As part of the GERATOL Website revitalization efforts, we are going to be featuring GERATOL Net members, and especially our Elected and/or appointed Net Officials.
This month, we start off profiling one of the GERATOL Net’s greatest supporters, and overall experienced operators: Frank – AA0ZP, who is of course the newly re-elected Secretary of the GERATOL Net.
Frank was first licensed in 1960 while a senior in High School in Louisiana as KN5BCC. We all wonder where Frank’s southern accent went !!
While a young Ham, exploring the bands, Frank operated using a Heathkit DX-40 and a Hallicrafters Sx-99. For you younger folks on the net, check out those pieces of equipment. They were quite popular back in the 60’s. His antenna farm consisted of a dipole and a Demi-Quad.
As is the case with many young Hams, life got in the way, and Frank’s license expired when he went off to college, but his interest in Ham Radio never waned and after 21 plus years of service to his country in the US Air Force (in communications, what else?) He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1986 as a Major and flew on the SAC Airborne Command Post (Looking Glass) as Comm Officer for 5 1/2 Years.
Following his military career, he was once again bitten by the Ham-bug, and was back on the air in September of 1992 as a General (N0UCG) using the old novice rig, updated with a Heathkit VF-1 VFO instead of crystals. Technology had changed over his thirty year hiatus from the hobby, and Frank was going to start taking advantage of it.
He achieved Worked All States on 40Meter CW before Christmas of that year. He then added a new Kenwood TS-450S and started in on SSB in late 1992. He achieved DXCC and a bunch of other awards in 1993.
Today, his primary rig is a Kenwood TS-950SD, which he obtained in 1995. His antennas are a 3-element tri-band Yagi at 40 feet, a G5RV flat-topped at 40 feet (for 80 Meters through 10M) and an inverted-L for 160 Meters. He also added an MFJ 9406 6 Meter rig in 2003 and also has a Kenwood TM721A dual bander with J-pole antenna for 144 and 440Mhz plus an Icom 24AT hand held.
Frank upgraded to EXTRA (20wpm code) in 1995 and he remains active still having a blast on the bands. He was introduced to 6 Meters in 2003 when he bought an MFJ 9406 10 Watt transceiver at the Dayton Hamfest.
He was able to get VUCC and after 10 and 1/2 years, finally worked the one state needed to complete WAS on 6Mtrs, which as we all know, is no easy task. Perhaps even more challenging than our Unbelievable Operating Achievement Award on the GERATOL Net. Speaking of which, Frank completed his requirements for and obtained his GERATOL Number (#1932) in December of 1995. In addition, Frank has achieved 8 band SSB WAS, 5 band CW WAS, a Mixed band RTTY WAS, and 331 countries for DXCC credit and added 5-Band DXCC in 2012. All very impressive achievements.
Finally, he got his DXCC total to 338 countries and got the last two QSLs for the ARRL’s Honor Roll on 20 November 2014. He also has WAZ and the new WUST award. WUST of course, is the very challenging award where you need to work US Territories.
Frank remains active on the GERATOL Net, 3905 Century Club, and OMISS Nets as well as the HF bands.
Some of his other, non-HAM related interests include: collecting military insignia, restoring his old Lionel train set and collecting NASCAR 1/64 die cast cars.
Frank is a Life Member of ARRL, an ARRL-VE, the trustee of the SAC Memorial Amateur Radio Club call sign K0AIR and of GERATOL Net Amateur Radio Club call sign W0NL. He is past Vice-President of OMISS, past-President of the 3905 Century Club, and last but not least, is our newly re-elected Secretary of GERATOL Net.
Feel free to congratulate Frank on his re-election, and of course, give him a warm welcome when he checks into the net.
Thanks for your service to our Country, Ham Radio and the GERATOL Group Frank !!!
73, Kevin N1KL