The Station
Radios, amplifiers, tuners, test gear, antennas and the evolving N2CUA setup.
See the station →Working preview v0.2: the N2CUA sections stay inside this one file; the SPARKA menu links to the SPARKA Lab site.
Amateur radio • electronics • homebrew
N2CUA On the air since 1972.
A home for my amateur-radio journey, station, antennas, electronics workbench, software, contesting, projects—and some of the other things that make me me.
Explore
Inside N2CUA
The site is organized around the things you actually build, use, operate and remember.
Projects & Workbench
Antennas, baluns, electronics, repairs, test fixtures, 3D printing and shop work.
Visit the workbench →Software
Small, purpose-built logging and radio utilities, with screenshots, notes and downloads.
Browse software →Operating
Field Day, VHF contests, memorable contacts and whatever is happening on the air now.
Operating notes →About N2CUA
My Radio Journey
Where it started
I was first licensed in 1972 as a Novice class operator, WN2KCG. My exam was given by Richard Stewart, W2DRB. I still have a black-and-white photo of that station from when I was 17.
I later took my General Class exam at the FCC examination location in Dallas, Texas while serving in the U.S. Air Force at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, and my call became WB2KCG.
After an earlier Advanced attempt in Dallas came up one question short—antenna theory did the damage—I went back better prepared. While living in Lake Luzerne, New York, I later drove to Albany and passed the Advanced exam, acquiring N2CUA.
On October 7, 1989, while living in Vermont, I earned Amateur Extra and chose to keep N2CUA.
This section will become a photo-rich timeline, including the Novice station, USAF era and later stations.
N2CUA station
The Station
Current station
This will be photo-driven rather than a dry equipment inventory. We can group current gear into HF, VHF/UHF, amplifiers and tuners, test equipment, and antennas.
CURRENT SHACK PHOTO
Older radios can live in a separate “Radios in the Collection” area so historical gear is not confused with what is connected today.
Build • repair • experiment
Projects & Workbench
Built here
This can become one of the deeper parts of the site: antennas, baluns, electronics, repairs, test fixtures, 3D printing, machining and older projects worth preserving.
WORKBENCH / TEST EQUIPMENT PHOTO
Likely early topics include the antenna mounting project, transformers and baluns, NanoVNA measurements, VHF projects, repair notes and 3D-printed radio parts.
Software by N2CUA
Software & Downloads
Purpose-built software
Each program can get a clean card showing what it is for, current version, screenshot, changes, requirements and download.
LOGGER SCREENSHOT GRID
Candidates include the Field Day Logger, General QSO Logger, Sweepstakes Logger, 160 Meter Logger and the other contest-specific tools as they are released.
On the air
Operating & Contesting
On the air
This section can combine short contest summaries, selected results, Field Day, memorable QSOs and photographs without becoming a chronological blog.
FIELD DAY / CONTEST PHOTO OR MAP
The newest activity can also surface on the home page under “From the Shack.”
The respectable name for the I Love Me Wall
Awards & Achievements
The wall
Certificate thumbnails can open to full-size images or PDFs. We can group them by contest, operating award, service or era instead of dumping everything into one list.
CERTIFICATE / AWARD GALLERY
And yes, internally this remains the I Love Me Wall.
Beyond amateur radio
The Rest of the Workshop
Not everything that makes N2CUA interesting has an antenna attached to it. This section can hold the parts of your technical and personal history that belong on the site without pretending they are ham radio.
USAF / Military
Your service years, photographs and stories you want to preserve.
Machining & Lathe Work
Precision shop work, older projects and the kind of making you miss doing.
Shooting
A personal-interest section for range activities, equipment and selected past projects.
The virtual hamfest table
For Sale / Swap
Available items
Simple listings: real photo, concise description, condition, price and status. No shopping-cart circus required.
ITEM PHOTO GRID
Parts, transformers, components and radio gear can live here as you decide what you want to move along.
Contact and transaction details can wait until you decide how buyers should reach you.