Dave Mathews

Email: [email protected]
Usually on HamSphere 10.190 SSTV in the evenings
Mobile Calling Frequencies:
2 Meter: 145.52
Hi. 
My name is Dave Mathews. 
I first became an Amature Radio Operator in 1974 as a Novice. My call was WA4FHH (nice huh? CW was fun. I got a lot of WA4? for a return.) About the same time I got my FCC Second Class Radio Telephone license. I went to the National School of Radio and Television Broadcasting in Atlanta Ga. 
At first I wanted to be a disc jockey but I was told by the professors that with my voice and diction I could only get a job as an announcer on an NPR station playing high brow stuff like they do, so I went into engineering. Thank god since now I am an engineer for three radio stations in Columbus, Ohio and I have seen what jocks are like and what their jobs are. Not exactly the glamorous life I had invisioned. 

In 1975 I got my Technician ticket and kept it until last year, 2002, when I upgraded to General. 
After School in Atlanta I moved back home to Columbus and hence the WD8 call. I have had several jobs here but most of them have been in electronics of some sort. I started out as a techniciam for JC Penneys repair center working on CB radios then went to Heathkit as a sales/technician then to Radio Shack as lead two way communications technician signing off on repairs of marine and air craft two ways. 
After running the Radio Shack repair center in Dayton for a year until they closed it I returned to Columbus and tried my hand at a TV shop. That was a disaster but in a way it led me to the position I now have with WMNI, WJKR, WRKZ. 

I am currently the semi-retired Assistant Chief Engineer and IT Manager.

At present I live in a condo and do not have the ability put up any  kind of antenna outside. I have a 3 band VHF/UHF inside that gets me into local repeaters but that is about all so I am currently only able to play on Hamsphere. It is fun, not real radio but fun nontheless. You can usually catch me on 10.190 doing SSTV in the evenings (EST).

Now you know all about me how about you?

email me!





I have joined an ATV group here in Columbus, ATCO (Amature Television in Columbus Ohio), www.atco.tv.
We use a 2 meter frequency to talk to each other and there is a repeater on 440. I do not have a dual band rig so I use my Kenwood HT and a Ramsey FX-440 to receive. This creates a problem, feedback. I was getting tired of turning down the 440 rig to transmit then turning it back up to listen so I came up with this simple little TX relay that simply cuts off the speaker of the Ramsey when I transmit on 2 meters. It is a very simple device but it works very well even with power outputs of a couple of watts.  f you have any questions please feel free to email me.

Transmit relay schematic

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