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AB3SX Jerome H. 'Jerry' Whelan Silver Spring, MD QCWA # 36285 Chapter 20 |
AGE: 67, RETIRED
PRESENT DAY RIGS:
.Collins S-Line (32S-3 and 75S-3C)
.Kenwood TS-940S/AT
.Elecraft KX3
.Icom IC-28H
.Baofeng UV-5R
PRESENT DAY ANTENNAS:
.Horizontal fan dipole with choke balun for 40M, 20M, at 8 feet above terrain, oriented N/S.
.Horizontal fan dipole with choke balun for 20/15/10 in the attic at 24 feet above terrain, oriented E/W.
.Inverted L, up 20 feet and out 100 feet, oriented N/S, end-fed using 9:1 balun.
.Four element Yagi for 2M, vertically polarized at 38 feet on a rotator.
PRESENT DAY TUNER:
.Dentron 160-10 Transmatch.
CLUB MEMBERSHIPS:
.Quarter Century Wireless Association, Chesapeake Chapter 20, # 36285
.Straight Key Century Club # 11298
.Laurel, MD Amateur Radio Club
.Green Mountain Repeater Association
.Amateur Radio Research and Development Corporation, Virginia
ANCIENT HISTORY: Getting back into ham radio after a long break. I started in 1962 by building super-regen and super-het receivers to listen to aircraft near Washington National Airport. I heard, then met local amateurs. I was Elmered by a good bunch of hams ( Ethel K4LMB, Tex W4TE, Jack W4ZMT, and Tom W6GGR ). I earned my Novice ( WN4QBV ) in 1963, built home brew HF CW gear and got my code up, soon passing the General ( WA4QBV ). Built a modulator for the CW rig and operated 15M AM and CW, 6M, and 2M phone at home, 10M AM mobile from the Corvair.
Operated 6M using a Gonset Gooney-Bird while in military college at Virginia Tech, then 2M using modified Motorola trunk-mount units while in the Air Force. Earned a FCC First Phone+Radar in 1971 while in the Air Force at New York. Back from the service in 1971 to resume college at U of MD; I changed zone calls to WA3VWH. While in school I built homebrew RTTY gear, then got back into HF CW and SSB, even tried a little packet-radio on 2M FM phone.
Took my first professional job in 1975 at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Silver Spring, MD. While working there I met my wife Debby who earned Technician WB3EVT as I upgraded to Extra ( AA3H ) in 1976. We were both active for years, but careers took so much of our time our tickets expired and we did not renew within the grace period ... POOF!! There went over thirty years of continuous licensure :( and my good call sign.
Well, we have now both retired and are making good use of our retirement time. We studied and took advantage of the generous efforts of the Laurel Maryland Radio Amateur Volunteer Examiner Cooperative. Debby now holds General KC3BCQ and I hold Extra AB3SX.
I have been dusting off a bunch of gear that is going to need some TLC to return to functionality . . . but that is what retirement is for, isn't it ?
I was, in my early ham career in the 60's, certain that high power was necessary, since I had low power and a really deficient antenna with no counterpoise. Now that I am back in the game, I have changed my opinion, and I now feel it is the better antenna that wins the game. Although I have rigs with output powers of 100 watts or more, I am now engaged with lower power, 5-20 watts, better antennas, and looking for DX.
With some more time available for ham radio, I took advantage of the opportunity to assist in a bit of amateur radio public service.
Assisted Laurel ARC's efforts to introduce amateur radio to youngsters, hosting a station for the Scout's "Jamboree on the air"
Assisted in a recent amateur radio contact with the international space station. The Forest Knolls Elementary School's students had a direct contact with astronaut Koichi Wakata through the combined efforts of three local ham radio clubs and the ham mentors of Forest Knolls.
Participated in Laurel Amateur Radio Club's provision of communications and parade marshalling for a local parade.
Assisted LARC in teaching a class for students preparing for the Technician Class License exam.
April 29, 2015