Station G8GNI

I am licensed as G8GNI and use / have used the following callsigns: EA6/G8GNI, GD8GNI, M5AEX, MR5AEX, MQ5AEX, AC8HT and 9H3AP.

My HF amateur radio station currently comprises an Icom IC-7610 transceiver, Expert 1K-FA linear amplifier feeding two antennas: a Hexbeam (20-6m, inc. WARC bands), a fan dipole for 30, 17 and 12m and Moseley RV-6-WARC vertical. The Hexbeam is mounted on a Clark pneumatic mast. I also use an ACOM 1000 linear amplifier with a Butternut HF2V for 80 and 40m.

For VHF I use the IC-7610 on 6m, using an Innovantennas 4 element yagi and a Kuhne TR70H 4m transverter with a 5 element 4m yagi (on the same boom as the 6m antenna). The antenna is mounted on an MM0CUG wind-up mast and uses a Yaesu G-450C rotator which is software controlled using an add-on USB controller. For 2m I use an Icom IC-9700 feeding an 8 element Innovantennas yagi and on 70cms a 20 element Innovantennas yagi (with 70cms masthead pre-amp). I have LINEAR Amp Gemini 2-500 amplifier for 2m. The 2m and 70cm yagis are mounted on a Clark pneumatic mast, remotely controlled from the radio room. Rotators are Yaesu G-1000XC and are software controlled. Being only 78m above sea level, and rising ground in most directions I have a fairly poor location for VHF / UHF and so working countries and grids is quite a challenge.

I’m also building an OSCAR 100 station. For receive I use a SKY dish with a DXPatrol modified LNB, DXPatrol Bias T and an SDR Play RSPdx SDR feeding into SDR Console software.

Main software in use is: DXKeeper for general logging; N1MM+ Logger for most contest logging with DXLog for RSGB UKAC contests logging; MMTTY, GRITTY and TwoTone for RTTY; fldigi for PSK and other modes such as MFSK, Throb, Contestia, etc., MMSSTV for SSTV, and WSJT-X and JTDX-Improved for the JT and FT modes. I use JTAlert with both of the latter programmes. For transceiver control I often use Win4IcomSuite. DXKeeper automatically uploads my logs to lotw, eQSL and ClubLog. LogPublisher, which is an add-on for DXKeeper uploads my logs to QRZ.com

I QSL all contacts via lotw (Log Book of the World), ClubLog, QRZ and eQSL and will send a paper QSL card on request either via the bureau or direct.

I have operated a number of special event stations, including:

  • GB50ATG – Golden Jubilee Station of BARTG (British Amateur Radio Teledata Group), 2010
  • GB60ATG – Diamond Jubilee station of BARTG (British Amateur Radio Teledata Group), June 2019 – July 2020
  • GB19EB – Cricket World Cup Marathon (Edgbaston, Birmingham, Cricket Ground Callsign), May – July 2019
    • GB75PEACE, GB1945PE, GB1945PJ – Part of the VE Day and VJ celebrations, May and August 2020
    • G5WS and G5AT– Transatlantic Centenary Tests. Commemorating amateur transatlantic radio communication, December 2022

Like many radio amateurs I like to collect awards. There are numerous to collect if one is interested. Below is a brief article about awards that was written for the CDXC Digest. CDXC is the UK DX Foundation and is a major UK sponsor of DXpeditions.

Awards-articleDownload

The main awards I have to date are:

ARRL HF awards:

  • 5 Band DXCC (Number 9,848) + 30m, 17m & 12m (8 band DXCC)
  • DXCC (Mixed modes) for 80m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m;
  • Mixed mode 200 DXCCs (Currently 235 worked, 234 confirmed);
  • Phone (Mixed bands) 100 DXCCs;
  • Digital (Mixed bands) 200 DXCCs;
  • Digital 100 DXCCs 40m, 30m, 20m, 10m
  • RTTY (Mixed bands) 150 DXCCs;
  • 20m (Mixed modes) – 150 DXCCs;
  • DXCC Millenium Award for contacting 100 counties in the year 2000.

CQ Magazine:

  • RTTY Worked All 40 CQ Zones (WAZ) – Mixed Bands
  • 5-band Worked All Zones (5B-WAZ) – 171 Zones
  • Worked All States (WAS) – Mixed Bands
  • Worked All States (WAS) – Digital
  • DX Fields Award – 50 Maidenhead Fields (SSB)
  • WPX Awards: Mixed Modes Prefix Award – 1250 prefixes
  • WPX Awards: Mixed Modes Band Award – 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 6m
  • WPX Awards: Mixed Modes Continent Award – Europe, Asia, North America
  • WPX Awards: SSB Prefix Award – 300 prefixes
  • WPX Awards: SSB Continent Award – Europe
  • WPX Awards: Digital Prefix Award – 1100 prefixes
  • WPX Awards: Digital Band Award: – 160m, 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, 6m
  • WPX Awards: Digita Continent l – Europe, Asia, North America

IARU HF Awards:

  • Region 1 Award – RTTY Class 3 (40 member countries);
  • Region 1 Award – DATA modes Class 2 (60 member countries);
  • Region 1 Award – SSB Class 2 (60 member countries);
  • Region 1 Award – 28MHz Class 3 (40 member countries – mixed modes);
  • Worked All Continents – RTTY (Mixed bands);
  • Worked All Continents – Phone (Mixed bands);
  • Worked All Continents – 5 Band (Mixed Modes)
  • Worked All Continents – 5 Band (Digital Modes)

IOTA HF Awards:

  • 100 islands – mixed modes

RSGB HF Awards:

  • RSGB Commonwealth Century Award – Silver (70 Commonwealth Call Areas)

DARC HF Awards:

  • Worked All Europe Award – Digital Class I (62 Countries, 222 points);
  • Worked All Europe Award – Mixed Mode Class I (64 Countries, 245 points);
  • EU28A – Worked All Members of the EU (Mixed Band / Mode)

JARL HF Awards:

  • Worked All Continents in One Day – 20m RTTY

RSGB VHF Awards:

  • 50 MHz Countries – 80 Countries (Currently 88 confirmed; 88 Worked);
  • 50 MHz Squares – 300 Maidenhead Squares (Currently 355 confirmed; 405 Worked);
  • 50 MHz Continents & Countries – 5 Continents / 80 Countries
  • 70 MHz – 20 squares / 4 countries (Currently 21 squares / 11 countries confirmed);
  • 144 MHz – 60 squares / 15 countries (Currently 76 squares / 16 countries confirmed);
  • 432MHz – Working towards 30 squares / 6 countries (Currently 23 squares and 8 countries confirmed)