About Me
I’m just a regular guy trying to make his way in the world. I spend most of my quality time attached to one computer or another. When I’m offline I have family, friends and pets to keep me occupied. Sometimes I find the time to play with amateur radio stuff, or work on a car, or just go out for a cruise.
I passed my exam and became an Amateur Radio operator on July 5, 2003. Sometime in early 2004 I joined Harford County Amateur Radio Emergency Communications. Currently I am the Deputy RACES officer for Harford County and am an ARRL ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator. These duties involve me in the planning and execution of training, recruitment, field exercises and amateur radio infrastructure improvements. When time permits, when I’m in the car or free time at home, I monitor the 146.775 (-) repeater - just call for KB3KAI and I may reply!
Professionally I work doing website search engine optimization. This is an exciting, dynamic field that is intellectually and strategically challenging. I am learning a lot and really enjoy the people I work with.
I also work part-time at a local electronics service center where I build, set up and repair computers. It doesn’t pay much but I find it fun and challenging. There is never a lack of messed-up, virus-infested machines for me to work on!
Previously I was the webmaster and I.T. advisor for a major national corporation. Before that I worked as an automotive service advisor and repair technician.
Computer-related certifications I hold include Microsoft Windows NT Administrator, A+ Computer Repair and Certified Web Professional.
Automotive-related certifications include ASE certification in Electrical/Electronic systems, Brakes, Steering and Suspension, Heating and Air Conditioning, Automotive Parts Specialist and Automotive Service Consultant. I also held an IMACA certification for refrigerant recovery and recycling (now MACS).
Back in college I took courses several interesting courses including electronics, computer science, psychology and principles of logic. Electronics gave me a good foundation in basic principles of how devices work, and I still enjoy reading schematics, building circuits and repairing or modifying gadgets. Computer science was mostly dog work involving Assembler and Pascal, but did teach logical flow-paths and programming principals. From this foundation I have self-taught HTML code, PHP programming, JavaScript and more. Psychology taught me a lot about human behavior and stress response. Finally the principles of logic classes appealed directly to the left side of my brain!
My hobbies include computers (building, repair, software), web programming (HTML, PHP, style sheets), ham and cb radio, listening to music (rock, classic rock, hard rock) and TV (esp. history and discovery channels). I have several pets including a Jack Russell / Chow mix dog, some cats, an aquarium and a Ball Python. I also have a great wife and son, a couple step-kids and a wonderful extended family.
So that’s me in a nutshell. So what about you? Send me a message or post a reply, say hi and tell me who you are!
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Hi Dave
We haven’t met on Echolink I don’t think but I am usually kicking around on my node G3VFP-L #1097
Great to read your pages, and thanks by the way for the info on the Westell dsl modem/router which you
placed in the Echolink group. I don’t have one, but it will be very handy for KJ2F Al in Hamden NY.
Take care out there in radio land
God Bless all.
Dave G3VFP
Comment by Dave G3VFP — January 20, 2007 @ 7:47 amDave,
Would you happen to have the frequencies the Baltimore City Police operate on?
Comment by Marie — April 27, 2007 @ 6:41 pmIf, you do, would I be able to receive them in Harford County?
How can I find out if and when the 2m Roll-Up J-pole that I ordered and paid for with Pay-Pal will be shipped?. I haven’t herad from anyone since I placed the order, David.
Comment by David McCallum — July 26, 2007 @ 12:20 pmDear Dave,
We are a Greek music blog (mix grill - http://gbalmixgrill.blogspot.com/ ) and this month we are researching “music radio” across the world. On this subject, we have already posted many articles about music radio in Greece within the last 25 years. We tend to believe that the current state in Greek radio is unsatisfactory, as you can see in our view below.
Furthermore, we would like to research the state of radio in other countries and we hope to help Greek music radio, by posting articles, which show this issue.
For this reason, it would be very helpful if you could answer our questions, which follow. Besides your answers, this will give our readers the chance to see your own site and get acquainted with you.
1. How would you describe your country’s music radio stations? Are you satisfied in general?
(A) It covers me completely.
(B) Enough thanked! It informs me relatively fast for the new circulations, even if I have already learned them in the Internet.
(C) Neither cold, neither heat… I would like more, but am satisfied by what I take.
(D) I am not thanked! Continuous play lists, small until by no means briefing on the new things, retrospections in past.
(E) I am not satisfied at all. We have only 4-5 producers with opinion…! I prefer hearing foreigner radio or Internet radio stations…
(F) Other: Please write us your opinion.
2. What do you expect from a music radio station?
(A) Radio shows with different musical viewpoints and many researches about past music periods.
(B) Radio Shows with information about new albums.
(C) Both the above.
(D) Other: Please write us your opinion.
3. Are there mostly playlists or shows with different musical viewpoints in your country’s radio stations?
(A) Radio shows with different musical viewpoints.
(B) Playlists.
(C) Other: Please write us your opinion.
4. Do you have many shows, in which the producers express their musical opinions freely, actually look into music and promote new albums, without being pressured by their sponsors?
(A) Yes, we have many of them.
(B) There are a few producers, who really have good shows, informing us about new stuff in music, researching the past and expressing their opinion freely
(C) Other: Please write us your opinion.
5. What kind of a relationship is there between record companies and music radio stations?
(A) They have a close co-operation, but the record companies don’t demand things in radio shows.
(B) The record companies control the shows of a radio station
(C) Other: Please write us your opinion.
6. Do you prefer to listen to internet or traditional radios?
(A) Radio stations.
(B) Internet radio stations
(C) Both of them
(D) Other: Please write us your opinion.
In order to help you, you can see my own answers to the above questions below:
I’m not satisfied at all. We have many music radio stations, which have only a few producers and a continuous play list. You can find producers, who play dance music in one radio station for 3 hours and Greek modern music in another station for the next 3 hours, the two stations being owned by the same person. To me, they are professionals, not producers. As you can understand, we don’t have many producers, expressing their actual musical opinions. They mostly promote their sponsors and talk about parties etc. Unfortunately, many good producers, who really love radio, don’t have radio show anymore.
I expect shows with different musical viewpoints, information about new albums and songs – and not only about one specific record label albums – researches about past musical periods, co operations with other radio stations from other countries. Nowadays, we have very good information about music from many Web Sites. It would be perfect if the producers would listen to all the songs of every album (and not only their singles) and share their opinions with us. It is so simple, but we rarely have this information from most shows.
90% playlists and maybe more.
I believe that there are only 4-5 producers, who really have good shows, informing us about new stuff in music, researching the past and expressing their opinion freely. Obviously, most of them belong to Public or Municipal radio stations. In most music radio stations, everything revolves around their sponsors and commercial spots. One could say that this makes sense, but I cannot believe that a music station could not have profit, if it is like the one I dream of, like some radios that we had in Greece in the past.
Some Greek radio stations belong to record label owners. How objective can they be?
Unfortunately, I would prefer to listen to radio stations in my old radio, but I can find better radio stations in Internet. Some of them are Greek and some not.
We assure you that you will be informed for our article, which shows your opinion and if you don’t want to show your identity and your site, we will do it.
Thank you very much in advance. We are looking forward to reading your answers and any other information about music radio in your country
Giorgos Baliotis
Comment by Giorgos Baliotis — March 27, 2008 @ 3:46 ame-mail: gbaliotis@gmail.com