The ZB2JW Story


Gibraltar is a small British Overseas Territory located at the entrance of the Mediterranean, on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsular.
Here is a picture from Space.

When I was at school, I read a book about radio and tried to make a one valve radio. It never worked. I learnt a number of lessons, one being that the gain of a double diode - which someone gave me for the project - is zero, although the base is the same as a triode.

But I did build a working three valve set from a design in "Practical Wireless" and listened to GB2SM the Amateur radio station at the Science Museum.

A home made transistor set was next and enabled me to listen to the commentary about John Glenn orbiting the earth for the first time on AFN.

Gibraltar Amateur Radio Society

In the seventies I moved to Gibraltar. Telephone calls to the UK were expensive, then someone gave me a CB set to repair, so I tested it talking to the UK on 4w. Having rediscovered radio, I wanted more.

A visit to the local technical college and a couple of exams later I applied for my licence, and joined the local club, GARS.

I was one of the first to try out packet radio and set up a node at the Top-of-the Rock, 406m asl, and a BBS at the Club.

A lot of effort went into monitoring RTTY transmissions from around the world, however where I live now is a bad area for HF reception, and I found 'rubber stamp' contacts on 6m unrewarding, so I'm not very radio-active. 73's from IM76HC