Biography

My station is located approximately 74 miles (119 Kilometers) due south of the St. Louis Arch in southeast Missouri. To the west are the Ozark Mountains (Ozark Plateau), to the east, the Mississippi River. The Missouri bootheel lies to the south. I enjoy many aspects of amateur radio and operate under the premise that no matter how much I know, I don't know much.

I run a Yeasu FT-920 (Heil PR-781 mic) into a horizontal 3 element tri-band yagi at about 30ft (9m) for the upper HF bands ...... or into a low dipole for 80 meters. Then again, you may hear me on an Icom IC-7200 (Icom SM-8 mic or Heil Pro Set IC headset) on 40 or 15 from a low dipole. For digital modes, I use a US Navigator Interface. For portable digital I use a Signalink.

QSL preference, LoTW, Direct, Bureau, eQSL, e-mail....I enjoy exchanging cards and respond 100%. Bureau is OK.

Like most hams my interest in electronics and radio go back to my childhood. I recall being fascinated with a pair of 1960's walkie talkies my uncle had. I loved scanning the A.M. bands in the evening, listening for distant stations with the small transistor radio's available to me.

While at the University of Oklahoma in the early 90's, I made my first, ahem, DX contact from home on an “11 meter”, 5 watt radio through a ground plane CB antenna to a female operator in Paraguay. Although this brief contact was the only contact of the sort that I made during the years I had the station up and running, I nearly wore the dials and knobs off the radio scanning the available frequencies for another magic moment. Like a treasure hunter finding a golden doubloon or a gambler hitting the jack pot the experience left a desire in me for more.

Unlike many hams, I did not know a amateur radio operator prior to becoming one myself. I obtained my technician license in 2008 in Oakville, Missouri through the St. Louis and Suburban Radio Club Cliff Cave VE team. The call I was allotted was KDØDAH. I went back to Oakvill twice more and In 2009 the FCC provided me with my current call sign.

Recently my wife became a licenses amateur radio operator. She's not on the air often, but I am happy she invested the time to study and learn about the hobby.

By the way, I am one of the few active amateur radio operators in Madison County, Missouri so shoot me an email if you need the county.

Thanks for looking me up.

73,

Heath

Equipment

HF Transceivers:
► Yaesu FT-920
► Icom IC-7200

Antenna
► 10M/15M/20M Yagi -- HyGain TH3JR
► 6M 3 Element Yagi -- Cushcraft A503s
► 80M Halfwave Dipole
► 40M Halfwave Dipole
► 10M/12M Vertical -- Antron 99
Along with various VHF/UHF verticals and yagis