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Robert L Willey
5161 Ocean Gateway
Trappe, MD 21673
USA

Email: [email protected]



Welcome, 

This is Bob Willey, I just started my Amateur Radio journey on 9/9/2019.  
I just have some basic equipment:

HT Baofeng UV-5R in my bedroom with a vertical inside dipole

HT Baofeng UV-82HP in my car with a mag mount antenna topside of my Town & Country

Icom IC-208H on my desk in my office, with a vertical inside dipole

So far, mostly 2 meter, and will be expanding out, and also studying for my General test.

I have a DMR ID and want to get into that, there is a repeater coming very near me soon.  Yeah, I will have to look for another radio that can support that.  I am a techie, so that will probably call to me.

I have Champagne taste and a Beer budget (probably like most of us), so I am viewing what I can do later on, would love something like an ICOM 7300 or a Yaesu 991A (dreaming).  Will probably put up a 2 meter/440 vertical on a 30 ft telephone pole next to my house (office side)(COMPLETED 10/5/2019, see image below - Diamond X50) , and since I have a long rancher style house, will probably put a long wire for multi-band from my telephone pole to the other end of the house.  One step at a time.  Will have to find help, since I am partially handicapped.  Luckily the telephone pole has pegs, so should be pretty easy to climb (not for me).

Update: 9/30/2019
Got a loaner ICOM IC-735 for HF, have order an 80-10m OCF Dipole and cable.  Also ordered a Diamond X50a for 2m/440MHz.  This will get me all the basics I need to move forward and motivate to get my GENERAL soon.  Have some friends that are going to help me put the antennas up (I am partially handicapped).  The Diamond X50a will go on the Telephone pole w/Foot Pegs on the right side of my house below.  The 80-10m Dipole will get slung over a tall tree branch behind the telephone pole and strung both directions, the short OCF side to the right, and the long side towards the other end of the house.  This off-center fed dipole antenna is ruggedly built with stainless steel hardware, 16 awg stranded copper wire, and is weather-resistant for outdoor use in permanent installations. Operates on 80, 40, 20, 17, 12. 10, and 6 meters without tuner (tuner needed for full band coverage on 80m). The matching unit contains a 4:1 balun. Antenna portion is made from 132' of wire, 88 ft. on one side, 44 feet on the other. Max. power 300w PEP.  Made by K8MSH
 

Thanks for reading and hopefully listening and chatting on the air.

Here is my ARRL listing:  https://www.arrl.org/member-profile/bob-willey-1


Coming to you from the Land of Pleasant Living - Delmarva Peninsula of Maryland.

Bob Willey
73's