Improving Your Voice Communication Skills

I have been in Amateur Radio for over fifty-seven years. First licensed as a Novice in 1967 as WN6VZI, I progressed through Technician (WB6VZI), General, Advanced, and finally Amateur Extra Class. My primary radio affiliation back then was the West Valley ARC, where I learned about contesting and made lifelong friends. Our upstart group of school kids won our category nationwide for five Field Days. I later served as a member and chair of the ARRL’s Contest Advisory Committee. I’m a life member of the League, a former president of the Southern California DX Club and the L. A. Area Council of Radio Clubs, and a founding member of the Southern California Contest Club.

Contesting on both CW and 'phone from home and abroad has been a great experience. I have operated the CQ Worldwide DX contests from twenty-three zones on six continents, including several where we built the stations from scratch, and have been privileged to operate beside some world-class contesters such as N6AA, N6TJ, N6ZZ (sk), K5VT (sk), OH2BH and many others. Watching these guys work is inspiring! I have also enjoyed the outstanding hospitality of local hams in those DX locations and the chance to see their countries in greater depth than a typical tourist might.  Contesting has also helped me develop skills that are very useful in disaster-response situations.  All my DXpedition contacts are loaded into LoTW to make it easy for those seeking confirrmations.

In the late 60’s VHF and UHF became convenient links to my HF buddies as we scrounged up old Motorola “boat anchors” with dynamotor power supplies. Over time, the gear became more sophisticated and a lot lighter! Eventually, the higher bands themselves became part of the DX and contest challenge. I have all states and dozens of countries (on all continents except Europe) confirmed on six meters. Friends and I entered VHF contests, going mountaintopping and experiencing some awesome – for the West Coast - tropo openings and even some meteor scatter (how about Montana on 2m cw?)  Later, I got hooked on "roving", which is VHF-and-up contesting from multiple grid squares in a vehicle loaded with equipment and bristling with antennas.  I built a ten-band system (6m through 10 GHz) to take on the road, and I'm currently buildng a 24 GHz system to add to that mix.

In 1992 I was relocated for work to Hawaii and found myself owning the monster station built by KH6XX. Six 90-foot towers, stacked Telrex yagis (even two elements on 75m) on two acres overlooking Waimea Bay will be hard to top in one lifetime. Alas, work giveth and work taketh away, and I returned to the Mainland four years later. I‘m now settled in Chatsworth, where most of my time is spent in public-service activities. A couple of low-band dipoles in the trees let me listen around and work the occasional HF contact from home.

Twenty-five years ago I decided to take the ARRL’s Level I on-line Emergency Communications course. One led to another, and soon I had all three levels under my belt, along with numerous FEMA courses. I highly recommend giving some of this training a try. Even old-timers will learn from them. I am CERT Level 3, Training Officer and a Battalion Comm Unit Leader for the Los Angeles Fire Department's Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS). As an ARES member and Ass't DEC, I teach and take part in disaster drills - and sometimes the Real Thing!. If you’re a ham in the Los Angeles section, just visit arrllax.org, click on ARES and sign up! Register your gear and see how you can use your radio skills and our amateur spectrum to help your neighbors and your community. Involvement in disaster preparation and response has really improved hams’ image, individually and collectively, with the public. Instead of being seen as neighborhood liabilities, we are now viewed as assets!

I am an accredited Volunteer Examiner for amateur radio licensing examinations through both GLAARG and ARRL as well as a volunteer instructor and am glad to play a small part in bringing newcomers into our ham ranks and training those who want to learn more.

I am pleased to have served as Vice-Director for the ARRL Southwestern Division for over nine years, and I enjoyed the opportunity to work with and for our members.  I served on the Administration & Finance Committee, the UHF - Microwave Band Plan Comittee and others.  Prior to stepping down from that position in 2017, I gave numerous talks on ARRL and a variety of other Amateur Radio topics at clubs, hamfests, conventions and for community groups such as CERT teams.

It is also my privilege to serve on the Board of The Yasme Foundation, which provides funding for projects that enhance Amateur Radio around the world.

Professionally, I was a Certified Public Accountant for nearly three decades, providing financial audits, SEC registration work, internal control services and internal training and quality-control reviews for a major international firm. I retired to have more time with my family, my community and amateur radio