I was born in West Point, Ms., and grew up in Starkville, Ms. I becamed involved in CB radio early in life, which sparked an interest in all forms of communications. I joined the Navy Reserve in December 1970 and went on active duty in August 1971. I had good test scores, so I became a Communications Technician, which later was changed to Cryptologic Technician. I retired in January 1993 as a Chief Cryptologic Technician, Technical Branch (CTTC). In February 1993, I went to work for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, DC, as a Senior Information Systems Analyst. I retired from the Federal Reserve in June 2012, and my wife, Anita, and I moved to Lexington, TN. After two great careers, I rekindled my interest in HAM radio in 2015. I passed the Technician class exam in October 2015, the General class exam in November 2015, and the Amateur Extra exam in March 2016. On April 30th, 2016, my call sign changed from KM4OIX to K4AFE.

During my 22-year career in the Navy, I was stationed in both the European and Asian theaters, as well as in the United States. My overseas tours included such exotic locations as Adak, Alaska; Rota, Spain; Edzell, Scotland; Hanza, Okinawa; and Misawa, Japan. Stateside tours included Homestead, Florida; three technical schools in Pensacola, Florida; and two tours at the National Security Agency at Ft. Meade, MD. My tours at NSA were the most rewarding assignments of my career. I served as a field support manager, which involved traveling for 3-6 weeks at a time every few months all over the world, including locations in Italy, England, Scotland, Germany, the Philippines, Alaska, and northern Japan. During my seven years of service at NSA, I was awarded two Defense Meritorious Service medals and two Joint Service Achievement medals.

During my 19-year second career at the Federal Reserve Board in D.C., my duties included providing desktop computer support, conducting research amd development, evaluating and testing of new Windows operating systems, evaluating hardware and software for compliance with technical and security-related requirements, network administration support, and general computer equipment installation support for over 600 clients in ten client divisions at the FRB.

In addition to being a HAM, I am also a musician. I play trombone with the Symphonic Winds concert band in Jackson, Tn, and am currently President of the Jackson Area Community Bands, Inc.

My current equipment includes a Kenwood TS-990S HF/6m transceiver, a Kenwood TS-590SG HF/6m transceiver, a Kenwood TS-590S HF/6m transceiver, an Ameritron ALS-600PS 600w amplifier, an AL-811 600w amplifier, an MFJ-998 1500w automatic tuner, an ATR-20 1500w tuner, a Yaesu FT-2900R 2m transceiver, and a dual-band Baofeng UV-82HP HT 2m/70cm handheld transceiver. For antennas, I have a 102' Radio Oasis G5RV 80-10 meter HF antenna, a Cushcraft R-8 Vertical 40-6 meter HF/VHF antenna, and a 520' full wavelength 160m horizontal loop. I also have a K9AY Receive only antenna. It allows me to work signals I would otherwise never know are there. I also have two VHF/UHF Tram wideband discone antennas, one on the roof for the Yaesu FT-2900R and one in the attic that serves two VHF/UHF scanners.