K3QB.radio

Welcome! I’m Brendan Francis O’Connor. I’m based in Seattle, WA, where I live with my wife (also a ham), son, and cat. Here is my QRZ page.

Ham Radio Activities

Getting Out OK

I usually operate FT8, because my QTH (CN87um) has somewhat problematic topology (I’m surrounded by biggish hills) and I’m in the middle of the city, so the noise floor isn’t quite what it is in the middle of the woods.

I also operate while traveling in The ShadyVan with my wife and cat, and there I use FT8, SSB, or whatever else seems like a good idea at the time. I’ve also done some Parks on the Air here in the PNW, and intend to do much more in 2023.

My travel HF radio is a Discovery TX-500 that I use with a SOTABeams Band Hopper IV. At home, my main radio is a Yaesu FTdx-3000 that I adore (it’s more radio than I deserve), attached to an Aerial-51 807-HD and a Wellbrook Loop. I also have a Kenwood TS-50S that’s currently not working, and a Yaesu FT-101EE that is working but for which I don’t currently have a working microphone. Projects.

Narwhal Amateur Radio Society

I serve as President and Trustee of the Narwhal Amateur Radio Society, a ham radio club dedicated to diversifying the practice of ham radio, spreading joy, and educating the public about the lack of existence of “narwhals.”

ARRL

I’m an ARRL member, and have accepted an appointment as ARRL Volunteer Counsel for Washington (Northwest Division). I’m also barred in Montana, but only listed on their site under WA.

No ARES

I used to work with ARES teams all over the country, but I stopped working with Seattle ACS after they demanded that all volunteers permanently waive attorney-client privilege as part of the Seattle Police Department’s extremely broad lawlessness. Given that police murder hundreds-to-thousands of people each year, I’ll go ahead and reconsider my stance once they weed out those “few bad apples” they keep talking about.

Personal Bio

My personal website is https://ussjoin.com which has my CV and full bio.

QSL Cards

Did you receive a QSL card from me and want to know how I’m generating those labels? Check out https://github.com/ussjoin/adif_to_qsl.

Contact

If you don’t see me on the air, drop me an email at k3qb@arrl.net.