W0KIE
www.w0kie.com
Ham radio for me, in a manner of speaking, started when I built a tin can intercom in elementary school. My favorite study books in junior high were the Lafayette and Allied catalogs. That led to the fun of building Knight-Kits, Heathkits and Eico kits and hanging out at the local electronic parts stores on Saturday mornings. When a junior high friend showed me how to hotwire a 5 tube radio and turn it into a micro transmitter I was hooked for life.
I passed the Novice theory and code test and got my first ham radio license in April, 1959, as a junior in high school. The FCC granted me the so-so call sign KN5UPV. It didn't take long after that to earn a Technician license where the letter N was dropped from the call. In November 1964 I enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserves in Tulsa for 6 years of duty which included 2 years active duty and 4 years reserve duty. Immediately after I enlisted I was pleased to receive orders to Morse code school which was held at the U.S. Navy's receiver site on Skaggs Island, California, north of San Francisco. There I learned to receive and type high speed CW on a typewriter which we called a mill.
At the completion of Navy Morse code school I was ordered to report the U.S. Naval Communications Station on Guam. There I was assigned to the ComSec Division, Radio Branch where I spent many months in front of a Collins R-390 receiver typing out incoming CW on my mill. While on Guam I passed the General Class written and code exam. I enjoyed operating the base's ham station KG6AAY. The KG6AAY club station had a 2 element quad which put out a fantastic signal. Being near the salty ocean certainly helped and the JA's treated us like we were a permanent DXpedition.
After Navy service on Guam I moved to Denver where my fiancee was teaching 1st grade. While in Denver I earned a B.S. degree in Accounting at Regis University. After graduation I went to work for the Honeywell Test Instruments Division as a cost accountant followed by a stint as an auditor at Grant Thornton in downtown Denver. While working at Grant Thornton I passed the CPA exam. My W0KIE call was randomly selected for assignment to me by the FCC as a secondary station call. Not long after the assignment the FCC decided that every ham with a secondary station call had to pick either their primary call or their secondary call as their one and only call. My primary call was K5UPV and my secondary call was W0KIE so the choice for me was easy. While in Denver I also passed the Advanced class exam at the downtown FCC office.
The next stage of my life brought my wife and me back to Tulsa where I went to work in the Finance Department of Explorer Pipeline Company. In 1980 I earned an M.B.A. degree at Oral Roberts University at night. I was elected President of the Tulsa Repeater Organization during that time as well as being elected President of the Oklahoma Association of Tax Representatives. For fun I created and managed the W0KIE Satellite Radio Network on C and Ku satellite bands with signal coverage all across North America. I uplinked "This Week in Amateur Radio" and the "Houston Amsat Net" for a number of years on the satellite network. I even uplinked a self produced and self financed 15 minute news video shot in the front of Hara Arena at the Dayton Hamvention. The serious decline in affordable C band analog space and the higher cost of buying digital satellite time resulted in the network going QRT after years of uplinking fun.
I am now retired after working for more than 36 years as a bean counter. I really enjoy operating ham radio, especially 6 meters using different modes. I am a member of various Amateur Radio organizations. I have been nominated to become the next Vice Director of the ARRL West Gulf Division and I ask for your support.
Email us at: w0kie@w0kie.com
Visit us at: http://www.w0kie.com |
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Mike Reynolds W0KIE
3826 S 92nd East Pl
Tulsa, OK 74145 |
