BOB'S BIO

"Make no mistake about it: on a crisp, clear night when the static's low and the bands are hot, amateur radio is magic, plain and simple!"

Hello from River Ridge, LA, just up the Mississippi from old New Orleans. I'm Bob Dunn, K5IQ, and October, 2008 marks my 40th year as a ham. I was first licensed at 14 and guess what, I'm having as much fun now as I did then--maybe more! If you don't agree that ham radio is magic, it's time for you to try something new! Work a satellite, go QRP, do some fox-hunting, give PSK31 a try, fire up the video and go ATV--whatever, so long as you capture (or re-capture) the sense of wonder that comes from one human reaching through the "ether" and contacting another!


K5IQ became my callsign in 1997. Soon after, I learned that Ken Hollan of Austin, Texas, now a silent key, had held the call before me. From what I've heard, he was a real "ham's ham"and I hope I can carry on that tradition. In many ways I hated to give up my old call, WA5WJZ; there's a lot of heritage associated with WJZ, which was one of the countries earliest broadcast stations. To old timers and broadcasting history buffs, the WJZ suffix always made for interesting conversation. But...transmitting "WA5WJZ" in a pile-up, on either phone or CW, often meant the DX station worked four other guys before I could even finish my callsign once! The 1x2 call is sooooo much easier!

"A tidy hamshack is the devil's workshop!"


Yep, I'm a DX hound, but more of a "pop gun" than a "big gun!" But, I try not to take it all too seriously: I don't own a complete Martti Laine DXpedition Action Figure set and I only know one verse of the "DXers Creed" (see my "What's DX?" page). I'm happy to have CW, Phone, and Mixed DXCC (I'm inching toward 5BDXCC), WAS (I'm moving along toward 5BWAS at a somewhat brisker pace), WAC, VUCC (I really like chasing grids on 6M), and just need to fill out the paperwork for WAZ.

I also enjoy working the Geratol Net, a WAS group that meets nightly (October through April) on 3668 kHz, as well as the OMISS Net, another WAS group which meets pretty much on all the bands. I'm a member of ARRL, QCWA, Ten-Ten, Delta DX Association, the Greater New Orleans ARC, and the Jefferson ARC. My station is an ICOM IC-746, and a (mostly idle) Dentron amplifier, with a storm-damaged Mosley tribander at 60 feet. Hurricane Katrina also snapped my GAP products Voyager vertical, so currently I'm relegated to a G5RV with the apex up about 45 feet. I enjoy operating QRP, VHF/UHF, APRS, PSK-31, listening to the shortwave, GMRS, and helping out with public service communications.


In 2000, I was appointed ARRL Public Information Coordinator for the Louisiana Section. I held this position for about three years and got some good coverage for ham radio, but relinquished the post to once again be just an ARRL member and Volunteer Examiner.


When I'm not in the shack causing TVI (HI!), I teach television and radio production at Delgado Community College in New Orleans. Before that, I spent 15 years as Audio Center Director at the country's highest-rated CBS affiliate, WWL-TV. I'm a television sound designer, the guy who mixes the audio so loud you have to dive for the remote (HI, HI!) and when I'm not teaching, I still do that sort of work from my home studio, Soundesigner Media,. I've spent the better part of the last 30 years in broadcasting, with stints as a disk jockey, news videographer, TV reporter, production manager, engineer, and studio director. Just to brag a little, I've been honored with two Emmy awards for my sound design in TV documentaries!

In my spare time I like camping in my 17 foot Casita fiberglass trailer, traveling, reading and writing. My wife, Carleen, and I have been married 15 years, and while she has no interest in amateur radio herself, she is wonderfully supportive of my passion for the hobby and does use our GMRS repeater (WPXA535 on 462.575 MHz) to keep in contact. We have one old cat, but to date he has not learned how to send QSLs to the outgoing bureau for me!

Thanks for taking time to read my story. If we had a QSO, I really hope we have the opportunity to do it again.

73 de K5IQ (ex-WA5WJZ, WA5WJZ/ZL, WA5WJZ/C6A)