MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:  KC4OPE
            Our member spotlight for May, 2001,  is   Philip Slone, KC4OPE, who lives on Little Leatherwood Creek, in southern Perry County.  Phil was first licensed in April, 1990, when he took the Novice exam at Kona, in Letcher Co. with Ken, KA4DVT, as the lead VE.  In January, 1992, he upgraded to Tech Plus at a VE Session in Hazard, held by Tim Shy's VE team.
             Phil was living at Carrie, in Knott Co., when he was first licensed, and got on the air with a Drake TR-3.  He became inactive until the Winter of 2000, when he got back on the air, and restarted the upgrade path.     He got his General Class license in April  of  2000, at a test session in Va.  Then he finished off his work with the Extra Class license, which he got at the Gray hamfest last fall.
            He has become quite active in the last couple of years, and participated in Field Day last year.  He is presently taking a course in Electronics from the Cleveland  Institute of Electronics, and expects to finish sometime in the fall.  His recent activity includes two meters and HF, where he is active on  several nets, including the Kentucky Traffic Net, and he has recently been checking into the Kentucky Slow Speed CW Net to improve his proficiency in that mode.
            The shack includes a Kenwood TS-430 for HF, a Kenwood Two Meter base radio on the right, and a 35 Amp power supply for the 12 volt equipment.  On the left in the photo is a big Heath Amplifier, which will pump out 1500 watts loafing, through the Heath KW Tuner, into a G5RV antenna which stretches across his back yard and up the hillside.  He has a vertical for the high bands, and a home built 3 element beam which he uses on 2 meters.  Plans include a tower and quad sometime in the future.
          Also shown in the picture are an NIR Noise Reducer and DSP unit, a Heath Keyer, D-104 Mic, an MFJ Deluxe Keyer, and a Nye-Viking hand key.  Phil is not afraid to open up the boxes on the gear, and he is presently restoring the old Drake TR-3, and is working on an Icom 404 HT, as well as a huge Viking Thunderbolt Amplifier, which has a couple thousand volts on the plates, and 3 big 4-400 tubes in it.  No wonder he wants to know more about tubes that the course he is taking tells him!
           Phil also is an accomplished musician, and plays several stringed instruments in a band several nights a week.  He describes their music as "mostly old rock and roll," with a little country thrown in.  Phil says he has really enjoyed amateur radio since he became active again.  He has put a lot of time and effort into upgrading his station, as well as his license, and we're glad to have him back aboard. 
 
 

Phil and his wife enjoy Field Day, 2000, on Tower Mountain in Leslie Co.  This was Phil's first Field Day in 10 years of being a ham, and he really enjoyed it.  The whole club enjoyed the little jump in energy provided by the load of Twinkies he brought to the event.

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