About Me
VE9KK
I was first licensed in 1989 and upgraded to advance in 2000. I primarily operate contests both CW and RTTY. I have been operating RTTY contests since 2005 and started CW contesting late 2006. I became more interested in CW and CW contesting but I had to get my code up to contest speed. I was able to get from 10 wpm to 34 in about a year with LOTS of practice. During 2007 I also was bitten with the QRP bug and operate my
Elecraft KX1. (The KX1 also has been sold) Another part of the hobby I enjoy is kit building it helps with the long winter nights.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguftIaAQq7pf8dNS20782gxymFIHHLuMyqWIuCowaDbYR12C1QYQcyqqDGhTpvQZwPhMBISWKdhW6uq1r1tOWkYa2LxDaZ-HoGyVMp05LlPZm1oMim-KxLu1pH6YOFVeSYH6c5hTdYds7q/s200/k2+front.jpg) |
My former K2 (sold) |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLLRRbnzVRy2k9MgigUWSKhch8YnQa3GG7nPT3dwzcuqPUA2wuaXMAR0nVjyM27BpMMGTsHQSoZ9wA6MWml0EZ99osT8-RfGQ5yhpRi2vP0wt8BiLq3MkKuhW0g2OSD-u5DGoRVQUgB2K/s200/DSC_0178.jpg) |
My K3 (sold) |
My home station consisted of an
Elecraft k2 (K2 was sold for funds for a new KX3) and
K3 with a
Begali contour paddle. My antenna was the
MFJ 1788 loop antenna. Which was on the balcony here in my condo. Not a mega contesting antenna by any stretch of the imagination. But I do live in an antenna restrictive area and that is the best I can do. It's not all about winning but enjoying the game....Well, it would be cool to be a big gun one day…I did have the Elecraft
KX3 and took it with me when I ventured outdoors for some "free-range" operating.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFNiQ_w-_IJOWyQnuTJAiNaJ83CygBrpzOiX9_KTQ1XiudfWco8IQ0GXLWe6OchU0AI0p86-QSXMygokb-FdWTsr9VW-wUzNV7hUpk_QZQ-2m4EVf7M01VDlR4acEOD-kwUe7c3H9RVQ/s200/DSC_0090.JPG) |
The KX1 the first kit from Elecraft (sold) |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSSgiTGzTOq78C7eiMvcKlbzUZvi5siSwbHiUOqMzyzuKPvJsQAP8ckH3rBw6tqKrxQZx-96R-mGLkg3v52GIJ5dg23vnKjaZRfsEZ_LULBMEauiaLqXJPf_UFR2mV1CVA0excypU_D0/s200/DSC_0916.JPG) |
The new KX3 added to the family (sold) |
So fast forward to where I am in life travels now....I have retired (2019) and we picked up and move to New Brunswick n the Maritimes in Canada. I am able to have an outdoor antenna which is an Endfed multiband antenna. I am not the proud owner of an Icom 7610 radio and it's fantastic and I am now officially away from Elecraft. Nother at all wrong with the Elecraft product but I felt it was time for a change. To fund the change I had to sell the K3 and my 1788 mag loop which really I had no use for now. I also sold the Begali key as for some reason I just could not get used to it. I purchased the
9A5A solid-state CW paddle and it has been working great. My PC was starting to show it's age and it was with regret that I sold my Elecraft KX3 to fund the new PC upgrade.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6mCbAUG9jEYX65lWN4WzDqIsIoKxiMi5AZaCEf31F80krTWZHzRrvJCKkf_soCiH4VDb6rbfCobKqMUr22JUlo0H3grZeqQVud-CVb6IasrEZ1tVc0o6v8RIgv-JR3wm9PxD-ws8IwcF/w200-h150/thumbnail_IMG_2284.jpg) |
The Icom 7610 |