KB7AZ Carl G. Foster Tucson, AZ QCWA # 37027 Chapter 16

DXCC No. 58,365 issued August 14, 2013.

WAS No. 58,776 issued August 13, 2014

ARRL Arizona Section Technical Coordinator

My main HF antenna is 51-foot (16-meter) crank-up tower has an M² KT-34M2 (tri-band 20, 15, and 10) antenna on top. I added a motorized winch to run it up and down. The rotator is an AlfaSpid RAK-1. I usually keep the antenna at 36 feet, but run it all the way up for contests. In February 2015 I put up an off-center fed 80-meter dipole that gives me capability on 80, 40 17, 24, and 10 meters. The roof also holds a 10-meter vertical and a 2-30 MHz receive-only shielded loop. VHF/UHF antennas include a 144/430 colinear, a 2-meter horizontally polarized omnidirectional antenna, a 2-meter J-pole, and a 6-meter stacked 5/8 wave vertical.

In addition to my amateur radio activities I volunteer as a pilot for the Flying Samaritans. We provide no-cost medical and dental services to underserved communities in Baja California, Mexico. Their website is: http://www.flyingsamaritansaz.org/Tucson. Unfortunately I have not been able to obtain a Mexico amateur radio license, so on clinic weekends I just eat fish tacos and work on maintaining the clinic after flying the medical and dental personnel down.

To keep life interesting I also sing in a barbershop chorus and a barbershop quartet.

Back to amateur radio, this is my basic equipment that I have accumulated over the last 40+ years.

Yaesu FTDX-3000 running 100 watts SSB & CW, 20-50 watts digital

Ameritron AL-1200 runnng 1200 watts PEP, 500-900 watts on RTTY

Audio Technica AT-4033 microphone for the FT-950 and VHF radios

QRP rig is Ten-Tec Argonaut 509

6-meter AM rig is Gonset G-50 to a Diamond colinear antenna

Astatic D-104 microphone for the Argonaut and Gonset

Yaesu FT-227R witha a SignaLink USB interface for VHF digital work

Yaesu FT-897D for VHF/UHF SSB and portable operation

35 Amp-Hour battery and 45-watt solar panel for backup power

Originally WN6CWV in August 1970, then WB6CWV (Advanced) in March 1971.

Lived in El Cajon until 1984 when I moved to Poway in north San Diego County.

Moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1994, upgraded to Extra in January 2010, and finally got an Arizona callsign, KB7AZ, in February 2010.

I had some antenna restrictions, but I managed to put a few antennas on a flat roof, which is about all a flat roof is good for.

10-10 Number 2435

ARRL Arizona Section Technical Coordinator

Active in Flying Samaritans flying medical personnel to under-served people in Baja California (www.flyingsamaritansaz.org/tucson)

Active SCUBA diver, mountain biker, and woodworker

Sing a barbershop chorus and a quartet

March 28, 2016