Hello, I'm Karen K8KB welcoming you to our website.

My career has changed as technology has, but I have generally worked as an EE with a secondary interest in mechanical engineering until retirement. For the better part of my career I was the engineering manager for various products from concept to market, often leading engineering teams and assisting in coordinating the contract manufacturing of the products.

After an early retirement I found myself missing the camaraderie of the people I worked with.  I had worked with several radio amateurs so I decided to become a "Ham" myself.   With help from the ARRL books and a CW program for my computer, I set out to get my license and several months later I sat thru and passed all 4 elements required for an Extra Class License.

Following licensure I felt more inclined to get involved in the community so I joined a couple local ham clubs and later joined the local ARES group. It was the ARES group that inspired me to become more involved in the emergency communication aspect of the amateur radio hobby.

Living in Martin County, I was unable to take my license exams locally so after joining the ARES group I spearheaded a VE team in the club and became the groups VE liaison.

Late spring of 2007 I was approached by both the Section Manager and Section Emergency Coordinator and asked to move into the Section Emergency Coordinator position to which I gladly accepted. I feel that it's a natural fit for me where I can better enjoy the areas of the amateur radio hobby that most interest me. It is my goal to promote the hobby and inspire others to give of their talents and time when our local communities need us the most. It's rewarding to know that when all else fails, hams are there!