Antenna Damage from the Hazelwood Tornado

You never know when a bad storm will happen until it does. On the evening of April 10, 2013, at around 2000 CDT (April 11 0100 UTC), a magnitude EF2 tornado struck the city of Hazelwood. The worst of the storms went to the south of my QTH. Yet, I still sustained antenna damage due to the high winds from the tornado. (All damage pictures were taken on April 14, 2013.)

I'm very lucky that my HF antennas for Amateur Radio and shortwave listening and DX applications are in the attic, along with a backup antenna for 2 Meter FM. Most of my VHF and UHF antennas were, unfortunately, outside. A vent pipe mount supports the Radio Shack discone (purchased in 2004, mounted at 32 feet above ground level) I use for monitoring the VHF and UHF Public Service bands, along with the VHF railroad, aviation and transportation radio communication bands and DXing the NOAA Weather Radio bands. The mount was loosened enough to tilt the 10-foot mast, which also supports a wind sensor for my wireless weather station (which I purchased in 2008) at a 45-degree angle. Here's the picture of that antenna, as taken from the ground:

The other two antenna masts weren't as lucky. A tripod supported the VHF Amateur Radio antenna system. Before the tornado, the mast supported a pair of Diamond five-element beam antennas (one for 2 Meter SSB at 37 feet, the other for 2 Meter FM at 30 feet above ground level) and a Cushcraft three-element beam antenna (for 6 Meter SSB at 34 feet above ground level). The wind was strong enough to bend the bottom mast (five feet high), not to mention the base of the top mast (10 feet high). The first picture was taken from the ground; the other two from the roof. I was able to salvage all three antennas.

I kept the antennas I used for FM and TV DXing on another mast, on the other side of the roof from my Amateur Radio antennas. The antennas sat lower than the other antennas; the TV antenna barely cracked 30 feet above ground level; the FM was at 26 feet above ground level. They were mounted on a chimney mount (which I put up in 2004 to replace a mount that was installed back in 1967). I've used a Radio Shack VU-210XR for my TV DX since 1998, and also used it for FM DX from 1998 to 2004. Since 2004, I've used an Antenna Performance Specialties APS-9B nine-element beam for FM DXing. I've been able to salvage the APS-9B; I'll be doing some work to it before I put it back on the roof. I'm not sure about salvaging the VU-210XR, however. As with the others, one shot was taken at ground level, the other two from the roof.

All of this damage is a testament to the unlimited power of Mother Nature. The worst of the damage took place less than a mile to the south and west of my location, along the 900 blocks of Lynn Haven and Townhouse Lane. I began my DX career a short distance away in the 800 block of Lamplight Lane. My original QTH suffered roof damage in the tornado. It will be a while before my VHF setup is back up to full usage again. I'm thankful that this was the only damage I sustained from the tornado, along with an uprooted apple tree (the last one remaining in the yard). Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. 73.

AM Station #1,400...and Goals for 2013

How many of you ever get excited when you reach a milestone in your DX career? Whether it be your first, 100th or even 1,000th station on any band, reaching a milestone in a DX career is a moment to be remembered.

On January 7, 2013 at 4:18 p.m. CST (2218 UTC), I hit another milestone in my logbook from my present location. I was outdoors in the driveway on a 50-degree afternoon when I pulled in WINK 1200 Pine Island Center, FL (a suburb of Fort Myers). The program material aired on the station included advertisements for businesses in southwestern Florida and national news. WINK is not only my 1,400th AM station from my present location since I started my present log in 1992, but also my 30th station from the Sunshine State. I've logged eight new stations since that time, bringing my present total to 1,408.

With one goal already met for 2013, I'm within reach of two other goals in my logbook. The first one of note is the 1,200th FM station. I have logged 1,178 FM stations at my location since I started my present logbook in 1992. Another goal for 2013 is my 150th digital TV station. I've logged 149 DTV stations since I began TV DXing in digital format in September 2005. Two more difficult goals for me that are within striking distance are my 100th Missouri AM station and 200th Illinois FM station logged at my location. As of February 28, 2013, my Missouri AM log stands at 97 (the most recent log being KMAM 1530 Butler on January 26, 2013), while my Illinois FM logbook now stands at 187 (most recent being WJEZ 98.9 Dwight on July 11, 2012). Illinois is also the only state where I've logged more than 100 AM stations (the count as of 2/28/2013 stands at 113).

What the FM/TV DX season holds for 2013 is unknown; I hope it's just as good (if not better) than 2012.

2012: The DX Year in Review

2012 will go down as one of my better DX years. I had to drop a few AM stations from the log due to the fact that these tests ran (all of the logs I dropped were from 1994), along with some good E-skip openings. I reached a milestone in February with the log of my 1,300th AM radio station. It was originally WSPO 1390 Charleston, SC, but after dropping three stations from the log, that title went to KBMO 1290 Benson, MN on the evening of February 23. When 2012 ended, I had 1,395 AM stations in the logbook. Among the state milestones I made in 2012 were the 110 AM station mark from Illinois, along with 90 from Missouri (getting closer to 100 as I write this), 70 from Alabama, 50 from Kentucky and Wisconsin during 2012.

There were a few pre-season tropo openings, including one on Valentine's Day. One of the best pre-season logs came in a March 22 tropo opening, when I pulled in WXN85 Fairfield, IA on 162.400 MHz. That same opening brought two Springfield area FMs that are usually blocked by digital sidebands from local stations, WSCT 90.5 Springfield and WYMG 100.5 Chatham, formerly licensed to Jacksonville. During the summer months, I noted several good E-skip openings. The first opening of the year was on June 2 into Florida; some of the stations I heard included WJKD 99.7 Fort Pierce, WOLL 105.5 Hobe Sound, WZZR 94.3 Riviera Beach and the station on 99.5 in Palm Beach Gardens. One of the early season openings was into New England and Atlantic Canada on June 7; two of the stations I pulled in were CHSJ 94.1 St. John, NB, along with Bangor, ME stations WHCF 88.5 and WEZQ 92.9, shifting to upstate New York; one of the stations I heard from that area was WAMC-FM 90.3 Albany, NY. June 28 was one of the hottest days of the year, with a high in the St. Louis area of 108 degrees F. I also stumbled across an early morning tropo opening into Illinois and Iowa. I did pull in two new digital TV stations, KGCW 41 (26) Burlington, IA and WCIU 27 (26) Chicago, IL. I also pulled in WBBM 780's FM simulcast partner, WCFS 105.9 Elmwood Park, IL, as well as a call letter change on a "Franken-FM", WKQX-LP 87.7 Chicago. Among the other Illinois FM stations heard were WPMJ 94.3 Chillicothe, WONU 89.7 Kankakee  Another Illinois tropo opening was on July 11, pulling in NOAA Weather Radio stations KZZ58 162.525 Kankakee and KZZ81 162.425 Lockport, near Joliet. Among the FM stations heard: WJEZ 98.9 Dwight, WYYS 106.1 Streator and WJWR 90.3 Bloomington. Perhaps the biggest opening of the year was the E-skip opening on July 24, which reached a maximum usable frequency of 162.475 MHz, where I heard KIH28 Philadelphia, PA. Also heard from Philly were WMMR 93.3 and WWIQ 106.9 from nearby Camden, NJ. From Washington, DC, I recorded clips from WMZQ 98.7 and WRQX 107.3. One of the more interesting catches of that opening was WRAU 88.3 Ocean City, MD. I had this signal in Stereo, along with the station it was relaying, WAMU 88.5 Washington, DC. The shortest E-skip log in the 20 years since I returned to the St. Louis area from metro Atlanta was noted in this opening, with the reception of WFHG-FM 92.9 Bluff City, TN at 470 miles. The action shifted to the west in the evening hours; among the U.S. stations I recorded during this time were KTZA 92.9 Artesia, NM, and also logged a few new ones from Texas, including KTEP 88.5 El Paso and KIVY-FM 92.7 Crockett. One Texan I haven't heard in a while was heard on this opening: KBNA 97.5 El Paso. The opening wrapped up with a couple of late-night Mexicans, XHBW 93.3 Chihuahua, CI and XHBP 90.3 Torreon, CL. Other tropo openings in July came on the 21st, in which I logged such stations as KXBZ 104.7 Manhattan, KS (which I also posted on their Facebook page), KUSQ 95.1 Worthington, MN and KATO 93.1 New Ulm, MN (which I also posted on their Facebook page). July 27 brought stations from MO and AR, including KAIT 8 in Jonesboro. Among the FM stations I heard were KIGL 93.3 Seligman, KUPH 96.9 Mountain View and KBHI 107.1 Miner, all in Missouri. Another station I caught on that opening is one usually blocked by the sidebands from a local on 103.3: KDAA 103.1 Rolla, MO. That opening wrapped up the FM DX season.

One of the biggest surprises on the AM side in 2012 was WCSZ 1070 Sans Souci, SC, a suburb of Greenville. I made this recording in November. They were having trouble switching from day to night pattern and power, allowing me to hear this one at night. This recording was made prior to 5:00 p.m. St. Louis time (2300 UTC). WDLR 1550 Delaware, OH helped me reach another milestone: my 30th AM station from Ohio. This was when they were broadcasting in Spanish, with an ID in heavily accented English at the top of the hour. After Christmas, the station flipped to a simulcast of WQTT 1270 Marysville, which broadcasts an Oldies format in English. Also in November, I recorded a clip from WIMS 1420 Michigan City, IN. For comparison, I also made a recording of the same station on October 24, 2011. Recordings made in 2012 also included a late afternoon reception of WLAC 1510 Nashville, TN, sunset DX from WEBY 1330 Milton, FL and nighttime low-power DX from the likes of WSLM 1220 Salem, IN and WRAM 1330 Monmouth, IL. Another station I recorded in 2012 was WGAD 1350 Gadsden, AL, which I caught later in the year simulcasting WTDR 92.7 in nearby Talladega.

On the shortwave side, one of the most interesting catches of 2012 came on 7105 kHz in November. This turned out to be the Sound of Hope from Taiwan, mixing with a Chinese "Firedrake" jammer. Another interesting log came in September, when I logged Radio Australia on 19 MHz. It's the only one I've heard in the 17 meter broadcast band (not to be confused with the 17 meter Amateur Radio band around 18.1 MHz). It was sad to hear that Radio Netherlands ended broadcasts on shortwave in English in 2012; I was lucky to record this broadcast on January 25 on 11615 kHz via Madagascar. I was lucky I was listening to shortwave as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians reached a heated level in November, I recorded the BBC on 15400 kHz via Ascension Island on November 17. It was also on November 17 that I made a recording of the Voice of America on 15580 kHz via Greenville, NC. Compare this with the recording in October 2011 on the same frequency via Botswana. With Greenville at roughly 700 miles from my location, that relay boomed in like a local AM station. On the utility side of things, I was able to make a recording of WLO Mobile, AL on 13310 kHz in late September. Among the traffic I recorded in 2012 were U.S. Air Force MARS traffic on 4875 kHz in August and a communication between various trans-Atlantic flights and New York Oceanic air traffic control five days before Christmas on 5598 kHz. When I recorded this, New York Oceanic was contacting an Air France flight. Among the shortwave pirates I recorded in 2012: Channel Z Radio on 11428 kHz in February, Red Mercury Labs on 6925 kHz in August and Radio Casablanca on 6940 kHz in December.

Who knows what 2013 will hold? I've already logged my 1,400th AM station. I only have one station to go to log my 150th digital TV station, and 22 stations shy of 1,200 on FM radio. I don't know if I'll also hit 1,500 AM stations in 2013. In over 30 years of DXing from two locations in Hazelwood, as well as from two locations along the Cobb-Cherokee County line in Georgia, I have seen good years and bad ones. Let's hope 2013 is a good year.

Radio and Hurricanes

Over the more than 30 years I've been a DXer, one of the times I have taken advantage of throughout the years to DX that rare station is during a hurricane. The most recent event, Hurricane (Super Storm) Sandy, hit an area with a wealth of full-time, 50,000-watt AM stations. I was able to monitor the hurricane through New York 50 kW stations WABC 770 and WCBS 880, as well as KYW 1060 in Philadelphia, WBZ 1030 in Boston and KDKA 1020 in Pittsburgh. Of the stations I heard, KYW and WCBS had continuous local coverage of the hurricane as it slammed into the New Jersey coast. WABC used the ABC Radio Network for its coverage, including reports from hard-hit southern New Jersey, while KDKA was simulcasting the coverage from the CBS television network. WBZ did a call-in show with reports from areas in the path of this dangerous storm. All of these areas, at the time I heard these stations on October 29, were either hit hard by Sandy, or about to be hit. I thought WCBS did the best job of coverage, even mentioning the simulcast on WWFS 102.7 (Fresh 102.7) during the emergency, and carrying the news briefing from New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, at 10:00 p.m. local time (0200 UTC). 

I also monitored the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz during the emergency. This is where I got firsthand reports from Amateur Radio operators in the area. One operator was reporting an outage in St. Albans, VT, while another in Springfield, MA was operating on emergency power. This is usually the best place for firsthand information on the hurricanes as they're approaching landfall, as well as for damage reports after the fact.

In recent years, I have not been hearing very many AM stations on day power during hurricane emergencies. Early in my DX career, I was able to hear a number of daytime-only AM stations on the air at night to relay hurricane information to the listeners. During a 1983 hurricane, I remember pulling in KANI 1500 Wharton, TX (I usually get KSTP St. Paul, MN on that frequency). When I got the verification from KANI, the verification signer noted that the reason why I received this little 500-watt station so far north is due to skip conditions from the hurricane. In 1985, I pulled in WASG 1140 Atmore, AL and WBHY 840 Mobile, AL as Hurricane Elena slammed into the Gulf Coast. In 1989, when Hurricane Hugo slammed into the South Carolina coast, WSB 750 Atlanta, GA (I lived 25 miles from downtown Atlanta at the time) provided continuous reports for the affected areas, along with WBT 1110 in Charlotte, NC (which got hit hard by Hugo). Two months after I returned to Hazelwood from the Atlanta area, I pulled in WINZ 940 Miami, FL during Hurricane Andrew. That station was on 50 kW non-directional during the hurricane, which inflicted major damage on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Even when Hurricane Floyd hit the North and South Carolina coast in 1999, I was able to monitor WBT 1110 for information. Contrast that with Hurricane Katrina, where the main station for coverage was WWL 870 New Orleans, instead of hearing other stations on day power. Another station I remember being on day power and pattern during a hurricane emergency was WPDQ 690 Jacksonville, FL (now WOKV). I remember hearing this one on regular schedule as WAPE. I'm thinking that many people in the affected areas are depending more and more on a powerful AM station, such as WWL, WBT or even the New York powerhouses than having local AM stations going to day power or pattern to provide information to their local audiences.

This is yet another effect of the changes that have taken place in the radio industry since 1996.

Your Closest Unheard

This question is more for the AM (MW) and FM broadcast band DXer, but it might also apply to shortwave radio. Which station is your closest unheard station?

On the AM side, my closest unheards are both in Illinois. For the life of me, I have never heard WJPF 1340 Herrin or WDQN 1580 Du Quoin, both 100 miles from my shack in Hazelwood. During the daytime on 1340, I primarily hear KXEO Mexico, MO (with a full-service Adult Contemporary format) or WSOY Decatur, IL (with a news and conservative talk format). One of the disadvantages I see is in the station's power. WJPF only operates with 770 watts; KXEO and WSOY both operate with 1,000 watts. Except for three hours a day, their programming is simulcast on WCIL 1020 in nearby Carbondale. 1340 at night is a hodgepodge of several stations, with WLOK Memphis, TN most frequently poking through with its Urban Gospel format.  Other 1340 stations that poke through frequently include the aforementioned KXEO and WSOY, along with WCDT in Winchester, TN, KROC in Rochester, MN and KDTD Kansas City, KS. That would make hearing WJPF a difficult proposition at my location.

By contrast, WDQN only broadcasts with 170 watts daytime, and very low power at night. Even with WBBA Pittsfield, IL off the air, hearing WDQN is also a difficult proposition. First off, I have a local during the day on 1570: WBGZ Alton, IL. The station does provide mild adjacent channel interference to any station on 1580. In recent years, the addition of digital service to another local, KATZ 1600 St. Louis, MO, has made things much worse in the interference department. It's made any attempt to hear WDQN on the AM side much more difficult. I'm very lucky that I've heard WDQN-FM on 95.9 MHz many times in the past, even after flipping to Christian programming from the Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN). It's also the only Illinois station I have NOT heard on 1580; I've heard the now-silent WKKD Aurora and WBCP Urbana in addition to WBBA. Hearing WDQN on 1580 is just as difficult of a proposition.

In the state of Missouri, where my shack is located, my closest unheard on AM is KDEX 1590 Dexter, at 140 miles. The digital operation of KATZ 1600 makes hearing the 620-watt daytimer an impossible proposition. During the daytime, when the digital interference from KATZ is minimized, WAIK Galesburg, IL (5,000 watts during the day) is dominant. There are a few stations in the Bootheel of Missouri that's difficult to hear because of adjacent channel locals or more powerful signals closer to the area. For example, one of the reasons why I haven't heard KMIS 1050 in Portageville (600 watts daytime only) is because of a 1,000-watt station only 110 miles away (WDZ Decatur, IL). 

On the FM side, my closest unheard is KDBB 104.3 Bonne Terre, MO (just 60 miles away). This is due to the fact that I have a local on 104.1 (WHHL, although it's licensed to Hazelwood, has their transmitter in University City) and a semi-local on 104.5 (KSLQ Washington, MO). WHHL's digital operation makes matter much worse, although I've nulled it out to hear stations like KMCR 103.9 Montgomery City, MO or WOMC 104.3 Detroit, MI. Even with my location being 17-25 miles from most of the local high-power FM stations, I have some trouble hearing adjacent channel stations through the digital interference. The only 100 kW station that does not broadcast in digital format is KLJY 99.1 Clayton, MO (with a Contemporary Christian format), which makes hearing FM stations on 98.9 a bit easier, although I have some splash on 99.3. I can bring it down enough to the west to hear KCLR Boonville, MO.

What are your closest unheards on AM (MW) and FM? If you include shortwave, that closest unheard on that band could be one thousands of miles away. 

What's In a Name? Pirate Radio Station Names

Some of the most interesting station names have come out of the world of pirate radio. Many of the older generation may remember Jolly Roger Radio from way back when. The first pirate I heard was called "Up Your Radio", back in 1997. I thought that "Up Your Radio" was inspired by another term that's so frequently uttered (I'm not going to mention the phrase). The verification I got from the station was quite interesting in itself; it features a picture that may have been taken from one of the supermarket tabloids. (What the alien said to Newt Gingrich wasn't my idea, even if I did used to live in his district..)

Another one I heard was XEROX. Even the name is based on the photocopier: "Radio Duplicado". The picture of the "Director Gerente", Bart Sambo, is really that of NASWA's QSL editor, Sam Barto. Somehow, would you think it's also a tribute to XEROK (800 kHz) in Ciudad Juarez?

Many of us also remember "The Voice of Bob" and its successors, "The Radio Airplane", "WHYP, The James Brownyard Memorial Station" and even "Radio Michigan International." One of my favorite pirate QSLs was from Radio Michigan International; it was one of my first eQSLs!

Some other pirates also used the calls of existing radio stations. One station that IDed with an already issued call sign from way back when was WKND, "Weekend Radio". That's assigned to a radio station in Connecticut. Another one, called "Pirate Radio Central", used the calls KPRC, assigned to a radio and TV station in Houston, TX. Another one used "WARR"...that, last I heard, was assigned to Warrenton, VA. And WHYP? That was reassigned within the last two years to a radio station in Corry, PA, in eastern Erie County.

Today's pirates keep up the tradition of unique names, such as the ones I've recently heard, "Radio Ronin Shortwave", "XFM Shortwave", "Red Mercury Labs" and "Wolverine Radio". Some pirate stations use Morse Code today; others use slow scan television to identify themselves at the end of their transmissions. Two examples came from Fuzzy Radio and Wolverine Radio.

 

What names will follow in the tradition of unique names associated with pirate radio? Who knows? Regardless what the name of the station is, the programming is enjoyable. Maybe one will send you a CD of their program, like Undercover Radio did for me back in 2003? Would we hear a "Voice of Jim"? "Radio Lunkhead"? "Inga Calling"? You never know in the world of pirate radio.

Pirate radio is one of the most interesting aspects of our hobby. You'll need a better antenna than a whip to receive these stations, along with a good receiver. 

20 Years in Amateur Radio

Today marks another milestone in my radio life. It was 20 years ago today that I was issued my FCC Technician Class license. I was lucky to get one of the last one-by-three calls. I have kept this call (NØUIH) through upgrades to General and Extra Class licenses.

My Amateur Radio journey began in the mid-1970s, when I was a child of eight years old. A cousin on my mother's side of the family, Jim Marshall (WAØQEV), got his license sometime in the mid-1960s. He kept a Heathkit HF rig in his vehicle, so he could take his hobby on the road. He also kept another Heathkit HF rig at his place of residence, which was then in Rogersville, MO (east of Springfield). He also became a Citizens' Band operator, with the handle of Alligator Man. I was Alligator Boy at first, but after experimenting with other handles, finally settled on Alligator Junior. That led to my purchasing a Midland 13-863 23-channel CB base radio, and, later on, a Radio Shack three-channel CB handheld transceiver. Some of my fellow Hams also took to calling it "The Chicken Band". His phrase when he calls CQ still resonates: "What say ya?", said in his distinct Texas style.

In 1983, I had my first eyeball QSO with Vernon Jackson (WAØRCR). His shack was located on Charbonier Road in Florissant at the time. With his 375-watt AM transmitter, tuned to 1860 kHz, he blasted into my QTH (which was then on Lamplight Lane) like KMOX 1120 did. I even heard him on the image frequency of 950 kHz. I also talked to some of his fellow Hams with him supervising the operating process. At this point, I had been DXing the broadcast bands for two years, and was moving into DXing the Hams as a shortwave listener. I also had a few Hams living close by, like Mike Moore (WDØEFP), the late Bill Bottomley (WØKZX, SK) and Tom Vogel (WAØKGU, now WAØTV). During the four years I spent in Georgia (1988-92), I heard plenty of Hams on the HF bands. I also had a Ham who lived a few miles from where my shack was (on the Cobb-Cherokee County line). In 1991, I visited Bob Lipscomb (K4RKP) in his shack in Kennesaw. I relayed his check-in to the Gateway 160 Meter Net by phone to Vern Jackson. Bob signed my QSL letters for WAFS 920 Atlanta (now WGKA), one for Woodstock and the other for a reception at Hazelwood. Just before returning to the St. Louis area, I decided to try for the entry level Technician Class license, which didn't require proficiency in the Morse Code. I passed the Element 2 exam at the Zero Beaters Hamfest in Washington, MO, followed by the Element 3B at the St. Charles County Hamfest.

For the next 13 years, much of my activity had been on VHF in FM mode. My main rig for the first 10 years was a Realistic HTX-202 2-meter handheld transceiver. I added a Mirage B-34-G linear amplifier in 2001, replacing the HTX-202 with an ICOM IC-T2H Sport handheld in 2002. I worked a little DX before getting an MFJ-9402 2-meter VHF SSB rig in 2005. That kindled my interest in working DX on VHF. The first night I had it, there was a tropospheric enhancement opening into the Southeast and Mid-South. I worked stations in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee as well as southern Illinois and southern Missouri. In 2006, I entered the ARRL January VHF Sweepstakes, and won in the Missouri section award in the single operator, high power category on 2 Meters. That fall, I purchased a 6 meter station from John Verser (NØTOP) in Kirkwood. The station included a Kenwood TS-60, a halo antenna (which I later donated to St. Louis and Suburban Radio Club for its Field Day operations) and an MFJ-906 antenna tuner. I added a Cushcraft three-element beam in January 2007, in time to win the Missouri section, single operator, low power category on 6 meters, in the 2007 edition of the January VHF Sweepstakes.  This has given me many hours of enjoyment on many a summer day and night. 

The mastery of Morse Code was always a sore spot for me. It wasn't until the fall of 2006 that I was motivated to learn the Morse Code. I was able to set up some tutoring sessions on the Morse Code with Dr. Andy Lozowski (WØPH), a professor in the School of Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. I mastered the copying of 12 Morse Code characters by the time the code requirement was eliminated for General and Extra Class exams in February 2007. In June of that year, I passed the exam to upgrade from a General Class to a Technician Class license. It took two tries to get both the initial no-code Tech license and the upgrade to General. Despite the upgrade, I still stuck to VHF, earning the nickname "Mr. Six Meters" from the Secretary of the St. Louis and Suburban Radio Club, Cliff Rozar (KCØSDV).

My operations expanded in January 2010 with the purchase of an ICOM IC-745 HF transceiver from one of the members of the Boeing Employees' Amateur Radio Society, Dave (K2DP). That's when I really began working the DX. I switched an MFJ-1778 G5RV antenna, which I had been using for shortwave listening since 1997, to working the HF bands. I built a dipole for shortwave listening. As of October 1, 2012, I have 61 countries confirmed, along with over 170 grid squares on 6 meters.

Who knows what the next 20 years will hold? Only God knows. But, I'll be looking forward to many more years of great contacts on the Amateur Radio bands.