Hi everyone, I QSL via e-qsl or the bureau.  If you need a QSL direct please send a stamp self-addressed envelope.  

As you can see now my shack is in my storage building.  I do not bother the burglar alarm there and it is a great location where I can work in my garden or other projects while listening to my radio or check into nets.  There is more room than appears in the picture.  To the left is a bookshelf with QSL cards on it and near me the room is actually wider. To the right the building goes about as far as the door can be seen. Much of the material used in my shack is recycled or reused.  Most of the wood to build a partition, to build the shelf above my head, and the desk top was put in the trash by neighbors.  The desk top is supported by two cabinets again being disposed of by neighbors.

I operate my radio from a deep cycle battery and use an MFJ battery booster to hold the voltage at 13.8 volts.  A modern battery charger constantly automatically recharges the battery.  I now have 4 antennas: 20 meter loop, 40 meter all band loop, and two G5RV antennas; all mounted in or between the trees. My antennas are mostly made from wire that I got at garage sales and many of the insulators are made from plastic objects that I have saved to reuse. 

My shack has changed some as you can see by the following photo. 

 I have replaced the PC with a laptop and made a shelf for the laptop.  My antenna tuner is under the shelf for the Kenwood 440.  On the shelf above my rig are the FMS walkie-talkies used for local emergencies in Collierville.  The large lamp is used in the winter for light and hear.  The box to the right contains a smaller 12 volt deep cycle battery that can be put in a backpack along with my 2-meter radio to operate pedestrine or bicycle mobile. 

The above photo is of two of my four main batteries.  These two are gel cells which I got used from FedEx via a local repeater organization.  Note the home-made fuse box I made to protect my wiring in the shack.  There is also a switch on each battery circuit to turn one battery at a time on to power my HF rig through my MFJ battery booster.  There is also a deep cycle battery used to power my HF rig.

This is where AC comes into the shack and on the shelf below is a DC to AC converter.  I now feed DC from a car battery.  The 12 volts DC from this can power my 2-meter handheld and the AC can power my florescent light in the shack as well as my laptow.  The white cabinet is reused from one that neighbors were disposing of.

 This shows my Kenwood 2-meter handheld being powered by a smaller deep cycle battery that can be carried in a backpack so that I can operater pedestrine or bicycle mobile.  I also carry the radio in my backpack with a 5/8 antenna connected directly to my radio.  The devise to the right with an antenna is a transmitter for my wireless headset.  I can use this headset in the yard or the house to monitor my transceiver.

This photo shows my LED light on the ceiling that is solar powered.  The white ceiling is made up of 2 by 4s again reused material.  There is insulation between this ceiling and the roof.  The Sears LED work light is handy and runs for hours on one charge.  The plastic behind all of this is part of my storm door held in place by Velcro.  This is replaced with mosquito netting in the summer.

I have had this call since 1980 when I got re-licensed with my Technician License then upgraded to General.  I lived in Shreveport at the time.  Before ending up in Tennessee I lived in MO, AR, and MS.  The first call I had from 1959-1960 was KN8RXY In WV.  I helped start a ham radio club Weir High School.  I upgrade to Extra Class in 2008 but could not think of a better call then N5COO.

In 1980 I was installing some commercial radio systems and decided to get my license again.  From 1987 to 1996 I taught Electronic Communications at Coahoma Community College in Mississippi.  At the time I had three station locations.  In my classroom, my mobile home in MS, and my home in Tennessee.  I also worked mobile often during that same period of time both HF and 2 meters.