Biography

Welcome to my QRZCQ page.

Paul L. McCord Jr. was first licensed in April 1983 at the age of 17 under the call sign KA5QNB. He initially held a Novice license, upgraded to Technician Class later that same year, and earned his General Class license in 1989. In 1993, after relocating with the U.S. Air Force to Luke AFB in Phoenix, Arizona, he was issued the call sign KB7ZCO. Upon returning to Oklahoma in 2001, he was honored to receive his father’s original call sign, K5GLH, and went on to achieve the Amateur Extra Class license in 2004.

Amateur radio has long been a family tradition for Paul, inspired by his father, who was licensed before Paul was born. Today, both his wife and brother are also licensed operators. Paul received his first license the same year he purchased his first computer, and he has always viewed radios and computers as a natural complement to one another.

Over the course of his amateur radio career, Paul has been an active innovator in digital modes across HF, VHF, and UHF. He built the first Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) node in Oklahoma and has since developed multiple AllStarLink, EchoLink, and Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) nodes. He is also active in the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN), where he operates a MeshPhone public branch exchange (PBX) for the 572 area in Oklahoma City, fully integrated with the AREDN system. In addition, he manages several home-based servers and frequently develops custom BASH scripts, reflecting his passion for Linux and open-source technologies.

Beyond amateur radio, Paul is a severe weather enthusiast and a retired federal employee, having completed a distinguished career with the United States Air Force.

Equipment

Yaesu FT710 AESS
Xiegu G90
Yaesu FTM-400XD
Alpha Delta DX-LB Plus 40 feet
Cushcraft 215WB 13 element 2 meter yagi 65 feet
Tecsun PL-880
Uniden BCD536HP
Uniden BCD436HP