About KU6Z

I’ve always been a tinkerer in electronics. In high school (1989) I built a Heathkit Z-100 PC and the Heathkit HERO robot—projects that permanently wired my brain for solder smoke and debugging.

I earned my M.S. in Computer Engineering (USC, 1998), and on April 1, 2011 I became a ham. I took the Technician, General, and Extra exams all on the same day and was originally issued AG6DI. I later switched to KU6Z on September 16, 2011.

After being off HF for about 12 years, I jumped back in during July 2024—new radios, new antennas, and of course new experiments.

QRZ: qrz.com/db/KU6Z

Latest Project

SDRPlay RSP1B + OpenWebRX+

My current focus is building a fun, usable remote listening setup using the SDRPlay RSP1B and OpenWebRX+.

Station (QTH)

Radios & Accessories

• Yaesu FT-710 Field
• SDRPlay RSP1B
• Yaesu FT-200DR (VHF/UHF/YSF/Wires-X)
• Yaesu FT-60R (HT)
• Pi-Star
• Baofeng UV-5R (a couple of HTs)
• LDG Z-11Pro II
• Heil Pro-6 headset
• NanoVNA H4

Antennas

• 40m OCF Dipole @ ~30 ft — works 40m–6m
  Usually start on FT8 around 5W, then bump it up if needed.
• Comet CHA-250HD HF vertical — 160m–6m, ground-mounted with 16 radials
• Diamond X-50A for 2m/70cm
• Nagoya UT-72 mag-mount (mobile)

On the Air

HF, experimenting with antennas, SDRs, and generally learning by doing. If we’ve worked each other—awesome. If not, I’m always up for a QSO.

73, KU6Z