The line-up of speakers for the Wes Schum W9DYV Radio Symposium at the St. Louis area Winterfest 2020 has now been finalized. Nick Tusa K5EF, coordinator for the Symposium, was pleased to announce that long-time boat anchor operator and aficionado Lynn Fisk, K5LYN is the final speaker.
Lynn Fisk grew up in the Texas Panhandle in the 1950s/early 1960s and enjoyed playing with radios since an early age. Amateur radio has been his life-long passion after earning his General Class ticket at age 15. Lynn was drawn to the early Central Electronics exciters developed and sold by Wes Schum W9DYV that were on the air everywhere in those days. However, he had to grow up, go to college and become a professional in Latin America History first! He eventually moved into the healthcare industry, later retired from the State of Texas in 1997 and resides in Austin, Texas.
Since retirement, Lynn has been a full-time restorer of vintage radio equipment and avid homebrewer. His more recent projects have included the design of transceiver adapters for 9MHz phasing exciters and the construction of medium-power linear amplifiers.
Lynn is extremely active in the vintage radio community while serving as one of the net control stations for both the Boatanchors Unlimited and Vintage Sideband HF nets. His nets are quite lively and often start off with a short description of how the early days of single sideband progressed in the 1950s-70s.
Nick Tusa said, “The Symposium is enhanced significantly by Lynn’s agreement to speak in the final slot on the program. His long background and standing in the ‘boat anchor’ community will supplement what our other fine speakers contribute to this year’s program at Winterfest 2020.”
K5EF also has a lengthy history with Wes Schum’s SSB and Central Electronics equipment. Nick started his adventure into Amateur Radio in 1963 as a novice class attendee at the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club. First licensed as WN5NID and later WA5RMC, Nick’s interest in Ham Radio led to an Electrical Engineering degree from Tulane University and a 40-year career in Radio/Microwave system engineering. K5EF also has a lengthy history with Wes Schum’s SSB and Central Electronics equipment. Nick started his adventure into Amateur Radio in 1963 as a novice class attendee at the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club. First licensed as WN5NID and later WA5RMC, Nick’s interest in Ham Radio led to an Electrical Engineering degree from Tulane University and a 40-year career in Radio/Microwave system engineering.
A life-long resident of the New Orleans area, Tusa Consulting Services – the firm he founded – has developed and implemented numerous public safety conventional and trunked analog and digital voice/paging radio systems throughout the US. Nick’s hobby interests – aside from Triumph sports cars – include antenna system design, homebrewing of HF equipment of all types, and the restoration of vintage radio gear (Collins, Central Electronics and TMC) and mechanical Teletype equipment.
All in all, this year’s W9DYV Symposium could be the best one yet! See videos from last year’s speakers for a flavor of the event held then in Slidell, LA. Make you plans now as this is a growing hamfest sponsored by the St. Louis and Suburban Radio Club.
