Please visit my amateur radio blog at http://km6i.blogspot.com/

I was originally licensed in Ohio in 1975 as WN8YVI. I upgraded to General class (WB8YVI), then Advanced class sometime in the early 80s (KC8ES) while in college at the University of Michigan, where I had a lot of fun operating W8UM in the ARRL Sweepstakes 1979-1982. I finally got around to taking my extra class exam in 2006 and applied for my current vanity call after that.

I'm active in ARES/RACES for my city (Mountain View) and county (Santa Clara), and I am a MAC (Mutual Aid Communicator). I also do a lot of contesting, mostly from my home shack, but occasionally guest operating. My favorite contests are the ARRL November Sweepstakes and the North American QSO Parties. I also occasionally chase DX, mostly on CW, and I achieved DXCC in 2011.

Member, Northern California Contest Club.

Currently: Software Engineer, VMware, Palo Alto, CA, US (http://vmware.com)

Former club officer, University of Michigan Amateur Radio Club (W8UM).

Proud owner of my grandfather's Vibroplex bug (S/N 59192, ca 1917). George was a telegrapher for the Soo Line Railroad, and passed his vintage bug to me when I was a kid. Only now do I realize what a gem he handed to me that day.

In my shack:

• Elecraft K3 Transceiver
• Elecraft KPA500 Amplifier
• Elecraft KAT500 Antenna Tuner
• Antennas:
  • G5RV in inverted-vee configuration, apex at 60 feet
  • 43 ft wire vertical
  • Temporary 2 element triband wire yagi, raised for certain contests.

When not on the air, I'm frequently on my road bike, a 2013 Specialized Tarmac SL-4.