Greetings from the U.S. Virgin Islands. I am normally QRV from St. Croix September - June and from northern Wisconsin on Chain Lake, near New Auburn, July - August.

I first became a ham in 1968 with the original call WN9ZZV. Since then I've held several calls including WA9ZZV, DA1ML, OE7ZAI, VK4MF and K9BZ and have also had fun operating from HB9, HB0, HP, I, KH6, KL7, KP4 and VE. Ham radio interests include DX, PSK, weak signal VHF/UHF, satellites and antenna/tower construction.

A memorable radio experience for me was my first station. Money was hard to come by as a young teenager and there was little extra to support equipment purchases, so my buddy (WN9ANP) and I shared our equipment. He had a homebrew HF receiver and I had a Heathkit DX-20 transmitter purchased for the gigantic sum of twenty dollars. Every other week I would have the station at my QTH and alternate weeks we would move the equipment to my friend's house. When I finally raised enough money from my paper route to buy a receiver (a Drake-1A), I was thrilled at being able to operate full-time from my own QTH.

It's also fun to recall my first QSO and QSL (WN2HIH), my first DX (ZL3JC) and a QSO with JY1 (King Hussein)... all over 40 years ago.

Education... managed a BS in Engineering from the US Military Academy, West Point, New York and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota even though I found it as necessary to get on the air as to eat, sleep and study. YES... I was the USMA cadet who put up the ham radio tower and tribander on the Cadet Activites Building (without permission) that could be clearly seen from the reviewing stand of the Academy's hallowed parade ground if you knew where to look. This "unathorized addition" to the picturesque academy buildings, statues and monuments greatly displeased a certain 3-star general who ordered it dismantled because it tainted his view of the circa 1800's landscape (some people just don't fully appreciate the beauty of an antenna). Fortunately for me I got several months of good operating time out of the antenna system before it was unceremoniously removed and most important... the mystery man responsible for the unathorized tower (me) was never identified. 

I also operated regularly from my small room in the cadet barracks with a Swan 350 transceiver and Webster Bandspanner mobile antenna temporarily hung from the window frame (after dark of course). I was an undisputed qualifier for the WAS (Worked All Stereos) award with that particular set up.

Lots of water over the dam since then and several careers from soldier to CTO. At the moment, I'm gainfully employed managing a "smart energy" business here in the Virgin Islands, but also do community service work with the homeless and get a lot of enjoyment from running a ham vacation rental called "Radio Reef". Check the Radio Reef video out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QULsQPFSick&feature=related

Other hobbies/interests are physical fitness, running, biking, martial arts (Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qigong), skiing, an occasional round of golf and of course... scuba diving.

I have a wonderful wife Donna, six great kids (4 girls and 2 boys) all grown and four grandchildren. So far, I continue to be the only ham in the family and get all the radios to myself :0)

73,

Brad - WP2B