G4ATA.CO.UK - Home Page of G4ATA & G8DYT

Hi, my name is John Hotchin and this web site is to tell you a little about me and my interests. Hopefully you will find at least some of it interesting and some of it informative. G4ATA probably means nothing to a lot of people - it is my Amateur Radio callsign, hence G4ATA.CO.UK. I also hold the callsign G8DYT but this call is usually reserved for contest operations.

I have three main interests - Ham Radio, my classic Mini and my motorcycle, a Suzuki GSF1200 Bandit. This list is not exhaustive and not necessarily in that order!!

The buttons at the bottom of the page will take you to relevant sections of the site and it's all pretty self-explanatory.

My Ham Radio News

12th May 2012
My 10m DXCC total is now 106. The red pins on this map show the approximate location of stations I have contacted on 10m. Click on the map for a larger image. The squares highlighted in blue are for 80m contacts.

8th May 2012
My 10m DXCC total is now 104.....all using the LFA yagi shown below at just 5m above ground. OK, OK, I know it's easy to work new ones when you're new to the band but just wait until I get this little beaut of an antenna up to 12m!! Latest DX on 10m includes 7O6T, PY0FM, 9M8WAT, HS0ZIN & FM4KA.

3rd April 2012
My contest log is now available online here. My contest callsign is G8DYT.

2012 CQ WW WPX contest brought a welcome boost to my DXCC total on 10m. I made just over 300 QSO's in 65 countries taking my DXCC total on 10m to 91.....all with a 4-ele LFA yagi at just 5m above ground!

12th March 2012
Now worked 38 DXCC using the 4-ele LFA yagi below. Last weekend's DX worked included 5R8UI (Madagascar), TT8ES (Chad), CP6XE (Bolivia), KP4BD (Puerto Rico), NP2/AA4VK (Virgin Is), PY2ABN (Brazil), 8P6ER (Barbados), FM5BH (Martinique), VK7AC (Tasmania), TO11A (Guadeloupe) & PJ7PT (Sint Maarten).

2012 ARRL Phone contest ........ what a disappointment, I worked all 8 North American stations that I heard on 10m! Oh well, that's radio and propagation I guess!

February 2012
I have now installed a 4 element LFA yagi from InnovAntennas on a temporary mast at just 5m above ground. DX worked during the first two days of testing includes VK6NB, OD5PY, ZS2DL, ZS6XT, 5B4AIX, FR5DZ and 3B8CF. Whilst listening to FR5DZ I made some direct comparisons to my old quarter wave vertical with elevated radials ...... on the vertical FR5DZ peaked S3, on the 4 element yagi he was peaking S9+10dB. An amazing difference. I am now in the process of applying for planning permission to raise the yagi to approximately 12m above ground ...... fingers crossed.

December 2011
After having spent over 12 months battling with PLA, plasma TV and general urban QRM on the low bands (80m & 40m) it has finally worn me down and I have decided to try my luck on 10m! Due to the limitations of size and layout of my garden I have decided to install a 4-ele LFA yagi. I am hoping to have this installed and working in time for the ARRL Phone and CQ WW WPX contests in March 2012.

26th February 2010 All QSL's have been sent to the bureau today. If you would like one direct please send 1 IRC or 2$ US.

G4ATA, LA3XIA & LA7WCA made a trip to Svalbard (JW) 8th - 13th October 2009. Callsigns used were JW/G4ATA, JW3XIA & JW7WCA. Modes of operation were SSB and RTTY.

Equipment : TS-870S, Alpha linear (1kw), 5 ele yagi 20 - 15 - 10, quarter wave vertical on 40m, inverted 'L' on 80m, 2-ele phased vertical dipoles on 80m and a dipole for 160m.

QTH: Longyearbyen, Svalbard - JQ78tf IOTA EU-026
The online log for JW/G4ATA can be checked at http://www.clublog.org

	JW/G4ATA			JW3XIA			JW7WCA			Totals
Band	DXCC	QSO's	Band	DXCC	QSO's	Band	DXCC	QSO's	Band	DXCC	QSO's
160m	8	12	160m	11	27	160m	0	0	160m	12	39
80m	37	130	80m	21	55	80m	0	0	80m	39	185
40m	35	168	40m	17	48	40m	6	9	40m	36	225
30m	0	0	30m	0	0	30m	1	1	30m	1	1
20m	35	363	20m	31	199	20m	38	308	20m	54	870
Total	51	673	Total	43	329	Total	38	318	Total	62	1320

QSL for JW/G4ATA direct to G4ATA including 2 x green stamps or 1 x IRC (all other QSL's will go via bureau). QSL's for JW3XIA to LA3XIA, JW7WCA to LA7WCA.

Received certificate for 1st place in the 2008 CQ WW WPX SSB, England Division, single operator, single band 80m. #8 in Europe and #13 in the world.
Received certificate for #6 G station in the multi op, single station, all band category in the 2009 CQ WW WPX SSB contest in spite of only working 80m during the contest ..... multi op with my son Martin, 2E1FVS.
Received certificate for 1st place England, #8 in Europe in the 2009 CQ WW SSB contest, single operator, single band 80m, high power category.
Received certificate for 1st place England, 2nd place Europe and 2nd place in the world in the 2010 CQ WW WPX SSB contest, single operator, single band 80m, high power assisted category.
Received certificate for 1st place England in the 2010 CQ WW SSB contest, single operator, single band 40m, high power category (I used G4ATA in this contest).
Received certificate for 1st place England, #5 EU, #10 non W/VE in the 2010 ARRL International DX Phone contest, single operator, single band 80m, high power category.
Received certificate for 1st place England, #8 EU, #8 in the world in the 2011 CQ WW WPX SSB contest, single operator, single band 80m, high power assisted category.

Holder of the England record for the 80m, High Power Assisted category in the CQ WW SSB contest
Call G8DYT Points 121,392 QSOs 754 Zones 21 DXCC 87 Year 2009

Holder of the England record for the 80m, High Power Assisted category in the CQ WW WPX SSB contest
Call G8DYT Points 1,176,240 WPX 507 Year 2010

I have the honour of being the first "DX" station featured on Comtek's web site.

My 4-Square pages and information has generated quite a lot of interest and has contributed to plans for other hams to erect their own 4-Square arrays in North America, Europe and Australia. If I can be of any help or you would like any additional information or photographs please do not hesitate to contact me - my e-mail address is shown below. Unfortunately due to my move of QTH I no longer have a 80m 4-square ...... 10m is now my band of choice.

Click on the link here for details of 4-Squares in the UK and around the world - please visit and if you would like your 4-square to be featured then please send details as requested on the site. During 2011 I have been very busy with my day job so I have not been able to devote as much time as I would have liked to the site. It is still being maintained and updates, though slow to appear, will take place.

As of 1st June 2010 my DXCC total (including my contest call G8DYT) on 80m is 205 - since 1st September 2007.

As of 26th February 2010 my WAS total on 80m is 49 (41 in 2010) - since 1st September 2007. The last state I need is ID. If anyone from Idaho would like to arrange a sked please e-mail me. Since July 2010 I have had no antenna for 80m. I do hope to be back on the band in the future but for the time being I will be concentrating my efforts on 10m. Here's looking forward to WAS on 10m!

As of 14th December 2011 my DXCC total on 40m is 176.

Band Totals (Total since 1st September 2007)
All bands - 234, 80m - 205, 40m - 176, 20m - 48. 17m - 2, 15m - 5, 10m - 106

Band Totals since July 2010 - new QTH
All bands - 167, 80m - 71, 40m - 124, 20m - 6, 17m - 1, 15m - 3, 10m - 106

Since my move to this QTH in July 2010 I have been dogged by local QRM on the low bands and with recent good conditions on 10m I have decided that my "postage stamp" garden will be much more suited to operations on 10m. I have now installed a 4-ele LFA yagi from InnovAntennas on a temporary mast just 5m above ground.