The photo is a self-portrait of PJ2/K8GU from PJ2T in Curacao for four hours during a layover on my way home from field research in Bonaire in March 2009.

QSLing:

I QSL 100% via my callbook address. DIRECT WITH SASE are usually answered within a week unless I don't have cards on-hand or you aren't in the log. IMPORTANT: I NO LONGER ACCEPT IRCs, but I can accept PayPal or green stamps for postage. Please e-mail to verify that you are in the log and I will give you instructions for PayPal. I will soon implement my own (cheaper) OQRS.

Please e-mail if you don't receive a response in a reasonable amount of time. Bureau (BURO) cards are sent in batches about once per year. All new contest QSOs go directly to LoTW at the same time the log goes to the sponsor. I do enjoy paper cards, but LoTW is the best electronic QSL system. QSOs made outside contests are uploaded at least once per month.

DXCC AND IOTA CHASERS:

Watch this space for an announcement about a late-July/early-August 2013 trip to a high-latitude DXCC/IOTA.

Unless stated explicitly, travel is work-related and I will be active at my convenience. For rare locations, I usually try to be available during peak hours for USA/EU/JA at least once.

K8GU/VE5 (May 2013): Log is in LoTW. It is unlikely that I will bother with paper cards for this operation.

KL7/K8GU NA-039 (24 August - 2 September 2012): Log is in LoTW. As of 12 March, all of the direct cards have been sent. Cards have started going into the bureau system but probably won't all be completely sent out until September. See W2NAF's article about this operation in June 2013 CQ Magazine, page 28.

OA5/K8GU and OA7/K8GU (March 2012), OX/K8GU (January 2012), KP4/K8GU (November 2009), PJ2/K8GU (March 2009, deleted DXCC), KP4/K8GU (November 2006), CE/K8GU (August 2006): uploaded to LoTW.

COUNTY HUNTERS:

I occasionally operate contests from my parents' farm in Holmes County, Ohio, the 2011 and 2012 CQ WW CW contests, for example. Also, I have the logs and a handful of cards for my W0YC/M operations during the 2004 Minnesota and Wisconsin QSO Parties, plus the 2005 Minnesota QSO Party. MRCs are welcome for those QSOs.

History and Bio:

First licensed at age 12 in August 1993 as N8ZYK; Dad is N8ZYL, Mom is KB8RQS, and brother Seth is KB8YUO. Upgraded to Advanced (KG8RW) in June 1995, then Extra (AA8UP) in August 1995. Got K8GU in 2002.

My home station is simple: Homebrew G3TXQ Broadband Hexbeam at 30 ft for 6m-20m, dipole for 40m at 45 ft (E/W broadside) and full-size 1/4-wave vertical on 80m, Elecraft K3/100 and Kenwood TS-930S configured for SO2R contesting, loaner AL-80B provides a little oompf when needed/wanted. Have M2 2M9SSB at 27 ft, K144XV, and Mirage B3016 for 2m. On 432 MHz, I run a Microwave Modules transverter and a Mirage D1010N to a homebrew 17-element K1FO Yagi. On 222 MHz, I have a loaner FT-736R and a homebrew 11-element K1FO Yagi. I will soon homebrew a 60-watt transverter for this band using a Larcan TV driver amp. See http://www.k8gu.com/ for more details.

My portable station employs the same K3/100 I use at home. I have shoehorned it into a Pelican Storm iM2400 case with an MFJ-4125 power supply. I have two portable antennas that I call the "GU Special." They break into 20-inch long pieces and cover 40-6 meters. I use RG-8X for coax and use the typical rule of thumb of 100 ft per antenna, in 50-ft sections. The original GU Special was used in OA5 and on NA-039 by me. It was also used by KL2HD for his KL7NWR operation from NA-064 in June 2013. The second GU Special was used in VE5 while the first one was on-loan to KL2HD.  I use my work computer, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, for logging running TR4W in a Windows XP virtual machine under VMware Fusion.

Professionally, I'm an Electrical Engineer, presently working in the space / ionospheric physics and remote sensing field. Graduate of Ohio Northern University (2003), University of Minnesota (2005), and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2009), all in EE.