Member of the Month
GSARA owes its success to members like you, who have contributed to making it an excellent platform for Amateur Radio enthusiasts. As a club, we seek to showcase your experience in the hobby and encourage other members to learn more about each other. If you're interested in participating, kindly send an email to mom@gsara.org.
MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT
Steven DiPirro (KC1OSX)
I spend most of my time with SSB phone on the HF bands and is what I enjoy most. I have played around with digital voice modes like C4FM/Fusion and DSTAR as well as APRS, and more recently, since joining ARES, various digital modes on VHF and HF with fldigi and Winlink. I enjoy portable operation as a means to experiment with different portable setups for fun but that might also come in handy for ARES and emergency comms.
You do not need a lot of fancy equipment to get on the air. Thanks to the HOA at our Texas house, I started with a very old, used Yaesu radio that I bought off of eBay and a reasonably inexpensive MFJ dipole that I had to hide.
Second, experimentation is key. I lost count of how many antennas and setups I tried while trying to “hide” mine or set up temporarily at a rental after first moving to New England.