Chris Cox NØUK/G4JEC
Central States VHF Society
Twin Cities Metro Area Network
Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society
Americal Radio Relay League
Amateur Radio stuff.
Amateur Radio is one of my most favoured hobbies. I started out as a short wave
listener back in 1975 after becoming an inaugural member of the
Coulsdon Amateur Transmitting Society in Coulsdon, Surrey, which is in Southern England, and I
have many fond memories of listening to the men at the club meetings, and
spending weekends out in a field in the pouring rain taking part (as a logger)
in various
RSGB sponsored contests with the
Coulsdon Contest Group. I could
hardly wait for the day when I too could actually transmit on the bands!.
I finally obtained my British amateur
radio license in August 1978 when I was just 14 years old. As with many other
amateurs in the United Kingdom, I started out with a class B ticket which gave
me access to all of the amateur bands above 100 MHz, and did not require any
proficiency in the use of Morse Code. 18 months later, however, I did take
and pass my Post Office morse test allowing me to upgrade to a class A license.
It is undoubtedly this initial 1 1/2 year period of of only being exposed to the
VHF bands that has to this day caused me to be unlike most radio amateurs who
reside in the good ole US of A, whereby the HF (short wave) band hold little
interest for me. I far prefer wandering through the relative desert of the
VHF, UHF, and microwave bands above 50 MHz...
If you're in the Twin Cities, try giving me a call on the local VHF group
natter frequency (146.460 FM Simplex), or listen out for me on 10368.100 MHz
USB or CW.
