VK2SRO background

Licenced for over 40 years.

Currently operational on 160m to 6m.

The Radio 'Bug'

Caught the radio 'bug' at age 10 listening to a commercial radio station (3MA - Mildura - 1467kHz [although I think it might have been on a different frequency in the 60's]) on my first crystal set. It was in a small green plastic case with an earpiece and I ran about 100 feet of wire out my bedroom window through some eucalyptus trees.

Have never recovered from that first fascination with radio.

Amateur Radio

First licenced as VK2ZTO in April 1967 at the age of 17 (see the serious young man in the picture). This was a Limited Certificate of Proficiency which required me to fulfill the same technical and regulatory requirements of a full licence, except for morse proficiency. This shortfall (the ability to send morse) restricted me to 52MHz and above until the morse requirement was removed at the beginning of 2004 when we were re-classified to Advanced Grade.

Major interests have been antennas, narrowband communications (e.g., 0.02Hz BW), LF (held a Scientific Assigned Licence - AXSO - for 145.5kHz and 177.5kHz for several years) and software programming test programs for narrowband experiments (author of VFSKCW used for LF DX record by ZL6QH). Also invented and coined the term IFK (Incremental Frequency Keying) as part of my narrowband experiments. The IFK technique that I first described has been implemented by other parties in the software programs Jason and DominoEX.

Attracted to QRPP operations (designed a narrowband modulation method which achieved one-way communication from VK-land to the US using 2mW on the 22m ISM band).

Dabbled in Earth Current Communications (see http://ecc.djirra.com ).

Currently I have been restricted from carrying out any more LF experiments (all LF Scientific Assigned Licences were called in several years ago) until an official LF amateur band is available in VK-land. 

Interestingly (courtesy WARC-07) sometime 2008 should see privileges granted to VK amateurs to operate in the 2200m band (135.7kHz - 137.8kHz).   Until then I will get as close as I can by operating on the fascinating 160m band. This band is new to me (as of May 2007) and I am enjoying learning about it.

Changed callsign to VK2SRO April 2008.

Personal

Happily married for more than 35 years with three marvellous children (all now in their 20's).

I have mostly worked in medical electronics interspersed with stints in teaching.

Qualified with a Diploma in Electronic Engineering, Degree in Electrical Engineering (BE) and Diploma in Technical Teaching (Dip Ed Tech).

Worked on UHF Test Equipment, Ultrasound Scanners (medical imaging), Hyperthermia (treatment of tumours by localised heating by high-power ultrasound) and a short stint with a Cooperative Research Centre (Cardiac Research).

Last work was for a world leader in sleep apnea treatment - firstly designing CPAP flow generator machines and then designing semi-automated test fixtures for testing sleep apnea products (mechanical, electronic and software design).

Home interests are amateur radio , electronic music and some gardening (LOL from XYL) when the other interests (and 'the list' from the domestic activities coordinator) allow.