Since December 2021, G4HLX is now active again in Wantage,
Oxfordshire UK (IO91GO) on 7 MHz to 28 Mhz, ssb and FT8.
tx/rx: Either an Icom IC-705, sometimes with a
Xiegu XPA125B amplifier, or an Elecraft K3.
Antenna: Either a magnetic loop antenna with an
MFJ-936C loop tuner, or an MP1C loaded vertical.
VHF contest activity
In 2023 I have been active in some 144 MHz contests as G4HLX/P, at a
location on the Ridgeway Path, 3km south of Wantage. Locator:
IO91GN.
tx/rx: Icom IC-705 (5W output), sometimes with a
Microwave Modules MML-144/30 (25W output). Powered by a 30Ah LiFePo4
battery.
Antenna: Sandpiper 3-ele delta quad or Diamond
10-ele yagi, 4m above
ground (220m asl).
Also active occassionally in 432 MHz contests using
the IC-705 with an MML-432/50 (40W output) and an Elk 5-element log
periodic or Diamond 15-ele yagi.
Parks on the Air (POTA)
Sometimes I am active on HF bands for POTA from a location a few
minutes drive from my home QTH which is a 2-fer, being both in:
- G-0173 North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty, and
- G-0676 The Ridgeway National Scenic Trail
both being in Oxfordshire (G-OXON or GB-OX).
GR4HLX
In May and June 2023 I used this special prefix to celebrate the
coronation of King Charles III. I worked 841 stations in 70
countries.
All QSOs by G4HLX, G4HLX/P and GR4HLX are in LOTW and eQSL.
The information below is mainly out-of-date and refers to G4HLX and
F5VLD activity before 2013. It's left here for historical interest
only. One day I will get round to completely updating this web page!
If you're looking for my popular National Grid Ref to IARU Locator
convertor, you'll still find it here.
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G4HLX
Station equipment
Icom
IC-705 Xiegu XPA125B 100W HF linear Elecraft K3/100
(#289)
Elecraft
K2/100 (#2425)
Down
East Microwave 144MHz transverter
Yaesu FT-847
BNOS 144MHz 100W linear Microwave Modules
MML-144/30 linear (25W)
Microwave Modules
MML-432/50 linear (40W)
TE Systems 0552G 50MHz linear
Yaesu YD844 desk mic, Heil ProSet 4 headset, or Airmed 62 headset
Bencher paddle key, Palm mini-paddle
Homebrew speech recorder
144MHz GaAsFET preamp at the masthead
Home antennas: see photo, right
(these were all dismantled in 2007)
Westflex103 feeders
Portable antennas: 13 ele 144MHz Tonna, 19 ele 432 MHz,
Sandpiper 3-ele 144MHz delta quad, Tonna, 5 ele
50 MHz M2 6M5X. Buddipole Pro for HF.
Mobile: Yaesu FT-857D, 7 - 28, 50, 144 and 432 MHz
Handhelds: Icom IC-E92D and IC-T8A
Other portable gear: Icom IC-505
DV Access Point
Funcube Dongle
Here
is a note about a 2m bandpass filter that I use with the Funcube Dongle
in a rather extreme QRM situation.
AO-40 equipment
(now defunct, of course):
S-band downlink receiver: 70cm prime focus dish, DB6NT pre-amp, Drake
2880 downconvertor.
Uplink U-band: FT-847 to 9-turn 435MHz helix.
Photos of these antennas.
Portable
kit also incudes: LiFePo4 battery 30Ah
Various sealed lead-acid cells from 7Ah to 100Ah
12V petrol-electric generator
Tenna-tourer mast base
6.8m portable sectional mast with rotator
Tonna portable mast
Mast-head preamps
F5VLD
Station equipment
With me
in France I had certain items from the above list, mainly:
Elecraft K3/100
Elecraft K2/100
Icom IC-E92D
Yaesu FT-857D
FUNcube Dongle
HF antenna: Buddipole (various configurations), end-fed dipole for 18
MHz
VHF antennas: Sandpiper 3-ele delta quad (144 MHz)
Elk 2M/440L5 log periodic
DV-Dongle normally connected to REF005A (or B)
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Contests
entered by G4HLX / F5VLD
Contest |
Date |
Band
MHz |
Section
|
Position
|
21/28 Mhz |
October 2006 |
21 |
Non-UK restricted |
9 |
Backpackers #2 |
June 2005 |
144 |
S 3W
|
6 |
PW 144MHz QRP |
June 2005 |
144 |
Just "giving
away
a few points"! |
Backpackers #1 |
May 2005 |
144 |
S 3W |
3 |
1st 50 Mhz |
April 2005 |
50 |
O |
3 |
Backpackers Championship |
2004 |
144 |
|
12 |
Backpackers #3 |
July 2004 |
144 |
S 3W
|
3 |
Backpackers #2 |
June 2004 |
144 |
S 3W
|
5 |
PW 144MHz QRP |
June 2004 |
144 |
Just "giving
away
a few points"! |
Backpackers #1 |
May 2004 |
144 |
S 3W |
2 |
144 MHz AFS |
December 2003 |
144 |
SF |
18 |
Backpackers Championship |
2003 |
144 |
|
5 |
Backpackers #5 |
Sept 2003 |
144 |
S 3W |
2 |
Backpackers #4 |
July 2003 |
144 |
S 3W |
2 |
50 MHz Trophy |
June 2003 |
50 |
6O |
3 |
Backpackers #2 |
June 2003 |
144 |
S 3W
|
5 |
PW 144MHz QRP |
June 2003 |
144 |
Just "giving
away
a few points"! |
UK Six Metre Group |
June 2003 |
50 |
5 |
2 |
Backpackers #1 |
May 2003 |
144 |
S 3W |
1 |
1st 50 MHz |
April 2003 |
50 |
SO |
1 |
432 MHz AFS |
February 2003 |
432 |
SF |
16 |
AFS SSB |
January 2003 |
3.5 |
- |
168 |
AFS CW |
January 2003 |
3.5 |
- |
191 |
144 MHz AFS |
December 2002 |
144 |
SF |
16 |
Backpackers Championship |
2002 |
144 |
|
2 |
Backpackers #5 |
September 2002 |
144 |
S 3W
|
1 |
Backpackers #4 |
28 July 2002 |
144 |
S 3W
|
1 |
Backpackers #3 |
7 July 2002 |
144 |
S 3W
|
1 |
Backpackers #2 |
June 2002 |
144 |
S 3W
|
6 |
PW 144MHz QRP |
June 2002 |
144 |
Just "giving
away
a few points"! |
50 MHz Trophy |
June 2002 |
50 |
6S |
3 |
Backpackers #1 |
May 2002 |
144 |
S 3W |
1 |
Xmas cumulatives |
December 2001 |
50 144 432 |
SF |
3 |
144 MHz AFS |
December 2001 |
144 |
SF |
14* |
* part of winning team, Harwell ARS
|
October 50 MHz |
October 2001 |
50 |
SO |
2 |
50 MHz Trophy |
June 2001 |
50 |
6S |
2 |
144 MHz AFS |
December 2000 |
144 |
SF
|
26 |
Backpackers #4 |
July 2000 |
144 |
S 3W
|
4 |
144MHz low power |
July 2000 |
144 |
SO
|
4 |
Backpackers #3 |
July 2000 |
144 |
S 3W
|
2 |
Backpackers #2 |
June 2000 |
144 |
S 3W
|
7 |
PW 144MHz QRP |
June 2000 |
144 |
Just "giving
away
a few points"! |
VHF Championship 1999 |
open |
10
|
144MHz Fixed & AFS |
December 1999 |
144 |
S
|
16
|
144MHz Trophy |
September 1999 |
144 |
S
|
5
|
432MHz low power |
July 1999 |
432 |
M
|
9
|
144MHz low power |
July 1999 |
144 |
M
|
9
|
PW 144MHz QRP |
June 1999 |
144 |
Just "giving
away
a few points"! |
50 MHz Trophy |
June 1999 |
50 |
OS
|
1
|
144MHz |
May 1999 |
144 |
OS
|
2
|
144MHz low power |
July 1998 |
144 |
M
|
9
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G4HLX/P
portable location in contests:
Sparsholt Firs, 6km west of Wantage, Oxfordshire
Loc: IO91FN WAB: SU38
except:
Backpackers, May and July 2003, September, July 21st and May 2002
and July 2000, I was on the Long Mynd, Shropshire, Loc: IO82NN;
Backpackers, May 2005, I was GW4HLX/P at Hays Bluff, Loc: IO82KA.
For
a list of my earlier contest operations (since 1972), click
here
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History and interests
First licensed
in 1971 as G8EQX (callsign now held by my son, Ben) and then as
G4HLX
in 1978. Have been active on all 13 bands 1.8 MHz - 432 MHz, but my
main interest is VHF/UHF, particularly DX and contesting.
2006-2013
living in Provence, France, and active on some HF bands
as F5VLD, in Aix en Provence. Also sometimes active on D-Star, as G4HLX
during visits to the UK, or as F5VLD by DV-Dongle.
Activities
have included amateur satellite operation, using various satellites
from OSCAR-6 through OSCAR-23 and AO-40. In 1980's wrote software for
ZX
Spectrum computers for receiving text bulletins, telemetry and images
from UoSAT/OSCAR-9 and 11 with no hardware decoder. Over 600 copies
of this software sold.
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User of
packet radio on 144 MHz since 1984, and for some years ran the Oxfordshire
hub station for TCP/IP packet users on 144/432 MHz. Pacsat operation
including 9K6 through UO-22.
In 1982
conceived the idea of the Practical Wireless 144 MHz QRP Contest, which
in 1984 became the best-supported VHF contest in the UK of all time.
Ran and adjudicated this contest for Practical Wireless magazine
annually 1982-2007.
Tutor of
Radio Amateur Examination class at Harwell Education Centre from 1981-1993.
Member
of Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) since 1968
(RSGB Regional Representative, Region 6, 1985 - 1988)
(RSGB Liaison Officer, Oxfordshire, 1988 -91).
Formerly
member of:
Réseau des Émetteurs Français (REF)
AMSAT-UK
Harwell Amateur Radio Society (Vice-chairman 1982 - 87).
South Oxfordshire Repeater Group.
ARRL
UK Six Metre Group
Oxfordshire RAYNET Group.
University of Birmingham Radio Society (Chairman, 1976 - 81).
South Birmingham Radio Society.
University of Manchester Amateur Radio Society.
Radio Society of Harrow.
BARTG
Ridgeway Repeater Group.
Transmitters,
receivers, and transceivers that have been part of the G4HLX/G8EQX
station at some time since 1971:
IC-705,
K3/100, K2/100, IC-E92D, FT-857D, FT-847, IC-505, TM-732E, IC-T8A, FT-726R,
TS-780, IC-32E, IC-202S, FT-101ZD, FR-50B/FL-50B, FDK-750E, TR-3200,
TR-2300,
19 set,
PCR-2, T1154, SCR-522, PF-2, PF-70, CQM-5662 and at least 5 other ex-PMR,
plus various homebrew transmitters, receivers and transverters.
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