Biography
My uncle, K0WNL, is a General class and has been for a long time. We talked about all the things you could do with Ham Radio back in 1998. That's when I became re-interested. I started studying for the general exam back in 1991-92, having gotten the WB6NOA General Book from Radio Shack from my uncle. I also got the Technician books as well, just in case. The FCC had just recently dropped the code requirement. I decided to skip Novice since the privileges didn't seem worth it from what I can remember. Anyway, I finally sat down and studied for the Tech exam and passed this year (2015).
I've always been into electronics & electrics. I work in IT, repairing & building computers and writing software for various platforms. So Ham Radio seemed like a natural fit for me. I was always on a CB growing up but got tired of being cursed off the air by angry truckers & other rude people. I also operate on Marine VHF a lot while out boating. I love scanning and would still consider myself a scanner enthusiast & SWL. Yet another reason why I wanted to get into amateur radio. I've always been a comms enthusiast.
My Amateur Radio goals are to: build antennas, participate in Field Day operations, go Fox Hunting, operate Amateur Satellites & ISS, and more. My goal is to get my Extra ticket later this year.
I'm a trained SKYWARN spotter & I'm a General class accredited VE with the ARRL & Laurel VEC group.
I'm apart of the Ottawa County Amateur Radio Auxiliary and a Net Control station for Ottawa Co. SKYWARN. I'm also a volunteer with the Ottawa Co. Emergency Management through the Sheriff's Department.
I operate from 4 primary locations when not mobile: EN72, EN85/86, EN75, and EN62.
I just got into HF digital modes: PSK31, JT65, and FT8. I play on all the bands. Due to vision issues, if I miss your call on the screen, I do apologize in advance. It's happened before. Hopefully I'll become more efficient as I learn each program. I'm also on Winlink via VHF Packet and WINMOR. Checked at least once a day unless I'm on vacation.
When I'm not operating the radio, I like to tinker with computers & write/develop programs, web design, cyber security, network integrity, etc. If it's electronic, I'm automatically interested. I love boating and being in and on the water when it's warm outside. I'm also kind of a gamer. I play World of Warcraft, Pokemon GO, and other console games (Wii, Xbox, etc).
I've had some people ask me about the glasses. It's a telescope. I have bad vision problems and they help me see a little further than without. Sometimes I wear these "TV Glasses" that make me look bugeye. But they work very well for viewing computer screens.
I also make YouTube videos of my gear & contacts...in addition to other interests. As I dive more into the hobby, the videos will become more diverse in Amateur Radio. Sure I make mistakes but I've learned a lot already and they're not happening anymore.
Worked DXCCs:
Equipment
Radios:
Wouxun UV950p (Mobile).
Wouxun UV8D (HT).
Baofeng UV5RE+ (HT).
DV Dongle for DSTAR (Computer’s USB port).
Tytera MD-380 DMR Radio (HT).
Icom IC-9100 (Fixed).
Yaesu FTM-400XDE (Fixed).
Antennas:
NMO Mag Mount Base with Comet SBB-7NMO & ANTGAIN wide coverage NMO Antenna (Mobiles) and sometimes used on a Diamond K400NMO Mount depending on vehicle.
OCF WINDOM antenna by Buxcomm (80m-2m) HF antenna (Fixed).
Homemade J-Pole Antenna (Fixed VHF/UHF).
Radio Accessories:
TNC-X.
USB SignaLink.
Shack Computer:
Lenovo IdeaPad 310 - Intel i7 2.7GHz - 8GB RAM - 1TB HDD - Windows 10 64-bit.