Jim Pepper, W9PX, is a native of Sterling, IL and became an amateur radio operator in the fall of 1976 and upgraded to Extra within 5 months, thanks to the Sterling High School Amateur Radio Club, and his Elmer and chemistry teacher Jim Zeigler, N9JZ. He graduated from ISU with a degree in Chemistry, and worked a short time in his field until fulfilling his dream to work full-time in two-way radio.
Jim worked for 6 years at a commercial firm, then accepted a technician position with the Illinois State Police in 1988, serving 30 years there and retiring in 2017 as the Communications Bureau Chief Engineer. He was part of the original statewide Starcom design team. He currently works part-time as a Communications Liaison for the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS). His duties include helping to manage the state’s Strategic Technology Reserve (STR), as well as serving as a FEMA and CISA instructor for Communications Unit Leader (COML), Communications Technician (COMT), and AUXCOMM. He also assists with communications for the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and Civil Air Patrol.
In his spare time, Jim works at restoring his 1945 GMC Amphibious Truck (DUKW) and keeping his early Willys Jeeps and John Deere two-cylinder tractors running.
