Biography

Hi there!

I’m Bart, and I live with my family in the hamlet of Bos, part of the city of Zoutleeuw in Belgium.

Interests

While studying electricity and electronics (late 90’s), I found myself increasingly drawn to computers, especially Unix and Linux systems such as SunOS, Yellow Dog, and Slackware. This passion shaped my career path, eventually leading me into professional roles centered on these technologies. Over time, I broadened my scope further by moving into data and site reliability engineering.

How did I get into HAM?

My previous hobby was technical diving, specializing in rebreather diving with a range of mixed gases. Unfortunately, a medical issue forced me to step away from diving and explore new interests. Inspired by my stepfather, ON3WGJ, an active amateur radio (HAM) enthusiast, I soon realized that radio technology perfectly matched my technical curiosity and passion.

What do I use?

To start, I purchased a few antennas; a HWEF HyEndFed covering the 80/40/20/15/10 meter bands, and a Diamond X-5000 for 70cm and 2m. I began exploring the airwaves using an SDR connected to a Raspberry Pi, which I still use today for uploading my FT8, FT4, and WSPR spots. Once I earned my certification, I upgraded to a Yaesu FT-991A transceiver and later bought an Icom 7300mk2 for HF operations.




 

Equipment

Antenna: HWEF HyEndFed covering the 80/40/20/15/10 meter
Radio: Icom 7300mk2