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GW0NGA - my introduction to amateur radio


Radio is one of the great loves of my life - both community radio and amateur radio. These pages are about my amateur radio exploits.

I spent my teenage years as a shortwave listener, tuning in to English language services all over the world. My radio was able to pick up local radio amateurs talking on AM on 160m ("top band") and this opened up another new world for me.

I obtained my class B on 23 February 1989 when aged 20, and my class A on Good Friday in 1990. Other interests took over and after filling up a mere 47 pages of my (recently discovered) logbook, I disappeared from the airwaves on 6 September 1992.

I didn't leave radio completely; in 1995 I worked on a community radio station in Billericay, Mayflower FM, and in 1996 I formed a new group, Phoenix FM, with the aim of getting a full time community radio station on the FM band for Brentwood and Billericay in Essex. We finally got a full-time FM licence in 2007 and the station is still going strong.

I dipped my toe back in the amateur radio waters in 2006, using a Icom IC-7000 and a Diamond CP-6. Sadly my vertical antenna interfered with a persistent neighbour, and despite me trying to help him, he found a new hobby - complaining about me 24 hours a day! So after a couple of months, everything went back in the box.

I had been thinking about restarting the hobby for some time after this, and on 14 January 2023 I plugged in a new Icom IC-7300 and slung a EFHW down my garden. A few days later, I set up FT-8 on a laptop, and much to my suprise I suddenly found myself making a crazy number of contacts on this too. That laptop has been on day and night ever since.

In January 2024 I left Essex behind and moved to beautiful rural Mongtomeryshire in Wales. I'm now using the callsign GW0NGA instead of G0NGA. My garden doesn't have enough room for the EFHW, so with the help of Nigel MW0OMZ we built a doublet and I'm back on air (and when I say "we", I mean 95% Nigel. I think I held the ladder).

The doublet is working okay on 20/15/12 but it's been very good on 17m and I've had countless contacts into JA, VK and ZL on it.

Date Time Band Call Mode Sent Rcvd Name State Country Miles
11 Jun 2025073617KO4UWMFT8-16-04Joseph D DodgensGA United States3,978
11 Jun 2025073417OZ1BSMFT8-09-15Michael Wassermann Denmark632
11 Jun 2025072117CT4VBFT8-06-13JOSE RAIMUNDO MAINHAS ROSEIRO Portugal1,003
11 Jun 2025071717OZ7JZFT8+13+08Jan Hansen Denmark585
11 Jun 2025071417DJ2DLFT8+09-01(Ted) Dieter LinkeD Germany449
11 Jun 2025071117DG9AWFT8-08-13Martin Erhardt Germany691
11 Jun 2025070517W4YRLFT8-17-05PAUL C BARNESFL United States4,139
11 Jun 2025065217DH1AKCFT8-16-19Kai Schönefeld Germany577
11 Jun 2025001717KB8JANFT8-15-06JOHN K LANICHOH United States3,728
11 Jun 2025000017KB4FSUFT8-10-15MICHEAL D CAIN, SrFL United States4,203
10 Jun 2025235817WF7IFT8-04-12DELBERT L HERALD, IIIVA United States3,670
10 Jun 2025235217N4XTTFT8+03-12SETH M CONKINTN United States3,844
10 Jun 2025235117N4TTEFT8+02-12DAVID A GOINSTN United States3,915
10 Jun 2025234317VE2GPPFT8-21-24Guy. GP PoulinPQ Canada2,937
10 Jun 2025234017WA4NFOFT8-09-08Arnold G GregoryTN United States4,020
10 Jun 2025232917VE2GHUFT8-10-17Jean-Guy Couture Canada2,953
10 Jun 2025232017K8JKFT8-12-16JAMES A KVOCHICKFL United States4,227
10 Jun 2025231517N5DDFT8-06-19DONALD E DAZETX United States4,699
10 Jun 2025231117W2GMFT8+03-18MARK C SUGARMANNJ United States3,323
10 Jun 2025230417N1COWFT8-07-07CHRISTIAN M ARNAUT, Sr.NH United States3,122
10 Jun 2025230217KI4KIFT8-17-12Malcolm ParsonsAL United States4,108
10 Jun 2025225317R7ALFT8+17-08Vasily V. Pinchuk Russia1,641
10 Jun 2025224917W2LOFT8+02-01Michael F MattesTN United States3,977
10 Jun 2025223017WB8TLIFT8+00-20D Douglas FriendOH United States3,744
10 Jun 2025222517CO7WTFT8-10-13Pavel Milanes Costa Cuba4,416
10 Jun 2025220217YO4DWDFT8-14-13DAVID DANIEL ADRIANCT Romania1,449
10 Jun 2025220017KJ4CGUFT8-11-04Jose L RosarioFL United States4,297
10 Jun 2025215317R4RMFT8-06-15Rinat V. Nasyrov Russia2,181
10 Jun 2025215117BI6OIZFT8-05-25LI ZHIYONG China5,476
10 Jun 2025214217BD4KCFT8-21-23Li Jumen China5,437
10 Jun 2025213517KC4KLMFT8-16-18Kevin MargravesNC United States3,835
10 Jun 2025213017KR4ECCFT8-16-05NASSER NASABGA United States4,023
10 Jun 2025212517PY1BABFT8-07-15Adilson CardosoRj Brazil5,748
10 Jun 2025211017PY1EDFT8-13-15Eduardo Rodrigues Brazil5,743
10 Jun 2025210017AB4BZFT8-15-08RONALD A SPENCERFL United States4,285
10 Jun 2025203517PY5IPFT8-02-07DIRCEU COLLERE CAVALCANTI Brazil6,063
10 Jun 2025200517WA8NLXFT8-02-13Richard W GaranSC United States3,988
10 Jun 2025194517A71ATFT8+03-18Mohammed Alkhayarin Qatar3,379
10 Jun 2025194217UA0LQEFT8-06-18Malinkin VASILY Russia5,263
10 Jun 2025193117EA3RTFT4+03-20Juan Carlos Muñoz Spain825
10 Jun 2025191117R2DMVFT8-06-20Yury Strashnov Russia989
10 Jun 2025184017K7TDFT8-14-20TERRY L DILLAHUNTYCO United States4,574
10 Jun 2025183517JE0TYOFT8-14-12ICHIRO TASHIRO Japan5,911
10 Jun 2025182817N1AHFT8-19-25ADAM E HOSA, JRCT United States3,253
10 Jun 2025181117W4PKUFT8+06-16FRED W HURD, JRVA United States3,522
10 Jun 2025180917JA0GCIFT8-10-20Kazuhiro Kumagai Japan5,850
10 Jun 2025175217JA4KTGFT8-10-15MASAHIRO HARADA Japan5,878
10 Jun 2025175017NE8ZFT8-04-13RICHARD E DORSCH, JRMI United States3,620
10 Jun 2025174317KB2KBCFT8-03-05FRANK C MOORENJ United States3,360
10 Jun 2025174217WA2ZSAFT8-09-15CHARLES M LEAPHARTNY United States3,407
10 Jun 2025173917BH6RWQFT8-15-18YingChao Zeng China5,499
10 Jun 2025171717JA9KROFT8-02-24KAORU SADO Japan5,817
10 Jun 2025151817DM5LAFT8+21+01Johannes Mirsberger Germany656
10 Jun 2025075917EA4ZMFT8-05-15Juan Vazquez Hernandez Spain968
10 Jun 2025004730KY4PHFT8-05-23JAMES C CLIFFORDFL United States4,262
10 Jun 2025002017WA1VILFT8-03-24GREGORY J MAGARIEMA United States3,134
10 Jun 2025001517WB3FMEFT8-13-11MARK D RHOADSMD United States3,503
10 Jun 2025000517KA1ALFT8-18-19Alfred A Hambidge, JrME United States2,970
09 Jun 2025234717KZ4JFT8-01-20GREGORY A MASSEFL United States4,181
09 Jun 2025232517WA4FLFT8+06-16William A RussellFL United States4,102
09 Jun 2025232317KC1TUFFT8-23-13Gregory ParachojukMA United States3,102
09 Jun 2025231817PR7ARFT8+00-22Irapuan De Sousa Ferreira (Ira) Brazil4,524
09 Jun 2025231317NF4AFT8+21-14CHARLES T WOOTENFL United States4,281
09 Jun 2025230317WW4JETFT8+10-07MATTHEW J LAVIOLASC United States3,924
09 Jun 2025225717WA4WGYFT8+03-11GARY R BENSONNC United States3,704
09 Jun 2025225417N4KXOFT8-03-07JAY BOEHMEFL United States4,187
09 Jun 2025223717W1ZEFT8-07-10JOSEPH B RANDALLME United States3,006
09 Jun 2025215517F4HTAFT8-17-18LUC FOURNEAU France317
09 Jun 2025215017KE4BCNFT8-12-22ROSS R SLATERVA United States3,544
09 Jun 2025214717K1LOFT8-16-10LAWRENCE H OLSENNH United States3,117
09 Jun 2025213717UA3ALYFT8+00-06Andrey A. Korobov Russia1,628
09 Jun 2025213617W4LUFFT8-13-20LEONIDES USIN FREIREFL United States4,300
09 Jun 2025213117JH6DULFT8-12-20Kaz Hiraishi (also KK9P) Japan6,020
09 Jun 2025212917WB4OSSFT8+09-16TERRY L WELLSKY United States3,845
09 Jun 2025212717WB2TQEFT8-19-07HOWARD E KOENIGFL United States4,255
09 Jun 2025210717PY5ZHPFT8+09-05KAZIMIERZ DLUGOSZPR Brazil6,058
09 Jun 2025210317RW3ACFFT8-16-15Dmitri P. Kurochkin Russia1,640
09 Jun 2025205517PY1EDFT8-05-19Eduardo Rodrigues Brazil5,743
09 Jun 2025171417BI1VHWFT8-12-22Xin Gao China5,079
09 Jun 2025162817K1ZNFT8-02-22JEFFREY A CANTORGA United States4,085
09 Jun 2025162117JA1ISTFT8-21-16KAZU NAGURO Japan5,938
09 Jun 2025155717R4LBLFT8-13-22Ivan Nikolaevich ChebotarUL Russia2,025
09 Jun 2025154417VE3KTBFT8-20-20Pierre FogalON Canada3,432
09 Jun 2025153817PP5ZPFT8+01-07Olivo , José CarlosSC Brazil6,147
09 Jun 2025062630SQ7FPDFT8-13-20Dariusz P. Karcz Poland1,096
09 Jun 2025061330CT1EDKFT8-11-21Angelo Cruz Portugal1,103
09 Jun 2025060130SP3CUGFT8-02-10Ryszard Grabowski Poland843
09 Jun 2025053730OE1KRQ/PFT8+02-03KURT RANNINGER Austria888
09 Jun 2025052630SP4AUFT8-14-22Andrzej Umiński Poland975
09 Jun 2025052030OZ5TUFT8+03-11Thejs Ulmann Denmark608
09 Jun 2025051630DL5YEEFT8-12-14Klaus Henke Germany502
09 Jun 2025051130LA3LUAFT8-02-11Stig Auestad Norway610
09 Jun 2025050730PY7DJFT8+03-19Haroldo Bradaschia NetoPE Brazil4,591
09 Jun 2025050430YL3AKHFT8+17-06Vasilijs Cjupka Latvia1,089
09 Jun 2025050230IK4CBOFT8+06+07GIORGIO TANZI Italy821
09 Jun 2025041330PY2KPFT8+10-11CLAUDIO GIMENEZ ( DIO )SP Brazil5,873
09 Jun 2025035830K4WCLFT8-08-20JOHN C GALGANOSC United States3,927
09 Jun 2025024330W9SXFT8+10-09Larence K OaksFL United States4,243
09 Jun 2025022830K4XPFT8+11-19KEITH B LEWISSC United States3,899
09 Jun 2025002417PY2BWFT8+01-09EGON BOEHM Brazil5,915
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