N6SIX (Joe)

I became an amateur radio operator in 1999and was assigned the call sign KF6VPD. After a few years of getting my feet wet and trying different avenues of the hobby, I developed a liking for the 6 meter band.

That liking snow-balled into the formation of the San Diego Six Shooters Amateur Radio Club. The Six Shooters began as a small group of hams in the east county area of San Diego county and has since grown in membership and stature. Our nets have become extremely popular and our meetings are a relaxed approach to the hobby, often with an interesting demonstration or presentation of some ham related topic.

I have also become involved with promoting D-Star in San Diego. Founding the D-Star San Diego Group in August of 2006, D-Star has grown rapidly in popularity and participation. The D-Star repeaters installed on three hilltops within San Diego county by the PAPA SYSTEM has been a true testament to the old adage, “Build it and they will come.” I have since stepped back from D-Star because the core group has lost sight of what made it so popular in the first place, opting for the celebrity that linking has provided to promoting the mode locally and teaching those who want to learn.

I have also become involved with emergency communications through a new group call San Diego REMCOM (Radio Emergency Medical Communications) whose focus is providing meeting the needs of the local medical community through training and credentialing of amateur volunteers.