Biography

Starting as a shortwave listener in my teens, I collected QSL cards with my Knight StarRoamer. I then discovered 11m in the mid-70s while attending Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I received a Telecommunications BS degree with a music minor (Class of '78). My first FCC exams in 1974 were a Third Class Operators Permit with Element 9 Broadcast Endorsement which allowed me to operate commercial AM and FM stations in Indiana (WHYT, Noblesville; WFBM, Noblesville; WNON, Lebanon and WAJC, Indianapolis).

Speleology. Once a caver, always a caver. After many active years, I've become a checkbook caver and claim membership in the National Speleological Society, the Central Indiana Grotto, the Indiana Karst Conservancy (currently serving as a Director and Cave Patron) and the Indiana Cave Survey. Many cavers that I got to know in the early 1990s were amateur radio operators, often volunteering for assignments during cave rescue call-outs and talk-ins for various caving events. That's what sparked my interest in ham radio.

I was licensed as a Technician on March 8, 1995, upgraded to General (w/code) on June 3, 2000 and Amateur Extra on July 18, 2020. I'm also an accredited Volunteer Examiner through the ARRL VEC and Laurel VEC. Now celebrating 47 years on the air and more than a quarter century in ham radio!

Most of my early log entries were on 10m with a 25 watt radio and a hamstick dipole as I collected contacts for ARRL's Worked All States and DX Century Club awards. In late 2003, I got a new (smaller) car and the six mobile radios that I was using in my GMC Jimmy went into storage. My HF rig in the house soon went silent and the antennas eventually came down.

I became inactive for 15 years, but I kept all of my equipment with the intention of building a new ham shack someday. After purchasing a new (larger) SUV, a move to a larger home and some interior renovations, that day came in the Autumn of 2019 and THE KB9JMU SHACK is back on the air. I no longer need to collect QSL cards for the WAS or Worked All Continents (WAC) awards, but I'm still logging contacts for DXCC. Hunting and Activating POTA. Chasing SOTA. Gathering WWFF/KFF and IOTA. Learning about the digital modes.

Member: ARRL; Mid-State Amateur Radio Club in Johnson County, Indiana (Monitoring the W9MID Repeater, 146.835 151.4); 10-10 International (#71927); FT8DMC (#17347); Old Old Timers Club (#4744) and the Quarter Century Wireless Association (#38129).

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

TRANSCEIVERS: Icom IC-7300 (HF+6m), Kenwood TS-180S (HF), Sears RoadTalker (11m), Radio Shack HTX-10 (10m), Kenwood TM-742 (6m/2m/70cm), Icom IC-2730A (2m/70cm), Yaesu FT-3DR (2m/70cm) and ICOM IC-24AT (2m/70cm).

RECEIVERS: Kenwood R-1000 and Radio Shack Pro 2037 scanner.

ANTENNAS: MFJ-949E, MFJ-929, MFJ-921 & MFJ-924 tuners; Hy-Gain AV-14AVQ vertical antenna (40m, 20m, 15m, 10m), "hamstick" dipole (10m), Cushcraft AR-6 (6m), Diamond X-200A (2m/70cm), End Fedz EF-SWL and various mobile antennas; My Antennas CMC 130-3K and 154-3K Common Mode Chokes (IC-7300). Diamond Lightning SP-1000 Surge Protectors. MFJ antenna switches.

ACCESSORIES: Heil iCM (IC-7300) and Kenwood MC-50 (TS-180S) microphones. CW Morse iambic key. Kenwood, Micronta and two Samlex power supplies. Kenwood, ICOM and JBL external speakers plus Kenwood HS-5 and Heil Pro-Set 3 headphones. SOTA Beams Click2Tune Transceiver Keying Switch (IC-7300). Breaker Communications and Radio Shack field strength meters, Sperry and Micronta Multimeters, Heathkit VTVM, a HP computer in THE KB9JMU SHACK with AOC monitors and a HP laptop computer for portable use. All station power runs through an APC XL1000 for "conditioning."

SOFTWARE, APPs & INTERNET: LOG4OM, QRZ, LoTW, eQSL, QRZCQ, SOTAwatch, POTA Spots, HamAlert, DX Summit, WSJT-X, PSK Reporter, RT Systems, Repeater Book, APRS, Shortwave Schedule, Facebook amateur radio and shortwave-related groups, Ask Dave! and more.

FIELD OPERATIONS: Yaesu FT-891 (HF+6m), MFJ-929 tuner, "hamstick" vertical antennas (75m, 40m, 20m, 10m, 6m), Kenwood HS-5 headphones, MFJ Local/UTC digital clock, HAMRS on a MacBook Pro for logging, Anderson Powerpoles for DC distribution, Battery Tender charger for a Duracell Ultra 12V 35AH SLA AGM deep-cycle battery...in a box.