Biography

HELLO WORLD . I am interested in DXing, antenna construction, I have been a Cubicl Quad fanatic from the start. Having built many multielement and Phased quads in my youth and middle age of life, Also I like Verticals and the Integrating of antenna systems,restoring vintage gear,operating AM,SSB,CW and Digital modes. I have an avid interest in Flying ,Restoring and model R/C, This was the main reason for getting into ham Radio to further my interest in Radio contorol as a amateur license was required to operate the aircraft this led me to get my pilots liscense and my interest in the Great Sport of RADIO. I have a restored Boeing Stearman that I rebuilt in the 80's. It is the 4th one that I have rebuilt and flown along with 17 other aircraft. I Like to build big antennas like multi element Quads, one of project was a full size four square for 75 meters. I completed it in 2007. It uses a homebrew hybrid coupler and it is works great. I think you will agree.The ant has a 400' feed line of Andrews hard line that connects it to the shack. JB Jenkins W5EU mentored me on this project. He has been a great help and friend for several years. I think his system is one of the best in the world. Check me out in the pileups. I have the system up and running using all four of the vertical elements plus a center tower for control and 40 meters., The sig reports that I receive have been fantastic. This array has about 8 miles of radials and is fed with 3/4" hard line from the center tower to each of the verticals recently we lowered the resonance by extending the tuning stub on the top of each of the vertical elements.This has greatly improved the bottom of the band operation and takes advantage of the recent freq expansion we have been allowed. This was a ten year project from 1997 until 2007 to go from inspiration to completion. As I had many side tracks along the way. Such as both of my knees were replaced in Jan of 2000, that was a great help as I have perfect mobility now. After many years of pain and limited walking ability. Thanks for modern medical miracles! I also fly R/C aircraft especially the indoor electrics. I've flown models over 60 years almost all facets of this fine hobby. I received this Call sign in 1961, So I've had it for 51 years. It has been a very enjoyable hobby and a part time avocation. My life has been electronics from the start and all the other stuff is associated with it. I have three repeaters on the air,145.39,443.775,1278.98. I am heavily involved with AIRES and Sky warn The repeater are used mainly for this purpose. They are on a 200 ft tower that is a Verizon cell tower behind my home. I have fourteen other towers with various antennas some in flux as we write. Like the free standing tower for the Forty meter Quad, I have the base poured and the base cemented with over twenty yards of cement. Most of the frames have been rebuilt. This antenna has been in use for over 36 Yrs. It was on a 135' tower and at my age it is difficult to maintain. I have decided to lower it to about 70 ft and put all the controls and the propitch rotor on the bottom of the tower so I can have easier access to it for maintenance. Low sunspot activity is a good time to rebuild and change for the new cycle. The photo below is of my Emergency Com trailer. We used it for Field

Day for many yrs , Boy scout Jamborees and for emergency such as the Katrina Hurricane and the Rita hurricane. It was built out of ready handy materials. An old boat trailer for the frame covered with expanded metal. The Large aluminum box was liberated from the junk yard and the tilt crank up tower from my ant scrap pile. The antenna was and old mosley ta33 that I had used for field day before. A generator from a buddy down the street for a couple of hundred bucks and ala a great tool to provide instant communications from 80 meters thru 70cm. push button operation to erect the tower by a winch from EBay for 30 bucks, a lot of help from my ham buddies in welding an ideals. A project that is still in flux which we never hope to complete just make it better. The latest project has been the REMOTE BASE that is connected by the Internet of my 115' tower with a Quad for 20-6 meters and Inverted VEES fro 80meter 40meters 30meters 60meters with a delta loop that is full size abt 525 ft of #12 copper wire that is fed at 95' and angles down to 28' on the other supports This system is administered by Jay James W4BSB and can be monitored on his Web site in Virginia W4BSB.com. WA5FWC, WA5JRS is our club call Johnson Amateur Radio Service (JARS) I have a WEB SITE that has more current activities and detailed pixs from the WA5FWC/ W4BSB ANTENNA RANCH. WA5FWC.net or google wa5fwc radio Also our Johnsonars.org details the activities of

HELLO RADIO from JARS the ARES Club call wa5jrs

Equipment

I have a large collection of gear, I work AM with a ART13 transmitter and a Collins 75a4 rcv, also a collection of S line by collins and many hallicrafters Rcvs and transmitters. My normal DX gear is Yeasu FT 990 and homebrew linear amps. I have a seperate amp for each band.There are seven locations for amateur aperating on my place. Not enough room at any one location for all the gear. I have three repeaters on a 200' tower. 145.39,443.775, 1272. There are 14 towers in operation with two that are on the ground for updating this year. I have a Four Square that has been operating since 2005. There are five rohn tower in this array. I have worked every corner of this planet with this antenna. Pictures are on qrz and my website wa5fwc.net nx the uk site Known four squares of the world