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 Dominion DX Group P.O. Box 29334 Richmond, VA 23242 |
I have been interested in Amateur Radio since my teens and have done some casual SWL. In the mid-70s I became more involved in clubs and activities but unfortunately, because of life's priorities, did not become licensed as KC7AIW until 1994. At that time I was honored to be under the tutelage of the W7DK school cadre. As life happens I moved to Four Land, and became very active in Ham Radio, working through to Extra Class, becoming a DXer, getting involved in some UHF/VHF and HF contesting. (In fact, being a DXer made me change my call to one that worked better. There's no hint like being told, "Oh I thought you were west, let me turn my beams around.) I became an active member of three clubs in the area and helped to start a fourth, The Dominion DX Group. I am very interested in DXing, having just earned my first two DXCC awards. I also am interested in contesting, QRP, RTTY, and Elmering. I continue to work toward a goal of CW proficiency, that I believe is important to reach the goals I have in Ham Radio. I like working with people and hope to assist others in becoming the best amateur radio ops they can be. I believe in the traditions and values of Amateur Radio and hope that we do not lose those values in the future. I try to elmer by first leading by example. I have learned a great deal from others, and have been fortunate to have been directly influenced by some of Amateur Radio's learned men and women. I look forward to the adventure, and reach for new accomplishments. 
K4AUR - Mike Gabbert My interest in amateur radio dates back to the seventies. I grew up in the small west Texas town of Clyde. Testing was only done at FCC field offices—no VEC program until 1984. The closest FO was in Dallas, about 180 miles east on Interstate 20. As a high school student living at home and not driving, there was no way I was ever going to get licensed. Nonetheless I would get books about amateur radio like the ARRL Handbook and sometimes pick up a copy of QST, CQ or 73 magazines. In May of 1982 I moved to the Texas Hill Country. I picked Austin because that was where I tried the college thing about 10 years earlier. I loved the city, but didn’t take to college life too well. I wasn’t thinking radio during this time. It was not until 1988 until I took my Novice exam. I passed both the written and 5 WPM code elements on October 27th, my 35th birthday. It seemed like forever, but was only November 15th when I actually got my ticket. I tried joining clubs like the Austin ARC to see how radio was really done, but I never managed to fit in. I not a particularly outgoing person so I don’t horn myself in if no one invites me. Everyone in this club seemed to have their own thing going so I dropped out and let them do it. I was radio inactive from the time I first got my license until coming to Richmond some dozen years later and joining the Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society where I met and got to know some of the local radio community. Although I did upgrade my license in 1991 to Tech Plus while attending an electronics trade school back in Austin, still, I did nothing with it. Oh, I got a 2M handie-talkie, but that was just for show. I had no one on the other end to talk to. Even today I am not one much for chit-chat on a repeater. But finally I became active in radio. Along about 1999 I attended one of Pat Wilson’s (W4PW) VEC testing sessions and upgraded to General. Then came the folks who I first met at RATS, and who now make up DDXG, that got me going. They got me to building antennas and working DX. They encouraged me and challenged me. More than once I’ve been moved out of my comfort zone into trying something new in amateur radio. My favorite thing is DX. It’s a wonderful way of making the world a little smaller. It’s a way to meet someone in a far away and exotic place, and discover where that place is on a globe. It was at this time I took a vanity call. My original, FCC-issued call was KB5HSA. I had it changed to K4AUR. It’s not my initials, and it doesn’t stand for anything, but compare the two in CW. It is so much more efficient. And CW is another exciting thing I like to do. I can’t say I’m very good, but I enjoy it. DDXG member Robert, W4BNO, and I are code practice buddies and have a fairly regular biweekly CW chat. Right now I’m sort of stuck at about 10 WPM. It seemed pretty easy to double my speed from five to ten WPM. I was hoping to find it as easy to double it again. Not! As those of you who have struggled through that 12-13 WPM plateau can attest, it will take a lot more than 30 minutes every two weeks to get me past this block. Still, even at 10 WPM, it’s fun to do, and you can find plenty of people in the Novice portions of the bands who would love to exchange a few dits and dahs at that speed. In addition to DDXG I am also a member of the ARRL, QRP ARCI #12357 and FISTS #11614. I like that minimalist thing. N4DWK - Dave Kiefer KO4XB - Warren Mitchell W4BNO - Robert Orndorff K4PUF - Andrew Slater N4KFT - Parke Slater K4ADU - Chris Waters WD4LBR - Bruce Blackley K4WNW - Sheila Blackley |
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Dominion DX Group - 2006 |
