I received my first license (WN9IVI) in 1963 while I was in the 9th grade at
Nicolet High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After several failed attempts to
copy 13 WPM in front of an FCC examiner, I finally earned my General class
license in the spring of 1964. At that time, I operated using a Globe Scout
Deluxe (75 watts Xtal controlled) and a Hallicrafters SX-110.
After college at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, I began my
professional life as a high school teacher in Slinger, Wisconsin where I
married Alane Donay. That tolerant lady has put up with my hamming for 37
years. In 1972 I took a group of Slinger High School students to Chicago to
take their General exams and they challenged me to earn my Amateur Extra. With
my students watching I couldn't afford to blow the code.... talk about
motivation. In those days I was using a Drake R4-B and Hallicrafters HT-37.
In 1976 I went to Utah State University to work on my Ph.D. When I told the FCC
that I had moved to Utah they vacated WA9IVI and assigned WB7FHL to my station.
I was despondent.... What a lousy call! A few months later the FCC offered a
deal to Amateur Extra License holders. We could request any unassigned 1X2
call. I wanted a call that was similar to my 9th area call. Since all the 1X2 K
and W permutations of WA9IVI were taken, I requested N7IV. Since I didn't want
to risk the possibility of another WB7FHL event, I didn't request a new tenth
area call when I moved to North Dakota in 1991.
I have three children. The oldest, Mark, quit his job as an overpaid civil
engineer and is now an underpaid high school science teacher in Montana. Mark’s
call is KA7CAO and he uses his ham license to help fly and recover geophysical
research balloons. Lisa, our baby, graduated with a degree in Economics,
Mathematics and Philosophy from Gonzaga University and currently works as an
insurance underwriter for Guardian Insurance in Spokane, WA. The middle kid,
Matt, received his PhD in applied mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute in New York. So far Matt is the only other CW-active ham in the
family. He passed his Extra Class exam in 1998 (KI0NH) and he was awarded the
ARRL Foundation’s Barry Goldwater Memorial Scholarship as an undergraduate
student (2002). He currently works as a research mathematician in Dayton, OH.
My primary rig is a Ten-Tec Omni VI Plus and my antenna system includes the
quad shown on the electronic QSL, a switched array of 5 sloping dipoles for 30,
and a Carolina Windom '160' for 80/160. On 40, I have sort-of-a-monster. It’s a
five element collinear beam (think 5, 66’ half-wave elements placed end-to-end,
center-fed with ladder-line, and separated by 4, 33’ ladder-line phasing
stubs). Although it produces an honest 12 dB gain, it has two significant
problems: 1) its narrow beam can’t be turned (right now it’s aimed at NYC) and
2) it has yet to survive a North Dakota winter (I’m continuing to work on that
problem).
North Dakota winters can be a little chilly. So far the nastiest we've had
included temperatures at minus 48 degrees F with winds gusting to 75 MPH. That
kind of weather is tough on equipment and I am usually off the air in the
summer repairing damage from the previous winter and spring.
My QSL shows the quad and our shot NE to Europe in the fall of 1996. The
picture at Matt's QRZ site (KI0NH) looks west and shows the Quad in the winter
in the same year.
