New licensee Sarah M6PSK carries on the family tradition

Congratulations to newly-licensed amateur Sarah Sipple M6PSK, who obtained her Foundation licence and callsign today.

As well as being one of the few female voices on-air in the Essex area, there is another reason why gaining a licence is important for Sarah.

Family Tradition

Sarah is the granddaughter of renowned amateur radio operator Gordon (“Dick”) Bird G4ZU. Dick Bird, who sadly passed away in 2005 is best known in the amateur radio community for his innovative HF antenna designs, and is credited for the Bow-and-Arrow Yagi, the Birdcage and the Minibeam. The popular multi-band “Spider beam” Yagi (a.k.a the Skypper), is also based on a design by Dick Bird G4ZU.

You can read more about Dick Bird G4ZU on the Wireless Institute of Australia site.

Sarah On The Air

Asked if she has any plans to create her own innovative antennas, Sarah said: “Don’t expect to see any novel antenna designs from me just yet. I’m very pleased to be able to carry on the family tradition, and I still have a lot to discover about the world of amateur radio”.

Sarah completed the excellent Foundation Course run by the team at CARS (Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society), in October 2011. Her husband is also a licensed operator, Pete Sipple 2E0PSL, (now M0PSX). Sarah plans to be active on 2 metres in the Essex area, as well as operating using the HF data mode PSK31.

When asked about her callsign, Sarah said: “As well as being the acronym for the data mode, the initials PSK have another meaning for me – they stand for Pete, Sarah and Kathyrn. We’re hoping that our daughter, the “K” from PSK may one day get her licence too.”

Welcome to the hobby Sarah, and well done on continuing the “Bird” tradition!

Related Links:

• Gordon “Dick” Bird G4ZU Information
• G4ZU callsign activated in 10 year commemoration