Bill the Chief Op and Snoopy the Main Cat

Life Member of   ARRL  AMSAT  QCWA   Member of OOTC
I'm QRV on all HF bands and modes. If you need a sked for awards, I'll be glad to try to help!
E-mail W4CZ


My steps to Amateur Radio......

My father bought a Zenith "Chair Side" short wave radio at the beginning of WWII. He was not in the military due to defense related work at a local plant. During the war he called home each day at noon and mother would put the telephone to the speaker of the Zenith so he could listen to the latest news from the front.

The radio band coverage was from 550 Kc up through 18.5 MHz. A 6 tube superheterodyne with an I.F. of 456 KC. This radio, it turns out, was manufactured within a month of when I was born on 6 May 1938. My father kept this radio all these years, the cabinet in the living room, the chassis in the basement.

After his passing in Sep.'95, I began the process of rebuilding this radio. The cabinet is a beautiful wood and has been re-finished to its original luster  (Click here for photos). My first recollection of this radio is about 1942 when I was four years old. I can still remember a lot of "WWII news" on the old Zenith.

My interest in amateur radio came from listening to the ham AM'ers on the Zenith. I continued to listen to short wave stations for many years,and still do. In high school I worked long hours in a supermarket, saving my money for a "real" shortwave receiver. I was tempted many times to settle for a cheaper radio, but my mentor, Jim Litton W4LNF, urged me to hold out for a quality receiver. Finally, one golden day in 1954, I marched into the local electronics store and purchased a beautiful Hammarlund HQ-140X. I learned the Morse code in the Explorer scouts, winning a set of Emico code records in a Boys Life SWL listening contest in the early 50s.


A lot of money and a lot of radio back in 1953!

I pursued my radio interests in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) with an FCC Radiotelephone license in 1955. Following high school, I served four years in the USAF. I attended Radar school in Biloxi MS in Aircraft Control & Warning Radar.

In 1957-58 I was stationed at a radar site on remote Middleton Island, Alaska. Located 125 miles south of Valdez, the island is a mere 3.5 miles long by .75 miles wide!

Click photo to see a young W4CZ!

Click HERE to visit an interesting site about Middleton Island and the radar site.

After my discharge from the USAF, I became licensed in 1962 as WN4MCZ and a year later was WA4MCZ. I changed WA4MCZ to W4CZ in Nov. '96. There have been 7 previous holders of the "W4CZ" callsign which originated in 1916 with Robert C. Ashley of St. Petersburg, Florida.

I'm an avid DXer. As of Dec 15, 2004, my Awards and credits are:

  • CHALLENGE AWARD (1027)
  • HONOR ROLL (337)
  • 5BDXCC
  • DXCC:
    • Mixed (337)   Phone (329)   CW (201)   RTTY (268)  
    • 10 (218)   15 (248)   20 (286)   40 (137)   80 (106)
  • WAZ:   Phone,  RTTY (mixed),  RTTY (20 meters)
  • WAS:  Phone,   160 meter CW,   RTTY
I am a Life Member of ARRL, QCWA, AMSAT and a member of OOTC (Old Old Timers Club - 40+ years of licensed radio operation).

By profession I am an architect, registered in eight states, with certification from The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. I work out of my home office which, happily enough, is also my ham shack!

In addition to ham radio, another hobby in recent years has been maintaining the ancestral farm of the Nards - my mother's family. Located at Big Stone Gap, VA, this is my favorite "get away from it all" spot. Some pictures and descriptions are HERE.

See my 1968 hamshack and read about how that shack got recycled  !

Take a gander at OUR NEW QTH!

73 - Bill


Cuzzin Ziggy's Sage Woids Of Worldly Wisdom

    • Never slap a man who's chewin' tobacco.
    • There's two theories in arguin' with a woman.
      NEITHER one works.
    • If you find yourself in a hole, the VERY first thing to do is stop diggin'.
    • If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
    • It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end to end, some idiot will pull out and try to pass.
    • When you go into court, you put yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.
    • Don't squat with your spurs on.
    • It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.
    • Never miss a good chance to shut up.
    • There are three kinds of people:
      • The ones who learn by reading,
      • The few who learn by observation, and
      • The rest of them who have to touch the fire to see for themselves if it's really hot!
    • Never test the depth of the water with BOTH feet at the same time!
    • Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead.
    • Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow.
    • Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me the hell alone!
    • It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities WITHOUT your help.
    • If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is NOT for you.
    • Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.
      Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
    • If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was PROBABLY worth it.
    • If you tell the truth, you don't have to REMEMBER anything.
    • Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
    • The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it in your pocket.
    • Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
    • A good lawyer knows the law, A GREAT lawyer knows the JUDGE!
    • We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get MUCH worse.


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