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(my Elecraft KX3, state of the art, 160-6m software defined radio transceiver.)

Ham radio led me to UAV's in 2013.  Weird, right?  Well what happened was after spending 20 years as an IT tech and consultant, I decided that ham radio would be an interesting thing to learn.  RF is pretty fascinating, and even though the hobby may bring up images of "Old Men" sitting in their basement talking to a radio, it has a lot to offer these days thanks to modern technology and the internet.

How I got from ham radio to my first in-progress quadrotor build, is that studying for my ham radio license gave me a basic introduction to electronic components I simply haven't been exposed to at a granular level in my IT career.  As part of the learning process, you are introduced to the various components and circuits that make up radios, and at least for me, my interest was immediately piqued.

Ham radio is a very DIY hobby, with lots of neat homebrew projects going on, ranging from antenna design, digital modes to ham satellites in space and connectivity with the internet allowing even more people to get involved with long distance contacts and other activities.  Software defined radio (SDR) kits are amazing these days, and cost very little money compared to the higher end transceivers out there.  In short, the hobby may seem long in the tooth, but let's face it, RF isn't going anywhere, and we are surrounded by it today more than ever.

(My new home maker-space and the beginning of my first UAV)

All of this led me to start tinkering with an Arduino board, and setting up my own work space (pictured) for various projects.  I purchased my first soldering station, and a bin full of parts to play with.  Being interested in robotics since I was a kid, it didn't take long for me to learn about DIYDrones.com, and begin yet another learning experience.  I'm excited to be here, and I am jumping into the UAV rabbit hole to see how far it goes.  When I head outdoors, I'll be bringing my quadrotor, and my portable ham radio.

~ KK6GNP