Paul H. Bott Consulting

Amateur Radio

My first experiences with the magic of radio were with Citizen's Band equipment in the early 1960's. I wanted to know how they worked, and I found an amateur radio handbook in the library that opened the door to the amazing world of radio for me. I built my first 40M ham transmitter from surplus ARC 5 aircraft radio equipment, and got a Novice license to go with it in college in 1971 so I could use the ASU ham station. I upgraded to a Technician Class ham license in 1973 and began to work in commercial two-way and microwave radio which required an FCC Radiotelephone Operator License. I traveled extensively to remote locations around Arizona (before cell phones) and the ham license was very useful to stay in touch, and occasionally call for assistance when my 4x4 truck broke down in the boonies. I upgraded to General Class when the CW requirement was reduced, and have helped my mother and brother get their Technician Class licenses so we could communicate more often via IRLP (Internet Radio Linking Project) radio. My favorite operating modes are VHF/UHF FM and I served on the Arizona Repeater Association technical committee helping to install and maintain remote ham repeaters for a number of years. I currently have a 100W low-band ham station on the family ranch and operate several mobile rigs on VHF/UHF. I also maintain a solar-power commercial VHF repeater on the ranch to enhance operating efficiency and safety.

Other Radio Licenses:

• FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License Lifetime, Ship Radar Endorsement
• FCC General Mobile Radio (GMRS) License

Arizona Ranching

My family has been cattle ranching on a modest-sized spread, about 10,000 acres of high desert and canyon land, in eastern Arizona for over 100 years. I grew up being a cowboy and decided early on that I preferred tractors to horses. I went on to engineering school and fell in love with technology, and the rest is history. My brothers also chose careers away from the ranch, so a while ago, we leased the ranch to a good neighbor who has a 25,000 acre adjoining ranch, and he now operates both ranches. I am the managing partner in our family partnership, and I go down every few months to keep up with repairs and whatever needs to be done. We handle roundups and cattle sales with the neighbor, and run a few head of our own cattle. My father-in-law and his brother are living in the 100 year-old adobe ranch house and acting as caretakers (If you have seen the movie Secondhand Lions, you will have some idea of their activities). We have family holidays and vacations at the ranch, and are giving the next generation a chance to live and work on a traditional cattle ranch. There are very few rich ranchers in our little part of Arizona, but there are plenty of rich experiences in ranching life to be had.

Old Tractors

I have been working on old tractors since I was about 10 years old (because old tractors were all we had on the ranch). My grandfather and father were both excellent 'shade tree mechanics' and often all they could afford were old used tractors and equipment, so I learned how to keep them running and to make improvements to meet our needs. The beauty was often in the functionality and additional work we could accomplish with the results, rather than their physical appearance. We occasionally added a working engine from one type of vehicle to the running gear of another to build a hybrid that could do what was needed. I also learned a lot about fabrication and troubleshooting techniques from these experiences, and there seemed to be plenty of troubles to shoot. Dad had an agile mind and determined temperament, so we undertook some interesting first-of-a-kind solutions. I have continued to love taking a good useful machine and giving it more usefulness, better performance, and doing the work that needs to be done, all for very frugal investments. I have built my own front loader - backhoe attachments for dad's old Ford garden tractor, and fully refurbished an older Bobcat Skid-Steer tractor (complete engine overhaul, hydraulics and electronics clean-up, restored control systems), and numerous Bob-Tach attachments including loader and grapple, trencher, backhoe, hole auger, fork lift, and rock breaker. We also have an older large John Deere Loader Backhoe tractor and an old Caterpillar D8 bulldozer on the family ranch. One of my favorite activities is to move some dirt around for a while, it gets to be real work after a few hours.

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Telephone:
(602) 319-5694