Biography

Been interested in radio since I was a boy and nearly did the RAE (Radio Amateur Examination) but the morse requirement for HF put me off ! Had an old wartime R1155 valve radio then. Still got it but daren't turn it on ! Then life happened ! My working life was as a materials engineer specialising in composite materials. I did a lot of work on carbon fibre composites for aircraft.

I retired in 2017, so I got myself a radio, put an antenna up, and got help from my local radio club in Andover. So here I am talking and not just listening !

I am using an Icom IC7300 on HF and on 2m and 70cm I have an Icom IC9700. I also use a small Baofeng when walking and a QYT KT-8900D /M in the car. I am also have an Anytone D578 DMR rig.

The main HF antenna is a Hexbeam on a telescopic mast, from 5-10m high. I also have a 40m dipole at a height of just 5m.

The 2m/70cm FM base antenna is a comet GP6 (gain 6.5/9.0dB), 3m long but only about 3m high from the ground. The mobile FM antenna is a Diamond supergainer. I also have 6m, 2m and 70cm Yagi antennas for SSB.

My old call sign was M6PTU, then 2E0PTZ but I upgraded to M0PTZ when I passed the UK advanced radio exam in December 2018.

RAFARS 4909

Worked DXCCs: