KC9JI John W. 'Jack' Harrington Placitas, NM QCWA # 33247

Like many of the Irish, although my name is "John", I have always gone by the name "Jack". So it's not a bootlegger running my station if you hear me using that name.

QTH is Placitas, NM, at 5800' over sea level, on the northwest side of the Sandia Mountain. I also operate from my South Barrington, IL, QTH where this call sign was originally issued. Time permitting (usually during tarpon season), I hit the airwaves from Boca Grande, FL (Gasparilla Island) on the Gulf coast where I am IOTA 069. Please mail all QSLs to the IL address: 7 Mohawk Court, South Barrington, IL 60010.

I enjoy some limited QRP, and worked 38 states and a number of countries in 5 hours from the New Mexico QTH during Field Day, 2011, with my Yaesu FT-817 QRP rig. Rig was powered by a 12 volt battery, and I used a 10 and 15 meter dipole antenna I put together the night before.

I occasionally work the SO-50 satellite. I don't really have a satellite station, but I've got two quarter wave antennas for 2 meters on NMO mounts on the roof of my Tahoe in IL (the quarter wave for the downlink 440 frequency seems to work as a gain antenna since it hears much better than a 440 quarter wave). The Kenwood 733A mobile dual bander does a great job. I also have 2 meter and 440 antennas on the roof of the house in New Mexico, and I'm able to work the SO-50 bird with that set up using an ICON 746 for the uplink (reduced power), and a Yaseu FT-817 for the downlink. I worked the ISS a number of years ago from my NM station with the ICON 746 and the 1/4 wave Ringo Ranger. Amazing what you can do with good line of site from outer space.

I have had the opportunity to work from numerous locations around Mexico, and once held the call sign XE1JWH (XE1L helped on that one). I have also worked from various outpost locations in Canada, mobile in Italy, from a 16 foot outboard on the Mississippi River (Hustler antenna mounted on the bow rail), from Lake Michigan on a 34 foot cruiser, from cruise ships, and aeronautical mobile from many aircraft, including the Cessna O-2 recon aircraft in the picture at the top of this page. The aircraft flew over Loas, Cambodia and North Vietnam during the Vietnam conflict, although we were supposedly never present over the tri-border area. The military does not admit to ever owning the the aircraft.

W9NN was my Elmer back in the 60s. Bob was chief engineer for WGN radio in Chicago. Girls and guitars got in the way of my license, but I finally connected with the RF gods in 1980. Spent way too much money on ham gear, but it's been great fun. Even had a chance to host Father Moran, 9N1MM, at the South Barrington QTH. He left some great logbook entries for me.

E-mail is below, as well as the website for my band, Redline 7000. I'm on bass guitar. Just old guys playin' classic rock 'n roll.

73,
Jack KC9JI

kc9ji@arrl.net
www.redline7000band.com

February 7, 2015