G4ATA.CO.UK - Home Page

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.

FOR SALE - due to imminent QTH move my full size 80m 4-square is for sale. Everything that you need to build a superb DX antenna for 80m. All that you will need to provide is some wire for the ground system, coax, 4 x 125mm x 125mm x 3000m fence posts and the land to put it on!! More information and photos here and on the 4-square site. Everything must go ..... 4 x sets of high quality stainless mounting brackets, winches, poles, 12m Spiderbeam poles. Since building this antenna I have made over 8500 QSO's on 80m in 203 DXCC, 39 zones, all continents and 49 WAS.
Buyer will have to collect, will consider splitting only as a last resort.
Please, sensible offers only. I may consider some kind of part exchange with small beam and rotator plus cash. Contact me via

March 2010 - CQ WW WPX SSB - G8DYT
Single Op - Assisted 80m High
823 QSO's 509 Multipliers Claimed Score 1200731

January 2010
HELP PLEASE! - I only need Idaho now for W.A.S. on 80m SSB. Please contact me (my e-mail address is shown lower down this page) if you are prepared to make a sked.

My linear amplifier is repaired and working well again (many thanks to Peter, G3ZRS) - my Dentron MLA-2500B now running one 8875 and one 3CX400. I now need another 3CX400 to replace the 8875 and then I can make some permanent mods to the cooling.

December 2009
Recent problems with my amplifier prompted me do do a little CW practise and I have worked a few new DXCC on 40m and 80m on CW. Please accept my apologies for my poor CW but I am trying!!

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.

February 2009 - 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.

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

The 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.... or give me a shout on 80m!

Click on the link here for details of 4-Squares in the UK and around the world - this site is in it's infancy so please visit and if you would like your 4-square to be featured then please send details as requested on the site.

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

As of 1st June 2010 my DXCC total on 40m is 152 ... not many I know but I only started working 40m seriously in April 2009.

A selection of the latest DX worked

In April / May 2010 on 40m - YC6NE, 9K2YM, LU5FC, LW4EU, VP5/PY2WAS, 5R8GZ (CW), CO8EC, CO7HG, 4X1AS, TT8PK (CW), YY5CAR, CO6YI, RP9H, PT7AT, A71FJ, LU1ECZ, YV5NEA, 4S7NE, VP8LP, 6Y1X, KE9L, VE3FZ, TS8P, VP8AWU, OX3KQ, FM1AG, YB6CA, HK4FLT, 4K6FO (CW), PJ2/PE2B, A71EL/M, HI7MC, PS7PC, ZA/F4DTO, C35US, VK7AC, C35CA, 4Z4TI, 3B8MM (CW), XE1YYD, CX1DDO, YI9PSE.

On 80m - VE1UJ, G8GXP, KK4UI, WA4MWX, VE9BJW, TS8P, TF2LL, ZB2FK (CW), KE9L, A41KJ, YI9PSE, VK5PO, JA2KIW, JA5AQC, KB8JO.