Today I celebrate the 40th anniversary of my first licenced amateur radio contact!
My first QSO was at 07:35z on 22 May 1982 with Ray G3XUH on 80m SSB. My first QSO on CW was at 22:30z on 04 June 1982 with YU2CDD on 40m CW.
The hobby has provided me with limitless friendships, an absorbing hobby and a rewarding career. Building that first crystal set when I was 14 years old in 1967 was one of the most important things I ever did in my life…
73 Phil
Congratulations Phil a voice I have heard for many years.
73 Don.
Congratulations! A lifetime of pleasure from a rewarding hobby.
Thanks for all the contacts. I’ve frequently consulted your blog and SOTAMaps routes for parking and access tips too.
Congratulations on the anniversary Phil.
Your first appearance in my log was on 19th June 2002 - my first hf contact when activating Foel Fynyddau GW/SW-029 in the days when hf activations were a rare novelty for me.
The second was later that year when I chased you on Swinside, G/LD-057.
There are 334 later entries in my log, including a much appreciated chase of G/WB-015 yesterday. You were portable for 102 of these and your accounts of summit walks have been an excellent source of information and guidance.
I look forward to many more contacts.
73,
Rod
Congratulations for this time in amateur radio.
It’s always a pleasure to meet you and I hope it stays that way for a long time.
Best 73
Congratulations Phil and thanks for the QSO’s over the years. It was nice to meet you on G/LD-017 Red Screes for the LD event a couple of years back.
73 Chris M0RSF
Congratulations Phil, well done
Geoff vk3sq
40 years has a good ring to it . Only 32 years for me this summer so I’m just a noob still!
Congratulations on your milestone, Phil. It was great to make contacts with you today from VK2/IL-001, Mt Gibraltar.
73 Andrew VK1DA/VK2DA
Congratulations Phil. I’m coming up to the 2nd anniversary of my first QSO! 
73
John
Well done Phil.
Enjoy this special day, tomorrow the journey through time will continue without any action on our part, hi.
BTW, This year marks the 50th anniversary on my site…the wedding day. That’s also a reason why my first QSO was only 48 years ago, hi.
I was only thinking about this the other day and thought of you Phil. Well done on the 40 years - mine’s in the post! Nick G4OOE can’t be far behind. 
My first contact using G4OIG was with Dave G4OIH on 6th July 1982 - on 23cms CW to mark the principal reason for us both getting our Class A licences. No longer would we be searching for someone who could take a CW call on 23cms during VHF Field Day (Norfolk Group G4ANT)… usually in the middle of the night! We learnt morse together and took our tests at Mablethorpe in March 1982. Then there was that awkward period of delay in issuing licences so we had to wait a few months. Incidentally, the final contact for our respective Class B calls was a 23cm SSB QSO immediately before we made the callsign switch and changed mode. Of course, I later acquired use of my former Class B call and it has been used several times for SOTA.
Hi Phil @G4OBK.
Congratulations on reaching this special milestone. And of course thanks for all the QSOs. Stay true to the hobby and have fun and I look forward to the upcoming QSOs between us.
73 Marcel DM3FAM
Hi Phil,
It was great pleasure to copy you 4 times yesterday either on CW or SSB.
Each one of those QSOs was to celebrate 10 years of your licence.
Great 
I wish you more and more satisfaction in this nice hobby 
73, Jarek
Well done Phil! Thanks for the brief chat yesterday. I went QRT shortly afterwards when the mast blew down!
73, Fraser
Congratulations Phil!
I’ll clock up 25 years this July
I guess I’ll have to think about a special SOTA activation to mark the occasion.
73, Colin
Well done on an great milestone Phil! Isn’t it great when an early spark as a teenager can lead to a lifetime career and hobby. Here’s to many more years,
73 Jonathan
Congratulations on your 40th anniversary Phil. Thanks for the contacts along the way.
73, Roger