My name is Ed Mullin, call KB1HYS. I have been a General Class Ham for a couple of years now.

I operated exclusively on the HF Bands, using CW and AM Modes. I don't have a large shack -- yet. I like older Tube based equipment, because I can actually fix it - well sometimes! I have only one Radio that I actually purchased in complete working order, an R-390A. Thats an awsome rig-- but it's one of the rigs they used to define the term 'boatanchor' weighing in around 100 lbs. My primary transmitter is an E.F. Johnson Viking Valiant, another boatanchor weighing in around 86lbs. I rescued it from the scrap pile!! Needed a lot of TLC but with some help from fellow hams I've got it running pretty well now, although it's not cosmetically finished yet.

I also run homebuilt QRP rigs, on 80, 40, and 20 meters. Max power out is almost always less than 2 watts, although I built a QRP linear for a full gallon (5 watts) when I need it! QRP works, I've QSO'd with France (1.5 watts here, 5 watts there), and Puerto Rico (again 1.5 watts here, and 50 watts there) both on 40 meters, see my QSL card Page.

My antenna is a multi-band type dipole, just dipoles cut for the various bands I like to work, all stuck onto the same feedline. I use RG-8 out of the shack, to a simple coax balun (about 20 turns of the feedline around a 4 inch pvc pipe in the attic) From there it turns to TV twin lead. I've got two tall pines that hold the whole thing up at about 65 feet.

I use CW and AM, I use CW because I like CW, I rather be on the air than arguing about CODE/NOCODE. My speed is still slow, about 10 wpm. I am always looking for a nice slow rag-chew QSO. I use the CW mode on the E.F. Johnson Valiant, a rig I rescued from the scrap heap. It puts out a little over 200 watts on CW, and If you can't reach someone with 200 watts on CW, you'd better check your antennas!!!

I also use AM, though not as much as CW. Here on the East Coast there is a bunch of hams that are really into AM, and the numbers are growing. They have great sounding singals, although they run abit on the wide side. I Run my rig (E.F. Johnson Valiant) pretty much stock (see that page for the few mods I did do) that keeps my bandwidth to a more reasonable size.