Amateur
radio.

Before getting licensed, I spent time on CB with a Uniden PC68 and a 5/8-wave fiberglass whip. I had known about amateur radio since I was a teenager, but did not pursue it until my mid-twenties. I began with local 2m repeaters, then moved into HF as I became more interested in antennas, propagation, and long-distance contacts.

My current QTH station is built around a Kenwood TS-120S and a 20m off-center-fed dipole. The dipole is installed on a 17.5-foot permanent mast. For portable operation I use a 20m vertical. I also have a Baofeng UV-5R, a TYT MD-UV380 DMR radio, and an Icom IC-2300H for VHF. The Icom is also installed in my truck with a Motorola Spectrum 5/8-wave whip.

A significant part of the hobby for me is designing, building, modifying, and characterizing antennas. I have worked with off-center-fed dipoles, loops, and other portable HF designs, with a particular interest in low-angle radiation for DX. I enjoy the balance between the math, the physical installation, and the reality of what the antenna does once it is outside in the environment.

My neighborhood has a difficult noise floor from power lines, electronics, and other sources. I have worked around that by using two 1:1 current baluns on the feedline: one at the antenna feedpoint and one at the radio end. They are simple coax air chokes, but they have helped reduce common-mode noise and eliminate radio-frequency interference in the shack and house.

I use vector network analyzers, service monitors, oscilloscopes, wattmeters, antenna analyzers, and other RF instruments for antenna characterization, impedance matching, feedline analysis, and alignment work. I also repair and restore radios. The TS-120S is currently being restored; a Yaesu FT-7B is next, followed by whatever else eventually lands on my desk.

My ATU-100 EXT has been sufficient for the off-center-fed dipole. Because the TS-120S does not have a tuning button, I use a small straight key to send short bursts while tuning. I operate SSB and have worked stations as far away as Moscow and New Zealand, along with many states across the United States. I do not currently operate digital modes.

I hold an Amateur Extra class license. There is still a lot I do not know, which is part of what keeps the hobby interesting. Each antenna project, measurement, repair, and contact gives me another reason to learn more about RF and electronics.