This month, Member Spotlight features one of our newer and especially inventive members, Ryan Biazo – K5HEX.
Ryan resides in Tontitown and, since first earning his Technician license, has moved quickly through his amateur radio journey. He was first issued the call sign KJ5LHS in May of last year, then later passed his General exam and picked up the vanity call K5HEX. He says he plans to keep that call unless he spots a good Extra-class style call to pursue after earning Amateur Extra.
Ryan says he’s not entirely sure what first sparked his interest in amateur radio, but he soon recognized the value of VHF and UHF for off-grid activities like hiking, camping, and backpacking, as well as for emergency and disaster communication. What really kept him moving forward, though, was HF, because it expands the range from regional to worldwide with essentially no infrastructure. Digital modes ultimately convinced him that RF still has real utility in the modern age, though he now sees that voice modes and even CW have their place.
“I am a computer and networking person, so I understand that the trillion-dollar internet backbone is not owned by me, but my radio is,” he said.
When asked about his favorite area of interest in the hobby, Ryan said amateur radio is a license to experiment and, at the same time, an unending generator of problems. That challenge is exactly what makes the hobby so compelling to him. He especially enjoys antenna design, DXing, homebrewing, POTA, the digital modes, and he is starting to dip his toes into software development aimed at ham radio. He recently achieved Worked All States on 30 meters and currently has 79 confirmed countries across mixed bands. For POTA, he has just over 500 QSOs and 318 unique parks, all accomplished with an entirely indoor radio and antenna setup in his rented townhouse.
So far, Ryan says he has experienced two especially memorable radio moments. The first was taking his amateur radio exam and immediately feeling welcomed into the hobby — and into BVRC — despite his younger age. He was encouraged to help set up the local computer network for Field Day 2025, and shortly after that he connected with Brad – KJ5CWR and Alex – KI5EQK to help set up an ATAK server for community-service events. The second memory is really a continuation of the first: participating in the club’s Field Day event, which was a great introduction to the community side of amateur radio and to operating in a coordinated group.
Ryan resides in Tontitown with his new bride, Rylee. They were married last November — congratulations!
When asked about other hobbies, Ryan admitted there are way too many to count. He describes himself as a polymath and is deeply involved in the computing and data world. He owns and uses multiple rackmount servers for personal projects, built his own gaming computer, maintained eight freshwater aquariums simultaneously, designed circuit boards, and still finds time to enjoy CAD/CAM. He also recently designed a hamstick mount for his truck with POTA in mind.
Currently, Ryan’s shack consists of a Yaesu FT-710, along with a QRP Labs QMX and QMX+. He also has a small collection of SDR receivers, including a WEB-888, an RTLSDRv3, and two RTLSDRv4s. For VHF/UHF he uses a Yaesu VX-6R and a 2-meter 70-watt Anytone. He says the next thing he is looking to add may be a FLEX-8400 or something similar.
Ryan, thanks for being a part of the BVRC family as well as an inspiration to the club’s other younger-generation hams — we appreciate you!
