All of my QSL Cards are unique

If you receive a QSL card from me you can be assured that no one else will have the same card. Each card is created individually with a different picture from somewhere in Australia on it.

I am currently located in Germany - please see my DD5LP QRZ.COM page.

As of 29th. October 2012 VK2ARE became VK2JI.

I started in Amateur Radio In August 1977, getting my UK class B call G8GLM and operating on 2m & 70cm AM & FM in Hull, East Yorkshire, England. After a gap of 30 years I once again took up the Amateur Radio hobby, based in Woy Woy on the Central Coast of NSW Australia (about 40km north of Sydney). I have also renewed the G8 call for use whilst in the UK.

I put up a couple of HF antennas up and enjoyed learning the differences with the HF bands compared to VHF/UHF.

I enjoyed contest operating, especially the VHF/UHF field day contests and was an active member of my local club - the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club - http://www.ccarc.org.au.

While living in Australia my HF equipment was either

A Kenwood TS-2000 driving about 750-800W PEP output from a pair of RM Italy HLA-300 Plus solidstate linears running in parrallel (or just 300W from one) into a full wave 40m horizontal loop antenna at 7m AGL. I am "BLOWN AWAY" at how good this simple, cheap antenna works - I have even created a video on how low the noise level is with this antenna - you can find it on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/JiFIyZzfnUo

or, if you cuaght me out portable, possibly chasing or activating as a SOTA operator, a Yaesu FT-817ND with either a mini-lightweight version of the loop, a "miracle whip", an inverted-V dipole (either OCF or linked) or an end-fed half wave wire.

VHF equipment was either the TS-2000 again or a simple Chinese Wouxun KG-UVD1P HT into an V-2000 6m/2m/70cm vertical mounted on the roof at about 5m AGL or a 2metre or 6metre Stressed Moxon beam or an arrow 2/70 crossed yagi antenna (vertical on 2m, horizontal on 70cm), these roatable beams were on a mast at about 6m AGL.

Satellite gear was a 2W Baofeng dual band FM HT and a second hand-held Arrow 2/70 antenna.

Mobile I ran a Baqiie BJ-UV55 (45W 2m, 35w 70cm) FM rig into a dual-band colinear on a mag mount.