Biography

I was born in Texas. During WWII, my grandmother and mother bought a Philco Safari radio with multiple bands, and we listened (I didn't understand a lot since I was two or three years old) to world news and followed my father's unit across Europe to defeat the Nazis. I became fascinated with the Philco and started a logbook of AM stations I listened to.

In the 1950s, my uncle gave me a Hallicrafter shortwave radio. I earned a Novice license in 1965 with the call sign WN5LYH with a Viking Adventurer transmitter (see my photograph of my current station as it is at the top of the rack) and an Heathkit receiver. My first contact was with station in San Angelo, Texas--CW, of course. The ham that tested me for my novice had his antennas mounted on a windmill in his backyard on Austin Avenue near East Elementary in Brownwood, Texas.

My Uncle Quimby Ragsdale gave me the Hallicrafter. During WWII, Uncle Quimby helped set the crystals in Navy vessels taking part in the Normandy invasion in 1944.

I went on to Texas A&M and started teaching at Amarillo College. In the 1980s, I took my General license with the callsign N5LWM. I used the Farnsworth vinyl records to come up to 13 wpm in code to pass the test. A good system, learning at 13 wpm to begin with and the "musical" sounds of code. For a time, I came under a vanity callsign WA5LYH (offshoot of my WN5LYH).

Over the years, I've made many contacts. I enjoy DXing and belonging to nets, especially the YL SSB net and the Foreign Service Net as I earned a PhD in history with a specialty in consular relations.

I will remain active in ham radio. I am studying the the Extra Class license and am always trying to get the best power out of my rig and antennas.

Equipment

Transceiver: Icom IC-718
CW Transmitter: Johnson Viking Adventurer (currently offline, needs a new tube)
External Speaker: Icom SP-41
Microphone: Icom SM-50
Antenna Tuner: Icom IC-AT500
Antenna Tuner: Icom AH-4
Antenna Tuner: Icom AH-2
Phone Patch: Icom Phone Patch (landline capable)
Transmission line: RG-8u coax
Isotron Antennas: 15, 20, 40, and 80 meters (I live under HOA restrictions.)
Power Supply: Alinco EP-3030
Power Supply: Icom DC power supply PS-125