Welcome

Welcome to The Radio Wire! We have been involved with radio our whole life. The mission of The Radio Wire radio is to provide practical and technical information to a world-wide forum of amateur radio operators around a common theme: radio communication, technical topics, portable, outdoor, adventure and preparedness.

Back in the day, before wireless radio, a telegram was sent over wire conductors using Morse code. To wire them, or to send a wire, are phrases still used today.

Then as we know, wireless radiotelegraphy was developed, and then amateur radio came to be!  From there, amateur radio developed into to so many things, and then radio amateurs gave back so much in technology and in public service.

And with all the technology that has developed with radio frequency communication, some  amateurs enjoy restoring and operating vacuum tube equipment and using Morse code to communicate.

From the earliest ARRL Amateur Radio handbooks that I’ve read, in the introduction it’s  stated that, the amateur radio operator is an ambassador to the world. And I’ve been a propagation, antenna, and DX enthusiast ever since.

About Me N9MDE  

I’m Bruce, N9MDE.  We live here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, near Marquette on Lake Superior. The Upper Peninsula borders three of the Great lakes, Superior, Michigan and Huron. The Great Lakes are large enough to be considered inland seas.

For me, the interests in radio stated as a teenage kid. The crystal set in shop class. Which did not work well for me then. Listening to am broadcast at night when the signals ‘went long’, I could hear Boston, Chicago, and others. Then at about 16 years of age I built a five channel Heathkit tube type citizens band radio, and a dipole antenna. Back then I didn’t know that the 5763 amplifier tube was capable of 15 watts if the plate voltage resistor was changed!  Perhaps a good thing…

Somewhere in there we acquired an old tube type receiver that picked up local and foreign am broadcast which I enjoyed. We enjoyed the shortwave listening and listening to amateur(ham) radio operators. Soon after I longed to become a radio ham operator.

I did a lot of building and salvaging parts from old TV sets. I had an old Setchell-Carlson TV with a modular power supply that unplugged. Then in one of the amateur handbooks I found the plans to build a CW transmitter, which I did. The tube was the 6DQ6 horizontal oscillator tube used for TV sets back then.  It will put out about 35 watts.

I learned the hard way about why you use a resistor to dis-charge the power supply electrolytic capacitor!

The transmitter sat because even though I started studying for a Novice class license, self-confidence and other interests took over.  The transmitter I still have but was never used. If I were to use it now, I would need to test things out for stability and signal quality.

I started with electrical technology at the community college, then changed to engineering, and then transferred to Michigan Technological University receiving a degree in electrical engineering, power systems.

Then in the 90’s me and some of my friends studied and became licensed hams.          As I was preparing for my license, I had joined the local club, the FVARC.  That coincided with Field Day coming up.  What a blast!  But they had encouraged me to operate the radio, but I was afraid to speak!  But that changed fast. I have talked to stations all over the world and enjoy building antennas, wave propagation and portable operation.  When I first received my license, even though voice communication was my interest, I used CW communication for a while to experience it. One conversation (QSO) was with two other people.  You knew who was transmitting just by how they keyed their transmissions. And you felt a sense of comradery. It was interesting, hard to explain. 

My interests in amateur radio include propagation, antenna design and building, talking to friends on 80 meters, and working DX on 40 meters. “Delta echo, make your call”!

I have some interesting conversations with people around the world. I have worked the previous king of Spain and once heard Tom Christian on Pitcairn Island, but he did not hear me. I vowed to get a better antenna!

As an engineer and amateur radio operator, I found my background useful in solving RFI problems for amateurs caused by power distribution lines.

This is a photo my son Jeremy KD8FPH taking his General Class exam and me taking the Extra Class. Our oldest son Justin WQ8L already had his Extra!

Here are photos of Jeremy and me with Dave N8DP receiving our General and Extra Class.   I have known Dave since I was a teenager and the CB radio days.