Dan N4ROA

Howdy-do ole Hounds!.  His name is Dan Wolfe, N4ROA, a Fox in Wolfe's clothing.  He has a den in the extreme southwest corner of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  His mate and he have a log house up on the side of Clinch Mountain near the small rural town of Gate City.  This very rare fox can only be seen in this
small area of the world (except on special occasions).

Shown here are the only two known photos to capture this wiley fox.  Photo #1 was taken in the confines of his home den.  He has many dens located in the mountains and hills surrounding his home that he visits on a regular basis to play with this electronic devices called "QRP Rigs".  He can actually talk to "hams" all over the world with these rigs.  He refers to it as CW music, if you know what that is.

Again photo #1.  Here you can see a few of the electronic items of which he has many.  You can tell he was startled to have someone slip in and catch him at play.  He called it the FYBO and was chuckling about how cold it was where some of his other player friends were while he was snug and warm in his den.  hee hee  Photo #2 was taken at one of his mountaintop dens not too far from his home. It is one of his favorite spots to play with the rigs.  This event was called BUBBA.  Shown is more of his stuff with a smaller rig.  He usually tricks one of the locals along to carry heavier loads.

Let's see...He has a Ten Tec Omni C, QRP+, K2, Oak Hils 40M, 2 38 Specials, 2 KniteSMiTes, and of course, a TT2.  WM-1 wattmeter, MFJ-901B tuner.  Kent, MFJ, and K8FF paddles.  He has lots of other stuff, but this is what he uses pretty regularly.  Outside his home den is a 2-element triband Quad for 10, 15, and 20 meters, at 60 feet, a large loop antenna at 60 feet, and a 1/4 wave inverted L for 160 M with 16 radials that he refers to as the "Limestone Lamblaster".

He have no more off days since his retirement.  He is very honored to serve as a Fox and call you his friends.  He hopes to see you on the  bands.

BEN NW7DX
While the youngest in the pack, do not under-estimate this sly fox. NW7DX is 15 years old and is pretty much a contest animal!  Getting his novice license at age 13 in '98, Ben explored and learned the art of CW.  After being a novice for 5 months, he wanted to explore more of the HF spectrum.  Ben upgraded just about every month and finally after being licensed for only 10 months, he had reached the Extra class!  As being the only ham in the family, he has taken up all of the responsibilities for
rigs/antennas, etc.  Currently, Ben's shack consists of a Kenwood TS-570D(G), various QRP rigs that he's built, an 80 meter loop, a cushcraft R-7 vertical and miscellaneous parts, papers and stuff, which
clutter up the floor.  Because Ben lives in an "antenna-unfriendly" developement, his antennas are hidden in the trees.  Luckily, the trees of the Northwest are killers and his loop is up 90 feet!      Ben (a.k.a. the contest animal) has the teen advantage of showing no fatigue even after operating a 48 hour contests and is known to really set the pace out on the bands!.  You will regularly hear him in cw contests either at his home, or guest operating at large contest stations - This man really knows how to work 'em.

Come Join Ben, NW7DX and experience the thrill of Summer FoxHunting!
 

Doc K0EVZ 
I was born in 1942 in Arkansas, but my folks moved to Texas when I was 2 years old.  I received my Novice license in 1960, with the KN0EVZ call. Was a college student in Mason City, Iowa, at the time.  My rig was a single tube transmitter, giving 2 watts out on 80, 40 or 15.  Band changing was with crystals and tank coils, which simply plugged in.  Receiver was a Hallicrafters S-38D.  So from the very beginning I was a QRPer (but didn't know it!).  Upgraded to a Conditional license within seven months. Remained active for about three or four years, while I finished college in Texas.  Then I took a job with a government agency in the area of security, defense and communications, and ham radio became a secondary interest.  I was QRT from the hobby for some 33 years.

In 1995 I lost the use of my right arm, and regained interest in hamming, needing a hobby.  Had to start over from the very bottom, taking all the tests again.  I luckily regained my old call via Gate One, and have been active for the last four years.

Present setup includes a 540' loop horizontal at 33', suspended from four telephone poles.  Also have several inverted vees at 48' - 52', and a GAP Titan DX vertical which is ground mounted at 9'.  Rigs include a K2, Corsair II, Omni C, Triton DX, and a Kenwood TS-830.  Paddles are a Schurr Profi and Wabbler, and my external keyer is a CMOS-II

Jim N0UR

Hello, I am Jim, N0UR (formerly WA0RPI).  If you work any of the QRP contests, I am sure you know my call.  I was first licensed in 1967 at age 13.  After being off the air for a number of years, I became radioactive again about 10 years ago.  I was bored working stations at 100 watts, so I started to see how low I could reduce power and still work stations.  One night I worked KH6CP/1 who was also QRP, he introduced me to a whole new world of hams who were doing the same thing.  I built a HW-9, and have
been very active /QRP ever since.  My main interests are contesting, chasing DX, and lately playing on 6 meters, all CW.

As far as my modest station in the photo.  My main rig is a FT-920, also an IC-735 and a HW-9 on the shelf.  I also have a handful of small kits laying around. My antennas are a 3 element tri bander, 3 element 6 meter yagi, 40 meter dipole and an inverted L on 80 and 160.  After just using wires till a few years ago, I really enjoy a directional antenna, I feel like a big gun now.

Also notice Dingo, my son's QRP pup on the tuner.  He is a regular visitor in my lap when I am down in the shack.  It is an honor to be part of the pack, I can't wait.  See you in August!

Ron W8RU -- with harmonics..

Hello Hounds! I'm Ron and I operate W8RU.  I live in Milford, Michigan which is a suburb on the far northwest side of Detroit.   I enjoy QRP operating, QRP and QRO contesting, DXing, and hunting grid squares on 6m. I am active on all bands from 160m through 6m.   My job is developing algorithms and systems for digitally processing data from radar systems.

The two little munchkins in the picture with me are my daughters Caroline (age 4, seated) and Julia (age 2, standing).   I typically operate after they go to bed and my wife has collapsed from the fatigue of a busy day.  The girls love to play with all the knobs and buttons that adorn my shack.

My main radio is an FT-1000D that can be run QRP as low as 2.5 watts.  I have built up a switched attenuator for QRP milli-watting down as low as 25 milliwatts.  The receiver in the 1000D is quite good, especially in contesting situations.  I have a 60ft crankover aluminum tower that supports a Force-12 C4SXL yagi (2elem on 40m - 10m) and a 5element M2 yagi for 6m.

I have been lucky enough to be a winter Fox in two different years.  It is a completely exhilarating experience!   One CQ and the band erupts into bedlam with dozens of signals all vying for your attention.  Your heart races and your hands shake.  You take a deep breath, focus, and try to grab one complete callsign to get the ball rolling.  You spin the RIT knob back and forth in a frantic attempt to find an isolated strong signal. Two hours of operating fly by in the blink of an eye, and it takes hours to calm down.  It should be illegal to have that much fun with a radio.   I look forward to doing it again this summer on 20m. 72, and see you in the pile-ups.

Here are a few pix...   One is me in the shack;   The other is the view of the
20M tower looking up....  And the last is a view of the "Death Star" from
an airplane....    The 20M stack is 130 feet high with 3- 5 element, 44.5
foot boom M2 antennas - all independently rotateable...   I will use this
to create a pattern across the US...



Tom is a relatively new ham getting his first license in November of 1995. He is grateful to Bob, AF5Z for talking him into ordering a Wilderness Radio Sierra in early 1998 and was infected with the QRP bug big time!  QRP operating and the fox hunts really helped his CW skills although he still feels like a deer in the headlights as a fox!   Tom is the new daddy
of an Elecraft K2 which will be used in the upcoming hunt.  Tom enjoys team contesting and spent most of 1999 clearing land for the creation of his multi-2 "Death Star" tower system which has dedicated towers for 40M, 20M, 15M and 10M...   (Proves he had more dollars than sense...) The Fox hunt will use the 20M tower consisting of three 5 element M2 monoband antennas (44.5 foot boom monsters) on a 130 foot tower - all splayed to cover the US...

Larry is a relative newcomer to QRP but a genuine OT otherwise.  Perhaps better known under his "real" call UA6HZ ("Hot Ziggety" Larry is a very accomplished DXer, DXpeditioner, Contester, FOC member,  and Administrator (former president of the Soviet Amateur Radio Union and judge at WRTC).  Though he's been living in Denver for most of the last ten years, his English is "mebbe not so good" which is why you will seldom here him on sideband.  But he's been using Morse since his first license as a teenager and is "fully fluent."  Very active in the Colorado QRP Club, he has set a number of club records including event scores and Q-rate at Field Day.  He has the ears of a bat, and can copy three or four signals at the same time.

"The sleeping Fox catches no poultry. Up! up! "
--Ben Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac

Marshall's nom de reynard, ET, was earned honestly, in a QRP QSO.  Long envious of ops with names like "Ed," and also cursed with the somewhat difficult QTH "Aurora,"  he was seriously thinking of a legal name change.  But then he was overheard in a QSO with an elderly op in Florida who sent his then callsign AA0XI as "ET ET 0 NA E E", and has answered to "ET" ever since. He says he can repeat "ET" three times, faster than he can send "MARSHALL" once, nevermind the repeats.  Well known in QRP circles as the owner of Morse Express and Oak Hills Research, Marshall ended up with the second place Fox score in last year's winter hunt-- despite having access to a mere GAP Titan vertical antenna.  That's what he'll be using in the 20M hunt.  "It may not be a beam," he says, "but you should see how fast I can rotate it!."

For The QRP-L Summer Foxhunt Committee,
N1TP, K0EVZ, K1MG, N1FN