This page is a about how I became interested in Amateur Radio and the steps I took to get where I am today.
I think it all started way back in 1972 when I was the ripe old age of 6 that I first became fascinated by radio.
I remember my family where visiting my Nana and Granddad, My Granddad had just bought a new radio (RX only) and was showing my Mam and Dad it. He was fiddling around and suddenly I heard some talking followed by a series of beeps.
I asked "What's that?", My Granddad said "it's the Bobbies." (Police for those that don't know) Well I can tell you I was amazed, I must have spent the best part of an hour sat on his knee whilst he tuned around on the various different bands, I heard loads of amazing pops and whistles and foreign voices. After that I would from time to time tune my Dads radio to different stations but it wasn't the same as my Granddads as there was no Short Wave on it. But after that first experience when ever I visited my Granddad I would always hope he had his radio near by.
Well that's how it continued till I hit 13 years of age, I still had not heard of Amateur Radio and CB (Citizens Band) was then becoming a big thing, all be it an illegal big thing and I jumped on the band wagon, or should I say got my dad too. He 1st bought me a small receiver that had the CB band, Air band and a few Short Wave bands on.
I spent hours upon hours listening to the CB band as it was so busy, I first found it pretty hard to understand what every one was talking about due to all the Jargon, so after a couple of weeks I invested my pocket money in what was then the CBer's bible, it was called the Big Dummies guide to CB Radio. It had all the jargon in the back and lots more useful information with in it's contents which set me even more on my way towards Amateur Radio.
After 3 months of almost none stop listening my Father gave me the news I longed for, he was going to buy me a CB. Some one he knew was selling a full set up, and he bought me my first transceiver for my fourteenth birthday. It was a Colt 210, it came with a SWR meter matcher (ATU) and a small Mag Mount centre loaded coil aerial. All we needed was a way to power it up.
Well the day he got the radio he came and picked me up during my lunch hour at school. We drove to the back of some shops and I had my first contact with a lady who complimented me on my knowledge of the phrases used for a new operator. (Moral of the story here is that you can never do enough listening). Well that was it, I was hooked well and truly.
Problem now was I could not use the CB in the house as we had no way to power it up. Well up stepped my granddad with a spare car battery and an old battery charger to keep it topped up, he also made me a bracket with a plate on the end so that I could put the mag mount on to it and put it out the window, we would then close the window and that was that, the bracket was clamped.
At the time we where living with my Nana and Granddad and my Granddad had a Caravan which through the day and early evening I used to sit in there and play radio, it was great.
Well my first taste with DX was about a year later, on a visit to a local CB shop called Captains Cabin. The owner Dave always had some awesome radio kit, the day I first heard DX he was using a Colt Excalibur Radio and a Moonraker 4, 4 element cubical quad beam.
I could hear a lot of foreign stations coming in on AM, I had heard these before but I always used to think it was from ships radio's coming into the Tees Docks, How wrong was I? Well Dave called CQ DX using a Charlie Delta call sign, and to my surprise an Italian answered him, I was in awe, they exchanged details and I listened and listened for about 2 hours. I then decided to go home and give it a go myself. I wasn't very successful and I tried for weeks to make a contact abroad, in the end I gave up as I knew the equipment I had just was not up to it.
It was about 6 months after that day that we moved to a new location and I was allowed to put up an antenna out doors. I was also earning my own money by then so I saved up and bought various different radios, I still had no joy with DX contacts but all that was to change. I managed to get hold of an awesome radio called a Colonel FR-360, it had AM, LSB and USB modes and various bands. I called and called but still no luck, until one morning. I woke up early for work and turned the radio on, I heard a station in Sweden and I gave him a call using my newly acquired call sign of Charlie Delta 72. He heard me and I was so excited I almost didn't know what to say, after 10 mins we had finished talking and that was me all day sat in front of my radio calling CQ, I called work and told them I was ill, I was very very addicted.
Well it was through the FR-360 that I first heard Amateur Radio as it had a band that went deep into the 10mtr band, I still didn't know what it was but I knew not to TX on this band as the person I bought the radio off wisely advised me not too. I was now just gone 16 and I remember having a conversation with my Dad about how they must be a way of doing all this legally, to my surprise he said "yeah there is Amateur Radio." I said what's that and he said he didn't know much but he was sure they would be a magazine about it.
So the following day I went looking for one and I found one. It was the very first issue of a new HAM magazine, and I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called. It explained every thing from getting started to advising those already active. I bought the first 3 copies and I used a coupon in one to send off to the Home Office for some thing called "How to become a Radio Amateur."
Well I can honestly say, with the information in the Magazines and with the information I received from the Home Office I was well and truly put off, and the thing that really put me off was all the math's, I found it mind numbing.
So I stayed with CB and changed equipment several times over and location once more and I still wanted to be a Radio Amateur but was still put off by the math's, I bought various books, The RAE Manual being one, and by 1994 I decided enough was enough.
I had some glorious times on CB radio and made some fantastic friends through out the World on every continent, best contact being into Tasmania using 12 watts into a 3 element beam and a Cobra 148GTL-DX radio. But I knew it was time to move on, I had 14 glorious years on CB radio and I will never forget them, but at the same time I will never go back to CB as it was well and truly spoilt by a minority few who did not appreciate how good it could be, and all they wanted to do was spoil other peoples enjoyment.
So it was 1994 and September was quickly approaching and I had received a leaflet through the door advertising courses available at Stockton and Billingham College, I looked through the leaflet and I saw it... City & Guilds Radio Amateurs Examination.
I got straight on the phone and contacted a friend of mine, who like me had wanted to get into Amateur Radio for a long time but instead took the easy route of CB. I explained about the course and he was very interested. We went to the college on enrolment day and enrolled in the course. Two weeks later we where on the course and by the time Christmas had come I was that confident about passing the course that I purchased a Yaesu FT-707 to listen to the HAM bands and to help get the procedures right for the Exam.
In May 1995 we had our Exam. Well after the Exam I really Kicked myself as I found it easier than I ever thought it would be. So for me I had wasted 12 years of my time on CB, worrying about being caught and thinking I wasn't intelligent enough to do it. (Moral here is do not put off doing any thing, give it a go, you may be surprised.)
The worse part of the whole process was waiting for the results... It was the beginning of August when the results finally arrived, my Mother came up the stairs and woke me up, she had a large hard backed brown envelope, she sat on the bed and all I could do was stare at the envelope. This was definitely the most nerve racking part of the whole thing.
I opened the envelope and pulled out the certificates, 3 in all, 1 White and 2 Yellow, I looked at the White one, it Read " Licensing Conditions and Transmitter Interference PASS; Operating Procedures, Practices and Theory FAIL."
I looked at my Mam and said I have failed, she looked very shocked and said "let me have a look", I snapped at her " I can read you know look", I looked again and it read "Licensing Conditions and Transmitter Interference PASS; Operating Procedures, Practices and Theory PASS." I couldn't believe it, I must have still been a sleep when I read it first. I checked it again and again over the next ten minutes with my Mam confirming to me what it said.
The two Yellow Certificates where headed, "This Certificate of unit Credit towards The Radio Amateurs Examination Certificate" and the other was, "The Radio Amateurs Examination Certificate.
I contacted my Friend who I did the course with to see how he got on, He had failed the second paper and he was reading it right. This was a big shock as he had a background in Electronics through a C&G course he did in Alarms and was extremely confident, He already knew OHMS LAW and the POWER RULE etc, but he still failed, in fact he passed on his third attempt.
Well the next step to take was to get the Licence, so with out delay I sent off the documentation and payment. While I was waiting for the return of my License I purchased an old Trio TR-2300 with a 10 watt linear amplifier from an old friend G7NRO (Chris) and I also purchased a 5/8th wave mobile vertical antenna. After a wait of two weeks I got my call sign, G7VOT. I was straight on the air calling CQ.
I hope this slight history of my path into Amateur Radio has given people the urge to go and get licensed, like I have already said, do not put off those things that you can do today, you may surprise your self.
Amateur Radio has gone through a massive change. The RAE is now no more as it has been replaced with a three tier system, Foundation Licence, Intermediate Licence and Advanced Licence. So now there is no excuses for not giving it a go. There is also no more Morse code requirement so all existing class B Licence holders now have the same privileges as those with class A.
So come on people, get out there and give it a go.
73's G7VOT