Ham radio, and most all electronics in general, are a big part of my life. As my wife, Bethany, once put it, "You're always talking about radios or trying to describe something or looking in a catalog - you must love it!" Well, she's right. I earned my ticket in 1995 when I was 15 years old. KE4YUC is my original call; I still have a Technician Class license but I hope to change that soon. My new QTH has enuogh space for a tower and HF antenna, so "playing radios" will get a lot more interesting soon! I played around with CB's as a kid and naturally progressed into ham radio. My dad got his ticket shortly after me and we had a great time going to hamfests, attending radio club meetings, and talking on the air. I had always been interested in taking stuff apart to see how it worked- if it had a wire coming out of it, I liked it.
Shortly after getting my license, a tornado passed about 100 yards south of our house and I was plunged into the world of emergency communications. That became my focus for a number of years. I was the ARES® Emergency Coordinator for Boyle County, KY for a while and was also Disctrict Emergency Coordinator for KY District 12. I still have close relationships with Emergency Management in Boyle and Mercer Counties and at the state level. However, the older I get, the more I like to focus on the "fun" aspect of amateur radio. Like many hams, I listen a lot but I'm more interested now in talking on the radio and building stuff. My brother Chris, KI4FTX, got his license in 2004. He moved back to Harrodsburg in 2008 and is starting to get on the air, as well. My dad, Donnie, KF4ALR, will retire one of these days and will hopefully get to put his ICOM 746 to good use! Our "ham radio family tree" also includes my parents' neighbors Dewitt Sims (WB8KFU) and his wife, Eva (WD8JSR). Dewitt is active on HF and is always willing to lend a hand or explain anything radio-related.
At this point, I'm active on 2M, 440, 6M, and 33cm, mostly mobile or portable. As you can see from the picture, I've been known to climb towers. That particular photo was taken while working on the W4CDA (ex-WD4DZC) 2M repeater in Danville. I enjoy antenna work, programming radios, and performing mobile installs. I am a member of the Wilderness Road Amateur Radio Club and the Jessamine Amateur Wireless Society.
Here's a list of radios I am using:
- Icom IC-V8 2M Portable
- Kenwood TK-360G UHF Portable (2)
- Yaesu FT-530 Dual Band Portable
- Icom IC-2720H Dual Band Mobile
- Kenwood TK-705 VHF Mobile
- Kenwood TM-261A 2M Mobile (2)
- Kenwood TK-805D UHF Mobile
- Midland 70-0375C Mobile Converted to 6M (2)
- Azden PCS-7000H 2M Mobile
- EFJohnson EFJ8640 900MHz Mobile Converted to 33cm
- Kenwood TK-860 UHF Mobile
- Motorola CDM1550-LS+ UHF Mobile
- Motorola Radius M100 UHF Mobile (2)
- Motorola P110 UHF Portable (3)
You might be asking,"Why all that UHF stuff?" Although 70cm is not as popular here as in some places, activity on that band is on the rise (as far as I can tell). There are reliable 70cm repeaters in many of the surrounding counties. Also, my job requires that I work with the school a great deal so having a UHF portable allows me to monitor radio traffic from all the local schools and to use the cross-band repeater in Bethany's truck. The main reason for all the UHF radios is that I plan on setting up a repeater once I get settled in at my new QTH. Gordon, KC4UPE, maintains a 440 machine in Salvisa which is close to the house. I'm still undecided about putting up another 440 machine - time will tell. Regardless of what happens with the ham repeater, I plan on getting a GMRS license and installing a repeater. Several of my family members may not get interested in ham radio any time soon, so a GMRS machine will allow us to communicate, especially when there are power failures, cell phone problems, etc. Our current cell carrier has questionable cell coverage at home, so radio will be a great option for us.
Click here to be taken to my amateur radio links page - you'll be glad you did.
