Stuart M7SPI
Hello there, I am Stuart M7SPI and my QTH is Wigan, Greater Manchester. I passed my foundation exam on Easter Sunday 4th April 2021 with the the help and assistance of Essex Ham and South Lancs Amateur Radio Club. You will often find me on the 2m and 70cms ham bands.
I have a keen interest in Rugby League, ADSB Aircraft Tracking, Civil and Airband Scanning and now the new to me hobby of amateur (Ham) radio. Also during lockdown i got into cider, beer and winemaking.
I own a small range of cost effective radio communication equipment which doesn’t break the bank. I like most started listening to radio using sdrsharp and a cheap Chinese tv sdr dongle. This was upgraded to Nooelec SDR Smart which opened my hobby of ADSB aircraft tracking.
My aircraft tracking related websites if interested is wiganradar.co.uk. This in turn got me wanting to listen to the aircraft so got a Realistic Pro-37 scanner from a carboot sale, over time this was upgraded to a Uniden Bearcat XLT125.
Has a teen was introduced to cb radio through a friend who unfortunately isn’t with us, god bless him and went on to get a Harrier CBX has a present off my grandparents.
Over the years I’ve had a few different cb radios from the Harrier CBX, Rotel 220, Rotel 240, Midland Minor and still have a Midland Portapack for the nostalgia. This is the background that got me intrigued in amateur radio(Ham radio).
I first purchased a cheap Baofeng UV5R just to listen to the vhf/uhf bands. I picked up a cheap pair off Baofeng 888-s at another carboot just primarily for pmr when out with the kids then found these could also be programmed to receive and transmit once licensed. Fast forward to lockdown 2020 i stumbled across Essex Ham who provide free online Foundation License Courses and decided this is something i can do in the comfort of my own home and at my own pace. Has i started to go through the modules i decided to look up my local amateur radio club which turned out to be South Lancs Amateur Radio Club. After a meeting on Jitsi i found they also do online Foundation Classes on a Thursday Evening at the timeand decided to jump on this whilst progressing with Essex Ham.
Through a new friend at my local club he set me up with a Retevis RT95 vhf/uhf Transceiver, Vswr meter and mag mount antenna. The 2 courses in conjunction helped me pass my Foundation License on Easter Sunday 2021 in under 8 weeks from start to finish.
My partner who has supported me through my course has a pass present purchased for me the Baofeng GT-3TP. I’ve since purchased a sharman d300 homebase antenna and was gifted a power supply from a fellow ham.
My advice is to anyone new to the hobby like myself is to look up your local radio club because the wealth of knowledge and experience is totally outstanding and brings a whole new community friendship.
All the best and 73s
Stu -M7SPI.
