WAØTDA Patrick 'Pat' W. Tice Woodbury, MN QCWA # 33040

Greetings from the Tice family. I'm Patrick (Pat), and my son Will is KCØLJL.

When you look at the current photo, you can infer that I'm a Minnesotan - I mean, that Bait & Tackle T-shirt, Uffda!

I got started in ham radio in 1967 with the callsign WNØTDA and soon upgraded to WAØTDA. It's a great callsign for CW, and I guess I've had it so long I wouldn't care to change even though I've upgraded my license to Extra Class.

I've also held VP7DT and C6ADT. I think the latter call was reissued, so PLEASE don't send me any QSL cards to confirm your Bahamas QSO!

I was one of the original founders of Butternut Electronics, but now I work for a non-profit United Way organization called Courage Center. Our program, in Courage Center's Camping department, runs ham radio camps for people with disabilities. What a cool job!

The station here in the Twin Cities of Minnesota is kind of simple, but it works well:

A new Icom IC-7200 is in place for 2010, controlled by Ham Radio Deluxe. This is the main HF rig, but an IC-706M2G is waiting in the wings as a backup for HF. When the 706 is not in use on HF, it listens on 2m or 70cm repeater frequencies. It is also controlled with HRD.HRD can communicate with both rigs at the same time, opening the rig interfaces in tabs but allowing for a shared logbook. A Yaesu FT-2800 2m FM rig rounds out the station and usually listens on the 147.060 W0JH repeater system.

A Butternut vertical is ground-mounted in the back yard. The secret is LOTS of radials, guys! I also use a Windom when I need high angle radiation.

Far to the north, deep in the pines of northern Minnesota's lake country, I also operate W0EQO through the W4MQ Remote Base software. The W0EQO station is a Kenwood TS-480SAT, LDG external tuner, Rigblaster interface to a Windows Vista box, and a G5RV antenna about 35 feet in the air. The station is served via a T-1 line that also provides connectivity to the residential camp Courage North, home of Handiham Radio Camps for many years. The remote location is exceptionally quiet, as all power company wiring is underground for miles in every direction and the camp in set amidst a pine forest in a rural area on the shore of Lake George, near the headwaters of the Mississippi.

Modes of operation are SSB, FM, CW, and PSK-31. I hope to hear you on the air soon!

January 10, 2011