Off the clock

What I do when I'm not working.

Outside of work I still like figuring out how things connect, whether that's on the radio or out on a lake.

Amateur Radio

I've been licensed since April 1995 and upgraded to General class in 2013. I operate as KB8YYE on an Icom IC-7300, and I'm interested in ham radio software and contesting. Time on the air has earned confirmed contacts on every inhabited continent, in all 50 states and with 81 European entities.

Ham radio shack with an Icom IC-7300 transceiver, Heil microphone and contest logging software — The shack: IC-7300 and contest logging setup.

QRZ Operating Awards

QRZ Logbook awards are issued for two-way contacts that are confirmed against the other operator's log.

United States Award (WAS)

50 of 50 states confirmed

Most contacts: Florida (38 QSOs)

World Continents Award (WAC)

6 of 6 continents confirmed

Most contacts: North America (582 QSOs)

Master of Radio Communication, Europe

81 of 66 required entities confirmed

Most contacts: Germany (65 QSOs)

Grid Squared Award

436 grid squares confirmed

Most contacts: DM13 (11 QSOs)

United States Counties Award

251 counties confirmed

Most contacts: Maricopa County, AZ (9 QSOs)

World Radio Friendship Award

619 confirmed contacts

25 required for base level

30 Years of QRZ

619 confirmed contacts

30 required for base level

Source: QRZ Logbook, call sign KB8YYE.

Band Conditions Dashboard

I built a dashboard in the lab that showed solar indices and HF propagation estimates from hamqsl.com next to DX cluster spots. It has since been retired, and this is a snapshot of what it showed.

Ham radio dashboard snapshot: solar flux, sunspot number, A and K index, HF band conditions by day and night, and recent DX cluster spots — Snapshot of the band conditions and DX spot dashboard.

Outdoors and Camping

I spend as much time as I can on Michigan's lakes, trails and back roads. I fish for walleye, northern pike and musky, camp around the state and ride bikes.

Keith Rockhill hiking near a rock formation in Michigan — Hiking in Michigan

Bicycle overlooking the Mackinac Bridge from Mackinac Island — Biking on Mackinac Island

Keith Rockhill at the Mackinac Bridge walk — The Mackinac Bridge walk

Truck bed tent camping setup — Truck bed tent camping

Gulf Stream Ameri-Lite travel trailer — The travel trailer

Trips Around Michigan

My wife and I like to get out and see the state, from camping and waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula to Mackinac Island and a Broncos game in Detroit.

Keith Rockhill and his wife at Miners Falls near Munising — Miners Falls, Pictured Rocks

Keith Rockhill and his wife on a Lake Superior breakwall — On the Lake Superior shore

Travel trailer and pickup truck at a campsite near Munising — Camping near Munising

Keith Rockhill and his wife on the Mackinac Island shoreline — The Mackinac Island shore

Keith Rockhill and his wife below a limestone rock formation on Mackinac Island — Hiking on Mackinac Island

Keith Rockhill and his wife at a Western Michigan football game at Ford Field — Western Michigan at Ford Field

Boat Restoration

This early-1970s StarCraft belonged to my wife's grandfather, and it's been in her family for more than 50 years. It's a 14-foot aluminum boat, and I restored it from the ground up, including refinishing the hull, new paint and a rebuilt interior. I also restored the entire trailer and added a brand-new 18 hp outboard. The restoration is finished.

StarCraft aluminum hull upside down on sawhorses with the old finish being stripped — Stripping the old finish

StarCraft hull upside down on sawhorses with the base coat of paint on — Base coat of paint on

The restored StarCraft in new blue and white paint on its restored blue trailer, with a new outboard motor — Finished, on the restored trailer with the new 18 hp outboard.