Greetings. I had been interested in Ham Radio for a long time, but it was not until 2003 that I finally got my license. I'm currently a Tech and slowly working on getting my General. I want to get my HF privileges so that I use digital modes like RTTY. I have an old Teletype Model 28ASR that I'm going to restore, to use on the air, along with a Dovetron MPC-1000R RTTY terminal unit.

I'm the Secretry and webmaster for my local club, The Central Ohio Operators Klub Extra - Novice or COOKEN ( http://www.cooken.org )

I work for a major Insurance company based in Columbus, Ohio, where I'm a IBM mainframe systems programmer specialing in mainframe networking, including TCP/IP.

I'm working on learning about the Linux operating system. I have a Ubuntu v9.04 installed and running on my home internal network.

I'm a member of the following organizations: COOKEN, ARRL, NCVA, NASPA, AFCEA, Navy League, NSNI, and Eastbrook Baptist Church.

I'm a retired Navy veteran. From 1969 to 1979 I was on active duty and in the reserves from 1979 to 1991. I retired as a CTO1 (E6).

During my 10 years on active duty I was stationed at the following locations:

1969-1970 Boot Camp in San Diego, CA. I enlisted in November and they gave me the choice of Great Lakes or San Diego for boot camp. With Winter coming, San Diego won.

1970 CTO A-school at NTTC (Corry Field), Pensacola, FL. Got to see the base again for the first time in 34 years a couple of years ago. Boy has the Pensacola area changed.

1970-1972 NSGD London, England (we were upstairs from the NAVCOMMUNIT). Worked in civilian clothes the whole time. It was a great tour of duty.

1972-1973 NSGD Sidi Yahia, Morocco. Was there for a year. Spent the last part of my tour working in special services. NCS and NSGD were in the process of closing things down.

1973-1974 TTY Maintenance School, Norfolk, VA. I don't know why they sent me there as I never worked in the maintenance shop when I got to my next duty station. At least I had a better respect for, and understanding of, the Teletype equipment, other than just operating them.

1974-1976 NSGA Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico. This base is now closed too as are most all of the Naval Security Group bases.

1976-1979 CNO SPINTCOMM, Pentagon, DC. Good tour of duty. Again, worked in civilian clothes. This was during the Carter years when they wanted the military presence to be very low-key in Wash. DC.

Tech control was my best part about being a CTO. I loved working with the equipment.

While in the Reserves:

1979-1981 I spent a short period with the Ohio Air National Guard. I left when they decided to disband the unit.

1981-1991 Back in the Navy, but in the Reserves. For a short period I was at the Columbus, Ohio reserve center, then I transferred to a NSG unit that was at the Cincinnati, Ohio reserve center. Eventually the unit moved to the Dayton, Ohio reserve center. Not long after I retired they disbanded the NSG unit at Dayton.