New WVDXA Member
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Clark L. Stewart
Jun 8, 2026, 1:27:11 PM (3 days ago) Jun 8
to wv...@googlegroups.com
Please welcome Pat Smith, KF8EXX, as a new WVDXA Member.
Pat is a 57-year old ham in Cottageville, WV, that I began mentoring (teaching him CW and getting him his Novice license) when he was 13 (in 1982.) Now that his kids are grown and out of the house, he has gotten back in the hobby. He first contacted me on October 15th and I've started mentoring him again. He said this on his QRZ page about me: "I want to thank him [W8TN] for the gift of 'CW' so I can meet new friends on the AIR !" https://www.qrz.com/db/KF8EXX
I think he re-entered the hobby in September with a General Class license. After studying on his own, he passed the Extra on March 6th.
He did not know anything about LoTW and thought he had to send QSL's direct to DX stations - but he did not know he needed to include $$$ for return postage. He bought a Yaesu FT-710 at the Parkersburg hamfest and that is his HF radio. With the permission of Mike Comer, N8WC, I passed on to him Mike's CushCraft R-8 vertical antenna. He is also using wires and a 3-L CushCraft beam he was given from the widow of a ham that he knew.
He went to the Dayton/Xenia Hamvention this year and acquired a new paddle to replace what he had been using which was giving him extraneous dits. I recommended he look at the Begali and N3ZN displays and he bought a Begali!!! That should really help his CW contacts.
I have been working for the last 3 weeks to configure a laptop for him. (He has never had a computer!) He has been keeping his logs on paper, then uploading them (FROM HIS CELL PHONE) to QRZ.com after each contact!!! Now THAT is dedication! He is up to 2,800 QSO's which is amazing to me in just 34 weeks on the air with his 100-watts, simple antennas, and ONLY CW and SSB for his operating modes! I have downloaded all his contacts from QRZ, cleaned them up, and imported them to Logger32 (then to Club Log) and finally to LoTW. He has made 60% of his contacts on CW.
In doing all that, I noticed that he only had 49 States confirmed for W.A.S. on LoTW. Guess what state he was missing? YEP, West Virginia! He had 5 WV QSO's in his log but none of them had uploaded to LoTW. Soooo, using my Custom Ladder-Line Fed Dipole (built and installed by K8RRT) Pat and I worked on 40-M CW in an instant. Uploads were made to LoTW and his Mixed W.A.S. was applied for that same day.
He just received his W.A.S. Certificate this weekend from ARRL and is up to 98 DXCC Entities Confirmed on LoTW so the DXCC Award will be coming very soon.
You could say the "BUG" has again bitten him HARD! And, he is trying to pass on his enthusiasm and knowledge by teaching CW classes at the Ravenswood and Ripley libraries!
He has joined the Jackson County ARC and the Kanawha ARC (KARC) and has been asked by both clubs to participate in FD using his CW skills. This weekend I set up N3FJP's FD Logger on his laptop so he could practice on that.
Mike Comer, N8WC, Pat, KF8EXX, and W8TN were together Saturday getting Pat all set up with his new laptop:
Pat is fairly new to DX'ing but extremely eager! He should really enjoy the WVDXA.
73, Clark, W8TN
Pat is a 57-year old ham in Cottageville, WV, that I began mentoring (teaching him CW and getting him his Novice license) when he was 13 (in 1982.) Now that his kids are grown and out of the house, he has gotten back in the hobby. He first contacted me on October 15th and I've started mentoring him again. He said this on his QRZ page about me: "I want to thank him [W8TN] for the gift of 'CW' so I can meet new friends on the AIR !" https://www.qrz.com/db/KF8EXX
I think he re-entered the hobby in September with a General Class license. After studying on his own, he passed the Extra on March 6th.
He did not know anything about LoTW and thought he had to send QSL's direct to DX stations - but he did not know he needed to include $$$ for return postage. He bought a Yaesu FT-710 at the Parkersburg hamfest and that is his HF radio. With the permission of Mike Comer, N8WC, I passed on to him Mike's CushCraft R-8 vertical antenna. He is also using wires and a 3-L CushCraft beam he was given from the widow of a ham that he knew.
He went to the Dayton/Xenia Hamvention this year and acquired a new paddle to replace what he had been using which was giving him extraneous dits. I recommended he look at the Begali and N3ZN displays and he bought a Begali!!! That should really help his CW contacts.
I have been working for the last 3 weeks to configure a laptop for him. (He has never had a computer!) He has been keeping his logs on paper, then uploading them (FROM HIS CELL PHONE) to QRZ.com after each contact!!! Now THAT is dedication! He is up to 2,800 QSO's which is amazing to me in just 34 weeks on the air with his 100-watts, simple antennas, and ONLY CW and SSB for his operating modes! I have downloaded all his contacts from QRZ, cleaned them up, and imported them to Logger32 (then to Club Log) and finally to LoTW. He has made 60% of his contacts on CW.
In doing all that, I noticed that he only had 49 States confirmed for W.A.S. on LoTW. Guess what state he was missing? YEP, West Virginia! He had 5 WV QSO's in his log but none of them had uploaded to LoTW. Soooo, using my Custom Ladder-Line Fed Dipole (built and installed by K8RRT) Pat and I worked on 40-M CW in an instant. Uploads were made to LoTW and his Mixed W.A.S. was applied for that same day.
He just received his W.A.S. Certificate this weekend from ARRL and is up to 98 DXCC Entities Confirmed on LoTW so the DXCC Award will be coming very soon.
You could say the "BUG" has again bitten him HARD! And, he is trying to pass on his enthusiasm and knowledge by teaching CW classes at the Ravenswood and Ripley libraries!
He has joined the Jackson County ARC and the Kanawha ARC (KARC) and has been asked by both clubs to participate in FD using his CW skills. This weekend I set up N3FJP's FD Logger on his laptop so he could practice on that.
Mike Comer, N8WC, Pat, KF8EXX, and W8TN were together Saturday getting Pat all set up with his new laptop:
Pat is fairly new to DX'ing but extremely eager! He should really enjoy the WVDXA.
73, Clark, W8TN
Tommy Hodges
Jun 8, 2026, 2:09:28 PM (2 days ago) Jun 8
to w8...@ntelos.net, wv...@googlegroups.com
Welcome!!!!
Tommy K8AAT
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psmithtnt
Jun 8, 2026, 2:25:48 PM (2 days ago) Jun 8
to WVDXA DX Reflector
Thank you ,Clark (W8TN) and Mike (N8WC) for mentoring 43 years ago as a 13 year old to help me get started in the best hobby there IS in the world with the BEST peoople in the world !!! I look forward to the news letters and dx information .I love the challege of late night dx contacts ! With Clarks HUGE !! help getting the computer and setting it up with loads of programs to help with logging and DX clusters he has really sped me up from the old days of manual copy and hand writing and paper logs !! With his oversight i hope to gain the necessary computer logging skills and packet info to be successful with dx chasing and better operating skills !! Thanks to EVERYONE along the way especially JIM KING (KA8UVA) (SK) !! HIS WIFE MRS.KING who really wanted me to get back into the hobby after 38 years ! She is absolutely thrilled I am using her husbands equipment and having a lot of fun ! Jim loved ham radio and he and his wife traveled to alaska many times over the years ! He had lots of 2meter gear so i assume that is what he used on the trip ? When they say it takes a village to get something accomplished with ham radio that is absolutely true !! I count at least TEN people to get me back on air and probably more ! IT was a HUGE challenge to read all three ARRL manuals in 6 months and take all three test !! I am very glad that part is over hi hi!! I was LUCKY that CLARK AND MIKE were there to help me all those years ago !! WORDS cant say enough ! I also want Thank FRED VICKERS (WV8FV) TERRY SANNER(WV8V) and JIM CASTO(KB8ERA) all assited me getting back to the hobby ! THANK YOU JCARC and KCARC ! I look forward to the WVDXA net .73"s ALL
Larry Fravel
Jun 8, 2026, 3:07:21 PM (2 days ago) Jun 8
to w8...@ntelos.net, wv...@googlegroups.com
Welcome to the WVDXA!. You have a great Elmer in Clark!
Larry K8YYY
EM99uk
Shinnston WV
–Elvis Presley
Bob Anthony
Jun 8, 2026, 5:10:56 PM (2 days ago) Jun 8
to w8...@ntelos.net, WVDXA DX Reflector
Boy you started off right ! Mr Clark has been a great help to me and many many more operators. I am sure you will get all caught up in chasing DX. It's like catching a cold. You just can't get rid of it.
Welcome to the best bunch of people and I am sure you will enjoy every minute of it.
W8om (Papa November)
Bob Anthony
Tom Weaver
Jun 8, 2026, 7:35:58 PM (2 days ago) Jun 8
to w8...@ntelos.net, wv...@googlegroups.com
Pat, welcome to WVDXA. We will enjoy having you as a part of the club. You will find lots of interesting discussion, support, and some very good “spots” of the more challenging DX stations.
Look forward to meeting you in person.
73, Tom
K8TW
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 8, 2026, at 1:27 PM, Clark L. Stewart <w8...@ntelos.net> wrote:
Please welcome Pat Smith, KF8EXX, as a new WVDXA Member.
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Pat is fairly new to DX'ing but extremely eager! He should really enjoy the WVDXA.
73, Clark, W8TN
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