Welcome to the website of

Amateur Radio Station W5WZ (ex KD5CAS)

Ham Radio is Fun! Enjoy it!

This is a work in progress. In these pages, I hope to provide visitors with an overview of my hamradio interests as well as the progress and evolution of my station.

I fully believe that a well-engineered station will provide higher performance and more rewarding operating experiences. Additionally, the exercise of designing, building, maintaining and improving the station will increase the technical knowledge and hands-on abilities of the amateur who pursues such a task.

Herein readers will learn of my approach to the design challenges and implementation as I strive to build and maintain a high-performance amateur radio station geared toward contesting. The credit for most of the ideas incorporated in my station belongs to others who are far more technically advanced and skilled than I am. Rather, I have "stood on the shoulders of giants and taken the next step." For me, summoning the courage to take the next step was of paramount importance. Now my confidence is beginning to grow, and that alone has enabled me to expand the limits of what I though was possible for me to accomplish.

Yes, this is northeast Louisiana! Friday Feb 12, 2010 with 5" of fresh snow.

In The Beginning . . .


	Youngest Daughter licensed! 9/20/11 -- My youngest daughter age 8 earned her Technician license! Logan is now KF5MTH Added SH5 log analysis to website 7/31/11-- See that data here New antenna built -- 160 m Inverted-L 12/04/10- Taking advantage of the existing radial field, W5WZ has added an Inverted-L for 160 meters. 75 ft high & 100 feet wide. See details and EZNEC model file in My Journal. New 80 meter shunt-fed tower & 4 beverage antennas pay off! 11/01/10 - Team W5WZ worked 60 countries and 27 zones on 80 meters during CQ WW SSB. "Good country count from this part of the world, esp on 80m" says Dan W5XZ See the construction details in My Journal.

Contesting Bug Bites!

Field Day 1998 delivered a contaigious bug to W5WZ (ex KD5CAS) while operating 15m SSB along with W5EW. (more)

A Seed is Planted...

My interest in amateur radio, more commonly known as ham radio, began at the age of 13. Our scoutmaster had arranged for a local ham to attend one of our campouts and do a ham radio demonstration (more)