My home QTH is Katy, Texas, about 30 miles west of downtown Houston. I have resided in Katy since 1982 when I was first stationed here as a Trooper with the Texas Highway Patrol (Texas State Police/Department of Public Safety). I worked for the Texas State Police from 1981 until retiring from the department in 2008 as a Sergeant in the Narcotics Service (detached to the DEA in Houston). I then immediately began my 2nd career in law enforcement by accepting a position as a Detective at the nearby Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office in Richmond, Texas. During the majority of these years, ham radio took a back seat and I was subsequently off-the-air for approximately 20 years. I finally retired from law enforcement after 41 straight years on 01-03-2022, at which time I retrieved my ham equipment from the attic and decided to get active on-the-air again.
My favorite mode of operation is CW. I learned Morse Code at an early age during my Boy Scout days in Germany (Rhein-Main Air Base and Bremerhaven), where my dad was stationed with the U.S. Air Force. My dad (now sk) was a very active ham operator and his original call was WA3CJF (Cold Jack Frost). While living in Germany during the early 70’s, my dad conducted daily schedules on 20 meters with his cousin (WA3PPW) in King of Prussia, Pa. My dad’s temporary call sign in Germany was DA1FF. It was during this time that I initially became interested in ham radio. My dad retired shortly thereafter and we then moved back to his hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania.
While living in Altoona, Pa., I obtained my first ham license in late 1973 at the age of 15 under the novice call sign of WN3WEE. After I passed my General and Advanced class tests, my call sign changed to WA3WEE. After graduating from High School in 1976, I went on to attend Penn State University from 1976 to 1980. I majored in Law Enforcement/Corrections and Elementary Education. After college, I moved to Texas (where my parents had moved to) to begin my career in law enforcement. I subsequently graduated from the Texas State Police (Texas Department of Public Safety/DPS) law enforcement academy in 1981 (class A-81).
In October of 1997, I took advantage of the vanity call program and changed my call sign from WA3WEE to W5WWW. I then decided that it was finally time to make the final upward move and get my “Extra” class license. In January of 1998, I passed my Extra class exams and the rest is history.
This biography is what appeared in Solid Copy when the member joined CWops.