Biography

I was licensed in July 1966 as WN4DJO at the prompting of my Father. AK4N Grady Robinson gave me the test in his basement. My first Station was a DX-100 and a NC300 receiver I got from my friend K4TDG. Upgraded to General the following October with WB4DJO then Advance and later Extra in 2008. Changed to Vanity Call W4DEE in 1998.

During the Vietnam War, I handled traffic through Navy Mars with Call N0LCE. I have been a Life Member of ARRL since 1967. First 25 or so years, we were a Rag Chewer, but in 1998 the DX Bug bit and that is mainly what we do now. Some of my awards include WAS, WAC, WAZ SSB #5256, DXCC #8913, Bicentennial WAS #2919, Golden Jubilee DXCC, Millennium DXCC, 5BWAS #279, 5BDXCC #5276, VUCC #1556, Centennial WAS with All (7) Endorsements, Centennial Points Challenge with 18606 Points, Life Member Ten-Ten International with 10-10 #3749 VP# 3243 and DXCC Challenge with 1308 contacts. I have 311 countries confirmed.

I ran the same equipment that I built in 1976 a SB104A, SB230 and a TH6DXX up at 50 feet on Rohn 25, until April 2000 when I purchased a Kachina 505. Changed again in 2006 to IC-746 PRO. Also changed the TH6DXX that I ran for 30 years to a Tennadyne 8 element Log Periodic. Replaced the Rohn 25 with a 60 ft. Rohn 45 in 2008 that was given to me by close friends W4DTK & KA4RFA. Changed to Elecraft K3 and KPA 500 in 2012. I replaced the T8 with a T11 in October of 2012. I changed Antennas again December of 2013 going back to the T8 because I wanted a dedicated six meter antenna. I put up a Directive Systems DJEJX5-50 5 elements on a 12 ft boom.

Born in 1939. Married in 1958 to my high school sweetheart, retired in 1994 at the age 55 after working 40 years with the same company. I live within 1/4 mile of where I was born and raised. Have two sons and six grandchildren and one great grandson. I am a Follower of Christ and at the age of 65, God called me as full time Pastor.

Joe Barkley KI4TZ took the picture of the house tops when he was changing out my coax on my 6 meter beam. My youngest son Dean is on the tractor digging the hole for the Rohn 45. Dean and my brother John discussing if the tower is plum. Gene W4DTK who gave me the tower came by and John stopped long enough for me to get a picture of them. John spent a lot of time in the hole as you can tell, he insisted the hole be perfectly square so I let him do it. John was also the tower man on the project and also the fabricator he made the motor plate that you see him working on. My neighbor Donnie Wade came over to give some encouraging words but he was not going to get his hands dirty. The pretty concrete work was done by Odell Williams which was shot and killed 2015 which a sad lose for our community.

Worked DXCCs: