Member Bio

de KO4LEM,

Thanks for checking my page….

Logging: I respond to all QSL’s via LoTW, eQSL, QRZ, or Direct. While electronic logging is highly preferred and needed for promptly receiving credit for awards and contests, I am also an avid QSL card collector and really enjoy swapping QSL cards as well. So, in addition to electronic QSLs, if you also want to swap QSL cards then please send me yours and I will return one. No SASE required for US stations. DX stations please send green stamps. Send direct QSL cards to QTH noted above.

My QSO’s/logs are immediately uploaded to eQSL, LOTW, and QRZ.com. Lastly, CLUBLOG is uploaded weekly by uploading confirmed QSLs from LoTW.

Credentials & Memberships: KO4LEM Amateur Extra license, WRKH258 GMRS License, ARRL Member, ARRL Volunteer Examinar (VE), SKYWARN Member, Cherokee Co. Georgia ARES Member, CARS (Cherokee Amateur Radio Society) Club Member, AMSAT Member, LICW member, Southeastern DX Club, OMISS & SSB member, YLISSB SYSTEM member, and NATA & SSB net participant, US Traffic & Awards Net Member …

BIO: I’ve been in Telecomm and commercial wireless for over 35 years and now ready to enjoy the hobby of Amateur Radio. Other hobbies include electronics – both theory and practical projects, kit building, Home brew projects, antenna design, woodworking, target shooting & reloading, and playing music. Current HAM interest includes:

I enjoy a plethora of HAM acvtivities….especially HF Digital.  FT8, FT4, PSK, RTTY, and HF SSB nets. Also enjoy repeater operations (2M & 70cm), analog and DMR, Fusion, and D-Star. Now getting started with Satellite and finally learning CW (Long Island CW club). Look forward to getting on the air on both Satellite and CW.  Fox hunting and general RF troubleshooting is fun as well.  For ARES we prmarily use Winlink, (Vara HF & FM, or Peer to Peer), PSK, and DRATS for event operations and our NET check-in’s.

Equipment:

Fixed station/Shack:

Antennas

Satellite – Hi Gain DB-218SAT with Yaesu G5500 dual Rotator.

HF Vertical – Hi Gain AV-680 10-80M (backup Vertical is DX Commander 10M-80M).

HF Horizontals – Nelson 10-80M EFHW Inverted V, MFJ 1848 6M-40M Hexbeam w/ Yaesu G450 rotator.

2M-70CM – MFJ 1522 VHF/UHF Dual Band Base/Repeater antenna

SDR – MFJ-1866 Discone 25Mhz-1.3Ghz

Rigs vary but main ones are IC7300, Icom SM-50 Microphone,  IC9700, Yaesu FTdx 10,  Yaesu M-1 Reference Microphone, FT 991A, Power Amp is Ameritron AL-811H (800 Watt with 4 Penta tubes),  various tuners but most used are the MFJ-998 and MFJ 993B auto tuners. Manual Backup is MFJ989D. Other accessories include Bencher Keyers, MFJ-464 CW reader, multiple Power Supplies, etc. For SDR I have the SDREPlay RSPdx, and for Short wave listening I really enjoy my Eaton Elite 750. Also have several Raspberry PI’s for fooling around and tinkering both in the Shack and the field.

Mobile:

Icom ID5100A, Yaesu FTDM400, Anytone D578, Uniden 980 SSB CB. Also with many accessories such as Signalink USB, Wires-X HRI-200, MFJ-929 intelliTuner, Solar panels, and battery backup, signal conditioning systems, MFJ-862 VHF/UHF wattmeter, MFJ-269D SWR analyzer, RigExpert 600zoom analyzer, MFJ-225 antenna analyzer, varius un-un’s, balan’s, power supplies, etc.

HT/Portable: Not all of them are worth listing but my favorites are…Kenwood TH-D74, Anytone D878III & D878IIIplus, Kenwood ID-52A, Yaesu FT-70D, and FT3D. For GMRS my Bridgcom ECHOs.

Test Gear:  Lots…40 years of collecting and buying for business. It was always easier to buy than to part with (XYL calls it hoarding!). As noted earlier, electronics is my passion and life long career (wirelss RF Engineering & Operations and wireline, Outside Plant, & Transport Operations).

ACHIEVEMENTS: Fairly new to the fun of “chasing Paper”! I’ve been more into building, testing, and theory of the hobby. Currently, I am really hooked on Digital and now looking to get into CW. DX communications with a weak Signal (WSPR) is really fun.  Some achievements in addtion to the QRZ awards above:

ARRL WAS Mixed #65881

ARRL WAS Digital #5816

ARRL DXCC Mixed #69627

ARRL DXCC Digital #9136

As I wind down my Telecom career I really look forward to getting more into the hobby of Amateur radio ( “Ham Radio…the orginal Social Media Platform!”)

Be well….73