Biography

Please QSL direct to the address above or via the ARRL W5 Incoming QSL Bureau. NO SASE or IRCs are ever necessary. I QSL 100%.

I confirm ALL contacts with eQSL. If you don't accept eQSLs, just DELETE IT.

I began using LOTW in February, 2012, so QSL via Direct, LOTW, eQSL, Bureau is okay. Direct is preferred. I like PAPER QSLs :o)

Ham Radio History: I started as an avid Shortwave Listener (WPE2GJD) at the age of 12. I received my first Ham License as a Novice in 1961 as WV2YDG at the age of 15 in my high school radio club in NYC. My first station consisted of a Heathkit DX-20 CW transmitter and a Hammarlund HQ-129X receiver. Novices could operate 2 meter AM then and I had a series of 2 meter rigs including a Heathkit Two'er, Gonset Communicator II and later a Gonset Communicator IV, I later upgraded to Technician, then General as WA2YDG. When Uncle Sam sent me to Fort Hood, Texas in 1966 I met my first wife and because she didn't like ham radio I let my ticket expire. Eight years later we were divorced and I retested in Dallas and again became a Novice as WN5RPU.

In 1976, the FCC permitted the use of special Bicentennial prefixes for ham calls and I operated as AK5RPU in many, many CW contests before upgrading in Dallas again in late 1976. I passed the 13 WPM code test and the General and Advanced written tests as well as the 20WPM code at the same time, but failed the Extra written test, so I left Dallas as an Advanced class, AB5RPU during 1976, then reverted to WB5RPU, which I held until I changed my callsign in 2008. About 1980, I joined Army MARS (AAR6PN) and worked my way up from just a member to Zone Coordinator, State Training Officer and finally North Texas State Director (AAA6TN), holding that post for 3 years.

After that I let ham radio slide, but not my license, which I kept current. I became active again in 2004 following my stroke which left me in a wheelchair with my right side paralyzed.

At first I was only active on 2 Meters with an Icom 2200H, but I missed HF very much. My HF gear (which I still have) consisted of 2 pairs of Drake Twins (R4B/T4XB/MN4) and a Heatkit SB-200 amplifier hadn't been powered up in nearly 20 years. Because of that I decided to get a newer rig which included the WARC bands which were not available when I was active before. After considerable research, I decided the Icom IC-736 was the ideal rig for me. It puts out 100 watts on all bands 160 thru 6, has an internal CW keyer, internal antenna tuner, lots of other great features and isn't bogged down with 100 imbedded menus.

On 29 July 2008 I had several glasses of wine to loosten up (without thinking of the consequences) and went ahead and filed with the FCC for a vanity callsign. I have wanted a "K" call since I was first licensed so while the "K5" callsign with my initials was available, I decided to go ahead and apply for it. The FCC granted it on 16 August 2008, when I became K5PRT. Now I'm left with lots of work (my website, other website user IDs and passwords, etc). Not to mention about 750 WB5RPU QSL cards, a baseball cap and several T-shirts with WB5RPU on them, Ham name tags, plus much more. But it was worth it.

In 2008, after my XYL left, I started collecting classic Icom rigs, CW bugs, paddles and straight keys. They are all listed with photos on my website.

I'm active on all bands 160m thru 70cm. Although I used to be most active on CW at close to 40WPM, my stroke in 2003 has made it very difficult to send clean code with a straight key, bug or keyer paddle left handed so I'm almost strictly on SSB. I enjoy chasing DX during contest weekends.

DXCC: I enjoy chasing DX during contest weekends. When I was active in NYC as WA2YDG, I confirmed 98 countries toward DXCC. I have since confirmed many more, and finally applied for and received DXCC for 102 confirmations all through LOTW in July 2012. I have many more confirmed via paper QSL but am hesitant to trust valuable QSLs through the mail. Since August, 2006 I have worked 273 DXCC entities (274 but contact with 5A1AL in Lybia doesn't count yet), 266 confirmed as of 05 February 2015.

Life History: I was born in Bad Aibling, Germany on 16 April 1946. My dad was born and raised in Futok (Futog., Novi Sad), Yugoslavia (now Serbia) as was the rest of his family. My mother was born in Vienna, Austria. My parents, along with my father's living family (Sister, Father, Mother and Grandmother) traveled to the United States in 1947 with me in tow right after my birth. We embarked for the U.S. aboard the SS Ernie Pyle, a converted troop ship, but the ship broke down halfway across the atlantic. We were all transferred to another vessel (don't know the name) and arrived at Ellis Island on 01 April 1947. My family settled in the Bronx, New York City where I grew up. I attended Our Lady of Solace grade school and Mount Saint Michael Academy High School, both in the Bronx. I then began a degree program in Electronics at Bronx Community College. I dropped out of college in 1964 to take a job with New York Telephone Co. I served as a Frameman, Test Deskman and an Installation and Repair Technician on Times Square, NYC.

I lived in NYC until I was drafted into the U.S Army on 24 December 1966 (Greetings: Merry Christmas ! ). The Army sent me to Fort Jackson, SC for induction station, then on to Fort Hood, Texas for Basic and Advanced Individual Training. It turned out I spent the entire 2 year draft enrollment at Fort Hood and was trained as a tank crewman on the M60-A1 battle tank. I qualified as "Expert" on all tank weapons as well as the standard tanker sidearm, the M1911-A1 .45 cal automatic handgun. To my knowledge, I'm the only one to ever "total" a tank driving it off a 35 foot cliff (long story, but not my fault).

I permanently moved to the Central Texas area in January 1971 and have been here ever since. I applied and was hired as a frameman (at $2.37 per hour) on 25 January 1971 with Mid-Texas Communications Co. in Killeen, TX. The company was later bought up by Central Telephone and Utilities Corp (CENTEL) and then by Sprint Corporation. I served with Centel as a C.O.E. Technician on Step-by-Step mechanical Central Office Equipment (Stromberg-Carlson XY and ITT Step-by-Step) in Copperas Cove, Florence, Lometa and Kempner, TX. Then spent a couple of years as a Central Office Engineer responsible for converting all mechanical Centel Offices in South Texas to Northern Telecom (NorTel) DMS-100 Digital C.O. Equipment. I joined Centel's Computer Department when it was formed in 1981 because they found out I had a borrowed Radio Shack Model I at home. I have personally built and configured many hundreds of personal computers, both IBM and clones. My last position was as a Data Network Administrator for Sprint Corp. with primary responsibility for building, configuring and maintaining 58 'Windows 2000' network file servers in 5 states. I also had co-responsibility for virus control on over 1,000 network file servers across the country.

I spent my evenings for 3 years (1995-1998) as a disc jockey at several Country & Western Dance Halls (Honky-Tonks) in the Central Texas Area. This was done after my regular job from 7PM until 2AM several days a week. In that time I've acquired several thousand C&W Music CD's. I loved the work but dropped the after-hours profession shortly after getting remarried.

I had been raising chickens on and off since 1971, so In 1999, my XYL and I began a pure bred poultry business, to provide a source of income after my retirement from Sprint. We offered fertile hatching eggs for sale via the Internet and shipped thousands of eggs through the mail to nearly all 50 states. At our peak, we had 1,300 chickens of at least 30 pure breeds, over 300 quail, and numerous pheasants, peafowl and pigeons, as well as 3 cows, 2 horses, and 42 pygmy goats. I built a website to allow our customers to get to know us. The farm website remains on line to provide poultry raising assistance to others although the business is no longer in operation: http://www.PoultryHelp.com.

I suffered a stroke at 2AM on 14 April 2003 which paralyzed my right side and I have been in a wheelchair since then. As a result of the stroke, I was forced to take early disability retirement from Sprint Corp on 01 January 2004. I'm relying on Social Security disability and Sprint Retirement income now.

In January, 2008 my XYL got tired of caring for me and the livestock and left so now there's plenty of time for ham radio.

In early November 2012, a clot in the major blood vessel behind my right eye caused unrepairable damage to my retina, so now as well as being confined to a wheelchair with my right side paralyzed, I am blind in one eye! What next?

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

At present, my primary "On the Air" rigs are all Icom: Two Icom IC-7410, Two Icom IC-775DSP,Icom IC-756 PRO III, and Icom IC-746 PRO. I just(March, 2012) purchased Ameritron AL-811, AL-811H and two ALS-600 Amplifiers.

I have a rather large collection of classic Icom Radios. I have also been collecting CW Straight Keys, Bugs and Paddles, all of which are pictured with descriptions on my website, K5PRT.COM

Current antennas include a TH7DX 7 element at 90 feet for 10, 15 and 20, G5RV at 45 feet for all HF bands, an A99 CB Ground Plane for 6M through 17M, 160M inverted V, two pairs of stacked 11 element VHF beams, horizontal for SSB and another pair vertical for FM, 220 MHz Ground Plane, 14 elements on 440. I've also recently purchased an S9v43 vertical w/160M Coil, another G5RV and 160M and 75M coaxial double bazookas which have not yet been installed.