G3ZPF is the callsign of my Amateur Radio station, which is located near Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK.

After being introduced to electronics by a couple of classmates in my early teens, my first foray into short-wave radio came after building an HAC one valve receiver I'd seen advertised. Although I never managed to find any Amateur signals on this set, I did spend quite some time listening to broadcast stations around the world until the day when the HT battery lead came into contact with the 6v heater rail, and the valve was no more. Undeterred I took a Saturday job at a builders' merchants to raise the cash for a Codar CR70a, and later a Star 200 receiver.

I discovered Short Wave Magazine, with its regular listeners column and soon got close to the top of their HPX table using only loft aerials. The RAE course at a local evening college proved no real problem, but learning morse was not so easy. With no Morse classes available, in a pre-digital age, I bought a set of the "Morse in a month" vinyl records. TWELVE months later I was ready to take the test.

The family was on holiday in Cornwall that year, and my father took me up to the coastal station at Ilfracombe. G3ZPF came on-air in September 1970. A brief stint on 2m AM with a Heathkit HW30 preceded almost a year on 160m AM with a Codar AT5. It was not until some time later I realised that my first ever contact (G3WWR) was the father of one of the lads who had introduced me to the joys of electronics all those years before.

The arrival of a Yaesu FTDX560 transceiver heralded a return to HF. A fact soon noticed by the local TV sets. The '560 was put to good use until November 1977 when I replaced it with a Trio TS520. I'd probably still have it if G4JCP hadn't parted with his TS930 in 1984. I still have it to this day.

I did make a brief appearance on VHF in the mid 70's, initially using a Yaesu FT220 base station and later mobile, using a Trio TR200, but I didn't keep either of them for long.

Phil is responsible (along with a dodgy Trio vhf multimode) for my introduction to home computers. Initially an Apple2, then a BBC micro. That was changed for a Viglen 286 PC when I started getting involved with PCs at work. Upgraded later to a 486-33, then a 486-133, and more recently a P2-300. I've never been tempted to link any of them to my amateur gear.

I didn't touch a Morse key for several years after first getting on the air, but a lengthy case of laryngitis in the late 70's persuaded me to give Morse a serious try. These days I very rarely use anything else. After building a few electronic keyers in TTL logic during the late 70's, I bought a Junkers hand key. It is still going strong over 22 years later.

Throughout the 1970's I was an active member of the Dudley Amateur Radio Club, and edited their newsletter for a few years. Although I operated in VHF portable contests as part of the club team, I've never been interested in entering any from my own station.

I toured the border counties in 1978 with Gordon (G4DGM) and wrote an account of our exploits during THE SCOTTISH TRIP

An account of an unusual 2m mobile aerial tested by Geoff (G4LLU) can be found HERE

During the 80's I turned my hand to writing articles and had a number published in Short Wave Magazine, Radio Communication, Amateur Radio, and Ham Radio Today. In 1988 I was surprised when RSGB awarded me the Courtenay-Price trophy for an article about wind loading on masts & towers.

5 band DXCC was on the wall by the middle of 1986, but having decided that the country status game had become really silly by this time, I decided to start collecting zones. The 5 band version of the ITU Zone award continues as a background activity, but I spend far too much of my time on air ragchewing for these to be finished any time soon.

Although not as active now as in previous years, the 'magic' of wireless communication still retains its fascination for me.

In 1987 I got hold of a low-band Pye Europa, courtesy of John (G3XEV), and made an appearance on 4m FM. After a second change to the bandplan rendered a second pair of channel xtals pointless in May 2000, it had to wait until I was told about the now ubiquitous ASCOM SE550 synthesised rig by Gordon (G4DGM) before I reappeared on the band in October 2003.

In May 2003 I took early retirement but have been surprised to find I seem to have even less time than I had when at work. Once your extended family realise you have "nothing to do all day", you find that you suddenly have. Even so, I do find time to look after a couple of other websites. One HERE, and one HERE.

A house move in Sept 2006 means even more of my time taken up, in the short term at least.