N6TQS Douglas 'Doug' Faunt Oakland, CA QCWA # 27353

I was first licensed in 1967 as WN4EXQ, but only became active, on HF RTTY, in 1997, thanks to K6XN and an old friend, K6RFM, who showed me RTTY contesting. I've operated in many RTTY contests since then using my modest home station, and have 152 countries on RTTY. I have given the RTTY community substantial numbers of contacts as MDØPI and as part of the FOØAA and September 3D2CI efforts. I am almost exclusively a RTTY op, but hope to do some satellite operating on this trip. I'm a retired engineer, live in Oakland, California, and read a lot, especially science fiction and maritime literature and history. I've been married since 1995 and my partner, Lyn, KD6HXY, is finishing a doctorate in public health at UC Berkeley.

I've been interested in ham radio since I was a teenager, and recall reading about YASME and Clipperton back then. It took me until 1967 to get my Novice (WN4EXQ), but I was in the Navy and didn't find an Elmer, so the one-year, non-renewable license expired, and I had lots of other things going on. I moved to California in 1975 and went to work for ESL, People's Computer Company, Hewlett Packard, Schlumberger, and cisco Systems in various labs.

I got back into ham radio in 1983 via the internet and Ted Park, K6XN, the patent attorney at Schlumberger Palo Alto Research Lab. I upgraded to Advanced in in 1995 so I could operate in the UK on my periodic trips, usually with an HT. I did a very small amount of HF operating, including a trip to VP5 in '96 where I didn't get the license until we were leaving the country.

In 1998, I signed up for a cruise to Bermuda on ROSE, a replica of a RN frigate, circa 1770, as part of my interest in Patrick O'Brian and participation in the internet mailing list about him and his works. I got a VP9 call for that, but only used it to send email. I though it would be fun to use ham radio and the Winlink stations to email reports of our trip back to the mailing list. It turned out, due to the weather, we ended up in Norfolk instead of Savannah, so we got to change everyone's travel plans for the trip by email, also.

Since I had all the pieces, and an old friend of mine, now K7RFM, had been doing some RTTY 'testing, I'd try it too. I found my niche!!!

I've been doing RTTY contesting, and DXing, for about 18 months now, and have 92 confirmed out of 106 worked. I did a little RTTY DXpedition to the Isle of Man last May and made 700 QSO's under my own call and 200 on the IOM Amateur Radio Society's call in 5 days, and got some sight-seeing done and had some nice meals.

I also did some AO-27 operating from the replica of Captain Cook's ship ENDEAVOUR last June. I'll be operating from a UK special events station at Lake Windermere in May this year, as part of the Arthur Ransome Society AGM.

I currently hold N6TQS, M0BPI and VK4BPI.

I'm a retired (in 1993) engineer, read lots of science fiction and many other books, have an interest in maritime history and like to travel. I've been married since 1995 and my partner is getting a doctorate in Public Health at UC.

August 13, 2016