Amateur Radio

An Icom IC706 Mk2G is my main transmitter

Amateur radio is one of the world's most popular hobbies with more than 2.5 million licensees, of which more than 50,000 are in the UK.  I have been a licenced amateur radio operator since 1973 and my on-air call-sign is G1PQW. I am secretary of Maltby & District Amateur Radio Society and also a regional representative for the Radio Society of Great Britain. 

I can use VHF, UHF and HF (short wave) transmitters to contact amateurs locally or around the world, although aerial restrictions limit my contacts mainly to Europe. Having said that, radio amateurs can now use VOIP technology to link two transmitters on opposite sides of the world. I can actually talk to stations in Australia using a small hand held radio that uses an AA battery and an aerial less than 6 inches long.

To be a radio amateur you do have to go through a basic training course, sit a test and take out a licence. That's all done by local clubs, and you can find more details of all that from either of the above links.

I have a twitter page which I use exclusively for amateur radio purposes www.twitter.com/g1pqw