My name is Mike DeChristopher. I've been a licensed amateur radio operator since 2000. You might remember me as KB1FWN, my assigned call (or birth-call as some have termed it). In 2006, that all changed when I picked up K1KAA, to eliminate the extra CW characters.
My first interest in amateur radio is (and always has been) contesting. I entered my first contest in 2001, and haven't stopped since. I've been on many multi-operator operations, including the NE1C WPX team (from K1TTT) and several W1NY Field Days. Recently, I've been operating more from my home station, where we attempt a wide variety of multi-operator events.
I'm usually the voice of NE1C from the Horace A. Moses Boy Scout Reservation, where I am one of the radio merit badge instructors. I also served on staff at the K2BSA Demonstration Station at the 2005 National Boy Scout Jamboree in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia (don't write me though; I don't have the QSL cards). Other demonstrations include the Massachusetts Jamboree and numerous local events.
My other primary interest in radio is propagation. This website started as a posting spot for notes from my presentations, in fact. I spent a good deal of time operating from stations without incredibly impressive antennas, so I learned a lot of space weather information to gain a "competitive edge." I am glad to share that information with the worldwide amateur community.
Outside of amateur radio, I spend most of my time skiing and working in the ski industry. I was a ski racer for a number of years, and now I instruct and coach. My professional memberships include the United States Ski Association and the Professional Ski Instructors of America. On the weekends, I enjoy skiing at the Blandford Ski Area and Cannon Mountain. I am also a consultant for UBERFAST race wax.
During the summer, I enjoy waterskiing and rock climbing (which I also instruct). If I'm not on a mountain or a lake somewhere, I'm probably underneath my 1990 Jeep Wrangler YJ, which I keep in a state of readiness just in case I need to drive the Kancamagus Highway (see photo to the right).
73' es gl de Mike, K1KAA