In the city of Leicester in the East Midlands of England, new Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) member 26DA116 Kevin is known to live, eat, sleep and breathe radio communications.

On the island of Great Britain (EU-005), a hobby career spanning 40+ years has allowed him to accomplish ham radio licensing with the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB).

He’s also carved out a reputation as a successful DX Hunter on citizens band frequencies and gained a thorough understanding of most elements of the hobby.

In many ways, given the shift of radio comms away from traditional mediums to a more technological conduit, too, Kev’s employment as a computer technician, thanks to a college degree at Guthlaxton University, provides the perfect mix.

26DA116 Kevin is equipped to operate as a home or portable station, out and about in the field.

At the time of his membership application being approved by the DA-RC HQ Team, Kev’s working conditions consisted of Icom IC-706 MKII, Alinco DX70-TH, Yeasu FT-840, Hygain 5 and Cobra 148GTL DX transceivers.

As the pictures show, he also enjoys using handheld radios during different applications.

“My wife thinks I’m mad with all the aerials I have…,” 26DA116 Kevin claims.

At the time of writing, these include a Vector 4000, Solarcon Antron A99, a 4 element Sirio beam at 18m high and more.  His wife is probably right!

On the word of online resource Wikipedia, 26DA116 Kevin’s local region, East Midlands is 1 of 9 official regions of England.

His city, Leicester, lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National Forest.

Pictured right, the latter is supposedly an important environmental project, transforming the landscape with the aim of linking the two ancient Forests of Charnwood on its Eastern fringe with Needwood Forest to its West.

Apparently, Leicester Cathedral, where Richard III was reinterred in 2015, has stood at the city’s heart for over 900 years.

Close by, the King Richard III Visitor Centre tells the fascinating story of the king’s life and death and displays his original burial site.

The ruins of Leicester Castle, where Richard III spent some of his last days, lie in Castle Gardens, near the River Soar which meanders through rural scenery, passing quiet river meadows and pretty villages.

Other notable landmarks include Castles On The Air (COTA) options Ashby de la Zouch Castle (Pictured bottom) and Kirby Muxloe Castle (Pictured left); the war memorial at Victoria Park; Charnwood Forest; the National Space Centre; Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower (Pictured above); Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields and many more.

Toss in to that mix the Leicester City Football Club that competes in the English professional football league at the King Power Stadium and you’ve got all the ingredients you need for a busy and vibrant home town.

Beyond the world of radio comms and 26DA116 Kevin is a keen fisherman.

He also enjoys walking, photography and building / making things.

In the sphere of DX, Kevin has been recognised on 26-27 MHz frequencies in the past as 26UK116.

As well as being a keen contributor to the world’s hobby related forums such as Transmission 1, he’s a regular on call frequencies such as 27.275 MHz on the USB/FM modes and maintains an online file of his many contacts on CBLogBook.

26DA116 Kevin also has his own online video channels with an abundance of QSO and testing recordings.

* Vi YouTube: http://viyoutube.com/channel/UCcoj54q5Aup_MCggN60Fztw/kevin%20ballard

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcoj54q5Aup_MCggN60Fztw

He looks forward to helping promote the club and making a real difference to the people he meets.

“I love all that is radio,” he explains.

“My aim is to help others with radios…so let’s have a chat if you hear my callsign.”

Like all DA-RC Members, 26DA116 Kevin is more than happy to exchange QSL cards to confirm any contact.

QSL INFOS

• “WILL QSL FIRST”