Operator · KD9TAW
DX chaser, DXpeditioner, technologist.
I'm KD9TAW. Licensed in 2021 and active since 2022, I quickly found my calling in chasing DX, antenna building, and building out my shack. I'm a technologist at heart and love tinkering and improving things.
In April 2023 my first DXpedition took me to KP2 (St. John) and VP2V (British Virgin Islands), combining vacation with a semi-serious operating schedule. From an oceanfront QTH in VP2V, I logged over 6,000 QSOs in a few days — including bringing 6m SSB back on-air for the first time in years.
That experience cemented my passion for portable operations and working DX from far-off lands. I'm actively seeking the chance to join a broader range of DXpeditions in the coming years, bringing my technical skills, operating focus, and field experience to the team.
Contest highlight
1st in Illinois · 10th in North America — CQWW 160m DX (2025), only my second contest.
Operating focus
- DX
- Always chasing new ones — HF, 6m, VHF/UHF
- Portable / DXpeditions
- Efficient, travel-ready setups
- VHF / UHF
- Beams, 6m halo, satellites
The technologist streak
When I'm not on the air, I channel that same drive to tinker into open-source software. I designed the FT1 and DX1 weak-signal waveforms behind the chat-first Tempo app, and build the tools you'll find across this site — all free and open source. Real radio problems, solved with code.
Logbook
Live from QRZ logbook
Station
- Yaesu FTDX10 · Yaesu FT-991A · Icom IC-9700
- SPE Expert 1.5K linear
- OCF dipole @ 50′ · Multiband vertical (160/80/40/30)
- VHF/UHF beams · 6m halo
DXpedition · April 2023
KP2 & VP2V
Split between St. John (KP2) and Tortola (VP2V — 113th most-wanted at the time). VP2V was the main target: an oceanfront location with superb propagation to NA and EU. The expedition mixed relaxed island life with high-rate operating windows.
