N6OI
...formerly WB6MRQ
Ham Radio Station of
Frank Kibbish, Jr.
My Hobbies (full list)
My Photos
Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)
APRS UIFlood
CAT5 Wiring Info
Introduction
Current Solar Conditions
| SF: 228 | A: 10 | K: 2.67 |
This page is an overview of my Amateur Radio -- aka "Ham Radio" -- activities, one of my favorite hobbies.
If you are curious about my many other hobbies (I have more than any one person should... really), check out my generic Hobbies Page.
My History in Ham Radio
I've been licensed since June, 1975. Originally licensed as WN6MRQ, I upgraded to General class — which is when my call sign became WB6MRQ (that's the way the FCC managed call signs at the time; "WN..." calls were for novices only) — and then to Advanced class the next year. I finally got around to upgrading to Amateur Extra Class in 2009.
As of July 31, 2012, I hold the call sign N6OI. After 36 years of identifying myself as WB6MRQ on the air, it took some getting used to. I think I've managed to update most online references (ARRL, QRZ.com, etc.) with my new call, but I'm still finding and updating all the things I own that were marked with my old callsign. (It's amazing how many things end up with your call sign on them!)
Recent Activity
What's Happenin' Now...
December 26, 2022: OK, Christmas is now behind us and, for the most part, the holiday rush is over. It's time to settle into the shack for some winter operating.
I'm hoping my next ATNO ("all time new one") will be Crozet, which just kicked off a day or so ago. So far, a number of people in my area have worked Thierry Mazel F6CUK, who is essentially a one man operation on the island. I've updated my triggers in Ham Alert (which is a great program, by the way) to let me know if Crozet is being heard by anyone on the West Coast. So far, it has only alerted me once to a spot on 30M, but I wasn't able to copy Thierry, who is operating as FT8WW while he's there.
But I'll hopefully have Crozet in the log soon, and then we'll see what else pops up over the next few months. I think it will be a good winter for DX.
My Current Station
I live on a very small suburban lot — just under 7,000 square feed. So for HF antennas, I currently have a hex beam on a 33-foot mast, as well as a 40m/30m fan dipole hung under the hex. The picture on this page shows the hex beam near the center of the property. (Click on the picture for a larger version.). The hex works great on all 6 bands (20 - 6 meters).
Inside the shack, I have an Icom IC-7610, a new (as of June 2022) Elecraft K4D, and a SPE Expert Systems 1.3K-FA amplifier for the HF and 6m bands. I also have an old dual-band (2m/70cm) radio in the shack so I can monitor local repeaters, and my latest toy is an OpenSpot DMR hotspot (UHF), which I use with a BTECH 6X2 VHF/UHF handheld. (I'm really liking the 6X2. In addition to being a pretty decent HT in general, it can hold the entire worldwide DMR database, so you see the callsign and name of anyone that transmits on the talkgroup that you're monitoring.)
On-Air Activities
HF and DX
Since moving to my current QTH in 2006, I've been focusing more and more on working DX. It had been a very part time endeavour until I retired in February of 2018, but now I'm enjoying spending a good amount of time hunting for those rare ones that would usually show up while I was at the office! hi hi
I've also joined the Northern California DX Club (NCDXC). In fact, I became a member of the Board of Directors in 2019. If you live in Northern California and have even a minor interest in DX, you should check out the NCDXC.
My Most Recent QSOs
I upload all QSO's to LoTW and Clublog. I update to LoTW and Clublog almost immediately after any contest, and at least once a month for non-contest contacts. If you want a physical QSL card from me, direct, the bureau, or Clublog's OQRS should all work. But I only send out physical cards periodically, and my first choice is always LoTW. (Note: I no longer upload QSO's to eQSL. I found that not that many people in the U.S. use it, and since it doesn't integrate with either LoTW or Clublog, it was just an effort that wasn't providing any benefit.)
The panel on the left shows the most current QSO's that I've uploaded to Clublog. You can also check to see if you're in my log by using the "Search" box at the top of the panel.
Field Day
With the intention of combining contesting and camping, Field Day has been an annual outing for me since I first took the Novice exam. In fact, I attended my first Field Day after passing the test but before I received my Novice license.
Field Day is still my biggest annual radio "event". The Field Day group that I'm associated with has been together since 1977. We are not a formal club, but refer to the group as the High Sierra Field Day Group. You see, a few of us realized that, (a) Field Day is supposed to be a demonstration of operation without commercial power, and (b) we all enjoy camping, and (c) there is certainly no commercial power in the forest, so... why not conduct Field Day while camping? We turned Field Day into an annual camping trip in the Sierras, and get to put up some pretty interesting antennas given that we have all those built-in antenna towers (aka Pine Trees)!
A small number of us have been doing the "Field Day Camping Trip" since the beginning. Countless others have joined us for anywhere from one to 20+ years. We used to average about 15-20 attendees per year, but in recent years we're down to more like 10-15. But it's still the event I look most forward to every year.
Clubs and Affiliations
Clubs/Organizations
Northern California DX Club (NCDXC).
Northern California Contest Club (NCCC).
American Radio Relay League (ARRL) (Life Member).
Ten Ten International, member number 21301.
Public Service
In the past, I've participated in a number of public service related events, and been a member of numerous public service oriented organizations. Past affiliations have included working with ARES and the Red Cross. Currently, as public service activity goes, I'm most active in the Cal Fire VIP Program (see below).
Appointed Positions
In the past, I've held a variety of appointed positions in multiple organizations. I've served as editor of the Golden Empire Amateur Radio Society (GEARS) newsletter (Chico, CA), evening net control on the Western Public Service System (3.952 Mhz) net, Assistant Emergency Coordinator and later, Bulletin Manager for the Santa Clara County section of the (ARRL).
I'm currently the Secretary for the Northern California DX Club (NCDXC).
General Areas of Interest
The list below contains a brief summary of some of my favorite activities and events, as well as links to sites that cover most of the topics in detail. Other pages on this site (see the "Links" list across the top of the page) cover areas that I've put a bit of thought into, for whatever reason...
| Public Service | |
| Contests |
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| DX Operations | |
| Mobile Operation |
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| Related Links: | |
| Favorite Radios: |
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DISCLAIMER:This site is a constant "work in progress". To be honest, it's not my first priority, so updates will come when I have time — which may not be often. But I'll try to make sure that anything I do post here is more or less timeless. There's nothing worse than an out-of-date web site... - 73, Frank
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Last updated on Monday April 15, 2024 at 3:23 PM Pacific.