Experimenters’ Corner
Experimenters’ Corner is a RadCom column that was introduced in November 2025. It is written by RSGB Board Director Mark Jones, G0MGX. The column covers everything from home-brew construction techniques and 3D printing to software development and cost-saving tips.
You’ll find a summary of each column below. RSGB members can view each article by clicking on the month.
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June 2026
Thanks to the huge array of technology available across the spectrum, there has never been a better time to be an experimenter. Mark Jones, G0MGX reflects on how he ‘bodged’ his dream of building a signal generator to become a reality… for under £60.
If you have suggestions for topics for Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email him at g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
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May 2026
Mark Jones, G0MGX turns to the Far East in his search for a more modern solution to the challenges he is facing in designing a power meter. He now faces a decision between two “excellent candidates”.
If you have suggestions for topics that you would like Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email them to g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
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April 2026
Decibels… an essential part of any amateur radio operator’s journey through their hobby. Mark Jones, G0MGX focuses on the vertical scale in a spectrum analyser and delves into the detail of the dB measurement and why we use it.
If you have suggestions for topics that you would like Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email them to g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
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March 2026
Mark Jones, G0MGX has built and tested many different designs and configurations of antennas. He admits he’s no expert but has no hesitation in putting new things to the test. He presents a “bodger’s antenna experiment” in a bid to encourage fellow radio amateurs to try something new. It is, he says, “part of the fun of our great hobby”.
If you have suggestions for topics that you would like Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email them to g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
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February 2026
Having written in his previous column (January 2026) about his experience of using a frequency counter on an ST Microelectronics (STM) ‘discovery’ board as an introduction to low-cost boards available from STM, Mark Jones, G0MGX takes a more detailed look at low-cost touchscreens from the Chinese manufacturer Elecrow.
If you have suggestions for topics that you would like Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email them to g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
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January 2026
Created only six years ago to aid communication during hobbies where reliable internet is unavailable, Meshtastic is a long-range, low-power mesh network that allows users to send text messages and location data over private networks without wi-fi, mobile networks or the internet. There are videos aplenty on YouTube showing how to create a Meshtastic node using low-cost boards. However, Mark has been experimenting with an alternative way to create a node. He assesses the results.
If you have suggestions for topics that you would like Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email them to g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
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December 2025
After building a project to receive telemetry packets from TinyGS low Earth orbit satellites, Mark takes a more detailed look at the modulation and constructs an experimental transmitter and receiver to send text between the two. For the project, he presents a simple experimenter’s Arduino project using an original Arduino Uno board and the Adafruit RFM95W transceiver to make a Tx/Rx pair of LoRa modules.
If you have suggestions for topics that you would like Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email them to g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
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November 2025
The TinyGS ground station application is an attractive start-up project for anyone looking to experiment and find out more about the technology associated with the LoRa modulation standard. In his inaugural column, Mark delves into LoRa’s background, looks at examples of its use in amateur radio and other areas and explains how to set up your own TinyGS project at home.
If you have suggestions for topics that you would like Mark to include in Experimenters’ Corner, please email them to g0mgx@rsgb.org.uk
