I have been licensed since the Summer of 1963. My present call of W0RAA is a vanity call and was issued on January 27, 2006. On May 13, 2006 I passed my Extra Class License test, which was a crowning achievement. Prior to my new call, I was WB0DUL, which was the call I was issued when I moved to Colorado Springs in 1970. I have held WA8HFP (Zanesville, OH), WA9LGN (Indianapolis, IN), WA8RWK (Lima, OH) & TI5/W0RAA in Costa Rica for the CQ WW DX CW Contest at TI5N in November, 2006.

I have a Yaesu FT-95Ø Xcvr on HF and occasionally run an Ameritron AL-811 amplifier on HF.The dual-bander radio in my house is an Icom-2720H FM for local use around Colorado Springs. It's easily moved to my car for local mobile operation and trips. I recently acquired a Yaesu FT-857D Transceiver and LDG Z-100 Auto tuner. It makes a great little backup radio.

My Tristao 40' crank-up/tilt over tower came down on Dec. 3, 2010 in a gust of wind that was near 85-90 MPH. I have never experienced a wind like that in the 40 years I have lived in Colorado Springs. It was replaced by a Rohn 25G and a Hazer 2. The beam is a Cushcraft A3S. I was covered by ARRL Insurance. (Thanks heavens I had that). I also have a butternut HF-9V ground mounted vertical, and a Ringo Ranger AR27Ø on 2m/70cm.A dipole on the low end of 80 meters for CW & RTTY contests rounds out the antennas at my QTH.The new A3S works as well as the TH5DX that was destroyed when the tower came down, so I'm happy with it.

I retired from Deluxe Business Forms in October, 2ØØØ. I am a regular on the internet. In addition to chasing DX on the HF bands, I also operate using the new digital modes PSK31/MFSK/Throb,RTTY,etc). I am a member of the Grand Mesa Contesters Club (Grand Junction, CO). I am a QCWA member (#32521) as well as FISTS (#10912). I am also a member of OMISS (OM Int'l Sideband Society - #5081), 10X (23811) and numerous other organizations. In addition I am a member of the Royal Order of the Wouff Hong. I also received my DXCC Certificate in June, 2006. I have WAS (Mixed), WAS (20 Meters), WAS (CW) & WAS (RTTY). I recently achieved the new ARRL Triple Play Award. I have all 50 states confirmed on RTTY and CW and SSB via LOTW. All contacts made, whether contest contacts or just casual QSO type contacts are always uploaded to LOTW. I will reply to all QSL cards received in the mail (See request for SASE below). I do not use eQSL, so please don't waste your time by sending a QSL via eQSL. A SASE is appreciated.

The highlight of my 48 years as a ham occurred in November, 2006 when I went to Costa Rica as a member of a team for the 2006 CQ WW CW Contest. We operated at contest station TI5N and had over 6800 contacts and a score of over 9 million points. It was awesome to operate on the DX side of the fence during a contest like that. I would love to be able to do it again in the future. I will never forget it. Our hosts, Keko, TI5KD and his wife Sophie, TI2IY, were wonderful hosts during our stay at their home in Alajuela, Costa Rica. Sophie is a fantastic cook.

I love contesting and participate in most RTTY and CW contests and occasionally in a SSB contest. RTTY & CW are my 2 favorite modes.

My wife Mary and I were married 56 years on October 8, 2011. We have 4 grown children, 9 grandchildren & 4 great-grandchildren (2 boys and 2 girls). 

If you need a QSL please include a SASE or if DX, 2 IRS's or $2 USD.  We are all being hit by higher postage costs and lousy service. A SASE helps. I also use the W0 Bureau.