G4BKI
G4BKI home page (amateur
radio)
Biography
This is my story. For my CV (or Resume) you can go here.
Oh, my pet hates are DOGS, cats, noisy neighbours and
clumsy people!
My pet "likes" are Ann, Amateur Radio and German Cars: Porsche
Cayman (3 door, 2 seat, coupé, video)
Acknowleged as the "Best Car in the World",
Audi A3 TDI
(5 door, 5 seat, Diesel video)
& Audi
TT (3 door, 4 seat, coupé, video).
BMW & Mercedes, however, are not something I'd own(!).
I was born in
Nottingham, England in 1958. To be more precise, near Beeston.
I was baptised at Holy
Trinity Church, Lenton, Notts.
My father was Peter Evans, G3DLH, who owned University
Radio in Nottingham.
Many radio amateurs-to-be came into his shop during this time,
including later operators, G3GRL, G3SJJ, G3OZF - G3BJ.
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.
This was through hard work and the teaching of David, G3NPB. I joined
the RAE class at the St. Ives School late - one session late - joining
it one third into the way of the teaching. In a frank comment, David
said I had no chance of passing this year, but maybe next year........
I started the course in January, finished it in May and passed in June.
It was also through my Dad's (G3DLH) determined
teaching of CW to me over the space of 6 weeks to 12wpm+. It wasn't
easy and I wasn't a natural.
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.
Then, just before my licence was on the way, Dad and I built my first
rig. A Heathkit HW-101. Soon after a 400Hz CW filter was added.
I actually got news of my licence arriving and what my callsign was,
while I was in the Isles of Scilly, on holiday.
The minimum age for a callsign in those days was 14 years. I got mine
at 14 years and 115 days, the youngest radio amateur to do so at that
time.
My brother, G4AMJ (NQ0I, then N7DR) let me know that the "I" at the end
was horrible on CW.........
My family went to the QTH of Mike Goody, G3RPC. We went out to his
garden shed and I actually worked a W6 on SSB (GASP!) as my first QSO.
When I first had to learn morse (CW), I swore I wouldn't use it ever.
In fact, for 6 months after I got my licence, I didn't.
Then, slowly, very slowly, I started to use it. After we built a home
brew keyer with Barry, G3YCZ, in Hayle, Cornwall. He helped with the
case and the paddle movement, while Dad and I built the TTL keyer
circuit on Veroboard. I can see it now - grey paddle, metallic green
box, silvered plastic knobs (On/Off and Speed). It ran off 240VAC.
Mostly made from RS parts (that's Radiospares, NOT Radio Shack!).
Quick break for a link: Cornish
Radio Amateur Club
It didn't take me long to work CW every day on 21MHz, even with the
cycle at the low.........
In fact, I went out of my way to work AT LEAST 10 Ws per night - at
19:00z. After I had done my school homework.
I worked a number of stations at gathering speed, including W1TW, my
best friend. I think I must have worked him just about every night.
I started to chase DX on CW and soon reached 230+. Not easy in those
days. No cluster. Just EARS. I was using an HW-101, 100W and a long
wire with a KW Ezee Match.
As my speed increased, I still went back into the 21MHz Novice band to
work and work and work my friends and help them speed up into their
next step.
At age 16, we moved back to Bermuda (we had been there before I was
licensed, but Dad was VP9GG). I used G4BKI/VP9 for every night. That
was
about 300-500 QSOs per NIGHT on CW. It was easy. Even if using an
FT-101 which was modified to switch in a CW filter.
Bermuda attracts a lot of well known people - Nick Faldo, Arnold
Parmer, etc. Dad was fortunate to work with customers such as Jose
M. Bosch (owner of Bacardi International!) and George
de Mestral (inventor of Velcro).
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.
Finally, when I was 21 and in Bermuda I won the local CW contest and
the next day I took the RAE (Radio Amateurs Examination). I passed the theory exam and the CW and
got VP9KF. My
local CW score was a
record which still stands to this day (and I still have the Winners
Tankard right HERE). Unfortunately, the Bermuda Contest used to be the
top one in the World, but is now reduced to nothing :-(
Between times, I worked too much in the UK for Plessey, then found out
that the UK was dying.
To distract myself I spent a lot of time and money adding to the GW8GT
group, setting many contest records. This included my friends G3OAY,
G4IFB, G4VXE, G3LNS and many, many others.
In 1989, 1990 and 1991 I toured the Caribbean. Going from Barbados to
St. Vincent and other places.
Then I decided that the UK wasn't going to offer anybody in engineering
a livelihood from that point onwards..... so I moved to Florida.
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!
I spent my first 3 years in Florida doing the following:
Establishing a new CW Contest Group. In December 1993, at the FOC
Dinner in Orlando, K4OJ and I started the FCCG - which became the FCG.
Buying a sailing yacht.
Working for a campany in Tampa and saving their a$$ each week
After biting the bullet, I moved into my own business and worked in the
marine electronics and computing field. Big time.
Running a business and keeping a boat afloat was a big task. But I did
it. I tried to stay on the air as W4/G4BKI at this time.
After a major car accident I was connected with Ann. Within a short
time we couldn't be apart. We moved to Grenada in 2003. We sold
everything, except her house, and went to Grenada.
I was, within days, on the air from J3 as G4BKI/J3. Unfortunately, I
just could NOT live with the noise, heat and bugs in J3.
After many months of suffering, we finally moved back to FL at great
expense. Leaving behind a dream and a newly purchased piece of
property. By purchasing this land, I got the callsign J37KF. Surely the
most expensive callsign of all time! (US$100,000)
When we moved back to FL, we found that we could live without being
beholden to anybody. I took on the callsign W4/VP9KF.
On 2005-12-25 in a fit of madness (!) I asked Ann to marry me. She said
yes.
On 2006-03-20 we were married in Bermuda (VP9). My brother, his
wife
and Sarah were there. Mostly, my Dad, VP9GG, was there. So was VP9GE.
In 2006-11-01 to 2006-11-15 we went back to VP9 on our Honeymoon.
We are going to take our Anniversary 2007-05-15 to 2007-06-05 again in VP9.
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 a function 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. DONE - at LAST!
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
Two weeks in
April, 2009
Two weeks
in November, 2009
Two weeks in
April, 2010
Two weeks
in November, 2010
Two weeks in
April, 2011
Two weeks
in November, 2011
Our renewed aquintances are:
Don Mason (VP9HS)
Jackie Bacon
I'm searching for: Mr.
(Ollie) McKittrick, Ken
Hubbard and
Susan Bailey, Barbara
Hollis, Veronica
Hollis, Vivienne
Hollis (now Craig?), Victoria Whiting, Jamie
Tucker, Georgie Masters (RIP), Simon Nichol-Griffiths, Karl Terceira,
Gina
Swainson, Bruce
Leseur, Scott McKenzie, Carla
Dale, Chris
Cooke, J.J.
Outerbridge (RIP), Andrew Spurling, Joey
Mello and anybody else from J6 Whitney,
1969/1970.
Family Note and for the record: My parents are buried here.
My grandparents
and Uncle Fred are buried here. I really, really miss them.
Some of my best Amateur Radio friends: G3SJJ, G4AMT,..........................
Amateur Radio Bests ( ONLY CW!):
Contest - CQWWCW 1992 - 235 QSOs per hour from GW8GT.
Contest - CQWWCW 1995 - 231 QSOs per hour from W1CW.
Contest - CQWWCW 2003 - 286 QSOs per hour from J37KF (14MHz only).
DX Pileup - 608 QSOs in 2 hours = 304 QSOs per hour from VP9KF (2011-11 - JA pile-up).
Hmmm,
did I say.... My pet hates are DOGS, cats, noisy
neighbours and clumsy people!
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Callsigns: G4BKI, G4BKI/VP9, VP9KF, 8P9FT, J8/VP9KF,
W4/G4BKI, G4BKI/J3, J37KF, W4/VP9KF, V31WJ
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© 1979-2012 G4BKI. All rights reserved.
