I am often asked where I am originally from. Well, that's a tough question to answer. I was born in 1958 in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. My dad served in the United States Air Force and was stationed in the Washington D.C. area at the time of my birth. My parents were both born and raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approximately 100 miles East of Pittsburgh in the Allegheny Mountains of Central Pennsylvania. My father's kinfolk have resided in Pennsylvania since colonial days and even fought in the American revolutionary war, having immigrated from England sometime around 1759. My great-grandparents on my mother's side immigrated to the United States from Kungsbacka, Sweden in the early 1900's. Growing up as a military brat, I lived in such places as Waldorf, MD., Aurora, CO., Rio Linda, CA., Altoona, PA., Bremerhaven, West Germany, and Frankfurt, West Germany. I attended Rhein/Main Junior High School in Frankfurt, West Germany, from about 1970-1972. After my dad retired from the U.S.A.F in 1972, we moved back to my dad's home town of Altoona, Pennsylvania. I graduated from Altoona Area High School during our America's Bicentennial--1976. Please click here to view my 1976 Bicentennial Graduation Diploma . It was during these years that I became a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I continue to root for both teams to this very day, although I also now root for The Houston Texans! After graduating from High School, I went on to attend college at the Pennsylvania State University (home of the Penn State Nittany Lions) from 1976-1980. I majored in law Enforcement and Elementary Education.

In addition to ham (amateur) radio, my favorite pastimes include: cruising the internet, building web-pages, working out at the local gym (more of a necessity as opposed to a pastime ) and listening music (mainly classic rock and country/western). Whenever I can find the time, I enjoy saltwater fishing in the nearby Gulf of Mexico. One of my favorite local hangouts is Surfside Beach, which is located near Freeport, Texas (south of Galveston). Although I don't watch very much television, I do enjoy watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" whenever I get the chance (it's amazing how much Raymond's family reminds me of my own family).

My favorite all-time movie comedy classics are the now infamous "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and "Christmas Vacation" starring Chevy Chase. I enjoy all kinds of music, especially Country & Western music and Classic Rock. My favorite Country & Western singers include: George Strait, Mark Chestnut, Don Williams,The Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, and Reba McIntire. My favorite Classic Rock bands include: Led Zeppelin, Kansas, Boston, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull, The Cars, and Meatloaf. When it comes to a few good laughs, there is nobody like Gary Larson and the Farside to get the job done. In my opinion, Gary Larson has got to be the greatest cartoonist of all time.

CAN YOU GUESS MY FAVORITE CARTOON SHOW??

My interest in pursuing a career in law enforcement began during my early teenage years. To further that interest, I attended Penn State University from 1976-1980 with a primary major in Law Enforcement & Corrections. After moving to Texas in 1980, it was readily apparent to me that I was destined to work as a Texas lawman. I began my law enforcement career by joining the Texas State Police (Texas Department of Public Safety/DPS) in 1981. I worked the road as a Highway Patrol Trooper for approximately 15 years before promoting to Sergeant in the Narcotics Service. After almost 28 continuous years of service to the state of Texas, I retired from the State Police (Texas DPS) in April of 2008 and subsequently began my second career as a peace office with a local law enforcement agency.

My interest in Ham Radio (Amateur Radio) began when I was living in Frankfurt, West Germany, while attending Rhein/Main Junior High School. My father was stationed at Rhein/Main Air Base and had been a Ham Operator for many years prior to that. His original call sign, which he obtained while stationed in the Washington, D.C., area was WA3CJF. While stationed in Germany, he held the temporary call sign of DA1FF. My father held regular schedules via the airwaves with his cousin, WA3PPW, in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Those trans-Atlantic radio transmissions between Europe and the United States had me hooked. I knew then that I had to get my Ham Radio license. A short time later my father retired from the United States Air Force and returned to his hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was then that I began to study for my Ham Radio license. I took the "Novice" class Ham Radio exam in October of 1973 when I was still 15 years old and managed to pass both the Morse Code (CW) test and the theory test on my first attempt. The Federal Communications Commission assigned me the call sign of WN3WEE. Later I upgraded to the "General" class and my call sign changed to WA3WEE. I kept the same call sign when I upgraded to the "Advanced" class a short time later. In October of 1997, I took advantage of the vanity call program and changed my call sign from WA3WEE to W5WWW. I decided that it was finally time to make the final upward move and get my "Extra" class license. In January of 1998 I took and passed both the "Extra" class Morse Code (CW) test (at 20 words per minute) and the theory test on my first attempt and finally had the elusive "Extra" class ticket. I remain active today on most of the Ham Radio frequencies; including the 15 meter band, the 17 meter band, the 20 meter band, the 30 meter band, and the 40 meter band. My current set-up includes an Icom IC-737 in conjunction with a ground mounted Butternut vertical. I also have a "G5RV" wire antenna as a backup. My antennas are very simple and not very sophisticated, but they seem to get the job done . Due to deed restrictions in my neighborhood, I am not permitted to install large antennas. I work approximately 99 percent Morse Code (CW), so if you look for me on Single Side Band (SSB), you probably won't find me there. Ham Radio remains by far my favorite hobby. I have made countless friends worldwide via the air waves and know that as time goes on I will continue making new ones.