Biography

My crystal radio and shortwave listening got me into ham radio when I was young. Build my own equipment from Heathkit radios. My call was WD5DZD, which I thought was very awkward in Morse code since most folks got it wrong. Tom Nicolaides, then WA5ZCC, now W5GFM, gave me the volunteer test in 1977 on a Sunday afternoon for code which earned me my novice call sign.

So in 1979 I walked into the New Orleans FCC office and sat for my Technician license, passed. Then took my General test, and passed. Then took the Advanced and passed. Failed the Extra then but passed the 20 wpm code. I did apply at that time for a different call sign. I was issued N5AWB and that was nice since a lot of Trekkies loved the N5 call sign preamble which was a great episode, BTW. With voice and 2 meters now available I was so busy operating that I never really got back to the extra test. What fun it was in the 70’s and 80’s prior to cell phones and having an auto patch on a local repeater. Many thought it was decadent to make a phone call from your car. Loved my Heathkit and Azden 2-meter radios. Fast-forward to 2023 and I passed the Extra test this last Thursday 3,16,2023. So finally 46 years later I finished it. email: N5AWB@arrl.net

I was working at Radio Shack back in the 1970's and my ham Elmers were Nic Nicolaides (W5GFM) and his son Tom (WA5ZCC). With their help and study I made it to advanced easily. Nic is now a silent key and Tom took his call several years ago.

I have been a life member of ARRL (American Radio Relay League) since 1976. I was paying $12 a year for QST, they offered a life membership for $240, which was my first ever credit card purchase. Figured I would be a ham for 20 years and that would be that. However the magazine went up and so did membership, so a win after all. Got my money back on that deal several times over. Got lucky on that one. Well worth the admission price for a young ham. Plus you get a 47 year collection of QST's.

While at Stennis Space Center I worked for NORDA, NOARL and then NRL and on fleet trials one year( fall and winter, 1986), I got to operate the ships station to join the Alligator Net on 80 meters (Alligator Net. 3.920-3.922 LSB) sponsored by the Ozone Radio Club, Slidell, LA.

Right before I began my period of ham inactivity (due to move and flying) I was part of the crew at Stennis Space Center, Bay Saint Louis, MS where the NASA radio station was ours to work the 25th Anniversary of the Apollo Lunar Landing. Lots of fun and contacts, very nice radio setup with a tower mounted large log periodic antenna. I still have a large manila envelope full of the international stamps that came in for the QSL card exchange. Our mailing address back then was:

K5GY

C/O NASA

Bldg 1201

SSC, Mississippi 39529

Let me explain a bit about the flying detour. I began flying in 1991 while NASA was during aerial surveying with a Lear jet and a thermal camera (8-12 nm range – very infrared). My aircraft did not have a belly polluted by exhaust heat from the engine so we installed two camera ports in the belly (one visual, one thermal, videos on YouTube under Grumman Pilots.) We had a battery, power inverter and two VCRs mounted in a rack in the baggage compartment. We then spent a few days gathering data over the Huffman Prairie at Wright Patterson AFB and with the data and the processing we were able to locate the original Wright Brothers hangar on Huffman Prairie. We also showed where the road was, the trail to the latrine by the creek, and an old RR ROW all in reference to the hangar. Working with Dr. Tom Severs, NASA's only archeologist was a blast I still think about.

Flying eventually led to a YouTube channel, 'GRUMMAN PILOTS' now with over 11,000 subscribers. Learned a lot about video from all of this. On this channel you can find a split screen version of the visual and thermal data from the Wright Brothers Hangar work back in 1993. There is also video using fast scan television transmited from the plane and lots of aerial video. https://youtu.be/p8TgQkdoswU

My wife Luann is a wonderful person who supports me in all I do. I knew I had married the right girl when I learned her dad was the FE on the C130 that landed on an airraft carrier back in the 60's. Not just one landing, BTW, no tail hook, no JATO assist, the only mod a smaller orifice in the nose wheel strut. 27 landing from 80,000 to 124,000 lbs. Good job Al.

I joined a local amateur radio club near me, Milford Amateur Radio Club, they run a WIRE-X repeater and I bought a small digital handheld (FT70) so I could listen. Like what some of this digital radio can do, going to be fun.

I also just bought the yaesu FT5D and set it up for APRS. I just checked aprsfi.com and there I was, rubber duck on my screened back porch showing location and message on the screen. Such fun!

Part of getting back in to ham radio again is reaching out to ham I knew years ago in the South. Sad state of affairs when I have to look them up and mail them a letter giving them my contact info and telephone number. I set up the forwarding so you can email me at: N5AWB@arrl.net.
So today set up a Comet CP22E 5/8 wave 2-meter base antenna on a figerglass mast up 20 feet through 50 feet of RG8X and with the FT70 or FT5D I can hit the repeater. So nice to hear and talk to the traffic. Well worth the few hours to set this antenna up. Thanks to the guys at R&L Electronics for the advice and having this stuff in stock. So we are back on the air and worked a station on the Lake of the Ozarks today. The Comet CAA-500 MK II antenna analyzer (1.8 - 500 MHz) says 50 ohms and 1.1 SWR at 146.76.
My ham gear from back in the day was an ICON R7000, IC 730, IC 211A, IC 471 with a Delcon T 210 linear amp. When I got the amp to check it my elmer Nic, set it up for testing and forgot to put the cover plate for cooling back on, Cost me 3 4CX250B tubes which were expensice back then but today, unaffordable. Amp works well except for the power meter but most of the time with the SB 102 and then the IC 730 I just ran barefoot.
I have bought recently an FT70, FT5D, FTM300D, HRI200, cables, adapters (antennas, coax, etc.) and now need a laptop to start with WIRES-X. I applied a few days ago for my node ID from Yaesu. Having fun with this.

Starting to feel more like a ham. Bought a new FP-1030A power supply for my FT991A and made some value added modifications. Video here:

https://youtu.be/5pniJw47wlU

Joined and was accepted in the Quarter Century Wireless Association. Hard to believe that I qualified for a 45 year award. Time flies from 1977 when I got my license.

May 8th, at 9pm on the OH-KY-IN 146.67 repeater I participated in the SSTV net on the FM repeater.
May 22, 2024: Now have my temp station up and running. Comewt CX-333 Triband 144, 220, 440 with BR-400 coax and a RadioDiddy Quad band radio. The old 2 m 5/8 wave base antenna will be rertasked for APRS beaconing.
Now to get my enameled long wire short wave antenna up for short wave listening, my G5RV and end-fed long wires up for HF.
My ATV/DATV equipment is starting to arrive. Tomorrow I will pick up my 31 element 440 Hygain antenna from R&L. Going to be working analog and digital TV soon!
Attended the AMSAT banquest Friday night (May 17th) and we should have chosen the ATV group dinner that night at China Garden. Was not happy with the banquest AMSAT talk. Not well organized or presented well.
Stay tuned!


https://youtu.be/RaB0iN_pKKg

My latest version of my QSL cards. This is a picture from home in the bayous that is not like this anymore after Katrina. Enjoy!
BTW, mailed out 10 this afternoon and was shocked that a postcard now is 53 cents!
Today June 12, found out the international postage for a postcard QSL is $1.55. FYI


Going to Field Day 2024 to visit the NKARC group we made this APRS route got the trip using a FT5D, mag mount dual band antenna and 5 watts. Never having attended a FD before, this was a fun bunch of folks.

While we were there, Luann got to work a station. Thanks Mark & Judy. She said it was quite a thrill.

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

FT70
FT5D
HRI200
FTM300D
ft991A