Ham Radio : History

2017

Made my first FT8 QSO on July 13, 2017, on 30 meters.
Bought an ICOM IC-7610, their first software-defined radio. My first QSO was with PV8ADI on 40 meter CW on December 29, 1997.
New DXCC entities from Colorado: 3A/I1YRL (Monaco), 3C1L (Equatorial Guinea), 3C0L (Annobon).

2014 Highlights

Began the year with a new Yaesu FTDX-5000. Happy 50th Birthday to me!
Made just over 14K QSOs
Worked 220 DXCC entities and all 40 CQ zones. 220 countries seems to be the maximum I can work in one year. I need to find a way to break through this ceiling.
Worked 1A0KM (Sov. Mil. Order of Malta), FT5ZM (Amsterdam), 7Q7VW (Malawi), S0S (Western Sahara) and 8Q7DV (Maldives), all of which were new from Colorado. Was not able to work either FT4TA or ZD9XF, both of which would have also been new from Colorado.
Finally finished working all 3077 USA Counties on CW on October 2, by making contact with Barry N0KV operating mobile in Elliott, KY. Barry and I live only about 40 miles apart by car. Hopefully I can my act together enough to submit for the USA-CA award from CQ.
Set new W0 call area record in ARRL DX CW, Single-Operator, Unlimited, Low-power category with 1.4M points.
(TBD) Set new W0 call area record in CQ WW DX CW, Single-Operator, Assisted, Low-power category with 2.3M points. My score almost doubled the previous call area record I set in 2012. I worked DXCC on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters, and 39 CQ zones (missed Zone 34).
Wrote a program to help people keep track of their W1AW QSOs. This was my first attempt at writing a real Windows "GUI" program, but without using Microsoft's development environment (Visual Studio).
Operated using the special 1x1 callsign N1U between December 19-31. This was to celebrate 40 years since being first licensed as wN1Uha in December, 1974, just before my 11th birthday. In reality, I only used this callsign in the CW Ops "Mini CWT" "contests" on December 24/25 and December 31, because I did not want to have a negative impact on the ARRL Centennial Challenge.
Operated twice as W1AW/0 during the ARRL Centennial QSO Party.
Highest score in Colorado for the ARRL Centennial Challenge with over 73K points.
Worked and confirmed all W1AW states on CW, Phone, Digital (RTTY), 40 and 30 meters. Missed Nebraska on 20 meters, other states on the higher bands.


September 14, 2008: I installed a half-size G5RV in the attic, so the HOA (home owners association) can't see it. I was lucky to find an unused length of RG6 that already ran from the attic to the basement (probably for a terrestrial TV antenna). My first QSO was KH7Y the next evening on 40 meter CW. Time to start crawling up the DXCC ladder again!

August 2, 2008: My first QSO from Brighton, CO! I worked VE7CC on 20M in the NAQP CW contest. The antenna was a 15 meter delta loop hanging from the rafters of the basement (truly indoor antenna). I worked 19 stations in the contest.

May 20, 2007: Worked K8ZZ/M in Monroe Co., KY - my last QSO from the East Coast. Moved to Brighton, CO on May 29, 2007

May 2, 2007: Worked BS7H at 1236z on 20 meter SSB, my last entity for Top of the DXCC Honor Roll. Thanks to James, 9V1YC who was the operator at the time, as well as everyone who made that DXpedition possible.

February 16, 2004: Worked N9JF/M in Howard, MO for my last county for USACA

September, 2002: My first DXpedition! Operated the CQ/RJ World-Wide RTTY DX contest from the Galapagos as HC8N multi-op with Trey N5KO and Steve K6AW. We appear to have won for the world! After the contest, I run 600 stations in 4 hours (mostly Europeans, with a few JA and stateside) on 30 meter CW before going to bed.

May 4-5, 2002: Work the MARAC CW County Hunters contest, New England QSO Party and Indiana QSO Party simultaneously. Won the MARAC CW contest for fixed station, and Indiana QSO Party for out-of-state station. Two plaques in one weekend!

September 2, 2001: Complete last part of CQ Millennium Award (WAZ) by working JT1CO on 20m SSB. Wish I had worked Zone 23 back in April/May when the propagation was more favorable.

October, 2000: Begin county hunting in earnest. Is it an obsession or a compulsion?

July, 2000: Rediscover the world of 6 meters. Work Europe, Africa (EA8), North and South America running 100W to my trusty G5RV dipole.

January 16, 2000: Work my 100th country for the ARRL Millennium DXCC Award. FAX the application on the 17th, receive the award a few days later.

December 1999: Work S21B on 15 meter SSB for #300 from the new QTH. Still no tower or beam yet.

February 1999: Finally discovered RTTY operation, and entered the CQ/RJ WPX contest in the low-power category, working my first 43 countries!

March 1998: Entered CQ WPX SSB contest in Single-op Tribander/Single-wire category, despite not even having the tribander! Finished 2nd place in USA behind ES2RR at W9-something. At least I got to be part of the write-up in CQ Contest magazine.

February 1998: Entered ARRL International DX CW contest in Single-op Assisted Category, first contest from the home station.

October, 1997: Finally on the air from a station I can call my own! Threw up a G5RV into the trees, about 35' (10 meters) high in the center. Started with Kenwood TS-930 and Dentron MLA-2500 amplifier. Worked K7K Kure and K4M Midway operations in the first few days. In fact, I was one of the last QSOs the team made from K4M, they worked a few more guys on 80m CW after me, then sent "QRT 73".

February 1995: Matt KC1XX is moving from Tewksbury, MA to Mason, NH. He lets me operate the ARRL International DX CW contest as single-op assisted. I finish 3rd place behind Charles, K3WW and Rich, K5NA.

March 1990 and 1992: I operate the CQ WPX contest as a single-op from K1VR's place in Lincoln, MA.

February 1990, 1991 and 1992: Operated with Fred K1VR in the ARRL International DX CW contest in the M/S single category. The first year, 2 guys with 1 radio, then 3 guys with 2 radios, and finally 4 guys with 3 radios. We came in 2nd to W3BGN each time.

November 1989: My "last blast" of QRP operating. Entered the SS CW and CQWW CW contests in the QRP category running 5W.

February 1988: Entered ARRL International DX CW contest in low-power, unassisted category from W1JR QTH in Chelmsford, MA. Manage to make a respectable 6th place showing in USA/VE.

September 1982 - June 1986: College years, very little operating except during breaks.

November 1979: Six meters wakes up! Work KH6, KL7, JA and KG6 for new ones!

November 1978: Make first QRP QSO with KP4EAT on 40 CW in CQWW CW contest using homebrew rig, 2 watts output.

September 1978: Receive my new Extra Class privileges and callsign AD1C.

April 1977: Finally receive my General class license and my new callsign WA1UHA. Am excited to finally be able to work 20 meters, and work a lot of Asiatic Russians over-the-pole those first few evenings. Spend a lot of time on the Afrikaner Net (21.355 MHz) after school. Work OSCAR 7-B (432 up, 145 down), VHF and EME, as well as DXing on the HF bands, building up my DXCC totals.

December 1976: My novice license expires - I have not passed the General Class exam yet! (code was no problem).

December 1974: First licensed as WN1UHA in Chelmsford, MA. Was so nervous, father had to log first QSO for me (WN3YKB in Maryland on 80m meter CW). Some of my more memorable QSOs are CR6OR in Angola on 15m CW, and 9L1BH on 80m CW (in the Novice band!). And of course working Lloyd and Iris Colvin, who always seemed to find time to work novices. I worked about 90 countries as a Novice.