Chicago native who became aware of DX when, at 5 years of age, I received my first transistor radio. Late one night I was tuning across the dial when all of the sudden WABC came in clear as a bell. I had no clue I was listening to a New York City station until a local commercial aired. It felt like I found a Star Trek transporter that just took me to NYC. I was hooked. A few years later while playing at a friends house I noticed a radio with frequencies quite different then what I was familiar with. We turned it on and started scrolling across the analog dial. Suddenly a station came in strong. It was in English, but the accent was something I had never heard before. It was Radio Nederlands. This just reinforced my love of DX radio.

I loved radio so much that broadcasting became my career. I did the Dr. Johnny Fever shuffle across the country. I was lucky enough to work at a Las Vegas 50,000W directional flame thrower. When the Reception Reports started coming in I was the only one who understood what to do. So I became the person who confirmed the reports, we didn't have QSL cards, so I confirmed on station letterhead and threw in a bumpersticker.

I left commercial radio a few years ago when it became tedious. American commercial radio has become a generic wasteland. You can travel to any major US city and the broadcasts will sound exactly the same, same music, same network talk radio shows, same dull programming that New York radio consultants believe Americans want. The industry as a whole is losing money hand over fist and for some unexplainable reason the execs can't figure out why.

I started the Bad Dawg Radio podcast in 2005 airing independent Rock and Blues music. I was pleasantly surprised to find the show picked up and re-aired on many LPFM stations in the US and Canada. Even though I was airing music from independent artists with their approval a music royalty company, that shall remain nameless, demanded I pay royalties. I probably would have won in court, but they have unlimited finances and a protracted court battle would have easily drained my limited resources. So BDR ended with a whimper.

I decided to go worldwide with "The Checkerboard Lounge" a Blues radio show named after the historic Southside Chicago Blues venue. The old Checkboard Lounge has since closed. Every big name Blues artist played the Checkerboard from Buddy Guy to Muddy Waters to John Lee Hooker. After performing a concert to a stadium sized crowd the Rolling Stones headed to the Checkerboard for a surprise late night jam. This radio show aired the winter of 2007-08 on WBCQ "The Planet," but was canceled when lack of QSL requests made me feel, like most SW broadcasters, that the listeners have left the HF bands. I still have some old Checkerboard QSL's. If requested I will include them in the snail mail envelope with my amateur QSL.

Amateur radio operators have served their neighbors during disasters, saving countless lives. If you take it to the extreme, amateur radio knowledge gave WWII prisoners of war the ability to build simple, no power required, "Foxhole Radios" from odds and ends found around the prison camp. Expanding their world beyond the barbed wire via allied broadcasts. When things go bad, amateur radio keeps the lines of communication open. My hat's off to all amateur radio operators.

Affiliations - ARRL -070 1370 - EPC 15019 - DMC 3919 - BCSSTV 671 - EchoLink Node 28469

ALL QSOs uploaded to LoTW and eQSL.

Hard copy QSL info.

Domestic 1st QSO hard copy card via snail mail. SASE not required. All further hard copy requested QSLs require a SASE.

International 1st QSO hard copy card via Bureau. If direct requested SAE required. All further direct hard copy requested QSLs require a SAE and 1 Green Stamp (Please no IRCs).