Webpage: http://mysite.verizon.net/w4vr/

Maine antenna farm video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj5pi1bXSj4

Virginia antenna farm video: http://youtu.be/F_dkHWRy4J4

Ron obtained his ham radio license in 1962. Two years later, at 20 years of age, he traveled by Greyhound bus from Northern Maine to Boston and upgraded from Conditional Class to General and Extra Class. While at the Boston Customhouse he passed the FCC exams for the Third, Second, and First Class Commercial Radiotelephone Operator licenses.

He obtained his current callsign in 1976 under the FCC's Incentive Licensing Program. Other call signs he held prior to 1976 were K1YIW, W3FPX, and K4GTH.

He was drafted by the US Army in 1965 and spent two years at Fort Richardson and Fort Greely, Alaska, where he evaluated prototype HF equipment in sub-zero climates. On weekends he operated the MARS station at Fort Greely.

He started his career in broadcasting at WAGM-TV in Presque Isle ME, shortly after his discharge from the Army, and then went on to college in Washington DC.

While studying for his engineering degree he worked part time for the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda MD, under a work-study program, and for WMAL-TV in Washington DC. Upon his graduation he was employed as a consulting engineer by Jansky and Bailey Broadcast Consultants in Washington DC for a period of 9 years.

In 1980 he was hired by CBS Inc., Engineering and Development Division, where he advised the CBS Law Department on technical matters before the Federal Communications Commission. Upon his return to Northern Virginia in 1985, he worked as a self-employed broadcast engineering consultant and later took a senior engineering position with the US Coast Guard in its Spectrum Management Division. He retired from Civil Service in 1999.

Ron is a licensed Professional Engineer in Maine and Virginia. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and boating in Northern Maine. His prime interests in amateur radio are rag chewing and experimenting with tree-supported wire beams.

W4VR 2012 Radio Shack: Sony MiniDisc Voice Recorder, Icom 7600, Icom PW-1 remote head (amp in the basement), Toshiba Laptop

Southeast view of Eagle Lake from my back yard.

Southwest view of sunset from my back yard.

2-element 40 meter wire yagi beaming East.

3-element 40 meter yagi beaming West.

Note: 80 meter horizontal dipole is fed in parallel with the 40 meter driven element due to space restrictions on the property.

W4VR 290-foot beverage receiving antenna [Virginia QTH], switchable east or west. The feedpoint consists of a Clark Electronics matching transformer. Switching is accomplished by an Ameritron remote coax switch. The input SWR is less than1.8:1 from 1.8 to 51 MHz. F/B varies from 20 to 30 dB depending on the band. The antenna uses window line throughout its entire length.

The transformer output connectors feed the remote switch mounted below the input transformer. 90-volt neon bulbs are used at each terminal-to-ground on both ends of the beverage for lightning protection. 8-gauge solid aluminum wire is used for ground bus throughout the installation.

The window-line supporting hangers consist of 2-inch sections of PVC pipe with a slit to insert the window line and a hole on each side for screw-mounting.

The beverage, shown in this photo, is 2 meters above ground up to within 3 meters of each end where it gradually slopes down to the input and termination transformers which are 0.5 meters above ground. The 2-meter height of the beverage allows wild animals to roam under the antenna without destroying it.

The far-end termination utilizes a Clark Electronics reflection transformer. Three 1.5-meter ground rods are used at each end of the antenna. All ground connections are secured with hose clamps wrapped with a bottom layer of 3M silicone tape and a top layer of electrical tape to minimize corrosion. Zip Lock bags are used as protective hats at each end of the antenna to keep the transformers and connectors dry. Brass-clad slit bolts are used to connect the window line to the input and termination transformers, allowing quick disconnect and grounding when the system is not being used for extended periods.

My 1963 Maine radio shack: Heath DX-100/SB-10 transmitter, Johnson Tuner and Hammarlund HQ170-C receiver. My "only" antenna was an 80 meter dipole at 35 feet which worked very well into Europe.

MY 1967 Maine Radio Shack: Heathkit Warrior amplfier, Heath SB-100, Heath HO-10 scope, Johnson tuner, Hammarlund HQ-170C.

My 1968 "basement" radio shack while in college: Heathkit SB-100, Vibroplex Bug and Johnson Tuner. I built the SB-100 in 1966 while stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska. My only antenna was a 250-foot end-fed longwire made of 8-gauge hard-drawn aluminum suspended between two chimney tops across an alley in Washington DC.

My 2003 Virginia radio shack: Icom 756PRO, Alpha 89 amplifier.