Biography

I started in amateur radio as a Technician No-Code in 1998 to get clearer communications while out in the back country 4wheeling in my Jeep. Using an Icom 207H 2m/70cm radio for trail communications worked well when it was just myself on the regulars that I went out with, however, if we went out with any one else we had to stick to the dreaded "CB". A few years after I got my license I was on a run in Truckhaven, Ca with a group from Explorer4x4.com and one of them was using an Icom 706MKIIG that had been modified to transmit on "CB" channels along with the normal HF bands to talk to a ham in another state and I was hooked.

Unfortunately, being an Active Duty U.S. Marine in the early 2000's didn't leave me much time to explore the hobby. Once I retired in 2013 from the Corps, I set about upgrading my license to get use of the HF bands. In October 2015 I passed my General Class test and started upgrading my equipment. At present I have replaced the Icom 207H in my Jeep Wrangler TJ with an Icom 706MKIIG and installed a Hy-Q 4/80 screwdriver antenna for mobile back country operations while logging to a 1st generation Apple iPad. For home station communications I use an Icom 7100 that feeds an Icom AH-4 antenna turner attached to a 100' long wire mounted 30' high strung from the peek of my "Barn" to a tree while using an 2007 Apple Mac Pro running MacLoggerDX for logging.

The mobile set up has worked very well, allowing me to get contacts with several US States, with the furthest being Hawaii, while exploring various back country areas. Although I have several great QSO's from the home station, with the furthest being New Hampshire, it is still very much a work in progress.

That's about it in a nutshell, Have fun and keep communicating, 73's

Joel

Worked DXCCs:

Equipment

Home Station: (In Progress)
Radio:
Antenna Tuner: AH-4
Antenna: 100' Long Wire strung 30' high
Logging: 2007 Mac Pro & MacLoggerDX, RumLogNG

Mobile Operations:
Vehicle: 1997 Jeep Wrangler TJ
Radio: Icom 706MKIIG
Antenna: Hy-Q 4/80 Screwdriver
Logging: 1st Generation Apple iPad Mini & MacLoggerDX, RumLogNG

Vehicle: 2008 Toyota Tundra (In Progress)
Radio: Icom 7100
Antenna: Scorpion 680 Screwdriver
Amplifier: ALS-500M
Logging: 1st Generation Apple iPad Mini & MacLoggerDX, RumlogNG