I became interested in Ham Radio while I was project manager of a major communications upgrade for the Tallahassee (FL) Police Department.  I was the Assistant Commander of the Division that Police and Fire Communications (Dispatch) was a part of.  It was during this time that I got to know several Communications Engineers and Consultants that were Ham Radio Operators and they encouraged me to get my Ham Ticket which I did.  One even researched the Vanity Call Sign that I use (K4TPD) and let me know it was available. 

About six months after getting my Technician License I was transferred to a more traditional law enforcement Division as part of a routine rotation.  I was also the Assistant Emergency Manager for the City of Tallahassee (FL) from 1995 until I retired.  I stayed in the Special Operations Division for six more years before retirement in early 2005.  I had already moved to Lake Seminole, Georgia before my retirement.  Although I have a Donalsonville, GA address my home is 20 miles from Donalsonville.  If you are looking for me on a map I am six miles north of Chattahoochee, FL but there is a lake and no bridge between my home and Chattahoochee.

After retiring my interest in Ham Radio took a back seat to some other things I was involved in such as building a church, boating, travel, photography, and spoiling my grandson.  Then one day out of the blue Mike, KE4FGF, contacted me and asked me to be the ARES EC for Seminole County, Georgia.  Mike had known me while I was working at the Tallahassee Police Department and was aware that I was retired and living in Seminole County, Georgia.  Without hesitation I accepted.  (What was I thinking?)  This really renewed my interest in Ham Radio to the point I realized that I needed to upgrade to General because I was missing a lot of good information on HF.  I passed the exam during Field Day in June, 2009.

 As of 8/11/09 I am the proud owner of a Yaesu FT-897D.  I have spent the last few days getting to know it and all the menu options.  I am using it on 2 meters and 440 currently because my coaxial cable was back ordered.  I have been busy the past few days preparing to install the HF antenna. 

Well I just could not wait until the coax arrived.  I had a short piece already made up so I ran it out the window Sunday afternoon to listen to the SouthBears Net at 3:00 PM.  I am a member of the Georgia Bears (Baptist Emergency Amateur Radio). I connected my new Buckmaster Off-Center-Fed Dipole to the coax and ran the two wires in opposite directions hanging them in some trees with the wire just barely off the ground.  The Net Control was in Ellijay, GA and he was loud and clear running between 7 and 9 on the S-meter on 40 meters.  When he got around to calling for Georgia stations he handed it off to another station that I could barely copy.  When the Ellijay station called for check-ins again I answered.  He was surprised he could hear me since I was also in Georgia.  We finished and I continued to monitor for a while.  This was my first HF contact. 

Finished my HF antenna project on 9/10/09 and now my HF project is complete.  I look forward to "seeing" you on HF.

Until next time, 73s

Mitch, K4TPD