About Me
Name: Bernard
Amateur radio call sign: KG6UVQ
Location: Chino Hills/San Leandro, CA
Internet name: radiobern
My Radio History:
I have been in the radio hobby since the mid 1980's, when I received my first AM radio in the shape of a robot from Radio Shack called the "Radio Bot". My fascination with radio led me to owning many other AM and FM radios throughout the years. In the early 1990's, I got my first taste of shortwave radio and the ability to tune into stations from many different countries. I also liked two-way radios but there were no license free bands other than CB at the time. Since I went on a few camping trips and road trips, I bought a pair of portable CB radios for communication during these trips. This lead to my interest in what else was beyond 30 MHz and my first multi-band radio, a Radio Shack SW-100. This radio allowed me to listen to the air band and anything VHF to 173 MHz. Tired of analog tuning receivers, I decided to get a digital tuning shortwave radio in 1996, the Sangean ATS818. In 1997, I decided to step up to my first police scanner from Radio Shack, the Pro-60. With this scanner, this opened the door to a whole new hobby. During the summer of 1999, I bought my second police scanner, this time a Uniden BC245XLT that had just been released. This was also around the same time that FRS radios were starting to become popular, a license free UHF service. Of course, I had to get a pair of FRS radios to use and ended up buying a few different models, liking the Kenwood UBZ-LH14 the best. During this time, I was also spending time in the Los Angeles area, specifically the Pomona area because I was going to college at Cal Poly Pomona. During the fall of 2001, I decided to get back to my shortwave roots and got a Radio Shack DX-398, a Sangean ATS909 with a Radio Shack label, that was on clearance. Everything in the area was VHF and I desired a small radio that I could use around campus so I got a Yaesu VR-120D from Europe during the fall of 2002. Los Angeles Police went digital, including a few other communities, so I opted to get the Radio Shack Pro-96 in November 2003. At the same time, I was made aware of a new license free service in the VHF band, called MURS. I found a pair of business band VHF radios, the Tekk NT-10, that was type accepted for MURS use from Fry's Electronics on clearance. In May 2004, I finally got my amateur radio license, a technician level license, receiving the call sign KG6UVQ. With my new license meant getting my first transceiver, an Alinco DJ-596T, a 5 Watt handheld on both 2 meters and 70 cm bands. Come talk to me sometime on any of the local repeaters in San Leandro, if you are a licensed ham radio operator.
My Webpage History:
I began making a webpage back in 1998, listing a few frequencies I had found using my scanner. This was hosted by AOL and it would draw a few people, as I would receive comments from visitors. Cable internet was available in my area and I dumped AOL for the faster speed. I then moved my webpage to one of the many free web servers on the internet in 1999. I kept maintaining my page, trying to update it with the most current information and started taking people's submissions and corrections. My pages kept evolving but my free web servers were pushing more and more ads. In 2004, I bought my own domain name, radiobern.com and started paying for my own web host, providing an ad-free environment. This is what you see today and I hope you enjoy it.
Other Interests:
Chocolates: Ghirardelli, Godiva, Leonidas, Neuhaus, and See's
Cirque du Soleil: I have seen "Alegria", "Mystere", "O", and "Varekai" so far.
Computer games: Battlefield Vietnam, Flight Simulator (98, 2000, 2002, 2004), Half - Life, Grand Theft Auto (1, 2, 3), Rainbow Six (Raven Shield, Rogue Spear), Sim City (2000, 3000, 4), Sims (all expansion packs), Sims 2, Tiberian Sun, and Train Simulator
Cruises: I have been on 4 cruises so far, with my shortest voyage lasting 7 days and my longest trip lasting 12 days. The destinations visited on these cruises include Alaska/Canada (1995, Princess Cruises), Eastern Caribbean (2001, Princess Cruises), Mexican Riviera (1996, Carnival), and Western Caribbean (1992, Norwegian).
Desserts: anything chocolate, crème brulee, and tiramisu
HDTV: I own a Mitsubishi WS-65611 65" HDTV (2003) and a MyHD MDP-120 HD computer card (2004).
The Phantom of the Opera (musical): I have seen the stage production a handful of times.
Travels/Vacations: States within USA: AK, AZ, CA, CT, DC, FL, HI, ID, MA, MD, MT, NV, NY, OR, PA, SD, UT, VA, WA, and WY. Provinces within Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. International: Austria (Salzburg, Vienna), Belgium (Brussels), Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman), China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen), France (Paris), Germany (Rhine), Hong Kong, Italy (Nice, Pisa, Rome, Venice), Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Mexico (Cabo San Lucas, Cozumel, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Tijuana), Monaco (Monte Carlo), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Saint Maarten/Saint Martin, Saint Thomas, Switzerland (Engleberg, Lucerne, Neuhausen), Thailand (Bangkok, Chonburi/Pattaya, Phuket), and United Kingdom (London). These are places that I have visited so far.