callsign tagI've been an Amateur Radio operator since 1991. I've been a wannabe ham since the late 1970s, when I was an avid CBer. I even took a license class from the West Island Amateur Radio Club. Mr Morse's code stopped me. Fortunately, the FCC (and the ARRL) came to realize that Morse code was rapidly becoming obsolete and removed it as a required test element for the Technician class license begining 1991-02-14. I took my first test that May and got my license 10 weeks later (1991-07-16). The FCC was quite slow and bureaucratic then. In very late 1999, the FCC issued new Amateur Radio Service rules that further reduced the Morse code requirements. As a result, I upgraded to Amateur Extra class on 2000-04-29. I tried several times to pass the old Element 1C (20 word-per-minute telegraphy exam), but just couldn't get motivated to learn 19th century technology that well. - plaws
An introduction to amateur radio
Here are the Amateur Radio test elements I have passed:
  • 1991-05-11: 2, 3A - Technician license issued 1991-07-16
  • 1992-03-07: 1A, 3B - earned Technician w/HF as it was then called, no paper license issued at that time
  • 1993-06-12: 1B, 3B (again!) - General license issued 1993-08-24
  • 1993-07-10: 4A - Advanced license issued 1993-09-21
  • 1996-02-10: 4B
  • 2000-02-24: 4B (again!)
  • 2000-04-29: presented 4B CSCE for upgrade - Amateur Extra license issued 2000-06-09

I am an active Volunteer Examiner (accredited through both the Laurel ARC VEC and the ARRL VEC) and am the Team Leader for the SCARS' Exam Team.
Right now, N5UWY consists of the following:
  • Icom IC-746Pro
  • Icom IC-910H (144/432/1296 MHz)
  • Icom IC-3210A
  • Icom ID-4100A
  • Spi-Ro trap dipoles:
    • D-44 at ~10 m for 40-10
    • D-314 at ~10 m for 30-17-12
    • D-52 at ~7 m for 80-10 80-40 (sold as 80-10, only resonant on 80 and 40)
  • a homebrew dipole for the 10- and 6-meter bands.
  • Cushcraft A148-10S 10-element beam for 144 MHz
  • Diamond A430S15 15-element beam for 432 MHz

FSK RTTY is available via the MMTTY engine within the DX Lab Suite running on an Intel NUC (Core i7 w/32GB of RAM) via a homebrew interface that includes a Mortty kit for FSK RTTY. There is another Mortty for CW sending. For 'phone, there is a Heil Sound BM-10 headset (HC-4 element) or an Icom SM-8.

VHF/UHF receivers include the following:

  • Uniden Bearcat BC780XLT w/discriminator tap for UniTrunker, etc
  • Uniden Bearcat BCD996P2 (and another in the car)
  • Bearcat BC300
  • Allied Radio Shack Pro-7

LF/MF/HF/VHF DXing, receivers include the following:

  • Realistic DX-160
  • Sangean HDT-1X
  • Sangean HDT-20
  • Tecsun PL-606

Citizen's Band:

  • Midland 77-112
  • President Thomas FCC (FM/AM)

Handheld radios include:

  • Uniden Bearcat BCD436HP
  • Icom ID-51A+ (2m/70cm FM/DV)
Audio from the main receivers are routed to a pair of JBL Control 2P powered monitor speakers via a Behringer Eurorack UB1204-Pro mixer.
I like to collect operating awards. So far, I've earned the following:
  • Worked All Continents ('phone) awarded 2004-04-02
  • Worked All States (WAS) #51466 (SSB endorsement) awarded 2004-07-01
  • "WAS in the 90th" awarded 2004-12-10
  • RTTY WAS #410 awarded 2005-07-05
  • 10-10 International #74715 - 2007-08-14. Not an award, really, but you do have to collect 10 other 10-10 numbers (on 10 m) and submit them. My first was collected in 1994 and the last was in August of 2007!).
  • Admitted to the DX Century Club on 2008-11-20
    • #42,419, Mixed
    • #35,798, Phone, 2009-12-29
    • 15 m, 2009-12-29
    • 150-entity endorsement, 2011-07-21
    • RTTY #2887, 2011-07-21
    • 20-m, 2011-07-21
  • Admitted to the VHF/UHF Century Club on 2011-11-07
    • #1915, 50 MHz

In addition, I'm working towards the following:

I'm also an ARRL HF Awards Manager, meaning I can field-check QSL cards for the Worked All States award.

I also like to participate in amateur radio contests. Eventually I'll add stats and logs, but for now, here's a list of what I've participated in. Where scores are listed, it's in the format "Qs/Mults/Hours/Points". Italics means it's a claimed score.

  • 1992
    • ARRL International DX (SSB)(at W5YM). I think that was the contest. KB5RUI and I had just tested that day; he got his license and I upgraded to Technician Plus. All the contacts I made were on 10 m 'phone (20 Qs at most).
  • 1993
    • ARRL Field Day (at W5YM). Paper logs and dupe sheets!
  • 1994
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup (SOLP at W5YM). Paper logs!
      • 281/72/24/20,232
    • ARRL Field Day. Operated 1C with KB5TFX from Montana on the way back from the AOU meetings in Missoula. Icom IC-725 on the floor behind the seat, Outbacker Jr on the roof.
      • 35///70 (1C)
    • CQ WW RTTY (at W5YM). Paper logs and don't know if we submitted to CQ.
      • 141///36,801
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW!). From home, using K5FXB's Ten-Tec Century 21.
      • 17/11/~3/374 (no log submitted)
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)(at W5YM). Good first effort for the club. Used CT for logging.
      • 946/77/24/145,684
  • 1995
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup (at W5YM) I see no score listing for this year in the QST results. I'm sure I single-opped it again ... Paper logs exist at W5YM.
      • 135 Qs
    • ARRL Field Day (at W5YM)
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)(at W5YM)
      • 1395/77/24/214,830 Collegiate Champions - Phone
  • 1996
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup (SOHP at W5YM)
      • 615/78/20/47,970 - Certificate: First Place SOHP, Arkansas Section
    • ARRL Field Day (at W5YM)
    • ARRL September VHF QSO Party (at W5TC)
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)(at W5YM)
      • 934/78/24/145,704
  • 1997
    • ARRL Field Day (at W5TC)
      • 1,501///451
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)(at W5YM)
      • 1,264/79/24/199,712
  • 1998
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)(at W5YM)
      • 1,268/79/24/200,344
    • ARRL 10 Meter Contest
      • 160/39//12,480 (+KB5TFX)
  • 1999
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 238/75/18/35,700 (+KB5TFX)
    • ARRL 10 Meter Contest I don't recall why, but Jeanette operated the 10m test in '99.
      • 57/21/2,394
  • 2000
    • ARRL Field Day
      • 149///298 (1D)
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 159/73/11/23,214 (+KB5TFX)
  • 2001
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 151/72/21,744 (+KB5TFX)
  • 2002
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB) (at W5YM)
      • 535/78//83,460
  • 2004
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
    • BARTG HF RTTY
    • Mexican RTTY
    • North American QSO Party RTTY (Feb and July)
    • CQ WPX RTTY
      • 347/159/98,739
      • 347/159/98,739
    • CQ WPX SSB
    • ARRL International DX (SSB)
    • NA RTTY Sprint (March)
      • 264
    • BARTG RTTY Sprint
      • 42/20+4/3360
    • ARRL Field Day
    • Russian RTTY DX
    • CQ WW DX RTTY
      • 213/112+35/13.8/55,419
      • 198/35+60+54/13.8/51,554
    • CQ WW DX SSB
      • 135/33+75//36,828
      • 135/33+75//36,828
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 267/74/16.5/39,516
      • 261/73//38,106
    • ARRL 10 Meter Contest
      • 54/25/2,700
  • 2005
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 246/63//15,498 Second Place, SOLP, Illinois Section
    • North American QSO Party RTTY (Feb and July)
      • 204/98/19,992
    • BARTG RTTY Sprint
      • 98/21+2/4116
    • ARRL International DX (SSB)
      • 84/63/15,876
    • BARTG HF RTTY
    • ARRL June VHF
    • ARRL Field Day (at N5UWY and at W9CCU)
    • CQ WW RTTY
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 325/75//48,750
      • 320/75//48,000 4th Place SOLP, Illinois Section
  • 2006
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 461/49+21/21.33/32,270
      • 449/70//31,340 4th Place, SOLP, Illinois Section
    • North American QSO Party (SSB)
    • ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes
      • 46/14//644
    • CQ WW WPX RTTY
      • 40/87 Pts/36//3132
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB) First contest from Norman
      • 320/73/15?/46,720
      • 318/73//46,428 - Certificate: First Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section
  • 2007
    • CQ WW WPX RTTY
      • 118/202 Pts/87//17574
    • CQ WW DX SSB
      • 44/20+32//5564
      • 44/20+32//5564
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 334/77/17/52104
      • 333/77//51282 Second Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section (3rd Place, West Gulf Division)
    • ARRL 10 m Contest (SSB)
      • 70/29/<10/4060
      • 68/28/4:13/3696 Third Place, SOLP SSB, Oklahoma Section
  • 2008
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 245/47+10/11/13,965
      • 243/57//13,851 Second Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section
    • CQ WW RTTY WPX
      • 50/64Pts/39/2,496 Fourth Place, SOSB/20 LP, USA
    • Concurso EA RTTY
      • 80/47//6,909
      • 79/146/??/6,862
    • ARRL June VHF QSO Party
      • 123/86/8/10,492
      • 112/84/8/9,408 (yuck! look at that reduction!)
    • CQ WW DX RTTY
      • 177/47+54+31/~10/43,164
    • CQ WW DX SSB
      • 72/21+41/~12/9,075 (SOSB(A)/15 LP) - 746 in shop
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 511/79/20/80738
      • 506/79/20/79790 (1 NIL, 5 Busted, 1 Penalty) - Certificate: First Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section (2nd overall, Oklahoma; 2nd Place, SOLP, West Gulf Division)
    • ARRL 10 m Contest (SSB)
      • 60/25/8/3000
      • 59/25/8/2900 (1 NIL, 1 Penalty) - Second Place, SOLP Phone Only, Oklahoma Section
  • 2009
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 393/74/18/29082
      • 388/74/18/28416 (4 NIL, 1 Busted) - Certificate: First Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section
    • ARRL International DX (SSB)
      • 50/25/3750
      • 49/25/"3600" (1 bad call) - Certificate: First Place, SOSB-15, Oklahoma Section
    • CQ WW RTTY WPX
      • 273/512Pts/147/75,264
    • CQ WW DX RTTY
    • CQ WW DX SSB
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
      • 56//6/3584
      • 55///3520
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (Phone)
      • 407/75/20/61050
      • 405/75/20/60750
  • 2010
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 377/56/18?/21112
      • 369/56/18?/20664 - Second Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section
    • BARTG Sprint 75 (inaugural running, April)
      • 57/27x2/3078
      • 56/27x2/3024
    • BARTG Sprint 75 (September)
      • 13/10x1/130
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
      • 102/45/6/
      • 95/45/6/8550
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (Phone)
      • 517/77/16.8/
      • 513/77/16.8/79002 - Plaque: First Place, SOLP, West Gulf Division
    • ARRL 10 Meter Contest
      • 79/38/
      • 76/38/6764
  • 2011
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 188/47/8836 - Second Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section
      • 188/47/8836
    • ARRL International DX (SSB)
      • 39/27/3159
      • 39/27/3159
    • ARRL June VHF QSO Party
      • 128/86/8/11008
      • 128/86/8/11008
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
      • 28/21/1.33/
      • 26/21/1.33/1092
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (Phone)
      • 450/78/13/
      • 445/78/13/69420 - Second Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section
  • 2012
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 212/51/10812
      • 210/51/10710
    • ARRL International DX (SSB)
      • 30/25/2250
      • 29/24/2016
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (Phone)
      • 257/77/39578
      • 256/24/39424
  • 2013
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 368/71/26128
      • 358/70/25060 - Certificate: First Place SOLP, Oklahoma Section
    • ARRL June VHF
      • 11/11/121
      • 11/11/121 - Certificate: First Place SO3B, Oklahoma Section
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
      • 68/35/4760
      • 66/35/4620
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 347/72/49968
      • 345/72/49680
  • 2014
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 395/72/28440
      • 387/72/27864 - Certificate: First Place SOLP, Oklahoma Section
    • ARRL June VHF
      • 42/30/1260
      • 40/29/1160
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
      • 26/18/938
      • 23/18/828
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 24/17/816
      • 23/17/782
  • 2015
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup (All QSOs on 10m)
      • 259/45/11655
      • 253/44/11132
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (CW)
      • 114/42/9576
      • 112/42/9408
    • ARRL November Sweepstakes (SSB)
      • 220/67/29480
      • 218/67/29212 - Certificate: First Place SOLP, Oklahoma Section
  • 2016
    • ARRL RTTY Roundup
      • 269/53/14257
      • 263/53/13939 - Second Place, SOLP, Oklahoma Section
    • ARRL June VHF
      • 31/22/682
      • 27/22/594 - Second Place, SO3B, Oklahoma Section
VHF DX
Best DX @ 144 MHz at N5UWY/9 (EN51xv): WA1MKE in EN70gh (~281 km)
Best DX via Tropo @ 144 MHz at N5UWY (EM15if): K5QE in EM31cj (535 km)
Best DX via Sporadic E @ 144 MHz at N5UWY (EM15if): K1PXE in FN31ke (2201 km)
Lately, I've begun taking classes via FEMA's Independent Study Program. So far, I have completed:
  • IS-100 - Introduction to Incident Command System
  • IS-200 - ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
  • IS-700 - National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
Tips for passing the old Element 2 and 3A tests
Upgrade paths
W5YM, the Amateur Radio Club of the University of Arkansas
W5TC, the Alpha Sigma Delta Radio Society, University of Oklahoma
South Canadian Amateur Radio Society
ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio

Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional

https://plaws.net/ / Sunday, 08-Sep-2024 16:25:59 EDT