Great Italian Eyeball QSO and Finally, LOBSTER!

Alaska Exit

Dealing with the local heat and humidity here in Boston sure has me missing the less humid temperatures and most of the time, cooler temperatures of the Denali area. It's hard to believe that just over a month ago, we started our trek across the country.

We are getting used to life in the city but the hunt still continues for the next QTH outside of Boston. Dealing with sensory overload with all that is going on in the city, my first introduction to QTH hunting is extreme sticker shock. Houses in or very near to Boston, are extremely expensive! Place it next to or near the ocean and add even more. For my wife and I, it's been a tough hunt trying to find a place to call home. The dog wants a yard and I would have to agree, although the yard request is for two very different reasons. I was hoping to avoid being an apartment dweller. But living where we are, I feel like I'm on a DXpedition and my equipment has yet to arrive. Our hotel is very nice but I gotta hand it to those who travel frequently, it gets old quick!

Trattoria Di Monica

And speaking of those who travel frequently, I had the privilege of meeting a great ham / contester this week! I was excited to get a message on Twitter from Glenn, K3PP. Glenn was going to be in Boston and he wanted to meet up for dinner. Glenn picked out a nice quaint Italian restaurant not far from the hotel we call home. Glenn found this restaurant online and I have to say, he can sure pick em!  My wife and I met with Glenn and had a wonderful dinner and of course, part of the table conversation was radio related. I've worked Glenn many a time from our old QTH in Alaska, and he always had a great signal into Denali. It was nice to finally put another face with a callsign. I believe Glenn finds his way back to this area on a regular basis, so I'm looking forward to seeing him many more times! Glenn, thanks so much for dinner and hanging out with KL8SU and myself! I'm hopeful we can operate a contest together someday!

I recently spoke with my CW Elmer, Ed K8QWY, on the phone. Ed had his rig on during our phone conversation and I could hear his HF rig and the sweet sound of CW in the background. Made me realize more than ever that I'm still going through withdrawal not having my HF rig and key nearby. Well, that's not totally true, it's nearby but my portable antenna is back in Ohio, with the travel trailer. Not a shining moment in my portable world of ham radio forgetting my portable antenna system.

So, as we settle in and continue our quest of finding our next QTH (north or west of Boston) I will keep my fingers crossed that it will be a place that will be QRN free. I'm looking forward to hearing some propagation from this end of the country and even more excited to hearing activity on 6 meters. Being next to the ocean, I'm sure enjoying fresh seafood and was recently excited when I walked into a local grocery here and found a live lobster tank at the seafood and meat counter. They even steamed it for free! Needless to say, I had my lobster fix, times three. Gotta love Lobstah!

May 25th, 2013. Unplugged...

WPX CW 2013

This past weekend was extremely beautiful here in Alaska! The weather was outstanding for a holiday weekend here in the US. We saw temps in the 60's and 70's, which caused extreme melting of the snow and ice resulting in lots of flooding. Rivers are still running crazy as the snow melt continues. We were in the upper 70's yesterday so if ever there was a doubt that summer has arrived, well no more! 

This was a morning view of our QTH on Saturday morning, May 25th, 2013. I had hoped to make a few hundred contacts in the CQ World Wide WPX Contest but the solar conditions decided otherwise. Another weekend of turning on the radio and hearing none, or very few stations. I managed a handful before I officially pulled the plug Saturday morning.

Split Ends

With the bad band conditions, it was not hard to unplug from the rest of the world. It was time to begin the dismantling of our station. Fourteen QSO's was not my goal for the weekend but it was what it was. My first HF QSO when moving here was with Ed, K8QWY on November 28th, 2003. I had a 2 meter SSB QSO, which was officially my very first QSO, with long time friend Sean, KL1SF on November 27th, 2003. And here it was, May 25th, 2013 and 52,937 + QSO's later, my Mosley once again finds itself being packed up, awaiting another installation at another location. Closer inspection of the beam found it still in wonderful shape. Penetrox continued to keep the elements looking new. I only found a small amount of moisture in one location, and oddly enough, it was in one half of the boom. Penetrox had the water beading like wax but still, there was no sign of oxidation. Good stuff for sure. The beam and tower have taken an arctic beating here and have withstood all that was thrown at it. I'm sold on Mosley for that very reason. 

Laying Down the Tower

Once the beam was off the tower, I removed the mast and rotor from the Hazer and then lowered the Hazer to just above the crank. It was time to lower the Rohn 25 for disassembly. The tower made it safely horizontal (thanks to Polaris) and the scene around the house took on a more non-ham profile. It felt extremely...well, ham naked! Once the Hazer was off the tower, we worked at removing the top section. That was the toughest section of all and understandably so. The top section was where the Hazer and beam were mostly parked and it took the worst beating when the weather turned bad especially if I had not lowered the antenna to a weather safe height. Once the top section was removed, the remaining sections nearly pulled apart with ease.

Once Section Left (Non Multiplier)

I'm letting the sun warm the ground around the last section of our second tower before digging it up. The smaller tower was the home to my 6 meter beam and 2m/440 vertical for several years. I had dropped the 6 meter beam and had intentions of putting my Hex Beam up on that tower, but it never made it from assembly to elevation. It is now disassembled with my other antenna's and looking forward to being used at our next location. My vertical (Hustler 5BTV) was unburied from the snow bank and it too was disassembled and packed up ready to operate another day. All the antenna's and tower are now in one organized pile awaiting the day the moving van arrives.

As camping season is upon us, I'm looking forward to operating KL8DX/P, as I've done in previous years. The camper is nearly ready and my portable equipment is once again out of mothballs and ready for use. But for now, the Mosley has once again entered into hibernation at 1930z, on the 25th of May, and getting a well deserved break. I have many of what I call, "Mosley Memories" to keep me smiling for many months to come. 

Log Checking Report (LCR) - KL8DX 2012 CQ WW CW Contest LCR

The KL8DX Classroom

I recently received an email from Randy, K5ZD outlining my Log Checking Report (LCR) for the 2012 CQ World Wide DX CW Conest. Logs are public and participants are alerted to their log becoming available. A few feel that revealing of the contest logs should not happen as it would possible give up strategic information, etc. Me on the other hand, it's my Report Card and grades how well I did in the contest. I welcome these reports with open arms and I sure use them to my benefit. I learn from them and then try to fix my problem areas.

My shack is my classroom when it comes to operating. I'm always learning. It could be about propagation, strategy, space weather, greyline or simply how my equipment plays under certain conditions. I also learn from others without leaving my chair. As mentioned in my previous blog, via email or simply just tuning and listening to other operators on the air. I learn what and what not to do this way. 

Anyhow, if I had to grade my operating from the CQ WW CW Contest, I would grade myself at a C+ level. This is simply because my 3.8% error reduction. Had I not lost a multiplier, I would of graded myself at a B-, I think. Let's take a look at the breakout -

************************** Summary ***************************

    1881 Claimed QSO before checking (does not include duplicates)
    1862 Final   QSO after  checking reductions

    4186 Claimed QSO points
    4046 Final   QSO points

     129 Claimed countries
     128 Final   countries

      69 Claimed zones
      69 Final   zones

     198 Claimed mults
     197 Final   mults

  828828 Claimed score
  797062 Final   score

    3.8% Score reduction

       8 (0.4%) calls copied incorrectly
       7 (0.4%) exchanges copied incorrectly
       0 (0.0%) band change violations
       4 (0.2%) not in log
      15 (0.8%) duplicates (Removed without penalty)
       3 (0.2%) calls unique to this log only (not removed)

********************** Results By Band ***********************

             Band   QSO  QPts  Zone Cty Mult

   Claimed   160M     0     0     0   0    0
   Final     160M     0     0     0   0    0

   Claimed    80M    11    23     5   5   10
   Final      80M    11    23     5   5   10

   Claimed    40M    30    76     8   8   16
   Final      40M    30    76     8   8   16

   Claimed    20M   728  1731    19  58   77
   Final      20M   720  1657    19  58   77

   Claimed    15M   913  1896    19  38   57
   Final      15M   905  1852    19  37   56

   Claimed    10M   199   460    18  20   38
   Final      10M   196   438    18  20   38

   Claimed    All  1881  4186    69 129  198  Score   828828
   Final      All  1862  4046    69 128  197  Score   797062

When I looked a bit closer as to the reason why, it was simply my copy. 
In looking at it from another angle, my lack of copying. Let's take a look -
********************* Incorrectly copied *********************

14053 CW 2012-11-24 0247 KL8DX    1 PS1T    11 correct     PS2T       
14027 CW 2012-11-24 0327 KL8DX    1 JF1NSD  25 correct     JF1NHD     
21046 CW 2012-11-24 0840 KL8DX    1 SF3A    14 correct     HF3A       
28065 CW 2012-11-24 1911 KL8DX    1 N7LXU    3 correct     N7XU       
28038 CW 2012-11-24 2340 KL8DX    1 JH1CTQ  25 correct     JS3CTQ     
14065 CW 2012-11-25 0015 KL8DX    1 K1BG     5 correct     K1DG
14040 CW 2012-11-25 2252 KL8DX    1 K7FL     3 correct     K8FL       
21082 CW 2012-11-25 2359 KL8DX    1 JF1NSD  25 correct     JF1NHD

I've always had a mental block with the letters "H" and "S" at higher speeds. 
In looking above, that is what stood out first in my error report. And it did not   stop there. I also incorrectly copied the following exchanges -
*************** Incorrect Exchange Information ***************
21067 CW 2012-11-24 0154 KL8DX     1 7K4XNN   24 correct   25
21058 CW 2012-11-24 1819 KL8DX     1 K7BG      3 correct    4
21048 CW 2012-11-24 1827 KL8DX     1 KH7X      5 correct   31
21098 CW 2012-11-24 1851 KL8DX     1 WX9U      5 correct    4
28063 CW 2012-11-24 2244 KL8DX     1 NG7Z      5 correct    3
21036 CW 2012-11-25 2215 KL8DX     1 W3HDH     5 correct    4
14040 CW 2012-11-25 2249 KL8DX     1 N0EF      4 correct    3


The biggest puzzle for me is how in the heck did I get KH7X wrong! Zone 5 for31? And I gotta wonder about 7K4 as Zone 24 and not 25? That's a bit easier to swallow than KH7X. I've worked Paul, NG7Z in so many contests and I know he  is in Zone 3.

The ones that really effect ones score are the multipliers that are "busted." 
I did just that -
********************** Lost Multipliers **********************


21046 CW 2012-11-24 0840 KL8DX    1 SF3A   14 correct HF3A  


So, I review my results for the next test. What can I do to improve and what
mistakes did I make in this last contest that I need to pay more attention to 
during the next contest? Yes, when one is tired, it's easy to make mistakes but
when contesting, that could be the difference between what I refer to 
myself as framing or blaming, or simply - wallpaper or none.
I've also made an attempt to correct people when they have busted my call. I hope that others will do the same should I bust their callsign. Yell back at me or send your call a few times so I get that "V-8 Moment" and correct it. Sadly,
many bust my callsign because of poor spotting. I often get spotted as KL7DX
and people will click, work, log and move on without verifying my call. 
I correct as many as possible and I make sure I send my call after each QSO if 
I'm running stations. If I'm S&P (Search & Pounce) and someone has
my call wrong, I send it not only once, but twice.  Something like, 
"K8QWY de KL8DX 5NN 01 de KL8DX. 
Here is a look at how many busted my callsign (I removed the call to protect 
those who did) -
************* Stations Copying KL8DX Incorrectly *************
21000 CW 2012-11-24 0148 JH****          25 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-24 0158 JF****          25 KL7DX            1
14064 CW 2012-11-24 0517 VE***            3 KL7DX            1
14040 CW 2012-11-24 0745 R***            16 KL7DX            1
14009 CW 2012-11-24 0756 SP****          15 KL8NX            1
14000 CW 2012-11-24 0757 Y***            15 KL9DX            1
21062 CW 2012-11-24 0838 L****           15 KL7DX            1
14065 CW 2012-11-24 1524 S***            15 KL7DX            1
14008 CW 2012-11-24 1625 R***            17 KD8DX            3
14034 CW 2012-11-24 1634 L****           20 KA8DX            4
14059 CW 2012-11-24 1644 N***             5 KL7DX            1
21021 CW 2012-11-24 1823 K***             5 KL7DX            1
21025 CW 2012-11-24 1844 W*****           3 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-24 1902 W*****           3 KL8DK            1
21000 CW 2012-11-24 1959 K****            4 KL7DX            1
21077 CW 2012-11-24 2018 K***             5 KL8X             1
21000 CW 2012-11-24 2036 K****            5 KL7DX            1
21077 CW 2012-11-24 2044 N***             3 KL7DX            1
21077 CW 2012-11-24 2047 K****            3 KL7DX            1
21077 CW 2012-11-24 2106 W****            4 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-24 2208 N***             3 KL7DX            1
21077 CW 2012-11-24 2210 W***             5 KL7DX            1
21077 CW 2012-11-24 2224 K***             3 KL2DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-24 2227 VE****           4 KL7DX            1
28000 CW 2012-11-24 2240 K***             4 KL7DX            1
14066 CW 2012-11-25 0004 K***             5 KL7DX            1
14066 CW 2012-11-25 0043 VA***            3 KL7DX            1
14000 CW 2012-11-25 0202 N***             4 KL7DX            1
14066 CW 2012-11-25 0211 K****            5 KL7DX            1
14027 CW 2012-11-25 0302 W***             3 KL7DX            1
14001 CW 2012-11-25 1210 U***            16 DL8DX           14
14015 CW 2012-11-25 1215 R***            16 KL7DX            1
14059 CW 2012-11-25 1225 9***            15 KL8TEX           1
14028 CW 2012-11-25 1227 9***            15 KL7DX            1
14000 CW 2012-11-25 1243 U****           16 DL8DX           14
14102 CW 2012-11-25 1252 U***            16 KD8DX            4
14054 CW 2012-11-25 1448 Y***            20 KL7DX            1
21040 CW 2012-11-25 1515 Y***            15 KL7DX            1
14033 CW 2012-11-25 1546 Y*****          20 KR8DX            4
21000 CW 2012-11-25 2045 C****            8 KL7DX            1
21028 CW 2012-11-25 2058 L***            13 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-25 2101 K***             5 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-25 2126 V****            5 KL7DX            1
21037 CW 2012-11-25 2135 K***             5 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-25 2137 W***             4 KL7DX            1
21037 CW 2012-11-25 2202 N***             3 KL7DX            1
21036 CW 2012-11-25 2203 N***             4 KL7DX            1
21037 CW 2012-11-25 2203 N***             5 KL7DX            1
21037 CW 2012-11-25 2204 N***             3 KL7DX            1
21037 CW 2012-11-25 2205 W/******         3 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-25 2212 K****            4 KL7DX            1
21037 CW 2012-11-25 2215 N***             4 KL7DX            1
21037 CW 2012-11-25 2218 K***             5 KL7DX            1
14040 CW 2012-11-25 2322 N***             4 KL7DX            1
21000 CW 2012-11-25 2347 JA****          25 AL8DX            1


Contesting is about speed AND accuracy, and scoring reflects just that. 
A call can be busted for many reasons, fatigue, QRM, QRN, QSB or simply,
just not copying it right. What is loud and clear is my final result and using
that, I will forge ahead and hopefully do better next year. 
But for now, class dismissed...   

Hell to QRP - My Weekend

QRP ARCI

This was a lite activity weekend for me and propagation turned out not being that great anyhow. I started the weekend operating a bit of Feld Hell. The Feld Hell Club had their 24 hour Happy Birthday Rudolph Sprint. Hell is short for Hellschrieber, and Rudolph Hell was the inventor. A fun mode with a bit of a slow pace. During a poor band, the font selection alone can make or break a contact. Not a great weak signal mode but plenty of fun to operate with a great group of hams keeping this mode active. A big congrats to Dave, KB9MLE who received his Feld Hell Club Worked All States (WAS) with that mode, which he more than likely finished up this past weekend.  

Also on my target "To Do" list this past weekend was operating in the QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint. Since winterizing our travel trailer a few months back, all of my QRP equipment is now fully functional in our igloo. I wanted to stretch my low power legs a bit and see how far 5 watts would make it this weekend in the sprint. The way the bands were, I was not very hopeful as QRP can be a huge challenge. Living here in Alaska, I've found 100 watts to be challenging on many occasions so 5 watts can be brutal. 

My Icom IC-703Plus

My QRP rig is an Icom IC-703Plus which I picked up off of eBay a few years ago. I'm a big fan of the now departed Icom IC-706 series and this is that rig, just a 10th of the power output. I like the ability to adjust my power output from 1 to 10 watts. I may have made one contact with this on SSB but otherwise, it's a 99.99% CW rig. I've operated this rig portable and while camping. As I mentioned earlier, when I winterize our travel trailer, this rig finds a home in the warm shack next to my Icom IC-756PRO. I have three different Morse Code Keys that I use with this rig, two straight keys and one Bencher paddle. I've thought about doing a bit of QRP contesting with this rig but have yet to take that plunge.

The QRP station 

I have a Dell Mini that I use when operating portable so I have it hooked up to the IC-703Plus. One of the disadvantages I have found with the Dell is the lack of COM Port assignments. It appears to only have a default of one, that being Com 3. I've been experimenting with virtual COM ports but so far, I'm not having much luck getting full interface capabilities between my contest, logging software and the rig. Something that I will continue to work with over the next few cold months. I would love to be able to do FSK RTTY with this set up and also have full functionality with Win-test but so far, I'm only half way there. As seen in the photo above, I also have an IC-706MIIG that I purchased from my CW Elmer, Ed, K8QWY. Ed upgraded to the IC-7000, so it was a great opportunity to get another 100 watt rig for the shack. And besides, I'm hoping to get back into UHF/VHF someday so this will come in handy sometime in the future.

Our Icom stack, double meter, to ensure 5 watts of output

In getting back to the QRP contest this past weekend, I managed only 13 QSO's (contacts) and a few were a bit of a struggle. I used N3FJP's QRP ARCI log to handle all of my logging but all CW was manually sent with my Bencher. I always have to reacquaint myself with the Icom's menu set up but once I started using the 703, it all came back pretty quickly. And now that it's winter, I can be operating QRP with a flip of an antenna switch. I will be using it a bit more often over the next few months. Unless the bands are HOT, QRP with a compromised portable antenna can be extremely tough up here. Having it hooked to my 4 element Mosley helps just a bit. My 5 watts at the rig is probably more like 3 or 4 watts by the time it makes it to the other end of the frozen coax but having the added 4 element bump makes up for it. 

The contest was fun and in the end, I only managed those 13 QSO's but I don't think it was half bad considering the band conditions. Funny thing is, I was working Bob, N4BP on 15 meters and we moved to 10 to try a contact. I figured I would do like I've done many times, tune to 10 meters and listen in vain. Well, that was sure not the case. As soon as I tuned over to 10 meters, Bob's great station was easily heard here in my part of Alaska, much stronger actually than I heard him on 15 meters! I think we both were surprised and once again, 10 meters showed why it's also the "Magic Band" in my band plan! 

I know QRP is not for everyone but my friend Steve, wG0AT was the one that sparked my interest. I'm sure he has done that for many a ham! As mentioned in an earlier blog, I had the privilege of meeting Steve personally and spending a day with him, which Steve caught on video and has on YouTube. So Steve, thanks for helping me realize how much fun QRP operating can be. It's awesome to be able to get outdoors with breathtaking views and enjoy the sweet sound of ham radio blending with the sounds of nature. 

My QRP ARCI contest summary as submitted, is listed below. Again, I hope to do a bit more of QRP in the coming months. As we approach the Winter Solstice, I can look forward to a few things. The return of the sun, however slowly it will be over the next few months. I can dream of those long days  under the midnight sun operating portable. Yes, it's several months away but until that time when I de-winterize our travel trailer and move my QRP equipment back to it's summer home, I will be enjoying some low power QSO's from deep inside our igloo. As our temperatures have been steady at -20F, I can think of no better way to spend a cold arctic day than to hibernate in the bear den and play radio. I've operated outdoors at these temperatures as well, but let me tell you, the Icom was able to handle it but the coax to my Buddipole was very unfriendly at those temps, unmanageable actually!  

Operating up here in this unfriendly propagational zone, I do have something I hope to add to my QRP equipment list. Maybe Santa will drop one off someday? I would love to have a portable beam such as THIS one! The recent reviews look much better than the earlier, but this would be nice for playing ham radio in the back country up here. My wants are bigger than my wallet but a ham can still dream, right?



QRP ARCI CONTEST SUMMARY SHEET

QRP ARCI CONTEST: QRP ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew Sprint     MODE: CW

CALL: KL8DX  S/P/C(QTH): AK  QRP #/POWER: 13835  ENTRY: All band

Non-Member QSO's = 1
Member QSO's = 12

________________________
| BAND | POINTS | S/P/C |
|______|________|_______|
| 160  |      0 |     0 |
|______|________|_______|
|  80  |      0 |     0 |
|______|________|_______|
|  40  |      0 |     0 |
|______|________|_______|
|  20  |     32 |     5 |
|______|________|_______|
|  15  |     25 |     5 |
|______|________|_______|
|  10  |      5 |     1 |
|______|________|_______|
|   6  |      0 |     0 |
|______|________|_______|
|Totals|     62 |    11 |
|______|________|_______|


  Total   X   Total   X   Power   +   Bonus   =      Final
  Points      S/P/C       Mult        Points         Score

      62  X     11    X      7    +        0  =       4,774 


TOTAL OPERATING TIME: 04:08:42

TRANSMITTER/TRANSCEIVER: IC-703Plus POWER OUTPUT = 5 Watts

RECEIVER: IC-703Plus (same)

ANTENNA(S): 4 Element tri-bander, Mosley TA-34-XL @ 43 feet (A2)

COMMENTS: Bands were not QRP friendly but managed a handful of contacts. Was
          very surprised to get N4BP on all three bands. We moved to 10 meters
          after a QSO on 15 and Bob was very loud! I had a few I worked on two
          bands, W0UFO and K4BAI. Heard a few who could not hear me. 

25 Years Ago

Tune In The World 1987 Edition

As I have mentioned previously, this is my anniversary week of passing my Novice Exam and Morse Code exam 25 years ago. In a very early blog posting, I went into detail on how I ended up becoming involved in this great hobby of ours so I won't go into detail here. But, I have a few hams to thank for it. The first being Don, KF8FE and the second, Ralph, WA8GAK. Don planted the seed and Ralph was the first one to give me a full demonstration of ham radio and also got me the information on the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). I ended up ordering the book you see to the left from the ARRL along with my 5 wpm cassette code tape. Once I received them in the mail (no internet ordering in those days) I jumped right into listening to my code tape and studying the book. It was not long before I felt I was ready to tackle both tests, my Novice exam and my 5 wpm Morse Code test. 

The ad that sold me!

I remember opening up my study manual (pictured above) and on the inside cover was the advertisement you see to the right, for then new Icom IC-735! I was immediately in love! I knew that was the radio that I wanted! I don't remember what I paid for that radio those many years ago but it was not cheap. If I passed my tests, I had plans of ordering this radio. In those days, the Form 610 had to be mailed in and it would take approximately 6 weeks to get your license. You had to wait patiently for it to arrive and see what callsign you were issued. Since I lived in Ohio, I knew it was going to be a 2X3 callsign, or 2 letters followed by a number, which was followed by three more letters. I obviously knew that the number was going to be an 8 but the rest was a mystery!

I believe that Ralph may have given me the phone number of Pat Keating, WB8KWD. I phoned Pat and made arrangements to meet him at the Red Cross building in Fremont, Ohio. Fremont was not far from where I lived at the time, approximately 45 minutes away. I met Pat along with Ron Winke, WB8NMK in Fremont, on December 12th, 1987. I took my Morse Code test and passed with not only 100% (10 out of 10 questions) but also with 100% perfect copy! I don't remember the reason but I ended up going back to Fremont on the 14th of December and I was given my Novice written exam. I passed that with a 96%, missing one question out of 30. The form 610 was completed and sent off! 

Feedback Response from ARRL

Since I had passed my Novice exam, I ordered the Technician study guide and began working on that license. There had been an issue with my original 610 Form submission so my wait for my Novice license took a bit longer than usual. But, I continued to study and shortly after passing my Novice license, I took and passed my Technician license test (passed my Technician Theory test on January 9th, 1988) along with my General (passed my General theory on February 7th, 1988 and my 13 wpm on February 13th, 1988)! It took two attempts to pass my 13 wpm code test but I made it. And the way things had worked out, by the time I received each of my licenses in the mail, I had already taken and passed the next level license class. I went onto pass my Advanced Class on March 12th, 1988. After passing my Advanced Class license, I opted to change my callsign and I received KE8RO. I stuck with it until I moved to Alaska. I had my sights set on my Extra Class next. At the time, the ARRL was interested in what you thought about their training manuals. I made sure to write in after passing each level of license. It was nice to get letters back from the ARRL responding to my comments (see ARRL letter above). I thought it was a nice note from Larry Wolfgang, then WA3VIL. 

Certificate of Successful Completion

The final step of my license journey ended on April 9th, 1988. It was that day in Maumee, Ohio that I passed my Extra Class exams! One thing I remember about Maumee was they ran a tight ship! Very professional, no nonsense and by the book. I was not quite yet at 20 wpm with my Morse Code but I was able to get the answers by fill-in. Basically, I was not at 100% perfect copy but I copied enough to fill in the blanks and obtain the correct answers to the code test. 

It's hard to believe that 25 years ago this week, I was pacing the floor awaiting the arrival of my FCC paperwork telling me what my callsign was. My new Icom IC-735 and accessories were ordered. When my license finally arrived, I made my first appearance on the bands as KB8DVT! I chatted with several of the locals on 10 meters and it was not long before I was making contacts on that band across the country and beyond. I was bitten by the ham bug and I'm as addicted today as I was then. The nervousness has long passed but I continue to learn and enjoy what ham radio has to offer. Even after all these years, there are modes and bands I have not yet tried. One person who I need to thank is my CW Elmer Ed, K8QWY. Ed is the reason I enjoy that mode today. I was about burned out on Morse Code studying for my tests and receiving is one thing but sending was another. With Ed's patience and persistence, I eventually saw the light. CW was truly the Key to my DX success and still is today!