Section Manager

Greetings!

As of April 2019, I am your new Section Manager for North Texas.  I eagerly look forward to serving each and every one of you!

Please feel free to contact me by email KG5VK@ARRL.org or at 318-470-9806.  If I do not answer the phone, please leave a message with your Name, Call sign and short subject title so that I can research an answer before calling you back.

I have been licensed since 1972 and enjoy HF DXing and Contesting, and UHF/VHF.  I enjoy the many ham radio modes, including CW, Phone, FT8, Analog FM, DMR, and D-Star.  WINLINK is but one of the tools in my ECOM tool box, that gets tested routinely by sending emails out over HF and is completely independent of the Internet.

I have the ARRL DXCC award on many bands and several Modes.  I am just 12 entities short of DXCC Honor Roll, Mixed Mode and when a rare country comes active I will be intensely focused on working it.  

I have been asked more than a few times what is the one greatest thing I love about Ham Radio, for me it is simple….

The People!

I love meeting new folks and rekindling with those I know, whether that be on the air or eye ball QSO’s.  There are four ARRL sponsored Ham Fests in our Section and I forward to meeting you at one or more of those.

Affiliations:

Currently I am affiliated with the following clubs / groups

• ARRL – I should have gone for Life Membership when I was a kid
• CW OPS – Member # 1806
• Lone Star DX Association – Member
• Dallas Ft. Worth Contest Group – Member
• Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club – Member
• A-1 Operator Member – Nomination Received from peers 2019

I retired from the United States Air Force in 1993, I served in Combat during Desert Shield/Storm 1990-1991 and during Operation No Fly in 1993.  I served as an Aircraft Electrician in the USAF and spent most of my career in the Strategic Air Command.  I am the Past president of The Key City Amateur Radio Club Abilene, Texas, as well as the Past President of the Shreveport Amateur Radio Association and Louisiana Contest clubs. 

I am Married to my fantastic wife of 43 years, who is also USAF Retired.  Upon retirement from the USAF my wife and I built a professional Photography Studio (Lott’s Photo) in Bossier City, Louisiana.  

From 2000 – 2014 I taught Photography at Bossier Parish Community College, Bossier City, Louisiana.

My wife and I moved back to Texas in 2015.  Shortly there after I went to work at Main Trading Co. (MTC) Paris, Texas.

In November of 2018 I retired and sought out to become the ARRL North Texas Section Manager.

My Ham Radio Elmer was Rob Bracken, WB0CXN and my DXCC Mentor is Tom Blackley, KR5D

Cheers!

Steve, KG5VK