What is this?
This email is for anyone interested in amateur radio and radio communication.
Although I’ve been playing in this space since I was a kid, the more I learn, the more I realise how much I still don’t know. So this publication follows my adventures, experiments, contacts, conversations and radio related distractions.
I’m here for the stories so I’m not going to get too technical. I can’t. That’s beyond my cognitive capacity.
This might be a never ending exploration into a hobby that has no end.
How did I get here?
Back in the 80’s me and a friend picked up two hand held CB radios. I was Captain Nemo and he was Black Hawk. Things quickly escalated and before long I was making international contacts on 11m using a Cybernet Beta 3000 and a Thunderpole Mark 3.
Between then and now there were walkie talkies, a gap of many years and then a return to CB and PMR446.
It was around this time that I started C.R.O.W.S (The Creative Radio Operators Wireless Society.)
Our first club meeting happened in St Neots on the 30th of December 2019.
I invited a few friends interested in CB, PMR446, SWL and Amateur Radio to the Art & Soul Cafe in St Neots for a radio related meet-up.
Since then the club has mostly met virtually on Wire, Signal and Discord.
It was the end of 2019 when I finally decided it was time to ‘get my ticket’.
I qualified just before the first lockdown in 2020. Sitting the last paper based in-person exam at PADARC. Thankfully with the assistance of the videos from Essex Ham I passed to get the call M7XTN. The ‘XTN’ (short for Christian) was a hat tip to my friend (Black Hawk) who gave me the nickname at school.
Not long after, in one of the first online Intermediate exams I acquired 2E0AKA. Then in 2021 I finally passed the full exam and got G5DOC.
I’m now also a member of HARS and The BBC Radio Group.
Why subscribe?
Never miss an update
Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox. Let me make radio communication more accessible to you. The links I find, reviews I write and stories I share. All in one place. Hopefully reading my carefully curated email will save you some screen time.
Explore with a credible source
I don’t have to be some stranger on the web telling you stuff. As much as I hope you question everything you read, get to know me and my motivations. Interact and discuss these topics with me. Correct me if I err. Let’s learn and grow together.
It’s great value
This email is free. And there will always be a free email from this account. Later on I might choose to charge a small amount for bonus content. But I will always remember you. ;-) Because you came in on the ground floor and supported me with your attention.
Belong
As we learn together you might comment and join in the discussions. I want you to think of this space as another part of the radio community. A group of like minded individuals passionate about, who can connect through this space and share ideas. Occasionally we might meet in other online channels. Sometimes even in physical space.
Enjoy a certain style
If like me you love novelty and learning, love learning with me. I’m not that technical but I spend a lot of time curating the content I share, and I do so with a voice I hope ties everything together.
Subscribing to this email is supporting me on a journey. A trip we can take together. And your support means a lot to me.
