Theres a little black spot on the sun today.

**Above picture: Left - Icom-761 with an SP-21 speaker, an MFJ-969 HF/6M tuner, a J-38 straight keyer and two paddle keyers: The Scotia made by Hamco(better knowen as the Vibroplex Brass Racer) and a Bencher chrome that I found my senior year at high school in a dust covered box that was being thrown away as we were cleaning the Building Maintance class shop the last week of school. Center - Icom-706MKIIG with an Astron RS-20A power suply. Right - The new Ameritron AL-811H Amplifier. And not showen is a Compaq Persario F700 Wide Screen laptop.**

Hi, Im Timothy M. Ford, 26 years old. I live in Spring, Texas (EM20) witch is about 25 miles north of down town Houston in Harris County. I got started in Ham radio in 1996 at the age of 14 by listening to Short Wave on my dad's ventage 1941, 8 tube Philco console radio he got back in the early 60's. That Christmas I received a Radio Shack DX-375. Grate radio. In 1998 a few months after they came out I bought a Grundig Satellit 800 Millennuim. After a year or so of listening to CO2KK, Arnie Coro's DXers Unlimited on Radio Havana Cuba International and DX Party Line on HCJB Quito Ecuador, I decided I wanted to get my license and learn more about Ham radio. I was licensed at the age of 17 on December 12 1999 as a Tec No Code (I cared more about getting my Ham license then I did getting my drivers license!). On June 7, 2001 I passed my code test for my Tec Pluse license, and on Feburary 24 2007 I passed my General test! (Yes Im a general that knows the code!) Iv read over the Gordon West NB6NOA Extria class book but the math just kills me.

MY RADIOS ARE:

AT HOME: Icom IC-761 100W (Mid late 80's eara. Great work horse!) with an Ameritron AL-811H into an MFJ-969 HF/6M tuner in to a G5RV Inverted V up at about 50ft. On 6M I use a KU4AB SQ-50 up at 40ft. And when 2M/440 mHz is available I use a GP-15 virtical up at about 35ft. I use a Compaq Presario F700 laptop with the N3PFJ ACLog 3.0 and backed up by the good old ARRL paper log book.

MOBLE: Icom IC-2820H 2M/440 mHz, with a Comet SSB-7 2M/440 mHz antenna. And an Icom IC-706MKIIG, with a 40M, 20M, 10M, or 6M Ham Stick. I had a K5BMD screwdriver antenna but had trouble wireing in the switch. Aftr that I had trouble loading it on every band but 20M and a few weeks after the warranty was up the motor froze up to the point I had to use channel locks to turn it. So for now I use Ham Sticks, can't go wrong with a Ham Stick! I do have some trouble with SWR with the 6M ham stick. I think it has to do with the location of the antenna. And I use the ARRL minnie log book.

SHORT WAVE: Grundig Satellit 800 Millennuim with 25 ft random wire antenna, a Radioshack DX-375 with the same 25 ft random wire antenna, and when Im in the mood I'll fire up the Philco console using the built in rectangle loop antenna.

MOBILE SHORT WAVE: The Icom IC-706MKIIG with what ever Ham Stick Im using at the time.

I do use an MFJ 6 Meter 3 element Yagi and an MFJ 2 Meter 3 element yagi for VHF portable operations along with the IC-706MKIIG. Even though the MFJ 2 Meter 3 element yagi is just a 2 Meter antenna, I can get it to load up on 440 mHz SSB with a 1:1 SWR. Weird!

Im saving up to buy an LDG AT-1000 Pro automatic antenna tuner so I can fire up the 811H past the 300W limmit of the MFJ-969.

I'm a member of the NARS (Northwest Amateur Radio Society, W5NC 146.660 MHZ 141.6 tone) club serving the Northwest Harris County area, the ARRL and the 10-X international club. My 10-X # is 74721. Im also a member of the Central Texas Emergency Net that meets every Sunday on 3.910 MHZ at 1300 UTC (8:00 AM Central Time). I also check in a few times a week on the Maritime Moble Net on 14.3000 and Im a regular check in on the Hand Shakers Net each Tuesday night at 0200 UTC (9:00 pm Central Time) on The Western Reflector IRLP node 9250. And I finely got my WAS award in September of '08.

I enjoy contesting. At least one weekend out of the month you can find me contesting in one way or another. I also enjoy Medium and Short Wave listening, HF, 6M, 2M, 440MHZ, IRLP, Working on antennas (mostly wire antennas for Short Wave), DXing, Low power CW (20 watts or less), Mobile CW (40 watts or less), SSB, AM, Old tube radios, Grid square and county hunting... Well, I just about enjoy almost everything Ham radio has to offer in one way or another! I haven't tried any of the digital modes yet. I'v played around a little with some of the 2M/440MHZ satellits in the past. I just bought a lap top for the station. Im now looking for a decent logging program for every day QSO's and for contesting (If anyone has any suggestions send me an e mail), but for now all of my logs are done the old fashion way, ARRL log book and a pin! I started working for Equipment Depot as a forklift mechanic in March of 2007, and in October of 2007 I became the rental mechanic. Im the only one that works on all the rental equipment. With over 250 forklifts, Sky Tracks Genes and JLGs in the rental fleet, thats a lot of work to keep me busy. I also enjoy playing the drums at church. Iv played for the following bands, Cool Hand Luke, Mourning September and Inhabited I love Astronomy. I have an 11" Celestron dobsonian telescope. My dad and I enjoy going to car shows. I have a very very rare 1979 Hurst/Olds W-30 (only 2,499 built in '79), and my dad also has a rare 1961 Willys Overland Utitly Wagon (Just over 6,000 built in that final production year) he bought back in 1971. I also enjoy trains. When I was 9 for christmas my mom and dad bought me a small HO scal train set. Well after out growing 2 rooms in the house, its now set up in the loft of the grage we built for the two show cars that sits behind the main grage. And somewhere in all that fun I find time for Ham radio!

73 and good DX, de Tim, KD5ITM.

***QSL me *DIRECT* with an *SASE* thanks. I'll QSL 101% back!!***