AB4BJ

DXCC - WAS – WAC

AB4BJ

I am an Amateur Extra Class Amateur Radio operator in Calhoun, Georgia (Gordon County), and have been licensed since 1989.  My first call was KC4MWH followed by N4XOG.   Calhoun is in northwest Georgia approximately 50 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and approximately 70 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia.  Northwest Georgia is known as the Carpet Capital of the World, and much of the U.S. carpet production takes place in and around this area.  I formerly lived in Dalton (Whitfield County), Georgia (20 miles north of Calhoun), home to the Dalton Amateur Radio Club (W4DRC) which presents one of the southeast’s premier hamfests, every year on the fourth Saturday in February.  The DARC is a non-profit organization, and an American Radio Relay League Special Services Club.  The DARC has a long tradition of serving northwest Georgia in many capacities.  For more information about the DARC, please visit the club website.  Calhoun is home to the Cherokee Capital Amateur Radio Society.  In addition to a weekly net on local repeaters, the CCARS has a Hamfest in April of each year. Click here to go the CCARS web site.

Although in recent years I have been less involved in local amateur radio activities, I am the past President of the DARC, and have served as the Emergency Coordinator (Whitfield and Murray Counties) and the District Emergency Coordinator (Northwest Georgia) for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service.  I have also served as a Volunteer Counsel for the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).  In 1992, I traveled to south Florida to provide amateur radio assistance in the wake of the Hurricane Andrew disaster.  An article about this trip was published in the December, 1992 issue of QST, the official publication of the ARRL.  I have also served in a number of capacities in the Dalton Chapter of the American Red Cross, including Disaster Committee Chair and local Chair of the Board.  The Red Cross, both locally, regionally and nationally,  has always partnered with amateur radio in times of need.

I have been a member of the Southeastern DX Club and have completed 20 meter, mixed and phone DXCC.    I have also completed WAS and WAC.  For QSL, I use LOTW, Bureau, eQSL and direct.

One of my favorite HF activities is participation on the Geratol Net.  This is a WAS net that operates every night at 0100 UTC between October and April on 3.668 MHz.  Earning the BASIC award is the main goal of most, and this tough award requires working an Extra Class ham with an Extra Class formatted call sign in the Extra Class portion of the U.S. phone band in each of the 50 U.S. states.  I achieved my BASIC award in January 2011 and am now the proud holder of Geratol number 2598.  I received the Director Award in February 2011 and now hold Director Number 708.

The Ham Shack

For HF in the ham shack, I currently operate an Icom IC-7600 and an Icom IC-9100.  I love these radios!  I use a Heil PR-781 mic and internal audio settings for both radios.  Because I only wanted to use one mic for both radios, I have interfaced the PR-781 with a LDG SLS-2 mic switch.   When I need a few extra S-units, I use  a Yaesu FL-7000 solid state amplifier.  This amp is a little old, but works great after being restored to perfect condition by Bill Grassa, N4ATS.   One of the biggest dilemas for my operating position is the speaker to use with the IC-7600 and my other radios.  After a bit of research, I decided to try a Voice Master speaker.  This speaker produces the best sounding audio I have ever heard coming from my various radios.  Because this speaker is very large, I decided to use it for all of my audio (HF, VHF, UHF, D-Star and scanner) and therefore connected everything through a Peavy mixer that I had sitting around the shack gathering dust.  The result is great sounding audio from all sources and the ability to control and blend the audio from each source from one location.   I also use a Heil Pro-Set Plus headset\mic from time to time.

AB4BJ SteppIR BigIR Mark III

I am somewhat limited by subdivision restrictions and use a SteppIR BigIR III vertical with 80 meter coil and a Alpha Delta DX-EE attic dipole that I tune with an MFJ Versa Tuner V (MFJ 989C). One of my favorite accesories in the shack is the LP-100A Digital Vector Wattmeter.For VHF and UHF in the shack I use the Icom IC-9100 and Kenwood TM-D710A . I use the TM-D710 for APRS operation and the IC-9100 for D-Star. For portable operation, I use an Icom 92AD HT for 2 meter and 440 operation, and to play with D-Star either directly or though my computer connected DVAP. You can learn more about my D-Star activities on my D-Star page. I also use a Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band HT from time to time.

Thanks for stopping by.

73,

DE Bill, AB4BJ