Biography

Good Day,

My name is Dobie Hoffman, I've been involved in 2 way communications ever since my Uncle Tony bought himself a base station CB radio back in the mid 70's. I helped him install his antenna, and when he turned that radio on and all the world was coming in I was amazed, and hooked. I was 13 at the time and knew I had to have one, so I worked In the tobacco fields all summer, with my earnings, and with a little credit from our local privately owned Western Auto Store I purchased my first 2 way radio. It was a fancy rig for a CB, a TRS Challenger 40 channel w/ssb. ( I've actually done the 10 meter conversion to it and use it once in a while to keep it working.)

A good friend of mine Robert Hewitt "WD4OGS" always urged me to get my ham ticket because he knew how much I enjoyed the hobby, but life, school, and work kept me from pursuing it. I finished High School, and went straight into full time work, taking college classes by correspondence. (Cleveland Institution of Electronics.) Thinking electronics would be a great field to get into, but here in the eastern part of N.C. there was very little call for it, and pay was minimal. Leaving the electronics field (My first true love). I worked in a factory for the next 7 years. After a big lay off I became a truck driver and travelled the country. Finally after deciding to get married, I knew I had to give that life up.( Any of you whom are, or were truck drivers know why i'm sure.) I finally took a job here in my home town with the county school system, which finally gave me time to get my ham ticket. So in September 2012 after 6 months of study I went to New Bern took the test and achieved my Tech, and General class license in the same session.

I would like to give Bob," WD4OGS" a big thanks for giving me that push so many years ago, and off and on right on up to the time I finally quit procrastinating and got my ticket. Your right Bob their is a whole new world out there.

73's and thanks for stopping by.

Update: Our Club The Onslow Amateur Radio Club, successfully made the ARISS contact With International Space Station for a school in our county. (Dixon Elementary School) The internet show Ham Radio Now produced a video of it. It's called ARISS to the Max. Google it and have a look. I'm the main operator. We put this contact together in 3 months (As a normal clubs get 12 to 18 months to prepare for it, we were told by a much larger club that it wouldn't happen. We sure showed them!) I do not think I have ever been under that much stress in my life, and of all times to be sick, it had to be during that time.

Update: Successfully taken the Extra class test as of May 2014, and am now practicing code. (I would like to be a know code Xtra)

Dobie Hoffman
KK4MGK
President: Onslow Amateur Radio Club

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

Radios: Icom IC-746, LDG AT-1000 Pro Antenna Tuner, Kenwood TS-430S complete station, Yaesu FT-2500M 2 meter mobile, Anytone AT-5888UV III dual band mobile.
I use a EuroRack UB1204 FX Pro sound board to pipe the audio from my Sure Condenser Mic to the rear input of the Icom.
Amplifier: Ameritron AL-811H, Homebrew 10 meter sweep tube (I built myself)
Antennas: 80-6 meter OCF Dipole (also home made), Workman 2/440 base. Browning 2/440 mobile (NMO Type)

Test Equipment: MFJ-259B Antenna Analyzer, BK Precision O'scope, VC3165 Freq counter,
a Variac, Micronta Multimeter, Radio Shack Digital Soldering Station.
Just to many things to be listed.