Hi all,

I received my Novice license in 1961 (KN3LKA) and my General license in 1962 when I was 15 years old. My first radio equipment was a used Hallicrafters SX-99 receiver and a Heath DX-40 that I assembled. I then built the “General 150-Watter” from a construction article in the June, 1962 issue of QST and added the AM plate modulation from the July, 1962 QST. After receiving my ASEE degree from Penn State in 1964, I started working at AT&T Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ as an Electronics Technician. AT&T was kind enough to send me for my BSEE from Lafayette College and then for my MSEE from Lehigh University. Most of my hobbies, including ham radio, were put on the “back burner” as I went to school, worked and raised a family. AT&T Bell Labs spun-off their IC business first as AT&T Microelectronics then Lucent Technologies then Agere Systems and now LSI. I worked my way up through the engineering ranks at the various companies to eventually become Director of Embedded IC Macrocells (Memories, I/O, PLL’s and Std Cells) at Agere Systems.

I retired from Agere in 2005. My wife Ellen and I live in Center Valley, PA. Both of our children, a son and daughter, are Penn State graduates. Our daughter has an MBA from Lehigh University and is a Cost Account Manager in Ellicott City, MD. Our son is a Transportation/Traffic Engineering Manager and licensed PE in Pittsburgh, PA.

In 1995 I purchased a Kenwood TS-830S and installed a 20M dipole in my attic (neighborhood restrictions). Time permitting I did work some 20M CW over a 10 year period. After retiring I started getting back into my hobbies including ham radio, sporting clays, pistol target shooting, reloading, playing keyboards, golf, etc. In January, 2008 I decided to get serious about ham radio and upgrade my equipment. I sold the TS-830S for $200 more than I paid for it in 1995! I then bought an ICOM 756PROIII and Astron RS-35M power supply from GigaParts when they had their additional 10% off “leap year” sale. I also took down my “homebrew” 20M dipole and bought a 20M/40M shortened dipole from Barry at High Power Antenna Co. After a little “tweaking” of the length, I was able to get the antenna to load on both 20M & 40M with a maximum 2.5:1 SWR at the band edges. The antenna is again in the attic and I’m able to work Europe on 20M SSB & CW with 100 watts.

In March, 2008 I decided I would purchase the ARRL study guide and work on getting my Extra Class license. The hardest part for me was remembering the rules and regulations. I took the test and passed in May, 2008. I received my Extra Class License from the FCC in one week after passing the test. That’s fast! I’m mostly on 20M or 40M CW and sometimes SSB. Give me a shout if you hear me.

73