I enjoy working all the amateur satellites. However, I have been very busy on wild land fires communications and fuel truck driver for Helicopter Initial Attack during the summer and skiing in the winter. Photography as taken up most of my previous Ham Radio time, so I am not very active since I retired. I sold most of my radio equipment to buy some new Canon lenses leaving just enough for my BPQ32 Switch, APRS Igate, APRS mobile, and Winlink.

The Antarctica sumer season 2008/2009 2009/2010, I worked at McMurdo Station and set up APRS and Echo Link for the summer. It worked out well and I put a tracker in the vehicles I drove out to Pegasus Field (Ice Runway on the Ross Ice Sea). I also put out objects for Pegaus Airfield, Scott Base New Zealand, Long Duration Balloon Center, and McMurdo station. Also got to work satellites with New Zealand and Australia in particular AO-51 and that was quite a thrill. I took spare parts down and fixed the HYgain TH-DX7 and made a few HF contacts on 14.243.

I have been working with BPQ32 Swtich for the last year or so and just having a blast learning. BPQ32 is an interface between Radio and the internet. It has a BBS, Chat with folks around the world, RMS Packet to the Winlink system, and link to all active BPQ32 switches around the world. I also added a SCS Pactor III Modem and Signalink USB for Winmor to be used for EMCOMM if the internet goes down with Winlink. The entire system (BPQ32 Switch and APRS Igate) with computer, radios, tncs, internet connection, and WX station are on solar/batteries 24/7 for the last 10 years and still going strong.

I also enjoy public service and participate as a technition/operator in the Lewis and Clark County Montana DES and the State of Montana DES with ARES. Earlier this year 2011, the MARS station was set up at the State DES for Voice and Digitial Pactor III. Although I am not a MARS member, the State DES is a AAN callsign so I can operate as a technition/operator.