About Me

Hello, I’m Ian, and I live in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.
My interest in amateur radio began back in 1975, when I was given my very first shortwave receiver — a CR100. I spent countless hours tuning across the HF bands, listening to DX on 20m and 15m, and chatting with locals on 160m AM.

I still remember those early mornings spent listening to K4NBN from Jacksonville, Florida, and VK3OM in Australia, both coming in beautifully on a simple long wire that stretched from the rooftop down to an apple tree. Those were magical moments that truly sparked my love for radio.

At the age of 14, I studied for the RAE and was soon granted my first callsign, G6EDW, around 1980. A few years later, after learning CW, I earned my A licence and became G0HLJ around 1985.

From there, I spent many enjoyable years working HF stations using a Kenwood TS-530 and a two-element beam mounted about 30 feet up. It was a wonderful time — the thrill of making contacts across the world never really fades.

Around 1997, life took me in a slightly different direction and I found myself exploring another creative passion: black and white analogue film photography and I started to learn some basic computer coding skills. Radio took a bit of a back seat for a while, but it never truly left my heart.

Fast forward to 2025, and I’ve started to rekindle that old spark. The amateur radio world has evolved a lot since my early days — with digital modes and internet-linked systems now playing a big role in how we connect.

I was recently introduced to AllStar and personal nodes, which immediately caught my interest. So, I dusted off the soldering iron and decided to build a node of my own — a fun little project that’s reignited my enthusiasm for the hobby.

My personal node now runs on 438.8 MHz, allowing me to connect to AllStar links right from home using simple, inexpensive Baofeng radios. It’s a great reminder that radio is still about experimentation, community, and curiosity — values that have always made this hobby so rewarding.

Thanks for stopping by, and 73
Ian (G0HLJ)