Information from his qrz page:
I have done a few things over the years that I am quite proud of Amateur wise.
*I upgraded to Extra a year and a week after I got my Novice license going through all five classes.
*Life member of the ARRL.
*Since 1995 I have been the ARRL Illinois Section Official Observer Coordinator.
*Since 1994 I have been on the BOD and am current VP of the Illinois Repeater Association.
*I have been team leader of the VE Testing team in my area since 1992 and have over 200 sessions and counting. We started with the DeVry VEC and when they closed we switched everything over to the ARRL VEC. I am at 160 sessions and counting with the ARRL. This is one that I am probably most proud of. I can't tell you how many new license holders and upgrads our VE team have processed. It's great way to give back to your hobby. It's one thing to say I am a VE, get active and make it count!
*In Feb of 1992 I was issued the 2 Letter Extra Class WAS for 75 meters, #1474 (GERATOL)
*Member of the Society of Midwest Contesters.
*Member of the Jacksonville Amateur Radio Society (Current Pres and Trustee K9JX)
*Memeber of the Illinois Valley ARC.
*Member of the Sangomnd Valley RC.
*Member of the Western Illinois ARC.
*Member of INDEXA
*Member of NCDXF
*DXCC for Mixed, Phone, CW
QCWA #36681, 10-10 #57309, GERATOL #1474, Breakfast Club #2039, Feld Hell #2056, EPC #6634, SKCC #6602, 30MDG #2053, DMC #1980, 100 Watts & Wire #844
Past this I get a little wordy!
If you want to know my lifes history in radio please read on! The last paragraph is what I am doing now.I had a keen interest in electronics from a very young age. In 1974 I made my first contacts on the radio when CB was the craze and had the license KWW8241. When I was in high school in the 1970s I took every electronics class there was to offer. The electronics teacher was a local ham named Ed Ahlquist, WD9EYU. He was my first real Elmer. One of the classes was electronics communications. He taught everything you needed to get your amateur radio license, even the dreaded code. At the time though, I didn’t make the trip to St Louis to take the test with the FCC. Along about this same time cars were getting more of my attention and that started a long career in the auto body business. I was still interested in the radio though and a friend of mine Ron Ward, KB9EYB wanted me to study with him. Its amazing after about twelve years of not using CW after you learn it, how easy it seemed to come back. This was in the winter of 1989-90.
At the same time we were studying we heard a local club was giving a class too. We went to some classes on Monday nights and the first hamfest of the year was fast approaching in Sullivan IL. They offered testing now that the FCC had set up a system of VEC’s. We went and took our Novice test on 4/22/1990. I passed elements 1A and 2 to earn my Novice license! Yeah! The three hams that signed my CSCE were KD9AC – KA9Z – and WC9V. They probably don’t remember that day or me but I will never forget it. I probably couldn’t pick them out of a crowd now either. Sullivan is on the East side of the state and I never have come across them since. Now we wait for the license to come in the mail………
It was issued on 5/29/1990 with the call KB9FBI! I didn’t get to find out till a little while later though because back then we didn’t have the speed in processing or the ability to check and even see if it has been issued like we do now. It finally arrived in the mail on 6/6/1990. I already had my HF rig (TS-520) set up and ready to get on 10 meters so when I found the license in the mailbox on my lunch break, I fired up the rig and tuned down the band. One of the stronger signals and my once in a chance in a lifetime to work as my first contact was none other than that of W1AW ! They were calling CQ! I gave my call and that was my first contact in the logbook! WOW! Ryan Bassette, KA1URP was there visiting and working the controls. I have not spoken to him since and didn’t even know it was him operating until I received the QSL back in the mail. I hope all is well with him now. In just a little over a year from when I first passed the Novice test I had upgraded four times, going through every class of license to Amateur Extra Class.
After 26 years with the same call I changed to K9CQ on April fools day. The former holder of that call was Jim Puglise. He was one of the founders of AMSAT in 1969 and passed away in 2013. I have done some research back through old call books from before they even issued prefixes and found that Jim was the first holder of the call. It was issued in 1977 when they had a short Vanity type program that Amateur Extra Class OP's could request whatever calls they wanted. Many requested the initial calls at that time. Jim went for a unique one. I am proud to be the second holder of K9CQ.
