Member Bio

CB enthusiast since the ’90s, I was licensed General (May 2014), upgraded to Extra (Feb 2015), and very much addicted to ham radio..

Ham Radio is another venue for me to learn more about electronics, which has always been an interest for me. I enjoy tinkering, and have done a few projects over the past few years (3d printing, home automation, fancy Christmas lights, quadcopters….and the list goes on. I’m basically a big nerd with too many hobbies!

I started out with a simple setup of an attic dipole (20M), with a second-hand Yaesu FT-450AT. I’m amazed by the DX contacts I’ve been able to make with this setup, and I keep learning/improving and expanding my footprint into this hobby. I made a DIY audio interface and started getting into Data modes (PSK31, JT65, FT8). I’ve also set up an old 11M vertical in my backyard, removed the loading coil on it, and with an MFJ-948 tuner I picked up on ebay, it’s become my go-to antenna for 40/30m. And in Jun 2020, I finally accomplished my long awaited goal of building a hex beam antenna for the 20-6M bands: I love this antenna and had a great time building it (it is the K4KIO design). At only 26′ (Rohn push-up pole) on a Yaesu G-450ADC rotator, it’s allowed me to finally reach my DXCC and other awards!

Here’s a photo of my shack while operating FD 2020. I’m now running an Icom 7300, replacing my trusty FT-450AT, along with an MFJ Versa Tuner and a Yaesu G-450ADC rotator controller.

I also own a Yaesu FT2-DR HT and a Yaesu FTM-400DR for the UHF/VHF bands, though my experience with repeaters and the 2m+ band has been limited so far.

I’ve recently experimented with going portable – namely, activating POTA parks. Here is a photo while activating POTA K-1626 (Parvin State Park in SNJ) in June 2022. It was a blast, and I will be doing it again soon!

Operating my trusty old Yaesu FT-450AT, on 100W, using an 18Ah LiFePO4 battery, powered by a 100W solar panel, into a telescoping 31-foot vertical random wire (using a 9:1 Nelson Antennas unun). A full hour of operating only ran the battery down to 90% charge, leaving the panel out in the back of the truck got it fully recharged by the time I got home (~30 min drive).

Battery: https://amzn.to/3u0C9VV

Charge Controller: https://amzn.to/3yjPRWs

100W Flexible panel: https://amzn.to/3NmDPzR

My other big-time hobby is flying FPV (First Person View) quadcopters. I enjoy building them (and my soldering skills have vastly improved thanks to all the crashing/fixing :)), and flying them in the backyard or the local park…

I upload all my logs to QRZ.com & LOTW, frequently. Please do the same for me!

Some of my 3d printing/home automation designs can be found here: http://www.thingiverse.com/bkpsu/designs