I got my Technician ticket in February 2018. I've always been interested in HAM but just couldn't get past the code requirements—languages were never my strong point. When the FCC finally removed the code requirement, it made getting my ticket obtainable. Then it was just the "money" hurdle. In 2017, I was finally able to invest in a decent rig (thanks to the Chinese clone market) and enticed myself to actually go through the steps of getting my ticket by buying a radio. I could listen to the local repeater, and it "pushed" me to study, sit for the test, and pass! Got it in one! ;-)

I listen most of the time—yes, I'm an avid lurker—though I do pipe up when I get the "talkie bug."

I started in Williamson County, Texas, and was pretty active on the WCARC (https://wcarc.com/) repeater until I moved up to Oklahoma City then I was pretty active on the SCARS (https://w5nor.org/) repeaters. I look forward to getting back on the air when we settle back down in San Antonio.

In my truck (2017 Nissan Titan Crew Cab), I had an Icom 5100D. It has turned out to be a decent radio with GPS and D-STAR capabilities. I'm still figuring out the D-STAR aspect. For a while, I used a SharkRF OpenSpot 3 to connect it to Brandmeister DMR, usually lurking on TG 93, 3100, and sometimes 91. Though the OpenSpot 3 finally died on me, I now have a Pi-Star MMDVM board on an old Raspberry Pi 4. I will miss the cross-mode feature of the OpenSpot 3, which allowed me to use my 5100 on DMR. Anyhow, it gives me a good reason to dust off the old TYT MD-2017 for a while until I find a mobile DMR that I like. Space is a premium, and unfortunately, there aren't many detachable-face DMR mobile rigs out there.

We traded in "Tiny," our Titan, for a more fuel-efficient Hyundai Santa Cruz. I now have the surviving TYT 9800 mounted on the dash using a 3D-printed mount and double-sided tape. It works fairly well. The Icom 5100 moved into my shop with an antenna off the back balcony. I set it into cross-band repeater mode and use a couple of inexpensive Quansheng UV-K5 HTs as I roam around the shop to chat with folks on the local repeater.

I did have a TYT 9800 quad-band in the truck as a backup, though after losing one side of the radio to TX/RX failure, its future is uncertain. (Sitting in the trash box, lol.)

A TYT MD-2017 transferred between my shack and my truck. In the truck, the radio sat in the center console "bucket" in its charger, hooked up to a USB DC cord. Using my phone's Wi-Fi hotspot gave me internet access for the MMDVM Pi-Star hotspot, my tablet, and an old Motorola phone displaying a HUD with a moving map and engine stats (using a Bluetooth OBD-II dongle). With Tiny gone, the MD-2017 now sits on the desk in my office, though the roller ball is going bad. It lasted eight years! Not bad for an HT that saw some rough usage.

I'm looking for a decent but inexpensive DMR HT. I think I found it in the Baofeng DM-32UV. The style of it caught my eye and sparked some research. The few reviews I came across reported that the radio did surprisingly well. I hope to have it in hand in a week or two, and we'll see. That also means another Pi-Star-based hotspot for the Santa Cruz. This one will be built on a Raspberry Pi Zero W 2. I think I'll add a Pi Sugar 3 battery backup to keep it alive during truck restarts, shutting it down when we park for the day/night. That was the one thing about the OpenSpot 4—it had auto shutdown when charging stopped for vehicle installs. But right now, the price tag is just a bit too high for me to justify.

I used to use a TYT MD-390 paired with a SharkRF OpenSpot 2, though I had issues programming the TYT with Windows 11 and getting good, reliable firmware and ID databases. Then, unfortunately, the MD-390 met with an early demise—no details—don't ask, don't tell. ;-)

For quite a while, tucked in the door pocket of my truck, I had my first radio, a B-Tech UV-5X3 handheld I bought back in 2017 to encourage me to get my ticket. I then purchased a B-Tech UV-50X3 mobile for my Sorento. I recently had to trash that one; unfortunately, when I passed the Sorento onto family, it developed major electrical issues and ended up frying the radio, truck lights, and other stuff. Oh well. While I had it, she worked great and hit most of the repeaters in the Austin, TX area. The old UV-5X3 finally bit the dust, which enticed me to pick up a couple of Quansheng UV-K5 handhelds. I spent a few days playing around with some firmware and think I have a pretty decent setup that allows me to use those little radios for quick emergency use and close-in communications.

For a while, I had a Kenwood TM-D710G in my Forester, though when running the antenna coax, something was pinched or pulled, and I couldn't get a signal in or out. The antenna showed an open circuit, indicating a break in the conductor. So, that radio really didn't get used much, and I ended up selling the Forester. The radio went with it and became someone else's problem. I really didn't like the interface and function of the Kenwood anyhow.

I've been considering getting my General license off and on, even signing up for scheduled classes at the local club. But the 'rona put the brakes on the classes. I've been going back and forth on getting the ticket, but I really don't have space for an HF antenna. Maybe when I finally fully retire again and get some property out in the country. For now, DMR gives me my "around-the-world fix."

At my old place, I was using a SlimJim antenna from N9TAX Labs hanging from my workshop ceiling. Then, I moved it to a satellite J-pipe mount to move the antenna outside to the eave of the workshop. When we moved into Midwest City, I put up a 20-foot pop-up pole with a Diamond V2000A. That worked great for the few years we had that house.

I was interested in local ARES work. With my background as a firefighter/medic, it seemed to fit my cup of tea. However, my physical abilities are getting a bit poor these days.

Welp, catch ya on the airwaves! 73!