Biography

I guess a Biography should start at the beginning, so here goes! I was born in McAlester, Oklahoma in 1976 to a 20 year retired Navy EOD Technician (Tommy Nichols) and a Registered Nurse (Elaine Nichols - Bobbitt). I moved to Vienna, Virginia and Falls Church, Virginia in 1984. I then moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1989 when my mom got a job at Duke University. I graduated from Northwood High school in 1994 and then from Appalachian State University in 1999. I joined the Navy in 2000 and then the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office in 2004. I am currently a Sergeant in charge of the Bomb Squad. I graduated from the FBI's Hazardous Devices School in 2011 and unfortunately stay a lot busier than I would like to be.

My grandfather, Thomas Everette "Jack" Bobbitt got his Ham ticket in 1929 in Huntington, West Virginia. He served in both the West Virginia National Guard and the United States Navy as a radio operator. His call sign was W4HV and he was based out of Falls Church, Virginia. He had thousands of QSL cards from every country in the world, was a life member of ARRL and never missed his 10 am net on Sunday mornings. He introduced me to Ham Radio, electronics and critical thinking. I did not take my examination until September 2020 and got my tech and general in the same sitting. I plan on taking my Amateur Extra in the next few months. I wish I had done it 30 years ago. 73

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

Yaesu FTDX3000
Antenna is an optimized G5RV Dipole at about 30 feet