Episode 532 - Ian Flemming - G3ZDQ
 | Ian Flemming, G3ZDQ, grew up tuning mysterious signals on his grandfather’s radio in northwest England, a spark that led to a lifelong journey through classic gear, pioneering microprocessor work, Raynet emergency communications, digital modes, canal boat-portable QRP operation, and the restoration of iconic British radios from KW Electronics and Eddystone. His story weaves technical curiosity, professional engineering, and a deep love for radio’s evolving technologies—from Hartley transmitters and 6146 finals to modern digital modes. G3ZDQ is my QSO Today. |
| https://mfjenterprises.com/collections/cushcraft/products/a-3sPeople (Amateur Radio, Mentors, Historical Figures) Ian Flemming G3ZDQ – UK amateur radio operator and interview guest. https://www.qrz.com/db/G3ZDQ Uncle Glenn (RAF radioman) – Family member who introduced Ian to radio and Morse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force Harold McCormick G3IYH – Early mentor with classic Hallicrafters and KW gear. (Reference via UK callsign database) https://www.qrz.com Rollie Shears G8KW – Co-founder of KW Electronics. https://www.qrz.com/db/G8KW Ken Ellis G5KW – Early partner in KW Electronics. https://www.qrz.com/db/G5KW Tim Berners-Lee – Engineer colleague; inventor of the World Wide Web. https://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/ Jim Taylor G4EIU – Vintage radio collector and mentor. https://www.qrz.com/db/G4EIU Lou VE3AWA – Builder of vintage transmitters; collaborator in pre-1929 gear. https://www.qrz.com/db/VE3AWA Tom Motes KN4RRQ – U.S. operator involved in transatlantic vintage-radio contact. https://www.qrz.com/db/KN4RRQ K4SWL (Thomas Witherspoon) – Popular portable-radio YouTuber. https://www.youtube.com/c/K4SWL Places & Geography New Mills, Derbyshire – Ian’s hometown in northwest England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mills Pennine Mountains – Mountain range near Ian’s childhood home. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennines Dorset, UK – Ian’s current QTH on England’s south coast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset Jurassic Coast – Fossil-rich UNESCO site near Ian’s home. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Coast Bangor University – Ian’s university and radio club location. https://www.bangor.ac.uk Floyd, West Virginia – Location of Tom Motes’ station and beverage antenna. https://townoffloyd.org/ UK Inland Waterways / Canals – Over 2,000 miles of navigable canals. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk Radios, Equipment & Components Hallicrafters SX-111 – Classic HF communications receiver. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/hallicra_sx_111.html KW Viceroy – Early UK SSB transmitter by KW Electronics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7mbdfMPwd8 KW 2000 / A / B Transceivers – KW Electronics HF transceivers from 1960s. https://www.rigpix.com/kw/2000.htm KW Atlanta – KW HF transceiver similar to Swan 500. http://www.g3zps.com/atlanta.html Swan 500 – U.S. HF transceiver referenced for comparison. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/swan_500c.html Eddystone EA12 – HF communications receiver, amateur-bands version. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/eddystone_ear12.html R1155 – WWII RAF receiver used in Lancaster bombers. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/marconi_r1155.html IC-7610 (Icom) – Ian’s modern SDR transceiver. https://www.icomjapan.com/lineup/products/IC-7610/ IC-7300 (Icom) – Popular SDR HF transceiver. https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-7300/ IC-705 (Icom) – Portable HF/VHF/UHF QRP transceiver. https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-705/www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-705/ FT-DX5000 (Yaesu) – High-end HF/50 MHz transceiver. https://www.rigpix.com/yaesu/ftdx5000mp.htm 6146 Tube – Popular HF power amplifier valve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6146_(vacuum_tube) UX-171 Tube – 1920s triode used in vintage transmitters. https://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_171.html Type 27 Tube – 1928 indirectly heated triode. https://www.radiomuseum.org/tubes/tube_27.html Hartley Oscillator / Transmitter – Classic 1920s single-tube circuit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartley_oscillator Decatrons – Cold-cathode counting tubes used in early logic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatron Antennas & Towers V-Beam Antenna – Directional wire antenna used in early listening experiences. https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/antennas-propagation/end-fed-wire-antenna/v-beam-antenna-basics.php Versa Tower – UK crank-up lattice tower for HF beams. https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/antennas-propagation/end-fed-wire-antenna/v-beam-antenna-basics.php Cushcraft Beam (3-element) – HF Yagi beam from Cushcraft. https://mfjenterprises.com/collections/cushcraft/products/a-3s End-Fed Half-Wave (66 ft) – Ian’s current HF wire antenna. https://www.aa5tb.com/efha.html DX Commander Vertical – Multi-band vertical antenna system. https://www.dxcommander.com Beverage Antenna – Long-wire receiving antenna for weak signals. http://www.w8ji.com/beverages.htmwww.w8ji.com/beverages.htm Radiosport, Modes & Digital Tools SSB (Single Sideband) – Primary HF voice mode. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-sideband_modulation CW / Morse Code – Legacy and modern narrowband mode. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code FT8 – Popular weak-signal digital mode. https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) – Low-power propagation tool. https://www.wsprnet.org PSK31 – Narrowband keyboard digital mode. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSK31 EchoLink – Internet-linked amateur radio VoIP system. https://www.echolink.org IRLP – Internet Radio Linking Project for repeaters. http://www.irlp.net Ham Radio Deluxe – Logging and station control suite. https://www.ham-radio-deluxe.com GridTracker – Mapping and FT8/WSJT-X analysis tool. https://gridtracker.org Organizations & Clubs Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) – National amateur radio society in the UK. https://rsgb.org ARRL – American Radio Relay League – National U.S. amateur radio organization. https://www.arrl.org Radio Amateurs’ Emergency Network (RAYNET UK) – UK emergency-communications organization. https://www.raynet-uk.net Bournemouth Radio Club – Local club supporting Raynet activity. https://www.barc.org.uk Blackmore Vale Amateur Radio Society – Amateur radio club in Dorset. https://www.bvars.org.uk Antique Wireless Association (AWA) – U.S. organization preserving radio history. https://www.antiquewireless.org British Vintage Wireless Society (BVWS) – UK vintage radio preservation group. https://www.bvws.org.uk City & Guilds of London Institute – Exam authority for early UK amateur licenses. https://www.cityandguilds.com Events & Awards KW Days – Annual on-air operating event featuring KW Electronics gear. https://cvrs.uk/kw-weekend-2025/ Bruce Kelly Memorial QSO Party – Pre-1929 radio operating event. https://www.antiquewireless.org/homepage/bruce-kelley-1929-qso-party/ QRZ Awards Program – Online confirmation and certificate system. https://shop.qrz.com/collections/awards The RSS Feed for all 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