NI0K

John Simmons, NIØK, like many hams who were licensed in the sixties and seventies, built his CW skills passing traffic on the NTS, or the national traffic system.  Developing an interest in early mechanical teletypes, John gained a practical knowledge of RTTY.  As an active contester and DXer, John regularly appears in major international contests and is currently expanding his station for SO2R (single-operator, two-radio) operation, reflecting his ongoing commitment to competitive operating and technical improvement. From his QTH in rural Minnesota, NI0K, has an antenna farm, with three towers  and a completely remotely controllable station.  With interests spanning vintage technology, modern SDR systems, logging integration, and the future direction of the hobby, John offers a thoughtful, experience-based perspective on what it means to be an engaged amateur radio operator today. John Simmons, NIØK, is my QSO Today.

People

• John Simmons NI0K – Minnesota amateur radio operator active in contesting, SO2R, and mentoring.
  https://www.qrz.com/db/NI0K

• Vic Clark W4KFC – Influential contester and leader in Potomac Valley Radio Club. W4KFC is a memorial station for Clark Memorial Amateur Radio Club.
  https://www.qrz.com/db/W4KFC
• Ralph Fedor K0IR – Well-known DXpeditioner and contester with a world-class station.
  https://www.qrz.com/db/K0IR
• Irf Hoff (designer of TTL2) – Early RTTY terminal unit designer from the 1960s.
  https://w7ay.net/site/Technical/RTTY%20Demodulators/Contents/hoff.html

 

• Scott Wright K0MD – Southern Minnesota contester skilled in interleaved SO2R operation.
  https://www.qrz.com/db/K0MD

Places

• Falls Church, Virginia – John’s hometown where he was first licensed.
  https://www.fallschurchva.gov
• Washington, D.C. – Early location of John’s employment and early ham activity.
  https://washington.org
• Minneapolis, Minnesota – John’s later residence and early electronics schooling.
  https://www.minneapolismn.gov
• Northern Minnesota – John’s current QTH with multiple towers and antennas.
  https://www.exploreminnesota.com

Organizations, Clubs & Associations

• American Red Cross – Provided equipment for a club station John operated.
  https://www.redcross.org
• Potomac Valley Radio Club (PVRC) – Well-known contesting club in the U.S. https://pvrc.org
• ARRL (American Radio Relay League) – John serves as a Technical Resource volunteer.
  https://www.arrl.org
• N1MM Logger+ Team – Developers of N1MM contest logging software.
  https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com

Modes, Activities, Events

• CW (Morse Code) – Mode John used extensively for traffic nets and contests.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CW
• SSB (Single Sideband) – Voice operating mode used in contesting and nets.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-sideband_modulation
• RTTY (Radio Teletype) – John’s early passion using mechanical teletype machines.
  https://www.rtty.com
• Packet Radio – Digital VHF/UHF communication method popular in the 1980s.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_radio
• SO2R (Single Operator Two Radio) – Contesting technique using simultaneous radios.
  https://ncjweb.com/bonus-content/Nov-Dec-Dewey-SO2R-Part1.pdf
• FT8 – Weak-signal digital mode John uses during ragchewing sessions.
  https://moonrakeronline.com/us/blog/how-to-get-started-with-ft8-digital-on-your-ham-radio

 

• Traffic Nets (State, Region, Area) – Formal message-handling amateur radio networks.https://www.arrl.org/nts

 

• Field Day – Annual U.S. emergency-communications operating event.
  https://www.arrl.org/field-day
• DX Contesting – High-intensity international operating competitions.
  https://www.contestcalendar.com
• EME (Earth-Moon-Earth) – Weak-signal VHF/UHF technique mentioned theoretically.
  https://hamradio.engineering/eme-moonbounce-bouncing-signals-off-the-moon/

Radios, Amplifiers, Logging, Software & Station Tools

• Hallicrafters SX-110 – Vintage HF receiver from John’s first station.
  https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/hallicraft_sx_110_sx110.html
• Eico 720 – Early HF transmitter used by novice operators.
  https://people.ohio.edu/postr/bapix/Eico720.htm
• Gold Dust Twins (Collins 75A-4 & KWS-1) – High-end Collins station pair.
  https://collinsradio.org/gold-dust-twins-k0cxx/
• Viking Ranger – AM/CW transmitter popular in the 1950s–60s.
  https://www.frostburg.edu/personal/latta/ee/ranger/ranger.html
• Drake 2B – Classic HF receiver used with RTTY setups.
  https://www.nutsvolts.com/magazine/article/the-drake-2b-refurbishing-a-classic-ham-radio-and-shortwave-receiver-from-the-early-60s
• Hal ST-6 – RTTY terminal unit John built from a kit.
  https://www.navy-radio.com/rtty/hal/misc/st6_manual.pdf
• FlexRadio 6400 – SDR transceiver used for SO2R and remote operation.
  https://www.flexradio.com/documentation/flex-6400m-product-brochure/?srsltid=AfmBOopYhuEZMfruING-koQZsyjgeki3mgnTb26q4yVB7tMDO93sBKs-

• Elecraft K3 – High-performance HF/6m transceiver for contesting.
  https://elecraft.com/products/k3s-transceiver
• Expert 2K Amplifier – Solid-state legal-limit HF amplifier.
  https://expertamps.com/products/SPE-Expert-2K-FA-Series-Three-p629985506
• Ameritron ALS-1306 – Solid-state HF amplifier used with the K3.
  https://mfjenterprises.com/products/als-1306
• MicroHAM SO2R Controller – Hardware box commonly used for SO2R setups.
  https://microham.com/contents/en-us/d161_U2R.html
• Antenna/rig switching software integrating with N1MM.
  https://n1mmwp.hamdocs.com/setup/interfacing/#windows-and-external-usb-peripherals
• SmartSDR (FlexRadio software) – Control software for Flex transceivers.
  https://www.flexradio.com/ssdr/?srsltid=AfmBOoqYzrjTFMqC_wXCNLPj-wXKiiNPypZQ94fTQ5uGSZVOlnVe3Grf
• Teensy Maestro – Third-party control head project for FlexRadios.
  https://www.pjrc.com/teensymaestro-flex-6000-software-defined-radio-controller/

Antennas, Towers & Station Hardware

• Tri-band Yagi (24-ft boom) – Early HF directional antenna John installed alone.
  https://antennas-amplifiers.com/hf-ultimate-contest-triband-antenna-3b345hd/
• TH11 (Hy-Gain TH-11DX) – Five-band Yagi antenna used at 50 ft.
  https://mfjenterprises.com/products/th-11dx?_pos=1&_sid=0ed0a3d13&_ss=r
• Inverted-V Antenna – Wire HF antenna often used for multi-band antennas.
  https://stackunderflow.com/post/building-a-multiband-inverted-v-dipole/
• 12×2 Antenna Switch – Custom switch enabling two radios and twelve antennas.
  https://remoteqth.com/modular-antenna-switch.php

 

• Rotator (tower rotor) – Mechanism for turning Yagi antennas.
  https://moonrakeronline.com/us/blog/what-is-antenna-rotator

Mechanical Teletype Models

• Model 19 Teletype – Early mechanical RTTY machine John operated.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletype_Model_19
• Model 28 Teletype – Widely used RTTY machine John repaired.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletype_Model_28
• Model 15 Teletype – Classic machine John modified for high-speed typing.
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletype_Model_15

Special Mentions & Hamshack Tools

• QRZ.com Database – Online amateur radio callsign lookup platform.
  https://www.qrz.com
• Whisper / WSPR Network – Low-power propagation reporting system. ​https://www.wsprnet.org

NI0K Shack

NI0K Tower 1 from the Lake

From the top of NI0K tower 1

RemoteQTH.com 2 X 15 Antenna Switch