Most folks in the ham community call me Uncle Dee. I thank you for the warm welcome to CWops.
Let me take this opportunity, first and foremost, to express my gratitude to those who helped me get here: Both of my CWops advisors, Mark Tyler (K5GQ) and Phil Schechter (W0OJ), my friend Fr. David Probst (ND4K), and all those sponsors who jumped in after Phil’s nominating me.
I’ve been licensed since 1972. My dad, who was not a ham, fostered my curiosity about electronics and radio from an early age. We built a crystal set together, using an actual crystal and cat’s whisker along with a hand-wound coil. He and a colleague of his (who was a ham), encouraged me to study theory, learn Morse code, and get the regulations down pat. I finally put it all together and passed the Novice exam earning my first call WN2JLO. Very few years later, while attending Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, I made a trip to the FCC in San Francisco where I passed the General and Advanced exams. I was granted the call N6BQR. Upgraded to extra over 25 years ago and the vanity program helped me capture my present call of K7UD.
I’ve earned a living in news writing, technical writing, radio reporting, engineering, marketing, sales, and finance. Ham radio has been a terrific hobby and constant companion throughout my many vocational journeys. Last year, my bride of 38 years, Miss Kitty, and I retired to a home we built in the Hill Country of central Texas. Been spending time in our new home finishing all the custom woodwork as well as building the latest K7UD station installation.
I enjoy building kit radios and antennas – mostly wire types. I’m a big fan of Elecraft radios. In addition, I’m an avid shooter, handloader, and reader.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.