Picture - 2010 Dayton Contest Forum Presentation, How To Become A 50 WPM CW Wizard, by Calvin Darula.

Please realize this biography hasn't been updated in a long time. I'll make some changes and add current information soon.

I was born in 1994 was first licensed in June of 2005 as KC0USZ (age 10). In July of 2007 I upgraded my license class and choose to receive the vanity callsign KØDXC. Then on 6/11/2009 I upgraded again and I'm now an Amateur Extra. I was first introduced to this hobby by my grandpa, K9MMS, when we operated the ARRL Kid’s Day contest in 2003. I was 7 years old. I'm proud to say that I have been around Amateur Radio for over half my life. For a full story on how I was licensed please go to http://K0DXC.com/about

I was asked to write an autobiography for the CD / book titled "Amateur Radio Gives You 2 Million Friends" and it is available for download. This is the most detailed and extended autobiography that I have ever written. Please check it out.

In July of 2008 my story caught the interest of the KSTP 5 Eyewitness News television channel. They sent a reporter out to my house and did a story on me. The video has been aired on TV multiple times and it is also available to view on the web. To see the video, click here or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULFSoC_EAdc

Operating

Contesting is where a lot of my passion lies within this hobby. Thanks to the relationships I've built, I've been able to operate from some of the best stations in the world, and I've learned from some of the best operators. Now, most of my operations are done through Krassy, K1LZ. He's done a lot for me in the last year, and I've had a great experience operating under his wing. Thanks to Krassy, and everyone else who has helped me along my way.

My preferred mode is CW. I am a QRQ enthusiast and a member of the USA HST team. I am QRV on all bands going any speed from QRSS to QRQQ. Fabian, DJ1YFK is my CW elmer. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to HSTC 2009 in Bulgaria, but I am hoping for a shot at the next one.

95% of my operating is CW. I get on SSB mainly only in contests. I've been called a Morse Code "prodigy", but I really do like SSB contesting.

I'm honored to have operated with some of the best contesters in the world, and I'm very thankful for the great contest mentors I've had (and the ones to come). I've even been a part of setting a new world record already, breaking the ARRL DX CW M/2 world record at 6Y1LZ in February 2010. And I'm only 15 years old! It was an awesome experience to operate side by side with Mladen, YT6W (3 time CW world champion) for most of the contest. Now I have plans for some serious single operator outings. I'm so thankful for the opportunities I've been given. This is an amazing hobby, and it is really opening up doors for me!

Above: Team 6Y1LZ, ARRL DX CW 2010. Front row (L-R) YT6W, K0DXC. Middle - K3JO, K1LZ, K9MMS, Gwaan, Ko-Jo, N8BO. Back - Campbell.

Above: (Left to right) MØDXR, GØMTN, and KØDXC at K3LR before CQWW CW 2009. More pictures at http://www.k3lr.com/2009/CQ09CW/

Above: KØDXC at K3LR: CQ WW CW 2008 (K0DXC - back, K4RO - front). More pictures at http://www.k3lr.com/2008/CQ08CW/

I operated as NU1AW/Ø on 20 meter SSB during the IARU HF Championship 2008. Please visit http://www.isd.net/msp02935/iaru.htm

I enjoy DXing. I've worked over 200 DXCC entities since July of 2007 (with my callsign, K0DXC. I've worked many more from other stations)

I enjoy ragchewing, talking with other people and making new friends is obvioulsy a huge part of this hobby.

Amateur Radio Activities

I'm very active in the Amateur Radio community. A lot of hams think there aren’t very many young people in Amateur Radio, so I prove them wrong! I do everything that I can to encourage people that there is a younger generation of hams out there, and to get that younger generation of hams active and involved.

Every year I attend JOTA (Jamboree on the Air) with my local radio club. This is a great way to inform boy/girl scouts about amateur radio and it has resulted in many of them getting their licenses. I even got one of my friends to get his Amateur Radio license - he is now Dustin, KDØFAU.

I am the ARRL MN Youth Assistant Section Manager. However, since I moved to Ohio in 2008 I have been working directly with the ARRL Great Lakes Division. I think my title would be "Great Lakes Division Assistant". It's nice helping the ARRL as a "Youth Advocate".

I moderate the discussion forums of several amateur radio websites.

I am a member of the ARRL, CWops, CW FISTS # 13434, SKCC # 4337, NAQCC # 2348, ARES, NCC (North Coast Contesters), MWA (Minnesota Wireless Association), SMC (Society of Midwest Contesters), YACHT, WWYC (World Wide Young Contesters) #741, JCARC (Jackson County Amateur Radio Club), and the Waconia Amateur Radio Club (KCØVIS), and many more

I've written many Ham Radio articles, most of them have been published in magazines, others only online. Here's a couple, but this is NOT all of them. See my website for a more complete list.

• CQ Magazine - Contesting, kid style July 2009, page 99 (it's in the contesting column)
  

• NCJ – click visit http://www.arrl.org/ncj/2008/07/Darula.pdf

• FISTS Keynote – Is unfortunately not online

• NCJ (KØDXC @ K3LR CQ WW CW 2008) - visit http://www.ncjweb.com/200901NCJK0DXCVisitsK3LR.pdf

• eHam article on contesting – visit http://www.eham.net/articles/18941

• Teens in CW: KØDXC –  visit http://home.alltel.net/johnshan/cw_ss_k0dxc.html

QSL Information

I will QSL via Direct, Bureau, and LoTW. Sometimes eQSL. Please send an SASE. All of my logs are on LoTW and I occasionally upload to eQSL. NOTE - I'm way behind on paper QSLs. Plus, I'm having problems with tQSL, and I need to get that figured out. Please be patient!

Outside of Amateur Radio

I'll be a Sophomore in High School (10th grade) this fall. I always make the academic honor roll.

I really love to play sports. My favorite sport is baseball, but I play many others too. I play baseball on metro/traveling teams and will generally play for two-four different teams per year. I hope to play professional baseball someday, but if that doesn't work out I'll probably go into business. I want to major in Business Management, with a minor in EE Or something like that. I honestly haven't decided.

Please visit my website, http://k0dxc.com for more about me.

CU in the next contest!

73,

Cal, KØDXC

Email: k0dxc@k0dxc.com - Web: http://k0dxc.com/

http://twitter.com/K0DXC