NSØD Robert L. 'Pete' Henderson Independence, MO QCWA # 35715 Chapter 35

All my friends know me as "Pete"

I was a teenage ham radio operator, got my ticket in the 7th grade.

Was a high school athlete (Football, Track and Tennis) and played Rugby in college.

I studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, and Computer Science at Missouri Western in Saint Joseph, MO.

I work for a large Insurance Company in Information Technology. In my free time I love cycling, tennis, running, video games and playing guitar. I'm a lifelong baseball fan - in fact listening to Royals baseball games on an old radio with glowing tubes was how I got interested in radio as a 9 year-old fan.

I'm a veteran of the "Upgrade or Else" era of Novice Licensing, and have held two other calls - WNØCW and WBØCW. My first rig was a DX-40 and a Gonset G-66 receiver, used to come home from school to hit 40 meters, rockbound. Had to throw three switches to go from receive to send (and again to get back). I upgraded to General in 1975, and Advanced in 1987. After 25 years as an Advanced Class I took and passed my Amateur Extra Class exam at the Dayton Hamvention in 2012. I moved to the shorter call of NSØ in January 2013.

I live in Independence, Missouri, very close to the house I grew up in, and to the Harry S Truman Presidential Library. I have been in and out of Ham Radio several times, never letting my license lapse. I was President of the University of Arkansas Amateur Radio Club (W5YM) for two terms, and was on the board of the now defunct Kansas City Amateur Radio Club in the 1980's. I once was Field Day Chairman (yeah, it was fun!).

My current equipment includes a Kenwood TS-590S, a Kenwood TS-480SAT, and a FlexRadio 3000 for HF, using an Ameritron AL-80B amp when needed. HF antennas used are an NA4RR Hex Beam, a Cushcraft R-7, and various wire antennas including: a 75m doublet; 40/20/15 parallel dipole; a 30m Dipole; and a 20m/15m full-wave Delta loop. For VHF I have a 2m/220/440 vertical at about 50 feet that gives me nice coverage from my location at about 1100 feet elevation. I've been known to frequent D-Star, using a DV-Dongle and an ID-51a, with accompanying 440 MHz DVAP.

My Ham Radio activities include Contests, DXing, Digital Modes, VHF FM, building antennas and kits, and Nets. You can find me on Wednesdays on 40m at 7.268 MHz checking into the Postshow Net that comes after the Ham Nation show on http://twit.tv/hn - I'm a big fan of Bob Heil, Gordon West, George Thomas, Don Wilbanks and all the rest on that show, its a great time. I'll be at the Dayton Hamvention in May of 2016 at the HamTwit meetup, at the Contest Super Suite and the HamNation booth.

I am a member of the American Radio Relay League, the Quarter Century Wireless Association, Ten-Ten International Net, the Kansas City DX Club, and the Independence FM Amateur Radio Club.

I'm married with two sons, neither of which has any interest in any of the things I like (except baseball), which is fine.

September 22, 2015