W5GW
My amateur radio call sign is W5GW. If you are familiar with amateur radio, then most will recognize this a 'personalized' call sign. It is the latest call sign of many I held over the 22 years I served in the US Air Force. My first call was KN0GER and I received it in 1956 when I was 13 years old growing up in Olathe, KS. My first station was a borrowed Hallicrafters S-38C receiver and a homebrew 6L6 transmitter operating on the 40 meter CW (Morse code) amateur band. Initially I didn't make many contacts, but certainly learned a lot and eventually upgraded my station, improved my operating techniques and the contacts were more frequent.
My Amateur Radio Station Today
As mentioned before, my radio station is modest by many standards in amateur radio. It is neither a contest station nor does it have all of the latest gadgets. At right is a picture of one of my two operating stations equipped with an ICOM-756 PRO II transceiver, SB-220 linear amplifier and accessories. This station position is located in my observatory. I have three antennas: a Cushcraft A3 triband beam on a 55' crank-up tower; a G5RV wire antenna; and a ground mounted Butternut vertical. Note you don't see a microphone in this picture. Oh one or two exist, somewhere, but my favorite mode is Morse code or CW. Sometimes I operate using the newer digital modes such as PSK-31 and radio teletype or RTTY as it is referred to. These modes use a computer interface and a keyboard.
Radio Station W5GW This is the radio station in the observatory.