K3JWL's HAM RADIO WEB PAGE

Welcome To
Amateur Radio Station

Nottingham, PA 19362
Grid Locator: FM19XS
76.01W 39.75N
Elevation 462 FT.

Hello and welcome to my ham shack. My name is Ken Akers and I have been a ham for 41 years using the call sign K3JWL and currently hold an Amateur Extra Class license. I was first licensed in 1959 as a novice class operator at the age of 15. Most of my operating time is spent on the low end of 20 and 40 meters operating CW (morse code) looking for new DX as well as old friends. You may also catch me on 6 and 2 meter ssb chatting with the locals and looking for new grid squares when there is an opening.

From my station in my home I can transmit and receive radio and television signals all over the earth, handle emergency and personal communications, create good will and diplomacy, communicate with the crews aboard the American Space Shuttle, the Russian MIR Space Station, and even talk to the world using our very own ham radio orbiting satellites!

I owe a great deal to my "Elmer" Bill Shaw (sk) K3HBO. He spent many hours of his time teaching me the Morse Code, electronic theory, operating procedures and about life in general. Bill has the distinction of being the first radio operator on the first U.S. submarine during WWI. This is Bill in his shack in about 1960 or '61. Wall to wall Hallicrafters gear. What a setup Bill. I sure do miss you. Thanks for being there.

This is a picture of my shack at about the same time. An Eico 720 cw transmitter running 90 watts to a doublet all band antenna, a Knight Kit VFO and a Hammarlund HQ-110C receiver with a clock (you were nobody if your Hammarlund receiver didn't have a clock!) There is also an Ameco code practice oscillator on top of the receiver and of course a broadcast band radio to monitor CONALRAD, (in case they dropped the bomb!)

On the porch (left to right) is me, Dale WB3KLE and Jerry N3RBW. One of the many things we like to do best in Amateur Radio is to participate in the various contests.

And so it goes! We always have a great time and usually do well too. We won Huntingdon County in our operating classification three years in a row. Not too shabby...huh!

Four transmatches: a home brewed SPC for coax feedlines, and old Johnson Matchbox for open wire feedlines, a Unique wire tuner and a home brewed 6 meter coax tuner. There is also an AZ-EL rotor for the satellite antennas, an MFJ-493 memory keyer with Bencher paddles and several Astron 35 amp power supplies. We also have full emergency battery backup power for the radios and lighting in the case the power goes off. The world at my fingertips.

Computers and Ham Radio were made for each other. Just a few years ago I would not have said that. I custom build my own computers. This is the one that I use at the present time. It uses a Cyrix M II 333mhz chip with 256 meg of RAM, a 17" monitor, 8 meg of video RAM, 3 hard drives and of course, tape backup. I use the computer for contact logging and for satellite tracking. It all runs like a Rolls Royce and costs like a Chevrolet.

That's all from here folks. I will be adding more pages and links soon. Thanks for visiting!
73, Ken - K3JWL

We operate all the equipment from storage batteries which we also bring with us. The fridge is powered by propane (in case you were wondering!) It is usually chilly on the mountain in mid October so we keep warm with a cozy wood stove. We get our water from a mountain spring about a mile from the cabin. The lighting is by propane lamps mounted on the walls of the cabin and from portable propane lanterns. So we kind of "rough it" a bit for the weekend.

Every second weekend of October for the past five years my friends and I have traveled to Huntingdon County in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania and spend the weekend operating in the "Pennsylvania QSO Party." We take all the radios and antennas we can carry as well as some really tasty meals and "beverages" and head for Dales hunting cabin on top of Jacks Mountain.

Hey, what's cooking in the skillet Jerry? Now who was supposed to bring the beer? Is that bear still down by the outhouse?

I thought YOU were supposed to bring THAT! I sure hope none of these laptops decide to crash because we don't have any spares. Did someone remember to load the logging software into these computers?

Look at all the "goodies". A Kenwood TS-690s, Icom 706mkII, a set of Kenwood Twins: TR-751A & TR-851A with 150 watt amplifiers for each.

Visitors since: March 16, 2000

Lots Of Great Pictures Here, Give them A Moment To Load