At the age of 14 I began my journey in Amateur Radio as a Shortwave Listener (SWL) RS181338. On passing the Radio Amateurs Exam in May 2000 I was first licenced as M1ETJ in June 2000. A few months later I passed the 12wpm Morse test and was issued with the call sign M0PCB. In 2006 I took the FCC exams in Ripon and was allocated the US Extra call AD5XI, and in 2010 I was issued with the call VP8DNA while on a trip to the Falkland Islands.
My home land is County Durham in North-East England. After graduating with an MEng. (Hons.) in Radio Frequency Engineering from the University of York in 2007 I moved to the South West of England. Since late 2018 I have been living in Maryland, USA and am active there as AD5XI.
I am a member of the following clubs and societies:
- Radio Society of Great Britain
- American Radio Relay League
- The First Class CW Operators Club (#2024)
- The Bug Users Group (#75)
- The Chiltern DX Club
- Worldwide Young Contesters (HoF) (#495)
- FISTS (#7194, cc1208)
- Croatian Telegraphy Club (2.165)
- Cheltenham Amateur Radio Association (G5BK)
- The Vulture Squadron Contest Group (M0VSQ / G9V)
- Columbia Amateur Radio Association (K3CUJ)
- Potomac Valley Radio Club
Past member of: Bishop Auckland Radio Amateurs Club (G4TTF), York Radio Club (Amateur) (G4YRC), Brimham Contest Group (G6MC).
Currently most active on HF using CW. My on-air activity is a mixture of rag-chewing, chasing DX, contesting, being the DX, and occasionally SOTA.