WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE

I've been fascinated by wireless for as long as I can remember, and a licensed Radio Amateur since 1970. My station is currently located near Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK.

After being introduced to electronics by a couple of classmates in my early teens, my first foray into short-wave radio came after building an HAC one valve receiver I'd seen advertised. Although I never managed to find any Amateur signals on this set I did spend quite some time listening to broadcast stations around the world until the day when the HT battery lead came into contact with the 6v heater rail, and the valve was no more. Undeterred I took a Saturday job at a builders' merchants to raise the cash for a Codar CR70a, and later a Star SR200 receiver.

I discovered Short Wave Magazine, with its regular listeners column and soon got close to the top of their HPX table using only loft aerials.

The RAE course at a local evening college proved no real problem, but learning morse was not so easy. With no Morse classes available, in a pre-digital age, I bought a set of the "Morse in a month" vinyl records. Sure enough, TWELVE months later I was ready to take the test.

The family was on holiday in Cornwall that year, and my father took me up to the coastal station at Mullacot Cross, near Ilfracombe. I must have looked nervous because the gentleman examiner said "don't worry if you don't get it first time, I'm here all day". Thankfully I passed comfortably and G3ZPF came on-air in September 1970. Although I did not realise until a couple of years later, my first contact was with the father of one of those classmates who introduced me to electronics in the first place.

Although not as active now as in previous years, the 'magic' of wireless communication still retains its fascination for me.

I have been President and Webmaster of RAOTA for a number of years.