Beer in one hand, cigarette in the other. Never too far from food or cooler. The worries of the world upon his mind, the weight of the ages upon his shoulders, the hair of a billard ball upon his head, and a couple of ticks in his left armpit, he ponders a world without microphones. He is a man out sitting in his field. And he just happens to be N4IR. (ed.)
I was first licensed as a novice, KN4MUQ in February, 1957. My first rig was very typical for those times: a homebrew, crystal-controlled tranmitter running a single 6L6, a Hallicrafters S-77 receiver, and an end-fed 80 meter Zepp antenna. In late 1957 I upgraded to Conditional and became K4MUQ. Soon thereafter I went away to college and let my ticket lapse. After marriage and entering the working world, I encountered a persistent IBM repairman (N4TN) who bugged me until I again took the test and re-entered ham radio as WB4NIR with a general class ticket. I upgraded to Extra and around 1977 I requested and received my present call, N4IR.
A Ten-Tec Man In Ten-Tec Land
My current station is definitely "small pistol" with a tri-band quad at 60 feet, 500 watts max. and a bunch of wires. It's all Ten-Tec, even the 2 meter rig. Hey, my blood runs orange and the only thing better than "Made in the USA" is "Made in Tennessee".
Ham Radio Interests
I have always been a CW bigot and pick up a microphone only when all alternatives are exhausted. I am a contest fanatic and a DX hog as well. In addition I enjoy building kits and small projects, and I like to experiment with all kinds of wire antennas.
Awards
My web page builder insisted that I include the following. It is not for bragging purposes, but just to indicate where my enthusiasm is directed:
- DXCC Honor Roll (CW and mixed)
- 5BDXCC (all CW)
- WPX (CW)
- WAZ (CW).
- Wallpaper for section, division and national level placings in numerous contests, including SS, CQWW, ARRL DX, ARRL 160 and many others.
Appointments and memberships
- QCWA
- Tennessee Contest Group
- Kingsport Amateur Radio Club
- Bays Mountain Radio Club
- Assistant Director - Delta Division
- CAC representative - Delta Division
- ARRL-VEC VE
Family
Married 35 years to Miz Sandy, who has the personality of an angel, the beauty of a Miss America and the patience of Job....and yes, I told her numerous lies to snag her. (She cornered me in her home state of West Virginia - thus the background music on this page.)
Three children (two sons and a daughter) and, so far, two granddaughters. None have ever expressed any desire to get into ham radio, which ought to tell me something.
Sandy not only tolerates ham radio but is supportive of my efforts, yet has no interest in getting licensed.
Work
Retired from the Eastman Chemical Company in 1997 after 32 years as a senior systems analyst. Sandy retired at the same time from nursing. And no, I do not qualify as a "computer expert" in today's computing world, since almost all of my work was on IBM big iron using (gasp) COBOL. I disavow responsibility for any Y2K bugs (someone else made THOSE decisions).
Other Interests
Aside from ham radio, I have always been an avid reader of anything printed, even cereal boxes and condiment bottles. We now have the time to travel, visiting friends and relatives, with a couple of Caribbean cruises thrown in, and the requisite week at the beach every year. Yard work and work around the house seem to take more of my time than it should and are less like interests and more like work.
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Last Modified: Thursday, July 8, 1999 at 01:17 PM