WELCOME FROM KF4MLT!

In October of 1997 I earned an FCC No-code Technician class amateur radio license and have been involved in ham radio ever since. In December 1998 I upgraded my license class to Technician Plus by passing a 5 wpm Morse code exam. I attained the highest license class possible in April 2000, upgrading to Amateur Extra -- having passed all the written tests under the "old" license structure, failing only to meet the higher-speed Morse code requirements.

The major influences on my participation in amateur radio have been Greg Abercrombie, KK4NO, and Steve Aulick, N0VCU (my big brother). Greg motivated me to enter the hobby, serving as a fine example of both technical excellence and of dedication to public service in Disaster Relief Communications. Steve showed me something of how much fun the hobby can be, and enabled me to obtain much of the equipment I now own and use. I am more grateful to these fine hams than I can say.

Since 1998 I have been a regular member of the Statesboro Amateur Radio Society (STARS) serving as Vice-President in 1999, their web page administrator, Field Day activities coordinator, and the Net Manager for their regular Tuesday night nets.
In conjunction with my ham radio activities I have been trained as a communicator for Georgia Baptist Convention Disaster Relief teams, and joined the Amateur Radio Emergency Service in Georiga (GAARES). In 2000 I was appointed Emergency Coordinator for ARES in Bulloch County, and have lots of plans for involving folks in emergency communications, including training for new hams and practice for folks already well-installed in the hobby. To this end, I have conducted a number of amateur radio training classes in the area, bringing many new hams into the hobby.

I use a variety of radios, having an Icom 736 in the shack for HF and 6M, as well as an Icom T7H handy-talkie. I also have a Kenwood 261A for 2 meters in the shack, and a Yaesu 221 2-meter all-mode radio for use in 2-meter sideband, (not yet installed -- I don't have a 2-meter sideband antenna yet, but I do have an amplifier for this radio ready to go), and an ADI 200 handy-talkie ready for disaster relief communications. My little truck is fully equipped for mobile operations, containing both an Alinco 605 dual-band rig (2M, 70cm) and an Alinco DX-70TH for HF and 6M bands.
I am also a member of the Breakfast Club Net ("The Voice of 3.973"), the Georgia Single Sideband Association, and 10-10 International.

At the house I have a 5-element beam and a vertical for use with 6 meters; a 4-element Moonraker beam (cut down from 11 meters) and an Antron 99 vertical for use with 10 meters; a homebrew dipole antenna for use in HF generally (the 736 built-in antenna tuner will tune it for most HF bands); and a Cushcraft 11-element beam (vertically polarized) and a Ringo Ranger II vertical for 2-meter FM.
My little truck has a Cushcraft dual-band mag-mount antenna for the Alinco 605, an MFJ mag-mount quarter-wave antenna for 6 meters, and a screwdriver antenna mounted in the cargo bed for HF bands (10 - 80 meters). I like the screwdriver a lot, as I can change bands without leaving the vehicle, and everyone says it "gets out" quite well.

Future plans include raising a 60-foot tower for a 2-meter sideband beam (another 11-element beam) and a G5RV multi-band antenna. I also want to move the 6M antennas off the roof tripod and put them on the tower.

I'm a bit addicted to hamfests, travelling to 'fests all over both Florida and Georgia, as well as some in North and South Carolina. Each summer I spend some time with my big brother in Missouri, and we usually go to a couple of hamfests together. I have especially enjoyed the Springfield hamfest the past couple of years. In 2002 I made my first trip to the Dayton Hamvention, an experience I hope to repeat in the future.

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