I am an Amateur Extra Class Amateur Radio operator in Dalton, Georgia (Whitfield County), and have been licensed since 1989. My first call was KC4MWH followed by N4XOG.
Dalton is in northwest Georgia approximately 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and approximately 90 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.
Dalton is 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 Facebook page or the club website.
Although in recent years I have been less involved in local amateur radio activities, I am the past President of the DARC, and have previously served as the Emergency Coordinator (Whitfield and Murray Counties) and the District Emergency Coordinator (Northwest Georgia) for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. I am a Life Member of American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and have previously served as a Volunteer Counsel for the 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 am a member of the Southeastern DX Club and have completed 40 meter, 20 meter, 17 meter, 15 meter, 12 meter, 10 meter, mixed, phone and digital DXCC.. I have also completed the DXCC Challenge Award, WPX, WAS, WAC . For QSL, I use LOTW, Bureau, eQSL and direct.
In the past, I have been active on the Geratol net and earned Geratol number 2598 and Director Number 708.
As of 2025, I have been continuously licensed as a ham for 37 years. After being a ham for 25 years I decided to join the Quarter Century Wireless Association (“QCWA”) and was given QCWA #36339.
In the Ham Shack – HF
For HF in the ham shack, I currently operate the 200 watt Icom IC-7760 with an Icom IC-PW2 solid state amplifier, a Yaesu FTDX 101d and a Flex Radio 6600 as a backup rig. I also have have an Icom IC-7300 for portable HF operation and in the shack. The IC-7300 was used for extensive portable operation during National Parks on the Air in 2016 (I finished as the overall #7 ranked activator for the event).
The Icom IC-7760 and the Icom IC-PW2 have remote control heads. The large base units can be placed away from the operating position or even in another room. The radio and amplifier are tightly integrated. The amplifier control head will allow a second exciter to be quickly switched in line with the amplifier and the connected antennas (see photo below). I use the IC-7300 in this configuration.
One of the biggest dilemmas for my operating position is the speaker to use with my radios. After a bit of research, I decided to try Voice Master speakers. These speakers produce the best sounding audio I have ever heard coming from my various HF radios.
For Microphones, I use a couple of Heil PR-781 mics, and sometimes an Electrovoice RE27ND. I also use a Radiosport headset from time to time. I also occasionally operate with an Inrad W1 headset with boom mic and am very pleased with how it performs.
When I need a few extra S-units when using the Yaesu FTDX 101d, I use a Mercury LUX legal limit solid state amp with the Mercury ATS automatic antenna tuner. These are great performers and very compact!
A big part of the station is the computer that serves as an integral part of radio control and runs various other ham radio applications. I put together a system consisting of a Micro Center PowerSpec G439. I run the system with a Samsung 48.7″ curved monitor so all of the ham radio applications fit nicely on the large screen. This computer has become the heart and soul of my rig control, logging and DX spotting operations. It’s also perfect for FT8 operation.
My favorite software for logging and DX related functions is DX Lab. This free software suite is very impressive and offers rig control, logging, DX spotting and many more features. Not only is this software free and feature-rich, it has some of the best customer support I have ever seen.
Tower and Antennas
I currently have a 55 foot self-supporting Rohn 55G tower. On the tower, I have a JK Antennas Force 12 XR6 multi band beam (great antenna!) and a Comet GP9 VHF/UHF vertical, a VHF/UHF Cushcraft beam and a 80 through 10 OCF dipole. I also have a 160 OCF dipole. I use an excellent DX Engineering RT4500HD heavy duty rotor with the amazing ARCO smart antenna rotator from Microham.
On a separate 30 foot pole, I have a Comet CX-333 tri-band antenna for use as a back up and with other radios, including my APRS weather station (AB4BJ-10). I also use a Pixel Technologies RF PRO-1B receive loop (now sold by DX Engineering). This receive-only antenna is fantastic and is connected with a splitter to the various radios and receivers, including the excellent Icom IC-R8600 very wide band receiver.
In the Ham Shack – VHF/UHF/D-Star/Receiver
For Dstar, VHF and UHF in the shack I use an Icom IC-9700. I also use an Icom ID-5100 as a second base station. For portable operation, I use Icom’s ID-52 HT for 2 meter and 440 operation and to play with D-Star.
I like to play with APRS, and my Davis Vantage Vue weather station (AB4BJ-10) is interfaced with an Alinco DR-135 Mark III with a Microtelecom WX3IN1+. I also have fun with a Yaesu FT3D HT for APRS operation.
Thanks for stopping by.
73,
Bill, AB4BJ
(Page updated on October 5, 2025)