Biography

I was first licensed as an amateur radio operator in 1961 at the age of 13 as WN4BDW...later WA4BDW, and recently celebrated my 60th year in the hobby. I changed my call sign to N4KC in the 1970s when I got my Extra Class license. I enjoyed a 22-year career in broadcasting and was twice named BILLBOARD magazine's "Broadcast Personality of the Year." I later worked for a company that developed software for radio, TV and ad agencies, then spent 4 years with Arbitron (now Nielsen), the company that provided audience rating information for radio broadcasters. I retired as vice-president of advertising and marketing communications for Education Corporation of America to write full time.

I'm an author with over two dozen books published...details at http://www.donkeith.com. My book HUNTER KILLER was the basis for the movie of the same name starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman. I write extensively about WWII history, biographies of interesting people, and military thriller and historical fiction. One of my latest books is RIDING THE SHORTWAVES: EXPLORING THE MAGIC OF AMATEUR RADIO, available in regular paperback or as an e-book. Info at http://www.n4kc.com, where I also have numerous articles available about our wonderful hobby.

My QTH is Indian Springs Village, Alabama, a small town in Shelby County, near Birmingham, grid square EM-63pi. I enjoy working SSB, digital modes, and CW on HF as well as two-meter FM and SSB. The rig is a Kenwood TS-590S in the shack for 160 through 6 and I add an Ameritron AL-80B linear amplifier when I need a few dB of extra oomph. I also have a Yaesu FT-857D in the car and as the key part of my "go station," which also includes an MFJ 25-amp switching 12-volt power supply and a Transworld Backpacker quick-setup antenna. I have a Comet antenna on the truck with "stingers" for 10, 15, 17, 20 and 40 meters mobile as well as 2M and 70CM.

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

Kenwood TS-590S, MFJ-998 Auto-tuner, Ameritron AL-80B amplifier, SignaLink USB for digital modes, and all with an antenna farm that includes a 6-band hexbeam, a G5RV, a ladder-line fed dipole, a Hustler 4-BTV vertical, and an almost-500-foot-long horizontal loop. I use a Yaesu FT-857D in the vehicle and as part of my "go kit."