This is my story. For my CV (or Resume) you can go here. I was born in
Nottingham, England in 1958. To be more precise, near Beeston.
My father was Peter, G3DLH, who owned University
Radio in Nottingham.
Many radio amateurs-to-be came into his shop during this time.
We moved to Cornwall in 1959 and my parents ran Ann's
Pantry in Carbis Bay.
In 1962 they had a new house called Chylowen
built in Carbis Bay on a
road called Wheal Whidden (meaning Whidden Mine in Cornish - a Tin
Mine, that is). We lived there until 1969. I very often went
down into the basement and watched my Dad work VKs using CW. He used an
AR-88
receiver and a KW
Viceroy transmitter and a rare Brown Brothers
bug. In 1968 my parents visited Bermuda, going to my mother's old
friend Marian Holland. My mother worked in Nottingham with Marian in the accounts department of Players Cigarettes.
Shortly afterwards, we moved to Bermuda. Selling our house in Carbis
Bay and (hopefully) going forever. Even the massively heavy amateur
gear went along. I very quickly settled in. Going to
Whitney
Institute for schooling.
Unfortunately, my mother didn't settle in well. After just less than a
year we left Bermuda.
After being in Bermuda we moved to Sunlea.where
we were visited by VP9GE
in 1972. This was just before I got my first licence, G4BKI, which was
on 29th August, 1972. I was just 14 and was one of the youngest ever
hams in the UK (there was an age limit of 14 on the licence back then).
My brother had got his licence (G4AMJ, now N7DR) the year before and
was 15 at
the time. My Dad gave up smoking and threw his savings into a pot for a
while and bought an SB-102 and PSU. This was only after he had
massively helped Doc and I with 2 HW-101s. Imagine. Three stations,
lots of antennas and all on the air at the same time. There's no way
that modern transistor rigs would handle the RF power around.
When I first started learning Morse, it was hard work. I'm afraid I
also swore that I wouldn't ever use it after I passed the test. This
was true for the first 6 months on the air. Thanks to some help and a
new keyer made of TTL in a homemade box with a homemade paddle, I
started to play with Morse a bit. I have to thank Barry G3YCZ for his help in this. Gradually, it took over my radio
life. If it wasn't for Morse I wouldn't bother with amateur radio. The
other modes are just too boring.
After making WAC, DXCC and other stuff in quick order, it was time to
leave the nest and go to the University
of Warwick. However, in between times I went back to Bermuda
and I went to Bermuda
College
(Sixth Form centre in Prospect) to take A levels. At University I
studied Physical Electronics (Physics and Electronics). In between
terms I went back to Bermuda to take time off. During my final visit of
that time, I not only wrote my Finals Practical Project Thesis, but
also passed my local radio examine and became VP9KF, instead of
G4BKI/VP9.
After University life, I moved on to a job at Plessey Microwave. This
was the most thrilling part of my life (so far). More of this to come....
here..................
After the utter break-up of the UK electronics and Engineering industry
(or, slightly before, if it is to be told truthfully!), I emigrated to
the USA in October 1993.. To Florida to be exact. I did, at the last
minute, look for jobs in Bermuda, I must admit. However, in those days
it was only through the Sunday Telegraph that jobs of that type were
ever advertised. I was in the forefront of IT jobs at that time (long
before the term IT was recognised!).. Unfortunately the Bank of Bermuda
never answered. Probably because of very specific IBM mainframe
requirements. These are probably laughable today!
In October 1993, I came to Florida to a small company and took them, in 3 years, from
$750k to $2m+ turnover per-year and from 8 employees to 23 employees in
the same time. After being completely ignored for this progress as
their Senior Technical Sales executive, I resigned and went on to form
my own business. In the first instance this was DunedinSystems.Com,
then stcgrenada.com, then sciencetechnologyconsultants.com and now
hintlink.com.
However, in December 1993, just 2 months after arriving in the USA, I
went to the FOC Dinner in Orlando. I ended up talking at great length
with Jim K4OJ about forming a FL Contest Group, whcih we initially
called the FCCG (Florida CW Contest Group). He, I and Jeff WC4E got
this thing started. A short time afterwards it became the Florida
Contest Group. Something which I know we were proud of. Unfortunately,
Jim died in 2004. RIP my friend. You can see the resulting site at FCG.
In December 1994 I bought Spindrift, a Catalina 36 sailing boat. I lived on her and sailed on her until 2003.
On 26th Decmber 2001 I was hit, while going through a GREEN light, by
another car. After going through 6 days in Intensive Care, I made my
way, slowly, out again.
During 2003/2004 we moved to Grenada (J3). Unfortunately this didn't
work out as I became very sick. I signed as J3/G4BKI (for colonnial
reasons) and then as J37KF after buying land (which I bought before becoming sick) in Grenada, After about a
year we had to leave Grenada and come back to the USA.
Currently we have in contract a sale on the property in Grenada and
hopefully that will go through.
On Christmas Day 2005, I proposed to Ann and she accepted. We quickly
moved ahead and were married in Bermuda on 20th March, 2006. Present
were our friends Donna (Matron in Honour), James (Best Man) and family
members, including my Dad, my Brother, his wife (Jenny) and Sarah
(their daughter).
Including our wedding we have been to Bermuda (recently) as follows:
Two weeks in
March, 2006. Two weeks in
November, 2006. Three weeks
in May/June, 2007. (During which we became great friends with many new
and old aquintances). Two weeks in
October/November, 2007 Two weeks in
April, 2008 Two weeks in November, 2008 (coming soon)
Our renewed aquintances are:
Don Mason (VP9HS)
Jackie Bacon
I'm searching for: Mr. McKittrick, Ken Hubbard and
Susan Bailey, Barbara Hollis, Veronica Hollis, Victoria Whiting, Jamie
Tucker, Georgie Masters, Simon Nichol-Griffiths, Carl Teceira, Gina
Swainson, Bruce Leseur, Scott McKenzie, Carla Dale, Chris Cooke, J.J.
Outerbridge, Andrew Spurling and anybody else from J6 Whitney,
1969/1970.
Biography
