Biography

As most stories start when your now 72+, once upon a time my off-road group and I used CB radios which worked well for us. Not so well when you solo your Mojave Desert trips and need help. No matter what they say Mojave Desert cell phone coverage (if any) is spotty at best when you’re away from towns and freeways. So now I’m well into my 20th year as a ham and having a great time.

While I have a good QTH station I would rather operate portable in the East Mojave Desert. The East Mojave Desert has a number of historical, geological, and oddities sites (Mojave Desert Megaphone) that have great views and have been the background for movie shoots (Trona Pinnacles). The downside to desert portable ops it's seasonal fun only mainly from October – June, temperatures get a bit nasty (90+F/32C) by mid-June.

To reduce urban noise level and get out during the summer I have started portable ops at El Dorado Park, Long Beach, CA. Working out of El Dorado Park fixes two things for me – (1) Drop in local noise is amazing making the 5-mile trip worthwhile, and (2) Raises amateur radio visibility with the general public. After all, out of sight out of mind.

For QSL cards I must have SASE to respond to QSL card requests. I need $2.00 for DX stations. I upload to LOTW and QRZ.com, plus e-mail homemade eQSL Cards. If you note on your QRZ.com Bio details yes to LOTW please remember to upload. Not doing so impacts a number of awards we all work very hard for, so please remember upload to LOTW.

A "stolen" quote worth repeating: "A QSL card is the final courtesy of a QSO".

Portable Expectations
1. Propagation isn’t fair & it don’t care
2. There’s going to be rowdily nauseating days
3. Mojave Desert dirt isn’t RF friendly and it don’t care either
4. 33 radio signal report just as good as 59
5. 33% success might be pretty damn good!!
6. Overlooked prizes are at the lower end of bands
7. Be grateful for what Karma and her cousins “Those Unknowns” provides, propagation could always be yuckier!

Stay Safe and Have Fun

Equipment

100 Watts and Wire
1. QTH: FT-950 and G5RV at about 31 feet (9+ meters)
2. Portable – FT-891, End-fed antennas, Bioenno Battery, & Solar Panel (10-40 meters)