My Ham Radio Story

Hello, my name is Tracy and I have been a licensed amateur radio operator since 2002. I was born and raised in Southern West Virginia and have always called the Mountain State home. I am the State Bridge Engineer for the West Virginia Department of Transportation.

I've finally finished my ham shack project after an effort of nearly 20 years! It is located in a 16 ft by 10 ft loft-style building in my back yard. I insulated and drywalled the interior, fully finished the inside, and added heating and cooling via a ductless mini split for additional comfort during those extra long QSO's. It has been a long time in the making, but my radio hobby finally has a home.

My equipment consists of an Icom IC-7300, a Yaesu FT-991, and an Ameritron AL-80B. My antenna is a G5RV antenna approximately 45 feet up in some trees nearby.

I enjoy a little of everything from contesting and POTA, to rag chews, FT-4 and FT-8, and field day. It is all fun! I also like to operate QRP portable when the weather is nice, but it has been a while since I've had the opportunity. I have a Yaesu FT-817ND that I power with a 20 watt portable solar panel and a QRP Ranger battery pack, and either throw an end-fed antenna up or use a magnetic loop.

Some of my other interests are music (I can play guitar and mandolin, or at least make some sounds with them), traveling and seeing different places, and seeing how many different restaurants I can try out along the way. My wife Jennifer is my travel partner and she is also an amateur radio operator, KE8JXD, earning her ticket at the 2018 Dayton Hamvention.

Take care and I hope to catch you on the bands somewhere very soon. 73 Tracy KC8VMG