G4ZBW
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I have been interested in radio since I was at primary school many, many years ago. To start with this was limited to a crystal set with a long wire from my bedroom to some trees 30 to 40 yards away. Selectivity was nil.
I later progressed to valves and built a few TRF receivers listening mainly to medium wave commercial transmitters and later venturing into short waves. I passed my Amateur Radio Exam 1965 but Morse was a hurdle that I did not overcome until we moved to Bahrain and I decided to get, what was then, a Class A license; I was always more interested in construction rather than communication so I never got a Class B licence in the UK.
I eventually mastered CW sufficiently to pass the Morse exam that I took at the ship to shore station on Bahrain. It took three attempts as they did not accept any errors in receiving or transmitting - I spent many evenings copying CW from shipping in the Gulf that still used Morse - I recall copying endless shopping lists from ships about to enter port – “200 cabbages, 500 kilos potatoes…;” and so on!
I eventually passed and was given my first radio amateur call sign A9XZ later changed to A92Z – that was a privileged call sign if ever there was! Contacts with Bahrain amateurs were in demand and I amassed thousands of contacts and a large collection of QSL cards; I also made many friends in the amateur radio fraternity in Bahrain.
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Back in UK I was given the call sign G4ZBW and set up a station at our various homes in Kendal and Stoke on Trent. I joined the local amateur club in Kendal, back in the 1980's, and also the local RAYNET group both of which have since folded. I joined the North Pennines RAYNET group, based in Carlisle, in 2009; the group was renamed the Cumbria Raynet Group in 2010 and when Doug White, the then controller, resigned I took over the post until 2013.
The station at South Low comprises my now aged FT107M and an elderly IC-735. I have also invested in a FT7800R and FT-857D rigs, mainly for use with RAYNET, that can be mounted in the ToD. The antennas are a 3el triband Yagi, my trusty old 40 metre Windom and 2m and 70cm Yagi beams. The latest investment was a Yaesu G1000 rotator as the one I had used for about 30 years eventually died.
I’m still mainly interested in construction but you may hear me occasionally on HF or on 2m/60cm during RAYNET exercises.
Here are a few links (more to come)
HS0ZEE - Sheridon Street's web page
The Amateur Radio Association of Bahrain (ARAB)
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