Biography
Greetings from Falmouth, the southernmost town on Cape Cod and home to the world renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory. (The 1975 blockbuster movie Jaws was partially filmed here.)
I can't remember a time when I wasn't fascinated by radio. As a little kid I wanted a radio that I could talk on just like my state trooper dad. In my teens I discovered the Walker Tompkins, K6ATX (SK) books CQ Ghost Ship and SOS At Midnight (out of print, but highly recommended). One Christmas my parents got me a general coverage Globe Electronics "Globe 'Ceiver." I practiced on an old Eico code oscillator and read the red and black ARRL license manual backwards and forwards, but didn't take the test until much later in 1979 (40 years ago!). I upgraded to Advanced in 1980 and Extra in 2002. Radio was magic back in those days - and still is!
Upon my retirement in late 2016 I returned home to Cape Cod and re-joined the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association after an approximate 25 year absence. I'm also a member of ARRL (VE and Registered License Instructor), QCWA, SKCC and the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. My modest station consists of an Icom 7600 with an Icom 746 Pro and Atlas 210X as backups. My HF antenna is a ground mounted vertical and Palstar AT1KP tuner. VHF/UHF equipment is all Yaesu.
Besides radio, I love planes, trains, guns, music, cats, dogs, and kids - especially kids! - I'm blessed with eight beautiful grandchildren, four boys and four girls. I'm married to Jane, KA1YAO who has kept me straightened out for over 35 years.
I play guitar with several bluegrass groups, and also play around with my 1952 MG TD replica sportster. A few years back, I was a pilot with Angel Flight, providing free air transportation for medical patients. I've also been (in no particular order) a trucker, limo driver, bouncer, children's protective social worker, state right-of-way agent, police dispatcher, VP and commercial lender at several commercial banks, and wireless network developer. In late 2016 I retired from 21 years in the wireless industry, having most recently worked on LTE network upgrades for AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. Now that I'm retired I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.
73, Bill
Worked DXCCs:
Equipment
Icom 7600, Icom 746 Pro, Atlas 210X, Yaesu FT-7900, Yaesu 7800, Yaesu 1900, Yaesu FT-60R, S9 43' vertical, Palstar AT1KP tuner, K1JEK Cobra Ultra Lite dipole, Astron RS-35M power supply