Biography

Amateur Radio Biography

I have been interested in amateur radio for years. My first exposure was through my uncle who I believe got involved with “HAM Radio” while in the United States Army and stationed in Germany. I can remember my dad and grandfather helping to stand his tower (as I “helped”). I was fascinated to hear the sounds coming in on the airwaves on my uncle’s setup. I was probably 6 or 8 years old.

Growing up I dreamed of having one of those “electronics project stations” and salivated at the thought of “someday” getting to build a Heath Kit. But I also knew that affording these dreams was out of the question and I never even brought it up to my parents.

Later, in high school, some friends and I got “into” CB’s and this again spurred my interest in radio. I started studying for my amateur license then. However, I soon got busy with life and that endeavor got pushed to the back burner. I went to work, graduated from school, moved cross country, got married and had the first of three children (our son).

Later, after several major moves, we (my wife & son and I) settled here in the mountains of northeast Tennessee. I became friends with an avid ham operator. Again, my interest in amateur radio was rejuvenated and I started studying for my test yet again.

Soon, life had taken over once again. The company my wife and I both were working for folded. We both found ourselves suddenly out of work. My wife went back to school and I went to work. Then I went back to school (while working). Next we then had what would be the second of our three children (the first of two daughters). After I finished school, I went into business for myself and dedicated a LOT of my time to building that. Our son got into baseball and I got into coaching. Our family got into farming (first chickens, then goats, then bees and finally we added hogs) and we spent any extra time we could with that and all that goes with it.

In 2003, I had a bad accident (got run over by a truck) and then in 2004 we had our third child (a daughter). I was very busy with life and had not given any serious thought to amateur radio for several years. I still romanticized about the day when I would have that awesome ham shack chock full of radios and a bench full of electronic projects. I tried, to no avail, to get my son interested in amateur radio (so I could justify buying equipment). Woodworking and farming won out instead. I wound up with a small fortune in woodworking shop tools and farming tools and supplies (OK, who am I kidding – nothing “small” about it).

When my son went off to college, I found myself with a little more free time on my hands (my daughters don’t seem to want/need near as much of my time - although I wish they would. And if they ever do, they will come first!). So I studied for and went and took my test! On May 14, 2009 the FCC granted me Technician Amateur Radio privileges and the call sign - KJ4MBJ (as well as GMRS callsign WQZF435)

Thankfully, God has seen fit to allow me to finally get into amateur radio. I have begun mostly buying up the equipment to setup my radio shack, hoping to someday get it all setup and have time to really apply myself to the hobby.

I am currently mostly interested in the emergency side of ham radio, but am really open to any and all aspects. I will let the hobby take me where it will (limited only by the checkbook and the time I can put in).

I am still married to my childhood “sweetheart” Amanda, a NON ham, who graciously "tolerates" my MANY hobbies.

My QTH is located in Grid Square: EM86xk in Carter County in the BEAUTIFUL Appalachian mountains of upper northeast Tennessee.

Equipment

In The Shack

Below is the gear that I have been assembling over the years in order to use in my shack when time, money, and license upgrades will permit me. Some of this equipment is currently installed and in use; some is waiting to be installed and fired up.


QTH BASE STATION EQUIPMENT

HF EQUIPMENT -

Yaesu FT-857D HF/VHF/UHF mobile transceiver w/ MH-59A8J Remote Control DTMF Microphone and the YSK-857 separation kit [also used as portable base for field work]

This radio has had the following modifications performed:

Modification known as the Military Auxiliary Radio Service (MARS) or Civil Air Patrol (CAP) performed
TCXO - 0.5 PPM High-Stability Reference Oscillator unit installed
DSP2 Digital Signal Processing Board installed
YF-122C Collins 500 Hz CW Mechanical filter installed
Collins 300 Hz CW narrow filter and Collins 2.3 kHz SSB filter installed
GAP HEAR IT SPEAKER with built in DSP filtering

YAESU FC-30 Automatic Antenna Tuner

AMERITRON ARB-704 Amplifier Interface Buffer (currently no amplifier – future plans)

HEIL PSE 6 Pro Set Elite 6 Headset w/ HC-6 Dynamic Element and FS-3 Genesis Series Single Channel Footswitch

FTL-METER Large Analog meter

RIGBLASTER PRO Digital Interface by West Mountain Radio



Heathkit HR-1680 80 - 10 Meters Receiver, Ham bands only w/ a HeathKit SB-600 speaker



VHF/UHF EQUIPMENT -

Yaesu FT-8900R QUADBAND 29/50/144/430 VHF/UHF Full Duplex Transceiver

MIRAGE B-5018-G VHF/UHF Amplifier 50W IN-160W OUT

External Speaker



Yaesu FT-8900R QUADBAND 29/50/144/430 VHF/UHF Full Duplex Transceiver operating an Echolink node

External Speaker



VHF EQUIPMENT -

Kenwood TM-271A 2 meter 60 watt DoD MIL-STD 810 transceiver

Alinco DR-235TMKIII 220 MHz 25 watt with DTMF mic

KANTRONICS KPC-3+ Radio Modem/TNC

External Speaker



Kenwood TW-4100A dual-band transceiver providing 45 watts on 2 meters and 35 watts on 70 cm (440 MHz). A low power setting of 5 watts may also be selected. Ten memories with offset recall and lithium battery backup are provided. There are separate antenna output jacks on the back panel for 2 meters and 440 MHz Kenwood MC-43S Up/Down hand mic 8 pin. 500 ohm

Two (2) Kamtronics KAM+ radio modems



SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIOS –

PCR100 - 10KHz to 1300MHz VLF, HF, VHF and UHF, AM, Wide-FM and Narrow-FM wideband computer receiver

Ten-Tec RX-320D SDR – PC-controlled shortwave receiver allows quality SWLing for a fraction of the price of other shortwave receivers - Frequency Range: 100 kHz - 30 MHz, Modes: AM, LSB, USB, CW. Load the 1 MB of software from the included CD-ROM to your hard drive, connect the RX-320D to an open serial port, plug the radio into the wall and you’re ready to explore the world. No serial port? Use the provided serial port-to-USB adapter to plug the RX-320D into an open USB port on your PC.

MFJ-108B Dual 12/24 Hour LCD Desk Clock. Displays both UTC and local time at a glance and WWV synchronized.



CITIZENS BAND –

Midland Model 79-893 4 Watt 40-channel Citizen Band (27Mz) AM/SSB Mobile Transceiver

Cobra 29 NW LTD Classic NightWatch® Display w/ an Astatic Microphone - the 29 LTD Classic! The NightWatch series continues Cobra's unmatched tradition of enhancing safety and convenience for professional drivers. NightWatch technology illuminates the radio's function settings for easy viewing at night. The unique, solid-state, electro-luminescent backlighting is powered by a dedicated integrated circuit to maximize night vision while minimizing eye fatigue.

Features & Benefits:

Adjustable Dynamike Boost - Dynamically boosts microphone for increased voice clarity.
Tactile Controls - Allows you to actually feel where the dial is in it's rotation without taking your eyes off the road.
PA Capability - Use CB radio as a Public Address System with PA speaker. Receive signals can also be monitored through PA.
RF Gain - Adjusts receive gain in weak and strong signal areas.
Switchable Noise Blanker - For increased noise reduction.
NightWatch® Illuminated Front Panel - Ideal for switch and control recognition day or night.
4 Watts AM RF Power Output - The maximum allowed by law.
Instant Channel 9 and 19 - Instant access to emergency channel 9 and information channel 19.
Antenna Warning Indicator - Illuminates when antenna needs checking.


SCANNERS –

Uniden Bearcat BC898T The BC898T Trunk-Tracker is a 500 channel (ten bank) scanner. Since the introduction of trunked systems, tracking a conversation on a conventional scanner was virtually impossible. With the Trunk-Tracker™ System you can search, lock-on and track a conversation-even if the channel changes between replies. Supported trunk systems include: Motorola Type I, Type II, Type IIi, Hybrid, SMARTNET™, and PRIVACYPLUS™, LTR trunking systems; EDACS trunking systems (including EDACS SCAT). There are 17 preprogrammed bands. This scanner scans at 100 channels per second. Other features include: LCD dimmer, S-indicator, channel lockout, count key, manual tuning knob, weather alert, auto-store and ten priority channels. The BC-898T even has built-in CTCSS/DCS decode.
Note: I currently have two (2) of these in operation.

I use ARC898T Software by BuTeL Software in the Netherlands on my BC898T. The program is designed expressly for the Uniden Bearcat BC898T. ARC898T includes the most versatile memory editor available on the market. ARC898T also supports rebanding and the radioReference web service!

Uniden Bearcat BC895XLT - 300 channel (ten bank) scanner with the Trunk-Tracker™ System. Scans at 100 channels per second and has built-in CTCSS decode.

Realistic Hyperscan Pro-2030 - wide-band, unblocked desk scanner featuring 80 programmable channels in 8 banks of 10 channels each. It covers 29-54, 108-174, 406-512, & 806-956 MHz continuous.



POWER –

GRID POWER –

SmartPro Series UPS - 1.05kVA Line Interactive Sine Wave UPS providing Network-grade AC surge and noise suppression and Automatic voltage regulation (AVR) w/ SNMP network management platform for Web based remote monitoring of shack electrical conditions and offsite control of UPS.

Two (2) Tripp Lite LC1200 - Line Conditioner / AVR System

ASTRON RS-35A - DC Power Supply

WORKMAN PS-25 - DC Power Supply

Kenwood KPS-12 - DC Power Supply

TRIPP LITE PR-50 - 50 AMP Precision Regulated DC Power Supply

Super PWRgate PG40S - 12 volt backup power system controller by West Mountain Radio rated at 40 amperes continuous from either a Power Supply or a Battery, built-in four-stage battery charger with selectable current rates of 1, 4, 7 or 10 amperes. Connected equipment will instantly switch to battery during a power blackout or power supply failure. Uses two 80 ampere Schottky diodes as an OR-Gate to isolate the battery and power supply from each other. Low loss PWRgate provides forward voltage drop of less than 0.3 volts at 20 A and 0.37 volts at 40 A. Optimized for use with GELLED & AGM type batteries, but will keep flooded lead acid and marine type batteries near full charge as well. Solid, durable construction in an aluminum case with heat sink. Includes mounting holes for convenient and secure use in mobile units. Uses Anderson Powerpole® connectors. Dimensions: 1.65" H x 5.25" W x 3.9" D

Powerwerx SPS-30DM - Variable 25A Power Supply w/ Digital Meters – Features dual metered digital Amps/Volts display

American Audio PDP-850 Pro Power Distribution Panel - Power Distribution panel with seven 3-prong power plugs and pop-up lights for your rack. Seven (7) switched A/C outlets [grounded & protected] on rear of unit, & one (1) unswitched A/C outlet on front of panel. 20A breaker reset button on front panel. Dual L.E.D. pull-out lights with dimmer control knob. USB charge receptacle on front panel. Great for lighting up racks. Takes up single space rack mount.

RIGRUNNER 8012 - 80 amp DC Distribution Panel by West Mountain Radio


BACKUP/EMERGENCY POWER –

When normal grid power fails, uninterrupted short-term battery backup power is supplied automatically from the SmartPro Series UPS that stands at the constant ready in the shack.

When battery backup power falls below 12VDC, the Super PWRgate PG40S - 12 volt backup power system controller by West Mountain Radio automatically transfers the load from the UPS to battery bank power. From there I can fire up the generator as needed to recharge the battery bank if, for whatever reason, the PV array does not keep the charge up on the battery bank.

5KW Generator - gasoline powered

Three (3) 40watt Photovoltaic (pv) Panels

60W Charger controller/Battery charger -

Battery bank - 2 12VDC 26Ah AGM Sealed Lead Acid Batteries

Trip-Lite 1000W Inverter

Trip-Lite 500W Inverter


QTH Antenna Farm

MULTI BAND ANTENNAS –

Gap CHALLENGER DX - 8 Band Multiband DX Antenna covering 80m 40m 20m 15m 12m 10m 6m 2m

PRINCETON G5RV - 1500W 102FT Multi Band 10-80m Dipole HF antenna

Diamond D-130J - 25-1300MHz Continuous Coverage Super Wideband Antenna


10/20 METER BASE & CITIZENS BAND ANTENNAS –

Solarcon I-MAX 2000 - 24ft Omni-Directional Fiberglass Base Station Antenna 5000 Watts w/ optional Ground Plane

Solarcon A-99 - half wave over a quarter wave variable mutual inductance 10-20M Vertical Antenna w/ GPK-1 Ground Plane Kit

102'' Whip - Stainless Steel resonant, full-sized quarter-wave vertical antenna


2M/1.25M/70CM ANTENNAS –

Homebrew 2-meter HALO -

Comet CX-333 - a heavy duty, 2-section fiberglass, tri-band (144/222/440) vertical base antenna. It is mounted at about 30 feet. The antenna is ran through a CFX-324B Triplexer and a MFJ-817C SWR/Wattmeter. This vertical works great!

Comet CFX-324B Triplexer - band-pass filter, simultaneously passing RF in both directions through the common connector while the band-pass filters provide a high degree of isolation between ports.

Depending how I install it, this triplexer allows me to:

TX and RX from three radios at the same time into a single tri-band antenna.
Combine a triband radio with separate outputs into a single triband antenna.
Allow a single coax run into three antennas at the top of the tower, and three radios at the bottom, by using triplexer at both ends of the coax run, avoiding cost and weight.
MFJ-873 Grandmaster SWR/Watt meter - large 3.25x1.25 inch precision illuminated meter for easy wide-angle viewing. A highly visible black and red meter scale on a bright white background makes it quick and easy to read SWR, forward or reflected power. Meter lamp requires 13.8 VDC or 110 VAC. Power pigtail included for wiring. A functional and simple front panel layout lets you select power ranges, bands or make SWR readings intuitively. Features an SWR scale that expands the full view of the meter 3:1 SWR is centered at mid-scale to give you precision and wide-range measurements, peak and average, forward and reflected power readings and have selectable power ranges. Housed in an all metal cabinet with rubber feet and protected by durable speckled black paint. A designer injection molded grey front panel perfectly matches any transceiver. Air dielectric SO-239 connectors with gold plated center pins gives superb performance to beyond 525MHz. Precisely calibrated for accurate measurements. Covers VHF/UHF (125 - 525 MHz). 5, 20, 200 Watt power ranges.

MFJ-817C SWR/Wattmeter - covers 2 meters, 220 MHz and 440 MHz. The extra-large 3 inch Cross Needle Meter reads SWR and peak/average for forward and reflected power. Power ranges: 200/2 Watts forward and 50/5 Watts reflected. Reads SWR from 1:1 and 8:1. This new version has a special TrueActive™ peak reading circuit that reads true peak or average forward/reflected power at a glance. The meter lamp uses 12 VDC or optional MFJ-1312D power supply. There is a momentary switch for dial illumination.

Par Electronics VHFTN 152-158 VHF Notch Filter - I use a notch filter on the Comet. It cleans up all the junk and does not seem to effect ham reception. It does knock down some of the NOAA weather stations, if you like to DX NOAA WX. The strong NOAA stations come through great though. The filter works wonderful!

M2 2M HO LOOP Antenna - [mounted at about 30 feet] For quick and easy communications up to 200 miles or more, the new 2M HO LOOP provides an omni directional, HORIZONTALLY polarized signal ideal for mobile and base operations on sideband and CW. Horizontal polarity permits a single HO loop to pick up 4+dB of ground gain that verticals can't. As with most horizontally polarized antennas, performance improves dramatically with height above ground. By stacking two HO LOOPS, another big gain jump occurs (see pattern and note great reduction of high angle lobes). HO LOOPS do not need a counterpoise, so mounting options are simplified. Mounting 18” high, in the middle of a vehicle roof produces 2 dB gain in a ball pattern upward for LEO satellite and modest terrestrial operation.

Physically, the 2M HO LOOP is an 11.25” square loop, fabricated from two 3/8” diameter. aluminum tubes to minimize losses. The sealed feed block provides weather protection with minimum wind drag. The heart of this unique design is the shorted stub matching to a 50 ohm coax feed line. Mounting is via a single 3/8" hole (standard mobile mounting hardware size).

For more performance, try the HO LOOP-STACK PACKAGE: 2 HO LOOPS, phasing lines, “T” junction block, upper and lower ½ “and 5/8” mast sections. For easy base-station installation use the optional wall / mast mounting bracket and U-bolts.



MOBILE SETUP

PRIMARY –

Kenwood TM-D710A 144/440 MHz operating an Echolink node

KANTRONICS TALON UDC (Universal Data Controller) Data Radio w/ optional built-in GPS receiver, which converts the Talon into a stand-alone location transmitter for automatic vehicle location (AVL) applications

Cobra 29 NW LTD Classic with Astatic Microphone

SECONDARY –

Kenwood TM-271A 2 meter 60 watt DoD MIL-STD 810 transceiver running a Diamond magnet mount mobile 2M

(No Longer in Use) Uniden Beartracker BCT2 Scanner - Pre-Programmed Scanning Radio with Highway Patrol Warning Alert, Fully Pre-Programmed memory contains all frequencies for Highway Patrol, D.O.T., Local Police and Weather, Band Coverage includes Low, High, UHF and UHF "T" public service bands so you won't miss out on any of the action. DELETE permits you to skip unwanted frequencies when scanning. PRIORITY insures that you will not miss an alarm while listening to transmissions on another frequency.



HANDHELD (HT)

Kenwood TH-K2AT MIL-STD 2 meter [144 MHz] 5/1.5/0.5 W VHF HT with NiMH battery

KENWOOD TK-290 VHF HT with a KMC-25 speaker mic

KENWOOD TK-380 UHF HT with a KMC-25 speaker mic

MOTOROLA HT1250LS UHF HT



GO KIT / portable setup

PORTABLE BASE EQUIPMENT –

All equipment is mounted in two (2) Gator G-PRO-6U-19 - Roto-molded 6 Space 19" Rackable Depth stackable Rack Cases that have removable Front/Rear Lids w/ Penn Elcom Twist Latches and a 19" 2U Rack Mountable Utility Drawer installed. This setup can be transported and setup in a field location at a moments notice!

AMATEUR RADIO –

Yaesu FT-857D HF/VHF/UHF mobile transceiver (see QTH BASE STATION EQUIPMENT for more details about radio) w/ a MH-59A8J Remote Control DTMF Microphone, a GAP HEAR IT SPEAKER with built in DSP filtering and a YAESU FC-30 Automatic Antenna Tuner running a G5RV 1500W 102FT Multi Band 10-80m Dipole HF antenna

Yaesu FT-8900R QUADBAND 29/50/144/430 VHF/UHF Full Duplex Transceiver running a homebrew 2M HALO suspended in a tree or a DIAMOND D-130J 25-1300mhz continuous coverage super discone wideband antenna on a MILITARY SURPLUS PORTABLE FIELD TOWER.

Kenwood TM-D710A 144/440 MHz operating an Echolink node

KANTRONICS TALON UDC (Universal Data Controller) Data Radio w/ optional built-in GPS receiver, which converts the Talon into a stand-alone location transmitter.

UNIDEN BEARCAT BC898T Scanner running a DIAMOND D-130J 25-1300MHz Continuous Coverage Super Discone Wideband Antenna on a MILITARY SURPLUS PORTABLE FIELD TOWER.

Everything keeps its cool thanks to a PROCOOL CUSTOM set of four (4) Lime Green LED (2U) Rack Mounted Cooling Fans.

CITIZENS BAND –

COBRA 29 NW LTD CLASSIC with Astatic Microphone running a SOLARCON A-99 half wave over a quarter wave variable mutual inductance 10-20M Vertical Antenna w/ the GPK-1 Ground Plane Kit on a MILITARY SURPLUS PORTABLE FIELD TOWER.

PARA DYNAMICS PDC-2 100 watt compact 3-function Power/SWR Meter to indicate the condition of any 52 ohm antenna and antenna coax used for Citizens Band radio operation by testing for Standing Wave Ratio, relative RF power, or field strength.

PORTABLE ANTENNA FARM –

Two (2)MILITARY SURPLUS PORTABLE FIELD TOWERS – each consisting of twelve (12) - 48" Aluminum Antenna Mast sections, swivel stake/base, and guy kit

G5RV 1500W 102FT Multi Band 10-80m Dipole HF antenna.

102'' WHIP - Stainless Steel resonant, full-sized quarter-wave vertical antenna.

SOLARCON A-99 half wave over a quarter wave variable mutual inductance 10-20M Vertical Antenna w/ the GPK-1 Ground Plane Kit.

DIAMOND D-130J 25-1300MHz Continuous Coverage Super Discone Wideband Antenna

SOLARCON I-MAX 2000 24ft Omni-Directional Fiberglass Base Station Antenna 5000 Watts w/ optional Ground Plane kit.

MFJ-842 VHF/UHF SWR WATTMETER - Compact VHF/UHF SWR/Wattmeter. Has huge 3" Cross-needle meter and reads forward and reflected power and SWR simultaneously at a single glance. Perfect for mobile or portable operation. This meter covers 140 to 525 MHz. Minimum input power is 1 watt. Power accuracy is 10%.
Two selectable power ranges 15/150 watts forward and 5/50 watts reflected. The rear panel features SO-239 jacks for RF input and output. Built-in meter illumination, if desired, uses 12 VDC or 110 VAC with optional adapter, MFJ-1312D. 3.35 x 3.45 x 3.75 inches.

PORTABLE POWER –

AMERICAN AUDIO PDP-850 PRO POWER DISTRIBUTION PANEL - Power Distribution panel with seven 3-prong power plugs and pull-out work lights for your rack. Seven (7) switched A/C outlets [grounded & protected] on rear of unit, & one (1) unswitched A/C outlet on front of panel. 20A breaker reset button on front panel. Dual L.E.D. pull-out lights with dimmer control knob. USB charge receptacle on front panel. Great for lighting up racks. Takes up single space rack mount.

POWERWERX SPS-30DM Variable 25A Power Supply w/ Digital Meters – Features dual metered digital Amps/Volts display

SUPER PWRGATE PG40S - 12 volt backup power system controller by West Mountain Radio rated at 40 amperes continuous from either a Power Supply or a Battery, built-in four-stage battery charger with selectable current rates of 1, 4, 7 or 10 amperes. Connected equipment will instantly switch to battery during a power blackout or power supply failure. Uses two 80 ampere Schottky diodes as an OR-Gate to isolate the battery and power supply from each other. Low loss PWRgate provides forward voltage drop of less than 0.3 volts at 20 A and 0.37 volts at 40 A. Optimized for use with GELLED & AGM type batteries, but will keep flooded lead acid and marine type batteries near full charge as well. Solid, durable construction in an aluminum case with heat sink. Includes mounting holes for convenient and secure use in mobile units. Uses Anderson Powerpole® connectors. Dimensions: 1.65" H x 5.25" W x 3.9" D

5KW GENERATOR gasoline powered

Three (3)40 WATT SOLAR PANELS

160W CHARGER CONTROLLER –

BATTERY BANK – 2 12VDC 26Ah AGM Sealed Lead Acid Batteries

TRIP-LITE 1000W INVERTER

TRIP-LITE 500W INVERTER



Future Plans - (things I want to get)

Elecraft K3/100 TRANSCEIVER {Kit version} - 100 W 160-2 meter ALL-band/ALL-mode High Performance Transceiver for home, mobile, or field use. Operates in data modes (PSK31/RTTY) with or without a PC

All bands: 160-2 meter ham-band coverage (K144XV option installed)
All modes: SSB, CW, AM, FM, Data
High-contrast, full-custom LCD with alphanumeric text display
100-Watts
Professional-Grade 32-bit I.F. DSP (dual DSPs with KRX3 sub receiver installed)
Rich I/O complement (see rear-panel illustration above)
Built-in PSK/RTTY decode/encode allows data mode operation without a PC by using your CW keyer paddle
Transverter I/O, RX Ant & IF Output (KXV3a Interface option installed)
High performance DDS/PLL Synthesizer with TCXO reference
All radio firmware updateable with K3Utility software


* Options:

KRX3 - High Performance Sub-receiver
KAT3 - 100 W Internal Auto-tuner with 2 Ant. Jacks
KBPF3 - General Coverage Receive Band-pass Filters
KDVR3 - Digital Voice Recorder
P3 - Panadapter (requires KXV3 or KXV3a)
KFL3A-( ) 8-pole Fixed-Width Roofing Filters: .25, .40, 1.0, 1.8, 2.1, 2.8, 6.0 (AM), 13 kHz (FM)
KFL3A-( ) 5-pole Fixed-Width Roofing Filters: .20, .50, and 2.7 kHz (2.7 kHz supplied with K3)
KTCXO3-1 - 1 ppm TCXO (typ. 0.5 PPM over 10-50 C)
KUSB - USB Adapter (FTDI Chipset)
MH2 - Elecraft Hand Microphone
KPA