Biography

MN Radio Officer during the 70s, then Marconi MET Newcastle for 2 years, then North Sea Oil Industry Telecoms Technician until I retired.

Did the Foundation Ticket to get back into transmitting CW on a nostalgia trip (Feb2020), and then took advantage of the COVID Lockdown RSGB Online exam system to do the Intermediate ticket (March 2021). Didn't like the callsign I was issued so carried on to do the Full licence paying OFCOM twenty quid to give me GM3RTG (April 2021).

Equipment

My shack is set up in my garage and I'm running an Icom IC-7300 into a 20 metre horizontal dipole and an OCFD both at 20' AGL 150' ASL aligned NE/SW, a Homebrew 17mtr vertical or a Ciro Mazzoni Baby Loop with a rotator. Also run a QRP Labs QCX mini (awesome!) into a 20 metre loft-mounted dipole or a 2E0ERO mag loop for when the weather is too cold for garage ops.

I also do some Satellite FM ops with Handhelds and a dual band/yagi in the summer when weather permits outside ops.

Operating mostly CW using a Begali Scupture Mono paddle and hoping to eventually drag some VK/ZL DX out of the aether some day.

Do FT8 at weekends to keep away from CW Comps