Amateur Radio - N8QQ

This is the live status of the DVSwitch hub and AllStar nodes I tinker with, running from home and in the cloud. I’ve been neglecting it lately and need to get it all updated soon. And there’s some mostly-outdated ham radio bio info from past versions of this page below that. It’s all a bit of a mess, but hey, what are ya gonna do.

Allstar Nodes

Ham Radio Activity

So much of this information is outdated. It’s really more of a history I guess.

Here’s a quick audio clip from 2002 recorded during a 40 meter QSO with Chris AI8W in Michigan while testing my radio’s compression setting. His call was AB8LR at the time. This was near the peak of solar cycle 23 and the entire eastern half of the United States would often sound local here in Cincinnati.

In 1990, I entered ham radio with the technician class license N8MFG using the Gordon West (WB6NOA) study cassettes from Radio Shack. In 1991, I upgraded to the advanced class license with 13 wpm code and got the standard issue call KF8NU, a call sign nobody could remember and I couldn’t stand. A month later, I upgraded to the extra class license with 20 wpm code, thanks to the Super Morse program on DOS. In 1996, I got the call N8QQ in the first wave of vanity call applications. My initials were available (W8BAM or K8BAM) and I probably should’ve gone for one of those instead. The funny thing is, I would’ve originally been licensed in 1979 had I stayed in my high school’s amateur radio club. They voted me president, quite arbitrarily, and then I quit after only a month! At that age, I didn’t have the patience to learn morse code.

Weather Amateur Radio Network

I built and maintain the web site for the Weather Amateur Radio Network (WARN) at warn.orgWARN is the Cincinnati chapter of Skywarn. Mike Nie KB8VMX does an excellent job with the writing and multimedia stuff. Steve Lewis N8TFD has always contributed a lot, as he does with many local organizations. 

HF Activity

I used to hang out on the Triple H Net, a late night 40m Worked All States and DX net. I hope to get back to chasing awards at some point. This net is perfect for a die-hard night owl who is discovering a bit of an interest in awards, such as myself. Check it out every night of the year on 7235 kHz at 0700 UTC. This is a very laid-back net with a lot of nice and very helpful people. My HHH Worked All States number is 794.

I’m also a member of OMISS (#4408), another WAS and general awards net. More specifically, I really like their 20m net and hope to get my Worked-All-States single band 20m award there at some point.

And there’s the 3905 Century Club that offers many awards and the chance to easily work states and countries. They offer enough different nets that you could spend all evening, every evening, working them if you had the time. My 40m 100 point number is 2163, and I’m well on my way to the 500 point endorsement. Also started on the 40m RTTY 100 point certificate but will probably abandon that in favor of their PSK31 nets.