gi3sg hampage

HISTORY OF MY GRANDFATHER JOHN MARTIN GI3SG 1936

HE WAS BORN IN BELFAST IN 1900. HE BEGAN HIS FIRST USE OF RADIO USING A SPARK GAP GENERATOR IN THE SIGNAL CORPS OF THE ROYAL ENNISKILEN FUSELIERS IN WHICH HE WAS ALSO A MORSE INSTUCTOR, IN THE 1^ST WORLD WAR. HE MARRIED MY GRANDMOTHER ADELENE AND THEY HAD 5 CHILDREN 3BOYS AND 2 GIRLS THE ELDEST GIRL BEING MY MOTHER LILY. HE GAINED HIS NORTHERN IRELAND EXPERIMENTAL RADIO LICENCE IN1936. HIS FIRST ADDRESS WAS 26, BALLYCLARE STREET BELFAST. AT THE OUTBREAK OF WAR HE WAS INVOLVED IN INTERCEPTING AND FORWARDING ON THE GERMAN ENIGMA SIGNALS FOR DECIPHERING AT BLETCHLEY PARK. HE WAS ALSO ACTIVE IN SENDING MISINFORMATION RE THE "BIG PUSH" FOR RECEPTION OF GERMAN COMMAND PRIOR TO THE NORMANDY LANDING. BECAUSE OF HIS SKILL ON THE KEY HE WAS PERMITTED TO TRANSMIT DURING THE WAR, MOST AMATEUR STATIONS HAD THEIR TX VALVES REMOVED FROM THEIR RADIOS! BALLYCLARE STREET WAS BLITZED ON TUESDAY APRIL 15^TH 1941 WHEN A PARACHUTE MINE LANDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STREET. DUE TO THE COURAGE OF MY GRANDMOTHER , SHE SAVED ALL THE CHILDREN BY HIDING THEM UNDER A HEAVY OAK TABLE. THE FAMILY WERE THEN EVACUATED TO A COASTAL TOWN CALLED MAGERAMOURNE . ON RETURN FROM EVACUATION THE FAMILY MOVED TO ANOTHER ADDRESS 27,OLDPARK AVENUE BELFAST WHERE MY GRANDFATHER SET UP ANOTHER RADIO STATION. "POP" AS HE LIKED TO BE CALLED HAD TRAVELLED BETWEEN BELFAST AND MAGERAMOURNE IN BETWEEN SECRETLY TRANSMITTING FOR THE M.OD.!HIS WARTIME STATION WAS 807 PA VALVES/807 VFO VS1AA MULTIBAND ANTENNA INTO A HOMEBREW ATU AT 150WATTS, AND BC348RX CW ONLY. HIS POSTWAR STATION WAS AM PHONE AND CW INTO A YAGI ANTENNA TURNED BY HAND INSIDE HIS SHACK USING A CAR STEERING WHEEL!. HE WAS STILL USING 807 TYPE VALVES AND A CYSTAL MIKE USING 300WATTS.HIS FAVOURITE BANDS WERE 40/80 METRES. UNFORTUNATELY OLDPARK AVENUE WAS DESTROYED BY A BLAST FROM A SHOP FACING THE HOUSE. MY GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER SURVIVED THE BLAST AND SPENT THEIR LAST DAYS IN A SMALL COASTAL TOWN CALLED HOLYWOOD. POP PASSED AWAY 13^TH APRIL 1976 AND MY GRANDMOTHER A YEAR LATER ,THEY ARE SADLY MISSED, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS SHORT HISTORY OF POP, BEST REGRDS,

MARTIN PATTY GI3SG

MARTIN PATTY GI3SG 2004

I WAS BORN IN BELFAST ON 19^TH JULY 1957, I AM AN ONLY CHILD NO BROTHERS OR SISTERS. IN THE EARLY 1960S AS A SMALL BOY I WAS INVITED INTO POPS SHACK TO LISTEN TO HIM ON CW AND AM PHONE. FROM THEN ON I GOT THE RADIO BUG AND HAD A FASCINATION WITH RECEIVING BROADCAST AND AMATEUR STATIONS OR ANYTHING ELECTRONIC! I GOT MARRIED ON OCTOBER 1977 YO MY WIFE JENNIFER. WE HAVE 4 LOVELY CHILDREN 2 BOYS AND 2 GIRLS. I SPENT MANY YEARS AS A SWL UNTIL FINALY I TOOK THE FOUNDATION RADIO EXAM AND RECEIVED THE CALLSIGN MI3UDX ON 17^TH FEBRUARY 2002. THEN ON DECEMBER 2003 I PASSED THE FINAL R.A.E. EXAM AND WAS PRIVELEGED TO BE ASKED TO USE POPS CALLSIGN AS GI3SG ON 20^TH JANUARY 2004! I AM STILL INTERESTED IN OLD VALVE RADIOS,ANOTHER HOBBY IS PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMPUTERS. I HAVE A WEBPAGE LINKED TO QRZ.COM WITH MANY PHOTOS HI! I GREATLY ENJOY RAGCHEWS ON 40/20 80 METRES BANDS ON FONE SSB. MY WORKING CONDITIONS ARE YAESU FT840 RANGER 811H VALVE AMPLIFIER @300WATS PEP MFJ962D ATU/ FULL WAVE G5RV. I ENJOY QLS DIRECT OR POSTCARDS, RETURNED 100%. PLEASE LISTEN OUT FOR ME ON THE 40METER BAND WHEN I ALWAYS CALL FOR ANY POSSIBLE CONTACTS! LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU ON THE BANDS. VY BEST 73S TO PHIL F5FCH AND YOUR READERS,

MARTIN GI3SG

Martin GI3SG SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MY WORK YEARS

HI MY DEAR FRIEND, PHIL HERE IS SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MY WORKLIFE HOPE IT IS OK PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOPE ITS NOT TOO LONG Hi!!

Best REGARDS MARTIN

IN THE EARLY 1970s AFTER LEAVING SCHOOL I WORKED ON SMALL LAWNMOWERS AND GENERATORS AS A MECHANIC. LATER IN THE MID 1970s I MOVED TO HARLAND AND WOLFFE SHIPYARD AND WAS AN ASSISTANT ELECTRICIAN AND HELPED TO FEED HUGE CABLES UP TO 200MM DIAMETER AROUND FERRIES NICKNAMED RO ROS (ROLL ON ROLL OFFS). ONE OF THE FERRIES WAS CALLED GALLOWAY PRINCESS. UNFORTUNATELY I WAS MADE REDUNDANT IN THE SHIPYARD. IN THE EARLY 1980s.

I STARTED WORK IN A PRINTING AND PACKAGING FIRM ALONG WITH MY WIFE JENNIFER ON SHIFTWORK. I WORKED ON A 7 COLOUR HEIDELBERG LITHOGRAPHIC OFSET PRESS FOR 10YEARS UNTIL BEING MADE REDUNDANT AGAIN! I APPLIED FOR MY FINAL JOB AS A PHARMACEUTICAL PROOF READER/PRINT QUALITY CONTROLLER. CHECKING FOR PRINTING ERRORS ON MEDICAL CARTONS IN MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ONE OF THEM BEING FRENCH HI! I HAD TO LEAVE WORK DUE TO ILL HEALTH AND NOW PERMANENTLY OUT OF WORK. NOWDAYS MY FAMILY AND RADIO ARE THE MOST INPORTANT THINGS IN MY LIFE RADIO GIVES ME GREAT ENJOYMENT AND I HAVE MADE MANY FRIENDS JUST LIKE MY DEAR FRIEND PHIL F5FCH! 73S De Vous Et Votre Family de Martin GI3SG.