New CQ Contesting Editor Tim Shoppa, N3QE |
(Hicksville, NY - June 26, 2020) -- Tim Shoppa, N3QE, of Bethesda, Maryland, has been named CQ magazine's Contesting Editor, CQ
Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU, announced today. Tim succeeds Dave Siddall,
K3ZJ, who is stepping down after five years of writing the magazine's
monthly contesting column. Recent increases in work responsibilities
limit the amount of time Siddall has available to write about
contesting.
Shoppa is an active contester and has been secretary of the
Potomac Valley Radio Club for several years. He closely tracks
individual contester and contest club activities worldwide. He has a
modest but active station on a suburban lot in the Washington, DC,
suburbs where he consistently wins the USA TBW (Tri-Bander/Wires)
category in the CQ WPX contests - despite having only a wire antenna -
and guest operates several times a year at large multi-multi contest
stations. He also had the top 80-meter score in the 2018 CQ DX Marathon.
Tim works for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority, coordinating the data acquisition of 70,000 devices around
the railroad and the supervisory control center computers at the
Washington DC Metrorail system. He holds a patent covering track circuit
monitoring and alerting in automatic train control systems.
Licensed since age 10, Shoppa took a 30-year break from
active hamming after high school before rediscovering the hobby in 2008
and becoming heavily involved in contesting. Tim says he hopes to use
the CQ contesting column "to encourage both individual
operators and clubs to get on the air in ham radio contests while
improving their skills and stations."
"I thank Dave for his five years of dedication to the CQ
contesting column and input on a variety of subjects," said Moseson,
"and I look forward to working with Tim as he brings his combined
experience as a 'little pistol' and a 'big gun' to the pages of CQ."
Shoppa's first column will appear in the September, 2020 issue.