Pawlan Communications
San Jose, CA USA
jpawlan@pawlan.com

Amateur Radio

WA6KBL — Jeffrey Pawlan

I have been an amateur radio operator since 1960 - now 56 years, originally as a Novice (WV6KBL). Back then, Novice Class licenses were not renewable and were only good for a year. I upgraded to Technician Class and held that until I upgraded to Advanced Class in Feb. 1993. I upgraded to Extra Class in 2000. I continue to use my original call. My wife, Monica, KQ6PY, got her Advanced Class license in 1997.

Although I began on 40m CW, I was drawn to VHF and microwave immediately. I mentored with several RF and microwave engineers and learned how to modify and tune military and commercial radios to the ham bands. I then studied RF design and built my own transmitters and receivers from scratch. Although I began with tubes, I eventually utilized the very first RF transistors which were Philco drift barrier transistors to make a fully solid state 2 meter AM transceiver. I became interested in the sound fidelity of FM and built a wideband FM transceiver for 2 meters. I was among the first three or five hams in Los Angeles to get on FM experimentally. Later, I designed and built two remote bases/repeaters in Los Angeles.

It was only months after getting my license that I was drawn to microwaves. I successfully extensively modified a military IFF transponder (APX-6) to bring it into the 23cm band which was then 1215MHz - 1300MHz. I plate modulated the lighthouse tube oscillator to produce AM. I replaced the entire 60MHz IF strip with a much more selective one from a different military radio. With the help of a mentor, I learned how to design a dipole feed for a 3 foot parabolic reflector. I was also fascinated with even higher frequencies and built several transceivers at 10GHz (3cm) using reflex klystrons as the RF source.

Although I was interested in logging International Broadcast stations using my homebrew superregenerative receiver, I did not develop an interest in HF DXing on the ham bands until about 1988. I was not pursuing DXCC until I finally put up a HF beam for the first time in 1994. My motivation was to talk to my EME friends in Europe on HF. I soon became hooked on DXing and have made many friends around the world, some of whom we have visited. I now have all of the DXCC countries confirmed on HF. I am number 1 on the ARRL Honor Roll. Below is a 71 foot tower with a Hygain TH11DX.

Below is an EME tower with antennas on an elevator system, shown in the lowered position. As you can see in the photos, I am interested in EME and Space Communications. I have four M2 beams on 2m and four on 70cm. I also have a M2 two wavelength long beam on 6m and enjoy that band very much. I also have completely rebuilt and modernized a SCR-584 radar pedestal on which I mounted a 5m dish for EME. I am on 23cm currently and later this year will also use it for 10GHz (3cm).

Below is my 5m (17ft) dish pointed at the rising moon. In January 1996, I founded a group of technically minded hams called the VHF, UHF, and Microwave Experimenters Group. I served as President for two years. We eventually changed the name to the 50MHz and Up Group of Northern California and formally made Bylaws and established it as a non-profit scientific and educational research organization. We have more than 53 members and meet monthly. Please look at our webpage to see what we are planning: Please visit our web page: http://www.50mhzandup.org.

Two of our cats were occasionally on during contests. Samantha (sk) was at the microphone calling CQ MEOW while Munchkin (sk) was at the keyboard logging. We have two new kittens now.

New Tonkinese kittens arrived 2/16/12. They are brothers and I named them Stan and Ollie (from Laurel and Hardy).