When I was 7 years old my grandfather bought me a Sears Com/Trek VII 7 band portable receiver.  That began my love affair with radio which lasts to this day.  I used that Sears radio and listened to AM/FM broadcast, short wave and VHF.  I really wanted to listen to the airplanes I would see flying overhead but never did; however, just above the airband I would hear the same group of people talking to each other.  They used callsigns that sometimes ended in mobile 4 or portable 4.  My Dad told me that they were amateur radio operators and they needed to have a license to operate their radios.

 When I was 10 I received my Novice license.  I started making scheduled contacts with the other people in the novice class using my Heathkit DX60 transmitter and HR10 receiver.  I studied and finally passed my Technician license which allowed me to join that group I used to listen to several years before.

 After advancing beyond Novice class I couldn’t wait to use my new phone privileges and leave the world of CW behind.  After upgrading to General my Dad and I went to the Heathkit store in Hialeah Florida, purchased a Heathkit HW-101 and assembled it together over the summer.  That combined with a surplus 30’ tower and triband yagi opened up a whole new world of ham radio to me.

 As a certified geek by high school I was drawn to the world of computers.  I studied computer science and business administration in college and went on to start a small computer consulting company.  Currently I am employed by local government in Seaport Administration specializing in Petroleum (liquid bulk).

 Today I operate mostly CW, but I have been trying my hand with the digital modes.  The station consists of an Elecraft K3 and Icom IC-2KL 500 watt amplifier.  Assembling the K3 brought back memories of building the Heathkit HW-101.  The antenna is a 135' doublet fed with 600 ohm ladder line and connected through a vintage Johnson Matchbox.  A Begali Braciella paddle rounds out of shack.

 K4FV is a vanity callsign I received in late 2009.  My previous call signs include K4NJK, WB4NJU and WN4NJU.

Look forward to seeing you on the air.

73,

Neil

K4FV

The doublet is pictured below on a beautiful South Florida day.  It is installed at 40' oriented from northwest to southeast.

A Begali Graciella paddle is the latest addition to the shack.

Here is the radio that started it all (Sears Com/Trek VII).  I still have it.