Biography

I am mainly active on HF (though also able to work all bands up to 23cms) and my main interest is in digital modes rather than voice or cw. Currently 230 DXCC entities confirmed - although I've been licenced for nearly 40 years, I only started operating on HF a few years ago. A bit of solo contesting is the next challenge, possibly with a bit of SOTA thrown in.

Most operation is from my home QTH in Cheshire but I'm occasionally on air from the North Lincolnshire coast.

I have also operated as GQ0NGL & GR0NGL to commemorate various royal events in 2022 & 2023.

I upload all of my QSOs to LoTW, QRZ, ClubLog & eQSL and would be grateful if you could use LoTW for any contacts we have. I don't send or collect paper QSLs and so I don't use the bureau service.

I was initially active from 1986 as G1ULA and became G0NGL some time after I passed the dreaded morse test, though to this day I have never used cw.

I was always interested in digital modes, which in the 1980s meant running an AX25 packet bbs and node (G0NWP/GB7NWP on 2m/70cm/23cm) as well as a few other tcp/ip bits and bobs. Closed down the bbs around 1994 after moving to a QTH that didn't really provide the coverage needed. Disappeared from the airwaves entirely in 1995 after the birth of my second child, though I kept an interest in all things radio, computer and electronic.

Having returned to Cheshire, I joined the Mid-Cheshire ARS (for whom I was recently chair - see our main callsign G3ZTT) and got some aerials up again, though they leave much to be desired as they are rather low. Active anywhere from 160m through to 23cms, though I'm most likely to be found on the higher hf bands. QO-100 satellite operation is under test.

Main rigs are a Yaesu FT-DX10 and FT-450D. I use a Yaesu FT-817ND with Z817 autotuner when portable. For higher bands I also still have my venerable Yaesu FT-736R :-) Also playing with a QRP Labs Ultimate 3S kit, a 70MHz transverter & a uBitx hf transceiver kit. Eventually they may all be complete... QO-100 operation is via a Pluto SDR.

Current aerials are 65ft N-S longwire for 160-10m, a half size G5RV for 40-10m, a 7m military surplus vertical for 40-6m and Momobeam antenna for 6m & 4m. Just a colinear for local use on 2m/70cm/23cm.

Have also been playing with Meshtastic - running wvr1 on 868MHz and wvr4 on 433MHz.

If anyone remembers me from the NWPUG days, get in touch!

Nigel.

Cheshire: Locator: IO83rg WAB: SJ67
Lincolnshire: Locator: JO03am WAB: TA30

Worked DXCCs: