Welcome

Welcome to my radio blog post. Below is information about myself.

Hello. My name is Adam, KD9NRT. I am a new amateur radio operator located in Fort Wayne, IN (EN71kb). I wanted to take some time to introduce myself so you may have a better understanding of who I am. The goals of this blog will be listed in another post.

Who am I?

Obviously, you can see my name and call above but who am I as a person. I’m 34 years old and live in Fort Wayne, IN, the best kept secret in the midwest. I work as a science teacher at a local high school. My other hobbies include SCUBA diving, reading, running, cycling, playing video games, cross country skiing, listening to music, collecting watches, and anything else that may peek my interest. Keeping busy is my main priority, which I do through my various hobbies. I have a BS and MS in biology from Purdue – Fort Wayne with an interest in invasive plant ecology. Prior to moving to Fort Wayne, I served in the US Navy as a hospital corpsman for 6 years, being stationed in Okinawa, Japan and Virginia Beach, VA. The Navy was a culture shock since I grew up in Kendallville, IN, a small town north of Fort Wayne, and was exposed to new ideas. I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone, and in doing so, discovered there are so many fun things to do outside of watching TV.

I am married to Meghan (KD9ODP) and have a dachshund named Hans.

Amateur Radio

Now to the part everyone has been waiting for. Why amateur radio? There are so many other hobbies. I first became interested in amateur radio during a chemistry class at Purdue – Fort Wayne. A fellow student, Jonathan (KC9IPR), was licensed and suggested that I take up the hobby. This was in 2011. I purchased a Baofeng GT-3TP but had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t hear anything nor did I know how to operate the radio. It sat on my shelf for 8 years before it was touched again. In the Navy, I was interested in radio. There is something fascinating about how radio waves propagate and how it can be used for communication.

In 2018, I assisted Jonathan in collecting data for his master’s degree, as he had the same MS advisor I had, Jordan (NM9L). During the trip, both of them took their radios and were able to coordinate different parts of the study using radio. The project took two weeks. During that time, Jonathan’s brother, Jim (AC9EZ), came up while traveling and did a Parks on the Air activation. We came back to a campsite that had his radio, laptop, antenna, and everything else needed to operate. At the time, it was overwhelming. During his activation, a gentleman from Denmark checked in. It was amazing that a signal was able to reach, during the day, from Denmark to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. From that point on, I was hooked. I spent some time looking up how to get licensed and what each step gave you permission to do. I had a goal.

I took my technician exam in August 2019. I followed up two months later with my general, in October 2019. I am currently working on my extra license. My wife took her technician exam in October 2019, at the same time I took my general.

Interests

We all have a reason for radio. Some are interested in DX. Some are interested in field day. Some are interested by ragchewing. What are my interests? I am interested in Parks on the Air, Summits on the Air, DXing, contesting, digital, satellites, and moonbounce (EME). This is a lot of interests, but it will give me goals and challenges. I will post about equipment in another post and update it as equipment changes. If I post on a particular topic or technique, I will list the equipment used as a reference. As with anything, these interests will change over time.

Wrap Up

I hope this gives you an insight into who I am. This is important so that as I post, you have a context as to why I am using a particular technique or am doing a certain thing. If you have any additional questions, feel free to post below or to send me an email.