Welcome to W3ATB.com!
I’m a professional writer that likes to dabble in amateur radio. I feel I know about 0.0000001 percent of all the knowledge that’s out there about the hobby. Each day the more I talk with seasoned hams, the smaller I feel. Most days I feel about as big as a chromosome.
Even though the hobby is so very complex, I still derive enormous pleasure from what I do while on the air.
I was originally licensed on March 11, 2003 as KC8VYI. A little less than a month later I applied for and was granted my vanity call sign built around my business – AsktheBuilder.com. Get it? WWWATB – W3ATB.
On June 12, 2012 I upgraded my ticket to General Class. The biggest problem at that time was I didn’t own an HF rig.
The founder of the Central New Hampshire Amateur Radio Club, Dick Christopher, N1LT lent me an Alinco radio that gathered dust for a while. Finally in February, 2013 I turned it on and started to send a little CW.
I’m in the final stages of creating a pretty sweet ham shack in the attic of my garage, and have a new ICOM-7000 that will allow me to hopefully do a QSO with you. I’ve got a nice multi-band dipole antenna that goes up to 80 meters, so I should be able to hear you pretty well with it being nearly 40 feet in the air. That’s not perfect, but it’s as high as I can get it.
On February 28, 2016 I fulfilled a goal I’d had for about four years. I aced my Amateur Extra exam. It’s a thrill to have made it to this level in the hobby.
If you like trading QSL cards, I’m your guy. I love getting the real deal in my mailbox. My daughter Meghan created a very nice QSL card for me. I want it to be a surprise so I’ll not share the front of it here.
Recently I started blending ham radio with hiking. I did my first SOTA activation in August of 2013. I can tell you more of that’s in my future, especially when I have a QRP CW rig I can set up on some of the mountains here in New Hampshire, USA.
In the spring of 2016 I had Jim Massara, N2EST, create a delightful cartoon QSL card for me. I love it and it captures everything I’m currently interested in. Check it out:
I like doing public service work. This is me two years ago on the side of Mt. Washington, NH.
I’m on Mt. Washington at the 2011 Climb to the Clouds Auto Race up the storied sinuous road to the summit!
I was also one of the many hams that worked the historic Boston Marathon the day the cowardly bomber brothers killed and maimed many. Read my story about that day.
I’m currently very interested in CW and am struggling to do better.
73 to you and hope to catch you on the air.
Tim Carter
Just wanted to let you know that I am a previous owner of W3ATB. My father got me interested in amateur radio when I was in 8th grade and in turn became interested himself. We took our exams together and he was issued call sign W3ATA and I was issued W3ATB which we held for years until I moved to North Carolina. My father also opened up the use of our basement as a ham workshop for my school friends so many of my friends became hams and we developed great friendships around ham radio. In my adult life my father and I talked on 40 meters every Sunday afternoon for years until his health made that impossible. I still have some of our combination (W3ATA/W3ATB) QSL cards if you are interested. Please email your USPS mailing address.
Thanks Tim. I have also sent a note to Steve Schwarm.
Thanks so much for your help and love of ham radio. I feel it is a good time to give back our skill and professionalism to support other great causes. 73’s
I live in Metamora, Illinois and am part of the Peoria, Wooodford County, and Taswell County ARES group. I have read you article and YouTube video interview on the Boston Marathon. Having been involve in an F4 tornado and multiple AREA events, I would like to further refine my emergency operator skill by working with you at the 2014 Boston Marathon. Any suggestions on how we could make this happen. I am already registered at the marathon amateur Radio web site. Thank you in advance.
Ken,
Thanks for stopping by. The Boston Marathon is indeed a great place to refine your public service and emergency operating skills. I would tell the story you put in the comments to Steve Schwarm at w3eve@arrl.net. Steve has been in charge of assignments the past two years. I’ll request first aid staton #12 once more at mile 18.3. My guess is Noah Goldstein will want to be there too so you better see if Steve will oblige you. Let’s hope Andrew Mahoney is our net control for that part of the course because I’ve yet to hear a better net control operator. Talk about working with a pro! Looking forward to meeting you. I may come down to Boston the day before and perhaps we can get a group together for dinner the night before. That would be cool.