If I have a claim to fame in amateur radio, it's probably that I produced the first television documentary about ham radio that got worldwide distribution, and then I made several others before I "retired" from the ham radio film/video hobby-within-a-hobby and got to making a living producing TV Movies, specials, documentaries for all of the networks including HBO and TV series and a few theatrical feature films.

One of my TV Movies won an EMMY as best movie, and also a Peabody. My docs have won numerous film festival awards. Hey, if you don't blow your own horn, who's gonna? Some of the ham radio films were titled THE HAMS WIDE WORLD, THE WORLD OF AMATEUR RADIO, THIS IS HAM RADIO and MOVING UP TO AMATEUR RADIO (for CBers during that craze). In 2011 the ARRL will have all of the preceding films plus AMATEUR RADIO TODAY and the original B&W live television show also entitled THE HAM'S WIDE WORLD on one DVD. Now there will be a nostalgia trip. I've also helped Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF and the late Roy Neal, K6DUE with a couple of their ham films. Most recently, in 2002 I officially came out of ham-radio-film retirement to direct AMATEUR RADIO TODAY, a 6 minute video about emergency preparedness which is downloadable from the ARRL Website. I hear it's been downloaded about 20,000 times, which is great. It is narrated by Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, (who was a very nice guy, incidentally and more than just casually interested in amateur radio) written by Alan Kaul, W6RCL, produced by Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and Bill Baker, W1BKR, and edited by Keith Glispie, WA6TFD.

I'm the former chairman of the ARRL's PR Committee and a fairly frequent speaker at ham radio gatherings, and have MC'd many of the International DX Convention banquets for the Southern California DX Club of which I'm a past president. As a result of my MCing and other activities on their behalf, the SCDXC made me DXer of the Year in '84.

For my films and general ham radio boosterism, I received the Ham of the Year award at the Dayton Hamvention, also in '84. In 2003 the ARRL gave me their first Lifetime Achievement Award, for my work on films and videos about amateur radio.

While I've not totally retired, I've slowed my career down a bit and even bought a video camera with the vague notion of making a film about WRTC 2000 in Slovenia, which I did. It's called THE HAM RADIO OLYMPICS and the DVD is available from the ARRL and The Northern California DX Foundation.  At the formidable urging of Martti Laine, OH2BH, I shot most of the WRTC 2002 video in Finland. The finished production is available from James, 9V1YC and he did a great job on it.

Oh, yes. I'm also a contester, albeit a casual one, and have recently rediscovered VHF/UHF weak signal work (though as a low band DXer and contester the thought of being a "weak signal" doesn't sit quite right), but I didn't come up with that moniker. It just comes with the territory.

Since 2001 was my 50th anniversary as a ham, I celebrated by going to E. Malaysia where I was 9M6AQT and 9M6V during the ARRL DX CW contest and in 2003 I was ZK1SSB in the CQWW DX Phone contest with my pal Don Lisle, K6IPV who also went to Malaysia with me. I'm going to head out on another DXpedition or two if I can get my act together and the creeks don't rise.

Lately I've gotten into QRP contesting with my Elecraft K3. QRP is a bit frustrating now and then, but a lot of fun. Satellites are next for me. It's a great hobby, isn't it?

Oh, yes.  I'm also writing a book about my ham radio experiences, including my visits to film King Hussein of Jordan, JY1, and the Honorable Barry Goldwater, K7UGA.  The book is at www.WorldsBestHobby.com and each chapter appears as I get it finished.