Biography

I’m Paul Anslow VK2APA. My wife, Heather VK2FHLA and I reside in the village of Largs in the Lower Hunter Valley, having recently relocated from western Sydney.

As a child I was fascinated with radio and became a short wave listener. My introduction to Amateur Radio was when I was 12 at a hobby exhibition. I was fortunate to meet Reg VK7KK and Rob VK7RH who were operating a HF portable station. I was handed the mic, spoke with a Soviet amateur and became instantly hooked.

Making my hobby my profession and other distractions meant that it took until 2012 before I finally sat the advanced assessment and became licenced.

In 2012 I was elected to the Amateur Radio NSW council and took on the role of Education Officer from Terry VK2UX (SK), until relocating in mid 2018. During this time I introduced ARNSW to social media by establishing a Facebook page. Introducing people to the hobby is a passion of mine so the role of conducting foundation weekends and Monday night standard and advanced upgrade classes, was extremely satisfying.

Professionally, I retired in May 2019 from a career in Naval RF communications and electronics, working in both the government and private sector. My roles and experience included technician, in-service support, procurement, contracts, compliance, change management, liaison and auditing.

My current interests in the hobby are HF data modes, DX chasing, responding to WWFF stations, improving my CW and building of equipment. My shack is still under construction. Our hobby provides much to explore and I plan to add other activities, such as satellites, WSPR Beacon to the list. I still listen to Shortwave Broadcast and Utility stations and still have that excitement I felt as a child.

Coming back to the hobby in 2012 after 40 odd years was a shock. My old Yaesu FT7B transceiver looked very basic in comparison to the equipment available now. I’m impressed with the great technical advancements in the hobby, however it’s disappointing to see that the numbers of active amateurs has declined and some are unhappy with the way things are.

Our hobby needs to become inclusive, supportive, modern and relevant if we are to retain our existing amateurs and attract the next generation. A number of overseas clubs are actively addressing these issues so why not us? What will ruin Amateur Radio is apathy and inaction.

I believe that the amateur radio has a lot to offer in this new technology age and with the correct approach and support can grow and continue being a great hobby of the 21st Century.

73 Paul VK2APA

Equipment

I am currently running an Icom IC-7300, Icom IC-7200, an Icom IC-706, an Yaesu FT-8800, a Retevis RT-3s and DMR hotspot. Antennas include AH-4 Antenna Coupler with a 75 foot sloping longwire and a Comet GP-15 for 6m, 2m & 70cm.