About W7GES

Biography

I was born in Wisconsin and became interested in radio and electronics at a young age. We lived in a small town and I didn't know of any Amateur Radio operators at the time.

In 1995, I noticed a ham radio magazine at a bookstore and bought it. That led me to purchase study guides and attend a nearby VEC exam session. I passed the Novice and Technician exams, and since the exam fee also covered the General test, I took that as well and passed.

I didn’t know CW, so to earn my HF privileges I needed to pass the 5 wpm and 13 wpm Morse code exams. I ordered CW tapes along with the Advanced study manual and began practicing. A few weeks later, I drove 45 minutes to another VEC session and passed both the 5 wpm and 13 wpm CW exams (but not the 20 wpm). At the same session, I passed the Advanced written exam and updated my license class.

My original callsign was N9XMK. A few weeks later, after upgrading, I received my Advanced-class callsign KF9YR.

At that time, I lived on a lake and was able to put up a tower with a 2‑meter beam, a 6‑meter beam, and an HF dipole. I purchased a Ten Tec Omni V and heard our local priest had a Ten Tec 425 for sale so I purchased that as well. The Icom 706 came out at this time and I installed one in my truck with a Bugcatcher antenna and operated mobile as well.

In 1997 I moved to Dodgeville, WI but had no tall trees so I used a vertical for 10-40 meters. In 2001, I saw an advertisement for the SteppIR 3‑element beam and ordered one, along with a small HyGain crank‑up tower. I made many contacts and enjoyed HF operation until 2006, when I moved to Arizona for a business opportunity.

My home in Arizona was in an antenna‑restricted HOA with a very small yard, so most of my equipment went into storage or was sold.

In 2018, I happened to drive past Ham Radio Outlet in Phoenix and decided to stop in. I purchased a HyGain vertical and set it up in the backyard. Around the same time, I changed my callsign to W7GES to match my new district.

In 2019, my wife and I bought a home with a large yard and far fewer antenna restrictions. I purchased a used US Tower 89‑foot crank‑up tower and obtained the necessary permits. On October 25, with help from my father and brother, we installed the tower — just in time for the CQ WW SSB contest that weekend, where I was able to make a few contacts on the new setup.

In the fall of 2020, I spoke with Tim / N6WIN and asked about his experiences stacking JK Antennas Mid-Tri's at his CA station. He was very enthusiastic about the results so I ordered a JK Mid-Tri 40 and a JK Mid-Tri. He also recommended the VA6AM High Power Bandpass filters and Triplexers so those went on order also. The VA6AM order arrived in the early summer of 2021 and I was able to install those in a Hammond enclosure at the base of my tower. A set of OK2ZAW stack matches joined them as well. In October the JK Antennas arrived and I assembled them near the tower. On December 1, 2021 Hector / XE2K and his brother arrived to install the antenna system. Tim / N6WIN drove over from Wickenburg and helped as well.

It's now 2026 and I have been making radio, amplifier and software improvements but I really need to get the 80 and 160 meter situation fixed soon. Thanks for taking the time to read about my Amateur Radio journey.

Technologies Used