Biography

I am enjoying my new HAM Radio hobby BUT it is getting expensive....should have known.  Harleys, guns, now radios. Maybe my hobby should be read a book and watch TV....Hi Hi

Equipment

Pretty awesome how I always have a justification for my radio purchases.  XYL doesn't think so; but so far it is working...but I was pushing it with the amp...

Here is my HAM story.

Started in the 1980s listening to shortwave with this Icom IC-R71A; which is now retired from SWL.

I got my Tech license 12/14/2021 and my General a few days later 12/17/2021.

Finally got my Extra 03/28/2023 and that started my curiosty with electronics.

My first HAM radio was Icom IC-7100 with a MFJ 939I Autotuner.  Now using a Buddipole Antenna system and a Bioenno Power battery for doing portable work.

Then I had to go mobile so the Icom IC-2730A is for mobile work with a Diamond Antenna Dual-Band Mobile Antennas NR770HRKS

Felt a need to step it up some so the Icom IC-7300 with a LDG AT-1000Pro II Autotuner. I connected it to a MyAntenna.com EFLW-3K End Fed 202-Foot-Long Wire Antenna and a MyAntenna.com End Fed Dipole EFHW-7510-2K-Plus deployed 90 degrees to one another about 30 feet up.

This was just too cool to pass up so I got this Icom IC-9700 hooked to a Diamond Antenna X300A Dual-Band Base/Repeater Antennas X300A.

I needed a YAESU FT5D so I have C4FM capabilities. Icom is all D-Star.  Wish I had more power with this when doing simplex.

Then I needed/wanted a Yaesu FT-70D so I have something less expensive for fox hunts.  I'm sure the FT-5D would have worked fine but I am an aspiring HAM... :-)

Next was the ANYTONE AT-D878UVII Plus so now I have DMR capabilities which should now cover me for all digital communications.

Then the kids in the neighborhood brought up a 1.25 meter repeater; soooooo I needed this ANYTONE AT-5888UVIII Tri-Band FM Transceiver so now I have 1.25 meter capabilities.

Then I invested in a ZumSpot hot spot because there are no DMR, D-Star, or Wires-X repeaters I can reach from my QTH.  Figures, after I invested in a Fusion and DMR radio. It is working good.

To finish out my shack I got the ICOM PW2 amplifier.  I don't do too many contests or DX work yet, but when I do I use the ICOM PW2. :-)  So far seems to be working OK.

Latest thing, I put up a new vertical antenna.  It is a Comet CHA-250HD at 37 feet.  Seems to be working ok.  Below that are my two myantenna EFHWs.  The discone is for the scanner and the 1.25 meter.

Soooo, just like learning to ride a bicycle when I was a kid morphed into having a couple of motorcycles and more than 1/4 million miles of motorcycle riding.  So, HAM radio has peaked my interest into electronics, which I knew very little about.  So then I audited some electronics classes at BC3 and had to build a bench.  And I'm still learning, there is so much....

I am having fun with all of this but there is sooo much to learn. (But I love learning new stuff).

Thanks for checking out my page.  73 Jim