Amateur Radio Station
NK7W
Penrose Colorado
DM78ln
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About

Life member: ARRL, RSO and others
Member: Royal Gorge Amateur Radio Club, Canyon City, Colorado (also on the Board of Directors)
Member: President of the Beaver Creek Amateur Radio Association, in the Red Rocks at Beaver Creek Ranch Community (a property owners association), near Penrose, Colorado.
Past member of many Ham radio clubs across the USA and around the world, including the JARL while stationed in Japan.
I've held every elected and appointed office in many of these clubs, including the office of President of the Radio Society of Okinawa (RSO) several times during the six years I was stationed there.
I'm also the founding President of several Amateur Radio (HAM) clubs in the United States, including the Moreno Valley Amateur Radio Association in California, Beaver Creek Amateur Radio Association in Colorado and several other clubs.

10-X # 39658
EPC # 16305

Please QSL via eQSL.cc. My card is "Authenticity Guaranteed"
(AG), which means they have a copy of my HAM license on file.

We moved to the "Edge of the Middle of Nowhere," 8 miles North of Penrose, Colorado, in the middle of April 2019 to build our new 80-acre Belted Galloway cattle ranch. The ranch shall consist of cattle, a Honey Bee Apiary, a fruit orchard and others. There's lots of work to do clearing the pastures of scrub brush (Juniper and others), invasive species (cactus & weeds), seeding, building the Ag building, corrals, fence, irrigation and many other things before the construction is completed. This is very time-consuming, especially since I do much of the work alone. Anyone want to help???

October 2019

We're finally in the house (June 2019 and the shack is partially operational. I installed a 40-foot fiberglass push-up mast and Tennadyne broadband folded dipole for 160-10 meters. Until I can plant the towers and install the rest of the antennas, I'm operating on 2 m and 70 cm with a temporary mag-mount dual-band mobile antenna on a two-drawer file cabinet in the shack. One problem with the HF dipole antenna is that it's in a temporary location and will be moved once again. Check out my Rebel Ranch web site for information on our ranch. I'll update both this site and the ranch website as things change.

June 2024

It's been a while since I updated the information on this page. We're still working on the ranch and building the fence in the west pasture. I still haven't planted my towers, and it will be a few more years till the antennas are in the air.

The major update for this part of the website is the XYL and I are writers and authors. Check our Rebel Ranch Publishing website to see our current books. We're writing others, some of which shall be published later this year (2024).


NK7W
8 miles NW of Penrose, CO.

I'm either active, or I've been active in the following radio activities and modes:

  • ARRL and W5YI Volunteer Examiner.

  • ARRL Official Observer (while living in several different states), until the program ended.

  • ARRL North Dakota Official Observer Coordinator, until the program ended.

  • HF 160 - 6 meters: CW, AM, SSB and FM (on 10 and 6). Fixed, Mobile and Portable.

  • Various digital modes on 160 - 6 meters and sometimes on VHF and above.

  • 2 m, 70 cm and 23 cm: AM, SSB, FM simplex and repeaters.

  • 2 m and 70 cm DMR on repeaters and simplex.

  • Hotspot that can run all of the digital voice modes.

  • 33 cm FM simplex and repeaters.

  • HAM satellites: FM and SSB.

  • APRS:

    Digipeater in the ham shack.

    In my 2022 Ram 2500 Laramie truck, when I remember to turn it on.

  • Fox hunting (hidden transmitters).

  • As soon as I can build antennas and equipment for the two new bands, I'll be on 2200 and 630 meters. I would like to build full wave loop antennas for 2200, 630, 160 meters and possibly other bands. Although these antennas won't be very high, I've got plenty of space on my 80 acres for them.

  • U.S.A.F. Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS)
    • On 11 January 2024, I've been in MARS for 50 years!

    AF MARS Billets:

    AF MARS 8th Communications Wing Commander, 2016 - 2020 (renamed from Region 8 MARS Director due to AF MARS restructuring)
    83rd Communications Group Commander, 2016 - 2020 (Renamed from State MARS Director due to AF MARS restructuring)

    Mission Support Network Manager, 2011 - 2019 (name changed to Military Support Network in 2019).

    Northwest Division Deputy MARS Director, 2015 - 2016.

    The NW Division consisted of AF MARS Regions 8 and 10.
    Due to AF MARS restructuring, the Divisions were deleted, but the Regions remain unchanged. (MARS regions follow the FEMA regions, NOT amateur radio regions)

    Southwest Division - Region 9 HF Voice Network Manager and Public Information Officer
    March AFB Installation MARS Director (IMD)

    Webmaster and web host for this website and many others.

  • Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Auxiliary Station and Net Control for their SHARES network (SHAred RESources). SHARES is a high-frequency (HF) program administered by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) National Coordinating Center for Communications (NCC), allowing certain agencies access to various government radio frequencies and networks. This allows them to pass traffic during times of emergency and when other means of communications are down, or unavailable.

  • HAM and MARS ALE (Automatic Link Establishment).

  • PropNet. You can sometimes find me on PSK-31 on 10/17/30 meters as a PropNET automatically controlled digital station (my station is only operational when I'm in the shack). That means I'm transmitting 4-6 times per hour and listening for other PropNET stations, but I will respond to a QSO request if I'm not doing something else in the shack. We are doing propagation studies. Go to propnet.org for additional information, or to join.

  • WSPRnet (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter network) running 5 watts, or less. Visit their website wsprnet.org for additional information, or to join. WSPR is featured in the November 2010 issue of QST.

  • SkyWarn


    • NK7W Amateur Radio, AF MARS and DHS SHARES Station
    while living in Nevada. Photo Copyright © JD Weiss, NK7W

    Rigs: Other equipment:
  • Yaesu FTDX101MP. All modes 200 watts 160-6 meters
    Not in photo

  • Kenwood TS-480SAT. All modes 100 watts 160-6 meters.
    Not in photo

  • Kenwood TS-2000X. All modes 100 watts 160-6 meters. All modes, 100 watts on 2 meters. All modes, 50 watts on 70 cm and all modes 10 watts on 1.2Ghz. Photo bottom center

  • Yaesu FT-1000mp MK V. All modes 200 watts 160-10 meters. Photo bottom left

  • Tempo 2020 100 watts CW, AM and SSB 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters [Pre-WARC]. Photo top left

  • Yaesu FT-8900 mobile 50 watts FM on 10, 6 and 2 meters. 35 watts on 70 cm

  • Anytone D-578 DMR 2/70 dual-band mobile 50 watts 2m 40 watts 70cm

  • Alinco MD-500 DMR 2/70 dual-band mobile 50 watts on 2m, 40 watts on 70cm

  • Alinco MD-5 DMR 2/70 dual band HT

  • ZUMspot-RPI Hotspot - On-air DMR in/out and ALL voice digital modes to/from the internet (selectable)

  • RM Italy BLA 1000 amplifier. 1 KW output 160-10 meters and 6 meters.

  • Heathkit SB-220 amplifier. 2 KW (1,500 watts PEP) 80-10 meters. Photo top center left (black face)

  • Heathkit SB-200 amplifier. 1,200 watts (input per the owner's manual. 400 - 800 watts out depending on frequency) on 80-10 meters. Photo top center-right (green face)

  • Additional radios not listed here.
    		•
  • MFJ legal limit automatic and manual antenna tuners

  • Dell Optiplex 760 Dual CPU 2.80 GHz desktop.
    Ubuntu Linux (Windows 7 Ultimate stopped booting after a microsoft update for the Specter meltdown in January 2018). I'm completely disgusted with microsoft and plan to replace the windows operating systems on all of my desktop and laptop computers with Linux!

  • Gateway 2.80 GHz Pentium 4 desktop built in 2002.
    Windows XP Professional (Linux shall be installed when XP quits working)

  • Server, Linux operating system

  • Masters Communications DRA-100, high performance sound card interface (not in photo)

  • Signalink USB digital interface (4 - three not in photo).

  • AEA PK-232 digital interface (two, not in Photo)

  • Timewave Navigator digital interface (not in photo)

  • Fldigi software for digital modes.

  • MIL-STD digital mode software (MARS and SHARES)

  • HAM and MARS/SHARES ALE (Automatic Link Establishment) software.

  • Phone patch (3, two not in photo)

  • APRS Microsat WX3in1 Plus 2.0 Advanced Digipeater

  • APRS Voyager 7-watt transceiver (2) one is in my truck, the other is in the shack

  • Uniden SDS200 scanner (25 Mhz to 1300 Mhz not in photo)

  • Additional stuff, junk and goodies normally found in HAM shacks

    • This website shall be updated as things change.

    Copyright © JD Weiss, NK7W 2006 - 2025.
    All rights reserved.

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