Greetings, my friends!!

     I've always been fascinated by "radio".   I can remember as a kid sitting on my front porch listening to the truckers on I-71 on my fathers shortwave receiver.   I found it wondrous that the trucks I could see at a mile distant were talking to one another...and I could hear them, too.

     In the 90's I got into local CB radio, with an immaculate Cobra 2000 GTL with both speakers as my base station.   One day I heard two guys talking and realized that they were mobile...in Jamaica.   I called to them and was amazed to hear them both answer me.   I had now been bitten by the DX bug.

     I finally decided to take the plunge and get my ham license after talking to Bill Waits, N8OGX (sk) on the CB...and I never looked back.

    I was licensed as tech KD8OAB in March of 2010 and became a member of the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club, K8EEN.   It is at MVARC that I met my Elmers; Don Russell W8PEN, Frank Counts KC8EVS, Emery Bennett W8TW, Scott Yonally N8SY, Tom Evans KD8HSA and Barry Butz N8PPF.   These men are giants in the field of amateur radio.   Just ask them and they'll enthusiastically agree. 

   After a few months I realised that as a tech my options, not to mention my band permissions, were limited.   I then began to study online for my general ticket which I passed on 15NOV2011, new call K8AEC.   I passed the exam for Extra Class Operator on 3MAR2014.

     DX is my passion.   I have LOTW WAS award and DXCC confirmed; 168 mixed, 115 digital, 130 phone and 109 on 10 meters.

     My pride and joy confirmed DX contact; A71AM (Qatar, phone) calling North America long path on 17JAN2013 at 17,869.0 miles or 28,757.3 km.

     My station: Yaesu FT-450D (100W) and Yaesu FT-8800R.   HT's; Wouxun KG-UVD1P, TYT MD-380 (DMR).   Antenna's and accessories; Antron99 vertical (10m-17m), homebrew G5RV dipole @ 30feet (20m-80m), homebrew J-pole (2m/70cm).   Shure PG58-QTR studio mic, Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer, MFJ 993B autotuner.

 My portable setup: Icom 706MKIIG, Optima Bluetop D31M battery, MFJ-936B small loop tuner and a late model MFJ-949C tuner for wire antennas.

 On my last camping trip I used a 41 ft. piece of yellow (metal) tape measure as a longwire antenna.   A counterpoise was also used.   Contacts were made in Panama, Canada and much of the US.   My camping buddies were impressed!!

     I am using Ham Radio Deluxe for rig control.   Prefered digital mode is and FT8.   My interface is a $9 USB audio dongle...it works great!!   The dongle I use (or similar) can be found here:

Amazon Audio Dongle

     My computer is a custom built gaming rig. 

     As of March 2019 I am running an RTL-SDR R820T2 RTL2832U dongle with HDSDR as a panadapter.   I opted not to tap the first IF of the tranceiver and am using the RTL-SDR as my main receiver.   I am also using the MFJ-1708B-SDR switch for transmit using the FT-450D.   I am very pleased with the results.   There are a few caveats, however; there is a delay in audio of about 500 ms and received signals seem to be just a bit lower in strength than the tranceiver, which I have found is acceptable for phone work.

            W8HK is my new call effective 3MAY2019.   LOTW, QRZ, ClubLog, and HRDLOG logs have all been linked and updated.

     I am also interested in learning CW...I'm missing alot of good DX.   SKCC# 20223.

 Other shack members - Binti (Swahili for "daughter")- african grey parrot, Aja (my nod to Steely Dan) - green cheeked conure, Meggie Bear - shorkie (yorkie/shih tzu mix), Mia, (brown and white Jack Russell/toy poodle/shih tzu mix), Mittens, an all grey tuxedo kitty with white socks and Molly, an all black love-sponge-of-a-cat who we thought was a girl as a kitten but turned out to be a boy when he (turn your head and cough) grew up...the name stuck, poor guy.

73's

Scott, W8HK