It’s a pleasure and an honor to join CWops. I’ve been doing CWTs for a number of years, using “Larry CA” in the exchange. It will great to send “Larry 3183” from now on.
Let me introduce myself. I was born and raised in southern California and moved to northern California in the 1970s. My wife, Margot, and I live in the small university city of Chico, which we love. It is in the Sacramento Valley — very hot in summer, a bit cold in winter. We have two children, Jevon, KE6YLH, and Bryna.
I never thought of becoming a ham until Jevon got his license in the late 1990s, when he was 11. I saw him copying code and decided I wanted to do that, too. I got a Novice license in 1997 and upgraded to General a couple of years later. I’ve done almost exclusively CW (with a straight key at first) since passing my 5 wpm test and have gradually increased my operating speed. Through Field Day, Jevon and I became interested in contesting. I am a member of the Northern California Contest Club. I spend some time most weekends contesting, usually CW, but some SSB, also, and occasionally RTTY and FT8. I belong to the ARRL and am active with my local club, the Golden Empire Amateur Radio Society (GEARS). Besides contesting, I enjoy ragchewing, working DX stations and, really, contacting any stations that are on the air.
I wish I could tell you about my stack of Yagis, but our house is on a city lot, and I have a small station. My primary antenna is a 130-foot end-fed wire designed for 10 through 80 meters. It’s configured as an inverted vee, held up by trees — about 50 feet at the high point. My main radio is a Kenwood TS-590SG, which is helped out by a KPA500.
I retired in 2013 after a career as a reporter for small newspapers. Margot and I enjoy gardening and walking, especially walking our big dog, Mijo. We also have Matilda, a 14-year-old dachshund. I enjoy reading and music — especially blues and bluegrass music. I like playing guitar and mandolin, but my talents in this area are about as modest as my radio station.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.