Amateur Radio

WA6KBL — Jeffrey Pawlan

I have been an amateur radio operator since 1960, originally as a Novice (WV6KBL). Back then, Novice Class licenses were not renewable and were only good for a year. I upgraded to Technician Class and held that until I upgraded to Advanced Class in Feb. 1993. I upgraded to Extra Class in 2000. I have no intention of changing my call. My wife, Monica, KQ6PY, finally got her Advanced Class license in 1997.

Although I began on 40m CW, I was drawn to VHF and microwave immediately. I mentored with several RF and microwave engineers and learned how to modify and tune military and commercial radios to the ham bands. I then studied RF design and built my own transmitters and receivers from scratch. Although I began with tubes, I eventually utilized the very first RF transistors which were Philco drift barrier transistors to make a fully solid state 2 meter AM transceiver. I became interested in the sound fidelity of FM and built a wideband FM transceiver for 2 meters. I was among the first three or five hams in Los Angeles to get on FM experimentally. Later, I designed and built two remote bases/repeaters in Los Angeles.

It was only two years after getting my license that I was drawn to microwaves. I successfully extensively modified a military IFF transponder (APX-6) to bring it into the 23cm band which was then 1215MHz - 1300MHz. I plate modulated the lighthouse tube oscillator to produce AM. I replaced the entire 60MHz IF strip with a much more selective one from a different military radio. With the help of a mentor, I learned how to design a dipole feed for a 3 foot parabolic reflector. I was also fascinated with even higher frequencies and built several transceivers at 10GHz (3cm) using reflex klystrons as the RF source.

Although I was interested in logging International Broadcast stations using my homebrew superregenerative receiver, I did not develop an interest in HF DXing on the ham bands until about 1988. I was not pursuing DXCC until I finally put up a HF beam for the first time in 1994. My motivation was to talk to my EME friends in Europe on HF. I soon became hooked on DXing and have made many friends around the world, some of whom we have visited. I now have 328 current DXCC countries confirmed on HF, 330 total. I am on the ARRL Honor Roll. Below is a 71 foot tower with a Hygain TH11DX.

Below is an EME tower with antennas on an elevator system, shown in the lowered position. As you can see in the photos, I am interested in EME and Space Communications. I have four M2 beams on 2m and four on 70cm. I also have a M2 two wavelength long beam on 6m and enjoy that band very much. I also have completely rebuilt and modernized a SCR-584 radar pedestal on which I mounted a 5m dish for EME. I am on 23cm currently and later this year will also use it for 10GHz (3cm).

Below is my 5m (17ft) dish pointed at the rising moon. In January 1996, I founded a group of technically minded hams called the VHF, UHF, and Microwave Experimenters Group. I served as President for two years. We eventually changed the name to the 50MHz and Up Group of Northern California and formally made Bylaws and established it as a non-profit scientific and educational research organization. We have more than 53 members and meet monthly. Please look at our webpage to see what we are planning: Please visit our web page: http://www.50mhzandup.org.

Two of our cats are occasionally on during contests. Samantha at the microphone is calling CQ MEOW while Munchkin is at the keyboard logging.