Tag Archives: Spark Transmitter

My CB radio “handle” callsign.

As CB was, like many others, their first steps into radio, this “handle” is a nod to Marconi, and the first historic steps that radio took.

Update to Tango Mike DX Group
Update to Tango Mike DX Group avatar

A little update to my Tango Mike CB callsign and the TM DX Group’s directory listing.

I moved from Lancashire to Shropshire in 2013, but, I forgot to inform the Tango Mike registrar of the move, so the directory entry for me, 26TM998 no longer reflected my QTH and so needed updating.

Today, I kindly heard back from Simon, G7UFS, that the entry has been updated.

Many thanks Simon.

Here is the Tango Mike directory listing for England.

New Website
New Website avatar

Mark M0INI
Mark Andrew Smith M0INI

Hello and welcome to my new website for my amateur radio station M0INI.  This is the story of how and why I got into amateur radio.

My father was a radio operator with the Royal Corps of Signals, and had a background in electro-mechanical engineering all his life.  Obviously, with my fathers influence, as a young child, I had an interest in radio.

Edward “Eddie” Smith

After leaving the army, my father was invited to teach with the Marconi School, but decided to go into engineering instead.  He was never licensed.

I have shown a keen interest in radio since before CB was legalised in the UK, however, as a teen, I had a choice, CB or computers, and I chose computers.  This was my first computer, an Acorn Electron, seen here still working today and operated by my son.

Acorn Electron

Like my father, we both didn’t go into a radio background, so it wasn’t until 2005 that I started to show an interest in radio again, and got on the air using CB, resurrecting my old handle from the 80’s of “Spark Transmitter”, a reference to the early days of radio and Marconi.

However, I wanted more, and looked for a radio club to study for my foundation license.

With the help of the West Manchester Radio Club, I quickly became licensed as M6INI, then later as M0INI with the help of Bolton Wireless Club.