Radio History

July 75 passed RAE

7 October 1975 first licenced as G8JMO

Jan 7 1977 passed morse test and upgraded to G4FRE

Sept 79 Started work at GPO (Later BT) Research Labs at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk and joined Martlesham Radio Society (G4BPO->G4GPO->G4MRS)

Dec 88 Passed all 5 FCC written exams and 20wpm morse at RAF Chicksands, England

Erroneously Issued WW2R by FCC based on mailing address not station address (should have been a W5 call!). Just missed 2x1 calls in 8 land and got AA8AW

9 April 1991 obtained WG3I. Had problems on SSB as many thought i said "W seven" not "WG"

18 June 1996 got WW2R back under gate 1 of vanity call program

  Photo Album

U.K.

The first G4FRE QTH as a teenager. (IO92FM). The righthand picture shows the beginnings of interests in microwaves with the Jaybeam 15/15 yagi for the band. The shack was in the unheated garage.

The first house of my own after moving to Felixstowe (JO01PX) The higher mast has a 21ele for 432, a QLY for 1296 and a QLY for 2304. The lower mast has a 9 ele Tonna for 144 and a 3 ele for 70MHz. The shack is in the front bedroom (top left window). 4 Yagi EME was done from the back lawn.

Whilst living in Suffolk operated contests with Martlesham Radio Society: Here operating G3XDY/P on 1296MHz from AM67f

Problems!:L to R G4FSG, G4FAW, Me, G3ZNU   October IARU Contest Left:1.3/2.3/10GHz Right:432MHz

USA

The luxurious first American shack in the basement of the house in Wyckoff, NJ (FN21WW)! Due to the high tree density operation was mainly on HF using Butternut verticals.

After going Back to England for a year, we returned to a house in Fairlawn, NJ (FN21). The main achievement here was EME using 4 yagis mounted on a roof tower on the back deck.

With a change of employer we moved from the cold of New Jersey to the heat of San Antonio. The lot was 70' long but had a steep drop into the ravine from close by the house. Not enough room for serious antennas, and as the house blocked the view of the moon, EME was out of the question. The take off to the North was quite good, as can be seen from the first photo, although the increased elevation of the hill country attenuated signals. This photo shows the attempt to cram 6 bands onto poles on a narrow deck for the June vhf contest.  The second photo shows the 902.380MHz  beacon (the Yagi) and the 10368.380MHz beacon (the horn) both of which were heard in Dallas 300 miles away

Last updated 7 Feb 2005