the north coast of Northern Ireland.
bbc.co.uk
I'm quoted in this: “There are important underlying issues about how the civil service is managed and how public money is spent. They should release the information instead of trying to evade disclosure by hiding behind unjustified claims about personal data."
Sam McBride@sjamcbride.bsky.social · 3mo agoFrankly astounding: Somewhere in Stormont, one of Northern Ireland’s most senior civil servants has been earning one of its highest salaries but the civil service says we as taxpayers have no right to know their name, pay - or even what they do.
That was a hopelessly slow start this morning. I really have got to stop sitting up half the night listening to space travellers.
My boss* is insisting I write scripts for 2 solid days, go to loads of meetings and record and edit on Thursday to “bring the pennies in, because we cannot live on air”. No time for fiddling with radios. What a git. *I am self-employed
After finding a declassified government file in London which wasn't censored as it had been in Belfast, I investigated the reason - and found Stormont is now undertaking extreme censorship of these files. That means we'll understand NI's past less fully.
Stormont’s indefensible and unannounced policy of censoring declassified documents more heavily than in London
Top NIO man’s name and blunt comments censored for no justifiable reason, as officials admit they now engage in new policy of blacking-out names they don’t recognise — despite MLAs never approving suc...
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Me: (Listening happily to the Wolves Liverpool 5th Round FA Cup tie, on BBC Five Live.) Mrs Will: And do you need a big radio like that to listen to the football? Me: 😳
Bullied myself down to a local wildlife reserve by the sea yesterday with an HF mobile rig and a 14mHz vertical for the car roof. One mother of all POTA pileups later, I was so glad I’d taken the trouble. Delighted so many ops called in. #pota #hamradio #amateurradio #fun
It’s up to all of us to now step up and call this absolute bull**** out
Peter Stefanovic@peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 6mo ago🚨Reform leader Nigel Farage has posted on X “1 million people living in this country don’t speak any English at all. 4 million people living in this country barely speak passable English” It’s racked up 2 million views AND IT’S COMPLETELY UNTRUE youtu.be/o56Tw8vSEfE?...
It was so nice to have a dry afternoon for once that I went outside, parked the car in an open space, put on my 3xmag mount, fired up the RigExpert and tuned my new 17m and 10m Ampro monobanders to a gratifying low swr. Bit more POTA happening soon. Made me happy.
I drove 120 miles through a sunny County Antrim today. My part of of Ireland couldn’t have looked more beautiful. Or more surprised…
Of course GB isn’t winning any medals at the Winter Olympics. One plays to one’s strengths. Now when they finally get around to introducing the Damp and Dreich Olympics, GB will dominate.* Suggestions for events? * every athlete interviewee will have to include the phrase “mustn’t grumble”.
What on earth has happened to me? We got a letter from Belfast City Council saying they were introducing kerbside bottle and glass collections on our street, and I was really excited…
People of Ireland! You will need to spend some time today explaining to your children what this is.
I call this composition “Storm Chandra and the amateur’s anxious glance”…
After Nigel Farage hinted that more leading influential Conservatives would defect to Reform UK, Suella Braverman has just joined the Party – so maybe she knows who Nigel meant
