Biography

NOTE: Effective 12/27/2017 I am now KC9W, no longer KC9NZZ

Graduated from Level 1 CW Ops class May 24, 2018. Learning CW prior to CW Ops is still affecting my capability to receive CW, so between May and Level 2 class in September, I'm going through LCWO.net from beginning to end to memorize the SOUND of each character, and ultimately words instead of counting dits and dahs and visualizing everything in my head which really slows me down.

I also use ham radio with our Eau Claire County ARES/RACES Skywarn net year round. We meet and report hazardous conditions such as flooding, wind damage, lightning, even blizzard conditions or other hazards. The most fun is Skywarn storm spotting (done only from a few regular spotting sites right near my home) which allows us to use our radios to report conditions to the net which are then communicated to the National Weather Service and local law enforcement. I also enjoy taking photographs and video of the approaching storms. Our credo is "Safety First" when storm spotting, and I can't afford hail damage on our only vehicle, so I have to return home to the safety of our garage before any storms hit me. I do venture out to photograph rainbows, however.

Memberships: ARRL, Chippewa Valley Amateur Radio Club, Eau Claire Amateur Radio Club (ECARC), Eau Claire County ARES/RACES, Minnesota Wireless Association (MWA), North American QRP CW Club (NAQCC) #9303, Radio Amateur Society of Norfolk (RASON), Red Cedar Repeater Association (RCRA), Straight Key Century Club (SKCC) #18031, The International Morse Preservation Society (FISTS) #18517, USS Wisconsin Radio Club (N4WIS), Y.L. International Single Sidebanders, Inc. (YLISSB) #17431, and Young Ladies' Radio League (YLRL).

Participation: monthly Skywarn net, annual Skywarn training sessions with NWS in person and in webinars, weekly Red Cedar Repeater Association net, weekly Young Ladies’ Radio Association net (when I'm not in CW Ops), and monthly West-Central District net, and monthly Wisconsin ARES/RACES VHF net. Attend monthly ECARC and CVARC local meetings. Continual Skype/Slack meetings for ARES/RACES conference planning committee. Attended bi-weekly CW class by Red Cedar Repeater for two 14-week courses held each winter. In CW Academy, completed Level 1, now starting bi-weekly CW Ops level 2 in September, 2018 so I'm still busy practicing my CW every day! I also moderate the 35,000 member HAM RADIO Facebook group which is informative as I read and moderate the posts and approve members.

When I'm not obsessed with ham radio, I enjoy bird watching and taking photos and videos of our neighborhood wildlife, and pretty much anything I encounter in my daily life. In all four seasons, I'm out photographing planets, meteors, and the Aurora Borealis. I also love flowers, and music from John's and my dating days (70's soft rock) and classical. I love to exercise at the gym and ride bike if the weather is nice. When my house is kitten-proofed, I also love to foster cats and kittens for Eau Claire County Humane Association. I'm obsessed with all kinds of weather, especially when it's extreme and somehow have to be out in the middle of it, if I can! I haven't had much time in the last couple years, but I also love to take video of interesting things and events to post on my widely varied YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/alwaysrejoicing. Someday when I get good video editing software, I'll post all of my additional years of adventures!

To see photos and text of my LONG version bio, please see https://www.qrz.com/db/KC9W