I started in this great hobby in 1968 by taking a novice course thru the Waukegan Amateur Radio Club, WA9LIV. I was an avid SWL’er prior to that listening via a classic Zenith Transoceanic B600. My first call was WN9AYD and then WB9AYD. Moving to the east coast saw my call change to KA2GWT, then KD2EE. After that nostalgia set in and after moving back to the Midwest I requested my old call back which is now WB9AYD.

My first novice station was a homebuilt transmitter from a breadboard design posted in an Electronics Illustrated magazine using a 50C5 and hand wound coils. My receiver was a Hallicrafters S-40A. I eventually graduated to an Eico 720 for a transmitter.

My next station consisted of the Yaesu FL-101 transmitter and FR-101 receiver combination. This was eventually traded for a Kenwood TS-450, a great radio.

Now located in Columbus, NC I am on the air with a couple of different stations. My primary station now is an Icom IC-7300 into an end fed long wire 130 ft long up about 30 ft. Equipment shown are two IC-7300’s, a Kenwood TM-D710G, a Kenwood TM-V71A, an Ameritron ALS-600 amp, and a variety of packet and Pactor 3 equipment for emergency support here in Polk County.

I am an active member in the KF4JVI Thermal Belt Amateur Radio Club, TBARC.

You can find me on Winlink running Pactor 3, VARA HF and VARA FM, digital modes such as FT8, FT4, PSK31, JT-65/9, packet, JS8Call, and SSB as well as an active member of the SHARES network. I do play with satellites with the SARCTRAC Mk3 rotator system from Australia and the Arrow II antenna.

You may hear me on mobile HF with a Kenwood TS-480 and a Tarheel screwdriver on the trunk. DMR with an Anytone 878 is my new acquisition with a steep learning curve for me! Also hanging out on Hamshack Hotline.
Hope to hear you on the air!