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Click for more detail... In 1953, when the permeability-tuned Philco tabletop radio started tuning in160m AM signals .. I was bitten hard by the Ham Radio Bug! Took the Novice test from FCC examiner W8DX on my 17th birthday and passed! First licensed as WN8QHW, I soon upgraded to Technician after 3 months, and then General after another 3 months, with the callsign W8QHW! My 'Elmers' were W8GFE and W8GJG, but I soon discovered DX and Contests, so took lessons from the 'old masters' W8JIN, W8FGX, and W8RSW. In 1960, long before 'incentive licensing', I upgraded to Amateur Extra, sending my 20 wpm with a straight key, and copying the entire text solid from VVV to VVV [you old-timers will remember that!]. Earned WAS as a Novice on 7178.2 ... crystal controlled. Then became a DXer when my General class license allowed me to 'roam' the bands, working DXCC on 40m in less than two years, using a Johnson Viking I [still have it!] and a Collins 75A-1 [still have it, TOO!]. When the FCC allowed Extra Class Hams to 'select' their own callsigns, I chose N8DE ... because every good ham knows what DahDiDit Dit means! Made DXCC HonorRoll in the late 1980's .. but three tornadoes tore down my towers in 1982,1985, and 1992 .. haven't worked much DX since then. In 1995, took a 2m rig and a HF rig to Europe and operated as OK8BDE, SO8DE, OM9ADE, and HA/N8DE. A retired professional educator with BS and MA in Mathematics, specializing in Probability and Statistics, I taught HS Mathematics for 40 years, finally retiring [for the second time!] in 2002. My goal is to get many towers and antennas up and enjoy my retirement as soon as I retire the third time! Presently, I travel extensively, as a licensed rabbit show judge [the only person in USA to hold both Amateur Extra Class and rabbit judging licenses!). Now at the new QTH in Michigan, I am in the process of planning and then constructing my dream antenna system. This will consist of monobanders for 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10m, on 4 separate towers, with 3-el, switchable, vertical arrays for 40m and 80m. A extended double-zepp will be used for 160m except during Winter contests when a 3-el vertical array composed of balloon-supported verticals will be erected on the acreage immediately to the North of the QTH, thanks to a friendly neighbor. Goal is to have most of the antennas up and running by the Fall of 2009. The 3-el 40m array has been erected, but the phasing lines and remote switching will be finished when the Winter is over. The station equipment consists of FIVE NCG 10/160M transceivers and a Dentron DTR-2000L amplifier [not yet inline] with Heathkit and Dentron antenna tuners.
To the left of the operating position is an index file of ALL my contacts [now over 300,000], much like a library card file, as I keep all logs on paper and do NOT use a computer for that purpose. Memberships include: ARRL Life Member, Past-president Ohio Valley ARA, Past-president Northern Ohio ARS, Montcalm Area ARC, and contributor to many DXpeditions, though I have never been an operator on one .... that is on my 'Bucket List'. 2008 was a great year for low power DXing with only a vertical antenna, working 235 DXCC entities! 2009 begins with a bang, working 122 DXCC entities in January, 161 through February, 182 through March, and 198 through April. Despite being off the air in July, August, September, and most of October, DXCC total is now 209 for the year.
Two of the 80m verticals are now up. Radial fields will be installed this week and a feedline run from the shack.
Next up will be the "North" tower with monobanders for 30m, 17m, and 12m. 30m yagi under construction in yard
Website: http://www.hightowerfarm.com
Last modified: Sun Nov 8 18:29:28 2009 Does this page contain inappropriate content? If so, Report this page... |
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