N7EKB's Amateur Radio Page

Picture of Ed in front of his truck at work.

Introduction

This page is where I (Ed Braaten, aka N7EKB), keep things related to my hobby of Amateur radio. My introduction to the world of radios began in a police car at the age of 5 - I was fascinated by all the chatter and squelch tails. I got involved with shortwave listening in high school. I collected a number of QSL cards from international broadcasters and listened to a lot of Deutsche Welle.

After several thwarted attempts through the years I finally studied and passed the test for a No-Code Technician license in November, 1997. Shortly after getting my Technician license, I taught myself Morse Code and became proficient at the blazing speed of 5 WPM. I passed the 5 WPM Morse Code examination and was able to upgrade to a Technician Plus license in December 1997. My original callsign was "KF6OQI". When the FCC Opened their Gate 4 Vanity Callsign Program in December, 1997, I applied for the vanity callsign "K6EKB". I was inspired to apply for this callsign (which matches my initials) by my Elmer, Ken, "K6KRD" whose callsign also matched his initials. On 7 January, 1998 the FCC granted me the "K6EKB" callsign. Incidentally, Ken later moved to Idaho and his callsign is now "WA7RLZ".

After some theory study and some more practice with Morse code (13 WPM), I upgraded to General Class in May 1998. Many years later (April 13th, 2004 to be exact) after hitting the books again and participating in an excellent class held by Jerry Seligman, W7BUN, (Silent Key, Aug 16th, 2006) from the Radio Club of Tacoma, I finally upgraded to Amateur Extra Class.

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2001, but didn't try to update my vanity call to match the "7" call area until I applied for N7EKB on January 31st, 2017. The FCC accepted my application and made the N7EKB grant official on February 18th, 2017.

Contacting me via Amateur Radio

I carry a DMR handheld radio (the Tytera MD-UV390 dual-band VHF/UHF) just about everywhere I go, near or far. I run the OpenGD77 firmware on my Tytera radios. You can call me on DMR Talk group (TG) 31771. This talk group is known as "Pacific Northwest Regional", or "PNW Reg 2" on the PNW Repeater network, and simply as "PNWR" on the Brandmeister network. I keep TG 31771 static in my hot spots so unless I'm actively talking on another talk group or am away from my radio, I should hear your call. The nice thing about contacting me via DMR-mode is that I can be just about anywhere in the world and I'll still be "in range" for a full-quieting contact.

I also actively monitor the Adventure Radio (AR) Emergency "channel" (PL tone 67.0 Hz) and AR SOTA/POTA "channel" (PL tone 88.5 Hz) on 146.580 MHz for emergency traffic and SOTA/POTA events. See https://adventureradio.info for details on the Adventure Radio Protocol which is an awesome successor to the antiquated Wilderness Protocol.

Hamshack Hotline

You can reach me via VOIP (voice over IP) telephone at the following number: 11893. This VOIP line is courtesy of Hamshack Hotline (HH). I'm using the 4-line CISCO SPA504g for my VOIP phone with HH configured on the first line and a regular SIP number with an Olympia area DID configured on one of the other lines.

I also have the GS Wave softphone installed on my Android smartphone which allows me to take/make Hamshack Hotline VOIP calls from my smartphone when I'm not in the shack.

Social Media

You can find me on Nostr as: ed@n7ekb.net. Nostr stands for “Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays”. There are some really cool social media apps built on this protocol. I use Amethyst on my phone and Gossip or Snort.social on my Linux desktop. I setup NIP-05 on this website and hope to eventually run a private nostr relay here in the hamshack.

APRS and Tracking N7EKB's Semi Truck - N7EKB-14

In my current job I'm driving an 18-wheeler doing mostly "drop & hook" deliveries of shipping pallets. You can track my big rig (N7EKB-14) on APRS via the following link: 6-hour track. If my track isn't showing, give me a call on the radio or hamshack hotline and let me know. The APRS packets are being beaconed out using my Tytera UV-390 running the OpenGD77 firmware. I also run this setup in my car, beaconing as N7EKB-9. I have a Raspberry Pi-based APRS digipeater/iGate (N7EKB-10) running in my shack to enhance APRS tracker coverage in the Rainier, WA area. The iGate provides a feed of APRS objects heard over RF to my shack computer runing the Xastir program.

My Station

My radio shack is setup in an upstairs room in my house near Rainier, WA. The grid-square is CN86PV and the ICBM coordinates are 46° 54.279' N and 122° 42.118' W. My primary HF antenna is an NI4L OCF Windom Dipole antenna mounted approximately 25ft off the ground. The main HF rig in the shack is a Xiegu G90 (max 20 watts!) which I use for HF voice and digital modes (mostly FT8). The main VHF/UHF radio is a Connect Systems CS800D dual band DMR and analog radio. The secondary VHF radio is an Alinco DR-235T for the 1.25m band.

Meshtastic

I have a Meshtastic mesh network router running in the shack on the 900 MHz ISM band. I've tinkered with other ham-only mesh networks, but this one has the advantage of being usable by non-hams. I have the "WASH" channel configured and also gatewayed to the internet via MQTT. Text me there if you get in RF range or also have MQTT setup.

Linux Only - No Windows

I've been running Linux on all of my home computers including those in my radio shack for close to two decades now. I program many of my radios on my Linux laptop using the CHIRP program or free software from the manufacturers. When the manufacturer's free software is only provided on Windows, I use a Windows virtual machine running on my Linux laptop to install and run that software.

East Thurston County ARES Team

I'm a member of the East Thurston County (ETC) Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Team and serve as the Assistant Emergency Coordinator (AEC). To learn more about the ETC ARES team, follow this link: https://etc-ares.org/.

Memberships/Clubs

I'm a life member of the ARRL and a member of the local Yelm Amateur Radio Group. I'm a life member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association. I'm member #4334 of FISTS International. My OMISS member number is 14838. I'm also a member of the Ten-Ten International Net with 10-10 number 69377.