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My name is Robert G4RNK

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I first became interested in amateur radio short wave listening in 1962 when my dad first bought home a very early army set from a sale he had been to.We put up a long wire in the back garden about 100foot long, the early army set was in the garden shed as mum would not have it in the house, I remember it had no cover over the power supply (Very Dangerous). We used to listen for many hours in the early evening to all sorts of radio transmissions from all sorts of places. At that time Dad knew of an old guy in the town that was into amateur radio and we went to see him. He showed us lots of radios he had in a downstairs room, he also had lots of wire antennas in the garden for the many radios he had. We were quite jealous of everything he had .I remember one Saturday morning Dad was at work - I was in the garden shed listening to the radio. We had a cardboard box over the power supply but I could not resist taking the cardboard box off to look inside this day, it was then I put my hand in the power supply only to be put outside the garden shed and on to the garden lawn. Just at that time Dad arrived home to see me on the garden lying down. He said from that day on I was to go and see the old guy in the town to learn a bit more about radio, which I did for some time, then my two girls were born and it all stopped at that point for many years.When my two girls where about 9/10 years old I bought an old Yeasu FRG7 with an analogue read out, up went a short wire in my garden to listen on which I did for some time. One evening I came across some citizen band radio transmissions, then decided to go to the radio club in Stroud to get a radio licence. I did this in 1980 and got my B class licence G6LNN in early 1982 when I started to learn Morse code. After 11 weeks I was up to 18wpm, I practiced 6 to 8 hours a day I then took my test at highbridge radio station and passed only to be told by the examiner to slow down on my sending, which I did . I got my A class call sign in December 1982 G4RNK .I have been very active on many bands for some time, then got hooked on 80 meters low band DX. In the early hours of the mornings worked over 35000 call's from many parts of the world on that band and have some 10000 QSL card, some very nice one's I must say. I worked all zones, all states, and have worked 279 country's with 270 confirmed on 80 meters with my single quad loop for 80 meters at 80 feet top bottom at 25 feet feed with quarter wave matching stub, also used the poles for a vertical on this band.I am at this time working on 20 meters to get my score up on this band , I only have 235 confirmed and 260 worked.  I also have only 170 on 40 meters and 210 on 15 meters, 200 on 10 meters so it looks like I will have to do some work to get these up a bit. Do not have any Morse code (CW) all Single side band (SSB) as I do not like Morse code (CW) at all, I find it hard work for me, I know some guys love (CW) which is great, we do not all like the same thing.At this time in 2014 all of the outside antennas' are down and the radio equipment is in store at my sisters for safety as we send some time in Spain for the winter. My wife and I are also at this time about to move to a smaller bungalow, hopefully in the country more. My call sign in Spain is EA7/G4RNK.  Please listen for me around 14.210 give or take 25kcs DX part of the band.  I hope to work some of you sometime very soon .