QSL Information

Direct QSLs for W5DQ & KI6LO can be sent to:

I QSL 100%. I upload all QSOs to LOTW and eQSL. I will reply to all QSLs received via the Bureau likewise. I also use CLUBLOG for tracking my logs on line. Here is a list of my last few QSO's. If you would like to see if you're in my log, enter your callsign in the '"LOG SEARCH" entry box and click GO. If there are any found, you will see another page which allows you to request a QSL should you desire one from Kern County, State of California, United States, Zone 3 CQ / 6 ITU or Grid square DM-15. If I need yours, I will include an SASE or SAE postage for return if I need to send you one.

I am now the custodian/QSL mgr for W6EFB, the club call for the High Desert DX Association (HIDEXA)

Hello and welcome,

I've been licensed since Aug 1976 and have enjoyed every minute of it. My original license was WN5UZU as a Novice in August 1976. Soon afterwards I upgraded to General and WB5UZU. While attending college in Dallas, TX, I successfully tested at the FCC Field Office for Advanced class. Upon moving to California in 1986, I received KI6LO (as was required back then) as a sequential issued call which I have held until Feb 2009. My father, Landon J. Brewer, Jr of Hatfield, Arkansas, aka Jack Brewer to his many friends in ham radio, passed away on Christmas Day, 2008. I requested his call and received the license grant for W5DQ on Feb 18, 2009, replacing KI6LO. I decided to change calls after holding KI6LO since 1986 for two reasons. First, I always wanted a 1x2 call but never could quite decide if it was worth the effort and secondly, out of rememberance of my dad who was instrumental in my career in engineering / electronics and getting my ham ticket.

Please note: I obtained all of my dad's W5DQ logs 2000 thru 2008 (along logs and info for his earlier calls of WD5JRG, KG5QO and AC5BI from 1978 thru 2000). I can provide QSL cards for his contacts if requested. Although he never did participate in LOTW, I have since created his LOTW account and uploaded his logs to it.

Equipment and Antennas

I am very active on HF and 6M. My little antenna 'ranchette' is small but seemingly effective in most instances. I have a country style lot, roughly 160' deep by 100' wide or 0.4 acres (or so it says on the deed) :) The property contains a 3 br home and a 50x24 ft multi use workshop which contains my shack, an office where I do the "L" segment sorting and mailing for the W6 Incoming DX QSL bureau and a small combination wood working and machine shop. You can see there isn't room for a nice 4 square or individual towers per band . but one can dream :) I've been looking at various methods to get on to 160M, but given the small size of my plot of land to use, I am limited to smaller versions of 160M antennas. So far I have modified my 6BTV to work on 160M and have a single loaded shortened sloper for 160M running eastward to EU, Med and northern AF

I currently have a Kenwood TS-940S/AT transciever as the main HF station, driving an Ameritron AL-811 3 tube amplifier. I'm hoping to replace the TS940S with a FT-2000 or similar class of transciever and the AL-811with a larger more robust amp, perhaps a QRO Technologies HF-2500DX or if the lottery smiles on me, an nice Alpha 9500. Are you listening Santa ;) For HF antennas, as I mentioned I am limited on space, therefore my wife has decreeded I am limited to the perimeter of the back yard of my property. I have managed to squeeze in a Force 12 C3S on a small tower with the boom at appx 40 feet. I also have a homebrew OCFD for 80, 40 and 30 use and it does a fair job at about 35 foot. The old homebrew 1/4 wave 40M vertical has given way to a new Hustler 6BTV installation which is now on the air helping out on 160, 80, 40 and 30M. I added the mods to update 80M using a 40M resonantor and top hat and optionally can replace that with the original 80M resonator and top hat for a sliver of 160M, appx 25-30 kHz - enough for the CW segment. A Pixel RF PRO-1B 3-30Mhz Magnetic Loop recieve antenna rounds out the HF array at my shack. I was lucky enough to win the Pixel loop at the Visalia DX Convention in 2011. So far it has been a very good performer on 160M, 80M and 40M.

For 6M, I use a TS-2000/X that I found for an exceptional deal to good to pass up. It was like new in the box for $995 and only 45 minutes from the home QTH. Beside being the main 6M station, the TS-2000/X stands by to for HF duties should my trusty TS-940S ever need some help although I don't feel it is as good a HF performer as the TS-940S is. A KU4AB loop is available if I need omnidirectional 6M coverage and the M-Squared 6M7JHV 7 element 6M yagi with the 31 ft boom sits atop another small lightweight military surplus lattice tower with the boom also at appx 40 feet. Rounding out the 6M station is a very nice Heathkit SB-220 6m amp (from Lou at QRO King Converisons) which handles all my long haul 6M needs. Signal reports indicate the new setup of long yagi and amp are doing a great job during openings to reach out to those fringe area grids I was having trouble getting to with my old lower power 5 element setup.

When time and money (mainly money nowadays) become available, an older Triastao 60 foot 3 section tower which is stashed in the backyard, awaits a rebuild of the cabling and for the hole fairies to drop off a spare tower base hole. So far they have been slow at getting that job done :)  Funny thing about towers is it isn't the base hole that cost so much to dig, but filling it back up with the required 5 cu yards of concrete. That stuff is now over $150 a yard out here in my local area!!!!

Memberships and Affliations

I'm a Life member of the ARRL and serve as a volunteer for the ARRL W6 Incoming DX Bureau handling the "L" segment card distribution. I also belong to various organizations such as Southern California DX Club (SCDXC), Hi Desert DX Association (HiDEXA), Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), Six Meter Int'l Radio Klub (SMIRK), UK Six Metre Group (UKSMG), 6MT Club, KC VHF Grid Bandits, 10-10 International and others that I find interesting related to my amateur radio activities, namely 6 meters and DX chasing. I also support the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) with yearly donations. I have held several officer positions in our local ham club, Sierra ARC in Ridgecrest.

Operating at W5DQ

While I am usually a casual DX chaser, I have gotten involved in several different but specific operating endeavors over the past few years. These are contesting, 6M grids and Islands on the Air (IOTA).

For many years I too complained about all the contesting on weekends when I wanted to operate but then I realize what a great way to build my country count. After I got bit by the contesting bug a few years ago,I've worked to improve my station and my operating abilities to see if I can improve my scores. So far it weems to be working as I am continuing to get better with higher scores and better runs. My wife sometimes complain I spend too much time contesting but I have a hard time hearing her because I have the headphones on :)

Since 2005, I also have gotten very interested in chasing 6M grids and wait anxiously for the next big Es opening, hopefully to an area I really need grids from. So far, I am at around 400 worked and 250 confirmed (Mar 2012)

When I started attending the International DX Convention in the early 2000's I discovered IOTA. Until then I had heard of it but had no idea what it was all about. I went to the IOTA dinner at the convention and saw what a great bunch of people these IOTA chasers were and after I looked a bit farther into it I found I already had many IOTA confirmations from my DXing QSLs. In 2010, finally submitted for my Basic 100 IOTA and now have almost 200 confirmed. It is another interesting facet of ham radio that I find appealing.

My QTH

Located in Ridgecrest, CA, approximately 100 miles North of Los Angeles Int'l Airport (LAX) and approximately halfway between Death Vally and Bakersfield, CA, I'm in what's referred to as "the High Desert of Southern California" on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the extreme NE corner of Kern County. Our desert community is approximately 70 miles west of Furnace Creek in the Death Valley National Monument. Our day time temperatures here range from highs of 110-115 degrees Farenheit in the summer to night time lows of below freezing - sometimes below 0 - in the winter, while most of the year, the weather allows shorts and T-shirts and light cool clothing. Needless to say, when doing tower and antenna work, don't try and pick up any metal outdoors in bright sunshine during the summer without a pair of heavy gloves. Don't say I didn't warn ya!  Like the man said about the red hot horseshoe when he picked it up after being warned about it being hot ."It just don't take me long to look at a horseshoe"

Here is an very detailed overhead photo of the Indian Wells Valley and City of Ridgecrest. My QTH is located at the RED dot which is about 4 miles south of the Navy base runways in midphoto, just below the main highway running east-west. North is up and Death Valley is just off photo to the right (east). Photo is copyright of Dr. William Bowen (drwilliambowen@ hotmail.com) 2005.

Summary of the 96 year callsign history for 5DQ / W5DQ (1916 -2012) :

Since I was issued what appeared might be an older 1x2 format callsign (from my dad when he passed in 2008), I started to wonder about the history of the callsign and if it had any historical facts associated with it. To that end, I started doing research on the prevous holders of W5DQ. Little did I realize that the history of the callsign would take me back through almost a century of activity. The section below lists a short outline of the specific holders and periods of use. This is a good spot to give a special thanks to Mr. Pete Varounis NL7XM for providing a unique callsign research reporting service. His efforts helped me to continue to refine the history of my call. Check out his rating on eHAM.net Product Reviews (www.eham.net/reviews/detail/9782). I also would also like to request that should anyone have any old QSL cards and/or logs from any 5DQ or W5DQ operations prior to1998 or a QSL card from any of the previous QSL holders prior to my dad (holder form 2000-2008), I would like to get copies or if you no longer want them, I'd love to obtain the originals. Electronic scans sent as file attachments by email preferred if copies or if originals / hard copies please contact me. I'll arrange for postage and mailing. My research has found the following bits of information about 5DQ / W5DQ:

1. The first appearance of 5DQ was found in the July 1, 1916 Edition of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation, Radio Service's "Radio Stations of the United States" book, page 123 under "Amateur Radio Stations, Fifth District" listing Mr. Roy Stanton of Bonham, Texas as the owner of Amateur Radio Station'5DQ'. So far this is the oldest piece of verifiable data I have found for 5DQ callsign assignment by the US Government.

2. Next listing is the June 30, 1921 Edition of the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation, Radio Service's Amateur Radio station list showing Mr. Felix Boizelle of New Orleans, Louisiana as the holder on record with a station power of 250 watts.

3. Further research found a entry in the May 1923 edition of the Citizens Radio Callbook listing one T.J.M. Daly of North Little Rock, Arkansas as the holder. I have no further information on this individual as of yet.

4. Continuing with the trace of early holders of 5DQ, the next official assignment appears in the May 1926 edition of the Citizens Radio Callbook with listing the 5DQ call strangely shared between two individuals, namely Q. Vockrodt and Frances O. Davis, both of Cushing, Oklahoma. While it appears that Q. Vockrodt was not related to Frances Davisand both were minor boys (as verified through Ancestry .Com), the how and why the sharing of the callsign is unknown at this time. Francis' daughter could shed no light on the Vockrodt / Davis relationship either. Further research continues.

5. In 1928 ushered in ‘W’ and ‘K’ prefixes with the startup of the ‘Federal Radio Commission’ (predecessor of the FCC), replacing the Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation as the regulatory body covering radio regulations and licensing. The 5DQ callsign becomes W5DQ.

6. Sometime between 1926 listing (#4) and the Winter 1946/47 edition of the Flying Horse Callbook, the W5DQ callsign became issued solely to Frances Davis at a different address in Cushing, Oklahoma than originally found for #4 above. Per census records and confirmed by his daughter still living in California, Frances, his wife and their young daughter moved to California in 1941, whereby according to the regulations in place at that time (i.e. licensees were required to have a call that represented the call area of their address on record) he obtained W6DQ in California. He held that call until he pass over the log and became a silent key. According to his daughter whom I have had several wonderful informative chats with since starting my research, her dad was a fine man and active ham and she thought it was normal to have ham radio gear all over the house. Sounds perfectly normal to me!

7. In the Summer 1948 edition of the Flying Horse Callbook, the W5DQ callsign is listed as being assigned AGAIN to Mr. Felix Boizelle, now Dr. Boizelle and residing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It appears that possibly Dr. Boizelle discovered that his original 5DQ callsign (now W5DQ) was unassigned and requested it to be reassigned to him. He would hold W5DQ until he passed over the log and became a silent key in 1993 at which time the license, still active in the FCC database as having never been reported belonging to a deceased ham remained active, expiring in 1998.

8. In April 2000, my father Mr. Landon J. Brewer, Jr., of Hatfield, Arkansas applied for a vanity call and was granted W5DQ. My father was active with W5DQ until he passed over the log and became a silent key in Dec 2008 due to a long fight with cancer.

9. In February 2009, I decided to apply for the W5DQ callsign via the Vanity Callsign Program. I was granted W5DQ, replacing KI6LO, on February 18, 2009. I am very fortunate to have been able to find data for the entire life of the 5DQ/W5DQ callsign, especially having gone through so many previous holders and 96 years of recorded usage (1916 – 2012).

My current QSL Card:

The photos below shows my current QSL based on an original 1925 hand made QSL of 5DQ (Mr. F.O. Davis). The front of the QSLcard shows the 5DQ QSL card with my new W5DQ shown in the banner at the bottom while the back has an abbreviated history of the W5DQ callsign listed (old version prior to new information received Mar 2012)

Update:

In May of 2012, Frances Davis' daugther, Ms. Boykin, contacted me to inform me that in the process of moving, she had come across a large quantity (probably around 200 or so) of her father's original QSL cards received in the years spanning the late 1920's through the late 1930's and she wanted me to have them. I was astatic at the thoughts of getting these cards, which after reviewing them, I found that they are from all over the globe - some places no longer even exist after World War II. My plan is to scan these and put them in a electronic repository on my webpage when the update to it is completed.

So I hope to catch you on the bands someday. If you need DM15 on 6M, watch for openings into SoCAL and I'll probably be on. I try to catch as many openings as I can and will be happy to send you a QSL confirming DM-15.

73,

Gene Brewer W5DQ (ex-KI6LO, WB5UZU, WN5UZU)