GM7FIE
On the air 1989-1996 and 2020-...
Current Station
- Icom IC-705 : HF, 2m and 70cm All Mode QRP Portable - (+mat705 tuner)
- Anytone AT-D878UV+ : 2m FM and DMR
- Alinco DJ-F1 (1990 Vintage) : 2m FM : I am delighted I eventually managed to refurbish a battery pack and find a CTCSS board to bring it back into useful service!
- MMDVM Duplex Hotspot : DMR
- Portable/SOTA operation
- SOTABEAMS Bandhopper II (20/40m Dipole)
- SOTABEAMS BandSpringer (10-60m End Fed)
- 2m/70cm Dual Band N9TAX Slim Jim
- 2m/70cm Dual Band Telescopic Dipole (homebrew)
- MFJ-1763 MFJ 2m 3 element yagi
- 7Ah LiFePo4 Battery
SOTA
I really enjoy getting out and about with radios - so I've been enjoying experimenting with SOTA
Returning in 2020
Like many people I found I had a wee bit of time on my hands unexpectedly during COVID19 so I decided to find out if I was still eligible for a license (turns out I was eligible for a
"Full" license under the new rules) and if I could get my old callsign back, which I could. So I did the paperwork and decided to get back on the air.
Beginnings in the late '80s
I was a keen radio amateur in my teens, on mostly on 2m FM around Aberdeen (where I grew up) and later Dundee. GB3GN, GB3PR and S20 provided many QSOs on a converted Storno, a KDK FM2025,
and later an Alinco DJ-F1E, and greatly enjoyed helping local RAYNET groups. I also had a homebrew colinear, a HF receiver, and a CW/RTTY decoder amongst other toys.
I got my "B" license at 14 - the earliest age you could hold it at the time. Thanks to AARS, the club at Robert Gordons, and a number of amateurs who helped me get going back then."
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