About Me

Amateur Radio

• Licensed in 2000, very soon after the LCD revamp (removal of morse requirement).
• Immediately took to portable operations after joining the Redcliffe & Districts Radio Club and participating in the John Moyle Field Day, big setup on 5 bands all with 400W in close proximity.
• First priority was HF mobile, so bought a second hand Codan 9323 and 9350, pretty good but clunky to use for Amateur frequencies.  Played around a lot with land mobile GPS services and messaging.
• Home station started with a TS130S and TS700P - now sold
• Built an Elecraft K2/100
• Then I discovered APRS - a cool mode I still partake in
• Experiemented with packet, but it was on the way out with very few nodes and digipeaters available
• Played around with digital modes - didn't really grab me, until I moved to Singapore where JT65A was really the only mode I could make HF contacts from an apartment.
• Installed a FT857 in the vehicle in addition to the 9323, worked OK until I blew up the front end of the FT857 while selcalling from the 9323 - FT857 now sold (bit sorry about that)
• And then, I discovered the best bit of the hobby - microwaves, since acquired a IC970 with 2m, 70cm, 23cm AND 13cm.  Built transverters for 3.4GHz, 5.7GHz, 10GHz and 24GHz.
• Currently working on remodelling my workshop/shack.  Once that is done, will be getting back into improving my home and portable setups.
• Dream for home station is to have 23cm EME hom, 5.7/10GHz, 160 to 10m HF all mode, 6m, 2m, 70cm, 23cm and 13cm.
• So far I have got 80 to 10m, 6m, 2m, 23cm and 13cm capability at home.
• And then the ATV bug bit (this is getting expensive).  Constructed a 23cm FM transmitter for the Redcliffe Radio Club, and then constructed a Commtech module FM transmitter for myself, and then acquired a BATV DTX1 digital transmitter that is still work in progress.  Currently streaming the VK4RMG output 24/7 to the BATC streamer for the SEQATV Group.

Travelling

• Love going remote, experienced the Canning Stock Route, Simpson Desert, Flinders Ranges, Cape York
• Planning on a trip to the Simpson again in 2015
• Also like travelling OS, used to work/live OS and am now enjoying travelling for pleasure
• 2011 - Penang/Singapore
• 2012 - USA skiing in Colorado
• 2013 - Vietnam/Cambodia/Singapore
• 2014 - Fiji
• 2016 - planning a trip to Peru/Galapagos Islands