Well it all started when I was a kid. I always wanted to get into radio so when I was 16 I took my radio telephone 3rd class license. A year later I took my 1st class radio telephone license. In those days it was so much different. I had to go down to the FCC in San Diego and take a test with over 100 questions that at the time seemed impossible to pass. No calculator just mathematics on a piece of paper. After that waiting for about 6 weeks for a letter in the mail. I worked for a time at KCBQ in Santee,Ca staring at the glowing tubes in that 50,000 watt clear channel transmitter, long gone now just a shopping center parking lot. But I knew some day I would get into amateur radio. Radio was in my blood and the thought of controlling my own transmitter never left my thoughts. Many years later when my kids who have now all grown up and gone, I decided it was time for a new hobby. In one week I became an extra class amateur radio licensee. I studied for a few weeks prior to the tests but it was very easy as I remembered most of the theory I studied as a kid. What an awesome hobby and the people are just incredible. Everyone wants to help you out and the guys at the local HRO are fantastic. I run my rigs with HRD on SSB and DM780 on digital modes (yet I still love FLdigi and use it also). HRD software is the best rig control I have ever used and it's free. It does take 3 seperate computers to run all the rigs and programs. I also belong to the 6 Shooters San Diego Club and attend their meetings. Below are some pictures of my ham shack and antennas. Ham Radio Rocks!

The above picture is a significant upgrade from my old shack pictued below!

Talk about an old spark gap.

Running in the shack and remotely(using HRD, Splash Top & Skype)both SSB and Digital Modes(mostly BPSK31, Olivia & Feld Hell FH3818)on the 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 and 6 meter bands. My antennas are a Hex Beam Wideband mounted on the roof of my shack:

I run a MDS RC-1 Controller driven by the PST Rotator Program (awesome program) to Interface into HRD for auto controlof my Yaesu G450. The Hex Beam Auto controlled by map, call letters or DX Cluster!

I also run a GAP Challenger DX Vertical for 40 & 80 meters:

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I hope to chat with you on any of the HF frequencies or see you in the waterfall. Either way I am always ready to chase DX and communicate with fellow amateur radio operators worldwide!

Here are some pictures of my beautiful city:

73's

Bruce

AG6FD

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