G8PL
Andy M'Garry-Durrant
D.O.B 19th July 1961
Hi, my primary interest is the 6 & 10 Metre bands (50 & 28 Mhz), whether and propagation studies. My own calls are G7OEC & G8PL, I also hold the 'East Anglian Six Metre Radio Group' club callsign GX7VHF (QTHR) which is activated in the monthly N.A.C, OZ50 & annual UKSMG / RSGB contests. I have also operated the contest stations M1A & G0KPW and have operated from 8Q7 (Maldives Indian Ocean) as 8Q7HF & EA6 as EA6/GX7VHF (Majorca), and in Norway as LA/G8PL & LA4LN.
I hosted the six metre net on Monday evening for around 6 years on 50.140 SSB (G7OEC) in the early 1990's, and was involved with the setting up of the first Suffolk six metre repeater GB3EA. In my teen-years (1980's) I was an HF SWL and wrote articles with Eric G4AR for Practical Wireless Magazine, we met up at his house in Surrey each month to go over DX reports for his pages in PW. I also worked in the trade between 1990 -95 as a retail Manager for an Amateur Radio shop. I own an 'Out-of-print' & Antiquarian Book business with two retail shops.
Best 6mtr SSB DX 4F2 Philippines. November 2001
Since 2005 I have been experimenting with 6m EME
The station:
(Antenna's & Radio's updated Jan'06.)
Transceivers: 2x Yaesu FT920AF HF & 6m With built in Auto ATU
TX Amp: Hunter six 1.1Kw on 6Mtrs, modified with additional cooling.
RX Pre Amps: 2x SSB electronics SP-6 Pre-Amp. & Coax relay.
Antenna's: 6Mtrs Cushcraft 6 element wide space 10.4m boom with SP-6 pre-amp at 15Mtrs
6Mtrs 5/8 vertical with SP-6 masthead pre-amp at 17m AGL
10/15/20Mtrs 3 element TB3 beam at 5m AGL (+40Mtrs with ATU)
10, 20, 40 & 80mtrs Full-size G5RV (Sloper N/S 10m -4m AGL)
PTT: Heil HC-4 & 5 Headset with boom mic & ptt foot-peddle.
CW: 9" Kent 700gms brass straight key
Computer: Taclog / Auto CW / WSJT - JT6M & JT65A
Locator: JO01OV is 30Mtr ASL - 2Km from the sea port at Harwich, 65Km NE from London.
Ramsey is a very small village, population of under 500 people, located 2Km west of the International Sea port at Harwich on the North East Essex coast. Colchester Britain oldest recorded Roman town is 12Km West and Ipswich in Suffolk is 12Km to the North. London the capital is 65Km South West. This is a farming area with salt marshes to the coast, the land is relatively flat. The station location is on the edge of a hill 30m ASL with the land to the East & south dropping away to the Sea giving great VHF take-off in these direction and good North Sea ducting to Scandinavia when Barometric conditions are correct, above 1015mb.
From this location the average 2 Meter distances with just 50w is 650Km, while on 6 Meters with 400w it's around 400Kms. I am normally looking on 2 Meters for locators at or in excess of these distances under flat band conditions. With enhancement. Sporadic E, MS or Aurora, I have worked North Africa on 2 Mtrs SSB and Asia on 6 Mtrs SSB.