Member Bio

3905 Century Club #3093             OMISS  # 13888                   USTAW # 377                   ECAR    # 9100

Local Clubs:  Columbus Amateur Radio Club & Brown County Amateur Radio Club. 

• Amateur Radio Club of Brown County, W9BCI
  website: W9BCI.ORG
• We formed a local VE group to serve local residents & students with testing.
• After school club with the Brown County Middle School is in Year #2. 
  – Call Sign N9BCI  
  – Great support and response from local HAMs! 
• Please email me if you have been successful with your local schools – I’m always looking for great ideas and best practices.

  Thank you in advance.

QSL Confirmation    3905 & OMISS Buros,  eQSL & LoTW,  or DIRECT.
If you need something else please email:  dave@n9vdt.com
(  No  SASE required,  you are worth the card & stamp!  )

Ok, that’s the important stuff.

More below, if one is curious how I arrived at this point.

Community Service 

• We’re supporting our STEM program at the local middle school.  We had a dipole antenna design project and a 3D printing design that houses a mobile unit with accessories in a governement “ammo” can.
• The after school radio club is going strong at our middle school and is helping us launch the high school club.
• We support our EMA Director and are on call to our local RACES/ARES Director.

BIO

I’m an Electrical Engineer by education and received my no-code Tech License around 1993 shortly after moving to Indiana from Cincinnati.

I participated in the Columbus Indiana Amateur Radio Club where I learned the application basics on UHF/VHF as we helped with the various events each year (Walk-a-Thons, Bike Rallies, etc.).  Then came cell phones … and many of those events no longer needed HAM comms … unfortunate.

Fast forward to 2020.

I’m blessed with a circle of great HAM friends.  We support, encourage, and nudge each other when needed.  We’re learning together and are working for more privileges.

My HF rig is a FT-857 and just added a FTdx101MP.  I have several HF antenna options – (3) different horizontal dipoles, a DX Commander Classic, and a BuddiPole Deluxe (for travel/vacation time).   I have a LDG AT-200Pro II Autotuner and several power supplies.   No Linear Amp.   This “dragon fence” dipole I acquired off eBay is serving me well, however, I aspire to continue to improve my antenna match across all bands and optimize the feedline.  I have a 100′ section of LMR400 between this dipole and my LDG AT-200 tuner.  I’m posting this as a few HAMs are helping me optimize – Thank You.

UHF/VHF.  I run a Kenwood TM-733 mobile.  I and my local group have each acquired several of the QYT mobiles off Amazon (before the China supply line shuts down?).    I inherited my father’s FT-11R as he is now a silent key.  I have a box of stuff: several Baofengs, a Kenwood TH-22AT, and other H/T’s I’ve picked up bottom fishing on eBay.   Recently, I’ve acquired an Anytone D878UVII & D578UVIIIPlus to learn all about DMR & APRS and a Wouxun KG-UV8LDPlus.

My two oldest sons have passed the Technican test, KD9UBV and KD9ULB, but number 3 is less than enthusiastic, but we’ll see. We celebrated with an ICOM 2730A for his truck and a FT-4XR  H/T.   We selected the same H/T, but selected the FTM-6000R for his vehicle so we can see how these ICOM and Yasue units directly compare.    There are plenty of Baofengs around to load up their go-bags, since we all know 1 is none, 2 is one, 3 is better.

I’m partial to Diamond Antennas for UHF/VHF.    I’m using mag mount bases and installing the trunk/hatchback style base on my truck to hold the Diamond NR77 series whips.   I have a couple versions of the X510/NA dual band verticals for home/stationary.

Thank you for visiting.

73  N9VDT