N6KJ

Background

I have been a ham since 1975 when I was 13 years old. My first callsign was WD8DMX, obtained while living in White Cloud, Michigan, my childhood home. Since then I have held the following callsigns in succession: WD8DMX, KI6NX, AA6BE, and now N6KJ.

Daily Operations

My favorite activities are contesting and DXing. I spend about 95% of my time operating CW, typically moving along at 30 or 40 WPM. The remaining 5% is a combination of SSB, PSK-31, and occasional RTTY.

In June 2024 I relocated approximately 2.5 hours from my previous home. Unfortunately, HOA restrictions at my new location prevent me from operating amateur radio from home, so my home station is currently inactive.

From 2005 through 2024, my station consisted of a Yaesu FT-1000MP, a Yaesu FT-857D, a Yaesu FT-817, a 3-element SteppIR Yagi at about 54 feet, an OB2-40 Optibeam 40m Yagi at 62 feet, and a 40/80 inverted vee with the apex at 50 feet. The FT-1000MP was the primary HF workhorse. The FT-857D was used primarily for VHF/UHF. The FT-817 was primarily used as an IF rig for microwave transverters. When not contesting, I could usually be found hunting DX in the CW subbands.

Photos of me and my old station are available in my OneDrive photo album.

Emergency Communications & Public Service

It is important for all amateur radio operators to be prepared for emergency communications. I maintain a battery backup at all times in the event of a power failure. I am a member of RACES and I have provided emergency communications on several occasions in the past — most notably during the severe blizzard of 1978 in Michigan — and I am prepared to do so in the future. This is part of the service amateur radio provides to the community.

As an ex-Boy Scout I enjoy communicating with other scouts around the globe during JOTA (Jamboree on the Air), a yearly event that gives scouts the ability to speak directly with other scouts around the world via amateur radio.

Contesting

My home station was underpowered for serious contesting, and since relocating in June 2024 I am unable to operate contests from home due to HOA restrictions. Most of my serious contest efforts have been from nearby contest stations: W6NV (Sunol Ridge), W6YX (Stanford University ARC), or N6IJ (Monterey Bay ARA).

My most serious home effort was the 2003 November SS CW contest, where I made about 450 QSOs in 10 hours of operation. This was part of a larger effort by the Northern California Contest Club (NCCC) to win the November SS Unlimited Club competition — which we did. My most recent home effort was the 2011 ARRL November SS CW contest.

I frequently operated as part of a multi-op team from the W6NV Sunol Ridge contest station, typically for CQWW DX, CQWW WPX, and the ARRL International DX Contest.

I am a member of the Stanford University ARC W6YX. The club station hosts HF and VHF contesters, moonbounce, microwave, and satellite enthusiasts. During Field Day 2004 I spent the first 3 hours running the 20m CW station at ~70 QSOs/hour and the next 3 hours running the 15m CW station at ~50–60 QSOs/hour.

DXing

Unlike most other NCCC members, I still collect QSL cards and work toward awards. As of January 2026, I am on the DXCC Honor Roll with 331 countries confirmed. I received 5BDXCC award #6744 in January 2010. My current DXCC counts are shown below.

I return QSL 100%. I periodically upload my log to the ARRL LoTW database for those who prefer electronic QSLs. I do not use eQSL.

VHF / UHF

With the purchase of the FT-857D I was able to work toward VUCC. My current VUCC status is shown below.

Microwaves

I dabble in QRP and microwaves and was a member of the Northern California-based 50 MHz and Up club. I currently own a 10 GHz station based on the DB6NT 10 GHz transverter and a Yaesu FT-817, with a modified 18" DSS dish as the antenna. My transverter output is approximately 250 mW.

Using this system I made approximately 35 QSOs from the top of Mount Diablo in Northern California during the first weekend of the 2004 10 GHz Cumulative Contest. The longest QSO was just over 290 km (~165 miles), made between Mount Diablo and Mount Lassen.

I integrated a PLL and 10 MHz OCXO into my system for frequency stability. The PLL was designed and built by AD6IW; the 10 MHz OCXO is an ISOTEMP unit purchased on eBay. This modification made a significant difference in my ability to make long-distance QSOs.