Biography

I am a vintage ham and have been active as SWL and licenced operator since 1947. I started out as a small boy, perched on a pile of cushions, to reach the HRO, cans on ears, and I remember it took two hands for me turn the black dial. I guess I inherited the radio bug from my dad G5ZQ (long since gone SK unfortunatly). And have been "in" and around radio and radar all my life.
Operating in various "exotic" locations such as XW and VP8 and have been licenced continiously in England and the Irish Republic since the early 1970s.

Now as a retired Electronic Engineer we are located in the Boglands of the West of Ireland; (bit like the Boondocs!) about 60 miles East of the Atlantic. As it rains a lot here this, that. makes for a fairly good ground plane, And with extreamly low background noise level makes it a fairly good location for a ham radio.

Equipment

The current main station is Icom Marine tracivers, M710 and M700, suplemented by: the complete Yaesu FT901DM system including FL2100Z. and Ex-British Royal Signals VRC321,
for hill top operation I have Ex UK Specal Forces PRC319 and PRC316 which is a low power patrol radio used in Malaya. In addition I have a MK123 "spook set", previously used by the Fo, MI6 and SAS.

My main aerial is an OCFD 180 foot end to end at 9 feet AGL, for Europe and Scandinavia and an asortment of verticals Butternut, Hi-Gain offerings for DX.