QSL INFO :

(1) qrz.com online logbook (2) direct to mailing address (3) via buro (4) email

DX stations may qsl direct if you prefer or possible, or via buro- use the qrz.com mailing address if qsling direct. Return postage, for ALL contacts stateside or DX,not necessary but appreciated. I do NOT use LOTW. I prefer the old fashioned way of logging, on paper.

Previous Callsigns :

KC4OVH (Novice) N4ZAN (Technician) KN4VY (General and Extra) KJ4BJ (Extra)

Operating Awards:

WAC WAS (DXCC in progress)

Organizations:

member ofAmerican Radio Relay League - Rhea County Amateur Radio Society -

3915 KHz Group - Straight Key Century Club

On Air Frequencies:

all nine amateur HF bands CW, SSB, FM - occasional amateur satellites -

Off Air Interests:

small homebrew projects and antennas - hamfests

.the sound of DX makes me Happy !!!!

HF Station Info : ------------------------------------------

Rigs:

Yaesu FT 1000MP @ 100W PEP

Yaesu FT-990 @ 100 W PEP

Antennas: : -------------------------------------------------

80 meter Full Wave Delta Loop 80 - 10m ==== (currently in use) and erected in the horizontal plane and fed directly with 300 ohm ribbon from the tuner. Some hams may call this a "skywire" antenna. In general, this antenna is by far the best multiband antenna that I have ever used. The gain on the higher bands is noticable compared to my old 80 meter dipole, and very noticable over my old G5RV due to the extra number of wavelengths. This antenna seems to have about the same gain as the 160m full wave loop I used to have on 80through 10meters. However, the 160 loop seemed less susceptible to fading at 30 meters and above. I believe this is simply because of the larger enclosed area of the 160 loop. Most of the time, though, I noticed no difference when band conditions were good.Imay reinstall the top band loop some day, when the trees grow another 25 feet or so!!

30 meter Full Wave Delta Loop ==== built strictly for dx on the 30 meter band, erected in the vertical plane, apex up, and vertically polarized. The apex is about 40 feet off the ground, while the bottom is about 12 feet off the ground and tilted away from vertical at about 30 degrees. It is fed directly with RG-8 coax. I use a 1/4 wave matching transformer at the antenna feed point made from a section of RG-59 75 ohm coax. The feed point is on a lower corner for vertical polarization. This antenna has given me 599 to CT3, Maderia Island, and 579 to AH6, Hawaii. It has proven to work very well, and also works well for stateside contacts. I also use it on 10 meters on roughly the 3rd harmonic, where the antenna is super quiet and seems to have a lower launch angle. It works great. No tuning required for either band.

20 meter Full Wave Delta Loop ==== built strictly for dx on 20 meters, this antenna is mounted apex upin the vertical plane and vertically polarized, fed on a lower corner. It is tilted away from vertical at about 45 degrees.It is fedwith RG-59 coax. This antenna has a 1/4 wave matching transformer made from RG-62 coax. The antenna works very well and pulls in the dx.  I also tune it up on 17 and 12 meters but does better on 17. It is a star performer.

40 meter Full Wave Delta Loop ==== built strictly for dx on the 40 meter band, also erected in the vertical plane, apex up. The apex is about 40 feet off the ground and the bottom is about 4 feet off the ground, tilted away from verticalat about 30 degrees. It is fed directly with RG-8X coax, also with a quarter wave75 ohm matching transformer. The feed point is on a lower corner for vertical polarization. This antenna works quite well and I also use this antenna on 15 meters on the 3rd harmonic, where it is super quiet with a low launch angle. No tuning required on either band.

Cushcraft A3S tri band yagi 20, 15, 10 meters ==== not in service at this time.

10 meter Full Wave Circular Loop ==== (no longer in service)this was the first loop antenna I ever built. Built strictly for working local ground wave work, this antenna was made from 1/2 aluminum CATV hardline cable, and held itself upright and in shape. It was formed in a circle for maximum gain and mounted in the vertical plane on a temporary PVC mast only 19 feet off the ground. It was fed directly with RG-8 coax and a 75 ohm matching transformer as the delta loops above. It was fed at the bottom and it's polarization was horizontal, perhaps with some circular components. This antenna had a definate bidirectional pattern and gave about 12 db of gain over my old G5RV (ground wave) and worked fantastic. It also works very well for DX and stateside contacts when the band is open. Rotation was rarely needed for local or DX contacts, but increased the signal by about 2 S-units, sometimes 3. I used the armstrong method of rotation. If you like 10 meters for local ragchews like I do, and you don't have a beam, but need a better signal on both ends, then I assure you, building this antenna is worth ALL the effort. I took it down to try a new antenna.

Barbed Wire Fence 160- 10 meters, AM broadcast, short wave ==== a continuing work in progress, this antenna started out purely for my amusement. I was curiuos to see if I could get such a thing to work, and if so, how well I could get it to work. It encloses a 55 acre pasture but I use only a portion of the entire fence perimeter. It is NOT a loop, but has an "L" shape. I added length from time to time to see what worked best until I reached the end of the fence line. Heavy brush makes it undesirable and difficult to splice the rest of the broken sections. As of this writing, the total length of this antenna, including the feed wire, is currently 1,465 feet long and fed with only one wire from the tuner as a long wire antenna, no ground That's just over 1/4 mile. It does NOT work very well below 40m. At 40m and above it seems to work pretty good depending on band conditions. It is about one s-unit less than my other multiband antennas when conditions are good and sometimes the same or better, but most times worse. It hears almost any signal but with much attenuation depending on band conditions but is VERY quiet as a result. It has proven useful as a RX antenna under some of the worst conditions, and works pretty good for a broadcast RX antenna. It has been a VERY interesting project. I may add more length in time but its just over a quarter mile walk to the end of the fence row, so this may take some time. I HAVE WORKED ALL 50 STATES and 20 COUNTRIES with this antenna.(including ZS3).

VHF/UHF Station Info : -----------------------------------

Yaesu FT-8100R 2m and 70 cm

Alinco DR-610T 2m and 70 cm

Yaesu VX-5R

Homebrew Projects:

Below is my first cw key. After getting my Novice ticket in 1990, I built this thing from a DPDT knife switch, a coat hanger, and a rubber band. The screw behind the handle prevents the contact arm from raising too high.and can be bent to adjust the height of the swingthe rubber band can be changed for more or less tension, acting like the spring on a real straight key. It was crude, but sends good cw. I still use this key from time to time just for fun.