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 some of it fun 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.

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 on the gable end of the house. I am hoping to have this installed and working in time for the ARRL Phone and CQ WW WPX contests in March 2012.

February 2011
Back to 80m, single vertical (33ft/10m), base loaded, feed point 2.5m above ground, 3 elevated radials.

23rd November 2010
I have been at a new QTH since July 2010. I now have a single quarter wave vertical on 40m. The feed point is elevated 3m above ground with just 3 elevated radials. I have now worked 99 DXCC on 40m from this new location.

My new QTH is much smaller than the last and space for antennas is very limited. Sadly, I have no chance to have another 80m 4-square here so my Comtek controller has been sold.

I have been putting some effort into improving my CW skills. It is hard work at the moment but I am getting better! If you have worked me using this mode please accept my apologies for my poor CW!!

October 2010 - CQ WW SSB - G4ATA
Single Op - Assisted 40m High
154 QSO's, 80 DXCC, 21 Zones, Claimed Score 31815

March 2010 - CQ WW WPX SSB - G8DYT
Single Op - Assisted 80m High
Confirmed result - #1 G station, #2 in EU and #2 in the world in the class.

March 2010 - ARRL International DX Contest (Phone) - G8DYT
Single Op, Single Band 80m . #1 G station, #5 EU, #10 non W/VE. I just wish I'd worked more than 8 hrs of the contest!

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, 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, #8 in Europe in the 2009 CQ WW SSB contest, single operator, single band 80m, high power 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 Phone contest, single operator, single band 80m, high power category.

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 ......a 10m 4-square is my next project!

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

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

Band Totals (Total since 1st September 2007)
All bands - 226, 80m - 205, 40m - 176, 20m - 48. 17m - 2, 15m - 5, 10m - 6

Band Totals since July 2010 - new QTH
All bands - 135, 80m - 71, 40m - 124, 20m - 6, 17m - 1, 15m - 3, 10m - 6

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 am currently awaiting delivery of a 4-ele LFA yagi.