Member Bio

WAØJKT for about 57 years is now WØJKT as of 1/19/2021

NOTE: For reasons discussed in my bio below, on HF I operate remotely from various locations all over the US as well as from Haiti, Puerto Rico, Bonaire and Croatia – which I will identify in my contacts.  So if folks hear me and look me up here,  I am physically sitting in my home business office in Phoenix – I just use remotes on HF.

QRZ Log Note: The QRZ log does not show my actual remote location, other than in “Comments” section – just home QTH.  If you need a confirmation you can QSL direct as my QSL card is set up for remote confirmations – No SASE needed.

59 Years a HAM – Licensed in 1964. ARRL sent me thanks for 60 year anniversary as a Life member in 2022. Was ARRL member before licensed.

Until December 2020, I had not been on the air for over 40 years!  I have a renewed interest especially with the potential of Solar Cycle 25 with maybe the good propagation I enjoyed in the 60s and 70s.

I was first licensed in 1964 in the Minneapolis area but had been a listener long before. Since maybe 1960, I was active on CB – KGE1931- before I “graduated” from CB to ham radio! I operated HF/SSB from homes in Richfield (parents’ home) and St. Louis Park before I moved into an Edinborough townhome in Edina, with no ability to have a decent antenna. so I sold my Yaesu FT-901DM and Henry2K. I forget how I got rid of my Mosley CL-33 and a 30-foot tower.

I now live in a wonderful Frank Lloyd Wright-like home overlooking the North Valley of Phoenix with a stunning NE view.

In September 2019 along with two non-ham friends, I rented for a week- from a QST ad – a great shack and cabin in the mountains of Colorado. Host Ken – W0LSD – is a great guy. However, the HF band conditions near the bottom of Cycle 24 were so bad I never transmitted.  We enjoyed many other activities. My Toronto friend Peter and I wrote glowing “renter feedback” on his site http://www.lostcreekcabin.com

Having a renewed interest in getting back into being a ham, I then spent months reviewing many rig options.

Then I stepped outside and looked around. Oh yes, great Phoenix views for miles to the NE but what about the 3 mountains and steep hills in all other directions?  Woops!

I researched the angle of radiation and tried to find all I could on HF waves vs. mountains, and sad to say, I think the mountains win by reflecting or blocking them.  After reading building codes, site plan needed, and the set back rules, it got worse.  Although I have a 0.25-acre lot (larger than in my prior homes), a fairly tall tower would not work due to set-back rules.

I also contacted a well-reviewed Ham that makes & sells antennas in Phoenix. After seeing my site he said he could not recommend an antenna as my site was like a bowl and I would not be happy with the performance. (see map at end of this bio)

Then I discovered this rather new wonder of remote operating via other stations – totally legal and fast becoming popular. I like some of these web-based remote systems. So, in my office picture, notice there is no ham equipment.

I also have a very busy business life. I am a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and an RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) with about 40 years of experience coming from my nerdy CPA background. https://www.hutchisonria.com 

My History back in the days when we were all younger

Old Ham Life
In the l960’s and ’70s, I was very active in traffic nets, Navy MARS, the original County Hunters Club (CHC of K6BX fame), and various other county hunting nets. I had confirmed contact with over 2800 of the 3077 US counties.  I  remember when K9EAB from his iron lung was the first to be awarded the USA-CA all-county award.

CQ magazine in September 1969 by Ed Hopper W2GT did a write-up of my extensive mobile trips with WAØDCQ giving out county contacts all over the country.  A picture of me on another county hunting trip in 1967 and the 1st two pages of the CQ article are at the bottom of this bio. I also had a 2nd station license WAØRJH at my lake home on Sugar Lake, near Maple Lake, West of Minneapolis.

I was the net manager on the 75m Minnesota traffic net (BPL award), an Active Member of the Minneapolis Radio Club, and was in the Bloomington Police Reserve. I also supported HandiHams. I return to Minnesota every few years (only in summer). I love the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Old Log, Guthrie, etc. I became a life member of ARRL. Their lifetime fee back then was only $130 – 20 times the annual rate. They have lost money in postage on me since I am still around!

I escaped the cold and snow of the Minneapolis area in 1985, moving to Phoenix. I can better withstand the heat of the AZ summers vs. MN winters. However, for decades I have escaped the summer heat with 7-10 day trips to Canada; mostly to Toronto, but also to Montreal and Victoria.

Education and Business Life
My interest in radios pointed me to start in electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota.  In high school, I was in accelerated math and science classes.  During my first year in college, I kind of hit a brick wall and changed my major to accounting, which was more in line with how my brain worked. After college, I worked for a Minneapolis real estate new-town/in-town development (Cedar-Riverside) led by a tax prof at the UofM.

Next was the tax department of the then “Big 8” CPA firm of Touche Ross (now part of Deloitte) and after Touche, McGladrey CPA’s (now RSM International) as a senior in their tax department. Then I formed my own accounting firm with about 10 employees.

However, I became bored with “recording the past,” doing accounting and lots of tax returns. I became more interested in “planning for the future,” which led to my interest in financial planning and especially investments, and I sold the accounting firm.

I founded a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firm and a small broker-dealer which grew to about 100 representatives, FINRA (then NASD) licensed in six states. We opened a Phoenix office that did the underwriting of businesses (bringing them public). We received some national media attention with a Scottsdale company – Go-Video – which had a unique dual-deck VCR, which we took public. Much of the media attention was on their fight with Japanese manufacturers over certain patent rights.

Next, we took the broker-dealer and RIA public with a merger with a public company into a holding company.  It was about at this time I decided to move to Phoenix. Unfortunately, the new partners did some things my President of our subsidiary and I (Chairman & CEO) wanted nothing to do with and we resigned.

I then formed the current RIA firm resulting in https://www.hutchisonria.com

That’s all for now folks – I look forward to the future.

73 Dave Hutchison WØJKT “Just Killing Time”

My newsletter editor and loyal friend in Toronto

My visitor greeter and buddy Lacy – RIP

Dave is also trained in Esalen Massage