Welcome to the WB2HTO website
Extra Class
9BWAS: 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10
WAS in modes: CW, SSB, PSK31, RTTY, Hell, JT65, JT9, FT4 & FT8
281 DXCC... and counting
All <100w on homebrew dipoles & verticals
I've been a ham radio operator since 1972, when my "Elmer," Roy (WA2SLO), nursed me through the Novice exam and the Morse Code test of five words per minute. Whew! Two years later my buddy Mike (WA2DLN) and I went down to Varick Street in lower Manhattan (near where the Twin Towers once stood) and passed our General Class exams. That was just about one of the best days of my life; what a feeling of accomplishment. In 1978 (the week after I passed the test for my broadcast First Class ticket which began my dozen years in broadcasting) I went back to Varick Street and passed the Advanced Class exam. I was VERY active for the next few years but then, as the schoolyard poem goes "first came love, then came marriage, then the baby carriage."
In 2007, after being QRX for a number of years, life settled down just enough to get back into the hobby. I found that while ham radio changed in many ways (though I still love working CW with my straight key but, like many hams, am working a lot in digital modes) the basic idea hasn't; meeting people who share a passion for RF communication.
Over the years I have experimented with a number of dipoles and verticals for the HF bands. I currently operate with these two - a ten meter dipole (in green) and a home-brew hybrid dipole (for 80-10) and vertical for 160m, which has been very successful (WAS & over 85 entities) on the Gentlemen's band. Read the whole Norse Saga of its design and construction HERE.
I really enjoy chasing DX, and am pretty proud of logging almost 280 entities with my smallish station. The latest is SV1GA/A in January 2025. Here is a page of how I've done with Club Log's Most Wanted List DX List.
Most Wanted DX
The folks at ClubLog have picked up the role maintaining this list from DX Magazine. Below are the top 100 as of September, 2025 showing the 54 (in BOLD) that I managed catch with my dipole through the pile ups. I know at least one ham (K1DG) who has all 100 (yes, including ARRL-approved P5/4L4FN) plus a number of entities that no longer exist (ex: East Germany). So how many do YOU have?
1. P5 DPRK (NORTH KOREA)
2. BS7H SCARBOROUGH REEF
3. CE0X SAN FELIX ISLANDS
4. BV9P PRATAS ISLAND
5. KH7K KURE ISLAND
6. KH3 JOHNSTON ISLAND
7. 3Y/P PETER 1 ISLAND
8. FT5/X KERGUELEN ISLAND
9. YV0 AVES ISLAND
10. 3Y/B BOUVET ISLAND
11. VK0M MACQUARIE ISLAND
12. KH4 MIDWAY ISLAND
13. PY0S SAINT PETER AND PAUL ROCKS
14. KP5 DESECHEO ISLAND
15. VP0S SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
16. ZL9 NEW ZEALAND SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS
17. FK/C CHESTERFIELD ISLANDS
18. VK0H HEARD ISLAND
19. FT/T TROMELIN ISLAND
20. EZ TURKMENISTAN
21. ZL8 KERMADEC ISLAND
22. YK SYRIA
23. VP0G SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND
24. XF4 REVILLAGIGEDO
25. KH1 BAKER HOWLAND ISLANDS
26. ZS8 PRINCE EDWARD & MARION ISLANDS
27. FT5/W CROZET ISLAND
28. VK9M MELLISH REEF
29. FT/J JUAN DE NOVA, EUROPA
30. SV/A MOUNT ATHOS
31. HK0/M MALPELO ISLAND
32. PY0T TRINDADE & MARTIM VAZ ISLANDS
33. JD/M MINAMI TORISHIMA
34. KP1 NAVASSA ISLAND
35. KH9 WAKE ISLAND
36. TI9 COCOS ISLAND
37. FT/G GLORIOSO ISLAND
38. VK9W WILLIS ISLAND
39. FT5Z AMSTERDAM & ST PAUL ISLANDS
40. VP8O SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS
41. XZ MYANMAR
42. ZK3 TOKELAU ISLANDS
43. 3C0 ANNOBON
44. 1S SPRATLY ISLANDS
45. T5 SOMALIA
46. R1F FRANZ JOSEF LAND
47. KH5 PALMYRA & JARVIS ISLANDS
48. T31 CENTRAL KIRIBATI
49. T33 BANABA ISLAND
50. H40 TEMOTU PROVINCE
51. KH8/S SWAINS ISLAND
52. E3 ERITREA
53. FO/C CLIPPERTON ISLAND
54. VQ9 CHAGOS ISLANDS
55. ZD9 TRISTAN DA CUNHA & GOUGH ISLANDS
56. JX JAN MAYEN
57. VP6/D DUCIE ISLAND
58. 3D2/C CONWAY REEF
59. CY0 SABLE ISLAND
60. 9U BURUNDI
61. 3B7 AGALEGA & ST BRANDON ISLANDS
62. VK9L LORD HOWE ISLAND
63. FO/M MARQUESAS ISLANDS
64. 7O YEMEN
65. VU4 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS
66. VU7 LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS
67. CE0Z JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLANDS
68. E5/N NORTH COOK ISLANDS
69. CY9 SAINT PAUL ISLAND
70. VP8H SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS
71. VP6 PITCAIRN ISLAND
72. 5A LIBYA
73. Z8 REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
74. 1A0 SOV MILITARY ORDER OF MALTA
75. 5U NIGER
76. VK9X CHRISTMAS ISLAND
77. E4 PALESTINE
78. XX9 MACAO
79. FO/A AUSTRAL ISLANDS
80. TN REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
81. TT CHAD
82. ZL7 CHATHAM ISLAND
83. HV VATICAN CITY
84. H4 SOLOMON ISLANDS
85. 3XA GUINEA
86. KH8 AMERICAN SAMOA
87. VK9C COCOS (KEELING) ISLAND
88. T2 TUVALU
89. V6 MICRONESIA
90. KG4 GUANTANAMO BAY
91. S2 BANGLADESH
92. TL CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
93. J5 GUINEA-BISSAU
94. T30 WESTERN KIRIBATI
95. FW WALLIS & FUTUNA ISLANDS
96. A5 BHUTAN
97. 3D2/R ROTUMA
98. 9L SIERRA LEONE
99. TJ CAMEROON
100. 4U1UN UNITED NATIONS HQ
Speaking of that baby carriage, my daughter Jennifer passed both Technician and General exams in 2010. I could not be prouder, of KB1TSU, especially after she Worked All States on CW! Jennifer inspired me (challenged, actually) to take the Extra exam, which I passed in 2012.
Have YOU Worked All Kruh?
The "Worked All Kruh" Award came about after an on-air remark by Urb, W2DEC, who joked that he should get an award for working both me and my dad, WB2HTO. That inspired us to create the "Worked All Kruh" award, which goes to any ham who completes a QSO with my dad and I in the same mode. And, if we exchange club numbers (SKCC, Feld Hell, etc) your certificate will include a "Kruh club endorsement." The full list is below.(Oh, and the callsign of #65 is no typo - both Dad and I did QSO with Antarctica!)
Youngest WAS
I am the youngest ham to achieve the Worked All States Award from the SKCC.
The VERY FIRST 1k miles / watt with JT9
I am pleased to be the recipient of the very first "1000 Miles Per Watt Award," in the JT9 mode, from the QRP/Amateur Radio Club International.
SKCC award
During the club's 5th anniversary celebration I worked all 10 commemorative stations (K3Y) in the lower 48 states. I also operated a shift as the commemorative station for Callsign area 1, K3Y/1.