Biography

In loving memory of Harry M. Clare Sr.
Formerly KN2CKN, WB2TAL, and WBN2139
1930 - 2005

About Me
I was first licensed in the summer of 2021 as KD2WRZ, however, I almost immediately applied for WB2TAL, my current callsign, and one that had belonged to my great grandfather. I remained inactive in amateur radio for several years until April of 2024, when I became active on some of the local repeaters. I immediately took an interest to VHF propagation, and used several tricks to make long-distance contacts on 2 meters until I could secure an HF setup. In July of 2024, I passed my general exam, which finally allowed me to get on HF. However, I was unable to get set up on HF until April of 2025, when I finally got on 10 meters using an end fed half wave and a 25-watt RadioShack HTX-10. Since then, I've set up a TenTec Paragon II, gifted to me by WB2BIN, and a larger end fed half wave, which allows me to operate on a few more bands. Currently, I'm active on most bands between 40 meters and 70 centimeters, most commonly on SSB and FM. I'm still in high school, with less than a month to go, and I'm committed to attending SUNY Cobleskill for a bachelors in Fisheries and Aquaculture, one of my other major interests. I also enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, and hanging out with my friends.

QSL Policy and Logging
I enjoy sending and receiving QSL cards. If you send me one I will try to send you one back as soon as I can. SASEs aren't required but are much appreciated! I also try to log all of my contacts to the QRZ and ARRL LOTW logbooks. Unfortunately, due to postage and card cost, I cannot afford to always send QSLs first, however I will respond to any cards sent to me, either digitally or via the mail.

The Shack
My home shack is located in Utica, NY, in grid FN23jb. From here, I mainly operate on 2 meters, 20 meters, and 40 meters, although I am capable of operating on most bands between 40 meters and 70 centimeters. Also present is my Radioshack PRO-2055 scanner, which I use to monitor a variety of things, such as local railroads and emergency services.

VHF/UHF
I can often be found on the 2 meter and 70 centimeter bands, on both simplex and on repeaters. My main rig is an Alinco DR-590T, a twin-bander outputting roughly 45 watts on 2 meters, and 35 watts on 70 centimeters. This is used with a temporarily mounted Nagoya NMO-72 and mobile groundplane kit (2m ½λ and 70cm ⅝λ), a Daiwa DX-10D duplexer, and a Vectronics VEC-732 wattmeter. Combined, this setup allows me to cover simplex from roughly Oneida, NY to Herkimer, NY, and allows me access into roughly 14 local VHF/UHF repeaters.

HF
For HF, I currently operate on 10/12/15/20/40 meters. My main rig is a TenTec Paragon II, which was gifted to me by Greg, WB2BIN, and outputs 100 watts on all bands. This is used with a RadioWavz EFH/40/20/10 up about 15 feet, which is highlighted and shown below, with the feedline being shown in red, the 10/12/15/20m element being shown in yellow, and the 40m coil and element being shown in green.

The Mobile
In my mobile, which is a 2009 Nissan Xterra, I currently use a Yaesu FTM-150, a twin-bander outputting roughly 55 watts on 2 meters and 50 watts on 70 centimeters. This is used with a Comet SS680SBNMO (2m ½λ and 70cm ⅝λ).

Portable Ops
For portable ops, I have a number of HTs that I may use. Most commonly, I will use an Icom IC-V86, a monobander putting out roughly 7 watts on 2 meters, or an Alinco DJ-VX50, a dual bander putting out roughly 5 watts on 2 meters and 4 watts on 70 centimeters. I also have a RadioShack PRO-164 scanner, which I use when out plane or train spotting.

Contact Information
E-Mail: wb2tal@yahoo.com
Discord: americanpie6924
Hamshack Hotline: 6103065
NTS: OCTEN
Monitoring: 146.760 -0.6 T103.5 & 443.850 +5.0 T103.5

Club Involvement
Utica Amateur Radio Club, K2IQ
Young Amateurs Radio Club, WY4RC
Youth Meme Culture Association, WE3BS

Special Thanks
Special thanks to AI5ZK, KA2FWN, KB2TXR, KC2HSU, KD2DXF, KK2B, WB2BIN, WB2YZG and all the great folks involved with the Oneida County Traffic and Emergency Net, Utica Amateur Radio Club and the Young Amateurs Radio Club!

Thank you for taking the time to read my page. I hope you have a great rest of your day! 73 de WB2TAL.

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

Base/Mobile Transceivers:
Alinco DR-590
Radioshack HTX-10
Ten-Tec Paragon II (Special thanks to WB2BIN!)
Yaesu FTM-150Rasp
Yaesu FTM-3100R

Handheld Transceivers:
Alinco DJ-MD5FXT
Alinco DJ-VX50T
Bridgecom BCH-220
Icom IC-V86
Retevis RA79
TalkPod A36plus

Base/Mobile Receivers:
RadioShack PRO-2055

Handheld Receivers:
RadioShack PRO-164
Uniden BCD436HP

Base/Mobile Antennas:
Comet GP-3
Comet SSB5
Comet SS680SBNMO
Hy-Power OCF80Q
MFJ MFJ-1728B
Nagoya NMO-72
Par EndFedz EF-10
RadioWavz 10/20/40 EFHW

Handheld Antennas:
ABBREE 48.8"
Intellitron HA-1711SF
Nagoya NA-320A
Nagoya NA-771R
Radioddity RD-331

Accessories:
AudioCodes 440HD
Daiwa CN-501V
MFJ MFJ-259C
Pyle PS9KX
Vectronics VEC-732
Yaesu FP-1030A