The Shack c. 1984

Ron wanted to be a ham radio operator ever since he was a young man but it wasn’t until his time in the U.S. Coast Guard, when he was stationed with Ben (K9DID-SK) that he finally got his ticket.

Between then and now there have been many QSOs, on-air adventures, homebrew antennas, late nights chasing DX, and tracking satellites across the sky. He is tickled to share his hobby with his family as his wife, daughter, and son-in-law are all licensed.

Ron has already begun teaching morse code to the next generation!

Home QTH Rig

Yeasu FT DX 3000
Ameritron AL811H Amplifier
Johnson Viking Thunderbolt

Antennas

Quad
80 M Dipole
40 M Dipole
30 M Dipole
80 / 40 Butternut Vertical

Satellites

Ron loves to work the satellites and has been doing this for a very long time. His first satellite QSO was back on May 31, 1975, on Oscar 6! The setup is out in the garage so you’ll find him on the birds during the summer. Michigan winters are just too cold!

In the Wilds of Mason County

Ron often operates from a cabin in the woods, powered by batteries and solar panels. It is far from the QRN that he struggles with in town. Antennas sit atop old junky towers with ‘Armstrong rotors’ meaning manually turned by a long rope.

Rig

Yeasu FT-847
ICOM IC-706MKIIG

Antennas

6 Element for 10 M
5 Element for 12 M
5 Element for 15 M
4 Elements for 17 M
Tri-bander used for 20 M
80 M Doublet