Retired firefighter. 

Licensed since December 2013, upgraded to General in 2015. 

Purchased my iCom ID-51A Plus on my trip to 2015; Dayton Hamvention.  Primarily interested in EComm and built a "Go Kit" with a Kenwood mobile for field communication.  Now operating an iCom 7100 (which was acquired on my 2016 trip to Dayton, Hamvention) as my base in the "Man Cave/Woodworking Pole Barn."  The iCom 7100 is connected to a GAP Titan Antenna on the roof of the pole barn.  My first shack HF contact was on 40m with the 7.235 Family Net which operates from 1200 - 1300 Z.  

2017 trip to Xenia, OH for HamVention resulted in me winning an iCom 4100A during the D-Star infocon on Friday evening. The prize included RT Systems software and programming cable for the radio.  The 4100A is now mounted in my Jeep for mobile use.  It works fantastic and a mobile antenna upgrade is being planned.  Enjoy an occasional rag chew on the W8MAI B, D-Star repeater in the evening.  Looking forward to when the W8VY, D-star repeater is linked to the network.

Donated my first radio a: BAOFENG UV-5R, to the Kalamazoo Amateur Radio Club (K.A.R.C.) for use by new Hams and also Chaired the 2016 Kalamazoo HamFest Workgroup and staying on as the Chair for the 2017 Kalamazoo Hamfest Workgroup.   

I have been a Red Cross Volunteer since 1977 and currently serve as the Deputy Disaster Program Manager for the Southwest Michigan Territory.  GAPs include: ER/LG/SV, LOG/LSAP/SV, DST/CS/SA, MC/FF/SA ERV (Instructor).

My XYL (Deb) and I enjoy riding our Harely-Davidson motorcycles around the country.  We are both six figure riders; Deb has over 100,000 miles on her motorcycles and I have over 200,000 on my motorcycles.  We became active Harley riders in 1995 and I served as the Director of the Southwest Michigan Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) Chapter, for five years from 2005 to 2010.  We have ridden Route 66 and the Mississippi River Road with the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.), essentially Xing the nation from the east coast to the west coast.  We have also ridden our motocycles to serveral peaks (Mt. Washington, Mt. Evans, and Pikes Peak) and thereby have ridden our motorcycles twice higher than we ever flew in our Cessna 172 (5,500')

We are also Geocachers and maintained a daily streak from July 29, 2013 until January 05, 2015 and have over 2,000 finds in thirty-two states.  We have also cached in all eighty-three counties in the State of Michigan.  Completing the countys in the Upper Pennisula on our motorcycles in  2015.

We have three granddaughters, one in Scottsdale, Arizona and two in San Antonio, Texas, who we don't get to see often enough!