Vincennes, Indiana
Knox County
ITU REGION 8 GRID LOCATION EM68fq CQ WAZ 4
Here's my HF rig. It's an old Kenwood TS-520. It's hooked to a G5RV long wire antenna that just barely clears the roof of our house. Right now it's not transmitting properly. So, I'm down to just my Echolink system for the DX both in country and worldwide. And that's me at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a couple of years ago when I was still the Sports Editor for the North Knox Leader Newspaper. At the present time I spend entirely too much time in other people's yards. That's because I'm a meter reader for one of the local light companies via Team STS based out of Richmond, Ky. I spend eight hours a day driving around in a jeep going from house to house reading light meters and enjoying the countryside. We're kind of like the mailman, we chug along no matter the weather.
Product Information Pages Including links to manufacturers websites
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I became a ham operator in Sept. of 1995 as a Tech Plus with the callsign of N9ZUF. My brother-in-law Steve (N9ZPR) was the first he became one about two months before I did. At the same time I got my FCC ticket so did his wife Becky (N9ZUE) and their oldest son Steven (N9ZUD). Shortly after the three of us got our tickets Becky and Steve's youngest son James (KB9LSV), joined the ranks. My wife Donna (KB9MFI) finally passed her Tech test and added her name to the family list. The only one left who is not a ham is our daughter Rikki. She has expressed some interest, but never wants to take the time to sit down and study. Maybe in the future.
After some study and encouragement from an older ham Bill (K9IHU), I finally upgraded and added CW to my ticket. It was challenging and took a lot of patience but I finally did it. That opened my interest factor to another level and got me moving toward earning my General Class ticket. Unfortunately, because of varying reasons, I never broke 10wpm and had to wait until the FCC changed the code requirements for General Class.
I studied for nearly a year off and on before I finally took the test and passed. It took another year before the final upgrade. When I finally decided to apply myself, I got the book and studied for just over three days then went and took the Extra Class test and passed, thus earning my 2x2 callsign that I have now.
Besides the time I spend on the air as a ham operator, I'm known for my love of sports. At one time I was a sports writer and spent many nights away from home covering Indiana University football, Indianapolis Colts football and North Knox High School sports. The newspaper that I worked for no longer exists, The North Knox Leader, I still have a great many memories and friends from that time in my life. I am still an auto racing enthusiast and baseball junkie as well as an ASA umpire. It took a long time, but I finally got my dream seat for the Indy 500, box seats on the main straightaway.
I also attended the National Umpire School last year in Owensboro, KY and took the next step in my umpiring career. While it's truly a challenge both mentally and physically, I get a lot of enjoyment from it and continue to try and improve as I go along. And I have the bumps and brusies to prove it!!! While the summertime is spent by many enjoying picnics and camping, I spend them sitting at hot softball fields. There is a small core group of us that do most the games around here and in the region. We are a dedicated group who take pride in what we do when we're umpiring. While it's hard work, we have fun along the way. Just like ballplayers have their own routines both before and after a game, so do we. Whether it's discussing something that just happened or something we think might happen, we care about what we do and how we do it. It's also a great social activity for those of us in the avocation. THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE BLUE.
When it comes to umpiring girls fastpitch, it takes an individual who is both thick-skinned and oblivious to the outside. You have to be a combination of arbitraitor, mediator and partially looney. Your skills as an umpire are only as good as the last time you took the field. People (the fans in the stands, that is) don't remember anything but the bad calls. They seem to not notice the way you came from the slot at short to call the double-play at second then first. They don't notice when you're sitting behind the catcher taking a beating from a catcher who can't catch and a pitcher that throws 80 m.p.h. and is wild.
When you see the man in blue trying to do what he is paid to do keep in mind that it's the job that nobody else wanted to do. Remember that you didn't want to do it, so he or she is. Remember that they know what is expected of them and how to do it. Don't be so critical that you can't see the good for the bad. After it's over, don't rush to judge, but rather wait and learn. And if you think you can do a better job, then go to the umpire training schools, pay hundreds for the equipment, drive to the game, wear 15 pounds of equipment in the heat and humidity, then walk off the field with nothing more than a feeling that you did your task the best you could do. Then you can be judgemental, but not until you've walked in his or her shoes.
http://www.softball.org-The
ASA, the most recognized body in softball. They have many
national, regional, state and local tournaments. It includes
lists of those tournaments, eligibility rules and other things.
It also tells you how to join the umpire program.
http://www.indiana-asa.org-Home
page of the Indiana ASA. Lots of links to Indiana state
tournaments for both adults and youth teams.
http://indiana-asa-jo.com-Home
page of the Indiana Junior Olympic program (youth asa softball).
Has a lot of good info for players, fans and umps. Includes
tournament dates, locations and registration information.
http://www.fastpitch.com-Fastpitch.com has a lot of good resources and info for players and coaches. With links to other softball sites.
http://www.geocities.com/jonweiss57/index.html?1032039524185-This is the website of one of my old Army buddies. His name is Jon and he has been sick recently. While I know this is not much interest to some people, I think it's important to remember the men who served our country. Jon and I go back to our days in the Cav and now he has a web site. So, I'm including a link to it. Jon if you read this, I'm thinking of you and your family. Best wishes and get well soon.
http://www.tmore.org/-This is a link to the website of Thomas More High School in Milwaukee, WI. The reason I put it on the website is because the Athletic Director is probably the second oldest friend that I have personally. We were stationed together in Germany in the late 70's and early 80's. We coached together, drank together and got in trouble together. While we haven't seen each other for quite awhile, we still keep in touch. Thought I would include it in this website for old time sake. If you see this Kevin, here's thinking of you, Sandy and girls.
www.echolink.org-This is where
you can download the software to start operating on the Echolink
worldwide system. It uses VOIP technology to link radios to
computers to the internet. It can give you many hours of
enjoyment. It's a new mode that is starting to make a small, but
significant impact.
www.eqsl.cc-All of the contacts I
make using the Echolink system who request QSL cards can get them
from eQSL. It gives you a system to build, send, receive, and
print on-line QSLs. They also have a couple of awards available.
www.eham.net-If you haven't
visited this site, you really should. It has lots of good reviews
on equipment. It also has lots of links to software, classifieds
and industry links. They also have updated news, etc.
www.hamstation.com-The
Hamstation, which is located in Evansville, IN is about the only
Ham shop left in the tri-state area. They have a full service
department and sales staff. You can email them with questions and
they are really good about answering them.
www.w9ear.org-This is the
Evansville Wide area repeater system. They have a link locally
here in town and have tried to keep one operating from
Indianapolis to Evansville. They are a fine organization and they
have several good links there. They also sponsor the Evansville
Winter Hamfest. It's usually put on the Saturday after
Thanksgiving each year.
www.qrz.com-This is a major site if you
aren't already familar with it. It has a callsign database, DX
reports, News and other useful things. They also have a monthly
contest to give away radios with giga parts.
Post your own classified ads here. Feel free to post ads to sell equipment, look for equipment to buy or trade. You can also post ads for upcoming hamfests, events, special event stations, etc. Please no ads for adult oriented material. Make sure you leave a contact number. Post your own stuff or stuff for a friend, but just be honest in the ad and don't try to sell something that doesn't work unless you list it as parts only. You can also post information about stolen hamgear.
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