Formerly licensed as WN1VJW, KA1VGP and in Germany as DA2PJ

21 Year Air Force Veteran, retired as a Master Sergeant.

Directed Air Force MARS program at Wright-Patterson AFB from 1989 to 1992.

ARES AEC for Cheshire County, New Hampshire.

New QTH on 2.1 Acres in a town that has a tower restriction. Nothing more than 70 feet. I'm already at 1200 with most terrain at <500. I think I can live with it.

My day job is as a Computer Network Engineer.  You know, data plumber...  We're the one's who control the magic that moves your information from here to there and back again and lose it on it's way.  But it pays the bills.  I've been working with computers my entire adult life.  Computer networks and desktop systems since 1987.  22 years of watching others pull their hair out has been - uhm - Interesting.

In the picture you'll see 2 complete operator positions and 3 rigs.  The main station is to the right of all the monitors and has an Icom 756 Pro III which is controlled with HRD and the computer just to the left of all the rigs. On top is a complete Heathkit HW-5400 station with the Power Supply/Speaker, Phone Patch, Microphone Equalizer and Audio Filter, Monitor Scope with Pan Adapter, Tuner and it's connected to the SB-1000 Linear.  Everything works 100% and I am the original owner/builder on most of it.  A SB-102 station is being rebuilt.  I learned on a SB-102 in High School.  So it'll be nice to have that rig again.

Also in the shelf is an Icom 706 MkIIG that is controlled by HRD and the far left computer system. Each computer has a  TNC (AEA DSP-2232/HK-232) with full upgrades. Each station, with the help of the *232s and DM780/FLDigi or Radio Operations Center, has full soundcard modes as well.  I added a SignaLink USB for more digital modes as well as working in conjuction with the DSP-2232 which won't do PSK.

There is also a Uniden BC785D APCO-25 capable Scanner and a Kenwood TM-V708 for 2M and 70CM on the shelving.

Both computers are connected to the Internet via a router and firewall. Both are dual monitor system that make it real easy to control the rig or the log on one screen and run digital modes on the other.

To the far left of the desk is a coaxial patch field. The upper row has a cable to each rig, the lower to each antenna. This allows an "Any-To-Any" connection capability. On top is a Kenwood TM-2570 connected to a AEA PK-232MBX running WinLink. That software is running on a headless server. Also running on the server is the Weather Station software.

Outside there's a Diamond X-50, 6M Ringo, 5 Band Hy-Gain Vertical, a 40M Cage Dipole, home brew 12 element Discone (12 in the cone, 12 in the disc) for the scanner,  Hustler G6-144 and a Cubex KingBee 6 & 2 Meter Quad.  Spring will see a tower project and hopefully a 3 Element Quad on the tower.  For that I've prepared a homebrew 5 position coax switch controllable manually or with HRD automatically.  Rotator duties will be handled by a TailTwister-2 and a controller wth an Idiom Press board with RS-232 option.

This shack takes full advantage of automation and interoperability.  The log can be shared between both HRD stations or set up to run independently.  I have set up with a 2 operator contest station in mind.  We'll see how that goes.

All vital equipment is powered through several UPS.  A generator is available for those times when power is out for an extended amount of time.  Someday, I'll put in a whole house emergency power system.  Ice storms around here leave you without power for days or weeks.

Thanks for looking and I hope to work you on the bands some day.

73 - Jim - KB1NXE