Biography

--Notice--- I request a SASE for all card requests! I'm in a rare state and rare grid square and I receive a lot of cards. I send an SASE with all of my card requests. Please do the same. All of my QSO's are also uploaded to LoTW. For the 3905 CC nets, I'm GIB. If I recieve your card without and SASE it will go back via the 3905CC bureau. If I get an SASE it will come back direct in the SASE. If you send a card without a SASE and your not GIB you will be SOL. I'm a medically retired police officer. Sorry, but I can't afford to help pay for your awards.

I got my Novice ticket in October 1986, upgraded to Tech in December 1986, General in January 1987, and upgraded to Advanced in February 1987. It was later in 1987 that I passed the 20 wpm code test and I upgraded to Extra in the spring of 1988. I enjoyed HF SSB contesting and DX’ing but I found something else I enjoyed much more. I got my first 2 meter all mode rig in March 1987 and as I was able to add a bigger antenna and a brick amplifier I found myself spending most of my time on weak signal VHF. I was the only ham in my grid, EM41, on 2 meter weak signal and when the band was open it was like being the DX station with the pile ups. A friend, N5JBZ, now a SK would bring his 6 meter rig over and set up portable and we won Mississippi in every VHF contest we entered. I got my own 6 meter rig in 1989 and once again I got to be that DX station every time the band was open.

At my last QTH where I spent 22 years, I ended up with three Rohn 25G towers. On the 1st tower I had a KLM KT34XA at 70 feet, a stacked Cushcraft 4218xl’s. Around 2004 or 2005 I added a 9wl M2 for 432 MHz. On a second tower I had a 2 element Cushcraft 40 meter beam at 50 feet. I believe it was 2006 when the 40 meter beam came down to make room for a 4 bay array of M2 2M5wl’s and I moved my 5 element 6 meter antenna from above the old 40 meter beam to a 35 foot tower.

My 1st HF rig, that I’m slowly refurbishing, was a Drake TR-4C. I had a Yaesu FT 101E with a 6 meter transverter and a Kenwood TR-9130 2 meter all mode. In 1993 I upgraded the HF and 6 meter rigs with a Kenwood TS-690S. I kept running and I’m still running an Amp Supply LK 500-ZC amplifier (I Smoked some caps a few years ago and still haven't got output pack on 160M yet, but I'm working on it.). It was 2003 or 2004 when I acquired an Icom IC 756 Pro II that I still run along with a Down East Microwave 2 meter transverter. Having the 2 meter transverter on the IC 756 Pro II allowed me to get bit by the EME bug after acquiring an old 2 meter Commander amplifier. I later up graded the Commander with my Lunar Link Systems LA-22. The Lunar Link is a work of art. Steve, K1FO, is missed by many.

The 4 bay EME array was fed with 1 5/8” heliax, HF, 6 meters, and 70 cm was fed wit 7/8” heliax and the terrestrial 2 meter antennas were fed with 1 5/8” heliax. I picked up another rig for terrestrial 2 meters and as a back up for the transverter, a Kenwood TS-790A which I still use for 2, 432 and I have added the 1296 module.

At my new QTH where I have up 63 feet of Rohn 45 but I’ve yet to get the guy anchors done and my antennas up. Right now I have my 6 meter antenna up on a 35 foot push up mast fed with 7/8” heliax and I just stuck one of the 2M5wl’s up at about 15 feet for meteor scatter and maybe some EME when the moon is on the rise. I hope to have everything back up and running 100% by May 2017. Aftr that I’ll work on getting a 2 element 40 back up and then maybe I can get the 4 x 2M5wl’s back up for EME. Early Feb. 2017 I got my inverted L up for 160. I've got over a half of a mile of buried radials down and it plays good. On 160 a low noise RX antenna is a MUST. I'm running a simple loop with a preamp.

Worked DXCCs: