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 Previous: New Amateur Radio Antennas to be Installed on ISS |  Next: More Cosponsors Sign Aboard CC&R Bill HR 4720 |
 Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 1, 2002--ARRL this week welcomed Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, as the newest member of the Headquarters staff. Skolaut joined ARRL Field and Educational Services July 30 as a field and regulatory correspondent. He'll be working with the Amateur Auxiliary to the FCC and the ARRL Official Observer program as well as assisting with field organization and regulatory information matters.
"Amateur Radio has played an important part of my life," says Skolaut, 59, who was born and raised on a farm in central Kansas in the heart of wheat country. He came to ARRL Headquarters from Great Bend, Kansas, after a career in television broadcasting. In his new position, Skolaut replaces Brennan Price, N4QX, who has assumed new duties as QST "Product Review" editor and as managing editor of National Contest Journal--NCJ.
As a part of the Field Organization/Public Service Team, Skolaut will work closely with Team Leader Steve Ewald, WV1X, and with Regulatory Information Branch Correspondent John Hennessee, N1KB.
Skolaut says a Knight Kit Space Spanner three-tube regenerative receiver he'd built in high school provided his introduction to shortwave listening. "Amateur Radio then captured my attention, and two of my friends and I started studying and obtained our Novice licenses in 1960 with the help of a local ham, Laurel Dirks, K0LD, now a Silent Key," he recalled. "I can still remember my first CW contact."
Following high school, Skolaut attended Wichita Technical Institute and got his FCC "First 'phone" license with a radar endorsement. His brother, Vernon, WA0NHS was licensed at about the same time. As part of the Kansas Air National Guard, Skolaut learned radioteletype repair and later went on active duty as a radio operator.
Back home, he was employed by KSNC-TV in Great Bend as a master control operator and later as assistant chief engineer. Subsequently, he worked as operations manager for KWCV-TV in Wichita, supervising four master control operators and handling satellite recording and station monitoring duties at the largely automated station.
Skolaut says his older daughter Elizabeth, now KA0YSP, acquired her dad's interest in ham radio while she was in the fifth grade and soon worked her way from Novice to General. "We often used 2 meters at hamfests to keep in contact," he recalls.
His wife, Mary, and younger daughter, Angie, soon followed. After Mary Skolaut, now N0TIK, began studying, Angie, now N0UAI, looked over her shoulder as they studied for their tickets on the family's computer, and both obtained their Technician licenses.
Chuck Skolaut operates VHF and UHF as well as 75 and 40 meters and also enjoys QRP (low-power operating). He says he's looking forward to serving the ARRL membership in his daily activities.
 Jerry Ellis, WS1K. |
Jerry Ellis, WS1K, Certification and Continuing Education Program Assistant
Also new to Field and Educational Services is Jerry Ellis, WS1K. A native of Long Island, New York, Ellis, 57, came aboard in late May as ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (C-CE) Program Assistant, working under ARRL C-CE Program Coordinator Dan Miller, K3UFG.
First licensed in 1992, Ellis says he was involved in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service on Long Island, where he held the call sign KG2LL and served as Assistant Emergency Coordinator for Smithtown Township. He relocated to Connecticut about two years ago to be near his fiancée (and now wife) Kim. He also joined the Newington Amateur Radio League.
"Shortly after upgrading to Extra earlier this year, my call sign changed from KG2LL to WS1K," he says. "My position with C-CE allows me to gain more knowledge and awareness of emergency communications which is a favorite pastime for me."
Although he does enjoy HF and DXing, Ellis says he's "condominiumly disadvantaged" at the moment. He's now attempting to set up a "DX-ready" mobile station and also would like to do more HF CW.
"Although I am rusty, CW is my ultimate goal and interest in ham radio other than being able to participate in ARES/RACES work, and of course UHF/VHF repeaters," he said.
Ellis says he considers it an honor to be working at ARRL Headquarters. "Employment with ARRL is a milestone in my life, and I really respect the privilege of contributing to Amateur Radio through my employment here," he said.
 Brennan Price, N4QX. |
N4QX is New "Product Review" Editor
Tennessee native Brennan Price, N4QX, took up new responsibilities earlier this summer as QST "Product Review" editor and as managing editor of NCJ. Licensed since 1997, Price, 31, joined the ARRL Headquarters staff in April of 2000 as part of Field and Educational Services. He continues to maintain editorial responsibility for the ARRL Repeater Directory and to occupy the National Frequency Coordinators' Office.
A graduate of
Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech (he holds an MS in chemistry) and a one-time radio
broadcaster, Price now is pursuing a law degree in his "spare time." He's
enrolled as an evening student at the University of Connecticut School of Law,
where he is the trustee of club station KB1GTB. He plans to graduate in 2005.
| Previous: New Amateur Radio Antennas to be Installed on ISS | Next: More Cosponsors Sign Aboard CC&R Bill HR 4720 |
