Biography

Born in 1972, I'v been interested in electricity and electronics when I was a child. I liked much to open whatever devices to learn how it works and try to repair with my father's toolbox, getting a few electric shocks, and frightening my mother.
With a friend, in the 80's, we began the construction of a "multi purpose communication line" (meaning, a copper pair composed of old telephone and speaker cables) between our respective rooms distant of about 60m. We first connected a pair of intercoms before building a quite realistic phone system, including a ring voltage generator. Later, while playing with talky walkies, we noticed that we could hear ourselves on 108.5Mhz (knowing nothing of the meaning of harmonic 4) and decided to start with a radio broadcasting station. But the problem was, as the power was very low, we could only be heard 50 meters around, even with complex antennas build with umbrellas. So what about buying a CB transceiver to get more coverage ? We did it, and unfortunately could not take advantage of harmonic 4 as the radio was a little bit more filtered than our child talkie walkies !!
Bad luck for broadcasting, but now aged of 12 and having this transceiver I could start making contacts with some other CB users on 40 channels instead of a unique one. Local contacts were cool, but one day I could hear a Finnish station on channel 32 in FM mode, replied to the call, made the contact and received my first foreign QSL.

Too late : I had contracted the DX and radio virus.

I discovered the world of amateur radio when I was 17, finding a book in a bookshop. Then studying electronics, it was not difficult for me to prepare and pass the exam to get my VHF licence with call FC1RHY in 1990. Once done, I could prepare the CW part to gain access to the HF bands and get my FD1RHY, and then F5RHY call.
I spent much time on 10 meters and over, up to 23cm, built micro-controller based intercom repeater system, and gave up with radio in 1998 because of my priorities switching to professional occupation, and building a family.
But the radio virus was still there...
In 2008, I found a FT-817 and re-started portable operations, especially focusing on SOTA and contests over VHF/UHF with 5 watts or less.
Now (2012) aged of 40, based in Thonon-Les-Bains next to the Leman lake, I started with building up a new station in the basement, and am about to reach a new step achieving a 23cm/10m transverter.

Hear you on the air !

73,
Phil, F5RHY

Equipment

VHF : IC-290d/50W + 11 Elts Flexayagi FX-224
HF: FT-757GX II
Portable TRX: FT-817ND