W1DED on Leadership and POTA’s Future: Interview by N8JRD
About this episode
Kevin Thomas interviews Jim Davis N8JRD about leadership and the future of Parks on the Air.
Kevin Thomas W1DED is one of the newest board members guiding Parks on the Air through its next chapter — but his connection to ham radio stretches back nearly 50 years. Licensed as a teenager in 1977, Kevin grew up around Heathkit gear built by his father, WA1YOA, before life, career, and raising three children pulled him away from the hobby for decades. Yet even after his license lapsed, he carried the radios, logbooks, and QSL cards with him through every move, convinced he would someday return. That return finally came in 2022. After earning his Extra Class license, Kevin discovered Parks on the Air and immediately connected with the simplicity and accessibility of portable operating. Living on a small island community in Maine without room for towers, POTA offered exactly what he was looking for: grab a radio, head to a park, and get on the air. What began as casual activations soon expanded into contesting, DXpedition-style operations in the Caribbean, interviews with some of amateur radio’s top operators on Q5, and eventually a seat on the POTA board itself. After spending weeks interviewing fellow board members, Kevin realized interviewing himself would be awkward at best…
More episodes of Q5 Worldwide Ham Radio
- Parks on the Air Skills: Contest with K1RX (Episode 7 of 7)
- Has Ham Radio Lost Its Soul? VK9DX Has Thoughts
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