It has been a while since I last posted on my website, but with 2025 on the horizon, I thought now was the perfect time to make a comeback. It is fair to say this has been a busy amateur radio year, and an incredibly fun one at that. Anyone claiming the hobby is dying just is not looking in the right places!
This year has been packed with thrilling activities: operating satellite passes from home, taking part in two special event weekends, and doing quite a few contests at Charlie GM1TGY’s house. With HF propagation back in full swing, 10m has been especially rewarding—it is fantastic to have something exciting to work on!
With that said, lets dive into some of the activities I have been up to this year. From exciting new challenges to old favourites, there has been plenty to keep the radio waves buzzing. Let’s get into it!
Contesting
Let’s be clear about my 2024 contesting activities—none of it has happened from home! Instead, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to operate from and alongside Charlie GM1TGY, who has gone above and beyond to make every contest entry possible. Not only has he put up with my company for multiple days at a time, but he’s also made sure we’re operating from a fantastic, well-equipped station.
Charlie’s setup, complete with yagis and plenty of space for antenna experiments, has been a dream to work from. This year, we added a 2-element 40m vertical phased array and the option to deploy an 80m vertical alongside our usual dipole. We have also been pushing to get on 160m more frequently, using an Inverted L strung between the two towers and receive antennas that really help us hear better. Fingers crossed for even more updates on that front in 2025!
Of course, 2024’s conditions have been nothing short of phenomenal, with 10m delivering the best propagation we have seen in years. Our QSO counts are a testament to that, and we have even managed to win a number of categories for Scotland. That said, 2025 will bring its own challenges as we try to improve on this year’s numbers—but that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?
Contests Breakdown
| Contest Name | Callsign | Section | Points | QSOs | Operators |
| ARRL 10m Contest | GM5G | M/S HP | 370,760 | 1452 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY |
| FT Challenge Contest | GM5G | M/S LP | 220,698 | 1125 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY |
| CQWW SSB | GM5G | M/S HP | 3,025,224 | 3657 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY, MM0KLQ |
| UK & EI DX Contest SSB | GM5G | M/S HP | 442,224 | 658 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY |
| IOTA Contest | GM5G | M/S HP | 555,360 | 881 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY |
| IARU HF Championship | GM5G | M/S HP | 617,120 | 1218 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY |
| CQ WPX SSB | GM5G | M/S HP | 5,494,648 | 2414 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY |
| ARRL DX SSB | GM5G | M/S HP | 1,242,714 | 1983 | 2M0SQL, GM1TGY |
Satellites
2024 has been a year of highs and a few challenges when it comes to satellite operating, but overall, it’s been another exciting chapter in my amateur radio journey. Early in the year, my trusty Yaesu G-5500 rotator finally called it quits after many years of reliable service. Thankfully, the downtime was minimal—just a week—before a replacement was installed on the mast. A special shoutout to a good friend Dave M0GIW who’s been refurbishing the old rotator; fingers crossed, it’ll be back in action and ready to serve as a backup in the new year!
The start of 2024 saw much of my satellite activity focused on Greencube IO-117, a packet satellite in MEO orbit with an impressive footprint and excellent DX potential. One of the highlights was collaborating with Carsten OZ9AAR to implement the UHM function in the Greencube Terminal application, which helped reduce packet duplication by notifying operators when their transmissions were heard. It was a significant change for smoother operations! Unfortunately, Greencube began experiencing issues in late summer, and its absence has certainly been felt.
That said, the hobby never stands still. With a robust fleet of LEO satellites—both FM and SSB—still available, I’ve been back at it, chasing grid squares and working the horizon for that next exciting QSO.
A particular highlight this year was a gridsquare rove to the ever-needed IO97. Charlie GM1TGY kindly drove me to Cruden Bay, where I operated FM and SSB passes, logging around 40 QSOs and giving plenty of operators a new grid for their collections. It’s always satisfying to help fill those gaps in logbooks!
On the tech side, I’ve spent a couple of months experimenting with the CSN Technologies S.A.T satellite tracking unit. It’s been a fascinating piece of kit, and I’m looking forward to sharing a detailed review early in the new year.
GB2KDR
I’ve been reflecting on some of the highlights from our adventures with the Grampian Hilltoppers Contest Group. Two weekends stand out—our participation in International Museums Weekends (IMW) and Railways on the Air (ROTA) from the historic Dufftown Station, part of the Keith and Dufftown Heritage Railway. Both events were a fantastic blend of history, technology, and the spirit of amateur radio.
International Museums Weekends
IMW was a real highlight for us this year. Over two weekends, we managed to log an impressive 737 QSOs, most of which were made using FT8 and FT4.
The HF propagation gods were kind, giving us reasonable conditions to work with. There is something special about operating at railway station steeped in history, connecting with operators all over the world. Knowing that every contact shared a bit of our heritage with someone out there made each QSO even more meaningful.
Railways on the Air (ROTA)
ROTA brought its own set of challenges and rewards. Operating from Dufftown Station, we logged 112 QSOs over the weekend. Again, FT8 and FT4 carried the bulk of the workload, but we did manage to squeeze in a few SSB contacts.
Propagation wasn’t on our side this time around—conditions were poor, and every contact felt like a small victory. But that’s amateur radio for you! The magic lies in persevering, overcoming those challenges.
Both weekends were a wonderful reminder of why we do what we do. It’s not just about the QSOs (though they’re always satisfying); it’s about the connections—connecting history to the present, connecting our local heritage to the world, and connecting with the global amateur radio community.
Cloudlog
it is time to reflect on the progress of Cloudlog, my open-source logging application for amateur radio operators, and its companion desktop application, Cloudlog Aurora. While the pace of development may have slowed a little, there’s still plenty to celebrate—and lots to look forward to in 2025!
When I first started Cloudlog, the goal was simple: build a no-nonsense logging application that focused on core features without the bloat that so many amateur radio apps tend to suffer from. I think it’s fair to say we’ve reached that sweet spot—most of the main features are in place, and the project continues to hum along nicely.
This year has been all about bug fixes and general improvements—a bit of polish here, a tweak there. But 2025 is going to be an exciting year for development. Here’s what’s on the horizon:
- A New Band Map: The current band map will get a complete overhaul to make it more like the ones you’d find in serious contesting software.
- Simplifying Contesting Features: I plan to give this a fresh look, simplifying the interface and improving the underlying code.
If you’re new to Cloudlog, it’s a PHP-based logging app you run on your own web server and access via a browser. It’s open source, so feel free to check it out and join the fun at Cloudlog on GitHub.
Cloudlog Aurora: Bridging the Gap Between Hardware and the Web
2024 was a big year for Cloudlog Aurora, the desktop application that acts as a gateway between your radios and Cloudlog. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of amateur radio tools, and here’s what it’s been up to this year:
- Interfacing with WSJT-X Applications: Seamlessly log those digital mode contacts.
- CSN & SatPC32 Connectors: Automatically show satellite information in Cloudlog.
- TCP Server: Handles ADIF packets, talks to the GreenCube Terminal program, and even does callsign lookups against your logbook.
On the development side, Aurora has been a fun playground for my C# programming skills, and it’s grown quite a bit this year. To close out 2024, I’ve been hard at work adding some exciting new features:
- Hamlib Support: Rig control for multiple radios? Check.
- SunSDR’s TCL Protocol: Now supported for even more flexibility.
- Winkey Support: For all you CW enthusiasts out there.
These updates will roll out in Q1 of 2025, so keep an eye out! If you haven’t tried Cloudlog Aurora yet, you can download it at aurora.cloudlog.org.
Cloudlog and Aurora have come a long way, but there’s still so much more to explore. Whether it’s more features, or just finding new ways to integrate with the growing amount of amateur radio tech, I’m excited to see where the next year takes us.
Thanks to everyone who’s supported, contributed, or even just logged a QSO using Cloudlog this year. Here’s to another year of innovation and making ham radio even more fun!
Wrapping up
As I look back on everything that made 2024 such an incredible year, I’m reminded of the amazing friendships, challenges, and opportunities this hobby brings.
73 and Happy New Year!