My original license as a Ham Operator was obtained in the Spring of 1961, as KN5KOU. Received the F.C.C. Extra Class Amateur Operator License in the Spring of 2012 and obtained the Vanity Call of W5ZL in the Spring of 2014. I got tired of my friends with an Extra Ticket calling me on the phone to tell me that there was some "Real Good 'DX' on such and such frequency", then they would say: "Oh, I forgot, you only have a General Ticket and these frequencies are in the EXTRA Portion of the Band."

I started out with a used Hallicrafter Receiver which was given to me by an older Ham Operator and a Crystal Control Heathkit Transmitter with two 807 Finals for using the CW Mode, which I paid $75.00 and installed a wire antenna strung between by bedroom and a Salt Cedar Tree in the back yard. I had a cheap brass CW Key and tried my best to master a Bug" back then; but, just couldn't get the hang of letting the "Bug" supply the dots and dashes with very little movement of the hand. My Elmers weren't ever able to teach me to us it.

My current Shack Configuration: HF Rig, is an ICOM IC-756ProIII with its own dedicated power supply, an ICOM PS-125 DC P/S and an ICOM IC-7600 that receives its power from an Astron RM 50M. Recently acquired a Heathkit SB-220 RF Amplifier and a MFJ-989 Versa Tuner V for tuning various "Wire" antennas and a PALSTAR AT-AUTO and a Palstar HF-AUTO 1500 Watt Automatic Tuning Antenna Tuner, along with an Ameritron AL-811 Amplifier, an Alpha 87A Automatic Tuning RF Amplifier and in May of 2012, I acquired a brand new Alpha 9500 Automatic Tuning RF Amplifier for the HF Bands and a Modified Heathkit SB-221 Full Legal Limit KING QRO Amplifier for 6 Meters into a M2 Antenna Systems 6M5XHP 5-Element 6M Yagi on the top of the tower at about 57 feet AGL. There is an Array Solutions Power Master Digital Watt Meter for Power/SWR and recently acquired an Alpha 4510 Power/SWR Meter for monitoring the Forward and Reflected Power. For observing the wave form out of the Exciter is an old Heathkit SB-610 Scope. The tower is a 47 foot Rohn 25A tower with a M-Square "Killer Tri Bander" for 20M - 10M mounted below the 6M beam. For my VHF/UHF Rig, I have an ICOM IC-2800H Dual Band Mobile. For VHF 2M FM D-STAR Mode, I use the ICOM IC-2200H. Recently, a 1.25M Jetstream JT220M was acquired along with a Tram 1494 antenna mounted at about 40 feet on the tower. The mobile unit is an ICOM IC-7000 and a screwdriver antenna for the HF Operations and am using a tri-magnet Tram magnetic base with a 2M Hustler CG-144 and a 70 Cm. Magnet mount for access to our Un-Club Repeater. For Power Supplies, there are the ICOM PS-125 DC P/S, Astron RS-50M DC P/S, an Astron RM-50M DC P/S and an Astron RS-35M DC P/S and as a backup Power Supply, a MS PS-53, 50 Amp DC Regulated P/S. There are several HF Wire Antennas, a Radio Wavz 80M - 10M G5RV-Lite and a Comet 250X 160M - 6M Vertical Dipole and two Homebrew OCF Wire Antennas for 80M and 40M and the M-Square (KT36HA) Killer Tri-Bander for 40M - 20M on the Tower. The 2M antenna is a Vertical with radials by Steve Bozak, mounted about 65 feet AGL. Was lucky to be able to purchase a new ICOM IC-7610 to take advantage of a direct sampling receiver and all of its options.

I am very lucky to have several "Elmers" near where I live that are most happy to assist me in my quest for new knowledge. With the help of several Elmers, I was able to write a 100% on all three of the Amateur Service Licensing Examinations.

I am a member of the ARRL, an ARRL VE, a member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association #35650.

I am "Semi-Active" in Weak-Signal with the:

HAMster Weak Signal Group: www.144200.net

HAMster #: 12.

Take a little time to view our website shown above, I think you will enjoy it, especially if you have some interest in "Weak-Signal."

73's until we meet on the airwaves.
W5ZL

June 27, 2019