Amateur Radio Station

AI8U

Wendell, NC  •  Eastern USA

Connecting the World — One Contact at a Time

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FREE EXAMS

Get Your Ham Radio License

Yes, this website was built by AI. The extra fingers in the photos are a dead giveaway. But the exams below? Completely real. Real VEs, real licenses, real callsigns issued by the FCC. Ham radio has been connecting people for over a century — no hallucinations required.

No fees. No catch. The Five County Ham Radio Enthusiasts (FCHRE) — a Laurel VEC team — offers free amateur radio exams every month in the Wake, Franklin, Johnston, Nash, and Wilson county area of North Carolina. I'm a Volunteer Examiner on this team — come say hello.

📅

Monthly Sessions

At least one Saturday a month — often more. Multiple exam elements welcome in a single session.

$

Always Free

Laurel VEC has never charged an exam fee since 1984. Your upgrade from Tech to General to Extra is free too.

📡

All License Classes

Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Walk in, test up — bring a valid photo ID and a pencil.

Find an FCHRE Exam Session About Laurel VEC

Not in North Carolina? Search larc-vec.org for a free Laurel VEC team near you.

About Me

I'm Duane, licensed as AI8U and operating from Wendell, North Carolina. Ham radio has been a passion for years — from chasing DX on HF to activating parks and summits under a pile-up, to helping the next generation get their tickets.

As a Volunteer Examiner with the Five County Ham Radio Enthusiasts, I help administer free exams monthly across five counties in eastern North Carolina. FCHRE is an informal group — no dues, no officers — just hams who love growing the hobby.

You can find me on the Five County HRE Net on Sundays at 7:00 PM on the Carolina 440 network. We also do dinner on the fourth Thursday of each month at McLean's in Zebulon, NC — all are welcome.

QRZ Profile LoTW FCHRE
AI8U Station — AI-generated. We know.

The Station

🏠 Base Station

  • Icom IC-7300 — 100W HF/6M SDR
  • Multiband fan dipoles at 65 ft
  • FT8 & digital modes
  • 100W barefoot

🚗 Mobile

  • Icom IC-7100 — HF/VHF/UHF
  • 102" vertical whip
  • AH-4 auto-tuner
  • APRS enabled

🔬 Experiments

  • Icom IC-706MKIIG
  • DMR digital voice
  • FT8 / WSPR / JS8Call
  • Portable QRP ops

📋 QSL & Logging

  • LoTW — uploaded daily
  • QSZ (paper) accepted
  • No bureau — direct only
  • eQSL accepted

On the Air

Active on HF, digital modes, and portable operations — always chasing the next contact.

9
Band WAS
80m – 10m
7
Band DXCC
40m – 10m
22+
Countries
Confirmed
1,400+
Grids
Worked
1,000+
US Counties
Activated
90+
Parks
POTA Hunted
POTA SOTA DX FT8 DMR WAS DXCC Portable Ops County Hunting Digital Modes
AI8U shack — probably
The Shack — note the extra fingers. AI-generated. We know.
AI8U antenna — sort of
Totally normal antenna installation. AI-generated. We know.
AI8U POTA activation — allegedly
Legitimate POTA activation. Three hands help. AI-generated. We know.