G4KLF

I'm not a professional DXer but I have had my share of callsigns.

My call sign at present is G4KLF which I obtained in 1980, previous to that I had operated from an RAF Amateur Radio club in 1975-76, in the Sultanate of Oman. My first QSO had been via long path to the West Coast of USA using CW operating military radios into a 2 el yagi beam. My club callsign was A4XFD. It wasn't my first foray into radio, as a young lad I had witnessed a flashing lamp from the Royal Sovereign Lightship (as it was then) to the shore at Hastings.  Eventually I discovered the lightship was talking to the Hastings Sea Cadets both by lamp and HF radio. This was the start of my future life with radios and in particular the use of CW as a means of communications.  I was to earn the Sea Cadets 1st class Telegraphist badge (Morse taken and sent at 12 WPM) in 1954 at HMS Mercury the RN School of Telegraphy,  and then communicating with the Lightship on HF or by Aldis lamp. Before 1980 I had completed 2 years RN service and 23 RAF service so came into amateur radio quite late. (Only because I found that CBers  did not use Morse) I obtained an ‘A' Class license mostly due to the fact that I could easily conduct a CW conversation at 25 plus WPM, and had years in Radio communications, ending up as a Communications System Analyst.

1981 found me in South Africa where I obtained the cal lsign ZS6BWF, during the next four years I was to operate as /3D6, /A21, /7P8, and also obtained H5AFU. I then became ZS1D in Cape Town and operated /S8 at times.1986 saw me working in New York but without any equipment so I went along to the UN Headquarters and was allowed to become an operator of 4U1UN for six months.

In 1987 I went to Oman again and had a two year wait before they would give me a license. I became A45ZN for the next ten years, with spells in the UK after four years.  During that time I operated as C56DX in a contest, 9H1WW, and G4KLF/5B4 and /ZC4.   I also had spells operating in /OK and /9V1, and /EA7.

I was to return to Oman and went on several IOTA DXpeditions to the Kuria Muria Islands AS112 and Diminiyat Islands AS113.Now in 1999/2000 I found myself working in the USA . I had a US novice call but also used my W3/G4KLF before I gained the US license.   I upgraded to AA3SN which was the highest grade license (Extra) and those days you had to pass a 20 WPM Morse test.  I used my Extra call in Gibraltar where I operated as ZB2/AA3SN. I ended up working in a very envious job teaching Amateur Radio to a semi rare DX country the Sultanate of Oman.  Ill health confined me back to the UK but I am still active on CW and other modes. 54 years of radio operation has been very rewarding.

Tony Selmes G4KLF AA3SN ex ZS6BWF ZS1D H5AFU etc,. Present Chairman of BSARS and AROS CoOrdinator RSGB.