Over the years, I've kept myself motivated in amateur radio by setting goals for myself. In the early days, these were activities like contacting all 50 states and working 100 different countries. Following this, I set out to earn specific awards that required operating skill and patience to earn. These include:

5BWAS Plaque #2224 dated 08 July 1988

5BDXCC Plaque #3359 dated 11 August 1994

However, the plaque I am most proud of earning is:

5BWAZ Dated 02 March 2002

I recall during my Novice days admiring a WAZ certificate earned by my mentor (ex) W8DSZ. Bud explained that WAZ in his mind represented a greater accomplishment than DXCC as it indicated an ability to work any part of the world. Those of us on the west coast know we can work 100 countries just in the Pacific and Far East. This is similar to the east coast USA stations where one can earn DXCC with just Europe and Middle East contacts. It was with Bud's logic that I deemed 5-band WAZ a worthwile pursuit. Just for good measure, I made it even more challenging by accomplishing 5BWAZ with single element antennas only - no yagis, vertical arrays, etc..

Current country totals are listed below. My present focus is 160M where I made my first contact in 2002. It represents a new frontier and yet another goal to pursue.

DXCC Country Totals

21 April 2008