KD0ZW — Starting the Adventure
I began my journey with electronics and amateur radio in 1975 at the age of 15. Fascinated with Short Wave listening (SWL), when it was cool, I had a chance to have my first conversation on my neighbor’s Amateur Radio station using a TenTec radio. I talked to a ham in Oregon, and it sounded like he was in the room and I was intrigued. In the days before the personal computer and the internet, this was high-tech. I was fortunate to have a ham as my electronics teacher at my high school. My teacher in Electronics 1 & 2 was W0UDQ, Mr. Kelsey. He challenged me and even agreed to have an electronics 3 class if I would recruit 10 kids… which I did. He even helped me get my novice license, WN0OXL, and sold me an old AF67 mobile (1950’s vintage) for $ 20. That rig with a Drake 2B and a 14AVQ was my novice station. With 75 watts of input power, I tore it up… Working stations at all hours. I worked all states on 40mtrs and racked up 15 countries on 15 and 10 meters all with CW. Loving it. Of course, I enjoyed building working radios that I could use every day. I did all of this before I even had my first car. That’s how engaged I was. My love for electronics continued to grow with the advent of the personal computer, the Internet, and the availability of low-cost components. Ten years later I jumped to the General license (WB0OXL) and then a couple of years later tested for the Advanced and the same day to obtain my Extra Class License (KD0ZW). Since I could send and receive 25 wpm code I had to go for it while I still had it. This site is intended to encourage anyone that gets the radio and electronics bug. It’s fun, challenging, and can take you anywhere you want to go. To the moon and back again (EME). Or maybe communicating with the International Space Station (I.S.S.). Or maybe keep it terrestrial and meet new hams in your local area, country, or other countries. Even contesting or emergency communications could be your cup of tea. I personally enjoy working stations SSB via satellite or making long-distance contacts (DX), using CW, SSB, and digital modes like PSK31 and FT8. With this site, I will showcase adventures new and old, and the fun along the way. Hope you will enjoy the site and maybe it will bring back some memories of when you were a novice.
Are you a maker? You can do it? Below is a sample of the fun, five, 5th-grade boys and girls, from a local school, accomplished in an elective class Electronics 1 & 2. I was fortunate to be able to share my love for electronics with them. They had no knowledge of schematics or electronics. They loved it. And they were actually good at it! At the end of the elective 8 weeks later, they were sad that it was over. However, they were excited to bring home a breadboard, assorted electronic parts, a small board computer (SBC Arduino nano), a satellite tracker, and the exciting adventure of electronics. They inspired me to step it up and that is when the KD0ZW SAT Trac ‘ZW3’ droid idea was hatched. Hope this website will inspire you to start or continue your adventure in radio and electronics!
73,
KD0ZW