updated: 26-May-2008

Why this web page? Even though amateur radio is all about communications we sometimes lose sight of the fact that a real human being is receiving our signals. I enjoy reading the web pages of others after a QSO. It gives me a sense of who they are - what specific interests they have - and perhaps what they look like. This adds to my enjoyment of amateur radio. I hope this web page does the same for you.

HISTORY I first heard about amateur radio from my Uncle Paul Gose (W5CJE, now a silent key) when I was very young. When I was 13 or 14 years old, my father bought me a shortwave radio kit and we assembled it together. That got me hooked. I spent a year listening to foreign shortwave stations, heard some amateur operators and decided to take the plunge. My elmer was an accomplished ham but only a year older than me -- Kevin, WA5MKK. We have lost touch over the years, but "thanks, Kevin!" I was licensed in 1966 as WN5QFD, and upgraded in 1967 to General Class with call sign WA5QFD. I upgraded to Amateur Extra Class in 1983 and acquired my current call sign -- NI5V. Unfortunately I have had very significant lapses in my operating. I have been inactive about half the time I have been licensed. After an absence of more than ten years, I was again infected by the radio bug in early 2000, bought some equipment and got back on the air. I'm glad to be back. This is really a lot of fun!

WN5QFD WA5QFD NI5V

Like many other amateur radio ops, I became fascinated by the personal computer revolution in the late 1970's, and my curiosity and need for intellectual fulfillment was channeled towards computers. I've certainly not mastered computers, but I'm good enough and knowledgeable enough with computers and the Internet to have become bored. They are now very useful tools but don't satisfy that technical curiosity like they once did. I'm hoping others will find that there is a lot to learn in ham radio and come back to this hobby the way I did.

Operating I've always been a cw (morse code) guy, and even my years of inactivity did not dampen my love for cw. I don't dream in morse, and I'm not a high speed man - I'm perfectly happy plugging away at 18 - 25 words per minute. If you haven't read the very old QST article " Your Novice Accent " that defines good cw operating procedure, I highly recommend reading it! A little dated, but very, very good stuff if your cw procedures are a little rusty. As a cw devotee, I learned early on to love Vibroplex and TenTec. Sure, others make good keys, but you can't beat my Vibroplex Iambic Deluxe and nobody but nobody can beat the QSK available on TenTec rigs. (I don't currently own a TenTec rig due to changes in operating habits - but I still consider them the best pre-assembled rigs on the market!)

I currently operate on 80 meters  thru 70 cm.

I spend most of my operating time on HF and VHF SSB using my Elecraft K2/100 (100 watts), Icom IC-706MKIIG, and Icom IC-910H. I enjoy satellite communications and use the IC-910H for all my satellite contacts. I'm beginning to dabble in PSK31 using my Icom 706. I used to spend a significant amount of my time operating CW QRP - I like the challenge of operating at five watts or less, and I usually operate using less than 1 watt, but I have not been very active in QRP during the past few years. Chasing DX is not a high priority but I do enjoy jumping in the occasional pileup to work DX stations. I'm not a serious contester either. I prefer scanning the bands for a nice leisurely QSO.

I build much of my equipment - rigs and accessories. I build from kits or schematics. (I admit that I'm not talented enough to design my own equipment from scratch). The big exceptions here are the Icom IC-706MKIIG and IC-910H, and of course my dual-band handheld radios.

RIGS I'VE BUILT

		Elecraft K2 The rig I use most often is the Elecraft K2. I finished building this radio in February, 2001. (Well....actually, I finished the BASIC radio on that date. I keep adding options so I guess I'm STILL not finished!) What more can be said about the Elecraft K2? If you are a breathing amateur radio operator, you have heard about it and read about it. If you own one, you are fanatic about it. If you don't own one, you covet a K2 even though you may verbally dismiss it as "just another radio." (Admit it to yourself -- you REALLY want one.) I've added most of the available options to the K2 - a noise blanker, 160M and 2nd RX antenna board, automatic antenna tuner, I/O Board, etc. I have also written a remote control program for the Macintosh (Mac OSX only) that I now use almost exclusively when operating the K2. You can download the free MacK2 remote software from my software web page. Is it the perfect radio? The answer to that depends on the user. There may be other radios (costing hundreds, or thousands of dollars more) that exceed it's performance in some areas. But the K2 is not "just another radio" -- it is a work of art; a high performance radio that you have put your heart and soul into building. It is a part of you. As K2 owners will say, it has "mojo" -- a magic charm or spell. My first contact with my newly completed K2 (running 2 watts) was with EI7GL in Cork, Ireland on Saint Patricks Day, 2001. Coincidence? No. Its mojo......
Small Wonder Labs SW-20+ Transceiver (kit) While the TT-1330 (above) is a great QRP rig, it is a little large for road warrior operation. I built this SW-20+ QRP rig exactly for that purpose. It is very small (2"x4"x4") and extremely light. Its low power consumption allows me to run it from a 10-cell AA battery pack (NiMH) and it will provide up to about 2 watts output. I have also added the RIT modification. The SW-20+ covers about 20 MHz of the 20 meter band -- user configurable, mine covers approximately 14.050 - 14.070 MHz. For circuit board pics, see my QRP Construction notes.
		Wilderness Radio SST - 30 meter transceiver (kit) Talk about small! The Wilderness Radio SST (Simple Superhet Transceiver) is about as small as you can get. Measuring only 1.5" x 3.4" x 3.7", this rig is small enough to take anywhere. It's low curent draw (19 mA/receive and 225 mA transmit) means you can operate quite awhile from a battery pack of 10-AA batteries. Max output is around 2 watts. The SST was designed by Wayne Burdick, N6KR, of Elecraft K-2 fame. The SST has only about 80 parts and went together easily. There is NO point-to-point wiring since all controls are mounted on the circuit board and attach directly to the panels, a concept I REALLY like. All things considered the SST-30 gives good performance for its size and parts count. While not much larger, the Small Wonder SW-20 gives better performance without some of the limitations of the SST. For more details and circuit board pics, see my QRP construction section notes .
Small Wonder Labs SW-40+ Transceiver (kit) I loved my SW-20+ so much that I decided to build the 40 meter version. Exactly like it's 20 meter brother, this rig is very small (2"x4"x4") and extremely light. Its low power consumption allows me to run it from a 10-cell AA battery pack (NiMH) and it will provide up to about 2 watts output. I have also added the RIT modification. The SW-40+ covers about 15 MHz of the 40 meter band -- user configurable, mine covers 7.033 - 7.048 MHz. If you are thinking, "gosh, this really looks a lot like the SST (above)" -- well, you are right. I decided to do my own enclosure -- and I got a deal on knobs and paint. For circuit board pics, see my QRP Construction notes. This is really a GREAT little radio.

OTHER RIGS:  (all in active use)

Icom IC-910H -- VHF/UHF all mode and satellite transceiver

Icom IC-706MkIIG - HF/VHF all modeI

Icom IC-228H (144 MHz FM)

Kenwood TH-D7AG (HT-144/420 MHZ)

Kenwood TH-D700 (Mobile-144/420 MHZ)

Icom IC-91AD (HT-144/420 with digital)

COMPUTERS

I have three computers around the house  -- all of them are Apple Macintoshs.  I have a DSL connection that all of the household Macs share. I also have a wireless network server so that my wife, son and I can wander around the house and backyard with our laptops and still access the net. The computer I use for all amateur radio activities, as well as most other uses, is an Apple iMac G5. The XYL uses a PowerBook G4, and my son uses a Titanium PowerBook. I know what you are thinking...."But in using the Mac, aren't you handicaped by the lack of software?" you probably want to ask. NO! There is good amateur radio software for just about everything I want to do with it.