Welcome to my humble home page. I am Mac AE5PH and I decided (finally) to put together a website cataloguingmy amateur radio projects and experiences. I hope that you find the topics contained within these web pages to be entertaining, if not useful. Please note that the content will change over time, as new topics are added. Google's generous limit of 100 MB of free web page storage requires that I be judicious in what I post and how much storage is used.
Relevant Background
I possess a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering ('79) and Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering ('81), both from Kansas State University. My research and coursework specialized in digital signal processing (DSP) and instrumentation. My master's thesis was the development of a single-board computer using the National Semiconductor NSC800, which was the first CMOS implementation of the Z80 microprocessor. I developed the printed circuit board (PCB), back in the days of rub-down tape and donuts on vellum. I used a NorthStar Horizon microcomputer running CP/M to compile and modify an assembly-language based intrusion detection algorithm utilizing a adaptive lattice filter. The algorithm was part of a research effort with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) into perimeter security for air bases. If I ever generate a softcopy of my master's thesis, I may post it, if it doesn't take up too much storage space.
From 1988 to 1992 I worked for Sunair Electronics in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I was hired to develop a radio modem and controller that was compliant with FED-STD-1045/MIL-STD-188-141A Adaptive Link Establishment (ALE) standards. The effort was successful, with the Sunair MD-9188 ALE Modem winning a performance competition in 1990 that was hosted by the National Institute of Science and Technology. I did not have an amateur radio license at the time, but I was able to use Sunair's radio license to get my first taste of shortwave radio communications.
I have been a ham since September of 2009, when I got my Technician license (call sign KF5DAF). I was part of a group of people in my church that had volunteered to get licensed in order to support emergency response activities. The church paid for a 1 1/2 day course as well as the exam.
After receiving my Technician license, I quickly decided that I wanted to go ahead and work towards my Amateur Extra (AE) license. Being an Electrical Engineer, I felt that the AE would give me the most flexibility and I had the background to obtain it without too much effort. In October 2009, I passed the General license exam, but not the AE exam, although I got well over half of the questions on the AE exam correct. While I had studied for two weeks preparing for the General license, I had not studied at all for the AE exam, so I really wasn't particularly disappointed.
I spent a week over the 2009 Christmas holiday preparing for the AE exam. I passed the exam in January 2010, missing only one question. Overall, I felt that the exams were easier for me as I went higher in grade. I think this was because there were more electronics-related questions and fewer regulation-related questions in the higher grades, especially the AE. I elected to obtain a new call sign, receiving AE5PH. I found the call sign rather fitting, as I am "Paw-Paw" to my grandchildren and they stay at my "hotel" quite often!
My primary interests in ham radio are currently homebrewing, software defined radio (SDR), QRP operations, and field operations related to emergency response. Given that I don't have deep pockets, I can't run out and buy the latest high-dollar radio equipment. Fortunately, my electronics background is serving me well in allowing me to build what I cannot buy. I've pretty much had to "bootstrap" my way into the hobby, building test equipment as well as radios.