Biography

Getting my ham ticket has been on my bucket list for the last 50 years. I grew up around ham radio in the 60's and 70's and as a kid always enjoyed SWL on my 600 series Zenith Trans-Oceanic and my dads Collins R390. My dad, K1PZY(SK) had been a ham for 60+ years. When I re-opened the door into the ham radio world in the Summer of 2018, I find these things called Software Defined Radio, FT8, Whisper, PSK Reporter, APRS, CHIRP, touch screens and waterfalls!

I received my Technician License at the Cranston Public Library in November of 2018. My intro to ham radio has been mostly working FT8 on 6 & 10M on my IC-7100. On occasion, bouncing APRS off the ISS with my home brew 3 element yagi and a $50 BTECH HT. I hope to have my general ticket soon and maybe spend some time learning CW and working the satellites.

I received my General on Saturday 6/1/19. I would like to thank the VEC's at the Cranston Library that helped make that possible, a super bunch of guys. In the following weeks I plan to start studying for the Extra. From time to time I think back to when my dad bought me my first radio, I was 7 years old and it was a 9 transistor hand held AM-FM radio.

8/3/19, This morning I went back to the Cranston Library for a third time and passed the Extra exam! Thanks again guys. My feet didn't touch the ground until I was half way to my car. Well aware of this effect I drove home very carefully.

11/12/19, to fill the grey blank on the top of the page I uploaded my favorite picture of myself with my 15 year old Yellow Lab named Olive U. The picture was taken about a year ago. Ms. Olive and her 2 amazing sisters Sandy Cheeks and Katie Binks are no longer with us. For a second time in my life I find comfort navigating loss with the help of radio. 73

Equipment

Icom IC-7100 Astron SS-25M Power Supply
Yaesu FT950 Astron RS35A Power Supply
MFJ 849 SWR-Watt Meter
Alpha Delta-2 & 4 Coax Switches
Dell Precision M4700
WSJT-X, HRD


2M,70CM Diamond X200A vertical at 22Ft. through 50Ft. of DXE-400MAX coax
6M, M2 HO-6 Loop at 19Ft. through 50Ft. of DXE-400MAX coax
80,40,20,17,12,10M BMT DX-OCF 7 band dipole at 32Ft. through 91.5Ft. of Carol C-1188 RG58A/U
15M Alpha Delta-C inverted V dipole at 19Ft. through 57.5Ft. of Carol C-1188 RG58A/U
30M Alpha Delta-C inverted V dipole at 20Ft. through 58Ft. of DXE-400MAX coax
Comet SS-460SB UHF VHF mobile antenna

20M WSPRRYPI .1W transmitter
20M inverted V dipole at 15Ft. through 50Ft. of Carol C-1188 RG58A/U coax

BTECH UV-5X3 HT
Mobilinkd TNC2 and TNC3
2M, DIY 3 element Yagi
1.25M DIY 1/4 wave dipole at 12ft through 50Ft. of Carol C-1188 RG58A/U coax

RTL-SDR
Ham it up 1.3 up converter
MFJ 1708B-SDRS antenna switch

Rig Expert AA-30, ZERO
NANO VNA-H (amazing tool)
Tiny SA