Hal entered ham radio in 1967 as WN8ZAT as a 15-year old.  However, he maintained his Advanced Class callsign KC8FS for many years until he was finally persuaded to change to a more “contest friendly” W8HC in 2004. 

Hal served as ARRL SM for West Virginia for two terms and is past president of the West Virginia DX Association.  He is currently a DXCC card checker and is the “H” letter manager for the 8th Area Incoming QSL bureau.

An avid DXer and contester, Hal is on top of the DXCC Honor Roll with 349 entities and has 9-band DXCC. He has operated several M/M contests from the QTH of W4MYA and has operated 6 CQWW Phone Contests from 4X as 4X0WV and 4X0C, both calls held by him.  Hal has also operated on the DX-side from several of his “ham-cations” from 4X, EI, GI and EA8.  He can also be found on the bands as DL/W8HC when he is in Germany.

In 2012, Hal was a member of the NH8S Swains Island DXpedition and again in 2013 with the Pacific Islands DXpedition Group as a participant with the K9W Wake Island Commemorative DXpedition.

Hal worked in the chemical industry in the Charleston, WV area for just over 40-years.  He retired from Bayer CropScience in June of 2011 before taking a position with the Dow Chemical Company.  In June 2014 he retired (once again) from his Shift Leader position at Dow’s Union Carbide facility in Institute, WV.  He currently is acclimating himself to the “retirement lifestyle” while residing in St. Albans, WV -- not too far from his 2-year old granddaughter Olivia. 

Hal enjoys rail-trail bicycling, spending time at his camp in Wirt County, WV or traveling abroad.  

He loves working the pileups and looks forward to operating from Palmrya Atoll in 2016… another Pacific Island DXpedition from a top 20 “Most Wanted” entity.