KY4ROD

My name is Rod.  I live in Florence, Kentucky which is located about 12 miles (19 Km) south of Cincinnati, OH in Northern Kentucky.

My current hobbies include ham radio, genealogy, traveling, hiking, photography, bicycling, fishing and canoeing.  When traveling, my favorite activities are to visit and photograph national parks and historic places.   I especially enjoy visiting covered bridges and lighthouses.  ​

I received my Technicians Class license as KO4AKL in Dec 2019.  I applied and received my vanity call -  KY4ROD a few weeks later.  I passed my General Class exam in April 2022.

I have been interested in amateur radio and have been a dedicated shortwave listener for the past 45 years.  My interest in radio dates back to the early 1970s, when during my teen years, I spent many nights listening to Voice of America and BBC World Service on shortwave.   I have had a long, varied career working mostly as an IT Systems Engineer specializing in client data systems, comm room infrastructure including servers, UPS power systems, wired and wireless networks, voice and radio systems.  I came to the realization in 2020 that life is too short to just work for a living.  So... after working for the past 40 years, I took an early retirement  package in 2020.   I am hoping now to sit back, enjoy life to the fullest & have more time to devote to amateur radio and my other hobbies.

I currently operate on HF, 2m and 70cm.  I enjoy working analog, digital (FT4, FT8, JS8 Call), SSTV as well as the digital voice modes - D-Star, System Fusion, Wires-X & DMR.  I enjoy having QSOs and participating in nets over local repeaters as well as making DX contacts.  I still enjoy just tuning in the world and listening to shortwave broadcasts. 

My shack consists of: 

• HF - Icom IC-7300 with LDG AT-200 Pro2 Tuner
• VHF/UHF - Icom ID-4100A, Yaesu FTM-300DR
• Handhelds - Icom ID-51A, Yaesu FT-3DR, Yaesu VX-6R
• SharkRF OpenSPOT3 Hotspot
• Hammarlund HQ-160 and SDRPlay RSPDX Receivers
• Bearcat SDS-100 Scanner
• Comet GP-3, Comet DS-150 and Chameleon Emcomm3 Base EndFed Half Wave Antennas

 I am a member of the following groups:

• Member of the ARRL
• Member of the West Chester Amateur Radio Association (https://wc8voa.org)
• ​Member of the FT8 Digital Mode Club (https://www.ft8dmc.eu/)

​73!   Stay "Radio-Active", have good times, stay safe and healthy!  I look forward to making contacts with you on the air!

De KY4ROD