Ken Harker WM5R (ex: KM5FA)

Ken Harker WM5R was first licensed in 1993, and has previously held the call signs N1PVB and KM5FA. Ken moved to Austin, Texas in 1995 to attend graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, and became very involved in the University of Texas Amateur Radio Club. He was introduced to contesting by Robert Barron KA5WSS, a recent UTARC alumnus, and discovered the fun of six meter Sporadic E propagation during the summer of 1996. Ken operated in the major VHF contests and the ARRL November Sweepstakes from the UTARC club station W5EHM (now N5XU).

George Fremin III K5TR invited Ken to operate his first contest at the W5KFT Ranch Station when he put together a team for the 1998 CQ World Wide WPX Contest, Phone. His first VHF contest effort from the W5KFT Ranch Station was in the 1999 ARRL June VHF QSO Party, as part of the Multi-Operator, Limited Band team that finished in 6th place. Ken began operating in the Single Operator High Power category of the ARRL November Sweepstakes, Phone in 2002. In addition to his operations from W5KFT, Ken has operated from many other large stations in central Texas, including N5CQ, N5TW, K5NA, and K5TR.

Ken has entered at least 15 contests from the W5KFT Ranch station. His best results to date have been in the Single Operator High Power, Phone Only category of the IARU HF World Championship. In 2003, Ken finished in 4th place, W/VE, and in 2005 finished in 6th place, W/VE, operating from the W5KFT Ranch Station. Ken finished in ninth place in the 2006 ARRL November Sweepstakes, Phone, operating from the ranch. Ken has his own amateur radio web site.