About KU5J
Amateur Radio Operator · POTA Activator · ARRL VE · W5STR Trustee
73 de KU5J
I'm a licensed amateur radio operator based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Ham radio has taken me from HF DX chasing to portable field operations, repeater infrastructure, digital linking, and volunteer examining — there's always something new to explore in this hobby.
My primary operating interests are Parks on the Air (POTA) activations on SSB and CW, and maintaining the W5STR repeater network for North Central Arkansas as club trustee. I also run AllStarLink nodes connecting the W5STR system to the wider linked repeater network.
As an ARRL Volunteer Examiner (VE), I administer amateur radio license exams — including online sessions through the Pike Amateur Radio Club (PARC) VEC program. If you're studying for your Technician, General, or Extra ticket, reach out.
Station Info
Callsign
KU5J
Location
North Little Rock, AR
Club Trustee
W5STR · STARS
Modes
SSB · CW · FM · Digital
Bands
HF · VHF · UHF · 220 MHz
What I Do in Ham Radio
POTA Activator
Parks on the Air activations across Arkansas on SSB and CW. Holland Bottoms WMA, Ouachita NF, and more.
W5STR Trustee
Club trustee for the Small Town Amateur Radio Service (STARS) — operating VHF, UHF, and 220 MHz repeaters across North Central AR.
ARRL VE
Volunteer Examiner administering Technician, General, and Extra class license exams. Online sessions via Pike Amateur Radio Club (PARC).
AllStarLink Nodes
Operating AllStarLink nodes connecting the W5STR repeater system to the worldwide linked repeater network.
ARRL VE & License Exams
I'm an ARRL-accredited Volunteer Examiner, helping new and upgrading hams earn their FCC amateur radio licenses. I conduct online exam sessions through the Pike Amateur Radio Club (PARC) VEC program — no need to travel to a test site.
Exams are available for all three license classes: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. If you're ready to test or want to know when the next session is scheduled, reach out via QRZ.
ARRL VE
Volunteer Examiner
PARC
Pike Amateur Radio Club
Online VEC Testing
VE Session · Plantation Tractor Show
Museum Ships Weekend
Operating from the USS YT-146 Navy tugboat on the Arkansas River in Little Rock — a special event station during Museum Ships Weekend (MSWE).
USS YT-146 · Arkansas River
MSWE 2025 · Antenna Install on USS YT-146
Museum Ships Weekend 2026 · Crew on Deck
Gear & Interests
HF Operating
SSB phone and CW on 20m, 40m, 15m, and 10m. POTA activations, DX chasing, and casual ragchewing.
Antennas
Delta loops, end-fed half-waves, and wire dipoles. Building and experimenting with wire antennas is half the fun.
VHF / UHF
Local repeater operation on 2m and 70cm. W5STR system trustee and AllStarLink node operator.
POTA / Portable Ops
Getting out of the shack and into the parks. Arkansas has great POTA references close to home.
Volunteer Examining
Helping new hams get licensed. Online VE sessions via PARC — reach out if you're ready to test.
APRS
Running the W5STR APRS igate and digipeater, gating local packets to the APRS-IS backbone.
Get in Touch
Find me on QRZ for contact info, log lookups, and the latest station details. 73!