KA7BGL
Lou Canick - Omaha, NE
Welcome to my Web Page!

My Ham Radio History

I have been a licensed Amateur Radio operator since 1978
with the same callsign originally issued.

I currently hold an Advanced Class license and am primarily
involved with public service activities through our local
Midlands ARES organization.

I became interested in Amateur Radio while in the
U.S. Navy in Pensacola, FL in 1977. I started studying, but had to
wait until I completed my training and moved to Japan to finally have
the time to concentrate on the code and rules for my Novice ticket. I
passed the Novice exam and received my license with KA7BGL as
my call. As a member of the U.S. forces in Japan I was able to operate
on all bands and modes under the Status of Forces agreement in effect
at the time. I made my first contact on 20m phone using a military club
radio at Naval Radio Receiver Facility (NRRF) Kamiseya. The club call
was KA2KS. My first contact was with a station in Bandar Sari Begowan.
I had never heard of the place and had to ask the operator on the other
end to say the name of the place over and over several times, and then
finally explain to me where it was located! (Brunei) Sure felt stupid!
But what a thrill!!

I ordered and built my first radio while still in Japan. It was a Heathkit
HW-101. I completed the radio just prior to moving back to the States
and found that it would not pass all the initial checks. I had to get some
help when I got back to Pensacola. Turned out to be a wire I had
soldered to the wrong place. A fellow ham found that very quickly and
my rig was on the air! And what a great rig it was! I used it for several
years and got consistently excellent audio reports from around the world!

I have been active on 2m since 1980 when I passed the Technician exam
in the Baltimore, MD field office of the FCC. It was great to get a new rig
(a Heathkit rig with the thumbwheel switches for freq selection...can't
remember the model number!!) at a local ham shop and start enjoying
VHF activity. That radio was very useful during a cross country trip when
others needed help, when I needed help, and when I got invited to the
regular Wed. lunch get together of the hams in Salina, KS as I was passing
through on I-70. Had a nice meal and met some great guys!

Another great day was in passing the General exam in the same Baltimore
field office. I was able to use my HW-101 on other frequencies. I took that rig
to Scotland and operated as GM5DST for 3 years. Made a great 20m vertical
antenna. Had great results connecting a wire to a raspberry vine support wire
in the field directly behind our house. Loaded it up with a homebuilt random
wire tuner and got great signal reports from all over Europe!

Back in the U.S. again, I sold the HW-101 and got out of the HF business for a
time. Time was the problem. Growing family, busy at work, etc. But I did keep
going on 2m. Lived in Homestead, FL for several years and got to know
Ellen White, a very nice lady who wrote the DX column in QST at the time.
Bought a new used 2m rig while in Florida...an Azden PCS3000. Good radio.
I still have it and use it as my base rig.

Found myself back in Maine again, and had the ham's great wish come true...
my wife got her license! She is KA1VUF, Sandie. I passed the Advanced Class
exam too! So now we wereboth on the air. Bought her a Tempo S15 HT at the
flea market after she passed her Technician exam.

We then moved to California where Sandie upgraded to General (and won an
old Swan350 as the first one in her General class to pass the exam). We
continued our activity with the El Cajon ARC and enjoyed the 2m nets and
Field Day. The family continued to grow and work was still busy.

So now, we are in Omaha, NE, the family is getting more grown, and we
are both still on 2m and attending the AKSARBEN ARC meetings. Amateur
Radio has been a lot of fun for us. Enabled us to meet lots of nice people,
and learn alot too!

We will be trying to set up an HF station in the next year or so, probably with
a vertical antenna and a used HF rig. I want to get better at CW operation and
get some more QSL cards for the wall. I like to use Radio Shack 2m equipment
and have an HT and the 45W mobile rig. They seem to work well...built by
ICOM according to what I have been able to find out. I will keep using them.

I will try to add some interesting stuff to this page as I get more famliar with
HTML and find things to use. In the meantime, feel free to send me email.
73
de KA7BGL

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