Hi there, I'm Don Bush, KL7JFT. I am the Matsu Borough's District Emergency Coordinator (DEC)  and the Net Manager for the South Central VHF ARES Net. I am on the Board of MARA (Matanuska Amateur Radio Assoc) and a VE and Elmer. The QTH is located outside Palmer Alaska about 50 miles North of Anchorage. I was first licensed in 1976. Novice to Extra. I've been in Alaska for most of my adult life, except for my Military Service starting in 1966, which include the Navy, Coast Guard and Army. Finally retired in 1997 at Fort Richardson Alaska, now called JBERs. My military career took me to all the garden spots around the world, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan, Iraq, off the coast of Korea, Juneau, Alaska and various places around the west coast ending up at Desert Storm. I've been in electronics, communications, search and rescue, Telecommunications, and light infantry. I have finally retired from the Telecommunications Company in Alaska.  Carol and I've added a nice 30' camp trailer with a complete station, including the TM 480, Pactor III & Tigertronics Modem, Tarheel 300, D710G, Anytone 878 Pro DMR, and laptop.

The current station, that Carol/KL2FA and I share consist of an ICOM 7610, ACOM 1010 700W HF Linear, Yaesu 897, Kenwood D710A, Kenwood TM-V71A, Bridgecom 220, MFJ Auto Tuner and a LDG AD-1000 PROII, AEA MX 232 TNCs, SCS Pactor 3, Tigertronics, Navigator TNCs, Anytone 578 PRO III PLUS, DMR, ICOM D4100 D-STAR and Phone Patch. As you can see the box on the top left on the station is my go box. We also run Yaesu 857 & Kenwood D700, ANYTONE 587 Pro in the Truck with Packet, Winlink, Digital, APRS, & DMR with a Scorpion Screwdriver for the HF antenna. The base station antennas consist of 2 Cobra Senior Folded Dipole at right angles, a Hexbeam at 40 feet,  and various VHF/UHF and 220M Beam and Collinear antennas. We host the Palmer/Wasilla Area VHF Winlink Station KL7JFT-10 and APRS I-Gate KL7JFT-5. We run the station on a battery bank, with generator backup for the house with UPSs for the computer systems.  We've just recently updated the station and den.  Sure is comfortable.

Carol loves her ham radio, but also Quilts, Cross Stitches, old style Rug Hooking, makes jewelry, candles, Tlingit weaving, cans vegetables, Jams makes some delicious Kahlua and Wines.  In the summer she loves camping and fishing in our new truck the BEAST and 30' Camp trailer both are pretty comfortable.

Our site not only has our activities but also the MATSU ARES Emergency Site