Biography

Greetings,

I live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States in Salem, Oregon. I am a retired Software Engineer and Computer Science Professor. I am also a Disabled American Veteran having served in the United States Marine Corps as a Staff Sergeant of Marines.
I have only been an amateur radio operator a short time having earned my Technician license in March 2017 – I upgraded to General class in August of 2017. I got involved in amateur radio late in life feeling a need for a challenging pass time in retirement. I am studying for and hope to take the Amateur Extra exam by the end of 2019 or early 2020. I am also studying CW.

I also do Wires-X but without a Yaesu radio. I use a powered Silver Eagle microphone (a custom job) developed (re-engineered) by W8DMI connected directly to an HRI-200 to connect to Wires X in my shack. No radio needed, just the HRI-200, a computer with Wires X software, and the microphone; the sound quality is awesome. My Wires-X node number is: 40766. I usually have my node up and running during the day and early evenings and welcome QSOs in my room.

What I Feel Qualifies as a Valid QSO on the Digital Modes

If I send you a signal report and receive a signal report in reply (or vice versa), I log the contact. I could find nothing in the ARRL rules stating you have to exchange 73’s to make it a valid QSO, just callsigns and signal reports. In the September 2018 issue of QST, Joe Taylor – K1JT, stated, “If you have received RRR – that is, a definite acknowledgment of all of your information – your QSO is officially complete.” If we exchange 73's, wonderful, it is nice to be cordial and wish each other well or further confirm the contact with 73’s and as a rule I will always attempt to do just that, but I will also log QSOs with just signal reports.

I log via QRZ, eQSL, and LOTW (daily). If you send me a QSL card, I will send one back; no postage or SASE necessary.

Semper Fi and 73

Darrel, W7DDE

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

My HF rig is a Yaesu FT-991A paired with a LDG Autotuner. I have a Kenwood TM-D710G I use for Packet as well as a backup for VHF/UHF. My mobile rig is an FTM-400DR.
My antennas are a BuckMaster Off-Center-Dipole (6 - 80 meters), an EMCOMM II (6 - 160 meters) antenna, a 10-meter Moxan set up as a portable, and a 20-meter dipole in my attic for backup. I also have two Diamond X-50A antennas, one in my attic for the Kenwood and the other on my roof for my FT-991A.