A DXer, I prefer CW but also work SSB. I retired in 1995, after 31 years as a faculty member in the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Georgia.  I enjoy using foreign languages with hams around the world.  My antennas consist of a Force 12 C4S seven element, six band, HF beam (30 through 10 meters), an 8 band (no 160) Butternut vertical and three dipoles, two for 40-80-160 and one all band dipole with Ameritron ATR-30 tuners. My principal rig is a Kenwood TS-850-AT and my second station is a Kenwood TS-870S-AT unit. I have two Kenwood 440S-AT rigs for portable use.  My amplifiers are an Ameritron 811H (4 tube) with an output of 800 watts on SSB and 600 on CW on the primary station and an Ameritron 811A (3 tube) with 600 on SSB and 400 on CW.  I have confirmed 339 DXCC countries (345 including deleted).

I applied for and received the Vanity call W4NW in 1999, which previously belonged for 30 years to Kenneth H. Langenbeck (SK), the Chief Engineer for the Voice of America.  He was appointed to this post by President Richard Nixon.  The coincidence was that when I was a high school student and for many years after, I listened a great deal on short wave to programs in foreign languages (which eventually led to a Ph.D. degree in Romance Languages) which included many hundreds of hours listening to foreign broadcasts produced by and carried on the Voice of America and its relay stations around the world.   So, this call means a great deal to me as a recognition of both my ham radio connection and as a tribute to the late Ken Langenbeck and the fact that he was the Chief Engineer for my favorite short wave station and a part of the reason for my later profession.   Thanks, Ken!