Hello, G'day, guten Tag, goede dag, bonjour, buenos dias,

I hope we have just talked (phone, cw or PSK).  That's what makes our hobby so enjoyable, communicating with each other across the aether.

I have been continously licensed since grade school in 1954, thanks to my buddy and classmate, Bob, W8TGE.  Over the years I have enjoyed CW, HF AM, 6M AM, 2M FM, HF SSB, CW rag chewing, PSK-31, EmComm and DXing.

I was originally licensed as WN8TCW, then W8TCW, in Independence, OH.  I enlisted in the US Navy, became a CT in Pensacola, FL (at WA4ECY- the Club Station of USNAAS Corry Field) and was then stationed at USNSGA in Bremerhaven, Germany as DL5ES (and DL5BR, the Club Station).  When I returned to the States it was to Pittsburgh, PA, where I received the calls W3EXQ and finally N3DV in 1976.  I moved to New Jersey in 1980, thankfully keeping my purposely chosen rhythmic (CW) "Darth Vader" call.

In Nov. 1998 Mike, WA2VUN, erected a 20 M tower in my side yard with a Force 12, 5BA Nomad, and the big, circularly polarized M2s for 2 M and 70 cm on top.  I have finally gotten serious about VHF/UHF Satellite work (I had a lot of fun with RS-12/13 in the '90s), chasing DX (I went from 40 countries confirmed in '98 to 328 [DX-Honor Roll {Mixed}] in Dec. '06 and up to 331 in Oct. '08) and multi-band DX-CCs and WAZs in the past 10 years and emergency communication.

I am very interested in using the fantastic potential of the Amateur Radio Service for Emergency Communication.  To that end I am the Bedminster, NJ EOC radio Officer and a member of the SHARES Network, sponsored by NCS.  Also, up to March of 2010, I was heavily involved in various SATERN activities, offices and Net Control duties.

I am married to a lovely and understanding (as we all must have), woman.  We have two great boys, the younger son living in San Francisco, CA with his wife and our 2nd grandson, just about to enter his 'terrible Twos' and with a sibling about to be born, and the older son, who has moved back to the East Coast with his wife from Palo Alto, CA to be closer to his son and daughter, our 1st grandson, who is a major sports buff, avid 'jock' at 15 and 3rd former at Kent School, and a beautiful 9 year old granddaughter, born on Boxing Day 2000 in Paris.

If we haven't just talked, I hope to hear you out there.  When we do talk, ask me about Samoyeds.  We raise them.  There's probably one curled around my feet (I don't have a linear to keep my feet warm, hi, hi).

By the way, in spite of no to very few sunspots, there is still propagation, and DX, to be worked out there.  Keep listening and follow the grey line.

Have a great day, and long-live CW.

vy 73, GD, GL es gud DX de N3DV, dit-da-le-dah-dit-dah