I received my technician class in February of 2008.  Upgraded to General class April 2009 at 52 years of age.  Two people influenced me greatly into amateur radio.  As a child I saw, W0CAQ, work some DX and most recently a co-worker, KC0OET, encouraged me, lended study materials, and answered a lot of my questions. 

Other hobbies include photography and flying.

Current equipment:  Icom-718, deep cycle battery for a power supply, 65 watt solar panel for charging.  3 element tri-bander up 16 feet and a G5RV up 30 feet.