A good friend asked me today why I want to be the ARRL Section Manager for North Texas

A good friend of mine asked me, 

why I want to be the Section manager of North Texas

Do you know who our current station appointees are ? ( I did not, until recently)
Are they doing a great job ?

Have you told the current Section Manager that they are doing an Excellent job ?

My phone number is 318-470-9806 my Email address is KG5VK@arrl.net
I am available for you to call and chat with, now and in the future
 

Are you in need of help with something in your station, you read the book and are still struggling to find the answer ?

Are you struggling to find someone to help you put up an antenna, call me 318-470-9806
I recently traveled to Howe Texas to put up two antennas for a fellow Ham (K5FO Jay) that I did not even know (does this mean I will personally put up everyone's antennas of course not, but I will certainly make every effort I can to muster help)

I have always been able to motivate from within, by giving fellow Hams inspiration and courage to tackle the task at hand.
I motivate in a positive manner thru Education.
We need more education in all aspects of our hobby
Why should we learn proper phonetics?
I live in an HOA, how can I get on the air?
Do you have a license and have yet to get on the air?

I may not know the answer to every thing, but I can find the person that does know and we can all learn from that.
I have a track record of Motivating others through my passion and enthusiasm

Please call or email me now, if the line is busy as they say please leave a message or drop me that email and I will get back to you ASAP
I want to earn your vote!

Steve
KG5VK

I am seeking the position of ARRL Section Manager for North Texas

Following the recent announcement by Jay Urish that he is not accepting another term as our SM for NTX and now that I am again retired, I am seeking the position.

For those that would like to know a bit more about me...

KG5VK 
Steven Lott Smith

Born Miami Florida September 1955

First Licensed in 1972 as WN0FOI
Graduate of Parkway High School Manchester Missouri 1974 (But I’m class of 75)
Entered Active Duty with The United States Air Force September 1974
Met my Wife who is from North Texas, while we were both stationed in California
We lived in West Texas from 1981 - 1985 (Dyess AFB)
During that time, I was twice president of the Key City Amateur Radio Club in Abilene, Texas.
Following that assignment we were at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, where I was the President of the Shreveport Amateur Radio Association for 3 years consecutively and two more years later on.
I served in Desert Shield / Storm from December of 1990, through March of 1991 with the 801 Bomb Wing (B-52's)
Retired from the USAF October 1st 1993 and started a Professional Photography Business (Lott's Photo), continued that line of work and also began teaching photography at Bossier Parish Community College in 2001 to late 2014
In 2015 My wife and I moved from Louisiana to North Texas
In 2016 I started work at Main Trading Co. Paris, Texas.
I just retired again and want to spend time supporting fellow North Texas ARRL members with communication to the ARRL.
I greatly look forward to hearing your concerns and accolades on what the league can and has done, for you my fellow ARRL members as well as recruiting new ARRL members.
Many of you have probably seen one or more of the many presentations I have given on a wide range of topics at Ham Com over the past 6 years.
I pledge to be Transparent and available to your communications
KG5VK@ARRL.net

Your Candidate for North Texas Section Manager

Steven Lott Smith
KG5VK

ARRL SS Phone 2018 at my QTH in North Texas

Guest OPS
at
KG5VK

K5PS Scott

Victor WB0TEV

With the extraordinary help of  Scott & Victor

We managed a very respectful entry in this years running of the ARRL SS Phone Contest from my modest shack and even more modest and still maturing antenna farm.

With only three OPS, we had a lot of Butt In the chair time, however we managed to have some fun as well !

With a tad over 4 hours left before the end of the contest tonight, were nudging at over 900 Q's

we managed a sweep first thing Sunday morning on Twenty meters when VO1YY answered my CQ SS Call - What a Thrill !

I will follow-up with another post of the results and try and add some pixs of my very modest atnenna farm

Cheers!
Steve

KG5VK

Rain, Rain and yes More Rain and a few other topics for the post...

Wow !

Have we had enough rain for the the last 30 days or what !
Hard to get anything done outside, it is so wet
Sure would be nice if we had a break and allowed the ground to get a little dry for a change
I guess it's better than a drought :)

Mean while on the health side of things........
Finally relief from my neck pain
Been to see the Nero Surgical guys again and got the second (other side of the Neck)
worked on and I have feeling great again !
It is so nice to now just have the occasional headache, versus the dehabilitating pain I was constantly having.

Go a bit more work done on the antenna Farm (Ham Radio)
even though it is so wet we need hip wanders (wel almost that bad)
I managed to get out on the tractor on the back 18 acres and found that the 80 meter Rhombic is down
Broken pulley allowed the fed point end to fall from the pole

Mean while here is the current antenna Inventory

6 el 20 m monobander
4 el 40m Four Square vertical array
80/160 meter Vertical
8 el wire Sturba Curtain Array (works good on 80 thru ten meters)

2 el Hex Beam for 10/15/20m
80 meter Full size Rhombic (out of commission for now)

Two low band Receive arrays: 

One is the 9 ele YCCC Low band Receive array 

Second is a 3el Hi-Z vertical Array

The 20m OWA M2 is still only at 26 feet above the ground,
which will probably work great for ARRL SS Next week-end
But sure looks way too close to the ground when you see it
Heck the boom is Sixty feet long, so it is barely a third as high as the boom is long !
Goal is to have it at 130 feet on the Tic Ring Rotor, eventually

The 40 m Four square is working great towards the North East
but else where it is only fair....
So I waded out in the water the other day and inspected it
Two of the feed points are broken, hogs chewed on them !!!
Yes we have wild Feral Hogs in these parts of Texas

I still need to get the 80m Four square built
of course priority is to get the 150 feet of Rohn 55g up

Meanwhile I bought an MFJ 1846 antenna (2 ele Hex beam or CobWeb 6 thru 20m)
got it assembled in the cold wx yesterday
plan on putting her up if the rain stops later today
for now she will goon a tilt over pole at about 30 feet
and will be fixed towards West Coast as the 20m monoband is currently fixed towards the East Coast
Long term plans are to have this 2el antenna stay below 30 feet but rotator added

I need to do some work on the 9el YCCC Low Band Receive array
lots of lightning last week and I think I lost several preamps at the base of the verticals
yupp more boards to build and replace !
This antenna system (YCCC Vert Array) requires a lot on maintenance but when she works she is worth it !

Decided I needed to stay close to home for several reasons and not trek to Louisiana for the anual
Multiop get together for ARRL SS Phone, I hope the team does great at W5WZ's QTH this year

Since I am home for ARRL SS Phone, I decided we need to see if a couple of the local guys want to come play....

So far I have two OPS coming
I am greatly looking forward to hoisting an ARRL team again
last time was in Louisiana way back in 2013

Never would have thought it had been that long, but I looked it up
on the http://3830scores.com/ website

I am looking forward to getting to know the guys that are coming over to play
Hope we are able to post a respectable score, Top ten would be nice
but mainly want the ops to have fun and look fwd to coming back again

That's it for now!
Still raining

Cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

September is Here...

While I have been undergoing a lot of pain from a neck injury I sustained many many years ago
I am still staying very busy

Between working at MTC (Yes the Ham Radio Candy Store in Paris Texas)
and maintaining 57 acres of land

I now have my 150 feet of Rohn 55G assembled and ready for the crane to come lift it in place
just need to add some finishing touches on the 4 Element 40 Meter beam She will be mounted at 155 feet.

The Big 6 el 20 Meter OWA yagi is ready to be hoisted up and placed on the TIC Ring Rotor which will be at 130 feet.

Been a long time since I took my last tower down at the old QTH in Louisiana
and I am looking forward to once again having a commanding signal into EU and JA
during the DX contests and Expeditions

Currently I am only 4 away from DXCC Honor Roll
anxious to get there but as KR5D says enjoy the journey,  I am :)

Steve
KG5VK

Enjoyed the limited amount of Time I got to play in WRTC this year

Only 9 hours of Butt in the Chair
20m Beam only at 24 feet
40m Four Square
43 foot vertical for 80M
Had Fun !
Steve KG5VK

Software Tools for Today's DX OP by Steven Lott smith Presented at HamCom 2018

Here is the Link to the PP File that I used in my Presentation at HamCom 2018

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1h2yLaOqXz4eNCR2jRbdCIZcmdeVbNaiyuaKQ3nfRXy0/edit?usp=sharing

Any feedback is welcome

Cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

Friends Meet at Dayton 2018

K8KI  &  KG5VK

Bob and I first met while we were serving in the United States Air Force, back in 1979
We have stayed in touch and seen each other at a few Ham Fest over the Years at Dayton.
I had been absent from Dayton for the last 8 years. it was great to run into Bob in the Flea Market Saturday afternoon.

2018 Dayton here I come !!!

Looking forward to another long over do trip to Dayton Ham Fest
I also signed up for the DX Dinner as well as Contest University.
I ave been neglect in posting the the Ole Sundown DX Association Blog
let's see if I can start posting now that Spring is around the corner :)
By the way if your an ARRL member, and if not why not !!!
Check out page 125 of the March QST.....
How about that guy in the Red ICOM Shirt and next to me is my better half.
I am off from the shop here at MTC tomorrow to sleep in and get ready for some major Butt in the Chair time for this week-end's edition of the ARRL Phone DX Contest
Lately most of my Q's have been either FT8 or CW.....

Cheers!    Steve