Welcome to my Website. My name is Carl and I have been a ham radio operator since 1961 when I was licensed as a Novice Class licensee with the callsign KN3OSU. I first became interested in ham radio when I visited the Franklin Institute amateur radio station (W3TKQ) on a high school field trip. I upgraded to Technician in 1962 before graduating from Girard College, a residential primary/secondary school, in Philadelphia, PA. I enlisted in the United States Army Security Agency (ASA) in 1963 and while training as a Morse and Non-Morse Intercept Operator (MOS 058/059) at Fort Devens, MA, I took my Conditional test at the MARS station (AA1KBO/K1KBO). Because of my knowledge and experience with Morse Code as a ham, I was AOG most of the time and was able to copy at 35 wpm. I also trained in Comjam which was employed while in the field in Vietnam.
I was honorably discharged from the US Army in 1967, after serving a tour in Vietnam, and lived in Erie, PA until 1969 when I moved to Oberlin, OH after being accepted as an Air Traffic Control Trainee at the Cleveland ARTCC. I was issued the eighth call area callsign of W8KRF since in those days when you moved from one call area to another, you were issued a new callsign for the call area where you moved.
During the mid-to-late-seventies, I was the ARES Emergency Coordinator for Lorain County and worked closely with the Disaster Services Agency and the American Red Cross. I was also president of the Lorain County Amateur Repeater Association now known as Lorain County Amateur Radio Association (LCARA). I am past-president of the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society (NOARS) for 2009, 2010 and 2011 and 2013. I was elected the president again in 2019 and 2020. I am also the current webmaster, membership chair, and I maintain the Yaesu System Fusion repeater systems. I am a member of ARRL, Digital Modes Club (#283), AMSAT (#4393), PODXS 070 Club (#1554), ECARS (#8158), and a few Cleveland area organizations.