New to the whole radio thing—something else atop my already-extensive list of hobbies.

Places I’m active

When in my usual spots around Harrison and Marion Counties, I’ll often be monitoring or chatting on the CWVWA’s analog repeater, the Appalachian Repeater Association System or HamTalk.  I occasionally call CQ on two-meter as well when mobile, but I have yet to establish a contact.

VHF/UHF DXing and simplex in general is kinda hard from my home QTH, as my house is in a valley right by a river.  Soon, though, I’ll get my General and a proper HF rig, which opens up all sorts of opportunities!

Clubs

General, regional organizations of which I’m a member:

• Central West Virginia Wireless Association (CWVWA)
• West Virginia State Amateur Radio Council (WVSARC)
• American Radio Relay League (ARRL)

International organizations of which I’m a member:

• Straight Key Century Club (SKCC), no. 30920
• FISTS (the International Morse Preservation Society), no. 23281
• League of Furry Amateur Radio (LoFAR)

Equipment

• Yaesu FTM-100DR, 2m/70cm 50W FM mobile rig
  • Signal Stuff Super-Elastic Signal Stick, 2m/70cm 19″ whip
    • Off-brand PL-259 to BNC-F adapter
  • Signal Stuff magnetic BNC mount
• Yaesu FT-60T, 2m/70cm 5W FM HT
  • Signal Stuff Super-Elastic Signal Stick, 2m/70cm 19″ whip
    • Signal Stuff SMA-M to BNC-F adapter
  • Signal Stuff magnetic BNC mount
  • Yaesu SSM-17A speaker microphone
• Baofeng AR-5RM, 2m/1.25m/70cm FM HT
  • Signal Stuff Super-Elastic Signal Stick, 2m/70cm 19″ whip
• Homemade transmitter based on SV3ORA’s EMTX, 40m base
  • Random wire antenna, currently

As inconvenient as it is, I share the Signal Stick and mag-mount between my two Yaesu radios.  I’m poor—and barely use both radios at the same time, anyway.

Many thanks to Mo AD8T for making mobile radio possible for me.

Furry

Firstly, if your first reaction to that word is stuff you can't say on the air, check out this website, What Are Furries?, for a good overview on how we’re not… whatever you think we are.

Anyway, especially if you’re a ham furry, you might have seen me in various circles as Sterling, the red-bellied woodpecker.  I even run a statewide furmeet group, Mountain State Furries, and you might have picked me up on some simplex frequencies talking to fellow local furs during camping meets and such.

Outside ham radio

I’m a jack of all trades and a master of maybe one-and-a-half.  I teach music as a profession, but I dabble a lot in a whole bunch of other stuff: avian ecology and rehabilitation; wildlife and nature photography; low-level computer programming; trail and urban cycling… yeah, I keep myself occupied.

I occasionally pop up on GMRS as WSLR222, though that call sign is also used by my wife, Myrtle.

More general info about me can be found on my website.  73, and thanks for checking me out.