Biography

I am unable to remember a time when I have not been aware of Amateur Radio. My father (GM6ZAK) qualified for his licence when I was 3 or 4 years old. He always had a 2m tranceiver in the car along with HF/VHF receivers at home.

When Dad retired in 2017, I gifted him a 2m/70cm handheld to get him started again. When he realised that he could not access the local repeater and the local club were less than interested in gaining new members, unless their CW speed was above 20 wpm, he investigated and subsequently adopted DMR using a GD77 and a DV4Mini dongle. Access to a world wide repeater network from his living room provided an excellent first step back to his involvment in the hobby. He readily admitted that he had stepped back into a hobby which was an entirely different place to the one he set aside many years earlier. However, the realisation that the local Amateur Radio club had still not progressed beyond the 1920's was a disappoinment but not totally unexpected.

Being a first generation native of the Internet age the possibility of working the callsigns from around the world on a hand-held instantly grabbed and held my attention. All the benefits of being involved in the Amateur Radio community without the historical encumbrances that come with gaining a licence. No antenna systems that upset the neighbours, landlord or partner, much lower entry costs, compact equipment with a high degree of portability, why would that not interest a younger generation who have a mobile computer in their hand 24/7?

A digital capable handheld connected to a very low cost computer linked into Internet via my mobile phone and I can work the world from anywhere of my choosing. Amateur radio is not floundering, its just moved onto a different place and the hobby will continue to develop despite the ruminations and protestations of the greybeards on HF.

I qualified for a foundation licence in 2020 and continue to invest into the parts of the hobby that interest me the most. I have a low power DMR gateway, I proactively support RayNet, take part in SOTA activations and where possible support the Amateur Radio community were and when I am able.

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Other licences held
GB22GM - Operator on the RSGB Special Event Station celebrating the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England - August 2022
MQ7CJS - Commemorative call to mark the passing and funeral of her late majesty Queen Elizabeth II - September 2022
MR7CJS - celerbrating the Coronation of HM King Charles III - May & June 2023

Worked all Britiain
Book Number - 24860
Square NO30 - Loc: IO86LE - Fife

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

Working Conditions

/M - Yaesu FTM-300de 2m+70cm, 5/8 whip antenna - 50w VHF + 40w UHF

Handhelds:
Yaesu FT5de 2m + 70cm (Fusion)
Yaesu FT70de 2m + 70cm (Fusion)
Anytone 878uv+ 2m + 70cm (DMR)
Wouxon KG-UV8G 4m + 2m
Radioddity GD77 with OpenGD77 firmware connected to a Raspberry PI3 running PIStar software connected the Brandmiester network (see below)

DMR Gateway (Not 24/7)
431.150 -