Douglas
County Tornado (9/12/2008)
 I'm a geologist for the State of Kansas who also
loves technology and ham radio.
Some might consider ham radio to be "old school," but in reality it's
quite amazing how much modern technology goes into ham
radio gear. I first became interested in "radio" at an early
age, having grown up near an AM
station that shared it's frequency with the mighty border
blaster, XERF.
Long
distance radio propagation was nothing short of magic to me.
My parents fostered my interest with radio's and electronic
project kits.
Grandmothers gave me walkie-talkies. Family friends gave me shortwave
receivers. In the 80's, I stumbled upon two hams talking on 40 meters -
AM. An engineer for WGN
in Chicago
was having a casual conversation with another ham 2,000 miles away, in
California. I've been hooked ever since. With the help of a local radio club,
I obtained my Novice License. With the help of my dad, I obtained my
novice rig. I quickly followed with upgrades to Technician
and General. College
took priority for a few years, but I eventually achieved my Advanced
and Amateur Extra class licenses. My current interests include digital
modes (PSK and APRS), CW, Phone, contesting, DX-ing, traffic
handling, emergency preparedness and communications, and Linux
on the ham radio desktop.
  
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