It is an honor for me to be a member of CWops. It is also humbling for me to be in the same group with such great CW operators.
Thank you to JJ, WA3NZR for nominating me and to Bud, AA3B; John, K4BAI and Scott, K0MD for sponsoring me!
I was born and raised in the little town of Marion, Ohio into a family with two hams. My dad was K8JVG and my grandfather was W8JYO. It was by watching and listening to them that I became interested in amateur radio. I look back on that now and consider myself as very fortunate for the experience. However, it wasn’t until 1972, at the age of 16, that I took my Novice test and received my license (WN8NYK). I took the ARRL Handbook to school and read it through when I should’ve been studying school work (oops!). Oh well, I made it through high school anyway. My grandfather took me to the FCC examination in Cleveland in 1973 for the General test (13 wpm CW and written exam) and to Columbus for the Advanced exam. I became WB8NYK. My interest in amateur radio enabled me to qualify for Ground Radio training in the Air Force after high school and I learned a lot more.
After my 4 years in the service, I attended The Ohio State University and completed my BSEE. I passed my Extra Class exam in 1985. After college, I worked at Delco Electronics and Honeywell for a number of years and am now retired and living in South Carolina (less cold weather but hotter in summer). I elected to apply for a “4” call and am now W4LJ.
I have always liked CW and have participated in many contests. I typically just search and pounce and then turn in a check log. Still, I have a lot of fun doing it. I wanted to improve my proficiency and fortunately CWops exists and is really helping me achieve my goal.
I am also a member of the SKCC and FISTS.
I have been married to a lovely lady named Sheryl for 40 years. She is also a ham (N4PDM). We have 1 son and 1 grandson who also live in South Carolina.
My station consists of a TS-590SG a 3 element beam at 11 meters and some wire dipoles.
Thank you again for inviting me to join CWops. I really enjoy the CWTs.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.