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G4ZVJ Autobiography                                             

I was first licensed in 1984 aged 17 with my present callsign G4ZVJ. Prior to obtaining my transmitting licence I was a SWL holding the ISWL (International Short Wave League) number G-16747. An early interest in broadcast band DXing soon moved to the amateur bands with the encouragement of my uncle, Harry Larter, G3AB, who sadly became a silent key in 1983.  My first receiver was a Russian made Vega Selena (AM broadcast band receiver), this was soon replaced by a second hand Heathkit RA-1, complete with a BFO enabling me to receive SSB and CW !

Between 1984 - 1986 I was active mainly on low band CW at the weekends . The station at the QTH in Bury, Lancashire was a TS-830S with a doublet antenna. During the week I was on the air signing G4ZVJ/A from my QTH near Blackpool or from the club station G4DRE (GB2FNC) at Fleetwood Nautical College on the West Lancashire coast. The first few years of being on the air were disappointing as far as DXing was concerned with this being around the sunspot minimum.

In 1986 I moved to North Staffordshire where I initially spent twelve months living in a small flat. An indoor wire antenna, TVI, irate neighbours and other interesting distractions for a 19 year old put amateur radio in the shade for a while.

April 1987 saw a move from the small flat into my first house. The new QTH was in a super location - high on a steep-sided hill overlooking the town with excellent take off to the south and east. With HF conditions rapidly improving and the good QTH lots of DX was worked on the HF bands. During this time I became a member of HSC  (German High Speed CW Telegraphy Club) and a member of RNARS (Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society).

In September 1989 work took me to Ascension Island for six months where I operated as ZD8VJ. Being active with a DX call at the peak of the sunspot cycle was a fantastic experience and lots of time was spent working the pileups! During my stay on Ascension I made a brief DXpedition visit to the island of St. Helena wher I was able to operate as ZD7VJ for just a couple of days.

I returned to the UK in March 1990 and was very active again from the home QTH in between answering QSL cards!   I became a member of FOC (First Class CW Operators' Club) in August 1990.

January 1991 saw me back on Ascension again as ZD8VJ for another six month tour. Several contests were entered during '91 from ZD8 including the FOC Marathon, the RSGB Commonwealth Contest, the RSGB 7MHz contest and a Multi-Single entry in CQWPX CW as ZD8ØV with Steve, G3XKR/ZD8SE.

July 1991 and I was back in the UK again... missing the CW pile ups ! I had been planning a three month backpacking DXpedition to the South Pacific. Matts, SM7PKK was partly to blame for my interest in travelling to the Pacific. Having met at the 1990 RSGB HF Convention in Daventry, Matts helped me with lots of good information and tips.

On the Monday after the FOC  Lords' dinner in early October '91  I left from London for the South Seas ! Over the next three months I operated from Fiji - 3D2VJ, Tuvalu - T2ØVJ, Tonga - A35VJ, Western Samoa - 5W1VJ and American Samoa - KH8/G4ZVJ. Cyclone Val ripped through Samoa in December '91 leaving a path of destruction. Sheltering in the house of a Samoan family with winds gusting at over 200mph was an experience which I will never forget. The last few days in American Samoa were spent without electricity and water with around 50 people sheltering in one remaining house which had also lost its roof! While in American Samoa I met a YL, Frances, who later came to stay with me in the UK for a year.

Most of 1992 was spent in the UK with several contest entries again, including the RSGB Commonwealth Contest and CQWPX CW as GB5VJ. In July '92 I passed the FCC US Amateur Extra Class exams and was later issued the call AH8F,  Frances also took the FCC exams and received the call WH8ABB.

Before long we were back in the Pacific, this time we were joined by Oliver, DF6MS and his YL, Manuela, DL2MGP.  We were active from Frances' family QTH in American Samoa as KH8/G4ZVJ , KH8/DF6MS and KH8/DL2MGP.  In Western Samoa we operated from the QTH of Frances' grandparents near Apia as 5W1VJ , 5W1MS and 5W1GP. A week long visit was made to Niue Island. We were issued with the callsigns ZK2VJ, ZK2XS and ZK2XP.

January 1993 saw us escape the cold UK weather for a while on a short trip to Cyprus.  Ken, G4RWD joined us and we operated as 5B4/G4ZVJ and 5B4/G4RWD. At the end of January '93 I was posted back out to Ascension Island again, this time for twelve months. Frances returned back to American Samoa.

During 1993 I was very active as ZD8VJ  again. With lots of contest activity, including the RSGB Commonwealth Contest, CQWPX SSB as ZD88V  and a single band 15 metre entry in CQWW CW.

Completing my tour in Ascension in February 94, I took some leave and headed out for the Pacific again. Stopping en route in Thailand HSØ/G4ZVJ  and the Philippines DU3/AH8F where Chuck, DU3NXE and his XYL Purie were my kind hosts.  A few days later I was back in American Samoa. This time my new US call AH8F  was aired for the first time from Samoa . From Frances' family QTH I operated in the ARRL DX CW contest and the contest and of RSGB 7MHz course lots of pile ups ! The RSGB Commonwealth Contest in March was good excuse to visit Western Samoa again (entrants need to be located in British Commonwealth nations) where I operated as 5W1VJ. It was becoming apparent that HF conditions were on the decline during this visit to the Pacific it was a struggle to work into Europe on the HF bands.

In November 1994 I was relocated with my job in the UK from Staffordshire to North Yorkshire. For several months I was off the air while I was living in a flat in Harrogate. I moved into my present QTH in Ripon in June '95.

For the CQWW CW contest in 1995, I travelled with Ken, G4RWD to the Maldives where we operated as 8Q7VJ and 8Q7WD from Meerufenfushi Island in North Male Atoll.

A CW DXpedition to St. Helena took place in March/April 1996 where I operated as ZD7VJ again. This trip included a two week stay on Ascension on the way home with more activity as ZD8VJ.

In September '96 I attended the GMDX Group meeting in Dunblane - thanks to GM3YTS and Co. who made me very poorly by forcing me to drink lots of beer and finishing me off with some ancient, special whisky kept for unsuspecting English visitors :-)

In October 1996 I made a visit to the Philippines again to visit Chuck DU3/W4NXE (now DU3NXE) and I was active in the CQWW SSB  Contest as DU3/AH8F .

The following month the CQWW CW Conest lured Ken, G4RWD and I to another DX location. This time we went to St. Kitts & Nevis in the Caribbean and operated as V47VJ and V47WD from the island of St. Kitts.

February 1997 meant activity in the FOC  Marathon Contest, this time from the UK. In February I was in Gibraltar for a week and managed to get on the air with the call ZB2/G4ZVJ and make lots of CW and some RTTY contacts. By now, the RSGB Commonwealth Contest was becoming a bit of a habit, I ended up going down to West Africa and operating as 9G5VJ from Accra in Ghana. This was my first amateur activity from mainland Africa but it wasn't to be my last ! Special thanks to Ralph, 9G1RQ and Kofi, 9G1AJ for all their help.

The LA-DX Group invited me to Norway in April 1997 to give a presentation on my ZD7VJ activity. I had a fantastic time meeting all the well-know LA DXers at the meeting in Drammen, near Oslo. I spent a week in Norway - special thanks to Tom Victor, LA4LN and XYL Siri , LA2SR who made me very welcome in their fantastic home just north of Oslo.

My first visit to the HAMRADIO amateur radio event in Friedrichshafen took place in June 1997. A great time was had there meeting lots of friends and sampling the fine German beer ! In July '97  I travelled to Malta to the QTH of Jeff, 9H1EL along with Steve, G4JVG and Dave, G4BUO we made a Multi-Single team entry in the RSGB IOTA (Islands On The Air) Contest as 9HØA. Outside of the contest I operated as 9H3ZV.

Of course, November '97 meant another DX trip for the CQWW CW Contest. Ken, G4RWD and Steve, G3VMW joined me on another trip down to Ghana, where we put in a Multi-Single entry as 9G5VJ. Ken was also active as 9G5WD and Steve as 9G5SW.  Dave, M0BNX also accompanied us down to Accra but he did not operate as spent most of the stay there down at the beach or ill in bed !

Arriving back in the UK in Winter from an exotic DX location is never much fun and coming back from Ghana in December '97 was no exception. A cunning excuse was devised to return to West Africa again in February. In November '97, the Ghana Amateur Radio Society's FT-990 transceiver had developed a fault, so it was brought back to the UK for repair. Of course it had to be returned to Accra - it was a tough job but SOMEBODY  had to do it !! So.. the whole of February '98 was spent in Ghana again as 9G5VJ taking in the FOC Marathon Contest. I was also joined by Alan, G3XAQ - 9G5XA, Steve, G3VMW - 9G5SW, Bob, G3ZEM - 9G5ZM and Roger, G3SXW - 9G5SW, who were all in need of an escape from the European winter in favour of some African Sunshine too !!

March 1998 found me again at the QTH of Jeff, 9H1EL in Rabat, Malta. This time for the RSGB Commonwealth Contest as 9H3ZV.  In May '98 I made my first visit to the Dayton Hamvention in Ohio along with G3SXW. The following month saw us back in Southern Germany sampling the fine beer again at Friedrichshafen - another great weekend with great company.

September '98 saw some activity from the Ethiopian Amateur Radio Society in Addis Ababa. This DXpedition team consisted of Steve, G3VMW, Alan, G3XAQ and myself. We had a superb time in Ethiopia, many thanks to everyone at ET3AA.

October '98 and a trip to the Philippines allowed a few contacts with my DU3/AH8F callsign again. In November '98 I travelled to West Africa again, this time to join the Voodoo Contest Group 5V7A for a CQWW CW Multi-Multi effort from Togo. A great time was had by all with a great team spirit, some QSOs were made from Ghana on the way home as 9G5VJ.

The whole of Feburary 1999 was spent in the Philippines with some activity as DU3/G4ZVJ including an entry in the FOC Marathon.  In March it was time for RSGB Commonwealth Contest.   This year I again visited Jeff, 9H1EL in Malta and operated from his fabulous station where I managed to take first place in the contest for the first time. This was especially pleasing as I had just missed out in 1998 coming second by a few points!

To be updated soon :::: !!!

April 99 - HI8

June 99 - FN

Sep 99 - XU7 / DU3

Oct/Nov 99 - XU7AAV

Jan/Feb 2000 - XU7AAV - S21VJ - XW2A

Mar 2000 - ET3AA - 9G5VJ - Togo.

Sep 2000 - 9G5VJ / 5V7VJ

Oct/Nov 2000 - 3W2VJ XU7AAV DU3/G4ZVJ

Feb/Mar 2001 - DU3/G4ZVJ - 9M6AAC

Hope to CU on CW soon !

73 de Andy

 

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