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KB9JMU James K. 'Jim' Adams Bargersville, IN QCWA # 38129 Chapter 83 |
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Starting as a shortwave listener in my teens, I collected QSL cards with my Knight StarRoamer. I then discovered 11m in the mid-70s while attending Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, where I received a Telecommunications BS degree with a music minor (Class of '78). My first FCC exams in 1974 were a Third Class Operators Permit with Element 9 Broadcast Endorsement which allowed me to operate commercial AM and FM stations in Indiana (WHYT, Noblesville; WFBM, Noblesville; WNON, Lebanon and WAJC, Indianapolis).
Speleology. Once a caver, always a caver. After many active years, I've become a checkbook caver and claim membership in the National Speleological Society, the Central Indiana Grotto, the Indiana Karst Conservancy and the Indiana Cave Survey. Many cavers that I got to know in the early 1990s were amateur radio operators, often volunteering for assignments during cave rescue call-outs and talk-ins for various caving events. That's what sparked my interest in ham radio.
I was licensed as a Technician on March 8, 1995, upgraded to General (w/code) on June 3, 2000 and Amateur Extra on July 18, 2020. I'm also an accredited Volunteer Examiner through the ARRL VEC and Laurel VEC. Now celebrating 47 years on the air and more than a quarter century in ham radio!
Most of my early log entries were on 10m with a 25 watt radio and a hamstick dipole as I collected contacts for ARRL's Worked All States and DX Century Club awards. In late 2003, I got a new (smaller) car and the six mobile radios that I was using in my GMC Jimmy went into storage. My HF rig in the house soon went silent and the antennas eventually came down.
I became inactive for 15 years, but I kept all of my equipment with the intention of building a new ham shack someday. After purchasing a new (larger) SUV, a move to a larger home and some interior renovations, that day came in the Autumn of 2019 and THE KB9JMU SHACK is back on the air. I no longer need to collect QSL cards for WAS or Worked All Continents (WAC), but I'm still logging contacts for DXCC. Hunting POTA. Chasing SOTA. Member: ARRL; 10-10 International; Mid-State Amateur Radio Club in Johnson County, Indiana; Old Old Timers Club and Quarter Century Wireless Association.
Also, as a result of my caving activities (KB9 Just Me Underground), I enjoy collecting mining-related artifacts, especially carbide lamps. As a musician, I play bass guitar, guitar and other assorted instruments from time-to-time. I'm also a birder and 2A supporter. Hobbies are my hobby because I want to learn all about stuff.
73,
KB9JMU
Jim
December 30, 2019