So who am I? The short answer is that I’m a Ham Radio Operator named Dick Barnes. I have a new Vanity callsign (N4BC), and was previously WB4YZU & K4FTW. I was overseas for most of my Ham “career”, in some pretty exotic places.
I’m a member of QCWA #36139, SKCC #10710, NAQCC #6947, and QRP ARCI #15436.
I was first licensed as a Novice in 1967 as WN4FCS, but let the call expire after the one year period … it just wasn’t my time yet. I then became licensed as a Conditional licensee in 1971, while working overseas as a contractor at a USAF Satellite Tracking Station in the British colony of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. My Seychelles callsign was VQ9D, and I was quite active. While there, I and several other local hams traveled to Desroches Island in the British Indian Ocean Territory on a DXpedition and I had a great time working the world from there for a week as VQ9D/D. When Seychelles gained its independence, I became S79D and was active there until 1990, when I moved to Diego Garcia as VQ9RB. I was on the air there pretty much every night until I returned to the United States in 1993. I had a short stint as G0/WB4YZU while vacationing on the way. When I returned home, I took the licensing exam and upgraded to Extra class.
I had not been very active since returning, but have recently gotten re-interested in the hobby – especially CW. I did work RTTY from overseas, and sometimes HF Packet, but there is now such a spectrum of different modes. I’m really getting into it :-).
I can be contacted at dick@N4BC.com