7195 Operator Pages

N5SDO

Dave, N5SDO, is in Bloomfield NM. He was inactive for several years and has decided to be active on the bands again.



I came across the 7.195 group years back when I upgraded to general and enjoyed listening in and met a few of the group. “CB” - W5FLA told me a little about the history and purpose of the group and he extended the invitation to join in any time and I did a few times. Mostly I just listened in. I remember talking with a guy named Tom who was a regular with a big signal in Washington state, KA7W, and getting a fair signal report. I was running a Swan 500 at the time and found myself coming back to 7195 often and always enjoyed the great conversations I heard. It was great to hear the informal chats and the guys just having a good time visiting and not running contests or the long nets.

After getting inactive for a few years and almost letting my license expire, I decided to repair my old Kenwood TS-140 and get back on HF in 2011. I pulled some wire out of a box and put up a dipole and ran a 100 W. station for a while and became somewhat of a regular here on 7195. Then one day that same KA7W, now W5QI, made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I went down to see him and came back to the Four Corners area with Tom’s homebrew “Big Bertha” that I had heard from Washington years before.  With Tom’s assistance I rewired the power supply and made a few other mods and now operate with a big signal again for the first time since selling off my old Henry 2K Classic when I went inactive back in the mid 90’s.

It’s good to be back on the air again and enjoy all the guys still here on 7195. I’ll always remember CB and the great example he set for me as a ham. He was a great guy. Thanks “CB”.