Photo combines my amateur radio and astronomy hobbies. Photo is of the great aurua of 2024. A friend combined the image of me at a park and the photo of the aurua as seen in Rockingham, MC I took on May 10, 2024
The ham shack is evolving but here are the (2023) Rockingham station is up and running! Although a windstorm took down the antenna on the video of the antenna installation is on my Rumble Channel . I just used a potato gun in September 2024 to reinstall the Buckmaster OCF antenna. You may be hearing me from home or a portable station most likely on a Parks on the Air activation. Click on the link for details of my activations.
Be sure to visit my website at N4MQU for more of my activities including astronomy, metal detecting, and more.
My home station is a Icom 7100 with a I like the 7100 because it has HF/UHF/VHF all in the same unit but I do understand why you would want to have a different radio for UHF/ VHF. I have used the 7100 portable and operate Satellite with it. When I got my license we had to learn Morse code and I am so happy I did. I don’t use it too much but happy I know it. I also still remember simophore from scouting.
I had a great time with the scouts thru the OARS Here is a YouTube with the scout making a contact in Germany
Back in the late 70’s I was attending an astronomy event with telescopes set up in a rural area in Virginia. My friend needed to call his home and at this time there were no cell phones like we have now. There was a ham that was attending the star party and he pulled his HT out and made the call. I was impressed. Using my friend and his brother as elmer’s (The Wright brothers Don and Jerry) I learned Morse Code and received my novice license. That’s right it took two people to get me up to speed. A job opportunity moved me to Raleigh where I eventually upgraded to General, Advanced and now Extra class license. Upon moving to a home in Angier, I had to put up an antenna. My landlords 12 year old son (NC4RA) volunteered to climb the tree to put up the antenna. It turns out he is now a ham because apparently he was impressed by the hobby. I had lost touch with the family until I had met him on the radio. He remembered listening to the rebroadcasts of the space shuttle that the hams were doing at the time. I enjoy many different operating modes in amateur radio. I enjoy checking into the Virginia Fone Net and my number is 72. This net is held each evening at 7:30 PM and 4:00 PM on 3.947 MHz. I am also a member of Bandhoppers and a net control station. My number is 19. Bandhoppers merges social media and ham radio to encourage operating on different modes. We have a regular net on various frequencies on Tuesday night.
Be sure to navigate to my website http://www.n4mqu.com/
I am the team leader for the Five County VE Team and the Richmond County ARC VE Team Be sure to find the nearest no charge amateur radio VE resting session near you. https://www.laurelvec.com/
I usually monitor the Carolina 440 repeater , or the K4RNC 146..955 with a tone 88.5 of and either 146.52 or 146.58 simplex frequency.