That first time I called CQ in Morse code? It was a thrill! It was from the top of Mingus Mountain, near Jerome, AZ on August 14th, 2015. My first contact was with Jim K7JFD on a warm summer morning. After fumbling through 9 more QSOs, I thought to myself, “I’ll be happy if I can comfortably send and receive 15 wpm someday.”
Fast-forward 6 years, and I was nominated by Brian W7JET to become a member of CWops. I wish to thank him and my sponsors: N1RBD, K7ULM, W6SX, KK7RR, K5UV, AA6XA, and KR7RK.
I am from a small town in western Wyoming, and grew up on a small farm with the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop. I worked hard and played hard, spending the long summers along the streams of Wyoming fishing for trout, the falls hunting big game, and the winters freezing my butt off. I finally landed in Arizona for graduate school, and after graduating I decided to stay for a while. I’ve now lived in Arizona 25 years, but we’re laying the groundwork for a return to Wyoming in a few years.
When I was first licensed in 2005, I figured an HT and a weekly net would be all I needed. But after 7 years as a Technician, I finally upgraded to General and then to Extra shortly thereafter. I initially became interested in ham radio for emergency preparedness, and was hooked after joining Gary AC7R for Field Day in 2005.
In the hobby, I am currently focused on sharing my portable radio experiences with others through YouTube. I have an average sized YouTube channel where I share videos about my Summits on the Air and Parks on the Air excursions. Most of my videos contain a lot of CW in them and many people use the videos to improve their CW skills. I also have a Bi-weekly livestream on the channel where my co-hosts, Brian W7JET and Dan KC7MSU, and I interview interesting people about the hobby (Search “Red Summit RF”).
Outside of ham radio, I like to serve in youth programs. I have experience in many, many youth organizations. Most recently, I spent 10 years in the Boy Scouts of America serving in various rolls from a Scout Master all the way up to Council positions. I hosted multiple large Jamboree-On-The-Air events to help the scouts gain interest in ham radio. Before leaving the Boy Scouts to serve elsewhere I received the Silver Beaver award.
I also love going on backpacking trips with my wife Sandy, W7NRS, and just being in the outdoors with her.
I have a passion for CW and hope to continually improve my abilities. Thank you for welcoming me into such a prestigious organization. I’m honored.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.