Welcome to the QRZ page of W5HEX.....

The Texas Hill Country is where I've called home for the past 12 of my 60 years. Originally from Pennsylvania where I worked in law enforcement and then in the manufacturing industry for 21 years, I wanted to escape the snow and bitter cold Winter. The Texas Hill Country is where my wife and I settled to escape it. We found Texas a great place to live and work....although I am counting the days until I retire in mid-2018. I am or was an avid fly tyer and fly fisherman my entire life in Pennsylvania. Trout fishing is something that is lacking here in Texas. I do miss the cold Pocono Mountain trout streams and Winter steelhead fishing in New York State. I spent many years chasing trout, salmon and steelhead with a fly on those streams and rivers. I'm sure one day I'll return to that part of the country so I can once again chase trout on a cold mountain stream.

I was licensed back in 1989 as a Technician as N3OJT before changing my license to W5ODX in 2016 and then changing it again to W5HEX ( my favorite antenna ) after upgrading to General. I spent most of my time in the early days on 2 meter FM/SSB and 6 meter SSB. I dropped out of the hobby after about 10 years or so when a family came along and extra funds went other places. I did keep my license current knowing I'd one day return to the hobby. In 2015 I decided to get back into it the hobby, studied for my General and passed the test in early 2016. I never knew how much fun that license upgrade would bring. Since then I have been chasing DX and rag chewing on the HF bands. I'm enjoying all the fine folks I've been meeting on the bands around the world.

My station is very modest. I have a Yaesu FTdx1200 (added October 2016)  and a Yaesu FT 450D and just added a Yaesu FT 891. Antennas are modest as well. I have two Hustler 4BTV's from DX Engineering which are ground mounted that I use on 10,12,15,17,20,40 and 80 meters. I buried 32 copper ground radials ranging in length from 15-40 feet. The ground radials are attached to a DX Engineering radial ground plate. This antennas work great. I have had great DXing with both of these antennas. I have worked 30 countries in just 12 weeks. The hardest part of ground mounting this vertical antenna is getting the radial wires on or in the ground here in Texas. I actually used an electric edger after a good rain and put slits in the soil and ran the wires in the cut slit. It worked well and in just a few weeks the wires were invisible.​

​I can usually be found on 15, 17 or 20 meters looking for DX or someone to rag chew with.

What a great start to 2017. I finally orderd and installed my KIO Technology Hexagonal Beam. Its up at about 30 feet on tower I installed in February 2017. It will soon find its new home on a tower located in the rear of my house.

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QSL direct please or you can use eQSL. All received QSL cards will be responded to.

"God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we ought to listen twice as much as we speak"  ~Irish Proverb~