Welcome.

I have had an interest in electronics since the age of about 11. However, I wasn’t introduced to radio until a few years later when my parents bought me a CB radio, which was around 1978 I guess, just after CB was legalised in Australia.

It wasn't long before I became fascinated by this new (back then) medium and started to cause havoc on air. Obviously I stirred a few people up, because one afternoon after school, this booming voice came through my little radio. I thought “This bloke must be sitting on my doors step?” he was so loud. Anyway being an inquisitive teenager I started the 20 questions routine with him, and about 3 minutes after that my new found friend suggested that we meet on the corner of his street and my street (he named the streets).

Bravery or stupidity got the better of me (is there a difference?) and I jumped on my treadly and peddled over to the corner for an "eye ball”, it was within sight of my home so I thought I would be OK. Eventually this bloke yells out from a house a few doors up from the corner “You must be Adam? Come on over so we can chat.” After a bit of persuading, I finally went.

Talk turned to that huge “TV antenna” in his backyard and then to radio. Finally this bloke asked me if I had ever thought about Amateur Radio. Dumb question really, as I didn’t even know it existed. His wife suggested that he show me, and with that, we went into his garage.

Well. Didn’t my jaw hit the floor, this bloke had a complete Kenwood TS 520S Station (although I didn’t know that at the time), everything from the radio to the 2nd VFO to the station monitor, plus he had other bits and pieces around the place as well, lots of coloured cards on the wall with strange letters and number on them, and a map with pins in it showing the places that he had spoken to. Needless to say when he contacted a station on the other side of the world, that was it for me, I knew that I would become a Radio Amateur some day.

The rest, as they say, is history. I have been a radio amateur since last century; 1993 to be precise, Since then, have been involved with various clubs in Brisbane, and have had the pleasure of working with Ron VK2DQ for 10 years, who in 1998 started Australia's first online educational resource for budding Radio Amateurs; The Radio and Electronics School. I am an accredited assessor with the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) and still love the thrill of "getting that rare one", especially on 10m.

All thanks to a chance meeting with a Radio Amateur named Chris, from Werrington in Western Sydney.

Anyway, enough of me enjoy your visit to my place on the Internet.

BCNU