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Welcome to the home page of amateur radio station G0RIF situated in Birmingham, central England.
Radio amateurs are granted licenses by their local governments allowing them to communicate with fellow radio amateurs all around the world. Licenses are issued according to local requirements but these usually relate to demonstrating (by exam) a required level of knowledge in technical aspects of radio communications, circuit theory and operating procedures. There are over 3 million licensed amateur radio operators in the world today.
My name is Dean Barnes and I have been licensed since 1991 when my callsign G0RIF was issued. At that time Class A licenses (allowing operation on the shortwave or HF bands) were only issued on passing a 12 word per minute Morse code test. This requirement was abolished in 2003 but as my primary interest back then was HF and the opportunies this afforded for global communications, I sat and passed the 12wpm Morse code test. My QSL cards confirming a number of Morse code (or CW) contacts are amongst my most treasured. You can view a selection of QSL cards in my QSL Gallery.
My operating is now concentrated on HF digital communications using PSK31 and RTTY datamodes and single sideband (SSB) for voice. My morse code is very rusty having been QRT (dormant) for some 12 years during which time I lost my ability to send and receive at the necessary speeds. I am now working to get back up to speed using the excellent Koch method morse training software by Ray Goff, G4FON.
Given my limited space for antennas I operate primarily on the 40m and 20m bands with a homebrew loaded dipole antenna for 40m and a simple wire dipole antenna for 20m, both in my attic. Basic home made wire antennas such as these really do work very well and are capable of worldwide communications.
Shortwave radio propagation is subject to an 11 year sunspot cycle. We are currently at the bottom of cycle number 23 with the next peak due around the year 2012.
Even during sunspot minima my modest setup allows me to contact fellow amateur radio operators in all of Europe, much of Africa and Asia, North America, South America and Australia.
[ View my first 100 countries worked ]
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I QSL 100% in response to cards received. Please QSL either via RSGB bureau or direct. For direct QSL please do not send IRC - I am happy to send my card for free.
73 de Dean - G0RIF
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