KØKSI
Blue Rapids, Kansas
Grid Square EM19
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ARRL ECZone 2 AlphaMarshall and Washington Counties |
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I grew up in Dodge City, KS and had an uncle that was an amateur radio operator. I can remember as a child visiting my grandparents' house and being facinated by all the radio equipment in my uncle's shack, a small room in the back of their two story house. My Uncle LR (Leon Russell Crawford II) was first licensed in about 1957. His novice license was KNØKSI. When he upgraded he recieved the license KØKSI which he held until his death at the age of 23 in 1961.
As an adult I used a CB radio when I was on and around my wife's family farm and eventually purchased a scanner. In my quest to discover new frequencies to monitor with my scanner I discovered the 2m amateur radio band and the local net on 146.060 mHz. In the spring of 1991 I purchased an amateur radio magazine and learned of the new No-Code Technician licencse.
I attended the hamfest in Abilene, KS in the summer of 1991 to take the element 2 and 3a tests and recieved my Technician license on August 27, 1991 with the call sign NØPGE. I joined the Marshall County Amateur Radio Club and have been an active member since. I upgraded to General on Aug. 31, 1993, Advanced Class on October 12, 1993, and obtained my Extra Class license on March 17, 2001. In October of 2006 I acquired my uncle's former call sign KØKSI as a vanity call.
I have enjoyed all of my amateur radio experience and the people I have met and wouldn't know otherwise, but one of the highlights was the summer of 1996 during which I and a group of students participated in the SAREX program and Valley Heights Jr-Sr High School had a QSO with Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk during the STS-78 mission.
Emergency Communications Courses Completed:
ARRL Emergency Communications Level I
ARRL Emergency Communications Level II
ARRL Emergency Communicatins Level III
FEMA IS 100 - Introduction to the Incident Command System
FEMA IS 700 - National Incident Management System (NIMS), An
Introduction
FEMA IS 200 - ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
FEMA IS 800 - National Response Plan (NRP), An Introduction
FEMA IS 242 - Effective Communications
FEMA IS 3 - Radiological Emergency Management
FEMA IS 5.A - An Introduction for Hazardous Materials
FEMA IS 120 - An Orintation to Community Disaster Exercises
University of Arkansas Call Sign Database
ARRL - Vanity Call Sign Information
FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS)
http://www.biochem.mcw.edu/Postdocs/Simon/radio/exam.html
Last updated on 08/04/08
