The early days. This photo was taken around 1956/7 and shows my BC-348Q with RF-25 converter, home brew PSU and a few other things. By this time I had joined the International Short Wave league and managed to collect quite a number of QSL cards. It would be a few more years before I got my licence.
Please Note:
I have finally got EQSL up and running. LOTW will also go as soon as I can get it to process my log file. Never managed to work it out yet!
This is my wife Soon-Young M3VIR and our daughter Rose So-Won ??VIR ( maybe!?!). This photo was taken on the Han River in Seoul, South Korea 2010
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I started off in ham radio in 1956. I then lived on a farm and we had no electricity so my first short wave radio was a battery operated Cossor. I used to listen to the AM nets on 80 metres. Once a week the radio battery went to the local car garage to get recharged! I still remember the first station I heard and that was G3CED. I found a ham magazine in a local book shop and got his address and my first QSL card was received. What an exciting time that was! When I left school I joined the Royal Air Force and was trained as a wireless mechanic. Got my license and started my overseas postings with a year in the Maldive Islands! A years Dxpedition and it was all for free and I got paid too! I left the RAF in 1968 and became a radio communications research engineer. After a few years I started globe trotting again when I moved into management. I spent most of the next 10 years or so in South East Asia, however I was so busy with work that I never had the time for ham radio until I moved on to Australia.
I find today, over 50years later, ham radio is just as exciting as it was all those years ago when I tuned in to my first radio ham.
First licensed in 1962 at the age of 17.
I have also operated as EI2VCE, F/G3VIR, GC3VIR, GI3VIR, GO3VIR, GQ3VIR, GR3VIR, GW3VIR, GM3VIR, HB9/G3VIR, MP4BFV (65-66), VK2GAL (89-91), ZC4RB (67-68) and VS9MBop (62-63).
My wife, Soon-Young is M3VIR
My son, James is G4CDH, my brother Bill is G8ESW and my nephew Neil is G1PWQ.
I am interested in all modes but currently I am using CW, PSK, RTTY, JT65-HF and WSPR.
My equipment is a Yaesu FT-950 with LDG YT-450 auto ATU and antennas are a home made W3DZZ type trap dipole and also a Butternut HF9V (160 to 6 metres), ground mounted with a selection of wire radials buried under the lawn.
Member of the Radio Society of Great Britain RSGB
Member of the Dover Amateur Radio Club DARC
Member of the Royal Air Force Amateur Radio SocietyRAFARSNo. 112
Member of the Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society RSARS No. 224
Photo of my Butternut HF9V with the trap dipole on the telegraph pole to the left. I wish my neighbours tree would falldown!!
My greatest claim to fame! World Champion CQ WW DX Contest 1967. Single operater and hand written log etc. Could never do it in today's world. My equipment was a KW2000 running 10 watts to a half wave dipole at 80 feet. This was fed with open wire feeder. My only local contact was with ZC4GM. Gordon Moore who is sadly a SK now. Gordon, I dedicate this win to you. You gave me so much help and encouragement when I was living in Cyprus.
