RICH weddle N7GC

Rich N7GC in his shack

The Brick - Rich's first radio

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   Rich is a gadget guy who was walking through the old Capital Hill Mall in Helena on a Saturday twenty years ago when he stopped to visit with CCARC members who were demonstrating amateur radio in front of the Radio Shack store (since closed.) Rich had been intrigued by amateur radio ever since his Uncle Rex W9VNW introduced him to the hobby when he was a young boy, and the chat with the Helena hams rekindled his interest. Rich was hooked when former member Vaughn Martin N1XV explained that facility with Morse code was no longer required for a ham license, and that a 2 meter handheld transceiver could interface with the telephone system through an autopatch. When he told his wife, Mary Lou, that he had decided he would like to get into amateur radio, she wasn’t too keen about the prospect of having antennas on the roof.  But in the end she didn’t mind, and later when the guys came over for a tower-raising, she graciously provided lunch.

   Encouraged by Bob Solomon K7HLN and other club members, Rich got his Technician license in April of 1997 and then passed the CW test to get the Technician Plus license. For a couple of years he made all HF contacts using halting CW. But then when the code requirement was dropped, he moved into voice and digital modes, obtaining first his General and then his Extra class license. 

   Rich’s first radio was a handheld “brick,” Radio Shack HTX 202. He progressed through hand-helds to his first 2 meter base station, a Kenwood TM 261A, which he still uses for remote operations. Now his primary radio is an Elecraft K3 HF transceiver with an added 2 meter module that he built with the extensive help of another former Club member, Cy Jones WU7R.  Loving gadgets as he does, over the years Rich has accumulated a collection of all things radio, including a Yaesu FT 5100, an Icon IC-706 MkII, an Elecraft P3 Panadapter, and a MKJH DX beacon monitor. He has four antennas: a Gap Challenger DX vertical antenna, a Carolina Windom 40 unbalanced dipole, a Cushcraft A3S triband beam, and a Cushcraft A144-10S 2 meter beam. In the fall of 2002 the stalwart crew shown in the photo below installed the two beam antennas on a six-foot roof tower.

   When he gets on the air (which he admits isn’t often enough) Rich’s preferred mode of operation is PSK31, because the software’s waterfall display takes all the guesswork out of finding active stations on frequency. He also likes the fact that this mode operates very effectively at relatively low power settings and can decode extremely weak signals. However, Rich says that FT8 sounds intriguing, and he hopes to learn more about it.
Rich is one of CCARC’s real pillars, having served in various capacities over the years. He was president for a year, then secretary for about 10 years, and currently serves as the club’s vice-president.  For a long time he has coordinated the weekly ARES net.  In 2003 he was honored to receive the club’s Ham of the Year award. Rich is always there for the club and his wry sense of humor lends a light touch to meetings.
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Photos of 2002 tower-raising by Cliff Smith, Silent Key.
February 2018
 

Tower-raising crew 2002

MFJ DX beacon monitor

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Rich's Elecraft K-3

Tower-raising