As well as travelling to different call areas within the United Kingdom, I have also operated overseas, as well as been a guest operator on several stations.

You should read the title of this page as 'going stroke P', or, in amateur radio terms, '/P'. It means just that, you load up the car with aerial, mast and transceiver, and head for the hills, (although a cliff-top is just as good). When you arrive at your 'stroke P site', you assemble the station, erect the mast and aerial and then start putting out calls (and hoping that the weather stays dry and warm!).

My usual /P location for VHF and UHF operating is in the western end of the county of Kent, just to the north of the North Downs Way ridge , towards the Surrey border, just outside the village of Knockholt . Although not an ideal location, it is fairly good to the north west through to the north east for GI/GM/SM/LA contacts, as the land gradually falls away towards the London basin. This can be a problem though when trying to work DX and all you can hear is QRM from contest stations to the north of England.

Some /P locations can be quite good (in certain directions!). At  Knockholt the takeoff to the south from my /P location is OK but only once you get over the ridge line of the North Downs. Unfortunately the ridge line in question is on private property and has restricted access. The takeoff to the southern horizon towards F/EA is OK but not ideal. Unfortunately the land rises across a field to the actual ridge of the North Downs, some 400 yards away, and some 50 yards higher elevation. It then drops away sharply down into the Kentish Weald, and then on to the South Downs and Europe! And, if you look carefully, no power cables or telephone masts in sight!

The real problem in terms of other 'radio activity' to the east, when trying for European contacts out to DL/OK/UK. My local 'neighbours' have the distinct advantage in both height, number of aerials and power! I suspect there are also cell-phone masts hidden (and even disguised) amongst the surrounding trees.

Even so, the /P site in Kent has proved its worth. With only 25W and a 9-element Tonna Yagi at 20 feet, it has resulted in 144MHz [2m] contacts to Germany, Luxembourg, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The main problem in the area of my own /P site is the abundance of overhead power and telephone lines. Not ideal but so far I have not found anything close to home that is better sited. It will be interesting to see how the site does when operating /P on the H.F. bands with QRP and a vertical antenna. I fear there may be interference from the power lines and the 'neighbours'.

 

G6CSY/P location	Gridsquare	WAB
Durham University	IO94FS	NZ24
New Mills, Derbyshire	IO93AI	SK08
G6CSY/P @ IO93ag in 1985
Erith Marshes, Kent	JO01CL	TQ57
G6CSY/P @ JO01cl in 1985
Woldingham, Surrey	IO91XG	TQ35
G6CSY/P @ IO91XG in 1988
Ashley Hill, Berkshire	ZL36d	SU88
Lizard Point, Cornwall	XJ04b XJ05h
G6CSY/P @ XJ04b in 1983
Dorset coast	IN80SR	SY69
Bath University	IO81UJ
Reading University	IO91ML
Knockholt, Kent	JO01BH	TQ45
G6CSY/P @ JO01bh in 1984

Also operating as GJ6CSY/P during some twelve vacations taken on the Channel Island of Jersey. On my first overseas trip to Jersey, I registered the QTH of Nick [GJ4TAW ] as my Jersey-based home QTH for GJ6CSY. During the short stay on Jersey, I made my first ever foray onto 50MHz/6m as  GJ6CSY, which resulted in a number of contacts on 2m, 4m, 70cms and 6m. The memory of working a string of 'ZS6' stations still lingers on! I also managed to work in to Gibraltar, Slovenia and Croatia.

Most of the time though was spent out /P from the northern coast at Les Platons. The view to the east [and Europe] is very good. At some 480ft/150m ASL, it is just along the cast from Bonne Nuit Bay.

 

 

We even entered the 1989 RSGB March 144/432 MHz Contest as the 'Les Platons CG', coming 19th on 2m and 14th on 70cms, and 19th overall.

 

 

The aerial set-up above is that for GJ6CSY/P and GJ4TAW/P at Les Platons, on the northern coast, using 144MHz [2m] with a single aerial [9-ele Tonna yagi], from a Yaesu FT-225RD, and 70MHz [4m] using a single aerial [5-ele Tonna Yagi], using a Microwave Modules transverter and the same drive source. As you can see, the aerials were only a few feet above the ground, due to a south-westerly gale and driving rain!

As well as 2m portable operation in and around the town of Newport, Gwent, on FM, I have also operated from the top of Werfa (IO81fp/SS99/Ogwr) in Mid Glamorgan, off the Rhondda Valley, for a stint during a VHF NFD contest in 1985. This mountain is 568m / 1863ft ASL, and we were within feet of the 'trig' point.

 

 

On 2m I managed to work 8 DXCC countries, including EI9ED/P [Ireland], F6KAW/P [France] and ON4ASL/A [Belgium].

Portable operation on 2m FM around Dublin.

Special Notice of Variation issued by Ofcom to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton during April 2011. Operations took place on HF, mainly on PSK and JT65a.

Portable operation on 2m FM around the Cité Europe shopping mall near Cocquelles in France.

During March 2010 I am the guest operator for GB50ATG, celebrating 50 years of  BARTG [British Amateur Radio Teledata Group]. I'll was QRV most weekday mornings and some weekends on BPSK-31/63, with BPSK-125, QPSK and RTTY on request!

 

I worked 240 QSO's with 41DXCC on RTTY and 35 DXCC on PSK. QSL is via M5AEX and LoTW.

M0EPC is the callsign of the club station of the English section of European PSK Club [EPC]. It has also operated from Scotland as MM0EPC. During September 2007 I was the guest operator and hosting station of the English EPC club station M0EPC.

If we worked and you need to get a QSL card, please QSL via the manager MM0DFV, either direct [SAE and $1] or via bureau. NOTE: The European PSK Club membership number for M0EPC is #2300...and if you worked it when I was the operator, the EPC area was EN24.