ARMS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

LES HAMILTON, W9MGM

 

It's a pleasure to introduce you to ARMS member Les Hamilton, W9MGM, from Delano, Minnesota. Les was first licensed in 1961 as KN9IYO while in high school. He received his General class license in 1962 and became K9IYO.

Moving from city to city and state to state through the years while working for Chrysler Corporation limited Les' ham radio activity for 34 years until his retirement in 2001. It also caused him to change his call sign to W8JFZ in 1968 and to his current call sign in 1970.

At Chrysler, Les worked in Product Engineering, Resident Engineering, and Quality Control areas at the Detroit headquarters and at various manufacturing plants. He even met Lee Iacocca once and gave him a tour of the Huntsville Electronics Plant in Huntsville, Alabama.

For years Les used a Hallicrafters SX-110 receiver and a Heathkit DX-20 50-watt CW transmitter with a maximum attainment of 22 wpm. His current station includes a Hy-Gain TH7DX beam, a 48-foot tower, an Icom IC-7600 transceiver, a Tokyo Hy-Power HL-2.5KFX amplifier and a Tokyo Hy-Power HC-1.5KAT antenna tuner.

Les is a member of Maple Plain Community Church and serves as an elder and young adults Bible study facilitator. He offers a seminar of "The Four Priorities of a Believer" for any church that wants to grow in spirit and love for the Lord. He is a member of Gideons International and serves as Chaplain of Wright County, MN camp. He says he exhibits classic reasons why Almighty God said (paraphrased), "Adam, you need a helpmate!" And he hastens to add, "My first and only wife, Cindy, of over 45 years is a gift from God!"

As for a favorite Bible verse, Les struggles like many of us and says his favorite verse is the one being read or currently being contemplated.

Les concludes his bio information by writing, "Here's what I know for sure: The worst sound anyone can possibly hear is, '. . . be gone, I never knew you.'" --AND-- "The worst personal strategy an individual can ever experience is to go to hell thinking he was saved."

[ POSTED 24-FEBRUARY-2012 ]