Who is G4ICD or GJ4ICD or JY8IC?
1958: The first encounter with radio and probably the first JOTA, Lawrence Rd Scouts Hut, Leeds 8, October 1958, from what I recall the operators were using KW2000 on AM.
1960s: Many hours spent with Trevor G8CJS (BATC Chairman to this date) learning, and also Tom G4BUU. Tom used to operate Top Band on my AT5/T28 into the G Whip mounted on my Zepher 4 on the way to rallies and visits to Des Wood in Scarborough, where I bought an AR88D. Lots of fun on ATV with Bert (then G8CUE) Leeds to Rotherham on UHF!! those were the days!! White Rose Radio Club, North East Leeds Radio Club (Founder member with Wally G3G???).......and so on. (Some names to remember, Mike Fox!! (know as the GPO man and POTW), Mac of Morley, Sonic, Padgetts Radio, M & B Radio). Running the AR88D with G4MH 2 mtr converter I used to listen to Bill G6NB in Bucks, G3JXN (our great old Doc John from Ealing in London and now GW3JXN) on AM into Leeds. Yorks. "Tuning low to high" was the old famous comment.
1970s/80s: Moved to the Channel Islands in the 70s, this is when radio life really started, I went there with a Trio (Music was my money earner, I was a keyboard player, mainly Hammond Organ (recorded lots of music at BBC Radio Leeds), but designed the synthesiser before Mr Moog did!. Here's a picture to prove it, from the Jersey Evening Post in 1973, and that was well before Moog released their desk top machine.
PIC TO SCAN
I still had an interest in radio, but not the time. Having been in Jersey for a number of years it was decided to start my own electronics business, mainly repairs to visiting/seasonal artists/duos/trios equipment plus amateur radio supplies, this grew very quickly. Then in came the radio side of things. Lawrence GC8AAZ (now GJ3RAX), Tony (GC3XQM and best man at my wedding in Jersey), Phil GJ8KNV, Tony GC3YLI, Dennis GC3YHU, and Graham (G8HVY) became the mentors of what was yet to follow. Licensed as a Class "B" I was limited to VHF/UHF, but this did not stop me breaking the boundaries of propagation, in 1978 I became GJ4ICD. With Grahams help, power amplifiers became a key part of my life, also, having access to one of the best locations in Jersey helped, 400 feet asl and a take off that resembled a parabolic dish. RSGB Contest time, been there and done that and won nearly every 144/432Mhz contest in those days, even beating the Multi operator section once on 144MHz. Then the "GJ" firsts, the station was improved and improved again, down came the RG213 and up went Heliax, even for HF operation. The amplifiers were rebuilt time and time again, drastically over rating them to run cool for continuous use, that paid dividends, so much so that over 250 GJ firsts were made on 50/144/432/1296MHz. I cannot remember how many amplifier kits I produced for 144/432 in the 70s/80s (using a pair of 4CX250Bs), but it was well over 200, followed by several UK lectures on building the units. The fun continued and in 1981 I held one of the 40 experimental permits for 50MHz, sadly the business grew beyond expectations (we were now SMC Jersey owned by myself and my wife) and my radio activities were limited, so via the RSGB/DTI we passed this over to GU2HML in Guernsey. I took up 50MHz later and dedicated far too much time into Tropo-scatter and amplifiers......and before anybody wants to comment on the Bird 43 power meter running at a KW I had (under GJ4ICD) and still have under G4ICD, the 30dbw (1KW) permit for 50MHz and 144MHz.
In the early 80's 100 Class "A" amateurs got permission for 50MHz operation with restrictions, that was the time I put heart & soul into the band. I worked along side Chris G3WOS, Richard G4CVI, Mike G3OIL, Nick G3KOX, Trevor G3ZYY, GW3LDH, Graham G8HVY and so may more dedicated Six Mtr guys, and Six News editors Neil G0JHC and John G0JJL, "Six News" the UKSMG magazine moved forward in leaps and bounds. I was also Chairman of the UKSMG. GJ4ICD was awarded the first 100 worked Countries certificate in the UK on 50MHz by the RSGB.
1990s onwards: VHF was still a big part of my life, breaking the records and bounderies, organising the Jersey rally with over 100 French friends attending plus the locals, great fun. In 1994 I was part of the 50Mhz expedition to Jordan and in 1995 planned and set up the D44 expedition on Cape Verde.
I was also VHF/UHF editor of the popular Ham Radio Today for around 12 years. In 1998 it was decided to retire from our electronics business in Jersey after some 28 years, so we sold our commercial and private premises in St Helier and moved to St Mary in Jersey, within 3 months of doing this our old friends SMC approached me and asked me to come over to the UK and talk about a position with them, a position was accepted and within 6 weeks we had bought a house in the UK and left Jersey, however, our 2 Sons who were born in Jersey have houses in the island and we visit them from time to time, in fact one of them has just bought a house only 2 minutes away from my old station at Bouley Bay................so from 1999, GJ4ICD is still active on HF/VHF when we visit the Boys! and I still contribute to Amateur Radio by doing UK lectures and had a major role in the production of the RSGBs 5th Edition of the Amateur Radio Operating Manual dx section and of course own G Whip antenna products which has grown and grown in both the Amateur Radio and Commercial fields World-Wide. When in Jersey I use a site given to me by the IDC for experimentation and propagation tests.
Here's real dx on "6", most of them were first ever contacts from Jersey, mega pileups with VK and Japan
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