Biography

I became interested in electronics at a very young age. Built my first crystal set with no help at age 5. Tesla must have been in the static because it sparked an interest in ham and cb radio that I’ve grown to love! Built first HAM radio with my grandfather at age 8. It was a New kit a HealthKit hw-101. My first commercial C.B. was a Lafayette Comstat model 25A the A had the range boost circuit and a audio circuit that used an unused half of that 12ax7 in the mic preamp (that many manufacturers skipped it) with it though it had way more punch. Almost too much if you ran one of those famous Astatic D-104 on it!

My first handietalkie for C.B. wat a TRC-216 then a TRC-221 with a 5pin d104m6b had mike on it lol
Vhf was shacks Icom that htx-202 non modified couldn’t be either but man it fought intermod like a mad man.

As well as completing industrial electronic and mechanical training. F.C.C licensed ham since 1994. Moved in 98 to Tampa, Fl. In 00 Master in Broadcast and Electronic Engineering at Tampa Technical Institute. Worked at a local television repair shop while while going to night classes. Graduated and worked at a local UHF television station. We changed the analog antenna and transmitter to digital transmission for the 2008-9 transition. The Depression of 2009 hit the tv repair industry hard. We continued at the station until covid. I trained and then became a essential health care employe and worked at a medical dispensary for medical cannabis for the time. It was a source of income for the time. As time and conditions improved in the world, we decided the industry and job wasn't utilizing my most valuable skills and the work I enjoy most.
I looked for work remote and found a job out of state. I now work and live in Reston, VA (was remote as a tech.) as an electronic engineer.

Equipment

Primary Rig - Icom 7300 with an ElectroVoice RE-27 N/D Mic
Secondary Rig- Kenwood TS-950SDX with an ElectroVoice RE-20B Mic (I love the audio to and from this rig on AM and ESSB @ 6khz + wide) My "HIFI - VOODOO AUDIO" Rig.
Amplifiers are Ameritron AL-1500X, Heathkit SB-220 W/ X2 Bandswitch and Harbach Mods
Mobile Amps are a Skymaster 1kw or a Ameritron AL-500 with a Tarhill Screwdriver type Antenna model A-100 or Hustler Super Res. for mobile opps.

DC / Gen Backup - Kenwood TS-2000X with a dc mobile amp on a 25hp gas gen 12kw continuous backup generator with a redundant 2kw solar and 500 amp hour lithium glass mat battery backup power supply for that no fuel situation.

Mobile - Kenwood TS-480SAT with Tarhill Screwdriver type antenna with 12” cap hat and use a 8ft whip with a big corona ball will load up on 160m with it to 17m. Then I use a Willison 5000 roof mount for 15-10m ...

The vhf rig is a old kdk that makes about 10w to drive a 250w brick. The sg-7900 antenna I have to run it on low to keep it at the 150w power limit. Keep hi power transmissions short as possible lol. UHF I use a maxtrac or a gm300

For Backpack Portable and Fixed QRP - Now have a Icom IC-705, I use for digital and remote opps. or for backup, I use my lil baby Yaesu model FT-817D (it’s so cute!) lol! with a heil hc-4 microphone element and a w4rt compressor amplifier within the mic. And I use a mfj-1799 multi tap 1/4 wave telescoping antenna with a tape measure counterpoise in my portable to go kit and I Love it!!!

My fixed station antennas used to be in a 50’ x 100’ lot. So getting a signal out of here is a bit of a fun challenge.
Horizontal Antennas that I have fixed are @ 35ft and I have a vertical it’s a Hustler BTV-5 @ 10ft above ground roof mounted. A Dedicated 31ft 1/4 wave vertical for 40m and 63ft inverted L for 75m.

Currently, I am in a 3 level garden style apartment with a 35ft single piece downspout and a 70ft gutter tied electrically with a single teflon wire inside for bonding. I feed the base of it with a 4:1 Unun made by DX Engineering for the 43ft Verticals. This also has a 4ft copper ground rod with 3 single 1/4 wavelength radials (tuned for max current) @ 35, 65 and 135ft (40-80-160m) This plays with a tuner nicely on 10 - 160m for complete HF coverage with the tuner and at up to full "QRO" power levels. For up to 100w RG174 would work. Up to 500w with RG58. But with the QRO levels and high currents possible (especially while tuning "if and when" at high power) I now use a teflon dielectric or LMR-400. Handles up to 3kw PEP SSB. An HOA stealth setup.
The Amp is on commercial 208V 120hz Y Delta AC power. Yes the only outlet with 200+ volts and 30+ amps of current is feeding the washer dryer combo. Yes, I checked the wiring to the outlet for size. It's 8 gauge and less than 20ft from the breaker box with a 40 amp breaker. I am using the dryer plug with a Y splitter. I only use one appliance at a time, but this makes it easier to go back and forth. I have a 25ft #8awg 3 conductor with ground, with a 30amp plug for my AL-1500X amp to plug into for an extension cord across the hallway into the room. Yes, using the green wire tap on the on peter dahl transformer, I make approximately 3500v at idle and about 3100v under a full load. Easily makes legal limit even with these conditions. Yes QRO on a gutter I can look out the window from my shack and see. It's about 8-10 ft away from the operating position. No RF warning light here! No touchy when I key-upy.


Antennas for Mobile are Tarhill A-100 6-160m
Wilson 5000 Magnet Mount for 10-15m
Diamond Supergainer SG-7900 2m & 70cm
Outbacker Purth Plus

2007 P71 Crown Vic w/100ah Lithium Batt.

Located at the Atrium building in downtown Reston, VA. A VHF Repeater, an ol' analog but digital capable MSF-5000 110w model running @ 50w at the antennas.
The input is 147.975mHz with a 131.8Hz PL tone to access output on 147.375mHz
It’s a low profile machine and only up about 450ft above sea level and 45ft above the street level.