KC5R Albert L. 'Al' Sinopoli Friendswood, TX QCWA # 32582 Chapter 109

QSL Direct, LOTW (updated about every 6 months), or Buro

Thanks to Boy Scouts, I've been a ham since 1978 at age 12 outside of Philadelphia, PA. After passing my extra in 1980, I was issued the call KC3N. In 1992, after several moves around the northeast US and 2 engineering degrees, I moved to Dallas, Texas. This was my first year in "5-land". I spent 2 years in Dallas, where I met my wife Janet, who later became KE5CNZ. In 1994, I then moved to the New Orleans, LA area, where Janet and I got married and are now a family of 7: Us, 1 boy, and 4 wiener dogs (dachshunds).

Then one day in early 2000 after being in 5-land for 8 years and hearing one too many "please repeat your section...", I decided to give up my KC3N call and become KC5R, the closest thing I could get to my original call that sounded descent on CW (P.S. - the original KC5R, Moe, was a nice guy without any outstanding enforcement notices or clubs ready to run him out of town, so I figured it was a good deal for me. He became W5KD and unfortunately went SK in Nov. 2003).

I was very active from my Louisiana QTH from 1999 until 2012, running 100W or QRP in most contests with an IC-756PRO plus a 75' tower holding a number of HF/VHF/UHF antennas. In 2013, I traded my small RF engineering business for a worldwide opportunity to service and develop the RF expertice for a major Fortune 100 company. So after 19 years in Louisiana, I took down the tower, sold the 'PRO, and moved the family to the Houston, TX area.

My station now consists of.....well boxes containing equipment that I plan to use again when I get up some wires (the new QTH requires me to go back to stealth wires buried in the trees). I still have a Yaesu FT857D and an 8800R for portable activities. Someday I will move elsewhere and get some steel back in the air but back to basics for now.

As for personal stuff outside of ham radio, I am a USSF state soccer referee which forces me to stay in shape to keep up in both youth and Adult Amateur soccer matches. This cuts into a lot of my weekends (and beer drinking), especially in March, April, September, and October. I also operate a Beech Bonanza as time permits, using my pileup skills to get air traffic control's attention as required. Sometimes an unofficial phonetic can pay dividends.

That about wraps it up. If you ever want an eyeball QSO, I go to Dayton every years and usually get a spot in the flea market (if for nothing else, it's our "happy hour" location). I also go to the Kansas City DX association CW pile-up contest on Saturday night of the Dayton Hamvention. I'm still trying to beat my high score of 33.

73,
Al

May 28, 2015