Last Update: 7/03/02
Downtown Cleveland, Ohio
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the new W8CWE homepage. For those who have visited before, you
can see that I am taking this web site in a different direction. The
original page and design was created a number of years ago and had outlived
its usefulness. What you see here is a work-in-progress.
BIOGRAPHY
I have been involved in radio for 22+ years. Like many other amateur
operators, I made my inroads into the radio hobby via CB radio in 1979
using a Ch. 14 walkie talkie I received for Christmas. Once I made my first
contact with a local operator, I was hooked!
The subsequent years were spent pursuing CB radio interests. I became heavily interested in the
electronics-end of the hobby and enjoyed reading everything I could get my
hands on concerning the hobby. In recent years, I began to experiment with
radio modification and antenna theory, as well as writing short articles
outlining my findings. With the insurgence of the Internet in recent years,
putting up a simple web site became a great way to share my experiences
with other enthusiasts.
As the quality
of CB operators in my area continued to decline, I began to find myself
without any decent folks to talk with. Most of the good operators had moved
on to the ham bands and I soon found myself studying for the exam. I was
first licensed in 1998 as KC8LAT. Subsequently, I changed my call to W8CWE
because I always wanted a call sign which contained my initials. Shallow,
you say? Perhaps.
At this point in
my life, I have completely abandoned all CB radio pursuits. Aside from my
beloved Ranger AR-3500, all my CB radio equipment has been sold to finance
my ham station. If you came to this page looking for the various CB-related
articles I’ve written over the years, they have been permanently removed
and archived. Sorry, but the server space here needs to be used for amateur
radio stuff. I have, however kept the link to Panther Electronics here, as
John Mahoney at Panther is one of the most honest and technically sound
guys out there. I consider him a friend and hold his integrity in the
highest regard. Check out his website and numerous offerings.
I have been
blessed by location to be part of a great group of local amateur ops here
in the Southeast suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. We operate on 145.535 FM
simplex and have been known to rag chew with other operators as far as
upper Michigan. We always enjoy hearing a new voice so be sure to give us a
shout if you are in the Southeast Cleveland area. Most times there is at
least one person on frequency.
Aside from enjoying
2M simplex work, I also very much enjoy 6M DX when conditions permit. The
openings we enjoyed this past Winter (2001) were the best I’ve ever
experienced. What a thrill to work into Europe with 100 watts and a small
yagi antenna!
Thanks for visiting my page!
73 de W8CWE
