A real interesting Forum a must visit.

My Callsign G0BVD

                                                     Amateur Radio  as it is known in the UK but abbreviated to Ham Radio.

                The early Radio Amateurs were the experimenters & developers of electronics, which we all take for granted today in the 21st Century. 

Started Ham Radio as a Short Wave Listener (SWL).

Listening on a Sony ICF6700 General coverage receiver brought for me as a Christmas present, always had a interest in radio used to listen on my parents Valve Radio back in the 50's to the American Football.

Joined the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) in 1975 and became RS46114

 Around 1980 decided to take the Radio Amateurs Exam (RAE) which was a City & Guilds exam in electronics.

 I became G6UDY a class B operator, had some great times on 2 metres single side band (SSB) working DX ( Distance) from around Europe. Worked into Spain on 12 Watts from a FT221R and a stacked pair of 11 element Cushcraft aerials at 30ft.

Normal distance on VHF is line of sight plus 50 mile, so to work stations in Europe was a great thrill.

2006 Due to the fantastic take off to the east I am back on VHF & UHF end of Jan early Feb worked my best ever DX on 2m & 70cms worked into SM (Sweden) DJ (Germany) PA (Netherlands) all on 70cms never worked a SM on 2m before, missed the LA (Norway) on 2m he was a 5.9 with me but he was beaming away to Poland.

Because my Short Wave Listening ( SWL) days were listening on High Frequency ( HF).

I wanted to operate on the HF bands, & to become a class A operator & to do that one had to take a Morse Code exam. I learned Morse Code through various methods converting letters & numbers seen on car number plates into Morse & using a random Morse generator.    

I took the test at BT Portishead Radio Station,  passed the exam by sending & receiving Morse Code at 12 words a minute, BT Portishead Radio sadly is not used anymore for Morse Tests.

                           Information on the last Broadcast by GKB

In fact Morse Code is not required anymore to operate on HF Ship to shore radio now use satellite. 

Became G0BVD (Golf Zero Bravo Victor Delta).  G --. 0 ----- B -... V ...- D -.. (The Morse Equivalent)

I remember reading an article when I was a SWL, which stated it is not worth spending hundreds of pounds on a radio if you only leave 10 pence for a aerial, so at our house in Worcester I put up a 60' Versatower and 3 Element Jaybeam TB3. (see photos in radio ham pictures on front screen).

I achieved the Worked all States award, & started to Worked all Counties that means talking to a Radio Ham in every state & county in the USA a mean feat, some hams in the UK have completed it at least twice!.

Since moving to Malvern and having a large Granite Hill in front of the house, I am unable to hear anything from the West (Stateside).

I have put in a ground post & put the coax under ground back to the shack for the Hustler Vertical, I am  hoping the angle of radiation will get me over the hill so I can hear stateside again.

If all else fails I will have to go portable around the other side of the hill, with my Icom 706mkIIG & also do some SOTA operating.

The Radio Society of Great Britain Badge Established in 1922

           ATV                       Just a few ham radio badges

Pictures of the special event station at Porthcurno Cornwall.