Biography

I first got into radio when I was given a tabletop(!) valve receiver, purloined from the local Church jumble sale. This was in the late 1960's and I had great fun trying to find Hilversum and the Home Service which were promised on the plate glass tuning screen!

Also got plated a couple of times trying longer lengths of wire as an aerial, not always locating the wire properly in the rear of the receiver. This gave me a healthy regard for the HT developed within a domestic valve radio!

I played with CB and 11m in the 1980's but was plagued by RFI and neighbour complaints and this ceased reasonably quickly.

Computers became an serious interest and latterly the concept of combining radio and computers became intriguing- I now monitor and share ADSB, AIS and VDL2 data.

I worked in the Fire Service across Scotland for over thirty years and "retired" to my current work with NHS Highland in Argyll and Bute in 2014.

I bit the bullet during lockdown and completed the Foundation and Intermediate qualifications in 2020 and 2021, completing the process with the Full qualification late 2022.

Operating mostly on FT8/FT4 due to reduced power imposed by site restrictions on antenna performance.

73,

Andy

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

Kenwood TS-480SAT
G5RV junior