The “shack”, is part of the office for Webdesign Matters combined with a semi-mancave. The ham radio equipment consists of a Yaesu FT2000D (new in August 2009) along with the FT2000 speaker and a Heil Pro-Set Plus headset. There is also a Heil HM10 boom mike. Missing is an elderly Heathkit SB220 linear amplifier but we hope to get an amplifier up and running again soon. There is also an MFJ 989D antenna tuner. Normally I use the Heil HM10 boom mic switched to the HC5 cartridge.

The computer is home-brew from 2006 running on Windows 10. I mainly use Ham Radio Deluxe software and a number of other programs, for instance HamCap, VOACap Online, WSJT-X for example.

The present main antenna is a dipole only up about 27 feet (9m) supported on a carbon fibre telescopic pole attached to a garden fence. Each side of the dipole is made using 16 AWG (1.29mm) insulated wire about 45 feet (14m) long, fed with approximately 50 feet (15m) of 300 ohm TV ribbon and tuned with the Ameritron tuner. It works on all bands 160m through to 10m but obviously it’s very much a compromise antenna. It’s very light weight, no guy wires, no metal parts (except for the copper!) and visually not too noticeable, especially with no end insulators, instead just tied off with zip ties in a loop to light polyester cords. I also have a 20mx vertical which provides better signal strength on 20 mx but suffers from the inevitable increased local noise problem.