My amateur radio interests go back to about 1962, but it wasn't until 1970 that I got my first licence, G8EMY. In 1974 I took the morse test and obtained the call G4DDK.
However, HF wasn't for me and I quickly migrated back to what really interested me. VHF and above. I built my own 2m SSB transceiver, various 2m and 70cm FM transceivers and my first 10GHz Gunn diode system. I also built 23cm and 13cm equipment. During this period, whilst living at Stone in Staffordshire, I obtained my 10GHz 'sheepskin' for a first QSO over 150km. This was from Axe Edge in Derbyshire to The Black Mountains, S. Wales. My QSO partner was Phil, GW3PPF.
It wasn't until I moved to the flat coastal lands of Suffolk that I was really able to indulge my interest in UHF and microwaves, designing and building equipment for 23cm all the way to 1.2cm including transverters and converting an old NEC Pasolink for 47GHz.
I hold a first, a 24GHz QSO with Belgium, working ON6UG over a 212km path from my home to Ronsa in Belgium. I also briefly held the 24GHz UK DX record working PA0EHG over 267km and the 47GHz DX record working G4KNZ over 39km.
I have recently been QRV on 23 and 13cm EME with my 2.3m TVRO dish and I've heard several stations on 9cm in June and July 2007.
Currently I am (slowly) rebuilding my multiband station. This has interrupted my EME activities. I hope to get back to this later this year.
As of August 2007 I am QRV on HF, 50MHz, 70MHz,
144MHz, 433MHz (Vertical polarisation), 1.3, 2.3, 3.4GHz, 10GHz
and 24GHz.
I am a founder member of the UK Microwave Group
and the RSGB 'The GHz Bands' columnist.