Rick Lindquist, WW1ME, has been licensed since 1958, initially as KN2RHJ while living in Oradell, New Jersey, where he grew up. He is a 1963 graduate of River Dell HS. After upgrading to General and becoming K2RHJ, he held several other call signs over the years. These include K1YHK (ME), W8EXK (WV), WBØEAA (MO), N4APK (VA), KX4V (VA), N1RL (CT & MA), and WW3DE (DE) --in approximate chronological order.
Rick is a Jan 1968 graduate of the Univerity of Maine-Orono. After teaching German and English in high school, he went on to a career in radio and TV broadcasting, mostly as a news reporter at stations around Maine and in SW Virginia. Following a stint as a training rep for Hercules (Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia), Rick went to work for The Roanoke Times for a couple of years while getting an MS in educational media at Radford University.
In 1995 he took a position at ARRL Headquarters, initially as product review editor, later becoming senior news editor. Rick retired in June 2007 after 12 years on staff; that year he was named to the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame, an unexpected honor.
In 2008 Rick and his wife Jean, N1MJC -- an RN -- relocated from Western Massachusetts to Slower Lower Delaware, and he obtained the call sign WW3DE to reflect the new state of residence.
In 2012, Rick relocated (solo) to Harrington, Maine, and has since obtained the call sign WW1ME. (Listen for him also as W1LQ.) His ham radio activity has been a bit limited because of other obligations and ongoing house renovation/repair projects, in addition to a paucity of good antennas.
In February 2009, Rick suffered a mild stroke that somewhat impaired his right (and dominant) hand. While he has fully regained his typing ability, he continues to work on his CW fist, which can get a little erratic after a few minutes of sending. He also more or less had to teach himself to write by hand again.
Rick enjoys CW, digital modes and SSB in that order, and is active in as many CW and RTTY (and occasionally phone) contests as he can manage. His particular favorites are ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW) and the ARRL 160-Meter Contest. Rick won the Canada plaque in the 2001 running of SS CW, operating from VY1JA. He's also operated in SS CW, albeit far less successfully, from Quebec and Newfoundland. From 2008-2012, he handed out the sort-of-rare DE multiplier. He also once contested from the W3PP super station, about three miles from his now-former Delaware QTH. (Dallas is sorely missed.) Rick will continue to be active in contests, especially ARRL November Sweepstakes, as time and antennas permit.
Rick freelances as managing editor of NCJ (National Contest Journal) and authors articles and occasional product reviews for QST. In addition to Amateur Radio, Rick enjoys collecting and repairing clocks and vintage radios and taking photographs.
